12
While Dylan was at school on Monday Ianto headed to the hospital to meet the other member of the family, shocked at the condition of the woman who lay there. Machines, tubes and other things littered the room and he looked around with dismay. Dylan could not see this, he should not remember his mother like this.
"Who are you?"
Ianto turned on his heel to find a woman watching him with open distrust so he canted his head as he tried to place her from photos, Luc's mother. Deidra.
"Hello Ma'am, I am Ianto Jones of Jones Child Service. I am one of the carers for your grandson Dylan." Ianto said calmly, "I have come to visit with your daughter and am appalled at her conditions, if you are happy to stay with her I will go find someone who can clean this room up a bit."
Deidra sat and took her daughter's hand, then watched Ianto return with staff on tow, his authorative voice making them all jump.
"I want a better room than this, just because Luc can't see what room she is in it doesn't mean we can't. How can her family visit and feel comfortable when it's full of shit!" Ianto raged, "No flowers either, why does she not have some flowers? Other rooms have cut flowers from the gardens outside. Who can say she can't smell them? That we might not like to think maybe she can? Well?"
The staff were terrified and rushed to comply, their director arriving to assure Ianto that she was going to be moved to one of their newly refurbished rooms, "I swear to you Mister Harkness, we always intended moving her."
"Jones" Ianto snapped, "I am Jones, Harkness is my employer and he will be given a more tempered report this evening if I leave this facility satisfied that Luc is receiving the best possible care, right now I have my doubts."
Deidra looked at the Welshman as he settled to wait for them to comply with his demands and she took a chance, "How is he? Jack?"
"Tired" Ianto said softly, "Trying to finish his tour without dying. Punishing himself for this entire fiasco like there is any worth in such a thing. He wants to pull his head out of his arse actually, he knows he has to. Just hates having to face it."
"He was a good man, a good husband but her disease was stronger than his love. She tried so many times, went to rehab, took the pills, did the courses but she slid again" Deidra sighed and stroked her hand some more.
"I saw that you were a good grandmother to Dylan, he still has that book you had made for him" Ianto informed him, "we are working on Jack for a new dog. That book about a dog called Blu means the dog might have a name before it even exists."
"Oh goodness, my childhood dog. I forgot about that book, he was only three." She laughed and Ianto saw how pretty her daughter must have been, to have such a handsome mother. "We were reading one about a little boy who wished on a star for a new brother. I had hoped that one day…well. Jack wasn't the only one in denial."
"Well, here they come" Ianto said softly, "I will leave you to it, I don't want her dignity compromised with a stranger here while she is being moved about. Here, this is my number. Call if you need anything."
Ianto handed over a business card and left her sitting with her daughter, seeing how sad it all was. He was going to visit again in a few days to make sure she looked better before he and Jack talked about this again.
Dylan was waiting at the school gates, his hum soft as he watched the world fly past the window and Ianto glanced over as something struck him. He powered down into a siding and pointed at some ducks on a pond across the grass, letting Dylan watch for a while.
"Dylan, you know about wishes right?"
Dylan nodded.
"The day of the crash was scary and bad. Did you make a wish?"
Dylan slowly turned to look at him and Ianto frowned, "Dyls, was there a bright light like a star flashing? Did you make a wish and you are not speaking because you are scared it might not come true?"
Dylan stared at him for a while then a small nod had him looking back a the ducks as Ianto considered things.
"Dylan, if you make a wish you don't tell what the wish is or it doesn't come true you don't stop talking all together. Just don't say the wish out loud" Ianto said and Dylan faced him again, open confusion on his little face.
"You are scared you might say it? That's why?"
Dylan nodded, relived that Ianto got it.
"Well…what if you write it down, or draw it? Is that saying it?" Ianto tried and Dylan rolled his eyes, "Right. Of course, it's the same thing. I realised that as I said it."
Ianto considered then had a revelation, "Dylan, you can only hold one wish at a time. You know that right? If you don't let this wish out you can't hold another one in. Jeez, must be a good one."
Ianto pretended not to see the widening of the little boy's eyes as he considered things too.
What if he had a better wish to make?
