Ptorchwood Ptales & Ptimely Pthoughts

As Owen predicted Monday was a very tough day. As the narcotics wore off and the tests dragged on, Ianto became increasingly uncomfortable. He had difficulty holding still for some of the MRI scans which then had to be repeated. Blood tests were followed by pulmonary function tests, and hand x-rays. The worst were the injections of various dyes to get images of blood flow in his damaged hand. Ianto struggled as Owen and a radiology tech immobilized his hand in several awkward positions for imaging.

By the time the surgeon and Martha stopped by his room, Ianto was completely unglued. He pushed his cell phone at Martha before she had even said hello.

‘Martha, need meds, hurts like hell.’

“Sweetheart, I wish I could, but I can’t. Just hang in there, in 24 hours this will all be over.”

Ianto squeezed his eyes shut and slid down to lay flat on the bed. ‘This totally sucks. Wish they’d just cut the whole fuckin’ hand off and be done with it.’

The surgeon walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He was an older man in his early sixties, with graying hair and a keenly intelligent face. Considered one of the finest hand surgeons in the UK and available to UNIT only upon request from the highest levels, Martha had gone to considerable lengths to secure Dr. Mason for Ianto’s surgery. Owen hoped like hell that Ianto would behave himself.

“Ianto, my name is Dr. Mason and I’m going to be the primary surgeon on your hand tomorrow. Son, I’d like to look at your hand if I may.”

Ianto turned away from the surgeon and pulled the sheet over his head willing the surgeon to leave. He gritted his teeth thinking, ‘I’m not your bloody son, so just fuck off will ya.’

Owen couldn’t believe Ianto was behaving so immaturely. “Hey, what the hell’s the matter with you? You sit up right now and let the doctor look at your hand.” Ianto pulled the cover more tightly over him, furious that Owen was speaking to him like a child. ‘And you’re not my Tad either,’ he raged silently, ‘so bugger off!’

Owen turned to apologize to Dr. Mason who motioned him not to speak. “Dr. Harper, why don’t you and Dr. Jones wait outside while Ianto and I have a chat, OK?” Owen wanted to protest, to warn the surgeon that Ianto could go off like an atomic bomb at any moment. The surgeon smiled at Owen, nodded his understanding and cocked his head toward the door. Reluctantly Owen and Martha left the room.

Dr. Mason sighed and reached over to pull the sheet off Ianto’s head. “Hurts like a son-of-a bitch, doesn’t it?” Ianto nodded. “You’re probably thinking that you’d rather have the hand removed, am I right?” He slowly pulled the sheet down to free Ianto’s hand from the covers. “Am I right?” he repeated. Ianto nodded. “I hear that a lot…before surgery that it. Rarely after surgery though.”

The surgeon continued to speak softly to Ianto examining his hand while he explained what the first surgery was supposed to accomplish. “First thing is we need is to get rid of any remaining bone fragments; they’re just getting in the way and creating a lot of the inflammation and pain. We’ll be able to get a much better look at the extent of nerve and tendon damage and see what we can fix. You’re actually pretty lucky; you had minimal vascular damage so the blood flow to the hand has been good and we’re not expecting to find any major tissue necrosis.   Some of this we’ll just have to see as we go. At some point we will also be replacing a few of the joints that are damaged beyond repair but I think that will most likely occur during a subsequent surgery.”

Ianto wasn’t sure he understood half of what the Dr. Mason was telling him, but he felt calmed by the man’s soft soothing voice. Dr. Mason kept speaking softly to Ianto until he saw his eyes closing. He chuckled got up from the bed and left the room.

Martha and Owen were worried at how quiet Ianto’s room had become. As Dr. Mason came out of the room, they bombarded him with questions.

“Its way too quiet in there, what’s going on?” Martha asked.

The surgeon smiled. “I’m quite used to the type of behavior Ianto’s exhibiting this evening. Hand crush injuries are often excruciatingly painful and the removal of pain medicine prior to surgery often leaves patients feeling overwhelmed. And general hospitals often manage pain by overusing narcotics so you have an issue with irritability from withdrawal along with pain from the injury. It’s not an attractive combination. All things considered, he’s doing pretty well. I’ve seen patients so out of control that they’ve had to be restrained the night before surgery. 

“Just curious, do you know if he was ever tested for empathic ability?” Owen was surprised by the question, but confirmed that Ianto had tested above normal in that area, and related how easily Ianto had been able to sense when he was being evasive.

“Can’t say I’m surprised. I worked as a general surgeon for Torchwood One early in my career, so I’ve seen a lot of interesting patients. He’s seems to be very sensitive to feelings emoting from others. Did you notice how he mirrored your anger back at you? I’ve seen that in a couple of other Torchwood employees; but they were highly trained empaths. Ianto doesn’t have any training to know how to control the emotions coming at him so he just blasts it back at full force.” Owen nodded. That made a lot of sense. He noticed that when he and Ianto had a disagreement it had a way of escalating exponentially. 

“His pain and withdrawal were probably enhanced by your anxiety about the surgery tomorrow. So you need to try to project calmness rather than anger. His brain is a bit like a feedback loop and the angrier you get, the angrier he gets. And it’s really not his fault; he has no skills in controlling it. So it comes out looking like petulance and childishness, when it’s actually his psyche trying to deal with everyone’s emotions bombarding his brain.” 

“All I did was speak softly and calmly to him; and again the more calmness I projected, the quieter he got. I also tried to think of calming images; I’m not sure how much he can actually pick-up but I’m guessing from how quickly he relaxed, quite a lot.” 

***

The surgery on Tuesday went surprisingly well, if not a bit longer than expected. Owen and Martha and Saundra waited patiently for the surgery to be completed. The four hour surgery stretched to five hours and then six. The Brigadier called in twice, Jack called once, and Tosh and Gwen each called once as well. Finally, after six and a half hours, they were told that Ianto was in recovery.

Dr. Mason came out to speak to them. His surgical team had been able to make more progress than expected. The small device Owen had brought from Torchwood had minimized bleeding allowing the team to work much quicker. They had been able to clean out all the loose bone fragments, repair torn tendons and ligaments and replace three finger joints. They had stabilized the remaining bones and were hopeful that Ianto would end up with a reasonable amount of movement in the hand.

Owen wasn’t sure as a practical matter what all this meant. “What do you mean by reasonable? Will he able to write or cut his own food?”

“More than likely he will have enough strength to pull open drawers and yes, cut up his own food. If he learns to use his left hand a bit more, he should have enough dexterity to button clothes and tie shoes.  Writing is more complex and I can’t really give you a good answer to that now. He’ll need at least one more surgery and extensive physical therapy but I’m cautiously optimistic.”

Ianto spent several hours in recovery before he was brought back to his room. He was heavily sedated and drifted in and out of consciousness. Just as Martha, Saundra and Owen were getting ready to leave, the Brigadier stopped by. He stood by Ianto’s bed for a while and just watched him sleep. 

Jack called in and Owen updated him on Ianto’s condition. The Brigadier motioned that he wanted to talk to Jack. He took the phone from Owen and stepped outside the room. Fortunately, the Brigadier was not a soft-spoken man and the doctors and the attaché got a pretty good idea of what was going on between UNIT and Torchwood Three.

“They’re very happy with the reports that have been coming in. Yes, I think they know how you felt about Yvonne Hartmann, but some of UNIT’s bureaucrats are looking for a little payback for Torchwood One’s stepping on their toes….no don’t think there’s going to be any disciplinary action taken against you or your staff. In fact, there’s been some talk of a special commendation for Dr. Harper….Ianto Jones; he looks like hell, actually. Funny about him, sometimes he looks like he’s 15 years old, other times he looks like he’s 115. Yeah, poor bugger isn’t the half of it… Ok, keep in touch.” 

The Brigadier came back into Ianto’s room, and returned Owen’s cell phone. He stood a few more minutes by Ianto’s bed and to everyone’s amazement, leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He nodded to the others and left the room.

Saundra was the next to leave. She tucked the covers around Ianto and stroked his cheek. She told Owen and Martha that she’d see them both tomorrow.

Martha and Owen looked at each other and smiled. Martha went over and sat on the bed. She leaned over and whispered something to Ianto and kissed his cheek. Owen rolled his eyes. “Your turn,” quipped Martha. 

Owen sat down next to Ianto. “You did really fantastic today Ianto. I’m so proud of you. We’re all so proud of you. I’ll be back in the morning. Dream of green-eyed redheads, OK?”

Chapter 15 is here:  http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/6119.html

It was mid September when Ianto made the transition to UNIT’s London medical facility. Owen drove him over on a rainy Saturday afternoon. 

“I thought we should get you settled a couple of days prior to your surgery. If all goes well, they’ll do the lab workups on Monday and you’ll have surgery first thing on Tuesday. I’ll be staying over in London until after your surgery, OK?

Ianto nodded.

“Hey what’s the matter? You don’t seem like yourself today.”

‘Owen, I’m tired. Tired of being in pain, tired of not sleeping, tired of everything. I just don’t know how much more of this I can take.’

Owen didn’t know what to say. Ianto had appeared to go through everything without being much bothered, but obviously his stoic persona was covering up a lot of trauma.

“Why didn’t you say anything, if you were in pain and not sleeping?”

‘I’m afraid to sleep, every time I close my eyes, I can hear the screams and the Cybermen and the Daleks.’

“Ianto, you should have told me, you need to tell me things like this.”

Ianto sighed. He reckoned he should have told Owen, but Owen was clearly stretched to his limits and he didn’t want him to have more to worry about.

He shook his head at Owen.

“Don’t say you shouldn’t, I’m the doctor coordinating your care; I can’t help you if you won’t let me.” Owen could see that Ianto was almost in tears. That wasn’t the Ianto he knew…he must be having a really bad day. Best not to push him too hard.

They arrived at the facility and were directed to the long term care wing. They were met there by a patient care coordinator and the Brigadier’s attaché. Kelly O’Hara, the patient care coordinator explained that while the facility was designed on the typical hospital model, with rooms designed for short term inpatient care that the long term care wing was set up to care for patients who needed multiple surgeries or extensive rehab.

“We try to make it a little less like a hospital room and a little more like a guest room.” 

The room wasn’t bad. It actually looked a lot like a modest hotel room. A single queen size bed, a dresser and nightstand, a small table and two chairs and a TV armoire were the only furniture in the room. Owen smiled when he saw how the bed still had movable side bars that were hidden by the colorful bedding and floral comforter. A walk-in shower stall, sink and commode were in a separate room.

“Look Ianto, there’s a mini-fridge.”

‘I was actually hoping for a mini-bar.’

Kelly laughed. “We get a surprising number of requests for that. Sorry, alcohol and painkillers are generally a bad combination. I’ll leave you to get settled and I’ll be back later to go over your charts, OK, Ianto?

Ianto nodded. After Kelly left, Owen helped Ianto unpack. Ianto looked exhausted and Owen sat him down on the bed, pulled his shoes off and urged him to lie down. He didn’t want to in front of the Brigadier’s attaché, but Saundra put him at ease.

“You might as well get used to me; I’m going to be here with you a lot. So if there’s anything you want or need, you tell me. Dr. Harper won’t be here indefinitely so I’m going to be your advocate for as long as you’re here.”

They were interrupted by a knock from outside the room. “Come in,” Owen yelled. In walked Martha Jones. She took one look at Ianto and realized that Ianto was not his usual upbeat self. She went over and gave Ianto a hug and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Someone’s looking a bit off today. What’s the matter, don’t hold back.” Ianto sighed and brought back up the text he had typed for Owen earlier. “How bad is the pain, Ianto? On a scale of one to ten…”

‘7’

“That’s high, this is worse than usual.” Ianto nodded.

“Right, let me make a few calls and see what we can give you without throwing your surgery off track. I’ll be back just as soon as I can. Hopefully with some drugs.”

Owen approached Ianto’s bed and sat down. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in so much pain? You’ve never noted a number as high as seven since the first weeks you were in the hospital.”

‘They told me at the hospital they couldn’t give me anything more so I didn’t think there was any point in asking. I didn’t want to be a bother.’ 

Owen didn’t know what to do. Hug him and tell him he was brave, shake him and tell him he had to speak up, or maybe he and Ianto should just have a good cry together. Fortunately, he was saved by Martha coming back in with some medication and a glass of water.

“We’re in luck. I’ve got some different pain killers approved. They’re pretty strong but short lasting. You’ll be able to have them through tomorrow night.”

Ianto took the pills and within minutes the medication began to kick in. He tried to reach over to get his phone off the nightstand but missed by several inches. He tried again and managed to knock the phone onto the floor.

“Oi look who’s stoned,” Owen teased. Ianto didn’t respond. He gazed at the nightstand for another minute, slid down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Owen, Martha and Saundra quietly left Ianto’s room. Martha noted that Ianto really looked worse than the last time she had seen him. Thinner, tired, unhappy. Owen agreed and explained that the pain and long recovery were taking their toll on Ianto’s attitude.

“I think he’s just getting worn out from everything. On the drive over, he questioned whether it even worth going on. I don’t think he’s a suicide risk, but I think the reality of how hard everyday life is going to be for him even with optimal results is finally sinking in.”

Saundra had given some thought to Ianto’s present circumstances. “I think what Ianto needs is some friends his own age. You know, someone to play cards with, to talk to about whatever young men talk about, watch videos, that kind of stuff. Since Charlie died, he’s really not had any friends.”

“Just don’t be asking me to sneak any tall, leggy blonds in here, OK?”

Saundra laughed. “No, I think it’s a bit too soon for that, but I do know some young men who I think would get along well with Ianto. Dr. Harper, I have a son who is in his late twenties and just finished his second tour in Afghanistan. He has a shrapnel wound in his leg and is just getting back into a normal routine. He still comes here twice a week for therapy.  And the Brigadier has two sons, one in his mid-twenties and the other just turned thirty who are very outgoing, smart, spend a fair amount of time chasing girls, and are generally still giving their father grief.”

“Sounds perfect. Just what Ianto needs. Guys to take him drinking and hitting on girls.”

“You know Owen,” Martha said carefully, “it may be just what Ianto needs.” Owen thought she was daft. “No really. He needs to be 24 years old, do stupid stuff that young men do, drink too much occasionally, chat up some girls, fall in love and get his heart broken. To feel alive. He’s just existing now, not really living. And I’m pretty sure Saundra wouldn’t be recommending Hamilton’s sons if they were delinquents or something.”

Saundra laughed. “No, by anyone else’s standards they’d be fine sons. But to the Brigadier the fact that his two youngest have no interest in a career in military service is a great disappointment to him. But they’ll be fine. They just need to grow up a little and figure out what they want to do with their lives. His oldest son is from an early marriage. He’s probably close to forty now. Oddly enough, though he’s a Major in the Royal Marines he and the Brigadier never had much of a relationship. They gotten a bit closer the last few years, but for many years, they were barely on speaking terms.”

“Probably was a much stricter father with the oldest,” Owen guessed.

Saundra just shrugged her shoulders. “Who can say for sure. But everyone has disappointments in their lives. And while Ianto certainly has more than his share, he doesn’t have to carry it by himself.”

*******

Ianto felt a bit better when he woke up Sunday morning. The pain in his hand was back to a dull throb and he was able to ignore it in large part. He ate breakfast and even watched some TV.

Owen showed up around Noon with Kelly. “Ms. O’Hara is here to go over your paperwork. And if you behave yourself, I’ve got some more of Dr. Jones’ wonderful painkillers for you when we finish.”

“Dr. Harper, he’s behaving just fine. He’s entitled to have an off day just like everyone else. And let’s stop with the Ms. O’Hara, its Kelly, OK?”

Both men nodded. It took about an hour to review all the paperwork. Once all the forms were completed and signed, Owen handed over the pain killers to Ianto.  Kelly gave Ianto a hug and said she would stop by later and see how he was doing. After she left the room, Owen teased him about Kelly. 

“Oi, I think someone has a crush on you. Every girl you meet has their hands all over you. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Ianto yawned. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, not my type.’

“You should seriously consider expanding your thinking. She’s got a body to die for. Sparkling green eyes, freckles. Lovely, lovely lady.”

‘Yeah? Why don’t you ask her out Mr. Horndog?’

“It wasn’t me she was mooning over.”

‘Too tired Owen, let me sleep, okay?’

Owen stayed the afternoon in Ianto’s room while Ianto slept. Finally, Owen woke him up when a dinner tray was dropped off. Despite Owen’s cajoling, Ianto managed to eat only about half of it. They watched television for about an hour and then Owen prepared to leave.

“I’m giving you some more pain killers now, and if you wake up later, the night nurse can give you a half dose. That’s it until after surgery. Tomorrow’s going to be a tough day Ianto, you’ve got your pre-operative blood work and scans and Martha and the surgeon will be by at some point to review the surgical plans. And if you start to feel overwhelmed, for piss sake, tell me alright?”

Ianto nodded. Owen watched him take the medication, and within minutes Ianto began to relax. Just before Owen left the room he leaned over and whispered “sweet dreams of green-eyed redheads, Ianto.”

Chapter 14 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/6119.html

Owen, Ianto and Martha sat in the hospital cafeteria. Ianto looked at Martha, his eyes pleading.

“I know you want some pain medication, but I’d like you to eat something first so you don’t end up sick.” 

Ianto closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get control over the pain he felt pulsing through his right hand. ‘OK, just suck it up, eat this swill and then get the drugs,’ he reasoned. He took a bite of his sandwich, making a face. He couldn’t believe that Owen had got him tuna; he hated, hated tuna.

Owen laughed, “Oi, I see that look on your face; I can’t believe that you’re not enjoying this fancy lunch I bought you.”

Ianto made a writing motion toward Martha. “Oh sorry, I forgot I had your stuff.” She handed a pad of paper and pen to Ianto.

I HATE TUNA !

Ianto showed what he wrote to Owen.

“You want mine then, its ham.” Ianto nodded. Owen traded sandwiches with Ianto. 

Martha sighed, “Ianto, I’m sorry about the session, I told her you couldn’t speak.  I don’t know why she felt she had to see for herself.”

“Speaking of which, no pun intended,” interrupted Owen, “can you explain why Ianto can’t talk?”

Martha explained that they had done some MRI’s specifically on the area of the brain next to the skull fracture but couldn’t detect any damage. The more general brain scans hadn’t detected anything abnormal either. 

“Ianto, is it OK, if I speak for you? I know all the writing is hard.” Ianto didn’t look happy, but nodded yes. “Ianto says he can think how to speak, but he can’t get the words to form.  And yes, we already checked his larynx and vocal chords, they’re all undamaged. Our best guess is that some neural pathway in the brain has been damaged but we just can’t find it. It’s probably a very small bit of damage; we just have to hope that over time it regenerates.”

Ianto began to write something on his paper and showed it to Owen:

Can YOU buy a cell phone for me ? Lost mine. I HAVE money.

Owen didn’t understand why Ianto wanted a cell phone, he couldn’t speak after all. “Well sure, but…”

Can I borrow yours to show you ?

Owen took his Blackberry out of his pocket. Ianto put it on the table, hit a few keys and began to type rapidly with his good hand. When he finished, he handed it over to Owen. Owen read the text, smiled and handed it to Martha.

‘I can text message. A lot faster than I can write with my left hand. Oh and as a bonus, you can actually read it! So people won’t think I’m retarded in addition to being a gimp. I really want to be able to communicate directly with people. I want to speak for myself.’

Martha smiled, “That makes sense, but, come on Ianto, no one thinks you are stupid.”

Ianto grabbed the cell phone away from her.

‘Yeah, so remember when we came down here the other day and that doctor came over to talk to you. And then he looked at me and v..e..r..y s…l..o..w…l…y asked how I was feeling? Like I was an idiot!’

“You’re right, Ianto, I’m sorry….I was just trying to help.”

‘I know, but it doesn’t. I’m going to have to learn to do things for myself especially if my speech doesn’t return and I can’t use my right hand.’

“That brings me to some other things I need to discuss with you and Martha, so Ianto hang onto the cell phone in case you have anything you want to say.”

Owen explained to Ianto that his time in the hospital was coming to an end.

In 3 to 4 weeks, he would be moving over to a UNIT medical facility for his upcoming hand surgeries. Even Martha seemed surprised by this.

“I spoke to Brigadier Hamilton and he agrees that it would best.” Lowering his voice Owen explained that they had some alien technology at Torchwood Three that might be able to accelerate the healing of his hand between surgeries but it would be impossible to use at the hospital without arousing suspicions. And UNIT had excellent rehabilitation facilities, far superior to the hospital’s. Ianto typed his agreement with the plan.

“And of course the lovely Dr. Jones will be there to oversee your progress. I have a couple of housekeeping things to discuss with you but let’s go back to your room first.” 

They returned to the room, and Martha gave Ianto his pain medication as he got back into bed. They discussed getting a cell phone for Ianto. Ianto liked Owen’s Blackberry so Owen agreed to get him one with unlimited texting of course. Owen explained that Torchwood Three would be picking up the cost. When Ianto began to object, Owen told him not to worry about it or any other costs while he was getting well. “That’s on Torchwoods tab, by order of Her Majesty.”

‘Think she’d buy me a Maserati?’

“No, but she’s covering your rent and utilities until we get this all sorted out.”

Owen was a little nervous about the next item on his list. “You know you are going back to Cardiff eventually, to finish your rehab right? Good, so I checked and the lease on your flat is due for renewal in a few months. I’d like to put your furniture and anything else you don’t need right now in storage in Cardiff. We can go over to your flat, maybe next week and figure out what needs to be packed up, OK? Maybe we can get some of your friends to help.”

Ianto looked a bit upset.

‘I guess that’s OK.  I’ve been meaning to ask, has anyone called about me? I haven’t heard from my best friend. His name is Charlie Mackenzie. Or my mum or my sister.’

Martha glanced over Ianto’s head at Owen. Ianto could see from Owen’s tight lipped expression that he was in for some bad news.

Martha cleared her throat and took over the conversation. “Ianto, we did speak to your sister. She said she wanted to come but she’s got two little ones at home. And did you know your mother was living with your sister’s family?”

Ianto shook his head. “Right, your mum had a stroke about six months ago, she can’t take care of herself so your sister has taken her in.”

Ianto hadn’t cried at all since he was rescued from Canary Wharf. He didn’t think he had the right to. After all, he had survived when so many hadn’t. So he blinked back his tears and typed,

‘And Charlie?’

Martha thought her heart would break. The Brigadier’s office had done a very thorough investigation on Ianto to make sure they had all the relevant information on him. That included his personal life. So she was keenly aware of what had happened with Lisa as well as Ianto’s life since then. She spent an evening with the Brigadier and his attaché reviewing CCTV tapes of Ianto and Charlie going to clubs, Ianto and Charlie leaving the clubs with a variety of young women all of them laughing and having a good time, and the occasional tape of Ianto and Charlie stumbling out of a club drunk and alone. They were so alike in appearance, tall, dark hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, that they could have easily been mistaken for brothers.  More tapes of Ianto and Charlie playing chess in a park, playing rugby with friends, they were practically inseparable.

“Ianto, I’m so sorry, Charlie was killed in the attack.” Ianto couldn’t understand what Martha was telling him, after all, Charlie didn’t work for Torchwood.

“You must not remember but Charlie had the day off from work and you were going to meet him for an early lunch. He came down to the wharf and was waiting in the lobby for you when the Cybermen attacked. He got out of the building but didn’t leave the area. He was standing in the plaza just outside the building when one of the walls gave way. He was killed instantly. I’m sorry Ianto, really I am.”

‘He was waiting for me, wasn’t he?’

Martha sighed. “It would look that way. But it’s not your fault, Ianto, you can’t blame yourself for this.”

Ianto typed angrily on the cell phone practically throwing it at Martha.

“Hey,” Owen yelled at him, “you’re not a baby, stop throwing things.” Ianto burst into tears.

Martha handed the cell phone to Owen and moved to sit on the bed next to Ianto. She put her arms around him and held him while he cried. 

‘Right, I’m not to blame for anything,’ Ianto had typed. ‘My best friend died because of me, I took some pills so I couldn’t help him; I hadn’t called mum in almost a year so I didn’t even know she had a stroke, and I left Rhiannon and Cardiff and never looked back.’

If he could have make any sounds Ianto probably would have been sobbing or screaming, but as it was tears just ran down his face, the only sound being an occasional gasp for breath. Eventually, Ianto shuddered, took in a couple deep breaths and calmed a bit. Owen reached over and turned Ianto’s face toward him. He could see that Ianto’s pupils were dilated a bit; the pain medication was kicking in.

“Ianto, I want you to listen to me very carefully. You did not kill Charlie. We know about the pills. They showed up in your pre-surgical toxicology screening. Now maybe I’m wrong, but I’m betting you took those not to kill yourself but to keep yourself from panicking. You were trapped in the archives and there was nothing you could do…even if you hadn’t taken them. As for your family, Ok, you should have called your mum, but you’re not the first kid to leave home for a better life and forget about those he left behind. When you’re on your feet again, we’ll go for a few beers and I’ll tell you about a doctor I know who did the very same thing. And then will go sort things out with your mum and sister, OK?”

Ianto nodded. He felt so helpless. He leaned back on a pillow stared off into space. ‘When is this ever going to end? All this crap, the surgeries and rehab, the pain throbbing always throbbing in my hand. Am I ever going to be able to speak or work or even have a shag again?  Or dress myself, or drive a car…. All I want is normal life, why does shit keep happening to me?’ Finally, he felt the pain medicine begin to kick in. He sighed and let his eyes drift closed.

Martha and Owen stayed another half hour with Ianto making sure he was settled and asleep. They let the nursing staff know that Ianto had been told about some friends he had lost at Canary Wharf and that he might have a rough night.

Chapter 9 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/4080.html 

RATING: PG-13 for this Chapter for some swearing
WORDS: ~ 800
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Owen, Martha
SPOILERS: None, Not canon. This Chapter set during Series 1. 
SUMMARY:  Look who's talking...not.

Silence is as full of potential wisdom and wit as the unhewn marble of great sculpture - Aldous Huxley

 

Three weeks later Ianto came out of his coma. His lung had re-inflated on its own and the swelling associated with his skull fracture had dissipated. His right leg was healing well and his surgeon was confident that he would walk normally after some physical therapy. His hand which had been cleaned, debrided and stabilized was not showing signs of infection but would require several surgeries to restore even partial mobility. While he was in coma, there hadn’t been any way to assess any lasting brain damage, but now it was important to know exactly how severe the damage was. His doctors decided to wait another three weeks and see if they could wean him off some of the pain medication he was on so that it wouldn’t interfere with the testing.

On a beautiful August morning, Owen drove over from Cardiff to observe the testing. All things considered, Owen thought afterwards, it could have been worse. Ianto was visibly nervous, and the psychiatric social worker evaluating him had all the charm of a weevil. He sat outside the test area behind one way glass with the UNIT physician, Dr. Martha Jones. She had taken extra care in overseeing Ianto’s case and Owen told her how grateful he was.

“Dr Harper, I have to tell you that your young patient is quite a favorite around here. He’s having problems with his verbal skills, you’ll see that in a moment, but he still is able to communicate pretty well in his own way. And, he has a wicked sense of humor.”

Owen didn’t really understand what Dr. Jones was referring to, but he reckoned he see soon enough.

They turned their attention back to the test area as the social worker sat across a small table from Ianto, explaining that she was going to ask questions and he should answer as best he could. Ianto sat in his wheelchair and listened. He really didn’t want to be doing this. He was in a lot of pain due to reduction in his medication prior to these tests and the humiliation of having to be bathed, dressed, helped into the chair and wheeled to the session was almost unbearable.

“What’s your name?”  Ianto stared at her.

“Let’s try that again…. what’s your name?” There was a dry marker on the table and Ianto motioned to her to give it to him.

“I will be evaluating your written abilities later. Now again, what is your name?” Ianto tried to grab the marker away from the evaluator. “You’re not getting this, so stop reaching for it,” she snapped.

Frustrated Ianto slammed his left fist on the table and pointed to the marker. The social worker pushed back from the table. “We’re done here, you are obviously too emotionally upset to be tested.”

Ianto wasn’t paying any attention to her. As she stormed out of the room he grabbed the marker in his left hand, pulled the cap off with his teeth and scrawled on the Formica table top:

I M     IANTO   F KIN    JONES

The two doctors laughed as they read the upside down message. “Looks like he understands well enough.”

The evaluator confronted the two doctors as they left the observation room. “I’m a busy person. It’s unconscionable that you would even bother to have me come in to test someone who should be put in a psych ward…permanently as far as I’m concerned.”

Owen winced at that. The door to the test room was open and he knew that Ianto could hear every word. Owen and Martha pushed past the social worker to see how Ianto was coping.

Entering the room, they saw that Ianto had added something to his writing:

Is   it    somethin  I    said ?

Ianto grinned as both doctors laughed. Martha tried to put on a serious face but starting laughing again. “Ianto, you are a bad, bad boy,” she teased.

Ianto pointed at himself and raised one eyebrow. “Yes you. What ever are we going to do with you,” Martha quipped. Ianto pointed to his cheek. “Ok, I can’t resist.” She gave him a tiny peck on the cheek. 

Owen could see what Martha liked about him. Even after all he’d been through and all he had left to deal with, not to mention the pain he must be in, he hadn’t let it defeat him. 

“Yeah, Ianto, what are we going to do with you,” Owen repeated. Ianto pointed to his cheek again and winked at Owen. “Oi, what kind of guy do you think I am?”  Ianto gave him an exaggerated pout. “Ok, a hug, you can have hug, but don’t be trying anything funny.” Still laughing, he walked over to Ianto, gave him a hug and patted him on the back.

Turning to Martha and Ianto, Owen remarked, “Seriously mate, I think we need to see if we can’t figure out why you’re not able to talk.” 

Ianto nodded in agreement. 

Chapter 8 is here:  http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/3603.html

Jack and Ianto were up early to prepare for Gwen’s big party. Actually, they never went to sleep as they’d spent the night up having incredibly wild sex. And Ianto was unusually uninhibited. 

“Who would have thought that the 456 threat would be such a turn-on for Ianto,” thought Jack as he looked in the bathroom mirror. “I hope my walk won’t give it away.   And damn, I’m going to have to wear a closed neck shirt, or I’m never going to hear the end of it. This really sucks; well no actually it was Ianto that really…” Jack smiled as he mentally replayed the amazing blow job Ianto had given him last night.

“Jack, stop admiring yourself and get a move on; there’s way too much to do.” 

Jack sighed, as he headed to the invisible lift. “OK, OK, I’m going. I’ll swing by the grocery store with the list you gave me and then hit the Spoiled Sprog Shop.”

“And don’t forget to get the presents gift wrapped – the last time you wrapped gifts we all thought they were from a mental institution escapee.”

Jack contemplated that while he loved a lot of things about Ianto, his annoyingly domestic mode was not one of those things. But this was for Gwen, and Ianto’s insecurities about Gwen always did seem to increase Ianto’s OCD tendencies.

By 4 o’clock the Hub was in presentable order and Jack had returned with the food and gifts. Ianto wondered what could be in the boxes, especially the giant one that he’d helped Jack unload from the SUV.

“Hey, you told me to have them gift-wrapped and to pay for them myself,” Jack smirked, “so you’ll just have to wait to see.”

Ianto just glared at Jack and began to review his mental to-do list for the umpteenth time. “Let’s see,” Ianto mumbled to himself, “we’ve got hors d'oeuvers to start, I’ve set up the pizza delivery for 8 PM, Jack got the party decorations, paper goods and the cake, Martha’s bringing the drinks….do we have something nonalcoholic for Gwen...”

Jack saw that Ianto was working himself into a tizzy. “Enough already, its fine, everything’s fine. Why don’t you go downstairs and take a nap, I’ll decorate the meeting room.” Ianto started to object, but Jack shushed him. “Ianto, its plastic table clothes & crepe paper; even the great hero of the universe can handle that.”

Ianto suddenly realized just how tired he was. “Yeah a nap would be good. Will you wake me at 6 so I can get ready?”  As he headed over to Jack’s office, he frowned, “And don’t even think about touching that cake.”

Jack pouted,   “Don’t you trust me?”    Ianto thought, “With the universe, yes, with a double layer chocolate truffle cake, no way.”

Martha slapped at Jack and went over to give Ianto a hug. “Don’t pay any attention to him; somehow my Hawaiian honeymoon just morphed into a soft core porno film thanks to Jack.” She kissed Ianto on the cheek. Looking at several bottles that Jack was carrying for her she asked, “Ianto, can you put this wine away for later? The Doctor sent it with a special message which I will read later when everyone’s here. And before you get huffy, I’m asking you because I never trust Jack where something from the Doctor is concerned.”   "Neither do I,” Ianto thought.

They were interrupted by another call, this time on Ianto’s cell. “Its Andy, I’ll go up and get him.”

Jack looked a little put out. “Oh so now you’re giving out your cell phone number to strange men.”

“I gave you my cell phone number and they don’t come much stranger,” Ianto drily replied.

Martha burst out laughing again. ”Mr. Jones, is that strange as in "innovative and avant-garde or as in alien"? 

“With Jack you can just never tell,” Ianto laughed.

Jack was not liking this at all. “Hey, watch it!  Just go get Andy, will you.”

Ianto couldn’t resist. “Ohhh he’s so likes to think he’s the boss, I’ll just have to correct him on that later.” He and Martha doubled over laughing so hard that they could barely breathe. Jack shot Ianto a glance, and Ianto saw that Jack was really on edge.

“OK, OK, off I go to get the delectable PC Andy.”

Andy came down from the tourist office with some nicely wrapped packages and a bottle of wine. Ianto had just introduced him to Martha, when they heard the invisible lift heading down into the Hub.

Rhy’s voice boomed out, “I still get such a kick out of this lift, its brilliant.” Gwen smiled. “Just like you, my beautiful mommy-to be.”  Gwen smiled her best Stepford Wife smile for everyone. This mommy-to-be crap was getting old really fast. Three days ago she was saving the universe, now she was just going to be The Mommy. “I made this decision and I’m happy with it”, she thought, “I just didn’t realize that everyone would forget about my extreme awesomeness so quickly.”

The party started as most parties do. A little nibbling, some drinks, some toasts to the baby and the proud parents. Martha went and brought out the wine bottles from The Doctor.

“The Doctor sends his congratulations to all of you for saving the world…again.   He was quite impressed that you did it without his assistance. He particularly wanted me to mention that if he could have anyone reincarnated as a Time Lord, based on his courage as well as impeccable manners and taste in suits he would choose Ianto.”

Gwen snorted,”Oh, Timelord!Ianto, that would be smashing!! “

‘Hey, you be nice, or you won’t be getting a ride in my Tardis, which will have a startling resemblance to a 1965 Corvette. Red, of course.”

“And,” Martha continued, “He congratulates Gwen on her pregnancy. The Doctor told me that these bottles have special properties to enhance friendships, banish hangovers, and,” she said smiling at Gwen, “are absolutely safe for mommies-to-be to consume.”

“Well get them open then, already,” laughed Gwen, “after this week, I know I could use a few drinks.”

By the time the ham & pineapple pizzas were delivered, everyone was feeling a delightful buzz. By the time the chocolate truffle was eaten everyone was feeling very, very relaxed.

Gwen & Rhys opened the baby gifts making the appropriate oohs and ahhs at the cute little baby clothes from Martha, the simply adorable toys from Andy, and the educational mommy-to-be books from Ianto.

“And there’s one final gift from me”. Jack was grinning like a fool. He and Ianto carried the huge box over and put it in front of Gwen and Rhy’s. “Maybe a playpen,” thought Gwen.  Rhy’s thought that maybe it was a stroller. 

“Come on, come on, open it already.” Ianto sighed; Jack could be sooo childish at times. With a little trepidation, they opened the box and looked in. Gwen gave out a shriek and started laughing. Rhy’s joined in laughing uncontrollably. Jack pouted. “No it’s fantastic, really fantastic Jack, it truly has the Harkness touch to it.” Jack preened a little.

“What is it?” Martha demanded. Gwen and Rhy’s reached in and pulled out a giant three foot tall stuffed weevil plushy toy.   Ianto smirked, “Oh look, it’s a sister for the baby.”

Gwen took up the joke. “Well it definitely looks like Rhy’s side of the family.” 

“Oi, Gwen, don’t be talking about my family that way…though it does look a bit like Mother”. Rhy’s laughed so hard that he snorted some of the wine out his nose.

Jack interrupted the laughter. “So, Ianto and I have some announcements we’d like to make.”

Andy quipped, “Don’t tell me. You’re getting married, or a civil partnership or whatever.” Ianto laughed, “No, we’re not really the domestic types, are we Jack?”   Jack snarked, “but Ianto, I was so looking forward to picking out towels and silverware patterns.” 

“Well, I for one am relieved,” said Andy. “That means I still have a chance with Ianto.”

They all laughed until they realized that Andy was serious. “I know you are a couple right now, but when Ianto almost got killed I realized that I needed to let him know that if you don’t treat him right Jack, I will.” The silence was, well, silent.

Rhy’s jumped in, trying to diffuse the situation. “Well, I just want to say, if I were so inclined, but I’m not, I would go for Ianto too. No really, he’s good looking, smart, funny…. And hey, did you see the papers today. Page 2, a picture of Ianto with a BIG MOTHERFUCKING GUN!  And the caption was priceless, “Torchwood hero shows off his big gun to the troops at UNIT.”   

Jack was silently fuming and Ianto knew if he didn’t stop this conversation, Jack was going to get sulky. “Well the only reason they didn’t ask Jack is that his gun is so big they would have had to use a two page spread.”

Martha, Gwen, Andy and Rhys chorused, “Way too much information.”

“Ok, Jack,” Martha said, ‘we’re just teasing you.”

Jack looked a bit relieved. “I’m glad to hear that, because if Ianto had his big gun out for UNIT then he might not have enough fire power left to shoot me off.”

“Way too much information,” the other chorused again.

“So, what are these big announcements you and Ianto have for us,” asked Martha.

“Well, with Gwen leaving, Ianto and I realized that we need more staff. So I’d like to officially announce that PC Andy will be starting as our new Police Liaison on Monday.  However, I’d also like to announce that if he puts one hand on Ianto, I will personally take my big gun and shoot his balls off! (And if Ianto puts on hand on Andy, Jack mused, “then I will shoot my own balls off!)”

Ianto couldn’t resist. “Excuse me, but wouldn’t that constitute sexual harassment.”

The start of an evil smile appeared on Andy’s face. “Really, its OK, you can both harass me if you want, I’m big enough to take it.”

 “Way too much information!,” everyone else shouted in unison.

“And that’s not all; Mickey will be joining us in about a month as a field agent. He’s really toughened up nicely in the alternative universe where he was hanging out. That leaves us short a doctor. Hmmm... does anyone know a sexy, gorgeous doctor that would be just right for Torchwood?”

Martha rolled her eyes at Jack. ”Game’s up, Tom’s being transferred to Cardiff, and seeing as I am a doctor, I know The Doctor, I can operate well with UNIT and I have great teeth, I guess that must be me!”

Ianto looked around at the faces in the room. Everyone looked so happy, and yet a small sadness hovered over the group.

“We also wanted to let you know that the government has made a very nice settlement with Torchwood over the issue of trying to have Gwen and me killed as well as killing Jack several times. We’re setting up scholarship programs in honor of Tosh and Owen. They’ll be for students that would like to pursue careers in Medicine, Engineering or Computer Science but can’t afford to pay for the schooling.”

Andy just beamed at that. He had been one of those bright kids who hadn’t been able to continue with his education. “That’s marvelous, bloody marvelous.”

A little teary-eyed, Jack asked everyone to raise their glasses one more time in remembrance of absent friends and new beginnings.

 --

Later after everyone else had gone home, Ianto and Jack were in bed talking about the party. They both agreed that it had turned out nicely. Side by side, the sheet pulled up to their waists, they enjoyed the relaxed quiet together.

Finally, Ianto turned to Jack and gave him a lecherous look. “There’s just one thing that’s bothering me.” Ianto took a bag off the nightstand. “I can’t imagine who would have bought these jelly beans only to hide them away in his desk. Fortunately, I think we can put them to good use.” He tore the bag open with his teeth. “Pick one out Jack.”

Jack couldn’t imagine what Ianto had in mind, but seeing the look on Ianto’s face he knew he’d enjoy it. “Red,” he said putting the jelly bean in Ianto’s mouth.

Ianto rolled on top of Jack. “MMMM, cinnamon, that means I get to snog you senseless.” He leaned down and gave Jack a deep kiss. Jack opened his mouth and began to suck on Ianto’s tongue. When they finally broke from the kiss, Ianto felt like he was the one who had been snogged senseless.  

Ianto picked out the next jelly bean. “Orange.” Jack smiled, “Orange is for a little oral stimulation.”

“Well, Jack, that leave’s several interesting possibilities.”

Jack reached over and pulled another jelly bean out of the bag.   “Oh look, green.  I can tell you on very good authority that green combined with orange means I go down on you.”

“But you cheat, you always cheat, you might just be making that up.”

“No, I can assure you that the intergalactic jelly bean sex manual clearly specifies that I have to give you a toe-curling blow job.”

“Well I suggest you get shut up and get busy; there are still a lot of jelly beans in that bag. And I intend to experience every flavor tonight.”

“Yes, Sir, what ever you say Sir,” Jack laughed as he began to slide down under the covers.