Of Absences, Sickness and Comfort, a torchwood fanfic

A little something set sometime between series one and two but in the 'time has been reset' timeline not in the 'Master destroys the world' timeline.

Of Absences, Sickness and Comfort

Ianto appeared at midday with food and coffee for the team. In Jack's absence it had become his responsibility to ensure the team didn't forget to stop and eat. He placed each person's food in front of them before disappearing back into the archives.

Tosh watched him leave with concern. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Ianto eat. He got food for them but never ate with them. He spent every available moment in the archives. Only coming out to make coffee, order food and go on the occasion weevil hunt.

Tosh turned to face Owen who had been repeating her name. "What's wrong? You've got that look, like you've just realised the world is ending."

"Do you think Ianto's ok?" She asked them.

"Seems fine to me." Owen said shrugging and tucking into his food.

"He has been spending a lot of time in the archives." Gwen said putting down her chop sticks. "And I can't remember the last time he ate with us."

"I left my phone here last night, didn't notice until gone midnight, he was still here when I came back to get it."

Gwen frowned. "He was already here at seven this morning when I came in. He is going home, isn't he?"

Ianto relaxed slightly as he hid himself in the archives. None of the team came down here, at least not voluntarily anyway.

The smell of their food made him feel sick. He had hardly eaten since Jack had disappeared, fear constantly surrounded him.

He was tired, so tired. He'd barely slept since Jack had gone. Nightmares about what might have happened to him haunted his sleep. He was avoiding going home, throwing himself into work, trying to keep the hub running as seamlessly as possible.

He had perfected the art of forging Jack's signature, signing off reports for UNIT and the Government in his place, not wanting them to know that he wasn't there.

His body was aching like he had run a marathon, his skin prickled painfully. He coughed, his chest stinging with every movement. He leaned over to ease the pain, a wave of dizziness swept over him.

Owen reluctantly gave in to Tosh and Gwen's pleas and begging eyes and ventured down into the archives to check on Ianto. The archives were cold and damp, not a healthy place to spend any amount of time and Ianto spent far too much time down here.

He followed the sound of coughing, wincing at how painful it sounded. "Ianto?" He rounded a corner and found Ianto with his back to him, he was bent over trying desperately to catch his breath.

"Ianto, mate, are you ok?" He asked coming up behind him.

"My chest hurts."

"Well, the damp down here isn't helping, can you walk?"

Ianto nodded, not wanting to waste the breath to answer. Owen supported Ianto as they headed back towards civilisation. He sat him down on the sofa behind Tosh's desk.

Owen placed a hand on Ianto's forehead. "How long have you been feeling ill?"

"Not sure. A couple of days."

"Right, stay there, I'll be back in a second."

He returned a few minutes later, Ianto had closed his eyes and was resting his head on the back of the sofa.

He felt Owen taking his temperature but didn't open his eyes. "Thirty-nine point six. That's really high, you must be feeling pretty rough. Why didn't you say anything?"

Ianto shrugged. "We've been busy."

"You should have said something." Owen said sternly. "Have you taken anything?"

"Some Nurofen a couple of times, not for a while though." He replied coughing again.

"Here, take this." Owen said putting two tablets into Ianto's hand.

Ianto opened an eye and saw Tosh stood beside them holding a glass of water to him.

"What is it?" He said slightly suspiciously.

"Paracetamol. We need to bring your temperature down quickly."

Ianto put them in his mouth and then took the water from Tosh with shaking hands. He swallowed and then allowed her to take the glass back from him.

He tried to push Owen's hands away when he felt him undoing his tie. "I need to listen to your chest, mate."

Ianto let his hands drop weakly back beside him, allowing Owen to pull off his tie and unbutton his shirt. He felt the stethoscope being placed against his chest, shivering as the cold metal touched his feverish skin.

"Take a deep breath, Ianto. Does your chest feel tight?"

"Yeah." Ianto sighed.

"How long has it felt like that?"

"A couple of weeks, maybe a bit longer. Thought it was a cold."

"You've got a bad chest infection. I'm going to put you on antibiotics straight away. I'm just going to get a few things and then I'll take you home."

"No, I'm fine, just give me a minute and then I'll get back on with the archives."

"No Ianto. You need rest, and I'm not letting you anywhere near the archives for a while, the cold, damp air is probably what made you sick. So just wait there and don't move."

Ianto closed his eyes again and listened to Owen walk away. By the time he walked back carrying a bag of medical kit Ianto had dozed off.

"Come on Ianto." Owen said shaking his shoulder gently. "Let's get you home and into bed."

He helped Ianto up and led him out to his car.

Ianto fell asleep within minutes of getting into Owen's car so Owen had to rely on his memory to find Ianto's flat. He pulled into the car park and turned the engine off. "Come on Ianto, let's get you inside." He undid the seatbelt and supported Ianto as he got out of the car.

He fished around in Ianto's pocket for his door key while Ianto leaned weakly against him.

"Really Owen, I'm fine. I've got work that I really need to be doing."

"Ianto, you can barely stand, you are going to spend a couple of days with us fussing over you until we get you back to full health." He replied as he helped Ianto through the door and closing it behind them.

"I can look after myself." He mumbled.

"Yeah, you've been doing a great job of that recently. You look after us but forget about yourself." He found Ianto's bedroom and dropped him down on the bed causing Ianto to cough. Owen looked through Ianto's drawers, finding some pyjamas. He took off Ianto's shoes and unbuttoned his shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to get you into some pyjamas, it would be a lot easier if you helped."

Ianto sat up and allowed Owen to pull the t shirt over his head. He fumbled with his belt and flies before pulling his trousers off and unsteadily stepping into the pyjama bottoms.

Owen pulled back the duvet and Ianto collapsed into his bed exhausted at the effort of changing. Owen disappeared and returned a few seconds later with a glass of water and a tablet.

"Here you need to take this before you sleep."

Ianto frowned slightly.

"Antibiotic, for the chest infection."

"Thanks." Ianto said swallowing it down and slumping back against the pillow.

"Now get some sleep. You'll feel better soon."

"Cheers Owen." He said with his eyes closed, his voice slightly slurred from sleep. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"Hi Tosh, is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine here. How's Ianto?"

"His temperature is way too high, chest infection is really bad. He must have been feeling rough for a while."

"He hadn't said anything to me about being ill. He's not said much of anything recently though."

"No. We're going to have to keep a better watch on him in future."

"He's going to be ok, isn't he?"

"If I can get this temperature down he will. It's going to take a while to get rid of the chest infection though. He'll be fine eventually."

"You'll call if you need anything won't you?"

"Yeah, I will. And call me if you have any problems."

"Will do."

Ianto's temperature increased dramatically during the night. Owen stayed beside him, seriously considering calling an ambulance several times.

Owen administered fluids through an IV in a bid to bring his temperature down but it continued to rage as the night progressed.

Ianto was barely conscious, the fever creating wild and vivid nightmares . He called out for Jack repeatedly.

"They're coming Jack, they're coming." He called out desperately, trying to warn Jack against the invisible threats. "They're going to kill us, there's nothing we can do."

Owen had no idea what alien had Ianto so frightened.

"Please help me. They're all dead. The tower is burning."

It struck Owen that is was the Fall of Torchwood One that he was dreaming about.

"Ianto? Can you hear me?"

"Where are you Jack?" Ianto begged, tears slipping out from his closed eyelids. "Please."

"Ianto, you're safe. You're ill but you are safe. It's just a nightmare."

Ianto was soothed for a moment.

"Want to go home." He murmured without opening his eyes.

"You are at home Ianto, you're in your flat."

"No," he continued, "I want to go home."

It was dark when Ianto blurrily opened his eyes. His skin felt damp with sweat but he was shivering uncontrollably. His head pounded as he tried to sit up, the world seemed to spin around him.

His bedroom door opened and someone unfamiliar walked in. Who was in his flat? "What? Who?"

"Ianto? Its Owen. How are you feeling?" Owen stood beside him and placed his hand onto Ianto's forehead.

"This temperature is still too high. We need to get it down quicker."

Ianto watched with a fever confused brain as Owen left the room. He watched the pattern on the curtains morph into animals and which ran across the ceiling until Owen returned to the room with a bowl and a washcloth.

Owen soaked the cloth and wrung it out before wiping Ianto's sweat soaked brow.

Ianto moved his head, following something around the room with his eyes. "Owen."

"What?"

"Aren't you going to do something about it?"

"About what?"

"The Weevil."

"What Weevil?"

"The one stood in the corner of the room. In a dress. I'd get rid of it myself but I don't think I can stand up at the moment."

"Er, ok. You just ignore it, I'll have a word later, tell it to get lost."

"Thanks Owen. Can you tell the cockroaches running up the walls to go as well."

"Yep, I'll get rid of them all later." Owen reassured.

They stayed silent for a few minutes while Owen worked.

"Why are you in my bedroom?"

"'Cos you're sick mate and I need to get your temperature down."

"My chest hurts."

"You've got a chest infection."

Owen finished what he was doing and passed him another dose of paracetamol and antibiotics. "Swallow these." He said holding a glass of water for him to take a sip. "Have some more. I don't want you getting dehydrated."

Ianto managed another few sips before sinking back into the pillows. "I want my Mam." He murmured half asleep.

Owen smiled at how childlike he sounded. "Where is she? Can I contact her for you?"

Ianto shook his head. "She died while I was at uni."

"I'm sorry mate. Looks like you're going to have to put up with me looking after you."

"How are you feeling?" Owen asked Ianto as he opened his eyes.

"Strange." Ianto croaked in reply.

"You temperature is starting to come down at last so you should be feeling a bit more with it now."

"What's wrong with me?"

"You've got 'flu which you tried to work through, you've developed a serious chest infection, and I would guess that you've not been eating or sleeping properly since Jack left which has left your immune system compromised. You should have told me you were ill Ianto, that's what I'm here for. And when you get ill, you need to take time to rest, not throw yourself into work."

"But we were busy." Ianto replied weakly.

"Not so busy that you couldn't be sick. You don't have to suffer in silence. When you're feeling better we are going to have a long chat about your health, diet and sleeping patterns. You're going to start eating with us during the day, you're going to spend less time hiding in the archives and you're going to start leaving the Hub at a reasonable time at night."

"I do leave at a reasonable time."

"Tosh said that you we're still working at midnight the other night when she came back in to get her phone. And Gwen said that you were in when she got in at seven the next morning. Did you even go home?"

Ianto sighed. "No, I was sorting out a report for UNIT. They don't know that Jack isn't here. I've been forging his signatures, when anyone calls I've been telling them that he's busy and been talking to them myself."

"Why haven't you told them that he's not here?"

"Because they'll start interfering if they knew. Might send someone else in. We're better on our own."

"What are you going to do if he doesn't come back?" Owen said gently.

"He will do. And when he does everything can go back to normal." He sounded convinced, no doubt in his mind.

Owen frowned with concern, unsure what Ianto would do if Jack didn't come back.

"I found some soup in the back of your cupboard, you think you can eat it?"

Ianto's stomach turned at the sound of food. "No, no I can't."

"Ok, you need to keep drinking then." He said handing Ianto the glass of water.

Ianto tossed and turned through fever-induced nightmares. He felt a cool hand on his head as he started to wake. "Tosh?" He croaked as he opened his eyes.

"Hi. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." He lied. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking care of you. Owen's gone back to the Hub."

"You should go too. They can't manage with just two."

"They'll be fine. Everything is quiet. They'll call me if they need me."

"I'm fine Tosh. I don't need anyone looking after me."

"Just relax and enjoy being fussed over."

"I need to get back to the Hub. If UNIT call..."

"It alright. Owen told us. If UNIT call then we'll tell them that Jack is out. Owen and Gwen can handle them."

"I need to be there." He murmured.

"They'll be fine. You need to rest and get better. Go back to sleep, Ianto. Everything will seem better tomorrow."

Ianto stumbled out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. Nausea had rolled in his stomach as he slept until finally it had woken him. He retched over the toilet, leaning his head against the cold porcelain between bouts. He didn't hear the bathroom door being opened behind him.

"Here sweetheart." A voice said, handing a glass of water to him.

"Gwen? What are you doing here?" He asked, accepting the glass.

"Tosh needed to get back to the Hub to do some technical stuff. So I came to keep an eye on you."

"You don't need too. I'm fine here by myself."

"To be honest, Owen is getting on my nerves so I could do with a break from the place. How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?"

Ianto shook his head.

"Owen thinks you should feel a lot better in a few days. Your temperature is starting to go down now."

"I have never felt this rough before." Ianto said as Gwen took the glass out of his shaking hands.

"Do you want to go back to bed?"

"No, I want to shower."

"I don't think that is such a good idea, sweetheart." Gwen said but Ianto was already using the sink to pull himself up and had pushed the shower cubicle door open. He grabbed a towel from the radiator and turned the shower on.

"I'm leaving the door open then and I'm going to stand outside, ok?"

"Fine. I just really need to shower."

"Ok, shout if you need anything."

She listened carefully to the sound of running water, and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the water stop. She followed him as he stumbled back into his bedroom, amused slightly at the sight of him stood only in a towel. Gwen handed him some clean pyjamas and left him to dress, returning a few minutes later with another glass of water and a handful of tablets.

"Here you go, sweetheart." She pulled the duvet over him and took the glass back. "Nos da, sleep well." She said quietly.

"No one has said 'nos da' to me since my Mam died." Ianto murmured.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it was nice." He replied, falling back to sleep.

"How you feeling mate?"

"Better I think."

"Well your temperature is coming down, so I think your over the worst of it now. You're still going to feel weak for a while."

Ianto relaxed back into the sofa, rubbing his eyes. "Thanks Owen. For looking after me and everything."

"We're a team. Anyway, I promised you a lecture when you were feeling better. Now's as good a time as any. Mate, I know you're just trying to keep us afloat but you really need to take better care of yourself. We can all be doing a bit more to take the pressure off you. It's only fair. And you need to stop working to take your mind off Jack's absence."

"I'm not even sure I noticed I was doing it."

"Ianto! Welcome back sweetheart, it's good to see you. How are you feeling?" Gwen said, hugging Ianto warmly as soon as he appeared in the Hub.

"Much better thank you Gwen. What are you doing here so early?" He replied, straightening his tie. He'd been expecting to be the first in as usual, he'd been planning on tackling the mess that had surely appeared in his absence.

"It was my turn to come in early, we made a rota so someone is in early each day and someone is in late. Seems to be working so far."

Ianto survey the Hub as she spoke. It was strangely tidy.

Gwen watched his looking around the Hub in surprise. "We did our best to keep the place tidy for you." She said gently.

"Diolch yn fawr." He replied with a smile.

Nos da means good night.
Diolch yn fawr means thank you very much.

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