Summer 1997
"Don't know why you always want to spend time around those old people."
"They're my grandparents," Ianto said quietly.
"Don't see your sister fussing over them. Haven't you any mates? You ought to be having a kickabout like a proper lad. Looking after old people, reading all the time… that lot's for girls. Keep doing that and you'll end up queer."
"No I won't," Ianto mumbled. "Can I just go?"
"On your bike, then," Ianto's father huffed.
Ianto fetched his fleece jacket and hurried down the road to catch the bus into the city centre where granddad would meet him. They'd go together to visit gran in St. Tielo's. Every time they visited, Ianto hoped his nain would finally be turning a corner. Every time Ianto saw her, she seemed to be slipping further.
He spent the whole ride reading You Only Live Twice, carefully marking his place and slipping the book into his vintage messenger bag at the stop before his. Ianto wasted no time jumping off at his stop, hurrying over to his granddad who sat at the bus shelter, looking smart as usual in his full suit, Homburg hat, and walking cane.
"Need a hand up, taid?" Ianto asked.
"Thanks, lad. Shall we go?"
Ianto nodded and walked slower than usual to keep pace with his granddad. Inside the hospital, Ianto went ahead to get the lift while granddad exchanged pleasantries with the receptionist. The nurses on the unit were always especially charmed to see Ianto with his granddad, remarking how nice it was to see a young person who cared about something more than rap music and computer games.
"Go on ahead, lad, I'll be along now in a minute," granddad said, stopping to have a word with one of the nurses.
"Alright," Ianto said, continuing on to his gran's room. "Nain?" he said quietly at the door.
"Who's that?"
"It's Ianto, nain. How're you feeling?"
"I have my days, cariad. When did you get so big? How old are you now?"
Gran always sounded like she'd only just woken up, Ianto thought, and it saddened him to think of her feeling so poorly. "I'm 14 next week, nain," he said, sitting beside the bed and reaching out to hold his gran's hand.
"You'll be starting college soon."
"Couple years, yet, nain. Still have to do my GCSEs."
"You'll do brilliant. You're a very clever boy."
"Thanks, nain."
"What do you want to read?"
"Not sure, really. I enjoy history a lot, so maybe that. Not sure what sort of work I'd do though."
"You wanted to catch aliens," his gran said with a smile.
"When I was little, nain."
"Got to catch them before they catch you. Only stands to reason there's life out there somewhere…," Granddad said, coming into the room. "How are you today, Myffie?" he said, slowly leaning in to kiss his wife.
"Better you're here," she said.
"Well, we've got to bust you out of here one of these days. That's why I bring the lad… he'll distract the pretty nurses."
"Taid…," Ianto said, embarrassed.
"You won't always feel that way," Granddad winked. "But they'll always be charmed by you."
Ianto and his granddad visited for a couple hours, during quite a bit of which Ianto's gran slept off and on.
As they left the hospital, Granddad was quiet for a while, before turning to Ianto. "There used to be a good chip shop near here. Fancy going to see if it's still around?
"Alright," Ianto said. He suddenly got the feeling that his gran would never leave that hospital. Granddad would need him more than ever if that was true.