SUSPENSION 4

Ianto woke up gagging and thrashing against his sheets. He panicked when his legs got tangled and ended up on the floor in a breathless shaking heap. To his horror he realised there was something in his mouth and he spat it out in a furious terror mistaking what he saw for blood. His breath hitching violently against burning lungs when he realised there was a spit soaked red rose petal on the carpet between his feet. His pounding heart thumped against his ribs and thundered in his ears as he stared at it. Nausea clutched at his gut and once again he was lunging for the bathroom. He tripped over the sheet and fell, cracking his head against the chest of drawers as he went down with a heavy thud. A Welsh curse escaped him as he rose to his feet a second time and staggered the rest of the way through blood blurred vision, he could hear childish laughter in his ears as he threw up on the tiled bathroom floor.

It was 2am when Ianto entered the Hub nursing a large egg and purpling bruise on his left temple. He wasn't certain how he had managed the walk and he was eternally grateful for the fact that Owen was there (For once) when he arrived. Owen was dealing with an old lady's corpse when he staggered down the steps into the autopsy bay.

"Jeez Ianto, what happened to you?"

The medic respectfully covered the body with a sheet before fixing his attention on Ianto. Ianto tried to remain composed but he was tired and emotional, the nightmare still fresh in his memory as well as the rose petal that had been in his mouth.

"I fell and hit my head, then I was sick." He replied. He sat heavily in a chair and Owen pulled out his hand scanner.

"You been drinking?"

"No. I woke from a bad dream."

A bright light was shone into his eyes for far too long to be comfortable.

"Well I don't think you have a concussion, but you'll have a shiner in the morning. Won't need any stitches either, I'm going to take some blood, check your iron levels and blood glucose."

Ianto held out his arm and turned his face away from the needle.

"Who is the old lady?"

"Some friend of Jack's. We were about to call you in actually, you're on clean up duty with Jack back at her house, just as soon as he's done blubbering into his whiskey."

Ianto sighed. "I see. What happened to her?"

Owen finished up and taped a cotton ball to Ianto's skin. "Well, she died, obviously!"

Jack took one look at Ianto's forehead and decided that he would do the driving. He half considered taking Gwen to clear Estelle's house, but he'd had quite enough of her questions for one night. Kind as her intentions were; he just wasn't in the mood for her gushing sympathy right now. When they arrived at Estelle's house Jack turned to face Ianto.

"I'll need you to find Moses." He said flatly.

If he wasn't so sore Ianto would have raised his eyebrows. "And Moses is?"

"A cat, a nice black and white cat. You can handle that can't you?" Jack snapped.

Ianto nodded. "Of course, sir. I'll find him." He got out of the SUV and went to the boot to get a small containment case.

As it happened it took Ianto less than ten minutes to bag the cat. Once done he returned to the SUV and put the cat in the box on the back seat and touched the com in his ear.

"I have the cat sir, do you want me to come and assist you inside?" his tone was a neutral as ever.

"No, wait in the SUV. I'll be out shortly."

Ianto sat in the front in the front passenger listening to the cat growling and swearing angrily and watching the trees swaying in the bleak night. He must have drifted off because he was jarred into wakefulness by Jack getting behind the wheel with a sombre expression on his face that was match for Ianto's. Jack keyed the ignition.

"What happened to your face?"

"Hit my head at home. Owen checked me. I'm ok if you don't include the throbbing behind my eyes." Ianto replied turning to look at the pile of things Jack had dumped on the seat next to the cat carrier. "What did you want me to do with the cat?"

"Just try to get him rehomed for me, please."

Ianto nodded. "Of course, sir."

Jack's grip tightened on the steering wheel with annoyance. "Your 'of course sir' is really starting to piss me off."

Ianto allowed himself him a tiny victory smile. "You are my superior officer, what else do you expect me to call you?"

"My name."

Ianto turned and faced him this time his face bland. "And what would that be, sir?"

Jack slammed on the brakes and faced him, enraged. "You are a nasty little shit aren't you? What is it Ianto? Why are you so hell bent on fighting me?"

Ianto maintained his composure. "All I did was ask you your name. I know full well it isn't Jack Harkness. Captain Jack Harkness died in 1941 on a training exercise. You accused me of lying sir, of hiding myself...."

"Get out!"

Ianto acknowledged the danger he faced with that tone and unfastened his seat belt.

"If you want to earn my respect sir, if you and I are going to stop dancing around this minefield then I suggest you start being honest with me." He got out and slammed the door shut. Jack sped away without looking back. Shaking his head, Ianto walked home unnerved by the feeling of being watched as he hurried along.