10

Martha poured over the medical guidelines the Doctor had supplied, grateful for Jack's having insisted the Doctor create it. She had been pleased with Jack's treatment—he would have made a wonderful surgeon—and had only needed to add a few more sutures to neaten the closures.

What she found worrying was not so much the wound or the blood loss. Jack had taken care of that in a most expeditious manner. It was the Doctor's reaction to the Nostrovite saliva. According to the Doctor's notes, if he had been back on Gallifrey he'd have been given a small window to recover and then been given euthanasia. Apparently, Gallifrey had little patience with those in severely compromised health. He showed no symptoms of being in a healing coma, yet he remained unconscious.

Martha found the lack of information on the treatment for Nostrovite poisoning worrying; it implied too much, mainly that the patient would be allowed to expire or be euthanised. She found herself forced to fly by the seat of her pants, and she didn't like it one bit. Much of the treatment she would implement would be tailored towards humans and she wasn't sure the Doctor would respond. Two weeks had passed since his injuries. His outward physical injuries had all but healed, yet he remained unconscious. And Jack refused to leave his side.

At her suggestion, Jack had moved him to the TARDIS. The lab in the Hub lacked so much in the way of actually treating the ill and injured. Besides, she hoped being in the TARDIS might somehow help, and if he did come out of this mysterious sleeping state, it would be much better if he woke in familiar surroundings. A cctv camera had been set up so she could keep an eye on things while doing her research.

A touch on her shoulder made her jump. "Oh, my God, Ianto! You startled me, mate." She gave Ianto a grin as he pressed a steaming cup of tea into her hand.

"Sorry," he said, giving her a gentle smile. "You look so tired. Why not take a break and try to get some rest."

"You're so sweet," she said, returning his smile. "What are we going to do about Jack?" She sighed. "He's hardly eating and the only time he sleeps is when he drops off out of sheer exhaustion.

"I wouldn't try to get him to budge if I were you," answered Ianto. "Gwen tried and he practically handed her head to her."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Jack will come out when he's ready," Martha replied. "Don't know how long that will take. What will we do if the Doctor never comes around? I have no idea."

"If he doesn't," said Ianto, "We can expect to have the Doctor here until he passes on. Which seems just so wrong! It would be so much better if he could regenerate. Jack will never give up on him."

"I know. Good tea, Ianto."

"Thanks…anything else you'd like? Maybe some Toffee Dodgers?"

"No thanks..I…Ianto?" Martha's brow knitted with yet more worry: Ianto was silently weeping.

"The Doctor is really fond of Toffee Dodgers," he explained. "He would just wolf them down with his morning tea."

Martha hugged Ianto gently. "Don't you go on so. We'll get him better! We have to. Not just for Jack's sake but for the whole universe! Just you wait and…Ianto! Ianto, you're brilliant!" She held the Welshman's face in her hands and gave him a thorough snogging. Ianto went slightly weak at the knees.

"Ehm…how am I brilliant?"

"Tea! Rose mentioned it to me when we were piloting the TARDIS after Davros pulled his stunt. Said it helped him through his regeneration sickness! And Donna said he used some foods to detox! What was it? Oh! Ginger beer, anchovies, walnuts…and a shock!"

"I'll get the blender!" Ianto said excitedly.

"Be sure to thin it a bit, and then we'll mix it with his formula!"

"God, I hope this works," Ianto said as he rushed to his task. But even as he went about his appointed task, he felt his skin tingle at every point where Martha had touched him. And his lips...well, they burned. Yes, they did. Oh, how they did.

The NG tube had been pumping the special mixture for a few hours now, and already the Doctor's heartsbeat had improved. They were stronger now, and more steady.

"Looks like it's helping," Jack observed hopefully.

"You can do more, though," Martha advised. "His people would have had him euthanised by now. I think on some deep subconscious level he's expecting that."

"Bastards," Jack frowned.

"I know. Not much into rehabilitation of a Time Lord with limitations." Martha gently brushed The Doctor's hair off his brow. "But like I said…you can do more. You can do for him what his own people wouldn't have."

"Meaning?"

"Touch him. I mean—I know you hold his hand but…why don't you lie down next to him. Hold him. Caress him. Also, talk to him; read to him."

"I would do anything for him." Jack smiled sadly. "You really think it'll help?"

"In all honesty, I don't know. But it can't hurt and it might keep your spirits up. At this point, anything is worth a try. Maybe he'll sense your closeness and it'll bolster his desire to recover. Especially since…well, you know what I mean. Since you two became lovers."

"We're more than just lovers now. We're linked. Pair-bonded. For all intents and purposes I'm his husband."

"Um… That brings me to a point…Ianto asked me out. And since Tom and I broke up…well, do you mind?"

Jack barked with laughter "Hardly! I've had to ignore him and he deserves more."

"Great!" Martha smiled. "We won't go far in case you need us. Anything you want while we're out?"

"Nah! I have some books he might like," Jack said, smiling sadly. "Sit with him while I get them, will you? I just can't stand the thought of leaving him alone."

Martha nodded, kissing Jack's cheek when he stood to go after his books. "Jack Harkness," she said. "If love was all he needed to get well, he'd be bouncing off the walls right now. I wish everyone had someone who loves them as much as you love him."

Jack smiled sadly again. "So do I. But I do have someone who loves me as much as I love him. He does. I've seen into his mind. And oh, Martha, he does love me. I never thought I would be lucky enough to get even a little affection…but having the love of a Time Lord? Gods, it's like nothing else in the universe. And if that can help heal him, then he's got some very powerful medicine on his side."

He bent and kissed his lover's cheek. He placed a hand there, as if to make sure the kiss got through to the Time Lord. "My sleeping beauty," he said. He turned on his heel and went in search of his books.

Martha checked the cctv on her way out with Ianto. "He's taken my advice," she noted.

"It has to be said," Ianto observed. "Seeing Jack cuddled up to the Doctor and reading The Little Prince to him is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. I'm very familiar with Jack's softer side, but even I've never seen him like this."

"He's always loved his Doctor, you know. I'm just sorry I haven't got to see them together while the Doctor is well."

"Trust me," Ianto smiled, slipping an arm around her middle. "It's something to see. I think the Doctor fought it so long that it's a relief to him just to show his love. You can almost see little cartoon hearts floating around his head when he looks at Jack. It almost makes me jealous, and I don't mean jealous of the Doctor, I mean jealous of Jack. The Doctor does have a nice bottom, really."

Martha grinned. "One of the first things I noticed about him. And just so you know, you have a pretty nice bottom yourself."

Ianto returned her smile. "Let's have a bite," he said. "After that I can show you what I think of your bottom!"

As it happened, to Martha's delight, Ianto turned out to be a wonderful lover, tender, imaginative and very giving. They were hand in hand when they returned to the Hub. Ianto, knowing Martha wouldn't be happy until she had checked on her patient, led her to his station and turned on the cctv. They stood quietly, observing the Doctor and Jack.

"Did you like that part?" Jack asked the unconscious Doctor. "It's my favorite part, where the Little Prince tamed the fox. I wonder which one of us is the fox? I think maybe it's you." Jack caressed the Doctor's face, dropping a kiss on his forehead. "I wish you'd wake up, sweethearts. You have to. I don't want to live without you. Don't you see?"

They watched Jack gather his love in his arms tenderly. He kissed the Doctor's cheek, then his lips. "Wake up, sweethearts. I need you to wake up. Please?" Jack's arms tightened around the Doctor. "Enough of this, now. I don't care how they did things on Gallifrey, do you hear me? You belong to me, remember? Wake up! I'm your husband and I'm telling you to wake up. Wake up right now!" He gave the Doctor a little shake, then covered the Time Lord's mouth with his own.

"We need to get Jack out of there for a while," Martha said, alarmed.

She heard Ianto give a hissing intake of breath. "My God, look!" he said.

Martha stood, mouth agape as one of the Doctor's arms slid around Jack's shoulders in a weak attempt to prolong the kiss. Jack gasped, pulling back. The Doctor's eyes were open…at half-mast to be sure…he wasn't out of the woods yet. But he had awakened and was even smiling at his Captain. Jack gathered his lover in his arms again. He began to tremble and suddenly began to sob.

"You're back," he choked. "You came back to me! I was so scared. I couldn't bear the thought of being without you! Oh, Gods, I was so scared! But you came back. You came back to me!"

"Had to," the Doctor said, his voice so weak the cctv almost didn't pick it up. "Had to come back. My husband needs me."

The last thing Martha heard before she switched off the cctv was Jack laughing as he wept with joy.