Dr. Harkness & Nurse Jones: Ghana (Part One)

Jan 13, 2009 02:00

Title:  Dr. Harkness & Nurse Jones:  Ghana

Author:  blue_fjords

Pairings/Characters:  Jack/Ianto, Mickey Smith, Harriet Derbyshire, Andy Davidson, Beth Halloran, Alex Hopkins

Rating:  NC-17 (for romance-novel-sex, violence, a little swearing, religion)

Setting:  AU, sequel to “Dr. Harkness & Nurse Jones:  Kenya”

Disclaimer:  I own nothing.

Words:  12,000

Summary:  Jack and Ianto’s continuing adventures working for the Tyler Foundation as doctor and nurse in Africa

A/N:  Still never been to Africa, but Wikipedia and Google have.  My original story was written in response to a prompt that called for a romance novel and characters from all Doctor Who franchises.  The story is part two of a projected trilogy.



The wind carried with it a strong smell of salty sea air.  It was almost strong enough to cut through the stench of over two million bodies broiling in the African sun that shone high over Accra, but not quite.  The salt air and the body odor were joined by the smells of coriander, cumin, and cinnamon; tropical fruits from one market mixing with goats and sheep, entangling with the ripening smells of the fish market.  Dr. Jack Harkness breathed it all in with a smile on his face.

Jack had reason to be happy.  Three weeks ago he had officially taken command of Torched Wood III in Ghana, and he was determined that this incarnation of Torched Wood would not go the same way as the first two.  Ianto thought it a bit ridiculous to name the clinic after the charred remains of the clinic they had both worked at in Kenya, and more so to call it the third when he felt it should be the second, but Jack had insisted that their Torched Wood was named after the village that had burned, and was therefore the Second.  Ianto had rolled his eyes, but painted “Torched Wood III - A Tyler Foundation Clinic” on the new sign, anyway.  Jack liked the idea of having a team name. The doctor who had previously been in charge, though brilliant in every way, had not been one for team names.  Jack was already missing his doctor, but he had assembled a good bunch of people for Ghana.  In addition to himself and Ianto (Head Nurse, and, realistically, Head Admin), Mickey Smith was back with them as security, Harriet Derbyshire was setting up a connected orphanage, and Alex Hopkins and Beth Halloran were volunteering as doctor and nurse, respectively.  Alex’s specialty was internal medicine, and Beth came from a neonatal care ward in London.  Alex was a recovering alcoholic and Beth was newly widowed; both turning toward their volunteer work in the hopes of a fresh start.

One more doctor was to arrive the next day.  Andy Davidson was a childhood friend of Ianto and his older sister, Gwen.  According to Ianto, Andy had carried quite the torch for Gwen since they were kids.  Jack had some qualms about hiring Andy if he was just going to be a lovesick puppy, there to try to catch an occasional glimpse of Gwen.  Ianto had assured him that Andy would be a great addition to the team, for himself and for his specialization in ophthalmology.  Then Ianto had smiled at him, and Jack had completely caved.  He supposed he didn’t really have room to talk about lovesick puppies.

The other five members of Jack’s staff had busied themselves with preparing quarters for Dr. Davidson.  Unlike the clinic in Kenya, the Ghana clinic and hospital, and soon to be orphanage, had space enough for each staff member to have their own room.  Jack was profoundly grateful for this.  He did not relish having to sneak into Ianto’s bed each night, though due to the culture they were living in, he and Ianto did not advertise their relationship outside of the clinic.  Since Ianto was not exactly the touchy-feely type, it wasn’t much of an imposition on him.  Sometimes, though, Jack wanted nothing more than to run his fingers across Ianto’s shoulders, no matter who was present, or mark him as his own where everyone could see.  Jack did not get overly attached to material possessions, a result of his continual travels, but people were a different story.

***

Harriet had volunteered to pick Andy up at the airport, as she was also expecting a shipment of books for the orphanage that day.  Jack was expecting them back in time for lunch.  Noon rolled around, and Harriet called to say they were running late.  Jack grabbed a bite to eat with Ianto and Beth at 13:00, but still no sign of them.  Alex and Mickey ate hurriedly half an hour later, but still no Harriet or Andy.  At 14:00, Harriet called to say they were leaving Customs.  Jack had never heard her sound so annoyed.  It took them almost another full hour to drive up to the gate.

Mickey’s voice came over the intercom in the exam room, where Jack was slowly going over dosages in halting Akan to a mother with three young boys, who were proceeding to raise holy terror in spite of their runny noses and watery eyes.

“Jack.  Ianto there?” Mickey’s voice sounded tinny and tiny over the speaker.

“Um…Room 12,” Jack said, downshifting to English again.  “Oh.  Harriet back with our new doc?”

“You could say that.” Now Mickey sounded distinctly amused.  “Come up here when you get a chance; I’ll contact Ianto.”

Jack struggled to wrap-up his instructions, but was interrupted by his patient.  “Dr. Harkness.  You do realize English is the official language of Ghana, yes?”

Jack gaped.  “Well, yeah, but you’ve always spoken to me in Akan.”

She smiled slowly.  “That is because it was amusing.  But I hear that you are busy, so if you would like to finish these in English…” she said, gesturing with her bottle of pills.

She was chuckling as she led her three hellions out the door and down the corridor.  Jack frowned after her, hurriedly gathered up the papers and other detritus left by the family, chucked it in the bin, and trotted off to the front of the clinic.

Harriet Derbyshire was another, like Ianto, who liked to keep a reign on her emotions, and appeared very even-tempered in public.  She was a young woman with a great responsibility, and the serious demeanor to go with it.  She also had the most experience of anyone on the staff, including Jack, at working and living in Africa.  The daughter of Salvation Army missionaries, she had spent the first twelve years of her life in the bordering country of Burkina Faso.  She had spent time in the Congo, South Africa, and Mozambique, as well.  She spoke four different African languages.  She was also as mad as Jack had ever seen her after just one afternoon with Dr. Andy Davidson.

Ianto was already in the courtyard, conferring quietly with a shorter, strawberry-blond man that Jack took to be Andy.  Harriet was unloading the jeep, slamming boxes of books onto the clinic’s pushcart.  If looks could kill, Andy would have burned to a crisp from just one glance directed at him by Harriet.  Jack sighed, and scrubbed a hand through his hair.  He hated dealing with personnel issues.

“Dear, sweet Harriet.  Let’s not destroy these books that the good people of Cambridge have sent us, hmm?” Jack grabbed the last box and placed it gently on the pushcart, flashing his winning grin at Harriet.

It did not have its usual effect.

“Jack Harkness.  You keep that social ingrate away from me,” Harriet spoke with a fierce conviction that was, per usual, very difficult to ignore.

“How about you tell me what happened, sweet lady?”

“Shall I begin with the fact that he is inebriated?  Or that his inability to fill out a form cost us an additional three hours in Customs?  Or that he tried to smooth over the situation by telling the official that I was his wife?”  Harriet managed to keep her voice level through this recitation, but all the same, Jack winced at that last one.

“Ms. Derbyshire?” Jack hadn’t even heard Andy and Ianto walk up to them, but there they were, Andy looking rather abashed.  If he had been wearing a hat, he would have doffed it and passed it nervously from hand to hand.  “I’m terribly sorry I upset you.  You see, I really don’t do well with flying.  At all.  And some of my mates thought it would be a good idea to have a pint or two to get over my . . . aversion. . . to flying, and, well. . . I am terribly sorry.”

He gave her a pleading look.  Ianto gave her the One Eyebrow Cocked.

“Dr. Davidson.  This is a Tyler Foundation clinic and orphanage.  We have a certain reputation and dignity which we must uphold,” Harriet said firmly.  Andy looked crestfallen.  “That being said, I know the flight over can be a bit of a bear.  In the future, perhaps you should just try a sleeping pill?  And for heaven’s sakes, don’t refer to me as your wife!”

“No, of course not.  I mean, sorry, I was trying to help, I can see how that didn’t come across well…” Andy’s voice trailed off.  “I’ll buy you a pint, eh?”

“I don’t drink.” Harriet turned to face Jack again.  “Jack.  Could I ask for your help with a wiring issue in one of the classrooms?”

“Of course, I’ll be right there.”

Harriet seized the pushcart and headed off across the courtyard to the orphanage.  Jack turned to face Ianto and Andy.

“Well!  Great to have you on board, Andy.  I’m Dr. Jack Harkness, you already know Ianto - he’s going to give you the grand tour, introduce you to the others.  Beth will help you out tomorrow with meeting some patients.  Dinner will be in a few hours; we all try to eat together when the situation allows for it.  It’s my night, so it will be edible, and, perhaps, rather fantastic.” Jack finished up his little spiel with a patented Harkness grin and a firm handshake.  He left Andy looking quite flustered, and Ianto quite amused.

He spent a couple of hours working on wiring in the orphanage.  Working for a non-profit foundation of one sort or another off and on for most of his adult life had made Jack a kind of jack-of-all-trades.  Along with being an above-average cook, Jack was handy around mechanics and technology.  If he had to, he thought he could probably build his own house and put together his own car.  Not that he owned a car, or a house, for that matter.

Dinner that night was an exceptional pork loin roast.  Most of their meals consisted of fish, or were vegetarian, but about once a week they splurged, all except Harriet.  Ianto had scoured the markets for some green veggies (he may be a lousy cook himself, but he could shop with the best of them) and Jack had also made a pan of mealie bread with some fresh herbs.  Jack was satisfied that Andy’s first meal at Torched Wood III, at least, was of high quality.  The next night was Ianto and Alex, which could get a bit iffy.

Harriet was still a bit sore towards Andy during the meal.  Andy did not help his case by putting the biggest, juiciest piece of roast on Harriet’s plate.  She was what Jack referred to (but not to her face) as a half-assed vegetarian; meaning she didn’t eat meat, but would eat seafood.  Jack figured fish were animals too, and if he was going to eat a cow or a goat, he may as well show a fish the same courtesy.

Andy tried to make up for his gaff by taking the roast off Harriet’s plate, but just wound up spilling her food on the floor.

After the meal, Jack and Harriet had a meeting with a committee of pastors representing the Christian churches in Accra.  They were very interested in Harriet’s plans for the orphanage, and what would be taught at the school there.  Their support was essential in getting the orphanage approved by the local government, and Harriett excelled at this form of diplomacy.  She had spent most of her life involved with religious leadership of one kind or another in Africa, and her confidence lent her the necessary gravity despite her young age.  Jack had very little to do in the meeting, as Ianto usually represented the clinic at these things, and wound up spending most of the evening fantasizing about what he wanted to do with Ianto later that night.

Ianto was asleep by the time Jack made it back to their room.  The shades were up, to allow in the most breeze, and the moonlight traced the dips and curves of Ianto’s body.  Jack loved to see him like this.  Ianto slept like a little kid, in the center of the bed, limbs akimbo, mouth open.  Jack quickly stripped off his scrubs and crawled into the bed, lying on top of Ianto and using him as a full body pillow.  Ianto barely stirred, shifting minutely to accommodate Jack’s weight.

“You get Harriet settled down okay?” Ianto breathed the question.

“Settled, yes; okay, probably not.  How’s Andy adjusting?”

“Andy can adapt to just about anything,” Ianto reassured him.

“Oh?”

There was a pause.  “I told him we were partners, professionally and personally.”

Jack rested his chin on Ianto’s chest, and gazed at his closed eyes, eyelashes dark against his pale cheeks.  “Did you tell him that I’m wildly in love with you, and that’s the sole reason I prevented Harriet from exacting her revenge on him?”

Ianto’s eyes flew open as he began to speak, his mouth curving into a smile, crinkling his eyes.  “You are wildly in love with me, aren’t you just?”

Ianto hooked his leg around Jack’s hip and rolled him onto his back.  Jack grinned up at him, and stretched his neck for a kiss.  He could hear Ianto pull open the nightstand and take out a tube.  Jack moaned in anticipation, his kisses getting sloppier and deeper.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.  “Ianto?  This your room?”

Jack sent up a blue streak.  Ianto was still breathing heavily.  “Yeah give me a minute, Andy.”

Andy opened the door at the “Yeah,” however.  Jack was not a shy man, and actually had quite the exhibitionist’s streak.  Inwardly, he gloated just a bit at the look of utter shock on Andy’s face.  Ianto, on the other hand, was thoroughly embarrassed.  Since Andy didn’t seem to get the hint, Jack reached up, took Ianto’s face in his hands, and kissed him, before turning to Dr. Davidson.

“Did you need something, Andy?”

Andy had finally got his mouth closed.  Jack figured he could feel sorry for him tomorrow, but for now, he just really wanted the man to leave.  Ianto was scrambling to cover them both with the sheet.  Jack glanced over at him, and was surprised by the look of utter lust on Ianto’s face.

“You know what, Andy?  It can wait until tomorrow.  Unless the clinic’s on fire?” Jack sent him a questioning glance.  Andy mutely shook his head.  “Well, then, Ianto will get you up at 06:00.  Good night.  Close the door on your way out, will you?”

Andy did just that.

“We’ll make an exhibitionist out of you yet - ohhhh!” Jack cut himself off with a groan as Ianto wasted no time with more foreplay and swallowed him down.  He lasted an embarrassingly short time before coming in Ianto’s mouth.  “Fuck, Ianto.”

Ianto collapsed next to him on the bed, grinning a filthy grin.  “You have a dirty tongue, Jack.”

“Not dirty enough.”

He took his time, breathing in Ianto’s scent, lapping up his pre-come.  Ianto was squirming underneath him when he finally drew him into the back of his throat, swallowing reflexively.  Ianto came hard and messy, heels digging into the mattress.  Jack moved back up the bed and spooned against him.  Ianto leaned back to kiss him a few more times before nestling into his pillow.  Jack nibbled at his ear and whispered, “I am wildly in love with you; you know that, don’t you?”

Ianto drew his hand up to kiss his palm in answer.  Jack drifted off to sleep, content.

Ianto woke him up a few hours later to make use of the tube of lube that was still on the bed.  All in all, an exceptional night.  Jack was considering having Andy interrupt them on a regular basis as he had Ianto up against the wall in their shower at 05:30 the next morning, though he wasn’t sure if even his libido could handle too many nights like that.  Still, three rounds of perfect sex put him in a fantastic mood to face the day.

It was still holding at 17:00, in spite of an exceptionally long surgery to try to repair a near-shattered femur on a twelve year old boy.  He had been unloading boxes down at the docks when one slipped.  Though Ghana was a relatively affluent country in comparison to some of its neighbors, there were still plenty of children doing jobs that should be done by stronger adults.  Jack ended the surgery with moderate hopes for full recovery.  Ianto had been at his side to assist the entire time.  They barely had to talk during surgeries; their movements were just so in sync with each other.  It made for faster, easier work.

Jack saw a couple of patients on his own after the surgery before Andy came to find him.  Jack flashed him a big grin.  Andy hadn’t been able to look him in the eyes each time Jack had seen him that day.

“What’s up, Andy?” Jack asked, with not a little hint of suggestion.

Andy managed not to blush.  Impressive.

“Ianto mentioned that you recently received a shipment of eyeglasses, and I can’t find him to ask where they might be stored.”

“I bet he’s in the kitchen; it’s his night on KP duty.  You have a patient in with you?”

Andy nodded.

“Okay, I’ll go see where they are.”

“Thanks, Jack.”  Andy finally met his eyes, and though he blushed, he also managed to smile.

Jack grinned back, and went off to find Ianto.

Ianto was in the kitchen, helping to prepare the fufu.  He really was a crap cook, but there was not much you could get wrong with peeling potatoes.  Harriet had laid out a precise number of regular potatoes and sweet potatoes, leaving nothing to chance after the disastrous Fufu Incident from Ianto’s first week there.   Ianto and Sarah Jane had done the meal prep in Kenya, but really, it was just Ianto following her instructions and doing most of the clean-up.  Jack supposed they would have to hire a couple of cooks once the orphanage opened for business.  Until then, everyone pitched in.

“Ianto!  Apple of my eye, sugar in my coffee, Cheech to my Chong, do you know where we stored the eyeglasses from the Lions’ Club?” Jack slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him into a wet kiss.

Alex looked up interestedly from where he was attempting to make a fish stew.  It didn’t exactly go with fufu, but it was the one thing Alex made well.  Jack winked at him, and dipped a finger into the honey Ianto had already set out for the fufu and sucked it off.  Alex gave a startled chuckle, and turned his attention back to the fish.

“You’re incorrigible,” Ianto sighed.  “Get your fingers out of my honey.”

“Where should I put them then?” Jack asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“The third shelf of the storage closet across from the exam rooms.”

“Huh?” Jack blinked.

“Eyeglasses?” Ianto cocked his eyebrow in Jack’s direction.

“Oh, yes.  Thanks.  Well, if everything’s in hand here, I’ll go check them out.”  Jack turned to leave.

“Jack, wait a moment, I think you got some honey on your chin.”

Ianto moved close to him, backing him out of the kitchen and away from Alex’s eyesight, tongue darting out to lick his chin.  “There.  All gone.”

Jack grinned at him, and kissed him once, twice, thrice for good measure.  He went off to rustle up the eyeglasses with a dopey smile on his face, knowing that Ianto was returning to the kitchen with the same dopey expression.

Part two:  blue-fjords.livejournal.com/5266.html#cutid1

***

tw: beth, tw: harriet, tw: alex, romance novel, au, tw: jack/ianto, tw: mickey, tw: andy, fic

Previous post Next post
Up