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aviv_b_artworkTITLE: Chapter 66 - Gamble
AUTHOR: Aviv_b
RATING: Chapter 66 - PG
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Aaron, Owen, Jack, Martha, Alonso
DISCLAIMER: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's
WORDS: ~ 940
SUMMARY: The gamble to save Aaron's life begins.
Authors Notes: A very short chapter, but I'll make it up to you. Maybe. If you're nice and leave comments. What do you think is going to happen next?
Title is from: Life is a gamble at terrible odds, if it were a bet, you would not take it. Tom Stoppard
Jack wasn’t surprised that the reaction to the plan to save Aaron was less than enthusiastic.
“I can’t see how your helping is going to corrupt the timeline,” Jack said.
“It’s not the timelines that worry me, it’s the possibility that we might end up killing Aaron. Is that a consequence you are willing to live with?”
"Is there any other way…can you think of any other possibilities?”
“Not really,” he sighed. “Give me a little time to see what I can find out about pair bonds. I’ll signal you when I’m ready to come to Earth.”
As Jack waited, he discussed the idea he had with Owen and Martha. Both were extremely nervous about the proposed intervention and whether either Aaron and/or Ianto would survive. Martha fretted about the possibility of losing her medical license while Owen worried about Tosh’s reaction if they failed.
“We’re going way off the map here, Jack,” Owen pointed out. “This is so beyond our understanding of medicine in the 21st century that I feel like you’re asking me to perform surgery blindfolded.”
“What really worries me,” Martha added, “is that it may be a simple matter to remove the ventilator, but if what you are proposing doesn’t work, Aaron will be dead before we’ll be able to get him back on it. And if that happens, both Owen and I could at the very least lose our licenses, and there is a possibility of criminal charges being filed against us.”
Initially they thought they might not tell Ianto how great the risks were with their plans, but in the end, they decided that the best course of action was to explain everything to Ianto and get his full and informed consent.
It took several more days of discussions for them to put the plan completely together. When they finally sat down with Ianto, they were surprised how willing he was to agree with it.
Owen reiterated, “Ianto are you sure you understand the risks involved? If something happens to either you or Aaron, we’ll all be in serious trouble. I don’t mind taking the risk with my license but I don’t want to have you hate me if we can’t save Aaron. And I can’t risk Tosh’s and the kids’ futures with a criminal charge if things go tits up.”
‘I see what you’re saying. And if both of us die, I’m not sure a written informed consent will provide much protection. I think I should prepare a video tape explaining what we propose to do and why. And I do mean that it should be my tape with my texting out the plan. I want it clear that it was fully my decision so if something happens, you are all protected.’
“Isn’t that just going to lay us open to scrutiny even if things go well,” Jack wondered.
‘Well we won’t be telling anyone of its existence unless we need to.’
A video was created with Ianto taking full responsibility for the medical intervention using future technology and the others stating their specific roles in the process. The video was sent to Tosh for safe keeping. They also decided that Gwen and Mickey shouldn’t be told so as to protect the leadership of Torchwood Three from any accusations of collusion.
Ianto also insisted that neither his sister nor the Brigadier be informed. His sister would only be upset and the Brigadier might put a stop to their plans. He created separate videos for them as well as Ronit explaining on a more personal level why he was allowing this risky plan to be carried out and how he didn’t want them to have any culpability if things went wrong. He expressed his love for them and his devotion to Aaron hoping that it would ease their pain a bit if the worst came to pass.
***
They put their plan into action late on a Sunday evening. Once the 11 PM shift change occurred and Aaron’s vitals were recorded by the new charge nurse, the ICU was quiet and minimally staffed until the 8 AM shift arrived. They would have to work quickly since the moment they removed the ventilator Aaron’s stats would change and the charge nurse monitoring everyone’s vitals would soon notice this from the nursing station. Normally an alarm would sound but Jack had figured a way to disable it so there would be no audible signal that anything unusual was going on.
Since Owen worked for Torchwood which was theoretically above the law, he took the lead role of removing the ventilator. Martha’s role was to monitor Ianto and make sure their intervention didn’t result in his death. Jack would use his life force to bring back Aaron from his comatose state. Alonzo was present to supply muscle if anyone tried to enter the room.
Ianto and Martha waited patiently while the charge nurse checked Aaron’s vitals a little after 11. Once she headed to back to the nursing station, Ianto went to a remote exit and signaled for the rest of the team to enter the hospital. Jack used his wristband to disable the CCTV units for a few minutes as they crept from the entrance to the ICU.
Owen ran through his mental checklist as he prepared to remove the ventilator. The tension in the room was palpable. Ianto was so nervous that his hands shook until Martha took them in her own. Alonso looked pale and a bead of sweat dripped down his face. Jack gave the signal and the gamble to save Aaron’s life began. No one could predict what the payoff would be.
Chapter 67 here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/36171.html
