In Sickness and in Health (47/55)
Title: In Sickness and in Health
Author: welsh_scotsman
Author’s note: So sorry for the delay, real life has been a nightmare the last six months or so, but finally, it seems to be calming down a little which means I can start posting again :D
For those of you who have forgotten where we’re at - including me, Ianto has just finished being recalled to clarify Russell’s testimony and now a new witness has come forward who will influence the outcome of the case.
Summary: Ianto looks after everyone, but who looks after him?
Chapter Summary: The new witness testifies
Pairing: Janto
Spoilers: None
Warning: Occasional language, references to child abuse,
Rating: 15
http://welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com/6120.html chapter one
Chapter Forty Seven
“What?” Ianto’s voice was carefully blank.
“It’s your mother. The bailiff gave me a note saying she was outside and had changed her mind about testifying in light of how the trial was going,” replied Clark gently.
“But...” Ianto frowned. “That means she’s been here all along...”
“It seems that way, yes.” Clark glanced down at his watch. “Anyway, Court reconvenes in five minutes so I need to go now. I just thought you should know.”
Ianto nodded absently. “Thank you.”
Clark inclined his head as he stood. “I do hope it works out for you all,” he said sincerely as he surveyed the team before striding off.
“So do we,” muttered Owen as he watched the prosecutor go before turning to Ianto. “You alright, mate?”
Ianto nodded slowly and swallowed. “’M fine,” he murmured to the floor.
Owen nodded in understanding. He patted him briefly on the shoulder before standing. “And on that note, we should probably make our way back to the Courtroom too,” he said, glancing over at Tosh before leading the way back. Jack caught Ianto’s hand as he absently made to follow them.
“Ianto, are you okay?” asked Jack, unable to get the Welshman to meet his eyes.
“I’m fine,” Ianto said quietly to the polished tiles. “We’d better get back.”
Unable to argue, Jack could only tail the younger man’s departure as he too vanished back into the court.
They retook their seats as the Bailiff was trying to quell the still clambering court. When the last few stragglers had finally taken their seats and silence had fallen, the Judge cleared his throat and spoke. “A new witness has come forward for the Prosecution and, at the express permission of both the defence and myself, she has been allowed to testify. The Jury will listen to her evidence attentively and without bias.” The Judge then turned to Clark. “You may call your witness to the stand.”
Clark stood and inclined his head respectfully. “Thank you, Your Honour.” He then turned to the Bailiff. “I wish to call Miss Carys Jones to the stand.”
Ripples of shock swept through the gallery as the bailiff responded dutifully and addressed the hallway beyond the door. “The court calls Carys Jones to the stand.”
Jack looked sidelong at a tense Ianto and slipped his hand into his in silent support. Ianto glanced up at him and his grip tightened in gratitude. Jack gave him a small smile, before returning his attention to the stand. Carys had appeared by now and was being sworn in.
Her face, though quite lined with age undeniably bespoke Ianto’s features - especially her eyes. For a woman in her early sixties, she seemed in good health and, though somewhat plain, still had a youthful quality to her. Perhaps it was her shy demeanour and the way she refused to meet the glaring Lloyd’s eye. Her eyes darted to Ianto’s face before she looked down at her hands as they rested on the bar of the stand.
Jack’s arm found its way around Ianto’s shoulders as he looked to the younger man’s face. His expression was painfully neutral, his eyes fixed completely on his protegal mother.
Jack looked past Ianto briefly and saw Lloyd. Jack had not thought it possible but the giant had somehow lessened the non-existent resemblance between him and his son. His eyes near dripped with loathing and the cool, charming demeanour he’d so unerringly adopted for his questioning was gone. Jack wished the Jury would look at him now. His expression alone might turn the whole trial around, but they, like him, had their gazes fixed on the distinctly uncomfortable Carys. Strutt too regarded her with that same predatory satisfaction he wore so well. Trying to quell his uneasiness, Jack returned his own attention to the stand, praying Clark could work the miracle they so desperately needed.
Clark took a moment to finish reading through his notes before looking up and addressing his witness. “How do you know the defendant?”
“He was my husband for nearly twenty years.”
“I see. And you loved him?”
“Yes.”
“And he loved you?”
Carys glanced over at the gallery. “...At the beginning, yes.”
Clark quirked his head quizzically. “But not at the end?”
“No,” said Carys quietly as she glanced down at her hands.
“Why? What changed?”
“I don’t know.”
Clark, exhaled in frustration and his notes fell to his side as he looked straight at Carys.
“Miss Jones, we are in the middle of a trial here. In case you hadn’t noticed, your son is alleging that your former husband has been physically and psychologically abusive towards him for neigh on twenty years. If you want to help Ianto, you need to give detail in your answers.”
Carys nodded shyly. “’M sorry.”
Clark inclined his head in acknowledgement before returning to his notes.“Now, why do you believe Mr Lloyd stopped loving you?”
“Because I had Ianto,”
“And he didn’t want another child?”
“No. One was enough considering we didn’t have a consistent wage coming in.”
As Carys echoed her ex-husband’s words flawlessly, Owen was prickled once again by his uncomfortable feeling of doubt. His gaze flicked to the side and spied Ianto lightly grasping Jack’s arm. The Welshman’s face wasn’t so much blank as determinedly inexpressive. He returned his attention back to Clark as the prosecutor replied.
“But you still had the child.”
“Yes. Wayne didn’t like it, especially as Ianto had been born so early and with so much wrong with him, but I couldn’t exactly help that,” said Carys as she glanced towards Ianto, as if pleading with him.
Clark cleared his throat, returning her attention to him. “I see. How did Mr Lloyd show his displeasure at Ianto’s birth?”
“He never visited.” Carys’ voice was hesitant as she spoke. “He wasn’t there at the birth. He gave me the cold shoulder for months afterwards, and he kept trying to turn Rhiannon against Ianto.”
“How so?” asked Clark, with a meaningful look to the jury.
“Just stupid things,” stated Carys, she looked to where her daughter sat in the gallery and took a deep breath, evidently trying to ignore the hard look she met there. “She was only ten so was obviously resentful of how much attention Ianto was getting and how she had to be quiet if he was asleep, or had to be very careful if we let her hold him and make sure she washed her hands and stuff like that so he didn’t get ill again. Wayne spent a lot of time with Rhiannon in those months and it showed. Several times when I came up to put her to bed, she asked when we were taking Ianto back to the hospital, or she wanted to confirm that he wasn’t getting her room or stupid stuff like that.”
“Fears any normal ten-year-old would have upon the arrival of a new baby,” stated Strutt loudly to a look of censure from the Judge.
Clark’s jaw tensed and his grip on his notes tightened. He exhaled deeply and glanced over at a smug Strutt before continuing. “How did Mr Lloyd act towards Ianto?”
“He would grudgingly look after him if he had to; feeding him and putting him to bed and so on, but he would never volunteer to do anything. He said I had chosen to have him, he was mine and so I would look after him,” replied Carys, suddenly avoiding all eyes.
“I see. How did Mr Lloyd act towards Ianto when he was old enough to be able to pick up on any negative feeling towards him?”
“He treated him well enough; he would talk to him if Ianto came up to him, or play with him if Ianto showed him a toy or something, but it always had to be Ianto who initiated it.”
Jack raised his eyebrows at that and turned to regard Lloyd. The big man seemed to have adopted Strutt’s calm and was focusing on the trial. The look he gave his ex-wife was difficult to decipher. But for once he looked simply as though he were only paying attention.
“I see. He was never overtly hostile towards him?” asked Clark after a moment.
“No.”
“I see,” He paused for a moment, apparently reading through his notes as he considered his next question. “How was your relationship with Mr Lloyd over the six years following Ianto’s birth?”
Carys’ eyes met Lloyd’s across the courtroom briefly, before she returned attention to Clark.
“It was...erm....it was difficult. With two children, and Wayne being unable to hold down a consistently paying job, it was difficult to make ends meet and that created a lot of friction between us.”
“How so?”
“He started to avoid coming home and would stop at the pub with his friends for the evening, and even when he came home, he would usually have stopped by the off-license to buy alcohol of some kind or other. He knew we couldn’t afford it, but he did so anyway just to get back at me.”
“I see. Did you argue a lot?”
“Yes.”
“How did these arguments go?”
Carys was quiet a moment, mulling over her next words.
“He would usually be drunk and I would be tired and they would just get really heated and descend into petty insults, dragging up the same ground over and over again.”
“And what was this ‘same ground’?” asked Clark.
“The fact that I had had Ianto against both Wayne’s and the doctor’s wishes.”
“Did you ever regret doing so?”
“No.”
“I see, so how did these arguments usually end?”
“I...erm...they would get really nasty,” replied Carys hesitantly.
“How so?”
“He would... he would hit me.” An audible gasp came from the Gallery, followed by a flurry of muttering voices and protesting yells. Owen could not suppress a grim smirk. Looking over at Lloyd he saw something different in the old man’s eyes; something cold. Meanwhile around it all, the Gallery buzzed with excitement, and Ianto stood in the thick of it, perched close to Jack, his eyes wide as he absorbed what his mother had said.
“The Court will be silent,” yelled Judge Adams, almost as soon as the hubbub had started. He yelled twice more for silence before the gallery calmed and he turned back to the prosecutor. “Thank you. Please carry on, Mr Clark.”
“Thank you, Your Honour. Miss Jones, you allege that Mr Lloyd would hit you. How often would this occur?” Continued Clark clearly, pressing his advantage.
“Maybe....every other argument or so?”
“And how frequent were the arguments?”
“Maybe two or three a week?”
“Over a period of six years?”
“Well, it was okay for the first couple of years after Ianto was born, but then Wayne lost another job and couldn’t seem to get another and he was getting really depressed about it and Ianto was just at the walking and talking stage and Wayne just seemed to find it really annoying so would go out instead. I think he preferred when Ianto was a baby and all he really did was sleep as he was out of the way.”
Carys spoke hurriedly, keeping her attention fixed on Clark and refusing to meet the stares from either side of the court. The prosecutor kept his features reserved and his voice neutral as he continued.
“I see. When you allege that Mr Lloyd ‘hit’ you, what exactly do you mean? What exactly would happen?”
Carys swallowed before answering. She tossed a somewhat painful glance at Ianto as she began to speak.
“Well, he’d usually have been drinking and I’d have maybe made a comment about it and then he would take offence and it would just descend into a brawl basically and then we’d be standing toe to toe shouting in each other’s faces and let’s face it; he is rather big and he would snap and fling me to the floor. Sometimes he would leave and sometimes he would kick me in the stomach, depending on his mood.”
“Interestingly, Mr Jones has also reported a similar incident happening with him,” replied Clark easily. ”Strange that, isn’t it?”
As one, Tosh and Owen looked over at the defence. Lloyd was satisfyingly sombre, which put him at odds with Strutt. The lawyer was smiling slightly. He watched the proceedings beadily, eyeing Carys like a vulture. Clark was speaking again.
“Did Rhiannon or even Ianto ever hear or see anything?”
“No. Rhiannon was usually out round friends or round Johnny’s and that’s usually when it would take place, or even if she was up in her room, the living room door would be closed and she’d have her music on anyway so I doubt she heard anything, and Ianto was too young to notice anything and if he did, I doubt he remembers.”
“I see. Why did you stay with Mr Lloyd if he hit you? Why didn’t you leave or tell someone?”
“You think it was that easy? I had two children to think of, and as much as I knew I should leave, he was their father and they loved him and....when we argued...he would sort of do it in such a way that made it seem like it was all my fault, as if I deserved what happened to me for going against his wishes...maybe I did, I don’t know.” Carys’ voice grew quieter as she continued. She all but whispered the last three syllables. Ianto looked upon her with genuine sympathy in his eyes and felt Jack squeeze him gently, reassuring him.
“I see. So he psychologically manipulated you into believing it was your fault,” stated Clark; deliberately delicate.
“Yes.”
“You left a few months after Ianto’s sixth birthday is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Carys was silent once more. When she opened her mouth to answer, she wet her lips and exhaled slightly. The whole court seemed to lean in to hear her. When Carys spoke, her voice was little more than a dead whisper.
“He erm....Wayne came at me with a knife.”
“Your Honour, the witness has no evidence - medical or otherwise, that can prove beyond reasonable doubt that my client did anything of the sort. She is committing slander and the prosecution knows it,” stated Strutt lazily, not even bothering to stand as he cast a disdainful eye over Carys.
“Oh shut up, Strutt,” hissed Owen vehemently as he glanced over at where Lloyd was sitting back on his chair, arms crossed in triumph.
“The Court will settle down,” stated the Judge calmly, before addressing Clark whose head was bowed as he rearranged his papers.
“Mr Clark, you may continue questionning the witness.” Clark nodded and his shoulders relaxed before he looked back up. “Thank you, Your Honour.” His gaze flickered briefly over to where Ianto was sitting passively in the gallery. He inclined his head once more before returning his attention to Carys.
“Miss Jones, you have seen the CCTV footage from 14th October?”
“Yes.”
“Good. In the CCTV, you saw that Mr Lloyd was - by his own admission - drunk and disorderly towards Miss Sato. Given what you yourself have experienced at the hands of Mr Lloyd, do you think this is an accurate representation of his overall character?”
“Yes.”
“Well, following that logic, Mr Jones must be forever pushing people down the stairs,” retorted Strutt to a look of censure from the Judge.
“The counsel will settle down,” commanded the Judge. “Mr Clark, you may continue.”
Clark’s hesitated a moment, before inclining his head respectfully. “Actually, Your Honour, I’m finished here. No further questions.” He then resumed his seat, exchanging several words with his assistant before returning to his notes, the tips of his fingers massaging his temples.
“Very well. Mr Strutt, do you wish to cross-examine the witness?”
Strutt made a show of glancing over at Lloyd and exchanging apparent glances before lazily getting to his feet. “Yes, Your Honour, I believe I would.”
http://welsh-scotsman.livejournal.com/34621.html#cutid1 chapter 48