The next day moved relatively smoothly for Ianto, much to his surprise. While he and Jack still hadn't come to an agreement about what was going to happen with the baby, they kept their appointment at the agency and hadn't argued again. They posed as a young mother's solicitor and his assistant and had a meeting with the director of the facility.

Ianto had to admit he wasn't very fond of the woman. She seemed arrogant and aloof, and he wondered how anyone could feel comfortable using her to plan adoption proceedings when she didn't seem to have any emotions.

Jack offered to call a few more of the agencies once they returned to the car but Ianto asked him to hold off. It wasn't that he had suddenly changed his mind about the baby, but he wanted some more time to think. If he was going to make a rational decision he needed to get his thoughts in order.

Instead of returning to work right away they decided to go out for lunch. They'd told the others they'd be gone for the morning so Jack made a quick call to the Hub, letting the others know they'd be in a little later than planned. Toshiko informed them the rift predictor wasn't indicating anything much for the rest of the day and told them not to worry. She and the others had it under control.

They chose fish and chips for lunch and arrived at the chip shop at half eleven, sitting at an outside table with their meal. Ianto huffed when Jack swiped one of his chips.

"You do realize you have your own?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, but yours taste better," Jack replied, winking.

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Then why don't we swap?"

Jack pursed his lips. "If we did that I'd be stealing my own chips."

Shaking his head, Ianto bit into a piece of fish. It certainly wasn't the best he'd ever had, but he was hungry, the shop was nearby, and he wasn't going to be fussy when Jack had offered to pay. If there'd been a little more planning it almost would have felt like a date.

"You're thinking again," said Jack, mouth full of food.

Trying not to cringe at the sight, Ianto shrugged. "I believe you'll find I do that a lot, sir."

"You were smiling."

"Indeed I was."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

Ianto smiled again. "Nope."

Jack growled, snagging another one of Ianto's chips. "Fine, but if you don't tell me then I won't tell you what I have planned for Saturday."

That gave Ianto pause. "You planned something for Saturday? For the team?"

"Not telling."

"You're being childish, sir," Ianto stated, expression turning sour.

"So what else is new?" the captain replied. "Tell me and I'll tell you."

"And if I don't, Saturday will still roll around and I'll find out eventually anyway," Ianto pointed out.

"Ah, yes," said Jack, "but not if I decide to change my mind."

"Are you trying to frustrate me, sir?" asked Ianto, biting into a chip and chewing carefully before swallowing. "Because it's not working."

Jack was silent for a moment and Ianto watched the wheels turning in his head. The man should know by now it wasn't easy to get to him.

"There's a new exhibit at the museum this weekend," Jack told him, folding his arms across his chest. "I thought maybe you'd like to go."

Ianto's eyes widened. "Just the two of us?"

"Unless you'd like the others to tag along."

Ianto considered that. "Well, Tosh does like museums, but Owen would be a right prat and Gwen might break something."

"So, was that a yes?"

"That depends," said Ianto, face serious.

"On what?"

"What kind of exhibit it is," he replied. "If it's alien I'll have to pass."

Jack threw his head back and laughed. "No. No, I can assure you it's not about aliens. In fact, it's an Egyptian exhibit from the British Museum. Cardiff has it on loan for the next two months, starting this Saturday."

Ianto loved ancient Egypt. He'd studied quite a bit about it while taking his courses at university. His fascination wasn't common knowledge, however, so he wondered exactly how Jack had known.

"Much more acceptable," he said, nodding.

"Good. I already booked us a session time."

"Very assuming, aren't you, sir?"

"Just confident," Jack replied, grinning. "I thought we'd take Saturday off and make a day of it."

Ianto took a sip of his drink and then smiled. "That sounds lovely."

"How are you feeling, Ianto?" The Welshman looked at him quizzically. "Not feeling sick or anything lately?"

Ianto looked around. He wanted to make sure the coast was clear to discuss anything to do with the baby. "Not in a while, actually."

"Good, I'm glad. Owen hadn't come to me with anything but I just wanted to hear it from you. He doesn't always tell me everything."

"He'd tell you if anything was seriously wrong," Ianto said, pushing his plate away from him. "He wouldn't hide something like that."

"I suppose not," Jack agreed. "Are you going to finish that?"

Ianto glanced down at the chips still scattered about his plate. "No, I'm not. Help yourself."

Jack pulled Ianto's plate over to his side of the table. "Don't mind if I do."

Ianto smiled, watching the captain dig into the food with gusto. He had no idea how the man could eat so much and still retain his figure. Frowning, Ianto looked down at himself. His clothes were getting tighter on him. He'd started wearing the looser of the suits he owned so that he'd not have to deal with getting the seams let out. He wasn't ready to admit he would eventually have to stop wearing suits and start wearing something with a little give.

They finished up their lunch and made their way back to the Hub. Upon arrival Ianto made the team a pot of coffee and then slipped away to do some work in the tourist office. He'd been there for only five minutes before a woman and her husband came in.

"Oh, hello there," she said, greeting Ianto with a wide smile. "My husband and I were wondering if you had any attractions you could recommend."

Ianto smiled back at the American woman. "That would depend on your tastes," he advised, picking up a couple of brochures and fanning them out on the counter between them. "There are sporting events, castle tours, even musical productions if that's your thing."

"Sporting events, eh?" asked the man, and Ianto imagined his ears perking up as he took an interest in the proceedings. "What kind of sporting events?"

"There's the rugby," Ianto suggested, handing him a pamphlet. "Or, if you prefer, football. The kind you'd call soccer."

The woman frowned, giving her husband a look. "I think something a bit more…cultural. Authentic Welsh."

Ianto smiled. "Do excuse me for saying so, but there's not much else more Welsh than rugby." He leaned forward, conspiratorially. "But between you and me, I'd take the tour of Castell Coch. The views are breathtaking, especially this time of year. And if you agree to the rugby he'll be more likely to take the tour as well."

Ianto straightened up as the woman seemed to consider his advice for a moment. She then patted his hand and turned to her husband to discuss their options. When she turned back around she was grinning.

"It looks like we'll be doing the tour and a game," she said, winking. "You've been so helpful!"

Nodding, Ianto handed her one more brochure. "I also hear there's an Egyptian exhibit coming to the National Museum here in Cardiff this weekend, if you're interested. It's not in the brochure, but it's only in town for two months. Best to take advantage of it."

The woman's eyes lit up. "Did you hear that, Dennis?"

"Mmhmm," her husband replied. "Sounds great."

"Thank you so much, um…"

"Ianto," he supplied, holding out his hand. She shook it.

"Thank you so much, Ianto. It's been a pleasure." She turned to Dennis, who was looking at a stack of plastic rugby balls. "Let's go, dear."

"Coming, hon."

The couple left the tourist office and Ianto chuckled. It never failed to amaze him how many tourists actually passed through the door. Considering the location of the office under the end of the wharf, it wasn't exactly the most practical place to get tourist information. They could stop in at the Millennium Centre much more easily.

Turning his attention to the stacks of brochures atop the counter Ianto made a list in his head of what he'd need to restock. He always kept a careful eye on it, not wanting to get behind. In fact, he'd have to stop by one of the shops to get some updated museum information.

When he'd first arrived at the Cardiff branch he'd been disgusted by the tourist office's disarray. The outdated pamphlets and layer of filth that coated everything let him know that no one had taken any pride in the place in quite a long time. Now that he was there it was just as important to him as the archives, and he kept it clean, organized, and current. There was a place for everything and everything in its place. Just like his mother had taught him.

As he moved towards his computer, intending to get started on some emails that Jack had been ignoring, he felt a cramp in his stomach and winced. Wonderful. All he needed was to get sick from their fish and chips lunch. He laid a hand on his stomach and switched on the computer, taking a deep breath before he logged in.

The pain slowly abated and Ianto took a couple more deep breaths until it was gone completely. He'd have to remember to pick up some antacids the next time he stopped by the shops. He didn't think he had any downstairs, and couldn't be certain there were any at his flat, either.

It was almost ten minutes before he felt another twinge, this one much more painful than the last. Grabbing his stomach Ianto groaned. He would have to let the chippy know their food hadn't sat well with him. Perhaps it had been a bad batch. He wondered if Jack was feeling the same.

A sharp pain sliced through his stomach before the last had quite receded and Ianto clutched at the counter in front of him. No, this wasn't normal. He reached for the keyboard, logging out of the computer before stumbling to the door and flipping the sign over. He locked the door and made his way back, hitting the button under the counter that would open the door to the Hub.

He hurried down the corridor, breathing erratic as he tried to stay calm. He slowed when the pain became more than he could handle, doubling over and leaning against the wall. He activated his earpiece, thankful he'd remembered to grab it before he'd made his way upstairs.

"Owen," he said, mouth dry.

"What is it, Tea Boy?"

"I can't…"

"Ianto?"

"Please…the pain. Reception..."

There was the sound of something being dropped and then Owen shouting, "Jack! It's Ianto!"

He was crumpled on the floor of the corridor by the time he heard voices that weren't coming through his comms. He felt hands around his waist and then he was hanging over someone's shoulder. Jack.

"Get him downstairs and into medical," instructed Owen.

"Yeah, I know," replied Jack.

Ianto could feel himself being carried but their words came to him through a pain-induced fog. The stabbing feeling in his stomach had increased, and it was all he could do not to vomit. By the time he was laid out on the cold metal table in the medical bay Ianto wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming. Everything was distorted and the pain in his stomach was all he knew.

"Wet this cloth and put it over his forehead while I get the scanner ready," Owen said, releasing his arm after checking his pulse.

Jack did as he was told, folding the cool flannel and placing it on Ianto's head. He moaned, the feeling of the cool material soothing him. He hardly noticed when excess water dripped down into his eyes.

Owen ran the scanner over him twice. "It looks like the baby is giving him quite a bit of grief. If we hadn't caught it in time he'd have been in danger of a miscarriage."

Jack squeezed Ianto's hand. "What's happening?"

"Based on his erratic pulse and fever I'd suspect his body is trying to fight off this baby like it's an infection. We need to get this fever down."

"How high is it?"

"Thirty-nine and rising."

Ianto groaned, another pain shooting through him. He could feel Jack holding his hand and he clung to it like a life line. He felt like his skin was on fire.

"What can he take?" asked Jack, flipping the cloth over.

"Paracetamol is all I'm willing to give him," Owen replied, preparing a syringe. "Get that jacket and shirt off of him."

Jack did as he was told, leaning Ianto against him as he removed the man's suit jacket and dress shirt, undoing his tie and dropping everything in a pile. Ianto hadn't worn a waistcoat that day, which made clothing removal that much easier. Ianto would have made a smart comment about Owen wanting to see him naked but he just couldn't get his mouth to form the words.

"We're going to need to get this fever down more quickly than the meds are going to work," said Owen, injecting the pain reliever into Ianto's arm. "As much as I hate to suggest it, a cold shower is our best bet."

"And what happens after the fever goes down?" Jack asked. "Will the baby be safe?"

Owen put the Paracetamol away, taking Ianto's pulse again. "It's possible; however I may have to administer an immunosuppressive drug. I prefer not to, as his natural antibodies are what the baby is going to absorb, but if his body keeps rejecting the baby like a foreign object it's the only thing that's going to keep him from losing the baby."

"Please," Ianto croaked out. "Save…the baby."

Jack removed the flannel from Ianto's forehead when the doctor indicated they needed to get him up. Together they managed to get Ianto up and off the table. They each wrapped one of his arms around their shoulders and carried him up the steps.

"We're going to do everything we can, Ianto," Jack said as they cleared the steps.

"Of course we are," Owen added.

Ianto blearily noticed Tosh and Gwen standing by the railing, worry etched across their faces. He tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. He suppressed a moan as a dull pain rolled through him. Apparently the medicine was working.

"Thank you," he said, licking his lips.

It might have been his imagination but he thought Jack pressed a kiss to the side of his head as they moved him down into the showers.