Amends Part Two
The team crowded onto the lift and burst into the hub, Jack and Rhys carrying the Doctor as Gwen cleared space for him in the medical bay. Ianto was on the phone.
“Tell her we need her now!” yelled Jack.
“She’s not even in the country, Jack!” shouted Ianto. “Martha, you’ll have to help us. Tell us what to do. He’s out cold.”
“Only one of his hearts is working,” cried Jack, breathing hard. He looked up at the monitors. “I don’t know if this is good or bad for a Time Lord! I don’t understand these levels.”
“It’s alright Jack! We’ll work it out,” said Gwen.
“Only one heart is beating,” spoke Ianto into his phone. Martha could be heard at the other end barking orders. “Jack, he needs to be injected with Tet200... it’s in the blue tray with a yellow label.”
Jack spun around and searched the tray, finally picking up a vile. “Where do I inject it?” he asked, his face full of panic.
“Here!” Gwen took it off him and fiddled with a syringe for a few seconds. She located a vein and the team held their breath as the substance sank into the Doctor. His vital signs picked up almost instantly and a second heart beat could be heard. Jack stared in disbelief.
“What was in that thing?” asked Rhys.
“Some kind of stimulant, apparently,” said Ianto. “He suffered a reaction to coming through the rift. It temporarily confused the cells in his body.”
“ Must be a Time Lord thing,” said Jack.
“ He seems to be stable now,” said Ianto into the phone. “Thanks for that.”
“Thanks again Ms Jones!” called out Jack, wiping his brow.
Ianto signed off. “She said he just needs rest but should be fine. His cells will naturally regenerate now - a faster healing process than ours.”
The relief in the room was palpable.
Late that night, the Doctor was still asleep. Gwen and Rhys had gone off to another family party that ‘it really was best to go to’ and Ianto was doing his best to take care of Jack. He walked down the steps to the medical bay with a coffee in his hands. Jack had been sitting with the Doctor for at least an hour.
“Here you go,” said Ianto sweetly.
“Thanks,” said Jack, taking the coffee but continuing to look forlornly at the Doctor.
“He’ll be alright now,” reminded Ianto, folding his arms across his chest. Jack said nothing. “Personally, I’m more worried about you.”
Jack looked up at Ianto, startled.
“There’s nothing wrong with me, Ianto. I’m fine.”
Ianto sighed. “You’re not. I know you’re not. Talk to me.”
Jack frowned into his coffee but again said nothing.
“You’ve been distant all day. You look like shit. What the fuck is going on?” He’d tried a sensitive approach and was now losing patience.
“It a tough time of year,” said Jack through gritted teeth, before sipping his coffee.
“I can see that,” said Ianto, putting his hands in his pockets. “It is for all of us, actually.”
Jack blinked and chewed his lip. He avoided Ianto’s gaze as much as he could and shifted in his chair.
Ianto took a deep breath, stepped closer to Jack and softly placed a hand on his shoulder. Jack closed his eyes and relaxed into the touch, leaning his head against Ianto’s hand. The hub hummed around them and the medical monitors bleeped softly to the Doctor’s steady breathing. Ianto brought his other hand up and caressed the nape of Jack’s neck.
“How old is he really?” asked Ianto.
“He’s over 900 years old, in Earth terms of course,” answered Jack.
“He hasn’t aged much, then. You have that in common.”
Jack stood up and studied the Doctor. He saw past his features, past his colour, his frame. He’d seen the Doctor look both ancient and young. But here, he could feel the Doctor’s age - sense his soul. Beyond matter, beyond physicality. He could really see him. He frowned, wondering if anyone would ever see him - how old he really was.
“He’ll always be there, won’t he?” said Ianto. “Your Doctor.” Jack turned to Ianto, puzzled.
“What do you mean?” he asked bitterly. “He left me. He abandoned me.”
“He came back here. You’re not just another human, Jack. You’re immortal, like him.”
“He’s not immortal. He regenerates. His body. His character in some ways. But as far as I understand there’s a limit to how many times he can do that. A limit I surpassed in returning from the dead over one hundred years ago. Compared to me he’s terminally ill.”
“So he can die,” whispered Ianto.
“Yeah,” said Jack, still looking at the Doctor. “But I can’t.”
“I was hoping,” began Ianto before his voice weakened. He swallowed hard. “I was hoping you’d at least have him. You know - to keep you company. Seeing as I probably won’t make it till the end of time.”
Jack gazed at Ianto. The truth of what he’d said threatened to bubble up and consume Jack. He swallowed.
“You never know,” shrugged Jack, feigning a grin. “You never know what fucked up thing is going to come through that rift and turn you into an immortal angel.”
“Or a pumpkin,” suggested Ianto, as seriously as he could.
Jack snorted. “It’s late. You should go to bed before you do turn into a pumpkin. Use my bed.”
Ianto stood. He was beyond tired and more than happy to turn in for the night.
“And you?” he prompted.
“I’ll stay with him. I don’t need much sleep. You know me.” Jack re-positioned himself next to the Doctor and watched him sleep. Ianto tried to ignore the rumblings of envy in the pit of his stomach.
“Okay,” he said with a brave smile. “Nos da, Jack.”
Jack smirked. “Nos da, Ianto,” he said, eyes firmly fixed on the Doctor.
As Ianto walked away, Jack gripped the cup of coffee he was still holding and tried not to think about anything. Anything at all.
********************************
An hour later, Ianto was fast asleep. His mind had been spinning at first, but eventually, fatigue took over.
Now, he was floating. Floating through the stars. And Jack was there. He never knew Space would feel so warm. Like being wrapped in a dense blanket of dark, lit by the stars. Beneath them was Earth, silently turning. All around him, constellations were peeping at himself and Jack.
They were both naked. Jack giggled.
“They can see you,” he whispered. Ianto blushed and grinned. Jack was holding him tight. They were glowing together.
“How are we staying up?” asked Ianto dreamily. His voice seemed to echo. All around him was Space and they were drifting like two leaves on the wind. But there was no wind. They were entwined in each other.
“Magic,” breathed Jack, placing a kiss on Ianto’s forehead. “But I have always been able to keep you up.” He grinned and indicated Ianto’s arousal. Ianto was mortified.
The Great Bear constellation turned away shyly as Ianto felt himself flush with heat and embarrassment. But it felt good. They felt free. Jack began to move against Ianto, kissing him sweetly, rough finger tips gracing Ianto’s smooth, white skin. Ianto relaxed back into the support of the atmosphere around him, their private universe like silk as Jack’s feather-like touch found every inch of him.
Ianto could hear nothing but the sound of them breathing, reverberating around the stars. Just them and creation. Then everything was joy as Jack was inside him, within him, around him and he felt like he was bathing in pleasure. The constellations began to dance. Their bodies glowed brighter and brighter as Jack moved faster and faster, the stars exploding like fireworks around them.
“Rwy’n dy garu di,” whispered Ianto, trembling with sensation.
“Cariad,” breathed Jack, and he lost himself completely. The stars shone brilliant white until there was no dark.
Ianto came and relaxed back into the calm Space around him; blissful, peaceful. The air seemed cool once more, soothing his hot skin. He felt like he was floating in the ocean. But something was wrong now. He opened his eyes.
Jack was far above him, panic on his face. And Ianto realised he was falling, falling, falling, the stars and Jack now a distant light as he fell and fell through the darkness... and back to Earth...
He awoke, terrified, damp with sweat. He got to his feet and climbed out of the hatch. He searched the hub, his heart still beating fast. It was empty. No Jack. No Doctor. He ran to the CCTV and switched it on.
And there they were. Ianto checked the time. It was 4am. Three hours later. He sat down on a chair in front of the screens and pulled his knees up as he watched Jack and the Doctor walking along the quay side. He shuddered.