AN: This chapter is for nannily who bullied me (okay, she didn't really, all she did was ask if I was going to update anytime soon) into posting. Sorry about the humungous wait, real life if a bitch. Also, after I have finished posting this there will be no more Torchwood stories from me, Ianto and I have parted ways. Inspiration gone and all that. Love you guys. Please don't kill me.
Chapter 16: The Miracle of Birth… Yeah right.
With Rhys' help they'd found the "bears" and were currently attempting to explain to them that Earth, being a Level Five Inhabited Planet, was deemed off limits for off world and alien trading, at least in this century, by order of the Shadow Proclamation. The "bears" were understandably not happy about that, outlaws from their own kind they had no means to support themselves. Jack managed to get Tosh and Owen out of the line of fire when the "bears" pulled out some very fearsome looking weaponry. Unfortunately, he couldn't get himself out of the way in time and took a burst of pure Zion energy to the heart. He screamed as it literally felt like his chest was melting. 'Shit,' he thought as he died. 'Ianto's going to kill me again for this.'
Rhys was yelling for someone, anyone to respond and growing increasingly panicky when all he could hear over the comms was a piercing scream of pain and then the staccato burst of gun fire, followed by a couple of muffled thumps as two bodies dropped to the ground, followed by more gunfire. "Owen? Tosh? Jack!" He yelled, needing a response. He was too caught up in the drama to notice that Ianto wasn't back yet.
Ianto clutched at his heart as he felt Jack die... again, and it was then that panic set in. He was now in labour, and the only medic who knew he was pregnant and could perform the necessary caesarean was pinned down by alien bears while his husband, who he desperately wanted to be here right now was dead. Typical Torchwood this. Taking a few calming breaths and waiting for the contraction to subside, he made his way to the locker room, changed, then made his way back up to the main office to hear Rhys screaming at them down the comms.
He took over from Rhys, who finally noticed that Ianto was back and had changed clothes, and he spoke into the comms. "Owen, report?" Owen's voice came back over, Jack was indeed dead... again and they were under heavy fire from some sort of energy weapon. Tosh reported it was Zion energy, which made Ianto grin. That's why they needed to get out of the rain, Zion energy dissipated in water. "Two seconds." he said, bringing up the buildings electronics, and he set off the sprinklers.
Jack came back to life with a pained gasp, breathing air into oxygen starved lungs, to find he was lying in a puddle of water. 'Odd.' He thought before he was swept away by a river of panic that was not his own. 'Ianto... Oh God...' "Ianto." He croaked out, staggering to his feet to find Owen. The "bears" had been taken care of and Tosh was in the process of doing her best to clean up. "Leave it," Jack rasped. "We'll come back later." Tosh left off without complaint and offered her boss a shoulder to lean on. "Where's... Owen?" Tosh indicated outside, with the SUV. "Have to... get back... Ianto... baby..." He coughed, the spasm shaking his frame. Regrowing a heart and lungs was hard work. Add to that the feel of your partner's labour pains and you had a pretty fun combination.
A look of panic crossed the Japanese woman's face and she helped Jack out of the building, conveying the situation to the medic in a voice that defied that panic. Owen muttered a pithy, "Shit," and helped Tosh load their boss into the car. Owen jumped in the driver's seat and then did a fairly passable impression of Jack's driving. They arrived back at the Hub in minutes and got out. Well, Tosh and Owen did, Jack sort of... fell out of the car. Tosh supported him again so Owen could race in and get his patient into the small hospital room they'd set up months back for just this situation.
In the meantime, Ianto had been pacing around the hub, finding that walking helped ease in between contractions, which were getting closer together, but still not close enough for the operation. Owen had said that they had to treat this like a real labour and wait until it would be time for a woman to start pushing. Once Ianto felt the urge to push, then he could go in for the caesarean.
Unfortunately, by the time Owen and the others got back, Ianto was nowhere near that stage, however as Jack stumbled in with Tosh's help, Ianto was currently leaning on one of the rails, knuckles white as a particularly strong contraction had hold of him.
Owen had bullied the younger man into submitting for an examination and muttered to himself at what he'd found. Nowhere near time. He'd gotten him walking again and watched as both men's faces relaxed at the sight of the other. Jack seemed to draw strength from somewhere and staggered away from Tosh and over to Ianto. He coaxed him away from the rail, rubbing soothing circles on the backs of his clenched knuckles. "I'm here Yan, it's alright... Here, lean on me." Jack ducked under his partner's arm and wrapped one of his around the other's waist. "Come on love." He smiled brightly at his Welshman, coaxing him into moving again. "Walking hastens the birth remember?"
Ianto leant on Jack reluctantly. "You're not strong enough yet cariad." he whispered, feeling his husband's chest pains as well as his own contractions, making his entire body hurt. He was tired already, but just so relieved to have Jack there. Owen could see both men struggling. "Why don't the both of you go lie down and rest. It could be hours yet for Ianto, and he's going to need you Jack, fit and healthy."
For once Jack didn't argue and helped Ianto limp towards the room they'd set up, with a proper bed because, frankly, that autopsy table really wasn't comfortable at all. He helped his partner lay down before slipping in beside him, hiding a grimace as newly regrown ribs protested the movement. Once he was prone the pain drained away and he sighed, reaching out and took Ianto's hand.
Ianto was helping Jack move as much as Jack was helping him. He got on the bed then pulled Jack to him once Jack lay down. He gently turned into his partner, taking the offered hand. "Trust you to get yourself killed when I go into labour." He said with a small chuckle as he was joking... well slightly. He turned and buried his head into the crook of Jack's neck as another contraction stole his breath and thoughts away. He could feel his stomach muscles spasming and straining where it was laid against Jack. He panted for breath, trying to breathe through the contraction as taught, but it was easier said than done.
Jack laid a palm on his lover's back, willing calmness and strength into him. "Breathe with me Ianto." He instructed, voice soft and calm. "Listen to my voice and breathe with me." Jack was taking exaggerated deep breaths, showing him what to do.
Ianto struggled but managed to get his breathing to match Jacks. The contraction ended and he relaxed again. "You need to sleep" he mumbled at Jack, noticing the breathing had hurt Jack. Plus he wanted to try and sleep a little too.
Jack had been struggling to hide another grimace of pain and cursed softly when Ianto called him on it. His ribs and lungs were still not quite up to the rigorous exercise he needed them to do and he'd never admit it, but he was feeling tired. He would have argued but... "Alright Yan. You should sleep too."
Ianto nodded, knowing now was the time to try and sleep, between contractions. With Jack there, it was amazing how fast he did fall asleep. Though he grimaced in his sleep a little form the contractions, he didn't wake for a few hours, until one particularly painful one woke him up with a cry.
Jack had sunk into a deeper sleep than usual and didn't react to Ianto suddenly jerking awake with a cry of pain. In fact, if his chest hadn't been rising and falling one might have feared he'd died in his sleep.
Ianto sat up, holding his stomach and breathed through the pain, which wasn't just in his stomach... something was wrong. "Jack?" he shook his husband. "Jack wake up... please..."
Something was shaking him out of his slumber. He tried to fight it but there was an underlying tone of urgency that couldn't be ignored. He yawned and looked up blearily. "Yan?" He mumbled, brain still fogged with sleep.
Ianto sighed with relief, but was still panicky. "Jack wake up... something's wrong..." he said, before doubling over in pain again, the contractions stronger and closer together.
Sensing his distress, Jack was awake in an instant. "Yan? Yan! What do you mean? What's wrong?" He was panicking himself as he took in his husband's obvious agony.
He clutched at Jack. "I don't know. Something doesn't feel right." he said when he could speak properly. The baby felt lower somehow, lower than it should be and felt as if it was resting on his pelvic bone.
"I'll call Owen." Jack grabbed his phone off the side table and punched in the medic's number. He patted Ianto's back gently, trying not to fall apart. Memories of his first wife, Sarah, who had died in childbirth along with their son, kept filling his mind. Intellectually he knew that medicine had improved no end since then but... This was Ianto... Owen picked up the phone on the second ring. Jack didn't let him get a word out, simply rattled off the situation. The medic cursed pungently and yelled that he was coming. Jack practically threw the phone away and drew his young partner close. "It'll be alright Yan. Everything will be fine." The Captain sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone.
Ianto clung to Jack, he was terrified and Jack's nervousness wasn't helping, but he knew Jack couldn't help it. He buried his face into Jack's neck as another contraction hit. He felt the sudden urge to push, but there was no point in pushing. Owen came running into the room with his kit ready, Tosh there to help him. "Jack off that bed now and let Ianto lie down. Yan, get your trousers off." he gave Ianto a sheet to cover himself with and pulled the blind around the bed while Ianto got changed with Jack's help.
Jack did as he was told and got out of the way. He supported Ianto as he got changed and tried to make himself useful. Now that Owen was there Jack had relaxed marginally. Snarky and sarcastic the medic might be, but he was a brilliant doctor and knew what he was doing.
Once ready, Owen pulled the curtain back. "Right I just need to check everything's ok." He said, gently probing Ianto's stomach. He frowned when he felt the baby's position then looked at Ianto. "Have you wanted to push?" Ianto nodded, lying on the bed and gripping Jack's hand tight. Owen frowned and checked something under the cover. He swore, which made Ianto lift his head and look at Owen. "What?" he asked worriedly.
Jack was soothingly patting Ianto's hand and also glanced at the doctor. "Owen?"
Owen shook his head, cussing and grabbed the Brekan Scanner. "What the hell do you need that for!" Ianto practically yelled, trying to sit up and get away from Owen. "Lay still, I'm just using it to check something." Owen chided. He scanned Ianto then swore again. "Yan mate, you're not having a C-section."
Jack blinked. "Owen, care to explain?" His tone was calm but irritation shone through. "I thought you said that was the only way?"
Owen sighed. "I thought it would be, but seems in between his last check up and now, he's had female parts develop." He looked at Ianto. "Looks like you're doing this the old fashioned way. Grab your knees and push." Ianto looked at him shocked. "No... oh god no..." he looked at Jack. "Tell me this isn't happening..." He was petrified now. It was bad enough being a male who was pregnant and had to go through labour pains, but to actually give birth...
The Captain ran a soothing hand across his brow, radiating love and reassurance. "Just keep breathing Yan." He whispered softly. "It is happening, I'm sorry, but it's the only way." Owen spoke up from the end of the bed. "The baby has entered the birth canal. We can't perform a caesarean now; it would be far too dangerous for both of you." The medic grimaced apologetically. "I'm really sorry mate."
Ianto whimpered and fell back to the bed, still holding Jack's hand tightly. Owen got him to bend his knees and put his feet on the edge of the bed, as they didn't have any stirrups. He cried out at another contraction, the urge to push stronger, but he ignored it. "Yan mate, you have to push." Owen chided. Ianto whimpered again. Jack, I'm scared, he said to his partner, wondering how Jack could be so damn calm. The next contraction came hard and fast, and he gave into the urge to push and started to bear down.