JUST A SHORT ONE OFF
Captain Jack to the Rescue
If it wasn't for the pain in his left leg, Ianto Jones would have drifted off into oblivion. It was so bad, that it took his breath away; a broken leg would do that. He reached down and touched his lower leg. Yep, the bone was poking through the skin and his hand came away covered in blood. Putting his hand - his clean one - into his trouser pocket, he brought out his clean, white handkerchief and held it against the torn flesh. He winced.
"Shit!" he hissed, between clenched teeth, sucking in air.
He bit down on his lower lip and wondered if the rest of the team knew where he was. He'd lost his comslink in the fall, so there was no way of contacting them. He swore again in frustration. They'd split up, looking for the Blowfish. He now wished he'd stayed with Jack, instead of insisting they all spread out. 'More chance of finding it,' he told the others. Jack was reluctant to leave him, but trusted the younger man to stay safe. 'Right!' thought Ianto. 'Now look at you!'
Trying to shift to a more comfortable position, Ianto moved some small stones and more came down around him. He made a mental note, not to move again.
TWTWTW
"Owen, grab him!"
The medic pulled a face. "You're nearer, you grab 'im!"
Jack tutted and raised an eyebrow. Running forward, he knocked the Blowfish to the ground.
"See, I knew you were nearer," Owen smiled cheekily.
Gwen caught them up. "Good, now we can get back to the Hub."
"Got a date, have we?" asked Owen.
"Ha, ha." Gwen replied.
After securing the Blowfish, Jack stood up, looking around him. "Where's Ianto?"
"I thought Tea Boy was with you," said Owen, shrugging.
Jack frowned. "No, we decided to split up."
"He decided to split up, you mean."
"Does it matter?"
Owen shook his head.
"I never saw 'im," said Gwen, still looking around.
"Let's get him back to the SUV," said Jack, indicating to the Blowfish. "and we can look for him."
TWTWTW
Ianto closed his eyes and tried not to think about the pain he was in. He looked down at the once white handkerchief. It was now as red as the tie he wore. Moving very carefully, he undid his belt, pulled it through the loops and put it just above the break, tightening it. He winced again and swore in Welsh, leaning his head back against the damp vegetation.
It was cold, damp and beginning to get dark and Ianto wondered if this was going to be his bed for the night. He certainly hoped not. Sleeping in a cramped space, in a single bed wasn't exactly heaven [even if it was with Jack] but compared to his current predicament, it felt like it right now. He'd give all the coffee in Columbia to be in Jack's bed, enveloped in those strong arms.
It made him smile, thinking about Captain Jack Harkness. His Jack. Well, for now anyway. They'd been, what…bed mates? Lovers? For almost six months. He wasn't gay. Never, ever thought about being with another man 'like that'. But it all changed when he met Jack. He lost his heart and virginity, to the handsome Captain, and looking back, he didn't regret a single thing.
TWTWTW
After depositing their find in the back of the SUV, Jack, Gwen and Owen set out looking for the young Welshman.
"Have you tried contacting him?" asked Gwen.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Several times."
Gwen tutted. "I was only askin'."
"Let's just fan out and look for him, okay?" suggested Owen. "It's getting dark and I'm getting hungry."
As if on queue, his stomach rumbled.
"See?" he added.
"Come on," said Gwen, making a move.
Jack moved off in the direction he left Ianto, leaving Gwen and Owen to search to the left and front of him.
TWTWTW
The young Welshman's eyes flew open as he felt something brush across his hand.
A spider.
Knocking it off with his other hand, Ianto swallowed hard. It wasn't that he was scared of spiders, he just didn't know how many there might be down here with him. It just didn't bare thinking about.
He gingerly touched his broken leg again. It had stopped bleeding, but the pain was getting worse. He needed help…now!
"God, Jack. I wish you were here with me," he whispered, then, "I'm sorry."
Suddenly, his world went black.
TWTWTW
Jack reached the divide where he and Ianto were last together. He looked in the direction the younger man went and, with coat billowing out behind him, ran at a slow pace, calling out his lover's name.
"Ianto! Ianto!"
But for a few insect and bird sounds, there was nothing.
"Ianto!"
Moving further along the trail, Jack came to a dense part of the wood. He looked across shrub-covered ground, eyes scanning for any sign of movement. His keen hearing listening for any cried for help, but neither saw or heard anything.
Frustrated, Jack kicked out at a shrub, sending leafs flying in all directions. He heaved a sigh, then carried on searching.
"Ianto! If you can hear me, call out."
Moving on, Jack came to a rocky crag. Looking down, he saw movement.
"Ianto!"
TWTWTW
Ianto dreamed of being in Jack's arms naked, in his double bed. He felt warm and comfortable.
His eyes slowly opened, as he was vaguely aware of someone touching his face. Was he still dreaming?
"Ianto? It's Jack."
"Jack?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna get you outta here."
Ianto forced a smile. "I'd like that."
Then his world went black again.
TWTWTW
The hospital bed was warm and the young Welshman felt no pain. His broken leg had been operated on and was in a splint. Tired eyes scanned the room, coming to rest on a very concerned Jack Harkness.
"Welcome back," Jack said, smiling.
"Sh-should've listened to you."
Jack smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair from his lover's forehead. "It doesn't matter."
Ianto returned the smile. "Thank you."
"Couldn't leave you out there," Jack said. "Who'd make my coffee? Flirt with me? Make love to me?"
"Oh, I'm sure you won't have any difficulty in filling that position."
"Yeah, I would," came the quick reply. "There's only one man for me, Ianto Jones, and that's you."
Ianto smiled, his eyes closing, as he fell into a restful sleep, with Jack by his side.
THE END
