LOVE
THIRTYTWO
By the time Ianto had arrived at the medical bay's ICU with his precious burden, Rhys had already put Gwen down on one of the beds.
Gwen Cooper was hopping mad.
"Where the hell is that little turd? Let me at him!"
"Darling," Rhys tried to console her. "Please, calm down. You're going to make yourself sick. Ah! Here's Ianto. Let's see if we can find out what's going on from him."
With exquisite gentleness Ianto Jones placed The Doctor on another crèche. He carefully arranged the Time Lord's clothes and then pressed an ear to his chest.
"Ianto!" Rhys rumbled anxiously as he stroked his wife's hair.
"Shush! I'm listening."
There was a few seconds of dead air while Ianto closed his eyes and concentrated.
"Two hearts! Beating!" The Welshman straightened back up triumphantly. "Heard them both I did!"
Gwen shooed Rhys' hand off of her head. "Get away from me!" she screeched.
Ianto scrutinized the two of them, "What seems to be the problem here?"
"That little creep John Hart!" Gwen hissed, "I want my fingers around his scrawny little neck – that's what the problem is!"
Ianto shook his head, "But… he rescued you, Gwen. Saved you from…"
"From that pathetic brother of Jack's, I know. All I can say is some rescue. I was doing fine until mister high and mighty Captain John bloody Hart came parading in and took over. Then look what happened. Everything went straight to hell. First him," she gestured despairingly at The Doctor lying motionless on his bed, "and then it was into the TARDIS with you dearie and just keep quiet I've got a plan sweetheart and oh but I want you to put on the lovely dress and just be patient this will all work out and be over with soon and don't forget to shut the fuck up and play along. The rat bastard! Shit!"
Gwen looked down at the ill-fitting white wedding dress she was still wearing and laughed. Ianto decided she sounded just a bit hysterical. Maybe more than just a bit…
"You're right," he said sympathetically to her. "It was a harebrained scheme. But we were worried about you, Gwen, and our top priority was getting you back home safely. The Doctor insisted we go with his plan and after all it was his ship we used; we had little choice in the matter. Here," he padded over to the sink and rummaged around, "let me get you a nice big drink of lovely cool water."
He brought her a glass and handed it to her. She took it gratefully and raised the cup to her lips and drank. That's when he used his other hand to stick her with the hypodermic. Her eyes opened wide but then closed as she shuddered and fell back against the pillows. Ianto deftly caught the half-empty cup of water before it hit the blanket.
"What the hell was that for?" Rhys growled.
Ianto raised a hand in a gesture of peace. "It's a sedative. We need to get her checked over and she is clearly overwrought. I realize Gwen may have a very good reason to be upset, but I think it is best to keep her calm and sleeping until Martha can come round and provide the care she needs and deserves. Which reminds me, I need to phone Martha. Keep an eye on them for me, will you?"
Rhys sputtered something under his breath but Ianto was already long gone.
"It wasn't a harebrained scheme, you know," The Doctor said suddenly, greatly surprising Rhys. "It was a very good plan. We got her back, didn't we? Just like I promised?"
"Yes. Yes you did, Doctor. Thank you. Erm… are you all right?"
"Fit as a fiddle, Rhys!" The Time Lord sat up but groaned and quickly lay back down again. "Well, maybe not quite so fit. My rib cage took another beating. But I'll be fine. Is Gwen okay?"
"I think so. She started spouting off as soon as I brought her here. Wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. Mad as hell she is."
"I don't doubt it. Rhys, I think Gray might've given her a hard time. I suspect she's projecting… you know?"
Rhys shook his head and frowned, "Projecting?"
"Associating her anger with an inaccurate, inappropriate target. Falsely assigning blame. She's actually angry at Gray, but she's taking it out on John. That sort of thing."
"Ah! She does that all the time. Comes home mad as hell at me but I know she's actually pissed off at someone else. Usually all it takes is a few quiet moments and a big glass of wine."
The Doctor nodded and smiled thinly. "Good. Then you do understand it. Well… in this particular situation it might be more serious than that. Rhys… I don't know how to tell you other than to just come out and say it. Gray may have assaulted her. Gwen may be in need of a lot of help before this is all over. And she's going to need you at her side every step of the way. She's strong but no one is that strong."
As the Time Lord watched, a progression of emotions passed over Rhys' face, a sort of abbreviated "Fives States of Grief." Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance – they were all there, marching relentlessly across his soul's horizon.
The Doctor could only hope that the progression would end in the proper spot. The one Gwen needed most – a place of support, love and acceptance. He could also easily guess the one question Rhys really wanted, really needed to have answered. Answered immediately. "Jack is dealing with him," the Lord of Time said softly as he held fast the Welshman's gaze. "Trust Jack to do what is right. You have other priorities – you need to take care of Gwen. Focus on her, Rhys. Direct all of your thoughts and energies to her. Let Jack take care of Gray."
After what felt like a long time Rhys finally nodded and wordlessly turned back toward his wife. He didn't even react when Jack, followed closely by Ianto, strode into the room.
-00-
"True love is eternal, infinite, and always like itself. It is equal and pure, without violent demonstrations: it is seen with white hairs and is always young in the heart."
Honore de Balzac