"No, you don't understand, I don't need a doctor, I need The Doctor." she pleaded, barely enough energy to keep her eyes from closing and slipping into unconsciousness.

"I'm fine," she protested, forcing herself to sit up straight despite her physical and mental state, still fighting, not willing to give in. "I'm just tired. I just need a bed for the night, that's all. Then I can start looking again."

And then the phone in her pocket started to vibrate against her thigh. At first she barely registered it, then her eyes grew wide with hope as she scrabbled beneath the blanket frantically to reach her pocket, tossing it aside aggressively in her desperate rush as she fought to catch her breath.

Over the last four days, she'd pressed redial on that phone so many times the R on the button had almost worn off. Nothing, just a dead line. At one point she'd flung it on the floor in temper. It had fallen apart. Components scattered on the busy footpath as she'd scrabbled on hands and knees to retrieve them, barely feeling the pain in her hand as the black boot stood on her fingers.

"You idiot Astrid," she'd cursed, "Your one lifeline and you broke it. How stupid are you?"

But now, now it was ringing. It was actually ringing. The display didn't work, but it was ringing!

"Doctor!?" she gasped as she pressed the button.