Note: Contains a script spoiler from 4x02, The Fires of Pompeii, but not really a plot spoiler.
Of course Jack was worried. He was always worried. But the trick was, he though smugly to himself as he knelt by the Doctor's side, never letting anyone know it.
"He must have been under the influence of the toxin when he input the coordinates, to send us to some voyeuristic pervert." Donna muttered aloud.
Jack looked up at her, one eye brow raised. "And that's a bad thing why, exactly?"
A hand gripped Jack's ankle. "Don't." Said the Doctor in a warning tone.
Jack couldn't suppress a wide grin.
"...drink the water. It's got zebra in it." The Doctor finished.
Jacks grin froze. "He's really out of it. You said something about a toxin?"
Donna handed him the spear. "He got hit with this, here," She said, still holding the bloody rags to his leg with one hand. "And he said that the sap of the wood is a neurotoxin. Said someone named Jack would know what to do, and sent us here."
"Right..." Said Jack, no longer smiling. No sooner had he turned his head to call him, Ianto Jones rushed into the TARDIS. He paused mid stride for a moment to admire the interior, and then continued over to Donna and Jack.
"Hybrid Alien/Human Med Kit. If it's alive by any definition, I've got medicine here to treat it." Ianto said, opening a light green briefcase. "I understand it was a poisoned spear?"
"That's right, it's over there." Donna said. "You must be Jack. I'm Donna Noble. I'd offer you my hand but..."
Ianto didn't smile. "I can see you're busy." He stammered, looking to Jack with pure confusion.
"That's fine with me," Jack said, grinning. "You can be Jack for a day. We can trade back tomorrow."
Donna stared at him. "Don't tell me you're actually who he thought would take care of him."
Jack wasn't listening. "Oh! I'll be Gwen tomorrow. Whadya think?"
Ianto wasn't paying any attention. He had just finished tying a tourniquet around the Doctor's leg, and was now carefully setting a blood sample onto a test tray.
"What's that then?" Donna asked.
"It's a species identity matrix analyzer. One drop of blood and I can know what treatment to begin, and what drugs to avoid." Ianto replied, holding the small plastic card carefully.
No one really expected it to burst into flames, least of all the Doctor who began giggling uncontrollably.
"Ashes, ashes, we all fall..." He sang, trailing off, confused. "Which way do we fall again?"
Ianto started dumbly at his hand. "That never happened to Owen..."
"Yeah." Jack said somberly. "But then again, this Time Lord never had the privilege of meeting Owen."
Jack considered the situation. Torchwood had no data on the medical needs of a Time Lord, and he didn't' know what kind of damage the toxin would do in the meantime.
"Ianto, get a sample of his blood, run it through the full spectrum analysis unit and while it's on, call UNIT. Have them send us all their information regarding Time Lord physiology, and see if the toxin is in our system or theirs."
Jack turned to the Doctor and Donna. "In the mean time, I'm going to stay with him. I'll call Gwen in, she can speak to you Donna."
He looked her in the eyes, holding her gaze. His voice was low. "My name's Captain Jack Harkness by the way, and I will do everything in my power to help him."
"Good." Said Donna warily. "First things, let's move him."
She peered past the doors and smirked. "So does your bat cave have a bed we can use?"
Jack raised his eyebrows slightly. "Of course."
Carefully the two picked up the Doctor, Jack holding him by the shoulders and Donna by his feet. They had barely gotten him out of the TARDIS when Donna shrieked. The Dactyl replied in kind as is sailed past.
"Not so much a bat cave. We're very much pro-time travel here at Torchwood." Jack said casually.
Donna kept her eyes on the dactyl crossly as they carried the Doctor up and into the medical lab. Gently they set him down on the table. The Doctor's eyes were closed, but his eyes rolled under their lids. Jack reached in his pocket and activated his phone. The blue lights on his jaw piece flashed.
"Jack?" Came a sleepy voice. "It's 3 in the morning..."
"Yeah, need you here now. We have two," He glanced at Donna, "VIPs here."
"Ok, be there in 15."
"Make it 10." Jack said, clicking the phone off.
Ianto rushed down the stairs with a thick bundle of paper. He fanned it out on the cabinets, selected a few sheets and brought them to Jack.
"UNIT had plenty on his physiology, but nearly nothing on the toxin." Ianto began, thumbing through the papers. "They've only ever encountered it once, a kid who bought drugs from a rift jumper. The effects wear off within 8 hours for a human male when it's ingested. Given the application here, it should pass within 4-6 hours tops. It causes hallucinations and sedation in humans."
Ianto paused. "That is, if he's similar to us. If not, there's no telling what the drug has done, and if the effects are permanent."
Jack nodded, hands in his pockets. "Any aftereffects?"
"Headache, nausea, that's all that's here." Ianto looked at the Doctor. "However, Doctor Jones made it perfectly clear that in no circumstances can we give him aspirin."
"Aspirin?" Jack and Donna asked at the same time.
"Yes, aspirin, sir. Ma'am." He added, nodding deferentially at Donna. "Apparently his race is highly intolerant of the drug. It's fatal even at low doses, according to their files."
"Huh." Murmured Jack. "Learn something about you every day."
Ianto coughed. "Doctor Jones informed me she's headed up here now, and should arrive within the hour. UNIT is sending her by military jet."
Jack nodded, smiling. "We're only short one now." He whispered to himself.
All three watched the Doctor in silence for a moment before Ianto spoke.
"Who is he, sir?"
Damn, thought Jack. Here was a conversation he'd been hoping to avoid. And at the same time, he felt giddy for reasons he couldn't put to words.
"His name is the Doctor." Jack said quietly, not breaking eye contact with Ianto.
Ianto stared back, trying to cover his emotions. He failed. "The Doctor you left us for?" He inquired softly, hurt.
Jack sighed heavily. "Yes. And he showed me why I had to come back to all of you."
Ianto nodded, clearly agitated. "If you'd care for anything ma'am, please feel free to ask." He said to Donna in passing as he trotted up the stairs and out of the room.
Jack placed his hands on the counter top behind him and looked upwards. "That..." He said to no one in particular, "Could have gone much better."
Donna was busy digging though her purse. "I don't want to hear about your boy problems, y'understand?" She quipped crossly.
Jack stared, mouth slightly agape. The Doctor has once mentioned Donna had a habit of speaking her mind and that she was "a bit" calloused, but he never known him to understate a point to such a degree.
"So. You know about this alien artifacts yeah?" Donna said, placing the figurine on the table. "Why dontcha tell me about this?"
Jack walked over to examine the small idol, and held it in the palm of his hand. It was made of coarse stone that had been worn smooth around it's oversize head. That seemed to be the focal point of it. The body was less than ΒΌ of the sculpture Jack guessed. The head was perfectly spherical with giant gem eyes, high cheek bones, and a small slit of a mouth. The gems flashed like ovals in the harsh light of the med bay.
"It's cute." Jack said, "Might put it in my garden, keep the gnomes in line."
"Are you capable of being serious about anything?" Donna muttered, snatching the idol back and putting it in her purse.
"Ah, sure he is. Just not, you know," The Doctor sniffed, sitting up. "When you feel he needs to be."
"Doctor?" Jack and Donna asked at the same time.
The Doctor grinned. " 'ello!" He swung his feet over the edge of the table and took stock of his surroundings.
"Really wish you woulda put me somewhere else Jack," The Doctor said, looking warily at the rolling table set out neatly with surgical tools by the bed, and the harsh lighting above. "I have this thing about morgues. And bad surgeons. Well, I say bad, I mean inexperienced."
He went to stand up and promptly sat down, grabbing his leg. "Nice of you two to take the time to get me some pain killers!" He said irritably, voice high. "You didn't even suture the thing! I thought you said this sewer had a doctor."
Jack's face hardened. "We lost Owen."
"I'm sorry." The Doctor said, taken aback by Jack's response.
"Yeah, you sure seem it now." Jack replied with hostility.
"What happened, Jack?" The Doctor asked quietly, untying the tourniquet.
"Grey happened. He bombed the city, held me prisoner, and killed Owen and Tosh."
The Doctor silently regarded Jack.
"Don't you have anything to say?" Jack raged.
"I'm sorry." He said again, tying the tourniquet around the gauze packed on either side of his leg.
Jack spun, his blue coat trailing behind him and walked away. He knew saying what he wanted to wouldn't get him anywhere, but it would have felt good at least in the short term to tell him off.
Donna watched the whole exchange without saying a word, but felt like crying. She understood from his response that whatever events brought the deaths of these two were fixed. Destined. It frightened her, sometimes, that when he looked at her he could see where she began and where she had ended. What had he said? 'What is, what was, what could be...
"... what must not." She finished softly, unaware she was speaking aloud.
The Doctor ran his hands through his hair. "Donna?" He asked quietly
"Yeah?" She turned to him, embarrassed.
"You think you could get me a cup of coffee?" He asked, smiling weakly. "My head is killing me."
"Sure." She said, happy to take her leave. She walked up the stairs, pausing to look over her shoulder. The Doctor sat with his back hunched, head down.
The Torchwood institute was impressive (although she'd never admit it) in a very somber way. The rippling light cast flowing shadows which seemed to match the graphics from the numerous computer consoles. Above, the catwalks only slightly obscured the view of the high ceiling. She didn't see anyone.
"Oi!" She thundered.
Just then, a large circular door rolled away to reveal a small brunette. She smiled at Donna and waved, one hand on her hip.
"You must be one of our VIPs then?" She asked, walking quickly to her. "Gwen Cooper, nice to meet you."
Donna extended her hand. "Donna Noble." She said, smiling.
"So, where's Jack and Ianto?" Gwen asked, peering over Donna.
"I don't know. Doctor sent me out to get a cup of coffee for 'im and I can't find either of 'em."
Gwen's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm sorry, the Doctor?"
"Yeah," Explained Donna for what felt like the hundredth time since she's started to travel with him. "His name is the Doctor. No last name, no first name, just Doctor."
"I really need to speak to Jack." Gwen said hastily.
"And I really need a cup of coffee. Two, really." Donna said.
Gwen took her phone from her pocket and dialed. She tapped her foot impatiently.
"Yeah could you please?"
Donna listened intently.
"Can't you put that aside for a moment?"
Gwen was silent. Donna could hear the man speaking rapidly, clearly upset, but couldn't make out the words.
"Listen, either you do it or I do it and kill both of them, so let's go, OK? We can talk latter, I promise."
She hung up, and looked up expectantly. Within a few moments, Ianto Jones opened an office door and walked out. He glanced down at Gwen, and upon seeing Donna turned his back to her. He raised one of his cuffs to his face and held it there, still walking. He quickly descended the stairs and seemed to have regained his composure by the time he'd reached Donna and Gwen, but the skin below his eyes was swollen.
"You needed something ma'am?" He asked, hands behind his back.
"Yeah,' Donna said, shifting her weight uncomfortably. "Ah, two coffees. If it's not to much trouble."
"Certainly." Ianto said, rushing off. He felt as though he couldn't get away from her quickly enough. He stopped and turned back to them. "Gwen, Jack needs to speak with you. He's in his office."
"Right." She said. Turning her gaze to Donna, she said, "Why don't you go with Ianto while I speak with Jack?"
Ianto cringed. He didn't know the woman, he didn't know that man, but he certainly knew he was responsible for making Jack disappear and that was enough for him to dislike him. And at the same time he couldn't deny he was curious. An idea struck him.
"Right this way, Ma'am." Ianto smiled.
