Ianto followed a young nurse named Lynn Hopkins while carrying his luggage. She was assigned to show him to his quarters and introduce him to the facility. Lynn, who was probably a few years younger than him, wore a nurse's hat and had short, brown curly hair that peeked playfully out from beneath the white fabric, despite her efforts to tame it with pins. She walked a few steps ahead of him and hadn't stopped talking since they left Nurse Richards' office.
"You know, I've always found it inconvenient that there are fewer and fewer male nurses available. I mean, why is this only a woman's job? It will be such a relief to have a strong hand helping us again when we have to move patients," she chirped, returning her gaze to him.
Ianto smiled at her, "I will gladly assist you wherever I can, ma'am."
"Oh, don't call me ma'am, that makes me feel old," she said as she came to a halt and extended her hand. "Please call me Lynn! If I may call you Ianto," she beamed.
Ianto clasped her hand and shook it. "Would love to do that, Lynn," he said.
"We nurses know each other by first names, but we have to be more formal with the patients. To avoid confusion, as Director Powell puts it," Lynn looked at Ianto and rolled her eyes. "I think most of them don't care."
Lynn's easygoing demeanour made her very endearing. Ianto liked her immediately.
After walking down a long corridor lined with blank doors, they stopped before one of them.
"Is this the patient's ward?" Ianto inquired innocently.
"No, this is your room," Lynn said with a little giggle and a shake of her head. "After you've stowed your luggage, I'll show you the rest of the facility".
Ianto pushed open the door and entered his new quarters. The room was small, with a bed and a nightstand, a wardrobe and a small desk with a chair. The low window overlooked the estate's park-like garden.
"Toilets and a washing facility are down the corridor," Lynn explained. "Our working shift begins at six o'clock, so make sure you get breakfast in the kitchen before then. Lunch is at noon if you have time, and supper is after your shift ends at eight, and attendance is required. The curfew is set at ten. Oh, and curfew means exactly what it says. No loitering after ten o'clock if you're not on night shift duty."
Ianto nodded and dropped his suitcase on the bed.
"Great," Lynn said, smiling. "Let's show you around and gather your nursing attire. I hope we have your size, I don't think Director Powell would appreciate you walking around in your own suit."
The clothing store was at the end of the long corridor. They searched the shelves for something Ianto could wear that did not include a dress or apron.
"Try it on," Lynn said, sliding the pile of clothes into his arms.
Curtains divided a small section of the room into a changing space. Ianto drew the fabric of the curtains closed behind him and unfolded the uniform. The material was rough between his fingers; fabric softener had yet to be invented. After changing, he examined himself in the large mirror mounted on the wall.
He was now dressed in white trousers and relatively comfortable trainers. His short-sleeved shirt was a disappointingly dull light blue. Ianto had grown accustomed to wearing more colourful shirts in recent years, so returning to a neutral blue/grey made him uneasy. He also realised that he wouldn't be wearing ties any time soon. He looked into the mirror and reached for his throat to close the last button. Without his suit, he felt exposed. Like a knight without his armour.
"Are you ready?" Lynn inquired from outside.
"Yes."
She opened the curtains to take a look.
"You look swell," she said, pleased with the view in front of her.
She neatly wrote his name on a tag and clipped it into his shirt pocket.
"You're all set now," she exclaimed.
The chimes of a clock suddenly rang through the speakers on the walls.
"Blimey, Is it really this late?" Lynn expressed surprise. "It's eight o'clock; let's go down to the kitchen for supper. The rest of the staff will be there as well, so you can meet everyone!"
The kitchen of Westwood Mental Asylum was located in the back of the building on the ground floor. It was a large room with smaller rooms adjacent for storage. The kitchen was quite old, almost antique. Not much work had been done since the facility was built in the early 1900s. The kitchen occupied half of the space, with a large cooking area in the centre and preparation counters along the wall. A large cooker with a blazing fire served the dual purpose of cooking and heating. The rest of the room was filled with shelves of freshly baked bread and a long wooden table with benches on both sides. The table was loaded with steaming large pots and empty plates waiting to be filled.
Almost all seats were already taken.
"Let me introduce you to the rest of the staff," Lynn said. "Here we have Keris Clarke and Mary Edwards, our fellow nurses."
The two women nodded and smiled, clearly pleased with the new addition to their team.
"Then there's Evan Jenkins, our caretaker, and Warren Huxley, our security guard, at the far end of the table." From beneath the table, a dog barked. "Oh, and there's Bruno, of course – Warren's dog." Warren reached beneath the table and patted Bruno on the back to calm him down.
"The kitchen staff would be Bryanna Lewis and our cook, the lovely Abigail Bradey. And last but not least our chief nurse Glynis Richards, which you have already met. Everybody, this is Ianto Jones our new nurse."
Ianto nodded to everyone politely, and Nurse Richards gesticulated for them to sit down. Once everyone had been seated, Abigail Bradey began to pour the stew onto the plates.
"Nurse Jones is going to have his first day tomorrow," Richards said to her staff before turning to Ianto. "Please come to my office at six o'clock. You will assist me with our bedridden patients before I hand you over to Nurse Hopkins, who will brief you on your duties in the day room. The more responsive patients spend the majority of their time there. You will also meet the doctor of the house tomorrow. Doctor Winslow is currently dining upstairs with Director Powell."
"Yes, ma'am, I'm looking forward to my first day tomorrow."
When Ianto reached for his spoon to begin eating, he noticed everyone else folding their hands.
"Perhaps Ianto could say our grace today," Lynn eagerly suggested.
"Yes, please. Go ahead," Nurse Richards agreed.
Ianto quickly put down the spoon. He hadn't prayed since he was a teen. What was he supposed to say? He desperately tried to recall words he'd learned as a child.
He cleared his throat. Then he folded his hands like the others, lowered his eyes, and began speaking:
"God is great and God is good,
Let us thank Him for our food;
By His blessings, we are fed,
Give us Lord, our daily bread.
Amen."
"Amen," the others repeated.
He raised his head to see how it went and saw a row of happy faces. He smiled back at them.
"Thank you, Nurse Jones," Chief Nurse Richards said with a nod of approval. Her gaze swept over the table. "Enjoy your meal."
Later in the evening, Ianto was sitting on his bed in his room when the lights suddenly went out. For a moment, he considered power failure until he remembered that curfew was at ten o'clock. Everyone's life in Westwood was meticulously planned.
Ianto stared at the door.
He never received a key; it was clearly intended to remain unlocked, and privacy was not valued in this facility. He was relieved he had gotten rid of his suspicious accessories before coming here. Ianto only wished he could've kept the wristwatch. He massaged his now-bare wrist unconsciously.
For the first time since his arrival, Ianto had time to think about what had happened so far. What had he gotten himself into? They were looking for some missing persons, and within a day, he was thrown back fifty years in time and working as a nurse in a mental institution.
He wondered what Gwen would be doing after they were gone. How long before she gave up looking? Would she build a new team? Ianto pressed his eyes together.
"Where are you, Jack?" he whispered into the darkness.
He must be somewhere in the building. Ianto hoped that when he started work the next day, he would be able to learn more about his whereabouts. Finding him was the only thing that mattered right now. They'd figure out the rest when they got back together. Ianto felt doubt creep into his heart. He drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around them.
What if they didn't?
What if they never found their way back home? After some thought, Ianto realised he didn't care. He didn't have much back home that truly mattered. He felt terrible for Gwen, but the things that were most important to him were his work at Torchwood and Jack. He could have both here.
Okay, maybe not working for Torchwood. But if he could get Jack out of here, he was sure he would manage.