Torchwood Fic: They tell me it happened on a Wednesday (Chapter 11)

[marita_c]

Chapter 11 For some reason the aliens have all the spotlights trained on the bed, where Ianto is laying on his back. Jack is above him, but his expression is unconcerned and he's concentrating on unbuttoning Ianto's shirt. "What do they want?" Ianto asks him. Jack smiles reassuringly. "Stop worrying. If we show them your heart, they'll let us go home." Ianto's nod is a little uncertain. "How do we do that?" he asks. "Well," Jack starts, smile still in place. "The heart must be intact and undamaged, so we can't just crack open the chest. Usually, the best way is to go into the belly, and then up through the diaphragm." Ianto looks down to see Jack's fist going into him through a hole in his belly. "It hurts," he says, and when he looks up Jack's grin is full of sharp, pointy teeth. With a gasp, Ianto wakes up. His hand instinctively goes to his abdomen, which is perfectly unharmed. The morning sunlight makes the small bedroom in the safe house almost too bright, and Ianto covers his eyes with one arm and does his best to slow his breathing back to normal. The images from the nightmare start fading into the background, and he shivers a little, then grimaces, realizing he's covered in cold sweat. Slowly, he drags himself out of bed. His legs feel unsteady as he pads into the bathroom, and he has to sit down on the edge of the tub to get his clothes off without falling over. He mentally braces himself as he starts peeling off the gauze from around his wrists, wondering whether the lack of pain is a good sign, or a very bad one. Under the bandages his wrists are covered by a layer of thick, peculiar smelling cream, and when Ianto wipes it away he finds a wide band of smooth, new skin. Unnaturally pale but perfect and intact. Apparently alien tech can be harnessed for something other than weapons, he muses, reaching for the tap.     He starts feeling better under the spray of nearly scalding water, and eventually the bone-deep chill he's been feeling starts melting away. The mirror is completely steamed up when he steps out of the tub, and for a few minutes he takes comfort in looking at his soft, blurry reflection as he towels himself dry. When he's done he hesitates for a moment, but finally reaches forward and wipes a clean patch in the middle of the mirror. The face looking back at him is barely recognizable as his own. His eyes seem sunken, and his cheekbones too prominent. The last time his hair was this long was when he was seventeen, and the facial hair just looks weird to him. When he tilts his head sideways, he sees a small, angry red line on the side of his neck, covered by something that looks like a biological adhesive. He touches it gently with a fingertip, evoking a flash of memory. Plastic and metal. He remembers grabbing the tip of the catheter, and, in a fit of desperation, ripping it out in the hope he would bleed to death before they found out. They tied his hands behind his back after that.   Ianto blinks a few times, trying to clear the black spots that have appeared, dancing in front of his eyes. There's a bag of toiletries on the counter, which Ianto vaguely remembers packing a lifetime ago. He unzips it and finds his razor, but his hand is shaking so badly that the prospect of bringing it anywhere close to his face seems ludicrous. With a frustrated sigh, he puts the razor down and reaches for a toothbrush instead. Back in the bedroom, Ianto turns to his black duffle bag in search of clean clothes. He is momentarily distracted by a shopping bag sitting on the floor next to it. He thinks he remembers Gwen leaving it there last night. He picks it up and takes out the three items it contains. The first two are books, clearly well used by their appearance, and Ianto scans over the titles ('What to Expect - the First Year' and 'Your Baby Week by Week') with a slightly baffled expression. The third item is a new electric shaver. *** In clothes that hang off his thin frame, Ianto steps out of the bedroom, feeling out of place when he looks down an unfamiliar hallway to locate the stairs leading down to the main floor. In the kitchen, Jack is leaning with his hip against the countertop, talking to a woman sitting at the kitchen table. She has her back to the hall, so all Ianto can see is brown hair held up in a loose ponytail, and a light gray suit. "… but hell, Sarah, I can't help thinking that if I had let her stay there none of this would have happened and she would still be alive…" Jack trails off and straightens somewhat when he notices Ianto coming towards the kitchen. The woman turns around and Ianto's steps falter as he recognizes her. "Good morning," she says warmly. Ianto nods somewhat stiffly. "Dr. Altman," he says dispassionately. "I see you're making house calls now." Dr. Altman doesn't seem deterred by this cool welcome, and her easy smile remains in place as she replies. "Not on a regular basis, no. You must have really come up in the world; the director called and asked me to come here as a personal favour." "Well. I must remember to call and thank him."  There's an awkward pause, broken by Jack clearing his throat. "How are you feeling?" Ianto glances at him, and some of the sting leaves his voice as he answers "Better, thank you." He takes a few steps further into the kitchen, purposely avoiding looking at the other two. Near the stove he spots an electric kettle. He picks it up, finds it empty, and proceeds to the sink to fill it up. Behind him, Jack clears his throat again. "I'm going to head to the Hub for a bit. I'll be back later." Ianto doesn't turn around, doesn't reply. After a minute he hears Jack leaving. "I realize that you don't want me here," Dr. Altman says quietly. Ianto replaces the kettle and turns it on. "It's nothing personal. I just don't appreciate it when these kinds of decisions are made for me." "I'll leave right now, if you tell me to." Ianto turns around and glares at her. "This isn't my house. Stay, if you want, but I have no intention of playing along with this… this… I'm not even sure what this is." She arches an eyebrow. "This can be whatever you choose it to be." Ianto huffs and looks away, but his posture relaxes slightly. "I keep waiting for you to say 'I told you so'," he says quietly.   Dr. Altman sends him a sceptical look. "Because that phrase so often yields positive outcomes?" One corner of Ianto's mouth curves slightly upwards. "Yeah, there's that. Well… if you can refrain from turning this visit into a therapy session, I can offer tea, at least, and…" he reaches a hand and opens a red box on the counter "…pastries, apparently." The doctor smiles. "Unfortunately for my figure, I can never refuse pastries." Ianto starts searching the cupboards for plates and a teapot. He pauses at some point, looking intently into one of the cupboards, before carefully taking out a glass jar containing what appears to be a homemade blend of tealeaves. He opens it and takes a careful sniff, then carries the jar to the counter. The doctor watches his back for a few minutes as he's setting things on a tray, before saying neutrally, "I went over your medical chart." Something clatters, and Ianto's movements pause for a moment, before resuming slowly. "I'm really not doing this right now," he says tightly. "I understand that you'd rather forget the past few months, that you'd have probably taken Retcon already, were it an option, but you have to understand that burying these memories will not make them disappear. They will resurface when you least expect it, and you may not be in a condition to deal with them when that happens. However, if you retrieve…" Ianto turns around abruptly. "If I retrieve the memories in a positive and secure environment they become less volatile, yes, thank you, I've read 'Psychology for Dummies' too. It's not going to happen. Not today, at any rate." The kettle starts boiling at that moment, and Ianto turns back to preparing the tea. "It doesn't have to be today. I know that you have a lot to deal with at the moment." "If by 'a lot' you're referring to a newborn baby whose mother is dead and who's stuck with me as a father, you'd be correct," he says as he pours the water. After a short silence, she asks gently, "Have you seen her yet?" Ianto shakes his head. "Gwen said she'll bring her over this afternoon." He brings the tray loaded with their tea and pastries to the table and sits down. He notices a small pill bottle standing next to the salt and pepper pots, and reaches for it with a frown. "I assume you're familiar with those?" the therapist asks. Ianto nods absently while reading the label. "UNIT doctors prescribed them to all the survivors of Canary Warf. I never took any." "Well, if memory serves, you had a lot to distract you back then. These are actually a new and improved version, I though you might want them. Take one before bed to attenuate nightmares, you'll feel better rested. You can use them during the day too, to reduce anxiety, but then keep in mind that side effects include blurred vision, dizziness and, some say, erectile dysfunction but I think that's just a myth."  Ianto grimaces and puts the bottle down. "Lovely," he says dryly. "I'm going to keep tomorrow morning free for you. Do you have any plans?" Ianto shrugs. "I should probably call UNIT, but I have no idea what I'm going to tell them." "I'm guessing you will not be returning to the Valiant?"  "I have no idea what I'm going to do," Ianto says quietly and looks away. Dr. Altman takes a careful sip from her tea, and shakes her head. "This tea is fantastic."

Continue to Chapter 12