Ptorchwood Ptales & Ptimely Pthoughts

Home is the place, that when you have to go there, they have to take you in.   Robert Frost

Owen received the call from the Brigadier the first week of December. 

“So I understand that you’ll be bringing Ianto to Cardiff to spend Christmas with his family. Does he have any plans for New Years? Do you?”

Owen didn’t have any plans and as far as he knew Ianto didn’t either. The Brigadier was delighted and invited the two of them to spend New Years with his family. 

“Ianto’s already met my younger sons, but my oldest will be there as well. Martha and her fiancé, and Saundra and her son John will also be there along with other assorted relatives and friends. I think you’ll both enjoy yourselves and I have a feeling that you may need an excuse for getting Ianto back to London.”

Owen laughed. He had a feeling that once he got Rhiannon and Ianto in the same room, she wasn’t going to want to let him go.

“Let me confirm with Ianto. But I think you’re right. There’s only so much fussing he’ll be able to tolerate from his sister….actually his sister and brother-in-law are nice people. I think the reunion is not going to be as awkward as we were anticipating….no, I haven’t forgotten about Jack and Ianto, but I have to be honest with you, I can keep their contact to a minimum, but they are both grown adults.”

Owen listened to the Brigadier for a few moments and felt a bit relieved. “I’m glad you understand my dilemma...what we saw was, well…yeah, despicable would be a good way to describe it…but honestly, I have to believe there’s something we don’t know. Jack’s known for seducing anything on two legs, and a few things with more or less than two legs, but I’ve never heard anything about him forcing someone…or being rough, uh…if you know what I mean.” The Brigadier said he was willing to give Jack the benefit of the doubt…for the time being.

They spoke a bit more about Ianto’s upcoming visit to Cardiff and agreed that they’d talk again about Ianto’s final move after New Years.

*****

Owen texted the Brigadier’s invitation to Ianto along with his thoughts about his visit to Cardiff. Ianto replied that he agreed with Owen’s plans.

‘I already heard about the New Year’s Party from Bryan and Stephen and told them I’ll be there. But Owen, it’s a fancy party, do you have my suits in storage in Cardiff?” Owen did, and Ianto described for him which one he wanted to wear. Owen promised to have the suit ready for Ianto when he came to Cardiff for Christmas. Since Christmas at his sister’s was casual he wouldn’t need anything else.

“Hey, I’m picking you up Thursday mid-afternoon and we’ll drive back to Cardiff. Get you settled in and then we’ll spend Friday with Torchwood Three. We want to show you the flat we picked out and talk to you about some text to voice translation software we think you might be interested in. Saturday’s open in case we forgot something, OK? We’ll Spend Christmas Eve Sunday and Christmas Day on Monday with your mum and sister. Afraid I’ll have to get you back to London on Boxing Day.”  

Owen and Ianto talked a bit about his rehab and how he was adjusting to his new circumstances.

‘They seem to be much better at managing pain medication. My hand doesn’t hurt all the time and I feel less drugged during the day...It’s been a lot nicer since I met John and Stephen and Bryan. Yeah, I’ve been out with Stephen and Bryan…yeah, Stephen and Bryan have had some luck…no, nothing for me…not complaining though.’

“Are you still dreaming of green-eyed redheads?” Owen teased.

‘Let’s just say that I’m doing more than dreaming…and don’t ask me anything more, cause it’s none of your business.’

Owen smiled thinking, ‘nothing like a good shag to make the world seem a little brighter.’

****

The week before Christmas Jack called the team together for a meeting.

“I finally have some good news. I’ve been informed that UNIT is closing their investigation of Torchwood Three with only a few minor corrective items for us to address. First, they would like us to make sure that we complete incident reports within 72 hours and develop a computer log to keep track of them.”

Gwen laughed. ‘Well, I know who’s getting stuck with the report responsibility.”

“Actually, I expect that everyone will complete their own reports, and that includes you Owen. Ok, ok, and me as well.  Gwen you will be in charge of tracking reports and letting me know if someone isn’t finishing them on time. And Tosh will be in charge of developing the report log. UNIT will be sending copies of the software they use for tracking and said we were free to modify it to suit our needs. They’ll be spot checking reports for a while yet, so let’s not screw up something relatively simple.”

“They also want us to go back and log the incidents for the last two years, but they’ve given us six months to do that. It’s a lot of reports, but now that our Goddess of Reports has everything in good order it’s more of a data entry task than anything else. I’m still thinking about how best to get that done. I may end up asking if they’ve got an administrator with clearance that we could borrow for the task.”

“Only other item is that we will have to inform them of any potential weaponry that comes through the rift. I don’t whether they plan to take possession of the items, but they will want to come and look at them. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

They moved on to Ianto’s visit to Cardiff the following week. Gwen had purchased the furniture and Rhys and some of his friends had borrowed a truck from work and moved and assembled everything the previous week. 

“I’ve got his stuff out of storage,” Owen explained. “It’s not much, some clothes, books and CDs and DVDs mostly, but I thought it would be nice to have some familiar items in the flat when he sees it for the first time.”

Everyone agreed that personalizing the flat a bit was a good idea.

Tosh had seen to the installation of a phone, Ianto’s computer and printer as well as a complete security system. “I took the liberty of updating his computer a bit. He’ll find it a lot faster now. I also bought a left-handed mouse just in case he can’t use his regular one. The security system is pretty basic, but I think he’ll feel better having it. This is the first time he’ll be really on his own in what, six months?”

Gwen spoke up looking a bit nervous. “I have one other thing I wanted to tell you about. I hope you don’t mind but I know Ianto’s going to be seeing his family for Christmas for the first time in some years, so I went ahead and bought some presents for his family, had them wrapped and everything.”

Owen shook his head. “I didn’t even think of that! That’s brilliant, thanks for doing it.”

Jack laughed. “So are you going to tell us what Ianto got for his family or do we have to guess?”

“Well you’re paying for it, so I guess you should know. And don’t ask me what it cost; I will use my divine goddess powers to bury it in some expense reports.” I got sweaters for his sister and her husband, some hats and gloves for both kids, a Barbie My House Playset for Mica and a Lego Pirates Fort for David. And for his mother I got a wool shawl and some fancy tea.

“Just tell me you didn’t get any awful Christmas jumpers with reindeers and snowflakes,” Owen snarked.”

“Actually they have dancing elves and naked Santas,” Gwen retorted. “No, they are nice and practical. A navy cardigan for Rhiannon and a v-neck jumper in charcoal grey for her husband.”

Something occurred to Owen. “I don’t want anyone to feel obligated, but should we get Ianto a little something from us? Oi, that’s stupid isn’t it, everything is from us. Never mind, I‘ll just pick him up something practical from me…like a case of condoms.”

Everyone laughed. “Actually,” Jack said, “I was thinking the same thing…about a gift from us, not condoms.  I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of having Tosh pick something out for him.”

All eyes turned to Tosh. “Well, when I was over at the flat working on setting up his computer, I noticed that his television was ancient. You know, one with those deep picture tube models. It wasn’t even cable ready; must be at least 20 years old. So Jack had me buy him a flat screen model. I’ve got it set up with his DVD player so its all ready. I even put a nice red bow on it.”

“You know,” Jack interjected, “I’m the only one that hasn’t actually seen the flat at all. Think the boss could get a showing before Mr. Jones comes to town?”

The rift had been quiet for several days, so they decided that they’d forward the rift alarm to Jack’s cell phone and go over to Ianto’s flat and give it the once over. 

***

Jack was very impressed with the flat. It had nice big windows and was light and airy. Light oak floors, oak kitchen cabinets and pale yellow walls in the kitchen and taupe walls in the rest of the flat. The entrance opened directly into the main area of the flat. On the left side of the entry was a small kitchen, that had not only had the normal appliances but a small stacked washer and dryer. The kitchen space opened up directly into the lounge area which looked like it was around 300 square feet. The area nearest the kitchen was set up with a small table and chairs. A sitting area with the new couch and chair and small table was arranged to the right of the entryway on the opposite side. There was also a small entertainment center with the new flat screen TV (with its red bow), stereo/video equipment, and Ianto’s CD’s and DVD’s. At the far right a small computer work area had been cleverly carved out using a low book case on one side to delineate the area.   

The furniture was a nice light birch, very simple and plain. The couch and chair were covered in a black and taupe tweed fabric.

A hallway across the open space from the entryway led to a surprisingly large bathroom and a double bedroom. Gwen had already put a set of linens on the bed. They had color blocks of black, gray and burgundy with a matching comforter. 

Jack was impressed. “Owen you were right. I was concerned that finding a flat with a bathroom that could accommodate a wheelchair if necessary was going to be impossible. But you actually could get one into this space if you had to.” 

Owen nodded. “Tosh and I came over one evening with a motorized chair we borrowed and made sure it could maneuver through the whole space. We did end up shifting the couch a bit more toward the wall so that it wouldn’t block access to the computer desk.”

Tosh laughed. “Well, we wouldn’t have had to do that except that Owen kept running into the couch every time he tried to do a wheelie.”

“Oi, I was just making sure there weren’t any hazards for my patient.” Tosh demonstrated the security system and they checked out the new TV.

Taking a final look around they agreed that it didn’t look like they forgot anything. Owen felt like a huge weight had been lifted off him. “I just want to thank everyone; it looks great.   And Gwen, a special thanks to you. This flat is just right for Ianto. Not frilly but also not dark and depressing. Hell, I’d live here.”

Jack added, “Well if he doesn’t like it, I’m moving in.”

Owen smiled, but couldn’t help thinking, ‘what worries me is if he does like it and you still want to move in.’

Chapter 20 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/7181.html

It was late November when Owen realized that he couldn’t procrastinate any longer.

‘Guess I better get this over with.’ He had put off meeting with Ianto’s sister as long as he could. Now that it looked like Ianto would be visiting at Christmas and relocating back to Cardiff within the next month or two, he knew he had to do this.

He called her during the week, explained that he was the medic overseeing Ianto’s recovery and wanted to meet to update her on what was going on. She seemed hesitant, but Owen understood when she explained that she’d have to find someone to watch after her mother and kids first.

“Why don’t I just stop over some evening? That way I can meet Ianto’s mum and you don’t have to be inconvenienced.”

Rhiannon Davies sighed. Great, now some stranger, a doctor no less was going to be coming to her house. She couldn’t wait to see him look around with disdain or even worse, pity.  “Next Thursday OK? Johnny, my husband will be home that night and he might have some questions.” She gave him directions to her home, and they agreed on 8 PM.

So Thursday it was. Owen snorted as he thought about the conversation. ‘Husband’s home Thursday’s, probably out drinking every other night with the boys. Yeah, like I wouldn’t be out drinking practically every night if I didn’t have the Jones kid to worry about,’ he acknowledged.

As he drove into the housing estate he could see that while it wasn’t very new, it was in pretty good condition. Two stories with white siding and dark green trim, the units were identical except for some flower pots on the steps leading to the front door or the occasional wind chimes hanging from an entry light. The Davies house was at the end of a row of units. He parked his car (actually it was Gwen’s car; thank goodness she let him borrow it, he knew he couldn’t show up in his new Miata) and went up to the front door. He could hear some yelling from inside. ‘Oh great, Thursday night at the fights has started already.’

Just as he was about to knock, the door flew open and two young children ran out laughing and yelling. “Put your shoes on before you go next door….” A woman about his age came to the doors. “Guess I was a little late on that suggestion. You must be Dr. Harper, come on in.”

Owen went inside and Rhiannon introduced herself and her husband who was sitting on the sofa. She would have been pretty once, but time and worry had taken its toll. Owen thought she was only a few years older than Ianto, but she looked much older than him at that moment. At least much older than the pre-Canary Wharf Ianto.

She motioned for him to sit down on a faded lounge chair and then sat down on the sofa beside her husband. Johnny spoke first. “So Ianto’s actually coming back to Cardiff. That should be interesting.”

Rhiannon snorted. “Yeah guess he’s not flying so high now is he?”

Owen held back a nasty retort. ‘Don’t let them bait you. They’re upset and embarrassed.’ 

“Right,” he said aloud. “Let me explain about Ianto’s progress.” He started to tell them about Ianto’s rescue from Canary Wharf but was quickly interrupted by Johnny.

“So what exactly is Torchwood? Something like MI5?”

“Yeah, something like that, but it deals with external threats to the Crown. Or at least that was what it was set up to do. It now deals with all sorts of threats to the stability of the government as well as the Crown.” 

Rhiannon couldn’t imagine her baby brother as some sort of secret agent. “I just can’t see it. My brother isn’t the James Bond type; I can’t believe he’d be working someplace like that.”

Owen laughed, “Well he did, but something a lot less mysterious or dangerous. He was an archivist; basically keeping records and information organized and filed. That’s all.”

“Ianto Jones, file clerk and secret assassin,” quipped Johnny. 

“Yep that about describes it. I know you are aware that Torchwood London was destroyed in a terrorist attack and that Ianto was one of only 27 people rescued from the attack. But I wanted you to know that there are only about half as many still alive six months later. Some succumbed to their injuries…others…uh...couldn’t live with the horrors they experienced.”

Both Rhiannon and Johnny looked shook up by that revelation. 

Owen looked down to hide a thin smile thinking, ‘good, now at least I’ve got your attention.’ Owen went on to describe Ianto’s rescue, injuries, surgeries, and prognosis. The Davies asked a lot of questions about Ianto’s hand and he patiently explained the extensive rehab that Ianto still had to complete. “It looks like he was really lucky. He will be able to use the hand for the basics – feeding himself, dressing himself, picking up items as long as they are not too heavy. Whether he will be able to write is still dicey, but with all the electronic devices, especially text messaging, this isn’t the disability it used to be. But I’m afraid any dreams he had of being a concert pianist are over.”   No one laughed.

“We’re hoping he’ll be able to find some type of work eventually, but Torchwood’s covering his costs for the foreseeable future. We’ve picked out a flat to rent for him, modest but close to a bus line so he can get around independently. So you don’t have to worry about taking care of him. We’ve got that covered.”

Rhiannon’s voice was shaking when she asked about Ianto’s lack of speech. “He can’t talk at all, like he forgot how, or he doesn’t want to, I just don’t understand.”

“None of the medical experts do either. He probably suffered some type of nerve damage in the brain center where language is formed, but none of the brain scans have been able to find anything. He says that he can think of how to speak, but can’t make it happen. Honestly, I’m not sure what that means. But I can tell you its not just being unable to make sounds, his lips don’t move at all. He communicates with text messaging but that has its limitations. We’re looking at other possibilities; there are programs that can convert written text to voice output, but we need to test them out and see if they’ll work for him.”

Rhiannon started to cry. “That’s worse than mum, she can talk at least. Only Welsh, mind you, but at least she can say something.”

“Is your mother here, now?” 

“She’s in the kitchen, didn’t think she’d have much to add to the conversation. You don’t speak Welsh do you?” Owen shook his head.

“Yeah, her mind’s as sharp as a tack, but she’s forgotten her English. Only spoke Welsh at home as a child you see.”

“You’ll tell her about Ianto, won’t you?”

“I will, she’s always asking about him…‘where’s my boy’ she’ll ask, practically every day since the stroke. She doesn’t remember him leaving us and sayin’ he’d never be back.”

Johnny put his arm around Rhiannon as she started to cry again. “Please excuse the missus; she’s overwhelmed with everything that’s going on. I work two jobs and I’m away all day and most evenings too. Everything falls on her, the kids, her mum, the house; I don’t know how she does it really.”

Owen sat down next to Rhiannon. “It’s OK for you to be angry. Ianto got opportunities you didn’t and I’ll bet the little brat just rubbed your nose in it. Yeah, I know something about that. Can I ask you; behind the kitchen is there a little space with a door that’s too small to be good for anything but maybe a place to store a mop and some cleaning supplies?”

“Dr. Harper, that’s the strangest thing to ask, but yes there is.”

“Thought so. See I grew up in a housing estate like this South of London. Exactly like it, as a matter of fact. My mum and I could never figure out what that space was for. I know you noticed my posh accent. I’m another kid who did a runner when I had the chance, but I never got to make it up to my mum. It was just me and her and she died when I was in my second year of medical training.”

Johnny had been watching Owen intently. He could tell that Owen wasn’t telling tales and had had more than his share of sadness. ‘Poor bloke, should get to know him better. After all he’s taken the burden of Ianto off me and Rhi.’

“Listen Owen, when you come back with Ianto, he and Rhiannon can have a visit and you and I can go to the pub for a pint or two.”

Owen smiled, “Yeah, I’d like that. I don’t know the exact details, but I was hoping to bring Ianto to visit at Christmas. Do you think that would be OK?”

Rhiannon and Johnny were pleased with the idea. “It’ll be the first Christmas since Mica was born that we’re all together,” Rhiannon explained. “The kids should get to know their Uncle Ianto; we’re a small family and they don’t have many other relatives.”

Owen got up to leave and then remembered. “Sorry, I almost forgot, Ianto wrote out a message for you.”   He handed Rhiannon a small envelope. “He wrote it with his left hand, so I hope you’ll be able to read it. Said it was private, so I have no idea what’s in it.”

Johnny and Rhiannon walked Owen to the door. Owen promised to call them once he knew exactly when Ianto would be returning to Cardiff.   After Owen was gone, they returned to the sofa. Neither said anything for a while. Johnny shrugged, “Nice guy that Owen; I thought he’d be stuffy but he wasn’t was he?”

“No, just a regular guy really. Seems like he’s been a real friend to Ianto not just his doctor.”

They sat again in silence until Rhiannon took a deep breath. “I’m really afraid to see what’s in this envelope, Johnny. Guess I should just open it, shouldn’t I?” Rhiannon carefully opened it up.

 _________________________________________________________________________________

 __________________________________________________________________________________

Rhiannon put her head against Johnny’s shoulder and sobbed.

**I love you.

Chapter 19 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/7108.html

A few days before Ianto’s second surgery in late-October, Jack called his team together to review the progress they’d made on the UNIT review and Owen’s ‘to do’ list.

“Gwen, you really are the ‘Goddess of Paperwork.’ We’ve got just about all the reports completed and only one has been returned by UNIT for more information. Tosh, where are we on the voice synthesizing software?” 

Tosh explained that the number of programs available for translating text into voice was growing at an astounding rate. Many were downloadable to cell phones. “You’re not going to believe it, but there are translators with fairly natural sounding voices. Not that Stephen Hawking robotic sound of a few years ago. I’ve found several suitable programs with Welsh accented English; I’m assuming he’d have a southern accent being from Cardiff. And I found two programs for translation of text to Welsh. I’d like to have Gwen check them out since I can’t judge how accurate they are.”

“Good. Owen and I have reviewed the floor plans for Ianto’s flat and I’ve received approval for a medium sized one bedroom on the second floor. It’s almost 800 square feet with hallways wide enough for a walker or wheelchair should one be needed. We thought a lower floor would be better just in case there’s a problem with the elevators. Ok Gwen, what do we have for our furniture and soft goods estimates?”

Gwen explained that she had general estimates that she would refine now that the flat layout had been chosen. “I think we’re looking at around 3,800 pounds for furniture if we keep things at a minimum.” Jack winced. “That does include bedroom furniture, a sofa and chair and coffee table for the living room a computer desk and a small kitchen table and some chairs and lamps. I had to add in a couple of closet armoires since the loft space doesn’t have any formal closet space. I’m estimating around 300 pounds for soft goods – bed linens, towels, area rugs, and kitchen and bathroom accessories.”

Jack shook his head. “I have to admit, I had no idea that the cost would be so high. I’ll have to use my considerable charm to get the funds from UNIT.”

Tosh pointed out that living in a bunker in the Hub would tend to distort one’s idea of the cost of furnishing an apartment.

“Well, you have a point, but I wonder if we couldn’t get a discount from IKEA if we let them take photos of the flat as an example of an IKEA dream house.” Everyone laughed. “Owen when will be need to have the flat ready for Mr. Jones?”

“I’m estimating sometime around the end of January, beginning of February. His second surgery is in three days, figure another six weeks of rehab and a week or so to transition.”

“Assuming my meeting with his family goes OK, I’ll be bringing him to Cardiff for Christmas. It’ll be just for a few days, but enough time for him to see the flat so I’d like to have it pretty well complete by then. He’ll also need to test the voice software as well as visit his family. And meet all of you. He’ll be staying at my place for the visit, so that shouldn’t entail anything else for you to do.”

***

Ianto’s second surgery was far shorter than his first. In just under three hours the surgeons were able to complete reconstructing his hand. Only time would tell the full extent of its mobility but Ianto found that within a week he could with some effort button and unbutton most clothes as well as tie his shoes. He had become fairly adept at shaving with his left hand and he thought he might just leave well enough alone.

Writing was a different story. While he was able to hold a pen properly, his handwriting with his right hand was even more illegible than his left. Ianto didn’t seem bothered by this outcome. ‘Hell, nobody actually writes anything anymore except for their signature. I reckon with some practice I’ll be able to do that well enough.’

John still stopped by twice a week and Kelly visited when she could, but Ianto found that he was getting impatient to leave the rehab facility. Saundra noticed his restlessness and decided that he needed another change in routine.  And she had a big change in mind for Ianto.

Much to his surprise, Saundra showed up one evening with two men not much older than him. She introduced the Brigadier’s sons Bryan and Stephen and like she did with John left them to get acquainted. Where John was serious and intense, the brothers were all about having a good time. They asked if Ianto wanted to go drinking with them that weekend.  Ianto was keen to go but wasn’t sure he could leave the facility.

Stephen smiled. “You just leave that to ‘Aunt’ Saundra, she’ll bail you out of this place.”  Technically, you’re staying with Father, but actually you’ll be staying with one of us.”

Ianto was puzzled by this but Bryan laughed and explained, “Hey if you pull, you don’t want to have to take her home and introduce her to our father, do you?” Ianto was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen, but he could see the logic in their plans.

The next two weekends were spent with Bryan and Stephen. It was a lot like the old days with Charlie. Both men were of medium height and build with curly brown hair and dark brown eyes. Both were easygoing and fun to be with.  But Bryan, the younger of the two, had much better luck with women than his older sibling. 

As Bryan left the club with his newest lady friend, Stephen and Ianto laughed. “Well, he’s two for two, and you and I are scoreless!”

‘Yeah the ladies are not entranced by my text messaging. Can’t understand why. I’m a really good listener after all.’

Stephen snorted. “Maybe next weekend we’ll leave little Bryan on his own and try a few different clubs. But you have to swear you won’t tell Bryan where we go.” 

That sounded fine to Ianto. They went back to Stephen’s flat and smoked a couple of joints. Ianto felt wonderful.

“Hear you’ve been spending time with John. That must be a treat.”

‘Actually he’s a nice guy. Why don’t you like him?’

“Let’s just say that he’s an awfully straight arrow.”

‘That wasn’t my impression. He’s pretty irreverent and he likes his whiskey…a lot.’

Stephen snorted. “When I say straight I mean he’s a total het, very intolerant of anyone who isn’t.”

Ianto wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but he really didn’t know Stephen well enough for any personal discussions. ‘And this is important to me, why?’ 

“Oh come off it Ianto, I picked you up on my gaydar the minute I met you.”

‘I think that must have been your bi-dar actually.’

“Yeah, whatever. Just make sure he doesn’t realize it, or you’ll be out a friend.”

‘Well, I’m not interested in sleeping with him, so it shouldn’t be a problem.’

“When I say intolerant, I mean he’s hostile to anyone who doesn’t believe in one woman/one man missionary position sex. Now maybe he’ll make an exception for you, but I reckon you’ve had enough crap in your life, I just don’t want you to be surprised.”

‘I have to ask, how do you know this?’

“Because we were mates until I came out as bi. Now he can’t even stand to be in the same room as me.”

Ianto felt his heart sink a little. Good thing, then that he would be going back to Cardiff soon, he didn’t need a failed friendship to remember London by.

“Hey, don’t look so glum…I’ll be your friend.”

‘You aren’t hitting on me are you?’

“You are very cute, but not my type really. You’re too tall for one thing, and I like my men and women with dark hair and eyes and not with glow-in-the-dark white skin.”

Ianto smirked, ‘You’re not my type either. I like them tall and blond.’

“You should consider moving to Sweden. Gorgeous blond men and women.”

‘So how’s Bryan with your bi-ness?’

“Bi-ness, that’s not actually a word, is it? Anyway, he’s het but couldn’t care less what anyone else does.

‘And your father?’

“That’s an interesting question. Let’s just say that he’s mellowed with age.”

***

The third weekend, Stephen picked him up at the rehab facility ready for a night of clubbing. They laughed when they saw each other. Both were dressed in black jeans and black T-shirts. Stephen had on a belt with a large silver buckle; Ianto went without and let his jeans sit lower on his hips.

“We look like we’re a couple. We’ll never pull at this rate.”

Ianto opened his weekend duffle, pulled out a white T-shirt and quickly changed into it.

“That’s a nice look for you, like you’re half undressed already.”

Ianto rolled his eyes. 

They both had better luck that evening. Stephen hooked up early with a handsome older man who was visiting from Spain. He tossed the keys to his flat to Ianto and told him not to expect him until the morning.

Ianto spent the rest of the evening with a young man named Roger, who was a graduate student in chemistry and yes, was tall and blond. They had some serious snogging going on, but when closing time came Ianto was too nervous to go home with him or invite him back to Stephen’s flat. Roger was disappointed but seemed to understand Ianto’s uncertainty. He gave Ianto his cell number and told him to call if he wanted to get together during his remaining time in London.

‘Shit, he was a nice guy. A little shy even; everything would have been fine. I’m smart enough not to get in over my head again. I’ve just got to use my brains, instead of my dick.’

And that, he realized was the biggest problem he had when it came to men.  For some reason he seemed to be drawn to men with an edge about them, a little dangerous, a little unpredictable. Exactly who he shouldn’t be with. Not a nice, low key guy like Roger. ‘I hate not being in control and someone like Roger is really what I need. So why the hell do I always find myself drawn to the bad boys?’

Damned if he could figure that one out.

Chapter 18 is here:  http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/6879.html

RATING:  Chapter 15 - PG-13 for language
CHARACTERS: Ianto, Owen,  OCs-Saundra Bennett, Jonathan Bennett, Kelly O'Hara
WORDS: ~ 880
SUMMARY:   Ianto makes a new friend

Old friends pass away, new friends appear.  It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives.  The important thing is to make it meaningful...The Dalai Lama

Ianto was surprised that rehab on his hand started the day after surgery. He was still pretty doped up but a therapist came by to test finger sensitivity and manipulate his hand so none of the ligaments and tendons would tighten up from lack of use.

Within a week he was going to physical therapy in the rehabilitation center. He watched other patients undergoing treatment and realized that he wasn’t nearly the worst off person being treated. 

After one particularly grueling session, he texted Owen when he got back to his room.

‘I got to tell you, this was a BAD day. The therapist kept flexing my fingers backwards; I swear she was trained at the CIA’s Guantanamo Bay school of physical therapy. Good thing, I can’t make noise, I’m sure I would have been calling her every nasty name I could think of in Welsh, between the screaming of course.’

Owen was concerned that Ianto was getting adequate pain relief, but Ianto insisted he was OK. ‘Owen, there’s guys here who don’t have legs, one guy had the side of his face shot off, so if they cam keep them out of pain, I don’t think you have to worry about me.’

Owen wasn’t fully convinced but figured he’d follow up with Martha to make sure everything was going as well as Ianto stated.

***

About three weeks into his therapy, Saundra stopped by and asked if he felt up to meeting someone she wanted to introduce to him later that day. Ianto shrugged and nodded.

A few hours later, Saundra came back with a man who looked familiar from the therapy center. Ianto had noticed him walking with a slight limp and had been told that he had a leg injury from shrapnel. Ianto thought he might be older than him by a few years and while he wasn’t as tall as Ianto, he was much more powerfully built. 

“Ianto, this is my son, Lieutenant Jonathan Bennett. He’s just back from his second tour in Afghanistan.”  She carefully put his coat on a chair as well as something on the table. “I’m leaving a little something for you both on the table over here, and I’ll let you two get acquainted,” she said as she headed to the door.

The man held out his right hand. Ianto looked at his own right hand, shrugged and held out his left hand instead. The man switched to his left hand and laughed nervously.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t think. Just call me John.”

Ianto held up his phone for the man to see and began to type. ‘Ianto Jones, it’s pronounced Yantoe. Yeah, I haven’t quite figured out how to handle that yet. Don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t afford any further damage to the hand. ’

“Canary Wharf, right.” Ianto nodded. “Pretty lucky all things considered. Not many survivors were there?” 

Ianto was a little taken back by John’s bluntness, but realized that as someone who had seen combat he would be used to talking about casualties.

‘What happened to you?’

“Our transport hit a roadside bomb.  Only two out of the eight of us survived. You’ve seen the man in the therapy who lost both his legs?” Ianto nodded. “He’s the other survivor. You could say I’m pretty lucky as well.” 

‘Shit, I’m really sorry.’

“I’ll make you a deal. Let’s agree that we’re both lucky bastards and not have any pity parties, OK?” 

Ianto smiled. ‘Yeah, that sounds good.’

“Let’s see what Mother left for us.” It was a small chess set. “I’ve heard you’re pretty good. Not bad myself, and no I’m not going to let you win. Oh and there’s one special rule. You can only move the pieces with your right hand.” John smirked as he sat down at the table and began to set up the board.

Ianto sat down across from him. When he tried to reach out with his left hand, John lightly smacked it away. “Last time I checked, I outranked you Torchwood arse-wipe, and if I say you’re playing with your right hand, then that’s what you are going to do.”

‘Screw you, Lieutenant Cocksucker!’

“Yeah, bite me you fuck-tard.”

‘You just watch me whip your arse.’

“Promises, promises. You want white or black?”  

They played two games, both ending in draws. Ianto didn’t realize how much he had used his right hand until they finished the second game. John saw him wince a little as he moved his hand. “Are you due some pain medication?”

‘Unfortunately, not for another hour. And somebody forgot to refill the mini-bar.’

“Mother would kill me, but have some of mine.” John pulled a small bottle out of his coat pocket, took a sip and handed it to Ianto. Ianto wasn’t sure it was the best idea, but what the hell, he took a good sized gulp.

“Let’s have that back; if you end up wasted, I’ll be subjected to Mother’s lecture number one hundred and forty-three…why gimps should not get each other drunk.”

Ianto snorted.

“Look, I’m here every Tuesday and Thursday for the foreseeable future, so you up for another game Thursday afternoon?”

‘Yeah, and some more whiskey would be nice.’

John held out his left hand and shook hands with Ianto. “Alright, see you then...wanker.”   Ianto smiled and rolled his eyes.

Chapter 16 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/6329.html

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

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

As Owen drove back to Cardiff, he reflected on the latest developments in his ongoing care of Ianto. ‘Bugger it, why did I decide to play big hero at Canary Wharf? Look where being a good guy has landed me. More work, stuck looking after an invalid, certain to be in trouble with Jack at some point because of this…..’ Ok, so maybe not an invalid, and it wasn’t Ianto’s fault, but he hardly had time for himself anymore. No, not true, he just didn’t feel like going out much anymore. Too tired after work and reviewing all of Ianto’s medical records daily and coordinating his care.

Owen knew that Ianto would be fine under Martha’s watchful eye, but he also knew he wasn’t going to stop reading the daily updates and calling and checking to make sure everything was running smoothly.

And then there was his eventual return to Cardiff. Owen acknowledged that it was this that was really putting him on edge. He needed to find a flat for Ianto, as well as have a continuing care plan in place. There was also that little matter with Jack, not to mention sorting things out with Ianto’s mother and sister. 

As he pulled into the parking garage near the Hub, Owen sighed, wiping a hand across his face. ‘Maybe I can get Tosh or Gwen to help me…I’m just not good with this stuff.’

Owen reckoned he would have to somehow bribe Tosh and Gwen; he was not in their good graces at this point. He probably shouldn’t have teased Gwen about her boyfriend calling him The Big Oaf, and there was the unfortunate incident involving the caustic blue goop he had dropped on Tosh’s work station destroying her keyboard and several important reports.

He was relieved to see that everything was quiet when he entered the Hub. Tosh was engrossed with something on her computer and Gwen was reviewing reports of some kind. Neither acknowledged his presence.

“Where’s Jack?”

“In his office,” Tosh replied without breaking her concentration on her work.

“Right, well I’ll just go check in with him then.”

As he started up the stairs to Jack’s office, Gwen and Tosh looked at each other and smiled.

Owen stood outside Jack’s office and watching him muttering over some paperwork. He was obviously very angry about something, and Owen wisely began to back quietly away from the office.

“Owen, get in here and sit down.”

Owen sighed and entered Jack’s office. “I don’t want to bother you, you seem pretty busy. But I wanted to talk to you about Ianto Jones when you have a moment.”

Jack rose out of his chair and slammed his palms on the top of his desk.

“What is it now! I’ve had UNIT up my ass ever since Canary Wharf. Between the reports, inspections, meetings, conference calls, security checks and other nonsense, we’re barely able to keep an eye on the rift.   I’ve given you an unlimited budget as well as time off to handle Jones, can’t you at least take one thing off my back! Makes me sorry I didn’t stick to my guns about having him retconned and put away in a secure facility.”

Owen couldn’t believe Jack could be so callous and by gods he wasn’t taking this sitting down. Owen stood up and began to shout back at Jack. “You prick, you self-absorbed prick! Sure let’s just lock him away because he’s inconvenient and more work, and you don’t want to deal with it. Well he doesn’t have a choice but to deal with it! And he’ll be dealing with it every day for the rest of his life. He’ll be 24 years old in a few weeks. He should be going to clubs, and dating, maybe thinking about getting married. He should have a nice job and a nice flat and looking forward to his future. And what’s he got? The inability to speak which does not look like its going to get better, a hand that’s not going to function completely even after surgery. Oh and as a bonus, no family to care for him, and complete disdain from the person who is ultimately responsible for his care. Frankly, I don’t know why he hasn’t put a bullet in his brain by now. After all it would be much more convenient for you!”

Owen stood up to leave. Jack was furious. “Don’t you dare walk out of this office Owen.”

Owen turned to walk out of Jack’s office and was startled to see Tosh and Gwen standing in the doorway. 

Tosh interrupted, “Shut up, both of you, just shut up! “You,” she said turning to Jack, “have been behaving like a child having a temper tantrum, and you,” she pointed toward Owen, “have been running yourself ragged with this Jones project but too proud to ask for help.”

Jack stared at Tosh. She never spoke up or gave opinions unless asked. What was she so pissed about?

“And I swear Jack, if I ever hear you speak about retconning someone and locking them away when they represent no danger to anyone, the least of your worries will be from UNIT.”

Gwen stood quietly taking this all in. She didn’t know much about Ianto Jones, but she knew that Jack and Owen had both been involved in the rescue operations at Canary Wharf. And in her opinion, both of them were showing some signs of post-traumatic stress from being there.

“Could I make a suggestion?” Everyone turned to look at her; Owen with irritation, Jack with a smirk, Tosh with curiosity.

“If it’s OK with Jack, I think we should all get out of here, get some rest and meet tomorrow to discuss this. You two should list out what needs to be done with due dates. Then we can see how to divide the work up so no one’s overwhelmed. We’re supposed to be a team, maybe its time we started to act like one.”

Owen wasn’t ready to let go of his anger at Jack just yet. “Hell, that’s why I came to Jack – to ask for help…”

“Well, it’s a little late to start asking for help after the dam has burst,” Jack retorted.

Gwen and Tosh both rolled their eyes. Tosh gritted her teeth and said, “What part of ENOUGH, don’t you guys understand?”

Jack sighed and sat down. When did everything go to hell? He had a good team assembled and they were working well together and then Canary Wharf happened, and Suzie got crazed, now UNIT, what next? He took a deep breath.

“Tosh and Gwen have a point and we’re not getting anywhere yelling at each other. Let’s get together tomorrow at 9 AM for a group meeting. Owen, can you get a list together by then?” Jack was so calm it was scary.

 “No problem, none at all.”

“The rift is quiet, so why don’t we knock off now and baring any emergencies, I don’t want anyone here before 8:45 AM.”

As they packed up for the night, Gwen asked Tosh about Ianto Jones and Canary Wharf. Tosh really didn’t know that much herself, but thought that this might be an opportunity to talk to Gwen and get to know her a little more. If, of course, she didn’t have to run home to her boyfriend.

“You have time for a drink, it’s early?”

Gwen looked at her watch. Only 6:00 PM. That was early for Torchwood. She really wanted to spend the evening with Rhys but remembered that he was meeting some of his friends for a few rounds at the pub. 

“After today, I have time for a couple of drinks. Let me call Rhys and let him know I won’t be home until later.” 

Tosh eyed Gwen as she called her boyfriend and explained that she was going out for drinks with a co-worker. Gwen smiled as spoke, laughing at something Rhys said, told him she loved him and ended the call.

‘After today, she must think she joined a band of lunatics’ mused Tosh. ‘I wonder how long it will be before she becomes like us.’

Chapter 12 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/5366.html

Two weeks after Ianto, Owen and Martha met, Ianto was well enough to go with Owen to his flat. Ianto could walk slowly with just a cane by now, his leg had healed well but he had lost a lot of muscle tone, tired easily and his balance seemed a little off at times. His right hand was in a soft cast and was still useless and painful. 

With great flourish, Owen handed Ianto a box after they entered the apartment. Ianto sat down on the worn sofa and pulled open the box with his good hand. It was a new Blackberry Curve. Ianto grinned up at Owen; this was going to make life a lot easier. 

“Hey, I took the liberty of setting it up for you – I’ve put me and Martha on speed dial. I figured you could add other numbers as you liked. It's a model that's not on the market yet. It’s got Wi-Fi, GPS, music and video downloading, I don’t know what else. I just figured I’d get you the one with everything and that way I couldn’t go wrong.”    He handed the phone over to Ianto.

Ianto frowned as he realized that he really didn’t have any other phone numbers to add. He could see Owen watching him with concern and realized that Owen thought he didn’t like the phone.

 He turned the phone on and typed, ‘Its fantastic, Owen. I’m a little overwhelmed. Thank you!’

Owen smiled back, “You’re a git, why shouldn’t you have the best, it’s not like I’m paying for it.” They both laughed.  

They quickly sorted Ianto’s possessions into three categories: keep, store or give away. Ianto didn’t want to get rid of anything, but Owen convinced him that it was time to move on from second-hand student furniture, milk crate bookcases and plastic cups.

“Look, you don’t want this rubbish in your new flat. Trust me; milk crate bookcases do not impress the ladies. We’ll get you set up somewhere decent, and get you some new stuff. Nothing too fancy, but just right for a professional starting out. And don’t start on about who is going to pay for it. Torchwood can afford it.” 

So Ianto agreed that the old college furniture could go to charity along with some of the kitchenware and some text books he no longer needed. Owen packed up a two boxes of old comfortable clothes for Ianto to take to UNIT and put the rest aside for storage. Ianto’s books, DVDs and other personal items were also put aside for storage. 

As Ianto watched Owen finish packing up, he realized that he had hardly gotten to enjoy living in the flat. Six months at Torchwood, three months in the hospital, probably another three months at UNIT; by the time he was ready to return to Cardiff, a whole year would have gone by since he joined Torchwood. 

Ianto typed some more and passed the phone over to Owen. ‘How many of us are left? Survivors I mean.’

“Just a handful, really. There were twenty-seven people including you who were rescued. Three died before reaching hospital, so that would be twenty-four. Three have gone to work for UNIT, two to other government positions, eight asked to be retconned that leaves eleven. You and three others are still undergoing rehabilitation. Three have ended their own lives. The other four….they’re in psychiatric facilities.”

Ianto took a moment to digest this information. ‘What are my choices? Am I going to be retconned or locked away?’

“No, your situation is a bit unique. You had the least service and the least exposure to classified information. You have seen alien artifacts, but hell half of the UK believes we’ve been visited by little green men. No ones being retconned against their wishes and I think that would be a unrealistic choice for you since you are going to need continuing care for quite some time.”

‘What about working for UNIT or Torchwood Three?’ 

“UNIT is a possibility but I want you to come back to Cardiff first and finish your recovery before you make any decision. And I won’t lie to you, that could take as much as another year.”

‘And Torchwood Three?’

“That’s not going to happen, Ianto. We’re a very small operation and we just don’t have a suitable position for you.”

‘I can tell that you are not telling me the whole story.’

Owen snorted. “You got me. OK, there are two reasons why Three is not an option. First, Captain Harkness doesn’t want anything to do with anyone from Torchwood One. I know that seems unfair, but why would you want to go work for someone who is just going to give you a hard time?  Second reason, is a bit more personal. I don’t want you working there…” 

Ianto couldn’t believe Owen was saying this to him. He could understand Captain Harkness…well actually he couldn’t, but he could understand why Owen would feel that he couldn’t do anything about it. But Owen didn’t want him there…what the fuck!

“Listen, you don’t know Captain Harkness. You probably heard something about him at Torchwood One, right?”

Ianto nodded.

“He’s not crazy, that part isn’t true. But he can be a bastard, a right bastard when he wants to be. Which is a fair amount of the time. He and I don’t get along all that well and you’d become a pawn between us. You don’t need that kind of shite in your life.”

‘There’s something else Owen.’

Owen shook his head ‘No’. 

‘Owen, you know I have a little empathic ability. You’re broadcasting anxiety.’

“Fuck, Ianto he’s dangerous. Yeah, I can see you’ve heard that one before. And he’s physically and emotionally manipulative as well as incredibly sexually aggressive. There are times he actually scares the crap out of me. And you are just the type he likes to mess around with. I’m keeping you as far away from him as possible.”

‘What? So you don’t think I can take care of myself? Or are you afraid I like men? Or you’d like to shag him so you don’t want competition?’

“That’s enough! I don’t care who you mess around with, I really don’t. I’ve seen guys look at you as well as women. That’s your business. And Captain Gigolo Harkness is the last person, woman or man, I’d be interested in. But he’s dangerous, particularly for someone who is recovering from trauma. He has almost no boundary control. A refusal to him is just a challenge to be overcome. I want you to be able to have a happy life when you return to Cardiff. And I don’t want to have to get involved in your private life. So please, please do me this one stinking favor – go have sex with anyone you like who’s of age, with the exception of Jack Harkness! Is that so much to ask?”

‘No, I guess not. But if he’s such a bastard then why do you work for him?’

“It’s complicated.”

‘I’ll bet.’

Chapter 11 is here: http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/4957.html