He watched her drawing for a moment.

“You haven’t got on heels, though.”

“What?”

The man sat up and shimmied over to her, pointing at the high heels the body on the ground in her drawing wore. He didn’t miss that the body in the sketch was nearly identical to Lorena. He was working on that, though.

“You’re wearing boots, not heels.”

“They’ve got heels.”

“Yeah, but those are stilettos, yours are chunkier.”

Lorena shrugged.

“Wait-why would I-how did…”

“Of course I did, Lorena. Anyone like you would know.”

She just nodded and continued drawing.

“I guess you’ll be wearing stilettos tomorrow, then?”

“I guess I will be. It’s too dark now, and it’s not like I knew you’d show up and stop me.”

“Who says I’m gonna stop you?”

She smiled.

“Logic, the scent of your coat and the fact that nothing that wonderful has ever happened before.”

The Doctor smiled.

“Yeah, I suppose not. I was trying to be mysterious, you sort of ruined it.”

She laughed and folded her sketch pad closed.

“I think the alien pencil is mystery enough, don’t you?”

“Hardly.”

Lorena crossed her arms and put the sketch pad back in her satchel.

“I’m going to head home.”

The Doctor stared wistfully at the ground and she took a chance, tapping his arm.

“Hey. Is your vehicle…?”

“Hmm? Oh, no...not quite yet. Though I should probably check. Yeah, I’ll check on her.”

He stood up from the wall and winced, bracing himself against it and panting.

“Shit, are you hurt?”

He closed his eyes for a moment, then stood up with an arm still around his waist.

“Remember how I said I was dying?”

“You said used to be, as in past tense!”

“Right, well, I think I may have been a bit ambitious.”

“So you’re still dying?”

“Yes. Sort of. Well, yes, but not for very long.”

“Can you walk?”

He frowns at her.

“‘Course I can walk.”

The Doctor pushed himself to his feet and immediately stumbled, and when he pulled his hand away, it was coated with blood.

“Right, you’re coming to my place.”

“What? Why would I-“

“My flatmate’s a nurse. You may be alien, but you look human and so does your blood and whatever happened to you, painkillers and a cup of tea certainly wouldn’t go amiss.”

He looked at her funny.

“What?”

“Why aren’t you scared of me?”

“Because you aren’t very scary, especially when you’re bleeding out on the ground so come on, let’s get you sorted.”

She hooked an arm under his and helped him to his feet, and the two of them stumbled down the path.

“Just let me get to the TARDIS, I’ll be fine in there.”

“Where is it?”

“Erm...take a left.”

“Here?”

“No, next one.”

The two of them hobbled down the narrow sidewalk and rounded the next corner, where a dark blue box stood next to the side entrance of a shop.

The Doctor stumbled towards it and fumbled with the key.

“Is this it? The TARDIS?”

He darkened.