Recovery: Chapter 12 - Cooperation

RATING:  PG for language
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Owen, Gwen, Jack, Tosh
WORDS: ~ 1810
SUMMARY:  Owen gets a little help from the team


No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main - John Donne

Everyone was a little on edge as they gathered around the conference table at 9 AM the next morning.  Jack noticed that Owen was sober which was a good sign.  Tosh noticed that Jack looked a little more relaxed than he had in days.  Everyone noticed that Gwen had stopped and picked up muffins and coffee, something she had never done previously. 

 

Jack thought he should say something before they got started.

 

“I’m going to start by apologizing to you all for the way I’ve been acting the last couple of weeks.  As you probably surmised, UNIT is putting a lot of pressure on us.  While they are aware that we had nothing to do with the fall of Torchwood One, they are understandably worried about something of that magnitude happening again.  So, they are going to make us jump through hoops until they are satisfied that we know what we are doing.

 

Tosh thought for a moment. “But can they really do anything to us?  They don’t have jurisdiction over us, do they?”

 

Jack explained that while UNIT had no real control over Torchwood that as a practical matter they could put pressure on the British government (and through them, Her Majesty), which could lead to problems. 

 

“I’ve never been one for paperwork, but I’m really trying to cooperate with them.  But for every report I complete, it seems to generate ten more requests for additional information.”

 

Gwen snorted. “Are these technical reports or incident reports or budget reports or what?”

 

“Mostly incidents going back the last few years. We haven’t kept the best of records and it’s hard to remember what happened.”

 

“Well, it’s your lucky day, because you happened to hire a paperwork expert.  You can’t imagine how much paper pushing there is involved in police work.  And I was considered the ‘Goddess of Reports’ at the Cardiff headquarters.”

 

Jack was a little hesitant, since Gwen hadn’t been around for most of the cases, but she persuaded him by pointing out that she needed to review past cases anyway and should be able to complete most of the forms on her own.  They could meet as a group to fill in any missing information.

 

Jack smirked. “Ah, that would be that concept of teamwork you spoke about yesterday.”

 

Owen asked if Jack thought that Brigadier Hamilton might be able to get some of the pressure off them.  Jack admitted that he didn’t know how much influence the Brigadier had in these matters or whether he’d be willing to help in any case.

 

“Well if you OK it, let me talk to him when I go to UNIT for Ianto’s first hand surgery. Now I know you all will be amazed but we’ve been getting along famously.  Really.  I’m even getting along with the UNIT physician who’s been overseeing Ianto’s medical care in London.”

 

“What’s she look like,” Jack quipped.

 

“You got me; she’s lovely, almost as brilliant as I am but unfortunately, very, very engaged.”  Everyone laughed.  “Yes, I’m just not having very good luck with the ladies lately.  Too busy watching over my new ‘little brother’.  But once he’s in Cardiff, I’m going to make sure he gets out and has some fun.”

 

Gwen just had to ask.  “Owen is that for the benefit of Mr. Jones or are you going to use him to attract the ladies?”

 

“Oi, I’m perfectly capable of attracting women, but seriously, he is an absolute chick magnet!”  And before you wonder how I know, UNIT did a deep background check on him including his, shall we say, romantic life.  I’ve never seen so many tall, long-legged blondes in one set of CCTV photos ever.”

 

Tosh rolled her eyes. “Owen, would you mind reviewing a little of your involvement with Mr. Jones?  I don’t know much of what’s happened since his rescue and Gwen pointed out that she’s only heard bits and pieces about him.”

 

Owen reviewed the history of his rescue from Canary Wharf, care at the hospital, upcoming move to UNIT medical facilities and eventual move back to Cardiff.

 

“Which brings me to my list. Is that OK, Jack?”  Jack nodded.  Owen passed out the list to everyone. “I know it’s not real organized, I’m just not good at this type of stuff.”

  

*** 

 

Owen’s List

Ianto Jones Issues

 

Communication

          unable to speak – prognosis of improvement - poor

currently uses text messaging for communication with others

                    OK for one-on-one, not good for groups

What else might be available?

 

Mobility

walking should be near normal, may need use of cane

energy level is not normal, tires easily, prognosis unknown

small chance he may need wheelchair at times

          driving – probably yes, but may need some special equipment

         

 

Dexterity

          Only has use of non-dominant hand

          Prognosis for dominant hand is uncertain

Probably will not have full dexterity or strength

 

 

Living Situation

          Can live independently with modifications.

          Single level flat desirable to decrease fatigue and chance of injury

          Must have accessible facilities in case wheelchair use is necessary

          Lease or purchase?           

                   Is he in Cardiff permanently?

How much retrofitting can be done to a leased flat vs. outright purchase?

Needs to be able to get around on his own.  If no car, needs to be located near a bus line.

 

Furnishings – has none to speak of. A few towels, sheets, some kitchenware.

 

 

Clothes – some cut up due to mobility limitations.  May need new?

 

Family support

          No relationship with Cardiff family

 

 ***

 

 Tosh said that she would work on the communications issues.  She thought there were some commercial voice programs that could sync with a cell phone or PDA, she’d look into it. And perhaps there was something in the archives that could be utilized.

 

Gwen volunteered to take care of the home furnishings.  “Considering that Cardiff has an IKEA store, this should be easy and not too expensive.  This is going to be so much fun!”

 

Owen snorted. “Yeah, big fun.  Just make sure you remember that you’re decorating a flat for a young man.  No girly stuff, please.” 

 

“Yes, yes, I will take Rhys with to make sure that all purchases pass the official manly man test.  And delivery is no problem since Rhys works for a trucking firm.  But all this depends on the flat.”

 

Jack spoke up. “I’ve actually been doing a bit of looking myself.  Originally I thought that buying was best because we could do whatever we wanted to the place.  But after looking, I’m leaning more toward a rental – that way if he doesn’t like it or doesn’t want to stay in Cardiff we won’t have to worry about disposing of a property.” 

 

Tosh nodded. “There’s that new complex that’s almost finished not too far from here.  I think its five stories with elevators so we wouldn’t have to worry about stairs.  They’re soft loft spaces so not a lot of walls or obstacles he’d have to maneuver around.  Best of all, since its brand new construction it’s compliant with all the new disability regulations so we know the floor plan will be able to accommodate a wheelchair if necessary.  It’s going to have dedicated high speed internet lines as well as the usual phone/cable lines.”

 

Gwen knew exactly the building Tosh was talking about.  “I know its on a bus line so he could get around on his own.  And I thought I read that it’s going to have a small grocers, a chemist, a dry cleaner and some other shops on the ground floor which would help as well.”

 

Jack smiled, they were actually acting like a team sharing ideas and helping each other without being asked.  “So tell me, just how much is this flat going to set us back?”   

 

“I can check on it,” Tosh volunteered.  There’s a variety of sizes; so hopefully we can find something that fits our budget.  What is our budget, by the way?”

 

“Interesting that you should ask, so far I’ve had pretty much a blank check, but I’ll have to get approval on an expenditure of this size. So Tosh, get me those specs and Owen and I will review them and make sure that whatever we chose will be suitable given his physical limitations.  And Gwen, can you put together an estimate for furniture and separately for soft goods.”

 

Owen couldn’t believe all the help he was getting from the others.  “I really appreciate this guys, I didn’t know where to begin. Obviously, I’ll be taking care of transitioning his care and getting him physically to Cardiff.  And I have unenviable task of going to meet his sister and mother and see if I can’t draw up a little peace treaty for the family.  Yeah, that should be fun.”

 

“Yes, Owen as peace maker,” Jack pondered.  “Next flying pigs will be coming through the rift.”

 

“Oi, watch it Jack.  I’ll take care of it, but if it turns into a full scale brawl, I’ll be calling you all for backup.”

 

Tosh was curious as to whether Ianto would be restricted to living in Cardiff.  Jack shrugged.

 

“UNIT agreed that once he’s completed his rehab that he’s free to move wherever he wants.  And I’m pretty sure that they could find a place for him within their organization if he wanted.  But nobody’s defined what constitutes completion and no one’s committed to what type of support he will be entitled to if he can’t find a job or take care of himself.  We’re kind of in uncharted waters here.  But I can tell you that the settlements with the families of the victims have been on the scale of just under a million pounds to almost three million.  Frankly, I can’t see Jones getting less than a couple million.  He’s single with no dependents, but young and will need that money to last a long time if he can’t work.”

 

Everyone was amazed at how large the settlements were.  Tosh quipped that Jones should feel like he’s won the lottery.  Gwen added that maybe they ought to be looking at something nicer than IKEA for his apartment.  Jack joined in that with that type of settlement, he didn’t have anything to worry about.

 

Owen felt a little sick inside.  As much as he didn’t want to start up with Jack again, he couldn’t help noting, “A million or more pounds, and I bet he’d trade it in a heartbeat to have his speech and hand restored.”

 

Jack glared at Owen.  Count on Owen to throw a damper on everyone’s good mood.  Then he realized that Owen was right.  There was no way to measure Ianto’s loss against an arbitrary amount of money.  Maybe he’d end up with a satisfying life filled with laughter and love or maybe he’d end up with isolation and pain as his only companions.

 

 “OK team, on that happy note, let’s get busy and see how quickly we can show some results on these items.”

Chapter 13 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/5556.html

 

Recovery: Chapter 12 - Cooperation

RATING:  PG for language
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Owen, Gwen, Jack, Tosh
WORDS: ~ 1810
SUMMARY:  Owen gets a little help from the team


No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main - John Donne

Everyone was a little on edge as they gathered around the conference table at 9 AM the next morning.  Jack noticed that Owen was sober which was a good sign.  Tosh noticed that Jack looked a little more relaxed than he had in days.  Everyone noticed that Gwen had stopped and picked up muffins and coffee, something she had never done previously. 

 

Jack thought he should say something before they got started.

 

“I’m going to start by apologizing to you all for the way I’ve been acting the last couple of weeks.  As you probably surmised, UNIT is putting a lot of pressure on us.  While they are aware that we had nothing to do with the fall of Torchwood One, they are understandably worried about something of that magnitude happening again.  So, they are going to make us jump through hoops until they are satisfied that we know what we are doing.

 

Tosh thought for a moment. “But can they really do anything to us?  They don’t have jurisdiction over us, do they?”

 

Jack explained that while UNIT had no real control over Torchwood that as a practical matter they could put pressure on the British government (and through them, Her Majesty), which could lead to problems. 

 

“I’ve never been one for paperwork, but I’m really trying to cooperate with them.  But for every report I complete, it seems to generate ten more requests for additional information.”

 

Gwen snorted. “Are these technical reports or incident reports or budget reports or what?”

 

“Mostly incidents going back the last few years. We haven’t kept the best of records and it’s hard to remember what happened.”

 

“Well, it’s your lucky day, because you happened to hire a paperwork expert.  You can’t imagine how much paper pushing there is involved in police work.  And I was considered the ‘Goddess of Reports’ at the Cardiff headquarters.”

 

Jack was a little hesitant, since Gwen hadn’t been around for most of the cases, but she persuaded him by pointing out that she needed to review past cases anyway and should be able to complete most of the forms on her own.  They could meet as a group to fill in any missing information.

 

Jack smirked. “Ah, that would be that concept of teamwork you spoke about yesterday.”

 

Owen asked if Jack thought that Brigadier Hamilton might be able to get some of the pressure off them.  Jack admitted that he didn’t know how much influence the Brigadier had in these matters or whether he’d be willing to help in any case.

 

“Well if you OK it, let me talk to him when I go to UNIT for Ianto’s first hand surgery. Now I know you all will be amazed but we’ve been getting along famously.  Really.  I’m even getting along with the UNIT physician who’s been overseeing Ianto’s medical care in London.”

 

“What’s she look like,” Jack quipped.

 

“You got me; she’s lovely, almost as brilliant as I am but unfortunately, very, very engaged.”  Everyone laughed.  “Yes, I’m just not having very good luck with the ladies lately.  Too busy watching over my new ‘little brother’.  But once he’s in Cardiff, I’m going to make sure he gets out and has some fun.”

 

Gwen just had to ask.  “Owen is that for the benefit of Mr. Jones or are you going to use him to attract the ladies?”

 

“Oi, I’m perfectly capable of attracting women, but seriously, he is an absolute chick magnet!”  And before you wonder how I know, UNIT did a deep background check on him including his, shall we say, romantic life.  I’ve never seen so many tall, long-legged blondes in one set of CCTV photos ever.”

 

Tosh rolled her eyes. “Owen, would you mind reviewing a little of your involvement with Mr. Jones?  I don’t know much of what’s happened since his rescue and Gwen pointed out that she’s only heard bits and pieces about him.”

 

Owen reviewed the history of his rescue from Canary Wharf, care at the hospital, upcoming move to UNIT medical facilities and eventual move back to Cardiff.

 

“Which brings me to my list. Is that OK, Jack?”  Jack nodded.  Owen passed out the list to everyone. “I know it’s not real organized, I’m just not good at this type of stuff.”

  

*** 

 

Owen’s List

Ianto Jones Issues

 

Communication

          unable to speak – prognosis of improvement - poor

currently uses text messaging for communication with others

                    OK for one-on-one, not good for groups

What else might be available?

 

Mobility

walking should be near normal, may need use of cane

energy level is not normal, tires easily, prognosis unknown

small chance he may need wheelchair at times

          driving – probably yes, but may need some special equipment

         

 

Dexterity

          Only has use of non-dominant hand

          Prognosis for dominant hand is uncertain

Probably will not have full dexterity or strength

 

 

Living Situation

          Can live independently with modifications.

          Single level flat desirable to decrease fatigue and chance of injury

          Must have accessible facilities in case wheelchair use is necessary

          Lease or purchase?           

                   Is he in Cardiff permanently?

How much retrofitting can be done to a leased flat vs. outright purchase?

Needs to be able to get around on his own.  If no car, needs to be located near a bus line.

 

Furnishings – has none to speak of. A few towels, sheets, some kitchenware.

 

 

Clothes – some cut up due to mobility limitations.  May need new?

 

Family support

          No relationship with Cardiff family

 

 ***

 

 Tosh said that she would work on the communications issues.  She thought there were some commercial voice programs that could sync with a cell phone or PDA, she’d look into it. And perhaps there was something in the archives that could be utilized.

 

Gwen volunteered to take care of the home furnishings.  “Considering that Cardiff has an IKEA store, this should be easy and not too expensive.  This is going to be so much fun!”

 

Owen snorted. “Yeah, big fun.  Just make sure you remember that you’re decorating a flat for a young man.  No girly stuff, please.” 

 

“Yes, yes, I will take Rhys with to make sure that all purchases pass the official manly man test.  And delivery is no problem since Rhys works for a trucking firm.  But all this depends on the flat.”

 

Jack spoke up. “I’ve actually been doing a bit of looking myself.  Originally I thought that buying was best because we could do whatever we wanted to the place.  But after looking, I’m leaning more toward a rental – that way if he doesn’t like it or doesn’t want to stay in Cardiff we won’t have to worry about disposing of a property.” 

 

Tosh nodded. “There’s that new complex that’s almost finished not too far from here.  I think its five stories with elevators so we wouldn’t have to worry about stairs.  They’re soft loft spaces so not a lot of walls or obstacles he’d have to maneuver around.  Best of all, since its brand new construction it’s compliant with all the new disability regulations so we know the floor plan will be able to accommodate a wheelchair if necessary.  It’s going to have dedicated high speed internet lines as well as the usual phone/cable lines.”

 

Gwen knew exactly the building Tosh was talking about.  “I know its on a bus line so he could get around on his own.  And I thought I read that it’s going to have a small grocers, a chemist, a dry cleaner and some other shops on the ground floor which would help as well.”

 

Jack smiled, they were actually acting like a team sharing ideas and helping each other without being asked.  “So tell me, just how much is this flat going to set us back?”   

 

“I can check on it,” Tosh volunteered.  There’s a variety of sizes; so hopefully we can find something that fits our budget.  What is our budget, by the way?”

 

“Interesting that you should ask, so far I’ve had pretty much a blank check, but I’ll have to get approval on an expenditure of this size. So Tosh, get me those specs and Owen and I will review them and make sure that whatever we chose will be suitable given his physical limitations.  And Gwen, can you put together an estimate for furniture and separately for soft goods.”

 

Owen couldn’t believe all the help he was getting from the others.  “I really appreciate this guys, I didn’t know where to begin. Obviously, I’ll be taking care of transitioning his care and getting him physically to Cardiff.  And I have unenviable task of going to meet his sister and mother and see if I can’t draw up a little peace treaty for the family.  Yeah, that should be fun.”

 

“Yes, Owen as peace maker,” Jack pondered.  “Next flying pigs will be coming through the rift.”

 

“Oi, watch it Jack.  I’ll take care of it, but if it turns into a full scale brawl, I’ll be calling you all for backup.”

 

Tosh was curious as to whether Ianto would be restricted to living in Cardiff.  Jack shrugged.

 

“UNIT agreed that once he’s completed his rehab that he’s free to move wherever he wants.  And I’m pretty sure that they could find a place for him within their organization if he wanted.  But nobody’s defined what constitutes completion and no one’s committed to what type of support he will be entitled to if he can’t find a job or take care of himself.  We’re kind of in uncharted waters here.  But I can tell you that the settlements with the families of the victims have been on the scale of just under a million pounds to almost three million.  Frankly, I can’t see Jones getting less than a couple million.  He’s single with no dependents, but young and will need that money to last a long time if he can’t work.”

 

Everyone was amazed at how large the settlements were.  Tosh quipped that Jones should feel like he’s won the lottery.  Gwen added that maybe they ought to be looking at something nicer than IKEA for his apartment.  Jack joined in that with that type of settlement, he didn’t have anything to worry about.

 

Owen felt a little sick inside.  As much as he didn’t want to start up with Jack again, he couldn’t help noting, “A million or more pounds, and I bet he’d trade it in a heartbeat to have his speech and hand restored.”

 

Jack glared at Owen.  Count on Owen to throw a damper on everyone’s good mood.  Then he realized that Owen was right.  There was no way to measure Ianto’s loss against an arbitrary amount of money.  Maybe he’d end up with a satisfying life filled with laughter and love or maybe he’d end up with isolation and pain as his only companions.

 

 “OK team, on that happy note, let’s get busy and see how quickly we can show some results on these items.”

Chapter 13 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/5556.html