Will My Arms Be Strong Enough 28/45
Title: Will My Arms Be Strong Enough? 28/45
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys...and others!
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys, John Hart, two OC's, Andrea (Andie) Carlowe and Nick Jones.
Spoilers: Set after Exit Wounds.
Summary: Meeting Nick's monster - sorry, mother - in-law.
.Chapter 28
Nick closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against his forehead as he followed Carrie back into the church. She gave him a small smile and mouthed ‘Good luck’ at him before disappearing into the middle of a large cluster of people.
With a deep breath, Nick cast his eyes upwards and pinched the bridge of his nose, psyching himself up for what was sure to be one of the hardest talks he’d had in a long time. Whatever happened, he knew that he could not afford to fall apart now. He couldn’t let everyone else’s grief weigh him down. Alison wouldn’t want that.
“Took you a long time to realise that, Nicky,” said a familiar voice and the young doctor turned round to see his youngest cousin standing behind him with an amused look on his face.
“Hey, James,” he said, managing a small smile. “Was I just talking to myself?”
“More like to the ceiling, really.” The younger man sighed. “Nick, I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why you left the Royal, or why you left St. David’s and I’m not going to ask. I know that if you wanted to tell me, you would. But I do know one thing.”
“And what’s that?” Nick really didn’t have the patience for James’ cryptic remarks at this point. The answer, however, completely threw him for a loop.
“Everyone you’ve worked with has loved you very much; they’ve always been very impressed with your work ethic and the way you’ve been able to connect with your patients and how you’ve treated all of them with respect and love, no matter who they are. But…they all agreed that you had one weakness.” He took a deep breath. “You care too much, Nicky.”
“I’m a doctor. I have to care. And don’t call me Nicky; you’re not twelve any more.”
“Of course you have to care. But you’ve also got to think of your own self-preservation. It’s great that you’ve got so much empathy and love to give, but you can’t keep getting so emotionally involved with everyone.”
“Just because you’ve got the emotional height of a piglet,” said Nick rather nastily.
“I’m serious, Nick. If you keep getting so dragged into cases, everything will drag you down. Like now,” he dropped his voice, “I can see that you’re trying to think of the best way to handle this discussion with your monster-in-law -“
“James!”
“Sorry, mother-in-law…but the point still stands! You’re so worried about pleasing her, no matter what you have to suffer for it. You always have been. Well, screw her, Nick. She’s not worth your affection and you know it.”
He looked over to where a very rich, middle-aged woman was making her way into one of the back rooms, firing an appraising look back over her shoulder, and muttered with some slight disgust, “Who on earth wears what’s practically a wedding dress to a memorial service anyway?”
“I think we can forgive her, just this once,” growled Nick. “I’ll see you -”
James caught his sleeve. “Nick, I’m serious. You have been nothing but kind and respectful to that woman, and she has treated you terribly. You’ve got such a big heart and so much love to give. Don’t waste it on someone who doesn’t deserve it.”
Nick looked at the young man sharply before he turned away and walked in the direction that the formidable woman had left in. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped into the small room, readying his courage when he saw the richly dressed woman before him.
“It’s been a long time, Dr. Jones,” she said, without turning round, but the slight Scottish brogue her voice had once held was now replaced by a clipped Cambridge accent.
“Yes, too long,” agreed Nick, giving her as genuine a smile as he could manage and reaching forwards to shake her hand. “I hope you’ve been well?”
His mother-in-law accepted the handshake with her usual disdainful sniff. “I’m as well as can be expected, thank you,” she said, turning her back on him again. “Yes…as well as can be expected, given the circumstances.”
“What circumstances would they be?” asked Nick, a little too quickly.
“The loss of my daughter, of course,” said the woman, very coolly.
“Oh. Yes…yes, of course. You must have been devastated.”
He received a raised eyebrow in response. “Clearly a lot more devastated than you are, considering that you seem to have forgotten why you’re here in the first place.” She brushed some imaginary dust off her dress. “But then again, I suppose that’s no surprise. You do have a very…” she paused for a second, “intensive job at St. David’s, don’t you?”
Nick blinked. “Oh,” he said, “I don’t work at St. David’s anymore. I left about two months ago.”
There was a long silence. Mrs. Carter turned round to face him completely, her face carefully blank, but her eyes utterly incredulous. “You left?” she exclaimed. “Which hospital are you working at now?”
“Oh, I’m not working at a hospital. I’ve got a position working as a specialist medic in a Special Ops team. The work’s intense, but it feels…it feels right.”
“I see.” She sniffed again. “And where are the children while you’re away at this…new job?”
Nick shuffled awkwardly, scuffing his shoes against the floor. “My sister and her partner are helping me take care of them, just while I get settled again. I don’t want to subject them to too much upheaval when they need all the stability they can get. I can’t take them to work, especially when I’m still trying to get a feel for the place.” He pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “It would be ridiculous.”
That gained him a chipped glare. “I see. It seems you have very little room for making mistakes.”
“Oh, there’s no room for mistakes,” agreed Nick. “There’s never any room for mistakes.”
His mother-in-law snorted. “That’s interesting. It seems that you have learned something.”
Nick looked confused. “What d’you mean?” he asked, genuinely curious.
The response was a small smile, which lacked any warmth. “Just that, as you rightly said, you can’t afford to make mistakes. It’s just a pity you didn’t learn that when you were in Newport.” She smiled again. “Good day to you…Doctor Jones.”
“But -” stammered Nick, but the sound of the door slamming shut told him that he was alone. “How did you know?” he whispered, his voice echoing around the empty room.
With a small sigh, he leaned against the wall, pressing the heels of his hands to his forehead and groaned loudly, not hearing the door open again. “God…”
“He won’t help you, you know,” said a voice behind him.
Nick jumped and turned round. “Who won’t?”
“The big guy in the sky,” answered John, tying his sweater around his waist. “Are you okay?” When the only reply he received was a raised eyebrow and a grunt, he nodded. “Mother-in-laws are always the same. You know, I almost got married myself once. She had a smile brighter than the sun and hair curlier than a poodle’s fur. Wasn’t averse to the odd dog-collar either…” He trailed off, lost in the memories, before he noticed Nick looking at him incredulously. “And then I met her mother-in-law. Man, that woman could obliterate my sex-drive - me, the intergalactic playboy of the Time Agency! Seriously, she did this thing that could make me feel about this small, and believe me -”
“John,” interrupted Nick, “if you can’t say anything useful, just shut up.”
“But I am saying something useful!” protested John, his voice rising. “I’m telling you that you’re not alone in the circle of having a monster-in-law!” He nodded wisely, waiting for Nick to crack a smile, but when he didn’t, his exuberant manner dropped like a hot brick. “Come on, she can’t be that bad…can she?”
“I can introduce you if you want,” answered Nick quietly. He turned to stare at the ceiling again, not registering the movement behind him until he felt a pair of arms slip around his waist. Slowly, he turned his head to find John looking at him with barely veiled concern. He tried to speak, but no words came out, only a small murmur of exhaustion.
“Wow,” he whispered. “So she really is that bad.”
Once again, Nick couldn’t find the words to express what he was thinking, so he simply leaned back and rested his head on John’s shoulder, closing his eyes as a deep sigh rippled through his body as the former Time Agent gently rubbed circles over his neck and shoulders.
He was so comfortable, he didn’t even hear the door creaking open or the sound of high heels clicking on the floor, echoing through the room. In fact, it was only when he felt John’s body tense that he looked up and felt his stomach lurch at the sight of the familiar woman stood in front of them, her eyes wide in disbelief.
***
Next Time: What havoc did the monster-in-law - sorry, mother-in-law - wreck? Later on, Catrin makes an offer to Nick, but will her brother accept?
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys...and others!
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys, John Hart, two OC's, Andrea (Andie) Carlowe and Nick Jones.
Spoilers: Set after Exit Wounds.
Summary: Meeting Nick's monster - sorry, mother - in-law.
.Chapter 28
Nick closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against his forehead as he followed Carrie back into the church. She gave him a small smile and mouthed ‘Good luck’ at him before disappearing into the middle of a large cluster of people.
With a deep breath, Nick cast his eyes upwards and pinched the bridge of his nose, psyching himself up for what was sure to be one of the hardest talks he’d had in a long time. Whatever happened, he knew that he could not afford to fall apart now. He couldn’t let everyone else’s grief weigh him down. Alison wouldn’t want that.
“Took you a long time to realise that, Nicky,” said a familiar voice and the young doctor turned round to see his youngest cousin standing behind him with an amused look on his face.
“Hey, James,” he said, managing a small smile. “Was I just talking to myself?”
“More like to the ceiling, really.” The younger man sighed. “Nick, I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why you left the Royal, or why you left St. David’s and I’m not going to ask. I know that if you wanted to tell me, you would. But I do know one thing.”
“And what’s that?” Nick really didn’t have the patience for James’ cryptic remarks at this point. The answer, however, completely threw him for a loop.
“Everyone you’ve worked with has loved you very much; they’ve always been very impressed with your work ethic and the way you’ve been able to connect with your patients and how you’ve treated all of them with respect and love, no matter who they are. But…they all agreed that you had one weakness.” He took a deep breath. “You care too much, Nicky.”
“I’m a doctor. I have to care. And don’t call me Nicky; you’re not twelve any more.”
“Of course you have to care. But you’ve also got to think of your own self-preservation. It’s great that you’ve got so much empathy and love to give, but you can’t keep getting so emotionally involved with everyone.”
“Just because you’ve got the emotional height of a piglet,” said Nick rather nastily.
“I’m serious, Nick. If you keep getting so dragged into cases, everything will drag you down. Like now,” he dropped his voice, “I can see that you’re trying to think of the best way to handle this discussion with your monster-in-law -“
“James!”
“Sorry, mother-in-law…but the point still stands! You’re so worried about pleasing her, no matter what you have to suffer for it. You always have been. Well, screw her, Nick. She’s not worth your affection and you know it.”
He looked over to where a very rich, middle-aged woman was making her way into one of the back rooms, firing an appraising look back over her shoulder, and muttered with some slight disgust, “Who on earth wears what’s practically a wedding dress to a memorial service anyway?”
“I think we can forgive her, just this once,” growled Nick. “I’ll see you -”
James caught his sleeve. “Nick, I’m serious. You have been nothing but kind and respectful to that woman, and she has treated you terribly. You’ve got such a big heart and so much love to give. Don’t waste it on someone who doesn’t deserve it.”
Nick looked at the young man sharply before he turned away and walked in the direction that the formidable woman had left in. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped into the small room, readying his courage when he saw the richly dressed woman before him.
“It’s been a long time, Dr. Jones,” she said, without turning round, but the slight Scottish brogue her voice had once held was now replaced by a clipped Cambridge accent.
“Yes, too long,” agreed Nick, giving her as genuine a smile as he could manage and reaching forwards to shake her hand. “I hope you’ve been well?”
His mother-in-law accepted the handshake with her usual disdainful sniff. “I’m as well as can be expected, thank you,” she said, turning her back on him again. “Yes…as well as can be expected, given the circumstances.”
“What circumstances would they be?” asked Nick, a little too quickly.
“The loss of my daughter, of course,” said the woman, very coolly.
“Oh. Yes…yes, of course. You must have been devastated.”
He received a raised eyebrow in response. “Clearly a lot more devastated than you are, considering that you seem to have forgotten why you’re here in the first place.” She brushed some imaginary dust off her dress. “But then again, I suppose that’s no surprise. You do have a very…” she paused for a second, “intensive job at St. David’s, don’t you?”
Nick blinked. “Oh,” he said, “I don’t work at St. David’s anymore. I left about two months ago.”
There was a long silence. Mrs. Carter turned round to face him completely, her face carefully blank, but her eyes utterly incredulous. “You left?” she exclaimed. “Which hospital are you working at now?”
“Oh, I’m not working at a hospital. I’ve got a position working as a specialist medic in a Special Ops team. The work’s intense, but it feels…it feels right.”
“I see.” She sniffed again. “And where are the children while you’re away at this…new job?”
Nick shuffled awkwardly, scuffing his shoes against the floor. “My sister and her partner are helping me take care of them, just while I get settled again. I don’t want to subject them to too much upheaval when they need all the stability they can get. I can’t take them to work, especially when I’m still trying to get a feel for the place.” He pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “It would be ridiculous.”
That gained him a chipped glare. “I see. It seems you have very little room for making mistakes.”
“Oh, there’s no room for mistakes,” agreed Nick. “There’s never any room for mistakes.”
His mother-in-law snorted. “That’s interesting. It seems that you have learned something.”
Nick looked confused. “What d’you mean?” he asked, genuinely curious.
The response was a small smile, which lacked any warmth. “Just that, as you rightly said, you can’t afford to make mistakes. It’s just a pity you didn’t learn that when you were in Newport.” She smiled again. “Good day to you…Doctor Jones.”
“But -” stammered Nick, but the sound of the door slamming shut told him that he was alone. “How did you know?” he whispered, his voice echoing around the empty room.
With a small sigh, he leaned against the wall, pressing the heels of his hands to his forehead and groaned loudly, not hearing the door open again. “God…”
“He won’t help you, you know,” said a voice behind him.
Nick jumped and turned round. “Who won’t?”
“The big guy in the sky,” answered John, tying his sweater around his waist. “Are you okay?” When the only reply he received was a raised eyebrow and a grunt, he nodded. “Mother-in-laws are always the same. You know, I almost got married myself once. She had a smile brighter than the sun and hair curlier than a poodle’s fur. Wasn’t averse to the odd dog-collar either…” He trailed off, lost in the memories, before he noticed Nick looking at him incredulously. “And then I met her mother-in-law. Man, that woman could obliterate my sex-drive - me, the intergalactic playboy of the Time Agency! Seriously, she did this thing that could make me feel about this small, and believe me -”
“John,” interrupted Nick, “if you can’t say anything useful, just shut up.”
“But I am saying something useful!” protested John, his voice rising. “I’m telling you that you’re not alone in the circle of having a monster-in-law!” He nodded wisely, waiting for Nick to crack a smile, but when he didn’t, his exuberant manner dropped like a hot brick. “Come on, she can’t be that bad…can she?”
“I can introduce you if you want,” answered Nick quietly. He turned to stare at the ceiling again, not registering the movement behind him until he felt a pair of arms slip around his waist. Slowly, he turned his head to find John looking at him with barely veiled concern. He tried to speak, but no words came out, only a small murmur of exhaustion.
“Wow,” he whispered. “So she really is that bad.”
Once again, Nick couldn’t find the words to express what he was thinking, so he simply leaned back and rested his head on John’s shoulder, closing his eyes as a deep sigh rippled through his body as the former Time Agent gently rubbed circles over his neck and shoulders.
He was so comfortable, he didn’t even hear the door creaking open or the sound of high heels clicking on the floor, echoing through the room. In fact, it was only when he felt John’s body tense that he looked up and felt his stomach lurch at the sight of the familiar woman stood in front of them, her eyes wide in disbelief.
***
Next Time: What havoc did the monster-in-law - sorry, mother-in-law - wreck? Later on, Catrin makes an offer to Nick, but will her brother accept?