Chapter Ninety Nine
The Doctor had finally talked Jack into going on a parts run with him while Nigel sat on the bed and watched Ianto softly breathing. Martha and Grace had tried talking Jack into removing the breathing tube, the feeding tube and the machines but he just threatened to fire them and told them to leave Ianto alone. Ianto was becoming very thin and his skin had a waxy feeling to it. Rubbing his finger along the back of Ianto's hand, Nigel sighed, brushing some of his hair from his eyes.
"Ok, Mate, this has gone on long enough. It's been a little over a year since you sunk into this coma of yours, well, thirteen months, if you want to be picky, and I will not let my dad suffer anymore because you want to sleep your life away! Talk about being thoughtless! Do you have any idea what he's going through? I thought you bloody loved the guy! He loves you! He sits here, day after day, holding your hand and had starved to death more times than I can count from forgetting to eat! Do you hear me? Nigel said then sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "Blimey, of course you can't hear me. How can I make you hear me?"
"Have you tried talking to him psychically?" a voice asked and Nigel looked to see Adam standing in the doorway. Walking toward the bed, Adam looked down at Ianto and sighed.
"Stacey asked me why he hasn't regenerated," Nigel said as he wiped his hair from his eyes and Adam checked the monitors.
"I didn't when I was in a coma," Adam said and Nigel blinked.
"When were you in a coma?" Adam told him about when he had a vision about Rain leaving the Doctor, John leaving with Tara and falling off a cliff when he tried to get to Alan to help him stop them.
"It came true, except for the falling off a cliff, and I slipped into a coma from the shock. Marion wondered the same thing about me not regenerating and Martha figured out that comas either interfere with the regeneration process or it's not serious enough to trigger it."
"Bugger, but I still don't get all this talking psychically stuff. I don't like the idea of having all these voices in my head and just shut them out."
"Yeah, we know that. The thing is, if you want to talk to him, maybe the only way he can communicate is psychically but there is something stopping him."
"You mean like brain damage or a tumor?"
"Did Martha find any tumors or damage?"
"Nope, and it's driving my dad nuts."
"Well, if you're not comfortable talking psychically, I could help you do it," Adam said then shivered when something vibrated in his pocket and took his cell phone out, flipping it open. "Ah, shit, Marion needs me to pick David up at the academy."
"Right, you better get going then. We'll be ok," Nigel said and Adam nodded, leaving the room. Nigel looked at Ianto when he closed his eyes and thought about what Jack told him about talking psychically. Opening his eyes, he moved closer to Ianto when he placed his fingers against Ianto's temples and cleared his mind. He slowly moved his mind into Ianto's mind as he felt a small resistance coming from Ianto and pushed a little harder.
"GO AWAY!" Ianto's voice shouted inside his head as Nigel fell to the floor onto his bottom then got up, leaning onto the bed.
"I don't think so," Nigel said as he sat back on the bed and placed his fingers against Ianto's temples. He pushed his mind into Ianto's mind as Ianto fought back and Nigel locked his eyes on Ianto's face.
"Why are you fighting me?" Nigel thought when something appeared in front of him and it was a woman with dark skin, black hair and brown eyes, covered head to toe in chrome metal.
"Leave him alone!" the image of Lisa, Ianto's former girlfriend that was changed into a cyberwoman, shouted and Nigel growled.
"Bloody hell I will!" Nigel thought when his mental image plowed through her and she screamed.
"Get away from him!" Martha shouted when she pulled Nigel away from Ianto and Nigel fell hard onto the floor. Martha checked the monitors while the alarms blared in the room and Nigel got off the floor, looking at her. "What the hell were you doing?"
"I was trying to talk to him," Nigel said while she examined Ianto then glared at him.
"You nearly caused him to regenerate," she said, pointing to the fading light around Ianto's hands.
"But he's not waking up."
"So you thought forcing him to wake up was the answer? I thought you were smart!"
"I am smart but this is gone on long enough! Either wake him up or pull the bloody plug!" Nigel shouted when he felt someone grab his shoulder and spun him around. Jack's eyes were pitch black as he glared at Nigel and Nigel swallowed, making his Adam's apple bob up and down.
"Get out." Jack said in a low tone as he let go of Nigel and Nigel sighed, leaving the room.
The soft hissing and beeping sounds filled the air while the stars sparkled outside the window and the door softly opened. Nigel walked toward the bed when he sat on the bed and looked at Ianto. Moving closer, he placed his fingers against Ianto's temples and closed his eyes, gently entering his mind.
"Look, Mate, I don't want to fight you. Talk to me," Nigel thought when he felt Jack's mind rushing toward his mind and set up a privacy block. Adam had told him how to set one and Nigel gently stroked Ianto's temples with his fingers. He waited when he felt something flickering on the edge of his mind and Nigel blinked. "Yan, is that you?"
"Go away," Ianto thought in a soft tone and Nigel blinked.
"Why? What did I do?"
"You're here."
"Aye, I am here. What's wrong with that?"
"He never told me. He never talked about her. What did he expect me to do when I found out that he had a son?"
"I thought you were ok with all this. You told my mum that it was ok."
"I was ok with her being here but the whole idea of him having a child that's not ours still hurts."
"So you decided to get even with him by staying in a coma for thirteen months?"
"I've been asleep for thirteen months?"
"Aye and my dad is a wreck. He's starved to death more times than I can count, he doesn't go out with the team or the family, he only shaves and brushes his teeth and sits here with you."
"Didn't anyone make him go out?"
"Aye but he's stubborn. He loves you and I thought you loved him."
"I do love him."
"You have a weird way of showing it."
"But he needs to get to know you, Stacey and Rory."
"And so do you. Do you know that Rory's potty trained now? He dragged the potty chair in here the other day, pulled his training nappies down, peed then stood up and said "Look, Pa-paw Yan, I can go potty.". He was so sad when you didn't say anything."
"I missed that?" Ianto thought when Nigel heard Ianto make a deep sigh then frown.
"You're missing a lot of things, Mate. Don't you remember the anniversary for the Doctor and Rain? We were in it, you and I. We were sitting there, arms on each other's shoulders, and looked so happy. Shit, all my life I wanted a dad and now I've got two of them. The problem is one of them is being a stubborn git and wants to sleep through everything."
"You want me to be your dad?"
"I just said so, didn't I?"
"But…"
"Hold on, I was talking to Adam and he told me about his coma."
"Yes, I remember that. He said that he…that…that…Oh, shit, I ran away, didn't I? Instead of getting into the TARDIS, I ran into my head and hid."
"I think getting slightly electrocuted had a hand in it," Nigel thought and heard Ianto laugh inside his head.
"Yeah, that didn't help. The thing is, how do I wake up?"
"Opening your eyes is a start," Nigel said and Ianto laughed. The lights came up when the alarms rang out and Nigel broken the connection, getting off the bed. Martha and Jack ran into the room when Jack charged at Nigel and pinned him against the wall.
"What did you do?" Jack demanded while Martha examined Ianto then turned to Jack and called to him. Shoving Nigel into the wall, Jack walked to the bed when he looked down and Ianto was looking up at him.
"L-leave…our…s-son…alone," Ianto grumbled as Nigel walked to the bed and Ianto smiled up at him. Brushing the hair out of Ianto's eyes, Nigel smiled back then took Ianto's hand and wrapped his fingers around Ianto's fingers.
"Finally decided to wake up, hunh, Dad?" he whispered and Ianto barely squeezed his fingers.
"Ye-yeah," Ianto said and Nigel kissed the top of his head then looked at Jack.
"Well it's about time. The coffee around here has been terrible," Jack said with a smile and Ianto coughed when he tried to laugh.
"Sh-shall I go make a n-new pot, Sir?" he asked and Martha covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Nah," Jack said then walked around to the other side of the bed, leaned down and kissed Ianto's lips.
"Right, you two, out, I need to examine him," Martha said and Nigel and Jack nodded, leaving the room. Nigel walked ahead of Jack when Jack caught up with him and placed his hand on Nigel's shoulder, making him turn around.
"Um, I just want to…Um…I…" Jack said when Nigel hugged him and sent love into his mind.
"I know, Dad, I know," Nigel said then moved back and smiled at him. "Want some leftover pizza? I think there's some in the refrigerator."
"Sounds good," Jack said when he placed his arm around Nigel's shoulder, heading down the hallway.
Martha and Grace ran a few tests over the next few months and found that Ianto was going to have no ill effects from the coma. Ianto loved the attention everyone was giving him but Jack hovering over him day and night was driving him bonkers.. The Doctor did find a rehabilitation center on Denaro VII where Ianto could go get the therapy and care that he needed and Jack went forward in time and brought him back to New Gallifrey after spending two years at the center.
"We're home!" Jack said as he walked into the Doctor's backyard and Ianto slowly followed him. He blushed while the others applauded and Adam and Alan were jumping up and down, pumping their fists into the air.
"Thanks," Ianto said softly as he walked to the lounge and sat down. Rain walked to the lounge when she placed the plate with several Navajo tacos on it on his lap and kissed his cheek. Nodding, he picked up one of the tacos and started eating. He nodded as people came to welcome him home when he noticed that Jack was missing and looked up at Nigel, who was holding Rory on his hip. "Where did your dad go?"
"I don't know," Nigel said while Rory tried to get down and he sat Rory on the lounge next to Ianto.
"Gimme a taco," Rory said as Ianto pulled the plate away and Rory frowned.
"Is that how you ask me?" Ianto asked and Rory shook his head.
"May I have a taco, Pa-paw Yan, please?" he asked and Ianto nodded, handing him a Navjo taco. He let Rory snuggle closer as he placed his arm around him and Nigel smiled. A few minutes later Jack walked out of the house with something wrapped in a pink blanket and the others looked at him. He walked to Ianto while Nigel lifted Rory off the lounge and took a taco off the plate, walking away. Ianto looked at Jack when Jack carefully knelt next to the lounge and looked into the blanket.
"What's in there?" Ianto asked.
"I wanted to wait until we got home but she woke up too soon," Jack said and Ianto frowned.
"Jack, what is that?" he asked, pointing at the blaneket.
"I didn't know if you were ever going to wake up and…I…Um…." Jack said when the Doctor coughed then looked at the others and Jack sighed.
"Right, inside!" the Doctor said as he pointed to the house and the others walked inside the house. Jack watched as the glass door slid shut and the Doctor closed the curtain. Ianto looked at Jack when Jack looked into the blanket and Ianto placed his hand on Jack's shoulder.
"Jack, what did you do?" Ianto asked.
"I didn't know if you'd ever woke up so I decided I wanted your baby," Jack said then explained what he did and Ianto sighed.
"You have to stop doing things without talking to me first. I'm your husband and you need to respect me or our marriage means nothing. And you have to tell me everything. Are there other Nigels out there?" he asked and Jack saw the seriousness in his eyes.
"No, he's the only one."
"He's the only one you know of."
"So, what, you don't want to be with me now because I have a kid that's not ours?"
"No, I want to be with you. I just need you to be honest with me. I want to know you and I want you to know me. Please, Jack, it's all I ask of you," Ianto said with tears in his eyes and Jack smiled, kissing the back of Ianto's hand. "Now, can I see my daughter?"
Jack slowly handed Ianto the blanket as Ianto looked into the blanket and the baby looked up at him, blinking at him. Ianto kissed the top of the baby's head then sent love into the baby's mind and she snuggled against his chest.
"What is her name?"
"Her middle name is Andella, that was my mother's name, and her first name is…" Jack said and Ianto titled his head to one side.
"Yes?"
"I wanted it to be a special name."
"What is it?"
"Her first name is…Lisa," Jack said then stood up and wiped the tears from Ianto's eyes. Carefully sitting on the lounge next to them, Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto and Ianto placed his head on Jack's shoulder.
"….And here is my wonderful daughter, Lisa!" Jack's voice said on the screen while Nigel looked at the screen and the young woman with dark hair flipped Jack off and Nigel ran up behind her, blowing a raspberry against her cheek.
"You wanker!" she shouted then got up and chased after Nigel as Jack turned the camera toward Ianto and Ianto shrugged.
"And she dunks his head into the punch bowl!" Jack's voice said as the camera turned around and Lisa laughed while Nigel shook the punch out of his hair.
"Yeah, having a little sister is going to be interesting," Nigel said when he turned the video off then turned the computer off and sat back in the chair. He felt someone tap him when he looked up and Ianto lowered Lisa into Nigel's arms, making him smile.
"So, how long have you known about her?" Ianto asked when he sat down on the other chair and Nigel rocked Lisa in his arms.
"Since I first watched the video, but wasn't sure when she came into our lives."
"And you're ok with your dad having a baby with me?"
"Yep," Nigel said with a nod of his head and Ianto smiled. "Just promise me that you'll never do the whole coma thing again. Even though he can't regenerate, watching him die then come back freaks me out."
"I promise," Ianto said when Rory walked to them and looked at Ianto.
"What's Daddy doing?" he asked, pointing to Nigel.
"He's holding the baby," Ianto said.
"Will you hold me, Pa-paw?" Rory asked and Ianto nodded, lifting Rory onto his lap. Jack stood at the top of the stairs while watching his boys when he sat down on the top step and smiled, placing his lower arms on his thighs.