Once again, thank you for the alerts and reviews. They're all very much appreciated!
Longer chapter this time, because I thought it wouldn't make sense to split it in the middle. Hope you enjoy it!
Ten minutes later they were at the hospital, looking for the right corridor where Rhiannon was supposed to be. Ianto still couldn't believe that Jack had not only insisted on driving him there, but on getting inside, to see if he could be of any help. Ianto felt as if he was in a parallel universe or something, where everything was the opposite of what it should be. Either way, he could see Rhiannon and Mica now, and there were other things he should be focusing on.
"Hey, Rhi." He said while giving her a tight hug. "How's David doing?"
"He's okay. They gave him some painkillers, but he still has to wait a few hours for the surgery. I'd really like to stay in the room with him, even if he's a bit out of it, in case he needs me. So can you keep an eye on Mica? Johnny will take a few hours to get here, he was visiting his mam and it's a long train ride down."
"Yeah, of course, it's no problem at all."
"I'm sorry to disturb you from whatever you were doing..." She said, finally looking at Jack, with clear interest in her voice.
"Oh, right," Ianto coughed, embarrassed. "Jack is a student of mine, I was at his house when you rang and he offered me a lift."
"Hi, Jack Harkness. It's nice to meet you, although I'd rather it be in better circumstances." He said with his characteristic smile, but keeping the flirting tone out of his voice, which impressed Ianto even further. Definitely a parallel universe, he thought.
"Oh, hi, Jack." Rhiannon said blushing, almost drooling all over the man. Ianto couldn't help but roll his eyes. Did other people really fall for his charms? Even when he wasn't bathing them in them? "I'm Rhiannon Davies. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"No bother at all. I'm just glad I could help." He smiled again, politely. He then turned his attention to the little girl, whom even Ianto had neglected to acknowledge, and who looked extremely bored. "Hey, little one. What's your name?" He asked squatting down to look her in the eye.
"I'm Mica." She said shyly.
"Oh, such a beautiful name for such a beautiful lady. Now, would you like to play a game? That is, if your mom doesn't mind..." He said, looking up at Rhiannon, who stood there looking at him, wide eyed. "I'm not taking her far, we'll just be in those sofas over there. You can keep an eye on us at all times." He said to Rhiannon.
"Can I go, mam? Please?" Mica pleaded.
Rhiannon looked at Ianto, the question if she could trust that man in her eyes. Ianto just nodded, even if he wasn't sure why he was doing that.
"Sure, Mica. But stay where me or uncle Ianto can see you."
"Thanks, mam!" The girl hugged her mam's leg, and turned to the man, who was getting up and offering his hand down to her."
"Take your time with your sister, Ianto. We'll be fine." Jack said, turning towards the sofas. As soon as they sat down, Ianto saw Jack pull out from his pockets a deck of cards, and start explaining something to Mica, with extreme patience and kindness. Ianto didn't know what impressed him more, Jack's demeanour, or the fact that he had no idea when he'd gotten the deck of cards in the first place. He turned back to Rhiannon, trying to shake his amazement away. He found Rhiannon staring at him, thousands of questions in her eyes.
"So, who is he, really?" She said, clearly implying that she thought something was going on between them.
"He really is just a student. He's just being really nice." He assured her. "Although I have no idea why..." He added under his breath.
"He's gorgeous, though, isn't he?"
"I suppose..." Ianto turned to look at Jack, and noticed, for the first time, that he indeed had this striking beauty. He wondered why he'd never noticed before, but it was probably because he'd been so bothered by the man.
"And maybe you'd like for him to be more than just a student?"
"Oh, Rhi, don't be daft. You know I'd never do that. Especially with him, who has a contract which I absolutely cannot lose."
"Well, I understand you not wanting to do anything with your other students, they're mostly kids, but Jack? And about the contract, what does one thing have to do with the other?"
"Well, if things didn't go well I'd lose it. And I can't. Why am I even arguing about this? This whole conversation is moot, I'm not interested in him that way."
"How can you not be? A piece of furniture would be attracted to him."
Ianto just sighed and rolled his eyes again.
"Anyway, I should go inside and see if David needs anything. Keep an eye on Mica, okay?" Rhiannon said getting up from the chair where she'd been sitting.
"Yeah, sure." He responded, feeling extremely annoyed, although he couldn't quite say why. He turned to look at Jack, and was surprised to see that he and Mica seemed to be having a great time together. They were laughing, Mica looked completely comfortable, and it seemed like she hadn't even noticed that her mam wasn't around any more. Ianto almost felt bad to have to disturb them, but he really should let Jack go home. He reluctantly got up and walked towards them, wishing he could keep watching them, considering they sure made a beautiful sight.
"Hey."
"Oh, hey. How are things with David?"
"Um, I'm not sure, Rhi just went inside to check on him. You two seem to be having fun."
"That's because we are, aren't we Mica?"
"Yeah, Jack teached me a great game." She said with a huge smile, concentrating immensely on the cards before her, apparently planning her next play.
"Jack, I really can't thank you enough for everything you're doing." Ianto said, looking intently at Jack's eyes, trying to bring his attention to him.
"It really is my pleasure, Ianto." Jack looked at him, with a twinkle in his eyes, the kind you have when you've been laughing too much.
"But you should go home now. I've already taken up way too much of your time. Rhi is probably gonna stay with David now, and I can look after Mica."
"But what about the surgery? Your sister is surely going to be worried, she's going to need support. What if your brother-in-law is not here yet by then?"
"It's okay, Jack, we can handle it. You've already done so much, I couldn't possibly expect more of you. Seriously, please, go home. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday."
"Who says I'm not enjoying myself here? Mica is great company. I'll say this one more time today. Stop arguing with me. I'm staying put."
"Fine. It's clearly no use arguing anyway." Ianto gave a resigned sigh. "I think I need something to drink, can I get you anything?"
"I'll go. Your sister might come out and need you. What can I get you?"
"Just some tea would be nice."
"Tea it is. I'll be right back."
"Thank you, Jack." Ianto watched Jack as he walked away, until he couldn't see him anymore. Is this really the same man I've been tutoring these past few months? The one that's made my Saturdays feel like pure torture? How could I have misjudged him so much?
"Uncle Ianto, are you going to play? It's your turn." Mica said pulling him out of his reverie.
"Yeah, sure. You just have to teach me. Can you do that?"
Jack came back about fifteen minutes later, with drinks for everyone. Ianto went inside the room to give Rhiannon her tea, and when he came back he noticed that even thought Mica still seemed to be having fun, she was starting to get fussy and looking tired.
"Hey, Mica, why don't you come lie down here while I tell you a story?" Ianto said to her.
"Yay, I love stories." She jumped from where she was sitting, and lay beside her uncle, resting her head in his lap.
"I know a good story." Jack said, surprising Ianto. "Do you mind if I tell it to her?"
"No, go ahead."
Jack changed sits in the sofa, so he'd be closer to Mica to make it easier for her to hear his soft tones, but making sure that he'd wouldn't be touching Ianto in any way. He had to sit really close to the edge of the sofa to guarantee that. Ianto didn't fail to notice his concern, and once more was surprised by the change he was seeing in the man.
It didn't take long for Mica to fall asleep, and Jack stopped telling the story. They sat there silently for a while, lost in their own thoughts, until Ianto finally broke the silence.
"You're very good with kids."
Jack gave a soft laugh. "I have a little brother. I helped my mom take care of him when he was little, a lot. I guess it just became natural."
Ianto didn't reply immediately, and he had this thoughtful look on his face.
"I guess I'm not as much of an insensitive jerk as you thought I was." Jack finally said, with a self-deprecating half smile.
"No, Jack, that's not what I meant," Ianto hastily replied. "In fact I'm quite-"
He never finished the sentence, because Rhiannon came out of the room David was in at that moment.
"They're taking him to surgery now. It's supposed to take a few hours." She said, looking exhausted, and taking a while to notice her surroundings. She finally noticed that Mica was asleep in Ianto's lap. "Oh, I was gonna say that I wanted to take her for a walk..."
"Why don't you sit here and relax for a while, Rhi. You look tired." Ianto said.
"Yeah, take a sit, and maybe I could go get us all something to eat?" Jack quickly added. Ianto then realised they had left Jack's house before he could finish making lunch, they hadn't eaten anything since, and it was now mid-afternoon. He noticed he was starving. He hadn't realised how worried he was with the whole situation, and his sister, that he didn't even notice that before.
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." Rhiannon complied, her eyes barely focusing.
"Okay, I'll be right back." And with that, Jack left the siblings to talk in private.
Rhiannon sat where Jack had been previously, but sitting closer, so she could run her fingers through Mica's hair.
"How are you holding up?" Ianto asked.
"Okay, I guess." She replied, still holding that vacant look in her eyes. "I'm a bit worried, though. I know it's supposed to be a simple surgery, but you know, something can always go wrong."
"He's gonna be fine, Rhi, I'm sure of it. Just try to rest for a while, yeah?"
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's just a bit hard to relax in these kind of situations, you know?"
"Yeah, I know." Ianto replied with a sigh. "When is Johnny supposed to get here?" He asked, thinking that her husband would be able to support her in a way that he never could.
"In a couple of hours. When he left it seemed like a good idea to leave the car with me, but now it's just taking him a lot longer to get here."
"I'm staying until he gets here, okay?" He said, placing his hand on her knee, trying to be reassuring. "You won't be alone."
"Thanks, Ianto. I really appreciate you being here." She replied, tired but grateful eyes meeting his. "Jack should go, though. He's already done more than enough."
"I've tried getting him to leave, he just won't budge. Says we might need more help at some point. I'm feeling incredibly guilty about it, but he just refuses to listen."
"He seems like a very special man."
"Yeah, I suppose he is..." He said, a strange look on his face, which Rhiannon noticed.
"What is it?"
"Um, it's nothing." Ianto shook his head, not really wanting to talk about it, not that he knew what it even was.
Rhiannon looked at him more intently, with her 'I'm not buying it' look.
"It's just... I don't know... I kind of..." He just couldn't finish his sentence.
"Ianto." She said in a strong voice. "Just say it already."
Ianto sighed deeply. "I-" But he couldn't finish because Jack came back right then, carrying a few bags.
Jack came back with a wide selection of sandwiches and crisps, and let Ianto and Rhiannon choose what they'd like. When everyone was done, he collected all the rubbish and threw it away before any of the others even realised what was happening. Ianto once again noticed how thoughtful Jack was being, and felt a pang in his heart.
Jack came back and started talking to them, once again making conversation easy. He was very effective in distracting Rhiannon and making her relax, and for that Ianto was truly grateful.
Soon Ianto got lost in his own thoughts. He was thoroughly impressed by Jack. He'd spent so many months saying incredibly mean things about the man, and now he realised he couldn't have been more wrong. He felt awful about it. Even worse, because Jack now knew exactly what Ianto had been thinking. That comment Jack made about not being an insensitive jerk got to Ianto, because that's exactly what he used to think. That and a lot worse.
The guilt was overwhelming him. He thought himself to be a very fair man, but to Jack he'd been anything but. And now Jack was being amazingly selfless, taking care of his family for absolutely no reason but the kindness in his heart. It wasn't even because he wanted to get into Ianto's pants, because he'd clearly understood the message earlier, and was now giving Ianto all his space, without lending him even the slightest innuendo. And that just made Ianto remember how he'd reacted earlier, recoiling his hand when Jack tried to touch him. Almost as if he was repulsed. Hell, that's exactly what he'd felt. And Jack had noticed. God, could he have treated Jack any worse? And still, here Jack was, holding none of that against him, just trying to be as helpful as possible. Ianto thought he'd never felt worse in his entire life. He knew that he would have to find a way to make it all up to Jack, somehow.
When Ianto started paying attention to the conversation again, it was still flowing easily between Rhiannon and Jack. It was amazing how charming Jack could be, even when he wasn't trying to flirt. His charisma was captivating, and he brought life to the room, just with his words and his open smile. Ianto couldn't help but admire that.
Then Rhiannon's phone rang, it was Johnny saying he was just getting in the cab from the station, and would be there in five minutes.
"Oh, thank God he's finally here." Rhiannon sighed in relief. "And David should be out of surgery soon, too."
Both Jack and Ianto smiled at her, pleased to see her relief.
"You both can go now. God knows you've helped enough already."
"We'll stay at least until Johnny gets here, okay?" Jack replied before Ianto could say anything. "Just to make sure you're all going to be okay." He smiled at her, reassuringly.
"Fine. It's not like it's any use arguing with you anyway." Rhiannon said with a small laugh.
It wasn't long before Johnny arrived. After all the hugs, and him being introduced to Jack, Rhiannon tried to make them leave again.
"Okay, the family is complete now. Please, both of you, go. I've already ruined your entire afternoon, you deserve to go have some fun on your Saturday."
"It was in no way ruined. We were just glad to be of some help." Again, Jack beat Ianto to replying.
"Oh, you were more than just 'some help'. I don't know what I would've done without you two. Really, I can't thank you enough."
"No thanks necessary." Jack said, that huge smile on his face again.
"Okay, we're leaving. I'd stay longer, but I think if I don't go, Jack won't go." Ianto said, pulling Rhiannon into a hug. "Take care of yourself, and David. And please call if you need anything else." He said still holding her.
"Thank you, Ianto, really. But I won't bother you again unless it's strictly necessary."
"It's no bother at all. You're my sister, and this is my family, too. I'll always be here for you. All of you."
Rhiannon parted from Ianto, and went to hug Jack. Ianto was slightly surprised by the familiarity she was showing him, but he supposed Jack had earned it.
"Jack, thank you so much. I don't have enough words, you made today so much easier."
"It was my pleasure, Rhiannon. You're Ianto's family, and I owe him this much."
Ianto couldn't help but overhear, and another stab of guilt hit him. The way Ianto had treated him, and Jack still felt he was the one who owed him anything. He couldn't live with that, and he would have to make this right as soon as possible.
Everyone hugged everyone goodbye, Ianto told Rhiannon to call when David got out of surgery, and reminded her that she could ask if they needed anything. With that, Jack and Ianto were on their way. Before Ianto could even say anything, Jack was telling him that he would take him home.
"No, Jack, please, you've already done so much. I can just take the bus, it won't be a problem."
"Nonsense. It won't take me ten minutes, and it's practically on my way home anyway."
Ianto had learned enough about Jack that day to know that arguing with that would be a waste of breath. So he just agreed. They were silent while walking to the car, and during most of the journey to Ianto's flat. There was so much Ianto wanted to say to Jack, but he didn't even know where to start. His entire behaviour had been abominable, and words just didn't seem like enough to make it better. Then he had an idea. If earlier Jack had thought that making him lunch would make it up for his supposedly 'bad behaviour', maybe Ianto could offer him the same thing. It would be a start, at least. By then, Jack was already pulling up in front of Ianto's building.