After the fall

[Epiphany]

(Hello! This is part II of Knocking On Heaven's Door and it's an ask first thread. Why? Mainly because where these two characters are is not presently New Haven or 'near' the Inn, though they are in Rhy'din. It's not necessary for you to have read the background story, but it is recommended - that's why the link was provided. Anyway, on with the show . . . )



Silly physics laws! And with the fall she was taking, one would not be to surprised that Epiphany was not a stronger motion at the moment. Gwen had no time to think of the pain, as Epiphany did, though she would be thankful later that the girl was a thinker on her feet, even if it wasn't the best for herself. Though keeping Gwen from sudden death would bind Gwen to Epiphany even more then what she had found out from the Voice! It would be a very thankful Gwen if they managed to escape this with their lives. When Epiphany's hands found Gwen's wrists, her hands would turn just so to grab to the other girls wrists. And then they were tumbling right after the grunt from Epiphany, and it seemed the two girls were doing some sort of somersault over each other at first after falling off that cliff. With the air moving around them, and nothing solid for them to grab besides each other, you can bet your bottom dollar that Gwen was not letting go of Epiphany. Gwen did not know the best way to fall into the water, so she watched what Epiphany did, not saying she knew what to do but maybe she had more of a clue. When Epiphany moved so her feet looked to be the first things to hit the water, Gwen did the exact same. It might of seemed like a long time to the girls but in reality it was not that long of a fall when they finally hit the water.

Unfortunately, the water in the area had large rocks, and the girls who's limbs had been joined by will of hands upon wrists, would be separated by a rather large boulder that stuck up out of the water. Both girls arms would be banged up by the landing, though that wasn't the worst of it, as their legs felt as if they had ran straight into a stone wall. When the girls fell apart and fell backwards, Gwen had the wind knocked out of her, her eyes shutting, as her head hit upon one of the rocks. And Epiphany, when she fell backwards, she two would have the wind knocked out of her, the rocks not making a very comfortable pillow for either of their backs.

The amount of damage that could be received from hitting the water was arguably less, or about equal to, the damage they would have received if they would have simply landed on the cliff. If anything the force of the water was strong enough to keep them from falling to the very bottom and may have even softened the fall. But not by much. These two surely had major damages that would need to be taken care of in a timely fashion to minimize the risk of loosing their mortal lives.

A lot of blood was loss due to the impact of the rocks and the gifts they gave and this blood spread out upon the water. And, being that the two were unconscious and in the water, it was safe to say that while they were under in the deep blue sea that began to drown. Davey Jones would not be collecting these two souls - not yet - for something caused an underwater current to rise up beneath the two females and push them up to the surface. Breaking through a second wave would push and roll them towards the shore, washing them up on the beach.

Where were they?

On the other side of Rhy'din, washed up on a beach. A dock with boats coming in and out of port was five miles down the shoreline, and a place known as Windseer Castle was to the east.

[catherine dtardis]

the sun was setting, her husband was tinkering, their son was napping, and lumie was off practicing his spy skills. add to that the fact that catherine had kept her light dinner down without it wanting to come up again and the evening was shaping up to be a very calm day. especially because catherine would soon be walking across a nice empty beach, very much looking forward to a leisurely swim where she didn't have to chase after her very wonderful but very eager two and a half-year-old.

when she swam in the ocean in this region, catherine liked this spot much better than the beach that was closer to the inn. this spot was more secluded, thanks to the added bonus of the cliff - back home her and her brother used to go cliff diving into the water all the time when they were growing up. it wasn't the safest pastime, which is exactly why they loved it. over the years they'd managed to have maximum fun with only minor injuries, partly because of their vast experience with the water below, their diving scuba and swim lessons...and the then dormant merfolk blood probably helped, too.

today catherine wasn't here to dive but was rather here for the seclusion. while she'd gotten better sharing that she was a mermaid to those she befriended, she still felt more at ease swimming in places that didn't have a lot of strangers. or sailors. or pirates. or anyone else who might be interested in cutting her hair off. add to that the fact that she was nearing three months pregnant, and she was even more skittish about strangers than normal. from her current vantage point there was no one in sight, and this was good news.

so catherine was happy enough to sing softly to herself as she jogged to a stop where the road stopped and the sand began, kicking her sneakers off and picking them up to carry in one hand. with her other hand she reached up to pull out the two hair ties which had bound her hair into two buns. once free, her long thick red hair tumbled down reaching all the way down to the top of her backside, decorated as always with small beads of precious gems - sapphires and diamonds today - which she fixed here and there in her locks in no particular pattern. she was wearing a tank top and jogging shorts, but as she trudged across the sank she was already pulling the tank top off to reveal an emerald green bathing suit top underneath.

as the walked down to the water her singing picked up strength, catherine growing comfortable in the fact that she was alone. oddly enough her voice wasn't drowned out by the sound of the waves, but it was amplified by the crashing water. that was the mystery of the mermaid voice. sweet to the ear, magic to the mind, and one with the water. but this particular mermaid's song didn't last very long - for catherine had walked long enough that she spotted the two figures laying on the beach and she realized she wasn't alone after all.

she changed her course to walk a bit farther away from them, telling herself that just because there were two people here she shouldn't chicken out from her swim. and then she tried to tell herself she was putting a distance between her and the two people to be polite, not because she was chicken. but she knew better. which is why she kept casting skittish glances at them every few seconds. just in case they happened to be sailors. it was those glances that made her realize something was wrong. each time she glanced their position was the same. and when she got close enough, she could see that position didn't look very comfortable or natural. now she was walking towards them, quickly, and she noticed they were wet.

she was only a few feet away when she saw the most worrisome thing of all: one of them was epiphany. "oh!" it was a gasped exclamation as catherine ran the rest of the short distance, dropping to her knees next to the blonde. "oh gosh, oh shoot, epiphany?!" the name was said the loudest as she fumbled in the pockets of her shorts to find out the new device her technologically complicated husband had given her. her green eyes looked epiphany and her friend over with concern - and a little bit of confusion. they were wet, but it didn't look liked they suffered from effects of drowning or near drowning. and there was blood. from multiple places on both of them. catherine had been trained in beginner's healing, but this was certainly a job for someone who was better trained than she.

someone like her husband. "hang on, epiphany, hang on..." she said that with urgency as she pulled out the communication device and started pressing buttons. 'could message him anywhere in the universe', the doctor said, 'works on every frequency', he boasted. well hopefully it would work now as she typed him the SOS message as fast as her fingers could manage.

before hitting the final key: transmit.

[The Doctor]

And It was from directly behind Catherine that the confirmation jingle for the device the doctor had would go off following by a squeaky voiced exited few words."Oh Thas' Brilliant! Didnt I tell you they'd work kitty?" And The good doctor, tall and lanky stepped up from behind Kitty to beside her.

The Doctor had his own little device in his hands, wearing his signature suit, a dark brown three piece with sky blue pinstripes going down its length. Brainy specs adorning his face, along with a big beaming smile at his wife."There is and emergency my love?" leaning over to kiss her cheek. Only to go and see Epiphany and another girl passed out.

The Sight meant that The Doctors eyes widened and he removed his glasses, rushing forth and kneeling down near the girl he didn't know, she had a very clear head injury which is where The Doctors attention was first. the sonic screwdriver." Kitty, can you attend to Epiphany? There is a med kit in the TARDIS near the front door." a quick look at his wife, who would suddenly notice that the Time Machine not far from the scene. Perception filters where pretty neat things when you wanted them to be.

The Doctor leaned in close to the woman, pulling from his pocket his Sonic screwdriver. a silver object with a blue tip that lit up and emitted a buzzing sound when he activated it."Miss, If you can hear me, my name is The Doctor, and I'm here to help you..." he said softly, clicking the sonic screwdriver at her head, the buzzing actually a read out that the doctor could deceifer just needed to know exactly what the problem was.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Gwendolyn had been knocked out cold. It was not something that had happened before. When the two arrived on the scene she still had not woken up, not that it meant anything significant, it just had not happened yet. They had arrived on the scene rather quickly which both girls would end up being thankful for, the sooner one got medical attention the better, in cases such as this.

The whole time that Catherine was moving along the beach, to speaking to Epiphany, to calling her husband for help, and his arrival, she was pretty much still, except for the lifting of her chest. Her breathing was labored at first, but it was changing to the breathing of one in a sleep, that might be a good sign.

When the doctor did use his sonic screwdriver on her head, she might or might not of heard his words, though there was no sign of her waking up, she whispered something that they may or may not make out. "Epiphany..." There was no flutter of lashes, at least not yet. His little sonic screwdriver would tell him, that she had the wind knocked out of her, her legs were just cut up and bruised, left ankle was twisted. Her left arm was beat up, with scrapes and bruises, though the left had a possible breakage. There was no internal damage, thankfully, her whole body just seemed to be a big bruise or scratch. She had a goose egg on the back of her head, though there should not be any lasting damage, once she would wake up.

[Epiphany]

It was a good thing that help had come along when it did, who knows what the fate of the two would have been if they had been left alone on the beach for hours. One of them may have come to on their own, but no one could say for sure.

Epiphany was a mess, just like Gwen, and sand was over much of her skin and even in the open wounds. The underside of her forearm on her left arm was as red as the clothes she wore, a wide cut stretched from her wrist to her elbow. For the moment it was not actively bleeding thanks to the sand that clotted the wound but it was bone deep. The strap of her shirt over the right shoulder was torn and the tip of some type of marking or scar was on the back of that shoulder blade. Of course, unless Catherine turned Epiphany or pulled away the cloth, what was there was hidden.

As for the rest of her injuries, one of her legs was visibly broken as it was bent the wrong way at the knee, and there was a cut across her stomach. Aside from a few more simple cuts and bruises everything seemed to be in order. And the fact that she was unconscious. Her breathing and heartbeat were very slow and her skin was cold and slightly pale.

If it were not for those things someone might assume that she was dead.

[catherine dtardis]

catherine nearly jumped a foot when she heard the device go off behind her, whirling around just in time to see how gleeful her husband was that it worked. he got the stink eye from catherine, who was only slightly appeased when he kissed her cheek. which is why he got swatted as she stood up. "tick, you know i hate when you do that! you're just as bad as lumie when he's practicing his spying..." she huffed. there was nothing worse than being spied on by a kitsune who could make himself invisible whenever he wanted. besides having a husband who was a time traveling sneak!

but then he focused on why she'd called him here in the first place. and asked her to attend to epiphany. a bundle of nerves twisted up inside catherine. her lips parted and she was about to protest - it had been months since she'd put her training as a healer to work. but one glance between her husband and epiphany and the other girl was enough to make her silence her own protest. "okay," she agreed softly, and catherine went running towards the tardis.

slipping through the blue double doors, she resisted the urge to check on her sleeping son and went straight to where the doctor said the medical kit was. grabbing it up she bolted back out, shutting the doors hastily behind her and making her way back over to the three of them. as catherine fell gingerly to her knees and opened the kit she said to her husband, "her leg is broken i think big deep cut on her arm one on her stomach and i don't think she's conscious tick, tell me what i should be doing first..."

as she waited for an answer for her husband, catherine put on medical gloves and ripped open some gauze soaked with antiseptic. pushing epiphany's shirt out of the way, catherine started to clean the wound on epiphany's stomach. she worked quickly but tried to be as merciful as possible, just in case the stinging of the solution cleaning the cut was enough to rouse epiphany. this wound worried her most because depending on how deep the cut was, there could be an organ sliced or punctured which she knew could be serious, more serious than a hurt arm or broken leg.

catherine didn't like the fact that epiphany was unconscious at all, but...she was reluctant to rouse her in this state simply because she felt bad. she knew doctors weren't supposed to worry about things like feeling bad - which is why she was relying on her husband's answer to tell her if she needed to get epiphany awake.

[The Doctor]

The doctor smiled at the read out he listened to from the buzzing sound emmited by the sonic screwdriver. offering a nod before tilting her his back at the chin in order to open her windpipe, keeping at his task as he answered his wife.

"stop the bleeding first, stomach and then the arm... here. use this, setting thirteen to see if there is any internal damage." and when he said here, he tossed the sonic screwdriver back to his wife, offering an encouraging smile at the red head before going back to his patient. placing the hand on the woman's forehead. "Miss, Miss can you hear me? I think your arm might be broken... I'm going to have to set the bone... It will hurt, I am really very sorry."

The doctor then very slowly reached across her to pick up the left arm. carefully sliding his fingers down from her shoulder down, index finger on the back thumb on the front. feeling down the arm for any potential signs of a break.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Besides her whispering of Epiphany's name, there wasn't any sound escaping but for the shallow breathing. It was a good sign that her chest continued to raise and fall, and it seemed that her heart might of sped up a little from where it was when they had first arrived on the scene.

The hand on the forehead would feel a warm fever. If Gwendolyn heard the doctor's words, there was no outward reply to him, though if that was brought up to her, when she was awake she would feel bad for being rude, so to speak. As he felt along her arm, the upper part of her arm was fine, save for the bruises and scratches, it was the middle of her lower arm, where his fingers would feel the break. The bone had not jutted at the skin, so it was most likely a pretty clean break, which would perhaps make it easier for him to set it.

Though she was not awake, her mind was starting to work, and her eye lids would flinch. It was as if her mind was calling out, though she couldn't get her mouth to open nor could she lift her lids just yet.

[Epiphany]

Stomach injuries can be tricky things, especially when they are covered with sand that was currently acting as a natural sealant to keep the blood from escaping. The cut across her abdomen would make an interesting scar -even though Epiphany never had any lasting scars - and would definatly need stitches.

As Catherine began to wipe away the sand and clean the area of the cut blood started to flow. The cut was not as wide as the one on her arm, but this was deeper, going through the skin and abdominal tissue and cutting her liver. That's where the majority of the bleeding was coming from. It wasn't a fatal cut, but it had caused her to go into shock and if left untreated she would eventually bleed to death. The organ was also bruised and it's blood was seeping out from it and going to the other organs.

Her breathing and heart beat were slowly down to a dangerous pace, Catherine could only feel a very low rise and fall of Epiphany's chest. If she could hear anything that was going on was not clear for she gave no movement, however, there was one part of her that was aware of what was happening and it had kicked into effect after the two girls had started to fall toward the ocean. It was that force that had kept them from drowning and put them up on shore and it wasn't going to loose it's mortal shell so easily. Right?

It was only a question of what happened next.

[catherine dtardis]

it was very nice that her husband had so much confidence in her, but...catherine pushed the thought out of her mind as she smoothly caught the screwdriver with one hand. she could thank her ex for her pitching and catching skills, a pitcher himself he'd schooled her during their years together. she released all pressure from epiphany's cut to slow the bleeding while she adjusted the setting on the sonic screwdriver, and then she aimed the device at epiphany's midsection to take the reading.

after a careful scan, when catherine saw the results she blanched a little. "oh." it was very softly spoken. a slight uncomfortable gulp. "tick - " the rest of her words just died off. she'd glanced over at him helping the other young woman, and one look at that picture and she knew she couldn't take the doctor away from his patient. and epiphany...the vital readings the sonic screwdriver took weren't so good either. there just wasn't time to have a discussion about whether it was best she care for epiphany or not. she would just have to do her best, and the doctor could check her work when he was able. if she could at least stabilize her....

at least the doctor had more advanced medical supplies and tools than people had on earth and on rhy'din - the benefits of having a timelord as your doctor. she turned to the medical kit and pulled out the sonically activated bonding tape. it was something she'd used a few times before on lumie and the baby and even herself when they got scraped up, so it was something she was comfortable with. she already knew from prior experience with it that it was safe to use internally, dissolving after time. cutting pieces that would cover the wound she reached in the tool kit and got out a handheld suction device.

before she did the deed she needed to adjust the setting on the sonic screwdriver again, and she needed to take a very deep breath. and then she needed to take a few more. talking to herself quietly in her mind about how she had to relax and be steady, catherine leaned over and nudged the wound open, applying suction long enough to clear the area so she could apply the first bit of the tape. suction again, and then she quickly flipped on the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the tape. it raised the temperature of the tape enough to activate the bonding agent, and the first tear was taken care of.

she worked carefully in repeating that process for any tears or cuts that she could see. when she was done she pressed the wound closed and used a strip of the bonding tape over it, creating a temporary seal so that the doctor could check the wound himself when he was able. and after the worst was taken care of, catherine took a moment to sit back on her knees and just close her eyes. steady, calm, focus. she kept saying that to herself before she added, now keep going. she knew she wasn't done yet.

careful to not kick any sand up over epiphany or the sterile tools, catherine moved into a position where she could tend to the wound on epiphany's arm. the size of it alone...and...was that bone she was looking at? it didn't help she'd had an unsteady stomach for about a month now, it really didn't...

steady catherine steady, calm, focus. she could do this.

[The Doctor]

The Doctor was absolutely focused on his current task which was a problem, especially since the doctor had a bad habbit of hyper focusing on things. there where two bones in the forearm. and only one of them was broken. it wasnt even all too terrible of a break. which made the bones setting a little easier. With a firm press in the arm a bit of a tug at the wrist, and the doctors Adept fingers pushed the bone back into place. with a bit of a pop and some grind of the bones.

Hands then moved over the forearm which he set down carefully, rising from where he was kneeling and tuning around to look at his wife"Kitty, how is she doing? stable? and can you toss me those strips there? and my screwdriver?" and when Catherine was able to get those to him. The Doctor smiled big and gave a nod" Thank you my love... you're doing amazingly. stay strong." The doctor then knelt down again, carefully wrapping the wound up in the sonic bonding strip. which when subjected to a different field of the sonic spectrum hardened as if it where a cast. and with that done, the doctor went back a second scan over the woman's body. checking for any more potential injuries, this time giving more attention to the goose egg on her head.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Gwen was still floating on that sea of blackness, at least being a patient she was being rather good, no squirming. If she had been awake she would of been squirming like a little kid that had to pee. Luck was defiantly on this girls side, at least it looked to be going that way, so far. When he found the broken bone, and pressed his fingers to cause the bone to go back into the place, the popping and the grinding, shot pain straight up. Her brain must of registered that shooting pain, for her whole body jerked, a soft whimpering sound escaped, as lips parted slightly. It seemed to take her mind a bit of time to understand what was going on, so that by the time he had got the cast of sorts upon her arm, that her eyes flickered open, pain registered before confusion.

One's feelings were often found in their eyes, if their souls were not tarnished, and if they were of the open sort of person, which she was. Those hazels were not focused upon the doctor. If she had heard anything he said earlier, it would not register, as she looked as if she was going to get up, though she didn't move. Strength needing to build up, so those eyes would watch him a moment, unblinking. "Wwhy can't I sit up? Where am I? What's going on? Who are you? Why is everything spinning?" Of course those questions normally would of come out in a quick fire action, but instead they were moving rather slowly, as her unbroken arm would move upwards, her hand going to her head, only it missed her forehead the first two times she tried. Once the hand did reach her forehead she held the hand there. Perhaps it was instinctively that she had only moved the one arm, a small voice, "Can you please answer the bell..." Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath, "Just call out that your coming... maybe they will stop." Of course, she was talking about the ringing she heard in her ears, hopefully he would understand that, she really wasn't clinically insane.

[Epiphany]

It was indeed bone. Luckily for Catherine the bone wasn't breaking through the skin, but she could see that it was slightly fractured and would need to be set. No problem there right? If the positions were reversed Epiphany surely would have been very interested in the damage done to the arm if only because she could see through the muscles and to the bone. Working at the clinic had done nothing to squelch her curiosity about seeing injuries, nor had it helped with that one bad memory. A brace might be all it needed, or a splint. Though for the missing skin, well, that was a different task.

The muscles in her stomach contracted when Catherine put the tape on the wound to close it, like a person pulling away from a hurtful touch for in deed the skin was bruised and sensitive. What was good about all this was that it caused a slight moan to seep out from her lips and it even looked as though her head tried to move. Was she waking up or was it just a body reaction to the treatment she was getting?

Partially. Sounds were starting to register with her and she had a thought about where she was. Behind her closed eye lids her eyes were moving. The pinky finger on her good arm twitched.

[catherine dtardis]

"ohhhhhhhhh..." it was said very softly, and most likely inaudible over the sound of the waves. there was a whole jumble of emotions behind the sound - the depth of epiphany's arm injury, the sight of the bone, the twist of nausea and the watering in catherine's mouth...and the fact that now the mermaid really did know for sure that her husband was going to have to tend to epiphany as well. she would do as much as she could, but she just didn't know what to fix the torn skin of the arm beyond what she could think of to do it temporarily. and temporarily wouldn't be good enough for it to heal up the best way.

she could set bones. catherine steadied her gaze long enough on the arm injury to notice the fracture which would need setting, but she knew there was still epiphany's leg to tend to as well. since the gash on her arm wasn't bleeding, it gave her the time to tend to the leg first. as she shifted her position on the sand again, she said to her husband. "you're going to have to look at her arm too, tick. i'll do all i can to fix it temporarily but it really needs your help."

as she leaned over epiphany, she watched as the woman stirred. it made catherine wince. taking a deep breath, she hoped against hope that epiphany wouldn't fully wake until after this bit was done. she never had a broken bone herself, but catherine imagined it would be very very painful. gripping her hands on epiphany's calf just below her knee and just above the ankle, the mermaid straightened the leg in the most careful but expedient way possible.

she couldn't help stealing a glance at epiphany when she did that. slowly, as the doctor did catherine started applying pressure where the break was, to move the bones back into proper alignment. "everything is just fine, epiphany," she said that clearly and with great haste to the stirring woman as she got the bones lined up as they were supposed to be. "just stay right where you are, i'm about to wrap bonding strips around your leg to make a cast to hold it in place..." she thought it best to speak to epiphany as if the woman could hear and understand her perfectly, even if she couldn't just yet.

after letting epiphany know what she was going to do, catherine picked up a roll of the sonic bonding strip and started to carefully wrap the leg. it was very slow work, because she was trying to do the near impossible task of keeping sand out of the wrap - she figured sand would make things itch terribly.

[The Doctor]

"shhshhshhshhshh, no no... you need to stay still." The Doctor said softly to his patient as she moved, and spoke."I'm The Doctor. You've suffered from a serious fall. you've got a broken arm what, what looks to be a very serious concussion..." Where he was usually all smiles and carried a happy tone to his voice, the Doctor today was very serious. It was then that The Doctor moved quickly and shrugged out of his coat and tossed out over to the side, he needed to be able to move better.

"I need you to lay still. There may be more damage that we can not yet determine. so I need you to stay still, and stay Awake..." And his eyes left the woman looking back at his wife." Alright Kitty I'll be right there. I need you here, I'll need you to keep her awake and keep her talking. She may have a concussion." It was then that the doctor stood, just in time to watch Catherine very carefully set the bone, and bind it in place with the sonic bonding strip. on the inside of course the Doctor smiled, seeing the expert care that she used to set the leg and wrap it. but now, he knelt down next to epiphany, reaching over her to pick up the first aid kit. pulling from it another very advanced looking bit of medical technology. it was it a white pack, bound in a metallic casing with a large red cross on it. yes even int he future and on other planets a big red plus sign was still used for medicine.

"Epiphany, It's me... Catherine has set your leg. She did it brilliantly too, I'm very proud, you would be too." The doctor said all of that while examining the broken bone in her arm, through the gash there."Epiphany, this is a non scarring Biofoam gel." Holding the pack up." It is used on battlefields to cauterize, sterilize, and disinfect wounds... I'm going to set the bone in your arm. and then fill the wound with the biofoam... It will hurt."

It was good that Catherine had been speaking to her, The doctor liked to do it too. it helped at times to pull a patient out of their haze, hearing constant voices. slowly the doctor, placed both hands on the arm, much like Catherine had. and with a single expert motion pulled the bone with a bit of a pop and a grind back into place. when the bone was in place the doctor lifted the med pack and pressed the red cross, which opened a small keypad. which itself required a access code. before the metallic casing popped off and tumble to the ground which allowed the doctor to tear open a corner of the pack and squeeze a bit of its contents into the large gash in her arm. and the moment it made contact it began to foam up. pushing against the broken bone, and fillig the space left in the wound, making sure there was nothing left open before billowing out over the wound and onto her arm. Since Catherine had the bonding strips The doctor fished out some sterile gauze and started to wrap her would tightly in the fabric.

When it was finished the Doctor pulled an ace bandage out of the med kit and began to wrap the arm in that next. After a couple of wraps he stopped and sat up."Kitty how're we doing?" asked while he reached over for his coat, going elbow deep into the pocket and coming out with a magazine, which was quickly wrapped around the break in the arm before the doctor continued to wrap up the wound. Yes you could use a magazine as a splint. look it up!

[catherine dtardis]

[posted this little one so gwen would have someone to talk to!]

when catherine had finished wrapping the leg, she used the sonic screwdriver on another setting, sweeping it up and down the leg. it made what wrapped around epiphany's leg harden into a cast, which would keep the bone from shifting and the leg from bending just like a normal cast would. she was finishing that up as the doctor came over to epiphany, and once done she returned slipped the sonic screwdriver into his pocket while he was working.

if catherine wasn't so twisted up from nervousness, she probably would have smiled to hear that the doctor was proud of her. but she was more focused on the tasks he was asking her to do, which now changed to the other woman. catherine stood up in the sand, moving with short quick steps over to other woman's side once again careful not to kick up sand on either of them. as she knelt down next to the young woman, she was relieved to hear the doctor say he had a way to fix that terrible gash on epiphany's arm. because she really didn't have enough training to know how to do it in a way that would help epiphany's arm be as good as new.

now catherine was looking down at the woman she'd never met before, a bit at a loss for words. what had her husband said to her? maybe she should start with that. "yes, the doctor's right you need to stay still. you're on the beach and there's no one else here so there's no rush to get up, you're very safe here...oh, i'm catherine, i'm the doctor's wife. he's the best doctor in the universe, he'll take very good care of you..." the first words that came to catherine's mind, she hoped they were helpful and the right sort of things to say.

but the doctor said she needed to keep the injured woman awake. so maybe it would be best to ask her a question or two as well. "what's your name? how do you know epiphany?" catherine would wait to answer the doctor's question until she heard the answers.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

She had started to struggle to sit up, and at the doctor's words, she went still. It was something in the tone of his voice, the sort that wasn't a command yet something said listen, or so the bells in her head told her too. She took a deep breath, though that did hurt but it would be due to the bruising all over. Eyes would blink, she was already a trusting soul, and when he said he was a doctor, she knew she had to trust him. She was taking in everything he was saying. Staying still was not a strong point, it wasn't that she couldn't do it, it just was sooo much harder when one was told that they need to stay still. She was a fidgeter, and she never realized how hard it was not to be fidgeting! And that was where her mind was, stay still, stay still. Lids lowering just a moment before opening again, speaking softly, "Must stay awake." A yawn was given, her hand did not leave her ringing head, though she would of moved it in normal conditions.

She had forgotten that Epiphany was there with her. She wanted to move to peek over where Epiphany and the two were, though before that thought had more time to sink in, there was a woman in her vision, whom knelt down near her. Gwen was rather glad that the woman was careful not to throw sand on her when she knelt, it was much appreciated even if it was not voiced. When the flame haired woman began to talk, a soothing feeling would take over the panic that she did not even know she was feeling. She was doing her best to follow the woman's words, what she heard of them over the ringing, if only that ringing would quit, she would be a happy girl, in that moment. The words coming out slowly, "Tis a pleasure to meet you Catherine." A breath was taken, "Best Doctor in the universe. That is good." She wasn't normally so slow, it was the ringing.

She just wanted to go to sleep, but she heard the doctor and Catherine both telling her she needed to stay awake, so you could tell she was fighting sleep. Another yawn, eyes closing just a moment, before blinking up again. Her name, she looked thoughtful, and waited a moment or two before she spoke, "Gwendolyn, but most call me Gwen." Normally she would of added her nickname she had gotten on the kitty journey but not this time. There was another question, this one, she had a feeling was a important question, so she would answer it before asking one of her own. "Epiphany I don't know her well, but The Door took me to the Voice and the Voice told me that she's my half sister, we share blood." She paused a moment, and a thoughtful look crossed her features, she was trying to beat out the ringing still, "And I remember walking through a painting....and" Her voice hitched, "Epiphany saved me....." Her voice got soft, and she couldn't hear it but hopefully Catherine could, "How is Epiphany?"

Her state did not have the full amnesia, though at the moment she would of gladly traded that for this dang ringing, the having to stay still. She didn't recall anything after grabbing hands with Pip. And it was true, they had spent time in passing but they never were close friends, and then the Voice told her, and there was something about the Voice. She wanted to chat with Epiphany about it, but it was all she had to go on.

[Epiphany]

Resting soundly, in the back pocket of her mind, was Epiphany. A part of her was fully aware of all that was going on and was working to get her to wake up. That was the reason behind the rapid eye movement behind her eyelids and the static movements of her pinky.

First it was only that finger, then as Catherine worked the other fingers on that had start to move in slow succession as though they were speaking for the rest of the body. Yes Catherine, the fingers said, we hear you. Thank you.

Those fingers were the only things that showed she was conscious to some degree. Then Catherine left and she was replaced by the Doctor, this side of her consciousness knowing it was him because he gave his name. He started to work and then, then he applied the treatment that he said "will hurt".

And it did.

It hurt enough anyway to rock her system, sending pain signals through her body until...."Blithering barnacles in June!" blurted out from Epiphany who's system had just been giving a jolt. A shocking jolt arched her up from the sand and then drop back down as she started panting and swallowing hard. Her eyes had opened widely at the jolt and then the strength of the sun made them burn and she immediately squeezed them shut to try and make the pain go away. She wanted to lift her arm and use it to cover her eyes but for the moment she felt totally depleted of energy.

A lot of things started coming to mind then as her mind started to recollect what had happened. She had come to the cliffs to think things over, then she caught someone who was falling from the sky. After that, the rest was a blur. She didn't move her head much but used her eyes to look around as she heard other people were there.

"What did I miss?" Her voice wasn't as strong as a few moments ago, now it just seemed worn out but it was words.

[The Doctor]

And the doctor had placed a hand on her chest in order to hold her down onto the ground. and then smile big and bright seeing her awake."Blithering barnacles in June? Epiphany, watch your mouth. there may be children present." And the doctor lifted his hand and gave a nod, leaning back onto his heels still crouched down next to her.

"You look like you've taken one heck of a spill. How are you feeling? are all of your thoughts in order? do you know who I am and what day it is?" The doctor rocked back then, after a moment to allow Epiphany her answer and turning towards Gwendolyn and his Wife." hi there miss. How are you feeling? do you know where you are and what day it is? And before you answer, I must insist that neither of you move. as we dont know how terrible the internal damage is... can you guys do that for me?"

[catherine dtardis]

the door and the voice and walking through a painting? now catherine had been married to the doctor for nearly three years, so she had definitely learned that what a person might think is impossible is actually very possible. but still. considering gwendolyn had a head injury, she also knew what happened to people when they were suffering from one of those. it was hard for her to decide, because of that, whether the story gwendolyn told was what actually happened or the effects of the hit to her head. either way, catherine knew the most important thing was to keep her talking, keep her calm, and keep her as happy as she could. questioning her recollection of things was probably not a very good way to do that.

so catherine would talk about other things. it's true that her voice was rather soothing to listen to. while catherine was not in her mermaid form, she was right next to the water and her voice had a way of blending with the waves like a natural match. it made her voice sound a bit like a song to the ear even when catherine wasn't singing at all, and it made her voice something a person would very much want to listen to. "it's very nice to meet you, gwen. gwendolyn is a very pretty name, which do you prefer to be called by? i only ask because people try to call me all sorts of things that people who are named catherine are called, but i really only like to be called catherine. though tick calls me kitty, but that's..." a little wave of her hand. that was a different story, a bit long and certainly not the sort that needed to be told right now when two people were injured. she had to keep gwendolyn talking, not herself!

when she heard epiphany's exclamation, she knew what to do. "epiphany's awake, gwen, you should say something to her. don't move and stay relaxed, but you should talk to each other while the doctor helps you." catherine didn't know why, but she had a feeling that if gwendolyn started talking about voices, doors and paintings to epiphany that epiphany would have a much better response to such things than catherine would. and if they talked to each other, well that would keep them both awake wouldn't it? she thought that was a very good idea on her part!

next catherine looked to her husband, asking in a small voice. "tick, is there anything else i can do? they can't stay on the beach forever...does the inn have an infirmary?" it was the sand that worried her. so much sand and each grain so small that it could work its way into a well-wrapped wound if the timing was right, there had to be a better place for them to rest.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Gwen was laying still, though she did miss the words that Epiphany said to the doctor, for she was focused upon concentrating on what Catherine was saying and what she was saying to Catherine. And she was doing her best to follow what Catherine was saying. Her eyes were not so good at focusing upon the woman, her eyes would start to close but it was almost a mental shake of her head that had them snapping open. Her hand was still pressed to her temple, though she had not moved any more than that. She would do her best to take a mental note that Catherine only liked to be called Catherine and not some random nickname unless one was the Doctor. Taking a moment she would respond, "Either works, I am not used to many calling me Gwendolyn, those some do." Small pause, "I did just get my first nick name a while back." She would smile,the best she could at the moment, because she liked having a nick name, even if no one else used it.

She listened to everything that Catherine said, and that was also when she heard the Doctor talk to her, at least she assumed it was her, seeing he said Epiphany's name and he wasn't about to call his wife Miss. The thing she got was, the only thing she could answer out of those at least was, "On a beach some where?" She was taking a stab, she felt the sand underneath her, and upon her skin, the sound of the water was near as well. "Won't move."

Hearing Catherine's words once more Gwen would take another breath, her voice hitching in her breath. "Epiphany, I am sorry that we took the tumble. But the Door took me up to a very cloudy place with a shiny gate, where the Voice told me things, and I walked through a painting and you caught me. Have you met the Voice before?" That last part had a bit of awe in her voice, even as she left out the part about what the Voice said. She had blabbed that to Catherine right off, but something held her back from saying it right off the bat now. She spoke softly, "The clouds were fun though." She paused a moment, "Though they need to get someone to answer the ringing bell." Maybe the ringing would disappear soon and she could concentrate better on what was going on.

Catherine did have a very good idea in keeping the girls both chatting, so they could figure out what they were going to do next, not that Gwen would be very much help. Her body was throbbing, a feeling she had never felt before, and she wanted to curl up into a little ball, but even without the Doctor's words of caution she probably wouldn't be able to get her body to move in that action.

[Epiphany]

"Children?"

There were children present? That was what Epiphany thought when she heard the Doctors words. He had asked them to lay still and not move and so it was hard for her to really look around and see if it was true or not. But she used her ears and if there were small children she knew that she would have heard them. She hasn't met a child yet who was that quiet unless they were sleep.

She still could not feel much of her body after that one outburst. Everything felt numb. As she rested Epiphany closed her eyes. "Everyone hears a Voice. Each Voice...is different for each person." And she swallowed hard as her throat was dry, she even coughed a bit. "I'm thirsty and I'm dizzy. The lights bright on my eyes."

That string was directed to either Catherine or the Doctor since she was not suppose to move. "Gwendolyn. I remember you. Aunt Azlin..." She was having a hard time focusing on one thing as her body wanted to sleep and her other side was coaxing her to do just that. Sleep so it could heal. If she had more sense about her she may have articulated this to him but as she didn't, she didn't.

The Doctor would surely be able to tell her struggle with staying awake by the way her words varied in volume and her eyes continued to flutter. "If the Door ... took you there it...must have been needed."
Needed. She meant that Gwen must have needed to go there.

To Epiphany, everything that Gwen said made sense. Why wouldn't it? She knew what the Door was capable of.

"I'm thirsty."

[The Doctor]

"what? no, no there arent any children... I was kidding there.." The doctor stood up then and looked about the area they where currently in. and then a nod to Catherine." I think it does, not entirely certain though... we can't keep them out here until we find out... Oh!@- and the doctor run full speed without another word to the TARDIS.

Another moment and the TARDIS started to fade from its place, the distinctive sound filling the area, It was fading from its current place and materialized around the three woman, the two laying down soon finding themselves laying on stretchers in the console room in the TARDIS with the Doctor running upstairs from downstairs holding several bottle of nice cool water. offering them out to kitty.."How about we get these young ladies to the inn my love?" and he smiled big and leaned in for a quick kiss.

[catherine dtardis]

catherine was very relieved that the two women were talking to each other. she was even more relieved that epiphany seemed to know what gwendolyn was talking about when it came to the voice and the door and those things. it meant that what gwendolyn said wasn't a sign of her head being very terribly injured after all.

when the doctor ran off to get the tardis catherine spoke in a soothing tone to epiphany. "don't worry epiphany, we're going to move both of you out of the light to somewhere more comfortable. very very carefully, you won't even feel it." she was quick to add that last part so that they weren't nervous about feeling pain while they were moved. she wasn't sure just how the doctor was planning on moving them, but she knew her husband. he was going to find some brilliant way to do it which would make it happen before they even realized it.

so when the tardis disappeared from sight, catherine was not at all surprised to be inside of it a moment later and looking at epiphany and gwendolyn secured safely on stretchers. she beamed at her husband, taking the water from him as she returned his kiss with a loving press of her lips. "that sounds like a brilliant idea my foxy doctor." she said it in a cheeky tone, showing a sliver of her redheaded spunk, since...well since that had really been her suggestion first!

then she turned to the two women. screwing off the cap of the first bottle, the others held by the crook of her arm, she nudged the bottle into gwendolyn's good hand. "i'm putting this in your good hand, gwendolyn, a bottle of water it's nice and cool..." just in case gwendolyn's eyes weren't open or the cool sensation shocked her catherine thought it best to still talk through things. "and you too epiphany, water and now we're out of the light. the tardis might shake a bit but you'll be just fine i promise..." added as she nudged the bottle of water into epiphany's good hand, her own hands giving the woman's a bit of a squeeze around the bottle to reassure her.

now that they had their water she moved around to the back of their stretchers, adjusting the settings on each so the stretchers sat them up a bit. it was never very fun trying to drink water laying flat, so hopefully being gently propped up would help. "now that we're out of the sand i'm going to finish cleaning up your scrapes," she said as she finished adjusting epiphany's stretcher.

"and don't try to move very much until the doctor says it's okay. he gets very crotchety if you don't listen..." a brief teasing glance at her husband. she was using humor to try to lighten the mood a little bit now that the girls were awake and their major injuries had all be treated and stabilized. and just as she promised, catherine bent down to get some swabs and antiseptic from the first aid kit. using that and the extra bottle of water she started cleaning gwendolyn's scrapes of sand, blood, dirt and so on. trying, of course, to be as ginger and make it as painless as possible.

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Laying still was very difficult as was staying awake. A part of her was rather glad that Epiphany knew what she was talking about, because she was beginning to wonder if she was really remembering that or if it was all in her head. Her head was spinning for more reasons then one. She licked her lips before speaking, "What if the Voice that spoke to me, told me that you...and I....share a birth mother? I should..believe the voice?" She was still pondering this, and why ponder alone, when there were others about, and the sooner she could quit thinking on it, the sooner her mind could go to work in other aspects.

Letting her eyes fall closed for a moment, she would give a mental shake as eyes would pop open at the words directed to her, "Yes. Azlin, she always speaks fondly of you when your name comes up." She would never admit it, but sometimes she felt a small pang of jealousy, when Azlin would say something about Epiphany and compare the differences of the two girls. That wasn't something that took much thought. Gwendolyn always was more of a quiet observer, her nose in a book, when possible, especially lately.

She had a feeling that The Door did it for a reason, though she was curious if there was more to The Doors reasoning then just finding out about family. Of course, she didn't know what she was, so that wouldn't cross her mind, that The Door had awakened something that had laid dormant in her body, all her years.

She would speak, again after Epiphany had voiced one of those thoughts that were rumbling around her mind. Closing her eyes just a moment, almost as if she was drawing up what strength she could to stay awake. "Me too." She didn't mean to sound so whiney though she might of just came off that way. What a good first meeting.

When they were moved Gwendolyn would blink again, though her eyes seemed not to have to fight as hard to stay open once they were inside. Taking a deep breath, though not as deep as she would of liked, before releasing the captured air. A polite, "Thank you, " would escape though she was growing tired, fingers would curl around the bottle as she lifted it carefully upwards, even as Catherine was moving the stretchers up a bit, she was a bit wobbly with her hand, which caused her to spill water down the front of her, giving herself a mini bath. The majority of it went into her mouth and for that she was grateful, lowering her arm, back down, holding the bottle carefully.

When Catherine did start cleaning the scrapes, Gwen would let her eyes shut and stay that way. "I will do my best to stay still." Spoken to Catherine, she had a feeling if she didn't she would pay for it in the end. She was a bit squeamish right now, though she would know that Gwen was not sleeping for occasionally her face would scrunch up. She had been protected for way to long, this was probably the first injury's she had ever had, and getting them cleaned it was very difficult to sit still, but she was doing her best. Wanting to take her mind off of it, "How are you doing Epiphany?" She was a bit more curious about the girl now then she was before everything started!

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