Mother's Little Helper (short story)

Mother's Little Helper was the tenth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips. It was written by Matthew Jones. It featured the Second Doctor.

Summary
Nanci Cruz is an American living in England who has recently been betrayed by her best friend and her boy friend. She walks along the street, feeling alone, when a young boy runs into her, knocking her down. He is dressed in unusual clothing, wears a leather box on a strap across his chest, and has golden eyes. He touches her, and her physical pain from the impact and her emotional pain from the betrayal start to fade away. The boy sees someone coming and moves away. Nanci sees a tall blond woman chasing after him.

Nanci is approached by the Second Doctor, who is also looking for the boy. He tells her how the boy can take away someone's pain. Nanci finds the Doctor irresistable and spends the day helping him look for the boy. They learn he was last seen near a pier. However, when tea time arrives, she has to go home. In bed that night, she realises that she is going to get up to help the Doctor and sneaks out to the pier.

She sees the Doctor, the boy and the woman in the ballroom at the pier. The boy is wearing a metallic band around his neck. The Doctor is shielding him from the woman, who holds a control box in her hands. Nanci sneaks around and tries to help the boy, but the woman sees her. The Doctor gets the boy away safely, but the woman punches her unconscious.

The woman offers a deal with the Doctor: Nanci for the boy. They arrange to meet at the shore. However, Nanci is now wearing a metallic band around her neck. The woman sends Nanci to the Doctor but then turns on the band, which begins to kill Nanci. The boy comes to help her, taking away her pain, and then he channels it to the woman, who explodes.

When Nanci returns home, she is grounded. She has learned that she has to live with her pain. One day she looks out of her window through her telescope and sees the Doctor and the boy playing at the beach. The Doctor turns in her direction and grins and waves at her.

Characters

 * Second Doctor
 * Nanci Cruz
 * Old Woman
 * Boy

Continuity
to be added