Life Goes On - Epilogue
UNITUNITUNIT
Epilogue
UNITUNITUNIT
Calling in at UNIT for the first time in a couple of weeks, Sarah half wondered if she'd be turned away at the gate, since her pass had expired and she was no longer quite the familiar face she'd once been. Private Henderson was on duty, however, and he simply waved her through with a broad smile that she couldn't help but return. Making a break from this place had been the right decision, but it did feel nice to be made welcome still.
Inside, she found Benton at the front desk and stopped for a quick chat about his kid sister's latest antics before heading for sick bay, where Harry was pottering around making a mess. Sarah grinned. "Whatever are you doing, Harry?"
He obviously hadn't heard her approach, since he jumped at the sound of her voice and dropped a box of medical dressings all over the floor, shook his head at the mess, with a look of resignation, and then finally turned his attention to her. "Hallo, old girl haven't seen you for a while."
"Well, I did tell you I wouldn't be dropping in quite so much," she reminded him, bending to help pick up the scattered bandages. "Are you busy?"
He waved a hand at the medical supplies he had strewn all over the work bench. "Stocktaking."
Sarah laughed. "Oh, is that what this is? Business must be bad if you've been reduced to that."
He grinned. "Well, things are rather quiet at the moment, I will admit."
"Harry, have you seen oh, Sarah. I wasn't expecting to find you here." Liz Shaw rather unexpectedly appeared in the doorway, and seemed as surprised to see Sarah as Sarah was to see her.
"Likewise I thought you'd have gone back to Cambridge by now."
"Ah, yes." Liz chuckled, rather ruefully. "Well, I have, but I'm also continuing a spot of research here at UNIT, just the odd day here and there it's a new arrangement that the Brigadier and I are trying out. Early days yet, so we'll have to see how we get along."
"Well, I'm glad you're here, actually," Sarah told her. "I was going to ask the Brigadier to send this on to you. It's why I'm here. I've been in to the record office and had a look at the 1841 census it was the first there ever was, you know. They let me make a copy of this page." She pulled it out of her bag and unfolded it to show them. "This is part of the entry for Lower Tarrow, and look there's Tom Craddock. Still living in Lower Tarrow seven years after you sent him home, Liz, still a carpenter, married with a little boy."
"That's marvellous." Liz took the paper to examine the entry in more detail.
"Not that there was ever any doubt that you'd sent him back to the right place," Sarah quickly added. "I just thought it was nice to have proof that he made it home safely, that he got on with his life."
"It is," Liz nodded. "I'm grateful, thank you. May I keep this?"
"Of course."
Tucking the paper into a pocket, Liz looked apologetic. "Look, I'd love to stay and catch up, but I'm afraid I really need to get on I'm due back in Cambridge this afternoon to meet with some students."
"You wanted something?" Harry reminded her.
"I did that." She pointed at a fancy-looking microscope affair on a bench. "May I?"
"Of course, feel free."
As Liz said goodbye, took the microscope and left, Sarah turned back to Harry. "I can't stay either, I'm afraid. I've got a meeting with the head of a medical research laboratory and I don't want to be late there could be a story in it."
Predictably, Harry's ears pricked up at the mention of medical research, which was just the reaction she'd been hoping for. "Sounds intriguing."
"Possibly, I'm not completely sure yet," she admitted. It was the first potential story she'd felt excited about since she'd been back home, though, which she was regarding as a step in the right direction. "I'd quite like to pick your brains about it at some point, actually, if you've got time. Not here, though. Are you free at the weekend?"
He nodded. "Should be, so long as nothing comes up between now and then."
"Like an alien invasion, you mean? All right, then. Barring any invasions, meet me for lunch on Saturday," said Sarah. "And I'll tell you all about it."
~ end ~
Epilogue
UNITUNITUNIT
Calling in at UNIT for the first time in a couple of weeks, Sarah half wondered if she'd be turned away at the gate, since her pass had expired and she was no longer quite the familiar face she'd once been. Private Henderson was on duty, however, and he simply waved her through with a broad smile that she couldn't help but return. Making a break from this place had been the right decision, but it did feel nice to be made welcome still.
Inside, she found Benton at the front desk and stopped for a quick chat about his kid sister's latest antics before heading for sick bay, where Harry was pottering around making a mess. Sarah grinned. "Whatever are you doing, Harry?"
He obviously hadn't heard her approach, since he jumped at the sound of her voice and dropped a box of medical dressings all over the floor, shook his head at the mess, with a look of resignation, and then finally turned his attention to her. "Hallo, old girl haven't seen you for a while."
"Well, I did tell you I wouldn't be dropping in quite so much," she reminded him, bending to help pick up the scattered bandages. "Are you busy?"
He waved a hand at the medical supplies he had strewn all over the work bench. "Stocktaking."
Sarah laughed. "Oh, is that what this is? Business must be bad if you've been reduced to that."
He grinned. "Well, things are rather quiet at the moment, I will admit."
"Harry, have you seen oh, Sarah. I wasn't expecting to find you here." Liz Shaw rather unexpectedly appeared in the doorway, and seemed as surprised to see Sarah as Sarah was to see her.
"Likewise I thought you'd have gone back to Cambridge by now."
"Ah, yes." Liz chuckled, rather ruefully. "Well, I have, but I'm also continuing a spot of research here at UNIT, just the odd day here and there it's a new arrangement that the Brigadier and I are trying out. Early days yet, so we'll have to see how we get along."
"Well, I'm glad you're here, actually," Sarah told her. "I was going to ask the Brigadier to send this on to you. It's why I'm here. I've been in to the record office and had a look at the 1841 census it was the first there ever was, you know. They let me make a copy of this page." She pulled it out of her bag and unfolded it to show them. "This is part of the entry for Lower Tarrow, and look there's Tom Craddock. Still living in Lower Tarrow seven years after you sent him home, Liz, still a carpenter, married with a little boy."
"That's marvellous." Liz took the paper to examine the entry in more detail.
"Not that there was ever any doubt that you'd sent him back to the right place," Sarah quickly added. "I just thought it was nice to have proof that he made it home safely, that he got on with his life."
"It is," Liz nodded. "I'm grateful, thank you. May I keep this?"
"Of course."
Tucking the paper into a pocket, Liz looked apologetic. "Look, I'd love to stay and catch up, but I'm afraid I really need to get on I'm due back in Cambridge this afternoon to meet with some students."
"You wanted something?" Harry reminded her.
"I did that." She pointed at a fancy-looking microscope affair on a bench. "May I?"
"Of course, feel free."
As Liz said goodbye, took the microscope and left, Sarah turned back to Harry. "I can't stay either, I'm afraid. I've got a meeting with the head of a medical research laboratory and I don't want to be late there could be a story in it."
Predictably, Harry's ears pricked up at the mention of medical research, which was just the reaction she'd been hoping for. "Sounds intriguing."
"Possibly, I'm not completely sure yet," she admitted. It was the first potential story she'd felt excited about since she'd been back home, though, which she was regarding as a step in the right direction. "I'd quite like to pick your brains about it at some point, actually, if you've got time. Not here, though. Are you free at the weekend?"
He nodded. "Should be, so long as nothing comes up between now and then."
"Like an alien invasion, you mean? All right, then. Barring any invasions, meet me for lunch on Saturday," said Sarah. "And I'll tell you all about it."
~ end ~