Happy New Year to you all! We rejoin the friends on Boxing Day (that's 26 December to non-Brits) ...
Five Go Mad at Christmas
Chapter Seven: Making Allies
"I'll meet you at the ground, close to four as I can make it," said Gwen between mouthfuls of scrambled egg. "You've got the tickets?"
"Safe upstairs. Thanks for getting them." Ianto refilled her coffee mug.
"Should be a good game. Rhys was really peeved he wouldn't get to see it." She laughed. "Told the silly bugger he shouldn't go home."
"When's he back?" asked Toshiko. She was at the toaster waiting for it to pop; a boiled egg was nothing without soldiers.
"Tomorrow. Driving up early in the morning," said Gwen. "Back to work for him." She took a slurp of coffee. "This is good. No one makes it quite like you, Ianto."
"Thanks." He smiled at her then went back to his sausage and bacon. "You're working tomorrow as well, that right?"
"Uh-huh. Then I've got five days off, back in on New Year's Day but not until the late shift." She stuffed the last of the egg in her mouth. "Gotta run now," she mumbled.
With a final swig of coffee she was on her feet and making for the door. It opened before she got there and Owen appeared. He was pale and hungover, hair sticking up untidily, eyes red and dressed in the trousers and shirt he'd been wearing for three days. He started when faced with Gwen and became even paler. "Gwen," he croaked.
"Humph!" She looked him up and down, contempt clear in her stance and expression. Brushing past him, she went into the hall without a further word.
Ianto didn't know what to do for the best: go after Gwen or stay with Owen and Toshiko. He went into the hall where Gwen was already in her uniform jacket. "Sorry about that," he said not sure why he was apologising. She had to meet Owen some time. He would be around for another few days at least and Gwen couldn't avoid him unless she stayed away from the rest of them.
She paused then looked at him. "Don't ask me to feel sorry for him, Ianto. I can't do it."
"I know. Maybe, in time …"
"And pigs might fly." She picked up her bag and headed outside.
Ianto watched her drive off. Despite her words, he thought that, in time, she would come round. She and Owen may never become bosom buddies but then they hadn't been to begin with. Ianto would be content if the pair managed to be civil to one another. Thinking of Owen, he quickly closed the door and headed back to the kitchen. In passing, he glanced up the stairs and wished Jack would hurry up.
"Cheers, Tosh." Owen was sitting at the table in the seat Gwen had just vacated. He clutched a large glass of milk and was sipping it carefully. She went back to the toaster loading it with more bread.
"I'll do that. You sit down," said Ianto quickly.
"Thanks." Her egg was waiting for her and she was hungry. "Owen says he'll have some buttered toast."
"I said I'll try it. Don't know if it'll stay down."
"You want anything? There's aspirin or Alka-Seltzer," offered Ianto.
"No. The stuff Tosh gave me before seems to be working."
Toshiko noticed Ianto's confusion. "I gave him Alka-Seltzer when he was throwing up earlier." She concentrated on her egg, dipping the toast soldiers into the creamy yolk, and avoided his enquiring gaze.
"What was Gwen doing here?" asked Owen.
"She slept here last night." Ianto placed a slice of toast on a plate and gave it to Owen. He took the other slice for himself and sat at the table.
"Why?" In the ensuing silence he guessed why. "Oh, you told her I was here. Come to protect you from me, did she, Tosh?"
"I can look after myself."
"'Cos you can. Sensible girl, you are." Owen gingerly bit his toast and chewed. "And Jack? Where's he?"
Ianto answered. "In bed still, lazy blighter. I'll get him up soon."
Owen sniggered. He was feeling better for the medication, sleep and food. His head still ached and felt too heavy for his neck but at least his mind was clearing. This was a good and a bad thing. With a clear mind came memories, mainly images of Katie lying dead. Ianto was talking again and Owen listened gratefully, eager to have something else to think about.
"Mam's coming over later, for lunch. She knows about Katie. I had to tell her."
"Sure." The toast went dry in his mouth but Owen continued to eat. "Everyone's got to know. Do I have to do an announcement? In the paper?"
"You can, if you want. Let's think of that later." Ianto was uncomfortable talking about Katie in front of Toshiko. "Before you do anything else, you need a bath and a change of clothes."
"Suppose I do pong a bit. Okay if I have some coffee?" The machine was burbling on the side.
"I'll get it for you."
"No need. I'll do it meself. Then I'll have that bath. Don't want to look a mess for Auntie Enid."
-ooOoo-
With Owen taking a much-needed bath, Ianto sorted through the clothes Jack had packed in the holdall. He had meant to do it before but with one thing and another it had slipped his mind. As each creased item was revealed he regretted leaving it so long. Laying it all on the bed, he surveyed the eclectic mixture. Jack had strange ideas about what to pack at the best of times but he had excelled himself for Owen. The two pairs of jeans were okay but there were only dress shirts to go with them. A zipped cardigan suitable for a grandfather was there too, Lord knows where Owen had got that. For some reason Jack had picked up four pairs of shoes but only one pair of underpants. For bed there was a pyjama jacket but no bottoms. It was hardly enough to see Owen through one day let alone a week to New Year. Leaving this poor selection, Ianto went to raid his own wardrobe. Owen was shorter and slighter but that didn't matter too much for shirts and underwear. The one item Ianto did not have was spare pyjamas. He didn't normally wear them and had brought a pair only in deference to sharing the house with Toshiko.
"You're a lousy packer," he complained to Jack.
"A what?" The American was sitting on the bed putting on his boots.
"Packer. The stuff you brought for Owen is bad even for you. Only one pair of underpants? What were you thinking!" The drawer was not as full as Ianto had remembered. If he let Owen have some of his clothes, he'd have to do a some washing today or tomorrow or go commando himself.
"It was a bit of a rush. Owen ranting and raving and Hartman wanting to lock him up. Was lucky to get anything." Jack was peering over his shoulder. "Not the red ones, I like you in the red ones." He snatched the underpants out of Ianto's hands.
"He's got to wear something! And there's no pyjama bottoms, just a top. I ask you!"
"You can give him those. I like you without bottoms!" A hand caressed the Welshman's firm behind.
Ianto ignored the comment and the hand. "What have you got?"
"Not my gear! You wouldn't let me bring much." This was true. The car had been full of Christmas presents and food so space for cases had been limited especially with Toshiko travelling with them. "What about Mr Sato's? There must be some of his stuff around."
"Actually that's a good idea," Ianto admitted. "That's if Tosh agrees. We are really asking a lot of her."
"She can take it. Besides, I thought she was moving on now."
"It's going to take a lot more than last night for her to get over Owen. Let's go and ask her."
"Me too?"
"Yes. About time you did some of the dirty work."
Toshiko heard them out then said, "Of course you can. Dad's stuff is in the chest of drawers in the corner, help yourself." She replaced the towel she'd used to dry her hands. "I'm going out for a bit. I need some fresh air."
"Okay. Thanks, Tosh," said Ianto. "You remember Mam's coming over?"
"I'll be back before lunch." With a smile, she walked out of the room.
Jack looked at Ianto. "Curious."
"Not at all. She's got a lot to think about. You get on with the drying up. I'll check on Owen and get the clothes sorted. I'm going to try and find out what he knows or doesn't know about Katie."
"Be careful. Probe too hard and he might wonder why you want to know." Jack picked up the tea towel.
"I know!"
Ianto met Toshiko in the hall. She was putting on a coat – over a smart pair of trousers and fitted blouse – before pulling on a woollen hat. He was surprised when she took her car keys. Not a walk on the beach then.
-ooOoo-
The town centre was quite busy for Boxing Day morning. Howells and some clothing shops were open for the first day of the post-Christmas sales which drew hordes of bargain hunters. More people had chosen to window-shop or walk along the river and by the castle, frequenting the cafés that had opened on purpose to catch the trade. The Castle Tearooms were on Duke Street, one of the more up-market establishments. Toshiko entered and looked round nervously. Half the tables were occupied and uniformed waitresses buzzed between them carrying plates of delicious cakes and trays of tea and coffee.
"May I help you?" A middle-aged waitress was standing in front of her.
"I'm meeting someone. Well, it wasn't definite … she's obviously decided not to come. Sorry, I'll leave it."
"Toshiko! Over here."
"There's your friend. I'll come and take your order in just a tic." The waitress turned to deal with a couple who had entered after Toshiko.
Forced to go forward, Toshiko threaded through the tables to the one where Mary sat. The blonde girl smiled brightly and gestured to a seat. "I haven't ordered yet, I was waiting for you. Relax, I won't bite."
"'Cos you won't." Toshiko added her coat to the one on the spare chair and sat down. The blonde was still smiling, her page boy hair gleaming in the overhead lights and reflected in the mirror behind her. Realising she was still wearing her hat, Toshiko reached up and pulled it off. Even wearing her better clothes and makeup she felt dowdy.
"You look beautiful. Don't do yourself down, you have looks and brains."
Toshiko stared at Mary. "How do you do that? Know what I'm thinking."
Mary shrugged and continued smiling. "I'll show you later. Now we need to order." The waitress stopped at their table. "A plate of cakes for two and tea for me, Earl Grey. Tosh?"
"I'll have tea too. Thanks."
"Now, how have those friends of yours been behaving? I don't know how you put up with them."
Something in Mary's open expression and her uncanny ability to read minds acted on Toshiko like a truth drug. Hesitantly at first and then more fluently, she told her new friend about Owen - what he had meant to her, how they had broken up, and the love she still felt for him despite recognising she should move on. Over the excellent tea and cakes, she unburdened her soul and was reassured by Mary's sympathetic support.
"You're so strong, Toshiko. You deserve better than Owen. And those other friends … well, they take you for granted. Forcing you to allow Owen to stay in your home, that's not the act of a friend." Mary placed a hand over Toshiko's and squeezed it while looking directly into her eyes. Empathy and perhaps something more emanated from her and flowed through the clasped hands to infuse Toshiko's soul.
"You're right. I've let them walk all over me."
"That's my girl. And I know how to help you stand up to them." She reached up and removed her pendant. "Here, take this."
The pendant was chunky, made of metal and transparent plastic in an abstract design. Holding it in her palm, Toshiko thought it resembled a shard of ice encased in a protective cover. It was lighter than she had expected. "I can't take this."
"Put it on."
Reluctantly, Toshiko fastened it around her neck. And was assailed by sound. Voices came at her from all sides, a cacophony of words that threatened to deafen her. She snatched at the pendant and roughly removed it. The sounds stopped immediately. "What is this!"
Mary shrugged. "I don't know. I found it a long time ago."
"Those sounds …"
"They're thoughts, the thoughts of the people sitting around us. Wearing that pendant, you can hear what people around you are thinking."
"It's frightening. I don't want it." She tried to return it to Mary but she sat back and refused to take it. "Please take it back."
"Try it again. With practice, you'll be able to isolate certain people's thoughts and filter out the rest." She nodded encouragingly. "Go on."
Even more reluctantly than before, Toshiko put the pendant on again. The voices assailed her but she was braced for it this time. She glanced at the table next to them where a mother and daughter were talking. 'Dozy old bat, if she thinks I'm giving up Peter she's mad,' came from the daughter. 'That boy's just like her father, a wastrel and a womaniser. I won't let her make the same mistake I did,' thought the mother. Toshiko was entranced but quickly looked away when the mother noticed her staring at them. 'That bike is beautiful, I have to have it.' 'My shoes are killing me.' 'Another Christmas like that and I'm emigrating!' 'I hate her, hate her, hate her, hate her.' 'Lucy is going to be so jealous I got that jacket for £5.' The thoughts of all the people in the restaurant rang in her mind.
"It's … it's incredible," said Toshiko. She tried reading Mary's thoughts but there was nothing.
"Don't try it on me, Tosh," laughed Mary. "I've had it too long to be caught out."
Fearing her brain would overload, Toshiko removed the pendant. The silence was heavenly. Examining the pendant more closely, she asked, "But how does it work?"
"No idea. You've probably got more chance of finding out than me. You're the engineer." Mary reached for her coat. "Let's go."
-ooOoo-
The front door closed with sufficient noise to be heard upstairs. Good, thought Ianto, Jack's gone to get Mam. He turned back to Owen who was standing by the window looking out at the sea. The cousins had been talking for an hour and gone over the practicalities of death. A notepad lay on the side containing a list of the various things to be done, most of which would have to wait until the New Year. Katie had been orphaned at fourteen and brought up by an elderly aunt who had died last year. She had no other relatives but many friends. Consequently, the burden of making the arrangements fell to Owen who had decided on a quiet funeral and a memorial service in a month or two. Her life deserved to be celebrated not mourned. Her rented flat could be released as soon as it was cleared of her belongings, a task Ianto had offered to undertake. He and Jack would box up everything and, when he was ready, Owen could decide what he wanted to keep.
"I can't think of anything else we need to do."
"No." Owen turned round to face into the room. "Thanks, Ianto. I wouldn't have known where to start."
"It's what I remember from when Tad died. I wasn't here to help Mam with a lot of it, of course, but we talked about it all. Wasn't here when he died either. I regret that."
"I wish I could forget it! Katie's that is."
"Want to talk about it?" Ianto leant back against the wall, his legs sticking out across the bed.
Owen ran a hand through his still-damp hair. "Maybe. You see … No, I'd better not say anything."
"You can say anything to me, Owen. I promise not to judge or to pass it on to anyone else. Even Jack."
"Right." The scepticism was clear.
"I promise. When have I ever broken my word?" Ianto knew he was telling at best half-truths. If Owen told him anything of interest to Torchwood he was duty-bound to pass it on. And he would but only if necessary to keep Owen out the new Director's clutches; she already had a bad reputation. Anything else he would keep to himself.
"You're an honest bloke."
Owen sat on the low chair, forearms resting on his knees. For the past two days he had worried over the circumstances of Katie's death. The hospital authorities had refused to believe him and the strange Scotsman had gone out of his way to persuade him events hadn't happened as Owen remembered them. He glanced up at Ianto. His cousin was a researcher for some government department and might be able to help him get to the truth. It was worth giving it a try.
"Katie was taken to theatre very quick. Garrett knew he had to act fast to … to save her. He's the … was the best neurosurgeon I know. I waited outside for hours. There was a light and a noise. I looked in. I was going to stay by the door but then I saw them."
"Who?" prompted Ianto.
"Garrett and his team. They were on the floor, lying there like they'd been knocked out. There was a funny smell too. But even as I took all this in, it was Katie I was concerned about. I mean, no one was looking after her." Owen was wringing his hands. "I went up to her, God knows what I thought I was going to do, I'm not a surgeon, but then I saw it."
"Saw what?"
"Her head. Her brain was exposed and there was … things growin' out of it."
Ianto watched Owen very carefully. This was the crucial moment. Owen didn't appear to want to believe what he saw – the parasite growing on Katie's brain – but there was no doubt he had seen it and seen it clearly. Trying to persuade him otherwise was not going to work. In a sudden change of direction, Ianto abandoned all thoughts of feeding him the cover story and decided to become his confidant and assistant in trying to find the truth. That way he could control all ensuing research and feed him misinformation.
"Are you sure? I mean what were they?"
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it." Owen's hands were still and he was gazing at Ianto. "You believe me? No one else did!"
"I admit it sounds like something out of science-fiction. You know, Invasion of the Body Snatchers or something, but if you say you saw it then I believe you."
"Thank you. I thought I was going bonkers." He took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. "This Scots bloke came in, never seen him before, and bundled me off. I tried to tell Matron and the Head of Medicine what had happened but they didn't believe me. Said Katie had died on the table. That Dr Garrett and his team had left to attend some emergency. Codswallop! They were all dead in that operating theatre. I saw them!"
Ianto was off the bed and kneeling in front of Owen. He grasped both his hands. "It's okay. I believe you. I don't know how, but we'll prove them wrong if we can. There must be some records to show what went on." Even as he spoke, Ianto wondered when he had learnt to lie with such ease. When he had joined Torchwood? Or when he and Jack had begun living together? Both required him to pretend and it was second nature now.
"Records, yeah, the hospital's got to have some and no one can tamper with those."
Don't you believe it, thought Ianto. Torchwood was extremely efficient at doctoring or losing records it decided were inconvenient. "Let me think about it. It's a lot to take in but I'm sure we can come up with a plan of what to do next."
"Thanks, Ianto." Unexpectedly, Owen hugged his cousin. It was such a relief to have someone on his side.
Ianto patted Owen on the back feeling about as bad as one could.
-ooOoo-
When Toshiko got home just before midday she found everyone in the kitchen. The three boys and Mrs Jones were preparing the meal together, drinking a bottle of cheap champagne supplied by Jack, and Toshiko joined them. The five drank as potatoes were scrubbed for baking (Owen), the turkey carcass denuded of all available meat (Jack), salads prepared (Mrs Jones), the dining table laid with the best crockery, cutlery and glassware (Ianto) and soup prepared (Toshiko). After the meal, when a couple of bottles of wine had also been consumed, they were all quite tiddly and laughed a lot as they cleared up.
Afterwards, Owen flopped onto the couch. "That was great." Bathed and in clean clothes and with a decent meal inside him he felt more like his old self, especially as he had an ally in finding out what had really killed Katie.
"It's important you eat. I know how easy it is to let yourself go after a tragedy," said Mrs Jones. She was sitting beside him and placed a comforting hand on his arm.
"Don't you worry, Auntie Enid, I'll look after meself. If I don't, I'll only have Ianto on at me!" He patted her hand and grinned at Ianto who was in an armchair.
Jack, selecting a record by the gramophone, saw this and wondered what it meant. The cousins seemed very friendly after their chat which was … surprising. Ianto was supposed to have pushed the Torchwood cover story, not a stance liable to make friends with Owen. He couldn't wait to get Ianto alone and find out what had happened.
"Let's have some Frank Sinatra," suggested Toshiko. She was in the other armchair, flushed and sitting forward eagerly. The pendant was burning a hole in her pocket but she had resisted the temptation to put it on, still trying to justify doing so.
"Okay. Old Blue Eyes it is." Jack found the LP and placed it on the turntable. To strains of Strangers in the Night, he pulled out the stool and sat beside Ianto's chair. "This rugby trip still on?"
"Umm. We're meeting Gwen at four. Sorry we're cutting the day short, Mam," said Ianto.
"That's all right, dear. I've had a lovely lunch and eaten rather a lot." Mrs Jones laughed.
Owen nudged her. "And drunk a bit of wine. I saw you knocking it back, Auntie."
"She's entitled to, it's Christmas," put in Jack. "But who's going to rugby? I mean, there's only three tickets." When they had planned the outing no one had expected Owen to be staying with them.
"Oh, umm …"
"It's okay, Ianto. You three go. I'm not that bothered," offered Owen.
"You'd enjoy it more than me," countered Jack. "I was only going on sufferance; it's not my game. You go with Ianto and Tosh. I'll stay here and Mrs J can keep me company." He looked at her hopefully. "How about it?"
"I don't want to outstay my welcome," she protested.
"You won't be. We can have a good natter." He looked round, the only one of the friends happy with the arrangement.
Will Tosh use the pendant? How will the rugby turn out? More will be revealed in the next chapter ...
