After Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang the Torchwood team is trying to adjust to Jack's return. The case of a small child infected by an alien raises difficult issues and unsettles each team member.

Emily Louise Perkins

Chapter 1

Jack found it strange to be sitting in the new Boardroom. It was a great space and it had been well designed and built but he didn't feel at home here. He missed the old room with its glass walls and great view over the Hub. It was another of the things that had changed in the time he had been with The Doctor.

He looked at his team, seated round the table with him; they had all changed in his absence, working together and helping one another as they never had before. Owen and Toshiko were more independent, not needing the guidance and support he had previously provided, while Gwen, who had led the team for months, was more confident as a result and challenged his authority at every turn. And Ianto had toughened up and was distant with Jack, not renewing the easy familiarity they had established before he, Jack, had left. It had been clear that their physical relationship would not be resumed yet awhile either though there was some hope; Ianto had accepted the offer of a date. Perhaps these changed relationships were why Jack currently felt ill at ease; it wasn't the room but the people. He tuned back into the daily briefing meeting.

"The upgrade will take several hours and so I plan to run it tomorrow night. I'll set up a stand-alone PC to maintain security and monitor the Rift but other than that there'll be no computer access until the update is done," said Toshiko.

"What about medical access?" put in Owen. "If there's an emergency I'll need to run tests and analyse samples."

"I'll set up a few on the stand-alone – tell me which ones you want - but there won't be any access to the medical database."

"Could restrict what I can do," pointed out Owen, looking at Jack.

"This upgrade is needed and we have to accept some inconvenience," said Jack. "Go ahead as planned, Tosh." He turned his attention to Gwen. "What are you up to, Gwen?"

"Still tidying up after the Blowfish. The paramedic that treated the guy who was shot is shouting his mouth off so I'm going to see him this morning. I'll try persuasion but take the Retcon with me in case." She smiled grimly, not liking to use the drug if she could avoid it.

"Good. Owen?" Jack looked at the medic who was, as usual, slouched in his seat.

"Whitchurch Hospital called; Dr Hughes. She's got a case she wants me to look at. Some kid that she reckons is mutating! Probably a load of bollocks but I said I'd check it out."

"Gwen, as you'll be at the hospital anyway, go with him. Check with the parents just in case it is something we should be involved with." Jack saw her nod reluctantly; she really did not like taking orders from him, that was crystal clear. "Right, Ianto. Anything from you?" He smiled at the boy encouragingly.

"Two things. We have a lot of guests in the cells at the moment and I could do with a hand looking after them." Everyone but Jack looked at their hands and avoided eye contact with Ianto; feeding and cleaning out the Weevils was a smelly and messy job and no one liked doing it. "Second, you all agreed that we'd recycle as much waste as possible yet I still find drinks cans and bottles in ordinary waste. Either you separate out the recyclables or we stop."

"I didn't know we were recycling," said Jack; something else that had changed in his absence. "Let me know where it should go and I'll put mine there. Rest of you, do the same. There's more than one way of saving the planet. Now, who's going to volunteer for Weevil duties?" he asked.

There was a distinct lack of interest. "I would, Ianto," said Toshiko, "but I'm really up against it if I'm going to be ready for the upgrade. I'll help once that's done."

"I don't know how long this hospital thing's going to take," said Owen, deciding to make it last as long as possible.

"Same for me," said Gwen, "but we'll both help when we get back. Won't we, Owen?" She fixed him with a stare that he could not meet.

"Yeah, all right," he muttered. He would definitely be at the hospital all day now.

"I could help," offered Jack. "I'm only catching up on paperwork and that can wait an hour or two." Ianto nodded and avoided looking at his boss; he'd have preferred anyone to him. "Right, anything else anyone?" When no one raised any other issues he continued, "Okay, let's get back to work."

Toshiko left quickly, keen to get back to her desk, and Owen and Gwen followed at a more leisurely pace, discussing whose vehicle to take to the hospital. Ianto gathered up the coffee mugs and Jack stayed back to talk him.

"When do you need me to help with the inmates?" he asked, hands in his pockets. He was running an appreciatively eye over the boy's arse as he stretched across the table; no doubt about it, he looked good. Jack moved closer, unable to resist the temptation.

"In about an hour," said Ianto, straightening up. He suddenly realised how close Jack was – he could feel his body heat – and took a step away. Three months' unexplained absence and John Hart still separated them. Ianto was pleased Jack was back with them but he didn't trust him not to disappear again and was unwilling to let him too close – physically or emotionally.

"Okay, come and get me when you're ready." Jack maintained his smile as he walked out of the room but it faded as soon as he was out of sight of Ianto. What did he need to do to win back the boy? He started to wonder if anything would. The only bright spot was the date Ianto had agreed to and Jack smiled suddenly; he'd better start planning that and soon.

-ooOoo-

Whitchurch Hospital was busy as Owen and Gwen waited at reception for Doctor Hughes. Patients and visitors as well as staff were streaming through the space between the doors and lifts. A few stopped at the shops to buy flowers, snacks and magazines while others waited in seats off to one side. The Torchwood pair had been waiting ten minutes and Gwen was getting impatient. She could have gone to see the paramedic and joined Owen later but he had persuaded her to come with him, confident in his ability to diagnose the case quickly. Just when Gwen was about to leave, Laura Hughes appeared.

"Owen, thanks for coming." She was in the mid- to late-forties with a trim figure and short dark hair. Owen had worked with her before and respected her; she was an excellent paediatrician.

"Laura, hi. This is Gwen Cooper, works with me." He watched as Laura Hughes shook Gwen's hand. "What's the problem?"

"It's the strangest case I've ever come across," said the doctor, leading them to the lifts. The lift doors opened and they entered; Dr Hughes pressed the button for the fifth floor. "Emily Louise Perkins is three years old. She presented three days ago with severe swelling and bruising to her neck which the GP thought might be suspicious although there's no history of abuse. She was admitted yesterday evening when the swelling didn't reduce after treatment, if anything it's got worse."

"You said something about mutation?" queried Owen. He was well aware that any child with the sort of condition described was immediately monitored as a precaution against it being the result of ill treatment.

"Yes. Overnight the swelling has taken on a scaly texture. I've never seen anything like it and thought of you." She had worked with Owen before, when a baby had been born to a woman impregnated by an alien, and had been impressed by his expertise and knowledge. Her early scepticism about all things alien had disappeared and Owen had decided not to Retcon her, trusting her to keep quiet voluntarily. He could always do with friends at the hospital.

They had arrived at their floor and exited to the usual scene of quiet efficiency as nurses and doctors went about their duties. Turning left, they made for the few private rooms reserved for the most severe cases and a scream suddenly rent the air. It appeared to be coming from close by and Dr Hughes started running towards it, followed by Owen and Gwen. A nurse came out of a room just ahead of them and spotted Dr Hughes.

"Doctor, thank goodness you're here! It's Emily Perkins' mother." She held open the door to the private room and the scream got louder. Gwen wondered how any human could make that noise and, more amazingly, not have to stop to draw breath.

Owen took in the situation as soon as he was inside the room. He'd had years of experience with hysterical relatives and this one was far gone. He walked up to the screaming woman, turned her to face him and slapped her hard across the face. The scream stopped suddenly and the silence was almost as loud as the screaming had been. He pushed the woman towards Gwen. "Take her outside, calm her down," he ordered.

Dr Hughes was bustling a man out of the room at the same time. "Father," she mouthed to Gwen behind his back as she shut the door behind him. She spoke to the nurse, who was newly qualified, about letting the parents in when she had forbidden it. Then she joined Owen who was looking down at the patient.

The child lay unmoving, either asleep or unconscious. Considering the recent noise level, Owen opted for the latter. She was a pretty child with long, blonde hair and was about the normal size for a three-year old. While Owen automatically noted all this, his eye was drawn to the hideous swelling on the right of the child's neck and the bruising that surrounded it. The swelling was bulbous, about the size of a tennis ball, and grey. Suddenly there was a movement under the surface of the skin, which did have a scaly texture, and the swelling bulged out a centimetre or so before returning to its previous size.

"It's not done that before," said Laura Hughes, watching in dread fascination.

"You got x-rays, body scans?" asked Owen. He pulled on surgical gloves taken from the box on the side and gently put a hand on the swelling. It was soft to the touch but when he pressed he could feel a definite hardness within.

"These are the results," said Dr Hughes, handing him a folder. She went back to the child, checking the chart for any changes.

Owen moved to the window and looked through the folder. All the scans showed a fleshy growth; normal tissue growing abnormally. But normal tissue did not have a scaly texture or move in that way. "This is weird," he commented, closing the folder.

"Your kind of weird?" Dr Hughes asked. She was not sure whether she wanted it to be or not. If it was she would lose the responsibility for a case she couldn't treat which would be both a relief and an admission of failure. And Laura Hughes didn't like being beaten.

"I think it may be. I need to take a tissue sample. Can we do a biopsy here?"

"I can set that up." Dr Hughes turned to the nurse who was hovering at the foot of the bed. "Nurse Chambers, get a biopsy kit and prep Emily." The nurse nodded and left the room.

"I'm going to talk to Gwen," said Owen. In the corridor, Gwen was sitting on some hard plastic chairs beside the child's parents. The mother was quiet and stony-faced, the father was weeping silently. Owen gestured for Gwen for join him and she was more than happy to do so.

"What is it, Owen?" she asked.

"Not sure but it looks like its alien. We're going to do a biopsy, see what that tells us. How are the parents holding up?

"They're in shock, don't really know what to think. The mother's the dominant one, whatever she says goes. If you need to speak to them, I've told them you're a specialist who's been called in for a second opinion." Gwen was watching Owen, always amazed at the transformation of the caustic, foul-mouthed man into a professional physician who exuded authority.

"I will speak to them. When I've done that, see if you can find out how the kid might have got this way. There has to have been some contact – a bite maybe – to result in this."

"Okay." The two walked over to join the parents who both stood up.

"Doctor, do you know what it is?" asked the woman. Her face betrayed no emotion and if Owen had not heard her screaming before he would have doubted she had any to show.

"Not yet, Mrs Perkins. We're going to do a biopsy, take a piece of tissue and analyse it. That should give us more idea of what this is." He tried to smile reassuringly. The worst part of being a doctor, for him, was dealing with relatives.

"How long will that take?" asked the woman. Gwen noticed that Mrs Perkins did not sound concerned about her daughter, more about the amount of time she would have to stay at the hospital; she was distancing herself from a child she was convinced she would soon lose.

"A couple of hours, all told. If you wanted to go and get a cup of tea or …"

"Yes, we will. Come on, Simon." The woman picked up her handbag and ignoring her still weeping husband walked off towards the lifts.

Simon Perkins looked at Owen. "Please do everything you can for her, for little Emily. Please."

"I will." Owen gave him a rough pat on the arm and watched as the man shambled down the corridor after his wife. "What a pair," he commented.

"Everyone responds differently in a crisis," said Gwen. "Look, I'll go and find that paramedic, he's in the hospital apparently, and then I'll catch up with the Perkinses. Call me if you need anything." She strode away.

Owen stood irresolute for a moment. Then he thumbed opened his comms, glad it worked on a wavelength that did not affect critical medical equipment. "Jack?"

"Owen, what d'you need?" Jack was in his office and saw Ianto heading his way; time to go to the vaults with him. It took some effort to concentrate on Owen's voice.

"This kid, I think it's may be one for us. She's got something either growing inside her or changing her. I'm doing a biopsy here but may need to bring her to the Hub after that."

"What about relatives?"

"I don't think they'll be a problem. "

"Okay, keep me informed and contact me again if you do want to bring the kid in." Jack smiled at Ianto as he came into the office.

"Will do." Owen broke the connection and returned to Emily Louise Perkins's bedside.

-ooOoo-

Gwen walked along the hospital corridors. She had met the paramedic and realised he was a loud-mouth who loved being thought to be 'in the know'. He was never going to keep quiet so she had administered the Retcon, level two, without any remorse. He was now sleeping – luckily it was the end of his shift – and would have forgotten everything when he woke.

The restaurant was in sight and Gwen stopped just inside the door. She pretended to make a call on her mobile, watching Mr and Mrs Perkins who were sitting at a table with drinks in front of them; she was sipping her drink while he sat with head bowed looking down at the table. Gwen had met people like them before. She understood the father better; he was upset and distraught at what was happening to his daughter. The mother was less sympathetic; making herself unemotional in the face of what she saw as certain loss. There was little doubt that she would allow the child to be taken by Torchwood, if that was what Owen advised and Jack agreed.

Gwen's expression hardened. Only last week they would have made the decision together; there had been no Jack to refer or defer to, just the four of them, working together to keep Cardiff safe. And they had done well, supporting one another far more than they had before. She and Owen had ensured that Toshiko and especially Ianto had been included in all decisions and taken along to the pub at least once a week. It was only due to her leadership that Jack had a team to come back to and it galled Gwen that she was now expected to roll over and let him take the lead again. Despite his attempts to fit in with the new dynamics of the team, and his little speech about dying lots of time, she was not going to make it easy for him. He hadn't earned the right.

Deciding she could not stall any longer, she closed her mobile and walked to the table where Mr and Mrs Perkins were sitting. The father raised his head immediately and looked at her hopefully.

"Any news?" he asked quickly.

"No, nothing yet. I wanted to ask you a few questions, if that's all right?" She settled into the familiar routine of reassurance while at the same time extracting information.

"Of course," he replied, the light leaving his eyes and his shoulders slumping.

"When did Emily get sick?"

It was Mrs Perkins who replied, her voice controlled and clear. "Three days ago she woke saying she had a pain in her neck. We took her to the doctor that evening, when the swelling started to come up, and he gave her some pills .."

"Anti-inflammatories," supplied Mr Perkins.

"I suppose. Anyway, when it was worse the next day we called the doctor out and he said that it didn't respond within 24 hours Emily would have to be admitted to hospital. She didn't so she came here last night." She stared at Gwen, outwardly unaffected by her daughter's condition.

"Any idea what caused the swelling? I mean, was she bitten by something? Ate something new?" Gwen tried to be as general as possible, not wanting to lead them in any particular direction. The mother shook her head and looked away.

"Our GP and the hospital doctor asked us that and there's nothing we can think of. Emily was just as always the day before," said Mr Perkins.

"What did she do that day?"

"Oh, same as usual. I look after her; Carol," he nodded at his wife, "is the breadwinner. Emily and I were at home in the morning, she was playing and helping me while I did the housework, and then in the afternoon we went to the park. Then tea and bed."

"Did you meet anyone, in the park perhaps?" Gwen pressed.

"There were the usual children with their mums. I chat to them while Emily plays." He frowned and paused. "She did say something about a friend in the sandpit but I didn't pay much attention. One of the other children, Darren, fell and I was helping pick him up and sort him out."

"A friend? What kind of friend?"

"I don't recall what she said, not exactly, but thinking back I don't think she meant one of the other children. She didn't use a name." He looked hopeful once more. "Do you think that could be anything to do with this?"

"I don't know but we'll check it out." She took down the details of the particular park Emily had visited and the location of the playground. "I don't suppose any of the other children who play there have been affected?"

"Not that I know of but then I haven't been back since Emily's been ill."

"Okay, thanks, we'll follow up on that." She used her comms to contact Owen. "Any progress?" she asked once he had answered.

"We're just about done. I need to go back to base, do the analysis then we'll know what we're dealing with. Where are you?"

"With Mr and Mrs Perkins. Can they come back up?" Gwen noticed Mr Perkins' hopeful glance and smiled slightly.

"Yeah, no reason why not. You get anything from them?"

"Maybe. We'll see you shortly." She cut the connection and turned to the girl's parents. "They've finished doing the biopsy so you can go back to see Emily."

"Did they find anything?" asked Mr Perkins immediately.

"They need to do the analysis first."

Next time, the team find out what they're up against ...