Breakeven (2/?)
TITLE: Breakeven
AUTHOR: naddypants
RATING: 15
CHARACTERS: Ianto and Jack. Don't worry they'll get together in the end!
SUMMARY: With Lisa gone and Ianto left alone with a baby in a cold hospital, his life feels like its about to end. But will it?
WARNINGS: Completely and utterly AU. Turn back now if you don't like AU...Also, it's a bit sad in places.
A/N: Not much to say really, but I guess I wrote this pretty spontaneously. I've been wanting to write AU for a while (you can blame
just_being_me08 and her amazing Tales of a Time Agency for that) and this story came along and it seemed to work. I really hope it does, as it's kind of close to my heart in a sense...Also, this chapter is dedicated to the amazing melthorne for betaing this for me, and generally being awesome. Special dedi for
just_being_me08 too as she never ever fails to put a smile on my face! SANSAP (y)
DISCLAIMER: I own the action figures, 'cause I'm cool like that. The actual series etc, belongs to RTD and the big ole Beeb. I can't afford to be sued, I'm still in school!
Part 1: ( 'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break even... )
The sounds of screaming were driving him mad, but the sound of Lisa’s tears during the brief phone call were rising above them all as Ianto ran through the corridors, desperate to be by her side. The mix of fear and excitement was causing him to shake as he neared the maternity ward.
Today he became a dad.
Running to the reception he fell against it heavily for support and gasped out; “Lisa Hallett, where is she?”
“You’re the father then? Come with me sir,” the woman nodded severely and stood up to lead him away.
Lost in his thoughts he was too preoccupied to think about the implications of the woman’s concerned glances in his direction, but as soon as she took him into a side room and sat him down, it became clear something was wrong.
“Mr…Jones isn’t it?”
Ianto nodded and let his brow furrow as he wiped the sweat from it. He’d practically sprinted from the office when he’d received the phone call. Lisa certainly had her timing though. Half five on a Friday was not a good time to be in Cardiff…
“Mr Jones, I’m afraid Lisa’s been taken up to surgery. There were some…complications”
His eyes widened in shock as he fell back against the chair. “She’s going to be alright though?” he asked, half-heartedly.
“I don’t honestly know…We hope so,” the woman replied, offering him a sympathetic smile.
“Can I see her?”
The woman nodded. “As soon as she’s out, you’ll be the first to know,” she said, leading Ianto to a cold, empty waiting room nearby the theatre where they’d taken Lisa. His heart was held in his throat as he sat, waiting desperately for any news.
An hour later a man emerged at the end of the corridor shaking his head, blood still staining his scrubs as he walked towards Ianto. That simple gesture spoke more than words. At that moment he knew he’d lost either one of both of them…
As the man neared him, Ianto stood up, but fell back down into the plastic seat as the realisation hit him. “What is it?” he whispered.
“I’m afraid we couldn’t save her”
Ianto nodded, tears spilling over and out of his eyes, forming rivers which quickly turned into floods on his cheeks. “What was it?”
“She lost too much blood, there was no way to prevent it…” But even the surgeon didn’t sound convinced. “I’m so sorry”
Ianto shook his head his eyes boring a hole into the floor that he hoped he could just fall into. “What about the baby?”
“She’s in surgery now. She’ll be in paediatrics in about an hour. Her prognosis is good though”
And suddenly everything changed. He hadn’t caught much except the gender. “She” the surgeon had said.
So now Ianto was caught between sorrow and joy…
“Mister. Mister wake up,” a small hand shook his arm.
Ianto opened his eyes and saw a small boy standing at his side, tissues held up for Ianto to wipe his tears away. “What’s wrong Mister? Why are you crying? Daddy sometimes does that when he’s sleeping. I don’t like it when he does…”
Ianto smiled at the child before him. It was Jack’s son, Dylan. Taking the tissues, he sniffed and changed the subject. “Hey, little guy, shouldn’t you be in bed?”
He shook his head and smiled smugly. “Nope”
“Okay”
“My Daddy was talking to you yesterday before he left again,” the boy said, caught in grief. “With your little girl. What’s her name?”
“I thought you were sleeping”
“So did Daddy. I’m good at that, pretending to sleep see. What’s her name?” Dylan persisted, pointing to Cerys.
“Cerys,” Ianto replied. He was tempted to ask the little boy what he’d meant when he said that Jack had "left again", but decided it best not to persist. "So Dylan, what age are you?"
The boy puffed out his chest and smiled proudly. "Four. I'll be five soon though!"
Ianto smiled and nodded. "Good!"
Suddenly a nurse bustled in and caught sight of Ianto and Dylan. "Dylan! You're meant to be in bed!"
Dylan shook his head and turned to look up at the nurse. "No but Mr Jones was having a nightmare. So I brought him some tissues. He was nice to me" Ianto found it hard to believe the boy's innate politeness, especially for one so young; but it also marked Jack as a man who held such things with great importance...
The nurse looked a little exasperated as she took the small boy's hand to lead him to the bed opposite. "I'm sure he is Dylan, but what would your Daddy say if he found out you'd escaped again?"
Dylan gave her a devilish grin as she lifted him into the bed that told Ianto that the boy was filled with mischief, despite being confined to his bed for most of the day. "Well Miss, he'd probably laugh and tell me I shouldn't do it. But then he'd be a bit proud really"
The young woman laughed and tucked him in. "Just don't run off to the shop again. Ask Ianto to get someone for you. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, would you?" She asked, her eyes pleading.
"Not at all," he replied, smiling at Dylan. "You need anything, just ask little man"
The nurse nodded in gratitude and slipped out of the room again after checking the various children's charts and nodding as she went along.
The day was fairly uneventful, Ianto still sitting by Cerys' side as she drifted in and out of sleep, her face serene the entire time. It warmed his heart to see that she wasn't wailing in pain anymore.
His thoughts drifted to just a few weeks ago where the fear of losing her too had almost consumed him. Now, the fear was still there, but now it seemed that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
"Mr Jones," a tiny voice came from across the room.
He smiled and turned around. "Dylan, you can call me Ianto"
"Okay Ianto," the little boy giggled.
"What do you need?"
"Could you read me a story? Daddy's not been in today..." He pouted, sorrow held in his youthful eyes as Ianto made his way across the room.
"Of course! What do you want me to read?"
"Daddy used to tell me stories about Mummy, or his job when he used to fly planes..."
"And what do you want me to tell you?"
"A fairy tale would be good. I haven't heard one since I was very little," Dylan smiled, curling closer to the edge of the bed, nearer to where Ianto was seated.
"Okay, how about this," he began, ensuring not to over-complicate his language as he wove the tale of a young prince, sent to rescue a princess from her cruel grandfather, before getting trapped between nothing short of a dragon and a hard place. He continued to tell the story, watching Dylan's amazed face as Ianto described the epic landscapes, before introducing a young boy, who heard news of the prince's trouble, and journeyed to help him, but in the end saved both the prince and his princess. The seemingly ordinary boy, who saved the day.
And of course, in Ianto's story, he got the girl in the end; not the prince.
Dylan giggled and smiled. "I liked that. You're good at telling stories"
"Thank you"
"Can you tell me another one tomorrow if Daddy's not here?"
"You bet Dylan. Now it's getting late, the nurses’ will be annoyed if you're still awake...and no pretending either," Ianto winked and moved back to Cerys' side, shifting his chair so he could keep an eye on both Cerys and Dylan. He didn't like the idea of the charming little boy being without someone to look over him.
Somehow he'd unintentionally become attached to Dylan, but he guessed it was part of his situation, his muddled emotions, and his need to grasp at anything that would be remotely linked to fatherhood. And if he was truly honest, if it came to telling stories to stranger's children, he wouldn't mind at all...
C'mon then. What'd you think? *Shuffles nervously* I really appreciate your thoughts, so let me know what you thought; good, bad, whatever. Really. Means a lot. Thankies. :)
AUTHOR: naddypants
RATING: 15
CHARACTERS: Ianto and Jack. Don't worry they'll get together in the end!
SUMMARY: With Lisa gone and Ianto left alone with a baby in a cold hospital, his life feels like its about to end. But will it?
WARNINGS: Completely and utterly AU. Turn back now if you don't like AU...Also, it's a bit sad in places.
A/N: Not much to say really, but I guess I wrote this pretty spontaneously. I've been wanting to write AU for a while (you can blame
just_being_me08 and her amazing Tales of a Time Agency for that) and this story came along and it seemed to work. I really hope it does, as it's kind of close to my heart in a sense...Also, this chapter is dedicated to the amazing melthorne for betaing this for me, and generally being awesome. Special dedi for
just_being_me08 too as she never ever fails to put a smile on my face! SANSAP (y)
DISCLAIMER: I own the action figures, 'cause I'm cool like that. The actual series etc, belongs to RTD and the big ole Beeb. I can't afford to be sued, I'm still in school!
Part 1: ( 'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break even... )
The sounds of screaming were driving him mad, but the sound of Lisa’s tears during the brief phone call were rising above them all as Ianto ran through the corridors, desperate to be by her side. The mix of fear and excitement was causing him to shake as he neared the maternity ward.
Today he became a dad.
Running to the reception he fell against it heavily for support and gasped out; “Lisa Hallett, where is she?”
“You’re the father then? Come with me sir,” the woman nodded severely and stood up to lead him away.
Lost in his thoughts he was too preoccupied to think about the implications of the woman’s concerned glances in his direction, but as soon as she took him into a side room and sat him down, it became clear something was wrong.
“Mr…Jones isn’t it?”
Ianto nodded and let his brow furrow as he wiped the sweat from it. He’d practically sprinted from the office when he’d received the phone call. Lisa certainly had her timing though. Half five on a Friday was not a good time to be in Cardiff…
“Mr Jones, I’m afraid Lisa’s been taken up to surgery. There were some…complications”
His eyes widened in shock as he fell back against the chair. “She’s going to be alright though?” he asked, half-heartedly.
“I don’t honestly know…We hope so,” the woman replied, offering him a sympathetic smile.
“Can I see her?”
The woman nodded. “As soon as she’s out, you’ll be the first to know,” she said, leading Ianto to a cold, empty waiting room nearby the theatre where they’d taken Lisa. His heart was held in his throat as he sat, waiting desperately for any news.
An hour later a man emerged at the end of the corridor shaking his head, blood still staining his scrubs as he walked towards Ianto. That simple gesture spoke more than words. At that moment he knew he’d lost either one of both of them…
As the man neared him, Ianto stood up, but fell back down into the plastic seat as the realisation hit him. “What is it?” he whispered.
“I’m afraid we couldn’t save her”
Ianto nodded, tears spilling over and out of his eyes, forming rivers which quickly turned into floods on his cheeks. “What was it?”
“She lost too much blood, there was no way to prevent it…” But even the surgeon didn’t sound convinced. “I’m so sorry”
Ianto shook his head his eyes boring a hole into the floor that he hoped he could just fall into. “What about the baby?”
“She’s in surgery now. She’ll be in paediatrics in about an hour. Her prognosis is good though”
And suddenly everything changed. He hadn’t caught much except the gender. “She” the surgeon had said.
So now Ianto was caught between sorrow and joy…
“Mister. Mister wake up,” a small hand shook his arm.
Ianto opened his eyes and saw a small boy standing at his side, tissues held up for Ianto to wipe his tears away. “What’s wrong Mister? Why are you crying? Daddy sometimes does that when he’s sleeping. I don’t like it when he does…”
Ianto smiled at the child before him. It was Jack’s son, Dylan. Taking the tissues, he sniffed and changed the subject. “Hey, little guy, shouldn’t you be in bed?”
He shook his head and smiled smugly. “Nope”
“Okay”
“My Daddy was talking to you yesterday before he left again,” the boy said, caught in grief. “With your little girl. What’s her name?”
“I thought you were sleeping”
“So did Daddy. I’m good at that, pretending to sleep see. What’s her name?” Dylan persisted, pointing to Cerys.
“Cerys,” Ianto replied. He was tempted to ask the little boy what he’d meant when he said that Jack had "left again", but decided it best not to persist. "So Dylan, what age are you?"
The boy puffed out his chest and smiled proudly. "Four. I'll be five soon though!"
Ianto smiled and nodded. "Good!"
Suddenly a nurse bustled in and caught sight of Ianto and Dylan. "Dylan! You're meant to be in bed!"
Dylan shook his head and turned to look up at the nurse. "No but Mr Jones was having a nightmare. So I brought him some tissues. He was nice to me" Ianto found it hard to believe the boy's innate politeness, especially for one so young; but it also marked Jack as a man who held such things with great importance...
The nurse looked a little exasperated as she took the small boy's hand to lead him to the bed opposite. "I'm sure he is Dylan, but what would your Daddy say if he found out you'd escaped again?"
Dylan gave her a devilish grin as she lifted him into the bed that told Ianto that the boy was filled with mischief, despite being confined to his bed for most of the day. "Well Miss, he'd probably laugh and tell me I shouldn't do it. But then he'd be a bit proud really"
The young woman laughed and tucked him in. "Just don't run off to the shop again. Ask Ianto to get someone for you. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, would you?" She asked, her eyes pleading.
"Not at all," he replied, smiling at Dylan. "You need anything, just ask little man"
The nurse nodded in gratitude and slipped out of the room again after checking the various children's charts and nodding as she went along.
The day was fairly uneventful, Ianto still sitting by Cerys' side as she drifted in and out of sleep, her face serene the entire time. It warmed his heart to see that she wasn't wailing in pain anymore.
His thoughts drifted to just a few weeks ago where the fear of losing her too had almost consumed him. Now, the fear was still there, but now it seemed that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
"Mr Jones," a tiny voice came from across the room.
He smiled and turned around. "Dylan, you can call me Ianto"
"Okay Ianto," the little boy giggled.
"What do you need?"
"Could you read me a story? Daddy's not been in today..." He pouted, sorrow held in his youthful eyes as Ianto made his way across the room.
"Of course! What do you want me to read?"
"Daddy used to tell me stories about Mummy, or his job when he used to fly planes..."
"And what do you want me to tell you?"
"A fairy tale would be good. I haven't heard one since I was very little," Dylan smiled, curling closer to the edge of the bed, nearer to where Ianto was seated.
"Okay, how about this," he began, ensuring not to over-complicate his language as he wove the tale of a young prince, sent to rescue a princess from her cruel grandfather, before getting trapped between nothing short of a dragon and a hard place. He continued to tell the story, watching Dylan's amazed face as Ianto described the epic landscapes, before introducing a young boy, who heard news of the prince's trouble, and journeyed to help him, but in the end saved both the prince and his princess. The seemingly ordinary boy, who saved the day.
And of course, in Ianto's story, he got the girl in the end; not the prince.
Dylan giggled and smiled. "I liked that. You're good at telling stories"
"Thank you"
"Can you tell me another one tomorrow if Daddy's not here?"
"You bet Dylan. Now it's getting late, the nurses’ will be annoyed if you're still awake...and no pretending either," Ianto winked and moved back to Cerys' side, shifting his chair so he could keep an eye on both Cerys and Dylan. He didn't like the idea of the charming little boy being without someone to look over him.
Somehow he'd unintentionally become attached to Dylan, but he guessed it was part of his situation, his muddled emotions, and his need to grasp at anything that would be remotely linked to fatherhood. And if he was truly honest, if it came to telling stories to stranger's children, he wouldn't mind at all...
C'mon then. What'd you think? *Shuffles nervously* I really appreciate your thoughts, so let me know what you thought; good, bad, whatever. Really. Means a lot. Thankies. :)