AN: This is the final chapter. I hope you enjoy it and I look forward to hearing what you think.

Why I named this story Chasing Dragons. Chasing the dragon is a term once coined to describe the ever elusive high of opiate addiction. With every use, the high becomes harder to reach. The users life becomes a living hell, searching for the feeling of that first high. They are forever stuck chasing the dragon.

Chasing Dragons

Chapter 10

There is something very disconcerting about waking to the distant sound of chirping machines and whispered voices. It is made all that much more so when one's body is aching in places you were sure it wasn't when you laid down to bed the night before.

Ianto hadn't marshaled the strength or desire to open his eyes yet, as whatever awaited him in the room wasn't something he was sure he wanted to see. He had a sneaking suspicion he had been wounded and possibly concussed, as his head was pounding in rhythm with the humming machines.

Owen harsh voice stabbed at his ears from the distance, followed by Jack's. He was both comforted and simultaneously concerned to know he was in the hands of Torchwood.

Bracing himself, he peeled back his eyelids, blinking and squinting in the harsh lighting of the autopsy bay. Owen's face immediately came into view, blocking out the bright overheard lights. His face tight with concern, he checked Ianto's pupils and fiddled with the wires attached to Ianto's chest.

"Well, I guess a welcome back is in order," Owen said, one side of his mouth pulling up in a crooked grin.

Ianto's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to reply, only to find his throat nearly too dry to speak.

"Hold that thought," Owen said, holding up a finger. "Gwen, can you get some ice chips and a spoon?"

Gwen voice floated in from somewhere nearby. "Of course. Be right back."

Ianto was ridiculously confused and growing more and more frustrated by the second. He tried to make this clear with his expression, but when Owen looked down and saw it, it only worked to make the doctor laugh.

"I get it. You're annoyed, right?" Owen asked.

Ianto nodded. "Jack?" Ianto croaked. He winced, his throat felt a bit like he had swallowed shards of glass.

"Oi! I said no talking! Jack's right there," Owen said, motioning behind him. "I told him I wanted to make sure you were okay before he started coddling you within an inch of your life."

Ianto rolled his eyes. Owen huffed and stepped back, waving over Jack to the bedside.

Jack's face came into view and Ianto couldn't help but notice just how tired he looked. It wasn't an expression that he was accustomed to seeing on Jack's face.

"Hey there," Jack said, smiling.

Ianto tried to speak, but Jack placed his fingers over Ianto's lips and shook his head.

"Don't try yet," Jack said.

Ianto looked up at him, giving him his best pathetic stare he had. Jack ran his fingers through Ianto's hair, a wan smile of his face.

Whatever had happened, Ianto could imagine that it must have been bad from the way Jack seemed to be relishing in the simple act of touching him. Ianto wasn't going to interrupt him; it was clear Jack needed this little bit of intimacy.

"Sorry it took so long," he heard Gwen say. "I didn't realize I was going to need to smash the cubes."

When Ianto looked up, he saw Gwen smiling at him from beside Jack. Ianto didn't miss her teary eyes and the way her lower lip quivered just slightly as she looked at him.

"Hey," she said, forcing a smile. "We were worried about you."

Ianto was too exhausted to do more than give her a weak smile.

"All right, Gwen. Let's give them some space," Owen said.

Gwen kissed her fingertips and then pressed them to Ianto's head before stepping away.

The ice rattled in the cup in Jack's hand as he poked at it with the plastic spoon. Never had Ianto thought he would be so excited at the prospect of being spoon fed ice chips, but nothing sounded better to him now.

Jack carefully balanced a piece of ice on the spoon and brought it toward Ianto's lips. Ianto strained to lift his head and immediately Jack's other hand was there cradling it and taking the weight.

"Let me help," Jack said and Ianto was more than willing to let him.

Jack fed him a few more pieces, seeming pleased by Ianto's moans of satisfaction.

"I think we may need to explore this a little more later," Jack said. "I never knew you had a thing for ice play."

Ianto coughed, nearly choking on the bit of ice melting in his mouth.

Jack looked apologetic. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Well … not really fine. Everything seems to hurt and it would be nice to know why."

Jack looked far more serious. "You were in an accident."

"An accident? What kind of accident?"

"Work related."

It was obvious that Jack was being vague on purpose and Ianto wasn't sure he wanted to know what had happened. A work related accident at Torchwood could mean anything. Ianto had filed reports of some pretty extreme things since he began his career at Torchwood. He only he hoped whatever had happened didn't involve anything as embarrassing as the Great Ribena debacle of 2005.

Ianto licked his lips, his mouth feeling dry again. Jack took notice and stirred the cup again, but this time Jack tipped the ice into his own mouth. Before Ianto could say something, Jack's lips were on his. They were cool from the ice and Ianto opened without hesitation, letting the ice slip into his mouth along with a quick pass of Jack's tongue. It felt hot alongside the cold and it made him moan into Jack's mouth.

All too soon, Jack pulled back, leaving Ianto feeling breathless and craving more.

"I think Owen might consider your methods of delivery a bit unorthodox," Ianto quipped.

Jack waggled his eyebrows. "Oh, if he thinks that's unorthodox, he'll hate to know how I check your temperature."

Ianto rolled his eyes and sighed. "So, are you going to tell me what really happened yet?"

"The truth is, you were hurt in an accident. It was my fault. We had to put you in cryo while we found a way to help you."

Ianto pushed Jack's hands away and tried to push himself up, but the action sent fiery waves of pain through his shoulder. "Fuck."

Ianto gritted his teeth, stretching out on the bed. Any ideas of getting up were gone from his mind. He didn't want to experience that level of pain again anytime soon.

"What are you doing to him down there?" Owen called over the railing.

"He's—"

Ianto waved a hand dismissively. "Fine, just sore."

Owen huffed but walked didn't argue.

The brief bout of pain hadn't been enough to distract Ianto from Jack had just told him.

"I can't believe you froze me!"

Jack reached for his hand but Ianto wasn't having it. He brushed him off again.

"Ianto, it's okay."

"It's so not okay, Jack."

"Okay, not okay, but I promise you didn't miss anything worth remembering."

Ianto sighed and let Jack take his hand. "You're not going to tell me what really happened are you?"

Jack shook his head. "Sorry, but no, and you can't go looking either."

"This sucks, Jack."

Jack squeezed his hand. "I know, but at least you're still here. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Probably let the archives go to shit and start drinking instant."

Jack grinned. "God I've missed you, Ianto Jones."

Ianto reached up and grabbed Jack's collar and pulled him down for a kiss.

"Hey, I didn't approve that!" Owen snapped.

"Then don't watch," Ianto said. He tried to pull Jack closer, gripping the collar of his shirt tightly. He scowled when Jack pried his fingers free and stepped back, letting Owen move in beside him.

Owen was holding a clipboard and was scratching something down on the file attached to it. Ianto often thought that the doctor was actually drawing pornographic stick figures in an attempt to look busy rather than being productive.

"Right then," Owen said, tossing the clipboard onto the desk. "First, how are you feeling? And don't bother lying."

Owen's bedside manner was still as abysmal as ever and somehow that was almost comforting.

"Sore, chest hurts."

Owen crossed his arms. "To be expected. Having your chest cracked open tends to hurt for a while."

Ianto's eyes went wide. "My chest … you had to crack my chest open? I have been frozen and had my chest cracked open?"

Jack stepped over to the head of the bed, placing his hands on Ianto's cheeks. "Shh, calm down."

Owen was glanced at the monitors with concern. "You need to calm down or I'm going to knock you back out."

Jack pressed his lips to Ianto's forehead, speaking against his skin. "Listen, all you need to know is you're fine now. You need to trust me, Ianto. You need to let this go. Do it for me."

Ianto closed his eyes and sighed. It figured that Jack would guilt trip him. He really wanted to know, but it obviously meant a lot to Jack and he would respect that and not ask.

"Can I at least know what kind of injuries I have and how long I need to be in a bed?"

"That we can answer," Jack said. "Owen?"

"Well, first thing's first," Owen said. "I've had to remove your spleen and your liver is in a right state. You have stitches holding you together and they'll be in for another week. You've got a catheter in that I want to keep in for another day or so."

Ianto felt his face pale. When he didn't think it could get any worse it always did. Owen had catheterized him. Owen had handled his … bloody hell.

"As far as moving, I want you under observation for the next few days but after that we could discuss other arrangements."

"You want me to sleep in the autopsy bay until then?" Ianto asked. "I am not staying in here! Jack, tell him."

Jack nodded. "Owen, can't we move him up to the couch or maybe we could set up a cot in my office?"

Owen shook his head, tossing a hand in the air. "I think he'd be better off in here, but I know that look." He motioned to Ianto. "You'll give him anything he wants when he makes that face."

Owen was right. Jack could never say no to Ianto when he made that face; it was like his kryptonite. It had come in handy a few times when trying to convince Jack out of doing something completely idiotic.

After a few curses and cries of pain, Owen and Jack maneuvered him up to the office where Tosh and Gwen had setup a cot. It was surprising comfortable and the bedding was clean, a far cry from the iodine stained sheet that Ianto had been lying on before.

The recovery was a slow process and the questions of what really had transpired never left Ianto's mind. Whatever it was, it not only scarred him, but it also seemed to have scarred them as well, but in a more subtle way.

There were looks that Ianto knew they didn't intend him to see. It reminded him of the expressions he'd seen so many times when someone had to walk past weevil, like they were expecting to be attacked if they looked away.

He couldn't help but wonder what he'd done to garner such attention, such fearful glances.

Over the following weeks, it became clear that Tosh was the most affected. She smiled and offered a hand to him if he needed it, but if he stepped too quickly around her, or walked up behind her, she would jump and for a moment look like she'd seen a ghost.

Jack tried to soothe Ianto's worries that he'd done something wrong, but it was hard to ignore the evidence. He was beginning to question the story they had told him, or more correctly, what they didn't.

It had been a quiet afternoon at the hub, nearly a month since he had been woken. Ianto was going about his normal routine, gathering the dirtied dishes from the boardroom after lunch.

The tray was full and the plates rattled against each other as he carried them down to the kitchen to be washed. He slid the tray in beside the sink and began washing up. His mind wandered as his hands moved on their own, the task so familiar now it didn't require much thought.

Setting the last mug into the drainer, he started on the cutlery. When he picked up the knife Jack had used to slice his apple at lunch, he felt a prick of anticipation tickle the back of his mind.

He paused, not sure what to make of it. It wasn't as if there would be a reason to have such a strange reaction, but it nearly felt like a flash of déjà vu. A hauntingly familiar sensation spread throughout him.

"Ianto!" Jack's voiced echoed through the hub, startling him. He dropped the knife, causing it to clatter into the sink. "We need to go. There is a weevil in Tesco helping itself to the meat department."

Ianto smirked, drying his hands. "On my way, sir."