Five Go Mad in 1969
Chapter Four
Mac had his eyes closed listening to Mendelssohn's Hebrides Suite when his pager beeped. He fumbled around until he found it – under an empty pizza box – and checked the number: Jack, at home. Curious, he went to the telephone in the kitchen and dialled.
"Mac, is that you?"
"Yeah. What's the matter?" Mac had never heard his colleague so frazzled.
"Got a situation. Need you to go to Ianto's mom's and pick up Owen. Like now!"
"Who's hurt?" Mac was grabbing car keys as he spoke. He only realised Jack hadn't answered when the line returned to dialling tone.
Putting on shoes and a jacket he was out of the house and in his car in less than three minutes. It was normally twenty minutes to Penarth, Mac did it in twelve. Jumping from the car, he was on his way up the path when he spotted Owen getting off a bus and waited. He grinned as Owen drew near.
"What happened to you?" Owen's left eye was swollen and discoloured. A trickle of dried blood ran from a cut above the eye down the side of his face.
"Nothing. Emergency? I'll get my bag." He was gone. When he reappeared no more than two minutes later, Mrs Jones stood anxiously in the doorway looking after him. "Let's go," said Owen, opening the passenger door.
They drove for a minute or two then Mac had to ask. "Jealous boyfriend?"
"Something like that."
Clearly he was not going to explain further and Mac stayed quiet for the rest of the journey to Grangetown. When he drew up as close as he could get to Jack and Ianto's place, Owen looked round in surprise.
"I thought it was Weevils or something."
"No idea. Jack just said to bring you pronto."
Mac rang the outer bell and the lock clicked open. The two men climbed the five flights of stairs two at a time to find the flat door ajar. They entered cautiously, not knowing what they would find. Mac went down the corridor, checking the bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms. Owen went into the living room. It was a mess. Clearly there had been a violent altercation which had disarranged the furniture but the most obvious evidence was the body of John Hart lying in a heap under the far window. He was naked, bloody and unconscious. Owen stepped towards him.
"Not him! Ianto. I don't know what to do with him." Only then did Owen see that Jack was holding Ianto, also naked, in his arms. "That bastard gave him something. He was ranting and raving, on a high, and then … then he just … He collapsed and I can't …" Tears were in Jack's eyes.
"Let me look."
Gently pushing Jack aside, Owen knelt beside the couch on which Ianto was lying. He was pale and deeply unconscious but breathing without difficulty. A quick visual scan showed a few minor bruises only. Obviously he hadn't been the one to beat up Hart. Glancing at Jack, kneeling beside him stroking Ianto's hair, Owen spotted his bruised and bleeding knuckles but no other injuries. He'd been the one doing the fighting.
Mac came in by the other door and crouched by John Hart. The man was breathing noisily through a broken nose. He had been worked over by a very angry man and Mac looked over at Jack warily. Whatever had gone down here, clearly Jack had finished it with his fists.
"Do you have any idea what he took?" asked Owen, listening to Ianto's breathing. "Or how much? If it was a single dose he can stay here and sleep it off. If it was a lot, I'll have to get him to the hospital and pump his stomach."
"Coke. In beer." John had taunted Jack with the information. "Ianto's never had any before, neither of us have. We don't do hard stuff, just a little pot."
"Sounds like a classic reaction to a high. He's breathing fine. I think we can just leave him to come round on his own. Can you get him to bed?"
"Yeah." Jack scooped up the floppy body of his lover and carried him carefully from the room.
"Doc, this one needs attention," said Mac.
-ooOoo-
Mrs Cooper stared at the closed door of her daughter's room. The sound of sobbing was loud in the quiet house. She wished Geraint were here but he was at a golf club meeting; she had to make up her own mind about what to do. Gwen had driven up at speed, left the car parked awkwardly on the drive and slammed into the house before racing upstairs. Mary Cooper had tapped on the door and been told to 'Go away'. But she couldn't leave Gwen in this state. Resolutely she opened the door and walked to the bed.
"Whatever it is, you can tell me," she said, sitting down and pulling Gwen into her arms.
"Leave me alone," wailed Gwen, trying to get away.
"No. If you won't say, I'll just hold you."
Geraint found them there when he returned home an hour and a half later. Gwen's sobs had turned to tears until she had exhausted herself and dozed off. Mary put her finger to her lips and, together, two worried parents got their daughter undressed and into bed.
-ooOoo-
Mac went with the ambulance. Broken bones and possible internal bleeding would normally raise a flag in A&E but his Torchwood status would ensure any questions about John's injuries did not get as far as the police. Owen climbed back to the flat and closed the front door. As he had expected, there was coffee in the machine. He poured some into two mugs and carried them to the bedroom.
"Okay to come in?" he asked. "I have coffee."
"Sure. Thanks." Jack accepted the mug. He was sitting on the bed, back against the headboard, looking down at Ianto. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have let him stay."
Owen pulled over an upright chair and sat down. "What happened, Jack?"
"I don't know it all. When I got in from work they were both naked. Ianto was dancing on the couch and John was … touching him. Is there any way of telling if they fucked?" he asked suddenly. "John said … he said that … that they had." Tears were back in Jack's eyes.
"I doubt they did. But I can … look, if that's what you want."
"Please." Jack chewed his lip as the brief examination took place.
"No sign of recent sexual activity," said Owen in his most professional tone. He straightened the covers. When he got back to the chair, he found Myfanwy had got there before him. "No you don't," he said and put her down on the floor.
Jack sipped his coffee and stroked Ianto's hair. "I'd hate him to suffer for my stupidity."
"Always have to be the centre of attention, don't you, Jack. This isn't about you. Even I could see Ianto and John disliked one another."
"Over me. John and I had a thing, a long time ago. He hated me finding love with Ianto and was always hoping we'd break up." He put his mug on the bedside cabinet when Myfanwy jumped up on the bed and settled on his knee. "When he turned up like that, I should have known he was up to something."
"Well, you put him in the hospital. He'll know better next time."
Jack was silent for a few minutes, absently stroking Myfanwy who purred her appreciation. "He taunted me. I wanted to kill him."
"You almost did. His jaw's broken and at least one arm. Not sure his kidneys will come through intact either. Torchwood teach you to fight like that?"
"I get lots of practice."
"I'd better clean those knuckles for you. Let's go to the bathroom." He drained his mug and went off to get his medical bag.
After a moment Jack followed, leaving Myfanwy to keep Ianto company. "How long's he going to be out of it?"
Owen shrugged. "A few hours. Now, let's wash those hands of yours. You hurt anywhere else?" He didn't think so, Jack was moving too easily.
"No. He didn't manage to land a punch."
Owen cleaned Jack's hands and applied iodine to the sound of many exaggerated gasps of pain. "Don't be a baby. There, that'll do. No point bandaging them, let the scabs form and try not to knock them."
Sitting on the side of the bath, heads close together, Jack had had a close-up look at Owen's face. Purple bruising was forming fast. "Where'd the shiner come from?"
Owen finished what he was doing then turned. "Suppose you're going to have to know sometime. It was Rhys. He saw me kissing Gwen."
"You idiots! I wondered, after what she said last night, but I hoped I was wrong."
"Well, you were right." Owen peered into the mirror and winced at what he saw. "She wanted it and I obliged."
"That's not fair! Gwen may have been up for it but that doesn't excuse you. You know she's engaged to Rhys. Damn it, they're getting married next month! You should have said no."
"I know but I didn't. The booze and the party atmosphere got to us and it just happened."
Jack stared at him. "Party?"
"Your party. She came on to me in the car and we … did it." Owen couldn't meet Jack's gaze, finding a lot to reorganise in his medical bag.
"My birthday party?"
"Yeah."
"That was … months ago! You've been seeing her for three months? How often? Where?"
"Often enough and where doesn't matter. Will you just drop it, Jack? Gwen and I had an affair. I'm assuming it's over now."
"And her engagement? How does that stand?"
"I don't know! After I picked myself up, I left her and Rhys to –"
"You left her! You're a piece of work, Owen Harper." He paused. "It all makes sense now. The times I've called her and she's supposedly been working. She was with you, wasn't she? Like tonight. I only called Mac because I couldn't get her. Did she even make it home?"
Owen shrugged. Jack strode into the hall. He had enough on his plate already but he had to make sure Gwen was safe. He picked up the telephone and dialled.
-ooOoo-
Mac did not linger at the hospital once he had been assured John Hart would live and that he would be sedated for hours to come. He reported this to Jack, who was not interested, and then took Owen home. The doctor said little but it was two in the morning and his face must hurt so Mac did not press for explanations. He'd get it from Jack next day.
Letting himself in, Owen climbed the stairs making as little noise as possible. He was exhausted, his whole head ached and he couldn't see out of his left eye. He dropped his clothes on the floor and put on pyjama bottoms before visiting the bathroom. When he came out, he was not surprised to see Mrs Jones waiting for him. They went into his bedroom and closed the door so as not to disturb the student lodger in the other room.
"Let me look," she said quietly.
"No need. I'm a doctor, Auntie Enid, remember?" Nevertheless he sat on the bed and let her view his damaged face.
"You can see all right?"
"Before it swelled shut, yeah." She released his chin and he leant back against the wall.
She walked to the window and back again, just a few paces in this small room, before sitting beside him. "Mary Cooper rang. Gwen's in a state."
Owen bit his lip and avoided her gaze. This is what Jack had been told too. They hadn't got a lot more information but Owen was confident Rhys had not hurt Gwen. A row, yes, even a broken engagement, but not physical harm.
Mrs Jones looked at him sternly waiting for a response. When he said nothing and refused to look at her her suspicions were confirmed. "She's very distressed. Won't say why. I'm right then, you and she have been …"
"How did you know?" he said wearily sinking back against the wall.
"Found this among your dirty sports gear." She pulled a cream, lacy bra from her dressing gown pocket. "I was with Mary when she bought it."
"It all got a bit out of hand," he admitted. "Did you … did you say anything to Mrs Cooper?"
"No. That's for Gwen to decide. But I want your promise it's over and that you'll try to make things right for Gwen and Rhys."
"Oh, it's over all right."
He wasn't sure how but he wound up with his head on her shoulder pouring out his troubles. How drinking and casual sex were the only way he could cope with the gap in his life where Katie should have been, that he hated himself even as he did it and that he wanted to stop. She let him talk.
-ooOoo-
The light was too bright and Ianto scrunched up his eyes again. Lying still, he felt a weight on his chest and another pressing against his right side trapping that arm. What could it be? Raising his free arm, he gingerly touched the weight on his chest and encountered fur. Myfanwy. She wasn't usually allowed in the bedroom at night and he wondered how she had got in. The weight against his side shifted.
"Ianto? You awake?"
It was Jack lying against him. Ianto smiled and risked opening one eye. "Too bright," he murmured and closed it again.
Jack shifted again, turned off the bedside lamp and propped himself on one elbow. "Better?"
Cautiously Ianto raised an eyelid. "Yes. What time is it?"
"Nearly four. How do you feel?"
"Umm … I'm not sure. Kinda … weird."
"Have a drink, Owen said it would help."
"Owen?" Ianto obediently sucked on the straw. Fresh, cool water cleansed his woolly mouth and he drank thirstily. His brain lost some of its fuzziness and he struggled to sit up dislodging Myfanwy. The cat scooted to the foot of the bed and curled up with her back to her fickle owners. "Owen?" he repeated.
"What do you remember? The last thing?" asked Jack. He was relieved Ianto had woken at last but was wary of pushing him too hard.
"Having a bath. You were at work and –" He broke off abruptly.
"And what?"
"John came in with a beer. Bloody cheek! I didn't think to lock the door, got out of the habit." He and Jack knew not to enter if the door was closed. "You know what he called me? Eye-candy!"
Jack smiled at Ianto's indignation. "What happened then?"
"I drank the beer to get rid of him. After that … I don't know. It all goes fuzzy." Ianto frowned then stared at him. "But you're acting like you do know."
"I don't, not for sure."
"Did I get hurt?" He peered under the covers but other than a few bruises he looked okay. "Why was Owen here?"
"There was cocaine in the beer. John put it there to get you high."
Ianto's mouth was as round as his eyes. "Why?"
"To fuck you."
"No, tell me he didn't. Tell me, Jack, tell me I didn't let him –"
"You didn't. I got home before anything could happen." His own doubts allayed, Jack wrapped his arms round Ianto and held him close. "I'm sorry, Ianto. This is my fault. I should have been here."
They stayed like this for some time, both gaining reassurance from the contact. Haltingly they talked, Jack saying what he knew for sure which prompted Ianto's sluggish memory. Emotionally exhausted, Ianto fell into a natural sleep and Jack, still holding his lover, dozed too.
-ooOoo-
In his Riverside flat, Rhys stood looking out of the window. There was nothing moving in the side street, not even a stray cat or dog. The view was as barren as his thoughts. He'd heard rumours that Gwen had strayed in the past but had considered that to be behind her. To find her carrying on with Owen had come out of the blue. The question was, what to do now?
John's plan backfired but is Ianto really okay? What will Rhys do? These questions and others will be answered in the next chapter ...
A question. Does anyone know how to bookmark FF stories? I used to be able to but can't any more.
Finally, a thank you to IceElf2008. I can't reply to the reviews as your PM is disabled.