Chapter Ninety Seven
It had been three weeks since Ianto slipped into a coma and Jack sat near the bed, holding onto Ianto's hand. Martha argued that Ianto would be better off in the autopsy room but Jack insisted that Ianto would be moved to their bedroom and the sound of the machines hissing and beeping was the only thing Jack paid attention to. He didn't notice when the Doctor, or any of the family, came to see him and Jack sighed, brushing his finger along the stubble on Ianto's chin.
"Dad?" Nigel asked as he walked into the room and felt his hearts aching. The hair on the top of Jack's head stuck up in places and the rim of his eyes were red from crying. He also hadn't eaten anything and Nigel was sure that Jack hadn't slept.
"Go away," Jack mumbled but Nigel walked to the other side of the bed and folded his arms over his chest.
"Not unless you come with me," he said and Jack looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you have barely slept in the last three weeks and I don't know the last time you ate anything."
"Starved to death twice," Jack said softly as he stroked his fingers on the top of Ianto's hand and Nigel sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, we felt your mind blink out,' Nigel said when he walked to Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dad, come on, he's not going anywhere."
"Don't you care about him at all?" Jack snapped and Nigel backed away from him.
"I barely know him. For that matter, I barely know you. How can I get to know either of you when you're just sitting here, watching him sleep? Don't you care about Torchwood anymore? We have had three rift flares and had to deal with four weevil attacks."
"Sounds like you don't need me then," Jack said softly and Nigel growled.
"You are a bloody coward!" he shouted when Jack snapped his head toward him then stood up, his hands in tight fists.
"What did you say?" Jack demanded and Nigel smiled.
"You heard me. You're a bloody coward!" Nigel said when Jack swung his fist but Nigel ducked and Jack spun in a half circle, falling to the floor. Nigel caught him before he hit the ground as he wrapped his arms around Jack and Jack started sobbing. Hushing him, Nigel rocked him as he sent love into Jack's mind and gently rubbed his back.
"I miss him!" Jack sobbed as Nigel nodded and hushed him.
"I know," Nigel whispered as he looked up at the bed and sighed, rocking Jack back and forth.
"Look who's here!" Jack said when he carried Rory into the room and headed for the bed. They had told Rory about what happened to Ianto and Jack sat him on the bed next to Ianto. Rory looked at Ianto when he moved closer and lifted up one of Ianto's eyelids.
"Pa-paw Yan, you in there?" he asked while Jack smiled and Rory looked up at Jack. "He didn't wake up. He used to wake up when I did that."
"I know, Sweetie," Jack said when he picked Rory up then sat down next to Ianto and sat Rory on his lap.
"What do you think he's dreaming about?" Rory asked, looking up at Jack and Jack kissed the top of Rory's head.
"Knowing him, he's making me coffee," Jack said with a laugh and Rory giggled.
"He let me try coffee but I didn't like it," Rory said as he patted Ianto's chest and Jack looked down at him.
"When he do that?"
"The day before he got sick," Rory sighed and Jack rolled his eyes, smiling.
"Ah, that would explain the cookie crumbs in my coffee," he said with a nod of his head when Martha appeared in the doorway and had her medical bag in her hand.
"Um, Jack, I need to check Yan," she said as Jack nodded, carefully stood up and headed for the door with Rory in his arms.
"Are you going to make Pa-paw Yan all better now, Aunt Martha?" Rory asked as she sighed then smiled, patting his hand.
"I'll try," she said as Jack took Rory out of the room and she walked to the bed, looking down at Ianto. "I'll try."
Three months passed with no sign of Ianto coming out of his coma and Jack, Grace and Martha made sure that Ianto's legs and arms were moved to promote blood circulation and so his muscles wouldn't deteriorate. They also carefully rolled him on one side then the other to prevent bedsores and Jack was amazed by the emails, letters and cards of well wishes that arrived nearly every day.
"Jack, you need to come and have some fun," Adam said while he and Alan stood near the bed but Jack shook his head and Adam looked at Alan. Nodding, he set up a privacy block then Alan and Adam appeared in Jack's mind and were wearing tuxedos. A microphone stand appeared as they started to sing "Witch Doctor" and wiggled their hips side to side. After they finished the song, they did a bow then the sounds of crickets filled the air and they looked at each other. "Tough room."
"Ah, I know what to do!" Alan said when he spun around in circles then was dressed in jeans, a Stitch t-shirt, a green hoodie sweatshirt and green converse sneakers and started singing "I'm A Free Bitch, Baby".
"Will you both stop?" Jack snapped as they blinked and Adam dropped the privacy block.
"Um, ok, we're just trying…" Alan said and Jack nodded.
"I know what you are trying to do, and I appreciate it, but I just want to be alone with Yan, ok?" Jack asked and they nodded, leaving the room. Nigel nodded to them as they walked by when he walked into the room and Jack looked at him. Nigel walked to the bed when he carefully sat down near Ianto's leg and Jack half smiled at him.
"So, how is he?" Nigel asked as he flattened Ianto's fingers and Jack sighed.
"He's the same," Jack said and Nigel nodded.
"Tell me something," he said and Jack tilted his head to one side.
"What?"
"How did you two meet?" Nigel asked while Jack half smiled and started telling how he met Ianto Jones.
"You want to do what?" the Doctor asked while standing next to the bed and Jack smoothed the duvet over Ianto's stomach.
"I want to have a baby," Jack said with a serious tone in his voice and the Doctor blinked a few times.
"Um, and how are you going to go about doing that?"
"I want you to turn me human and impregnate me with some of my DNA and some of his DNA," Jack said, pointing to Ianto.
"Unless things have changed in the fifty-first century, men can't have babies."
"Doc, I'm serious! I want his baby!"
"Jack…" the Doctor sighed and Jack walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Doc, he's been in a coma for four months. Marta says that it's been too long and he started glowing yesterday, She isn't sure if he would wake up if he regenerated and I can't stand to see him do it until he goes through all thirteen lives then finally…" Jack said as new tears rolled down his face and the Doctor held him, rubbing his back. "I want to have someone that's made from the both of us."
"Come with me," he said as Jack nodded then looked at Ianto and they left the room.
Jack had never been to the looming center before as he looked at the round stone building and smiled at the large, metal stork that was above the door.
"That was Adam's idea," the Doctor said as Jack nodded and they walked toward the door. Martha had taken some DNA from Ianto then Jack as Jack held onto the white box and the doors hissed open. The lobby was busy with couples filling out forms in the waiting rooms, interns leading couples to one room or the other, and doctors and nurses talking about one couple or another. The walls of the lobby were stark white with a wide variety hologram photographs of babies and soft music played over the speakers. Jack smiled at the small hologram picture of three severed hands floating in jars of blue preservation fluid and Baby Wiggle Wart, Baby Bubble Butt and Baby Handy was written in red letters at the bottom of the frame.
"Who're Baby Wiggle Wart, Baby Bubble Butt and Baby Handy?" Jack asked and the Doctor smiled.
"They're Alan, Adam and John. It's Rose, Marion and Rosie's idea of a joke," the Doctor said and Jack laughed. The white tile clicked under their feet as they walked down the hallway and Jack was impressed by the decorations and furniture. They headed for the lift when the Doctor pushed the button and Jack sighed. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm ok," Jack said while the Doctor nodded and the lift doors opened. They walked inside the lift when the doors closed and the Doctor pushed the button. The lift moved when "She's Having My Baby" started playing over the speaker and Jack softly laughed. "Alan's idea?"
"Yep," the Doctor said when the door opened and they walked down the hallway. They went around the corner when they came to a door and the door hissed open, showing them a semi dark room with several birthing balls sitting at the center of the room.
"Whoa," Jack whispered as they quietly walked into the room and he looked at the small fetus floating inside the birthing balls. He knew that Adam had designed the birthing ball when Marion wasn't able to carrying River and James to full term and had given them the plans to the birthing balls when they came to New Gallifrey. Jack looked at one tiny fetus as it slowly bobbed up and down and an umbilical cord connected it to the top of the birthing ball.
"May I help you?" a voice asked when the Doctor smiled at the blonde haired woman walking toward them and she smiled at the Doctor. "Oh, Sir, it's you. Here to give looming a try?"
"Uh, no, I'd rather do it the old fashioned way," the Doctor said and Doctor Carlie Miller nodded. Doctor Miller was one of the doctors that was helping with the looming process and was the top in her field of genetics.
"I'm the one that wants to do it," Jack said as she looked at him then nodded.
"Where is your friend?" she asked as the Doctor gently touched her arm and led her to the other side of the room. Jack didn't listen to what he was telling her as he watched the fetus bob up and down then turned when someone tapped his back. Doctor Miller smiled at him and held her hand out toward the white box. He handed the white box to her as she took his hand and wrapped her fingers around his.
"This way, Captain," she said as he looked at the Doctor and he nodded. Sighing, Jack followed Doctor Miller as she headed for the lab and the Doctor turned around, headed for the door.