'Nemo'
Owen waited outside of Ianto's room holding two cartons of coffee. He had gone to find the café just as the nurse arrived to start getting Ianto ready for surgery. He could hear Jack speaking softly and he didn't want to disturb the conversation as it sounded important. He knew once he entered Ianto would go immedialty into his blank state.
"I am so proud of you Ianto you are so brave, you handled that brilliantly. The cunnula will feel strange sort of achy and cold and tomorrow it will help to make you all sleepy. It's in your vein; see those blue lines on your arm. See I have them too. Now we need to talk about what happens next. Then I thought we could look through some of your books and see if we could find some trucks like we saw on the way here."
Owen took this queue and walked in to find Ianto sitting on the side of the bed his legs hanging over the edge as Jack stood between them. Seeing Owen Ianto buried his head into Jack shoulder and Jack wrapped his arms around him.
So far so good. Ianto had settled in his room been weighed, had had his blood pressure taken, a cannula had been inserted into the back of his hand and he had given a blood sample.
Owen was more than relived, with so much that could go wrong. Ianto was handling this really well. There had only been one moment this could have turned sour. It had happened just as they left the institute and hit the open road.
After all the weeks of preparation the fact this was Ianto's first car journey had never crossed their minds. It had been touch and go, as Ianto clung onto Jack terrified, as vehicles came towards them.
Owen had pulled over quickly as Jack explained how the road rules worked and pointed out all the different vehicles. Taking off Ianto had brightened considerably when he saw a bus; several trucks followed by a motor bike and spent the remainder of the trip fascinated by vehicles that caught his attention.
"Thanks," Jack said as Owen placed the coffee on the high table at the end of the bed.
"Yeah you look like you could use a coffee," Owen stated as Jack raised his eyebrows in agreement.
"I need something a lot stronger than coffee but it will have to do, my heart rates still slowing down," Owen quipped.
"Never crossed my mind either," Jack admitted.
"Other than that he appears to be handling this very well."
"That's because everything is as expected," Jack replied as he lifted Ianto's chin and looked into his eyes. "That what we like isn't it, no surprises."
"Well it goes to show what good planning and hard work can do, and it's all good practice for when you actually leave."
"Yeah" Jack said as Ianto held him closer.
"Talking about surprises, the team put this together for him," he put down the coffee took off his back pack and pulled a small wrapped box.
Opening it Jack saw it was an iPod. "We took the liberty of downloading a few songs we thought he might like, nothing too heavy like the shit he used to listen too."
Owen handed him over a print out of the contents as Jack looked down the extensive list.
"There's some light classical music, along with mix of funny and popular songs. I think Flanders and Swann feature a bit, along with the Element song and the 'Rainbow song', 'Hamster dance' stuff like that. The girls and the newbie's had great fun selecting what songs to include. Bloody hours…listening to the 'Macarena' and the 'Ketchup song,' I swear to god I thought my ears would bleed. I don't know what was more scary the fact they knew all the words or could do all the moves. Needless to say I can confirm they have compiled the longest list of the most irritating songs in history," "he stopped when he saw the bemused look on Jack face.
"Being head of Torchwood Cardiff is a tough job but someone's got to do it," Jack teased him.
"It took me weeks to get that 'Barbie Girl' song out of my head only to have it replaced with that bloody stupid 'chicken dance song'," he continued as Jack laughed.
"Anyway we tried to add as many songs that had plays on words that sort of thing, we hope he enjoys it."
"Owen it's wonderful tell them a big thank from me I am sure he will enjoy this very much."
"Well I'm off; I need a beer to recover from the car trip, thank god for motor bikes and fucking great trucks."
"Thanks for this," Jack said.
"I'll catch up with you just before he goes in," Owen gave Jack a thumbs up. As he left Jack scanned his eyes down the list.
"I think there's a song on here you will really like," Jack placed the jack in the iPod and found the song in the menu. Pressing play he listened to check the volume on the ear pieces then placed them gently into Ianto ears. Ianto opened his eyes wide and a ghost of a smile passed across his face as he started to nod his head in time with the music.
Lying in a hospital bed Ianto watched the screen in front of him with fascination. Jack had brought the DVD player for him from the second bad place. It was a thin metal oblong that opened and sang to him. Then Jack put in a shiny circle and pictures started to appear.
Jack had given him the DVD player after his mouth was fixed, as a treat. He had woken groggy and his mouth felt all strange and had holes where there were no holes before. He had spent a lot of time mapping out how different it all was with his tongue. Then the next day he found could eat hard things and he could use his whole mouth for chewing and not just one side.
He was very happy because he was watching his favourite 'Nemo'. The first time he had watched all he'd seen were colours and shapes; everything moved so fast he was a bit overwhelmed. But each time he had watched it he had found something new, but the same. It was like as he saw bits that could be added to the whole until he knew everything. The story never changed. Everything was always exactly the same, every time. It made him feel very happy that it was always the same. Jack promised the stories on the discs could be repeated as many times as he wanted, but only if he was good.
His face creased for a second because he hated not being good, because it meant missing out on his discs. He had quite a list; he couldn't understand everything as he kept getting them all mixed up but he could remember names. There was one with Scrat and his nut, Many, Sid and Diageo. Another had Woody and Buzz Light-year, Donkey and Shrek. King Julian, who liked to move it, move it, and the naughty penguins who escaped by using a spoon.
Maybe tomorrow he might watch one of other discs but today was 'Nemo' day. Jack saved this disc for when he was especially good. He smiled; he loved Dory, she kept forgetting things just like him. He always got a bit worried that Nemo's dad Marlin wouldn't find Nemo and that they would be lost to each other forever but to his relief they always found each other at the end.
He wiggled a bit to get comfortable. His bum was very, very sore and he had to lay on his tummy or his side. He had tried his side but found the best place was his tummy. That meant staying in bed and he was not allowed to get up even to piss. Jack had found something for him to piss in; he had never laid down to piss before except for accidents. It was awkward but Jack had helped him in what he called 'hose control.'
Poos was the only thing he was allowed out of bed for and he used a special toilet thing the nurse brought and after he had to have a special bum wash, it was all warm and strange and Jack it called an nenama.
He was worried the poos might really hurt because when he woke up from his operation he really hurt deep inside. At first he thought he was back in the first bad place, but he heard Jack's voice and opened his eyes, looked up and saw Jack holding his hand and stroking his forehead telling him he was okay and reminding him where he was.
So he had been worried about using his bum again. But it was all right because poos were all sloppy because of the stuff he had been given to drink. He shuddered when he had first taken a sip and he was going to refuse but Jack said they had made a deal, if he was good, he got rewarded. Being good meant following the plan. Jack explained everything in great detail, making sure of everything, and part of the plan was drinking the thick drink. He trusted Jack because he had never lied to him once. If Jack said it would hurt it would and he always explained what the hurt was for. He was okay if he knew the pain was coming he could prepare and Jack understood this.
And being good he now got his treat, his reward. Jack had promised a treat because they couldn't do their normal things so lots of watching discs and Jack reading to him and maths puzzles, and books on how things worked which Jack explained to him, listening to music and drawing. He felt unsettled and they tried to do everything the same but Jack had explained that just for now things had to be just a bit out of order. And there was a big reason for this; Jack had promised that they would be leaving the second bad place soon, away from the guards, away, away, away, to a new special place called home and getting ready meant fixing his bum.
Jack had promised that after this was over no-one would touch his bum again in a bad way, unless they had to fix things. After this nothing should go up there again ever except medicine; it was exit only. Ianto was pleased to hear that, because putting things up there really hurt and his mind began to swirl with horrible images and sensations. He swallowed as he felt the room whirl but he focused on the film and brought his attention back as he watched Nemo got stroppy and touched the boat's butt.
Fixing his bum meant they could escape to home sooner and never have to come back. He thought about the huge folder of all the details of their move to home, in the locker beside him, which he went over and over and over again checking if anything had been added and how it all fitted into the move. He stifled a laugh as the big creature with all the teeth Jack said was a shark had Dory…
Jack looked up from his book at the strange sound Ianto had made…he heard it again he went over and kissed the top of his head as Ianto laughed. Tears rolled down Jack's face as he watched Ianto's enjoyment; no one here would understand the significance except him. Ianto had laughed for the first time, not just laughed but his whole body was wiggling in enjoyment as the biggest shark got upset and erupted into a major strop causing things to explode. He kissed the top of his head again and Ianto glanced up at him, a huge smile on his face. Jack knew in his long life he was never going to forget this moment, the moment he knew Ianto was on his way back.
The first time he had heard it Carl thought he was mishearing things, but there was no mistaking the sound; Ianto was laughing. For Carl who had seen Ianto through some of his worst times it made all his hard work worthwhile. He daren't put his head around the corner into his dayroom because he knew as soon as anyone other than Jack approached he clammed up, returning to his blank state. Carl didn't care. Ianto was showing someone that inside there was a man fighting to regain what he had lost. A man who could show something other than unresponsiveness or dread, that something could make him laugh. Ianto didn't realise it but something very special had been returned to him while he had been in hospital: his sense of humour.
He was relieved to hear him laugh because Ianto had been none too pleased to come back here yesterday, and almost lost it a couple of times. Jack had had to use every tactic he had to get Ianto to cooperate with his after care. Jack didn't know this but Carl was impressed with the control Jack had over Ianto, with only words and a few cuddles Jack had managed to get him to calm down and to do what was needed. At this point Jack held all the cards, they couldn't leave until such time as he was healed enough to need only visits from the local district nurse and or local doctor, until then they had to stay. Sitting for hours in a car with a sore bum was no fun even with great music to listen to and a rubber donut to sit on. So put up and shut up Jack had told him. To Carl's amazement Ianto had acquiesced, doing exactly what was needed.
"How many times now, Jack?" Carl called out to Jack joined him as he could hear the credits of the film began to sound out. Jack threw him a filthy look. "Not long now and you can enjoy 'Finding Nemo' in all its full glory on your new wide screen TV," he added. Carl approached him and pulled out a DVD case. "I was in the supermarket the other night and came across this. Reckon he might enjoy it," he said as Jack took the case.
"Robots," Jack read out the title.
"Seeing he likes mechanical things I was thinking you could add this to his collection," Carl said seriously.
"Good thinking, and it's one I have not seen," Jack told him with a sigh that only a veteran of 50 plus repeats of 'Finding Nemo' could make, as Ianto his eyes down to the floor came up behind Jack and put his arms around him so his head was laying on Jack's back.
"'Robots', what do you reckon?" Jack said as he showed him the DVD case and they watched as Ianto lifted his hand and took it, glanced at it with wide eyes, and walked back to his room studying the cover with intense interest.
"Bloody Nora," Carl burst out. They both stood looking at each other as they listened to the sound of the film as it began.
"Did he just…?" Jack said as his own face reflected the look of disbelief on Carl's face.
"Jack, today I have experienced two things I never thought I would ever encounter. The first was to hear Ianto laugh and the second was to see him openly take independent action," he told him seriously.
He looked at the time. "Now which one of us is going in there to tell him his dinner's ready?" Carl asked handing him a plate. Jack carefully counted the number of beans and headed back the room to find Ianto wide eyed as he watched his new disc and pointed at the screen.