Chapter Thirty Seven.
Typing at her workstation, Gwen contained her frustration. Something was going on with Jack. Jack couldn't be sick, he was always gloating that nothing in this century could bring him down. She snorted, nothing except for the humble virus. She smiled to herself recalling how much of a 'man' he had behaved like the last time. He had demanded honey and lemon drinks every half hour because the one on his desk had gone cold. Then there was the violent sneezing and the single layer of tissues on the floor of his office next to an overflowing bin. The endless moaning that at least in the 51st century someone had come up with effective cold remedies, until like 21st Century equivalents of 18th Century snake oil medicine.
She pursed her lips as she thought. No he was not sick but he was so pale, been pale for weeks, and he had knocked off the coffee. And then there was the apple juice; he said he had had 'terrible cravings'. Then Ianto had literally burst in sort of flushed and concerned. They had stayed with Owen for hours then leaving very subdued. Probably the shock, she said to herself. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on she just needed it confirmed.
She saw Tosh heading her was way and passed behind her. She stepped out in front of Tosh and hissed in a stage whisper, "What's going on? Why's Jack not coming in today? What was Ianto doing here yesterday?"
Forced to stop, Tosh glanced at her briefly then looked away. "Can't say, sorry," she replied softly then quickly stepped aside.
Not one to be fobbed off Gwen followed. "So something is going on?" Gwen said, her eyes alight as she tried to catch up with Tosh who was moving with speed towards Owen's office.
"Jack's pregnant isn't he?" she stated outright. Tosh spun round as her words took immediate effect.
"Keep your voice down," Tosh hissed.
"I knew it!" Gwen did an air punch. "Oh I can't wait! Baby shower...do they know the sex yet?" she rattled on as she saw Tosh was not joining her enthusiasm. Grabbing Gwen's elbow she pulled her aside towards the new medical bay. Once she had Gwen inside she closed the door to see Owen working away on his computer station
He looked up as Tosh entered. "She knows," Tosh stated and he threw a pen he was holding onto and looked at her.
"What do you know Gwen?" he asked.
"Jack's pregnant," she replied gleefully holding her hands together.
"But how do you know?" Owen repeated, not happy. Gwen knowing was going to be awkward. Gwen was open-hearted always trying to help anyone she saw in need. She had a kind of sprit that lent itself to trying to do the right thing by everybody. However what she often missed were those times when she should step carefully and not blunder in offering inappropriate help. Worse, advice was often given at the worst possible moment.
Secondly she was a consummate gossip, the least likely to hold a secret when it came to their personal lives. The current circumstance required a quiet optimism with a full measure of reality. Good wishes and the joy of the event could come later once everything was going well. In other words when they got past a point of no return and the baby would be born alive. So with some trepidation he listened to her reply.
"Jack's not been well, his craving for apple juice, the time you spent with him, Ianto's arrival..." she took a breath and their denial only strengthened her belief. "For God's sake you've all got faces like a wet weekend! It's wonderful news, it's a baby!" she burst out.
"Sit down Gwen," Owen commanded. "Jack and Ianto have asked this be kept a secret for the time being," he told her staring her down.
"But Tosh knows so what's the big problem?" she pointed out.
"There's a reason for that Gwen…" he started to speak.
Tosh over talked him. "Jack and Ianto don't know I know. Owen told me because he needs help."
"Well that's what I'm here for, what needs doing?" Gwen offered gleefully.
"You don't understand Gwen. There is good reason to believe the baby might not make it." He saw a look of confusion grow on her face.
"What's the big deal? Jack can have children, until Ianto came along he was always joking about contraceptives in the rain, and how…" she stopped as she saw their faces.
"We know," Owen and Tosh replied together.
"Jack is a 51st century man in the 21st century. Even in his time any male pregnancies that went full term were a rare event, if not unheard of, so difficult it wasn't even attempted. All I have is the most basic understanding, and Jack is a man God only knows what the compilations are. All Jack can recall is a single conversation he had hundreds of years ago, hearsay and rumour." He took a deep breath. "Right now they are coming to terms with this. Our plan is to try and get Jack to around 28 weeks. If the baby gets to that stage, he or she might have chance. They will tell people once they know for sure things will be okay."
"They need support I hear that, they need to know we think it's wonderful. I mean they are going to be dads. I mean they need me, us, tell them how much we care," Gwen told them as Owen winched as the thought.
"What they need is space and time and the opportunity to tell people when they are ready," Tosh told her.
"In the meantime I am asking you Gwen not to say anything about this to anybody and especially not to Jack and Ianto. No congratulations, or touchy feely moments, offers of help or advice." Owen looked at her sternly.
"If everything goes well, then they will let everyone know, but if it doesn't they to want deal with this in their own way, in private." Tosh pointed out.
Owen lent back in his chair. "For all I know Jack could have a text book pregnancy, with a happy ending. If Jack was a woman and she had told me what Jack did yesterday, I would have her under the care of the best specialist for high risk pregnancies. But Jack is a man; who do I ring? How do I even begin to discuss this with anyone in the medical profession? There are no text books, so I can't tell you…I can't even give the odds of how this will turn out." He took a deep breath. "That's why I asked Tosh for help because I have to cover every eventuality. If the baby has to be born early we have to get it to a neo-natal unit, that means surgery here followed by a fucking mad dash, we have to cover ourselves get things up prepared, now today."
"To be truthful I'm glad you know. We need help," Tosh jumped in as Owen looked at her oddly. "I know how difficult this will be, as part of the original team here; you, me, and Owen. Can you help keep the newbies and outsiders off the scent?" Tosh asked as Owen realised the tactic she was using.
"Divert attention," Owen added. He saw Gwen nod as she stood, a look of quiet about her they did not often witness.
"And if things go well you can organise the biggest baby shower in the history of Torchwood," Tosh added finally. Gwen gave them the thumbs up and left, looking content.
"Tosh you are a bleeding genius," he said after a few moments has passed and smiled at her.
"I might have to break out the strawberries and chocolate mousse then," she said with a grin as Owen eyes raised his eyebrows.
"Yes you can," he winked.
twtwtwtwtwtwtwtwtwtwtwtw
Owen sat at his desk with every known obstetrics book he could get his hands on open at various pages. Beside him on the floor was hundreds of print outs. He had called specialists in biochemistry, sent off samples of Jack's blood to labs around the world but none of them could identify the first or the second hormone. He could see it was clearly linked to the pregnancy. There was some improvement; minor improvement which appeared to be associated with Jack's terrible craving for apple juice. There was something in it he needed but what and how it all connected was beyond him. He rubbed his hand over his face.
To begin with things had gone okay considering this was a male pregnancy. Jack was coping with all the normal symptoms: nausea, mood swings, the works. But as each day passed Jack became more and more fatigued. At the same time the hormone X as they called it kept dropping. Every day Owen waited with dread for the results. The tiredness was also linked to the baby. It was failing to thrive, it was still developing, just, but how long for, he had no idea. It had stopped the vigorous movements noted in the first weeks, its heart rate slowing to almost nothing. Owen felt a familiar feeling of frustration rise in his chest. At eighteen weeks it was too soon to deliver, if they did the baby would not live an hour.
Looking up he saw Ianto enter, and he looked up at the clock: 1.30am. He dumped the armful of journals on his desk and then sat down heavily in the chair opposite.
"This is not working is it?" Ianto pointed out as Owen shook his head.
"Unless we can identify that hormone," Owen told him as Ianto let a deep breath.
"What is driving me crazy is the link with apple juice. We all saw the slight rise in the hormone after Jack started drinking the stuff, but what is it? Is it a natural component? If we could find out what it was maybe we could synthesize it."
"I think what is actually hindering us is my lack of knowledge of this whole process. I mean how did Jack conceive?" He saw Ianto's face twist with a wry grin. "I understand you and he…what was the biological mechanics involved? From what I can tell Jack's sperm is normal in every respect. If it is so difficult to conceive what trigged his reproductive cycle to kick in?"
"I've been thinking about that and maybe it has something do with the reality jumping. It was only after Jack got back we had this compulsion…" he became shy as Owen lifted his hand.
"I get it, from what Jack tells me you had this compulsion to er, em..."
"Top," Ianto answered.
"Yeah, but I still don't understand, how sperm and sperm made a baby," he said bluntly. "So to sum up: some process unknown kick-started Jack's reproductive cycle, clearly affecting both of you." He saw Ianto raise an eyebrow.
"This resulted in conception, the acorn mass that was a solid is now acting as a protection for the growing foetus. It is enlarging as the baby grows, and it is accommodating the placenta," Owen said as he looked at Ianto who looked exhausted. He had been there every waking moment trying to find a solution.
"You look beat, you should get off home," Owen offered as Ianto shook his head.
"Jack's asleep. I would rather feel I am doing something, anything."
Owen nodded as he understood and saw Ianto lean forward.
"I've had an idea, we've been so caught up with all this, I realise there might be someone who might be able to help," he said as Owen looked curious.
"I am open to any suggestion."
"What about Jack's friend Martha Jones? I know she couldn't come to the wedding but isn't she's a doctor with UNIT. Maybe she has some access to resources we don't," he said leaning forward as Owen looked at him wide eyed.
"Shit," he burst out. "Of course, Martha...why didn't I think of her? I've been wracking my brain to think of someone I can call, who might be able to help. I fucking know her, we worked on the Indigo project earlier this year." He hit himself on the head as he pulled out his mobile and punched in her number.
"Well?" Ianto said after the conversation had completed.
"She will be here Tuesday. She's packing now," Owen told him as he snapped the phone shut.
"That's four days. Did she had any suggestions?" Ianto asked hopefully as Owen shook his head.
"Not as such, she's arranging a flight out …" Owen started to say.
"Where is she?" Ianto asked thinking it only took two days to get to New Zealand.
"Antarctica," Owen replied. 'She says she's sorry for the delay but she will be here as soon as she can.