ericadawn16 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ericadawn16) wrote2010-05-14 01:44 pm
ericadawn16) wrote2010-05-14 01:44 pm
Chapter Thirteen: Eighteen Weeks Along
Title: Knocked Up!
Author: Ericadawn16
Prompt: Knocked Up
Character/Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Rhi/Johnny, Ianto/Lisa
Rating:R
Warnings: MPreg, sex, language
Spoilers:Character from COE
Word Count:68,599
Disclaimer for TW and the movie you are using:I own nothing.
Summary:Ianto gets a promotion at work, meets Jack and things are never the same...
Beta: BIG Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
madkatstar_pir8 pirate4evrnavy2 and surreal_44
Author's Notes: This story is very AU. Chapter Twelve: Sixteen Weeks Along
Chapter Thirteen: Eighteen Weeks Along
"How do you know Jack?" he asked and couldn't resist the urge to rub the bag over his belly.
"Not as well as you know him, I'm guessing, but he and I go back a bit," she said and at this, Sarah Jane looked away for a moment. She knew Jack, too?
"I see," Ianto commented and wished Jack would say something.
"I didn't realize the four of you knew each other," Jack told them.
"Ianto stumbled onto Hyperville so he helped the Doctor and me.. Then, I introduced Sarah Jane to him later," Rose explained and he noticed that she didn't explain where and when she had met Jack.
"I was writing an article on this thing that had been found...turned out to be something the Doctor referred to as a Chumbley," Sarah Jane spoke and her tone turned more light-hearted, "So, is your sister having another baby then?"
"No, Ianto is," Jack said and Ianto cringed.
"What? Like a surrogate?" Sarah Jane asked as she kept glancing at Luke who seemed bewildered by it all.
"No," Rose uttered and her light brown eyes widened. Then, she giggled and shook her head before moving the bag away from his middle. He twisted from her light grip. However, the damage had already been done. Sarah Jane held a hand to her mouth as Luke continued to look puzzled and Rose stated with a grin, "You're actually pregnant."
"It was a big surprise," he understated.
"Are you from the future, too?" Rose asked and Ianto was stunned. Who was from the future?
"It's a really funny story of how it happened if you have a second to hear it," Jack spoke and Ianto had the impression he was trying to change the direction of the conversation. He was reminded of what Faith had said.
"It's not really funny," Ianto argued and wondered how this was going to work if Rose had worked it out in two seconds. Since she had been the Doctor's companion, she was more knowledgeable about the odd stuff than the average Brit, but still...how could he even hope to keep it a secret at Torchwood? Was it his face? Did he have the fat cheeks that Lisa had predicted?
"Tell us," Sarah Jane said and crossed her arms.
"It's not funny," Ianto maintained and looked at the front of the store to see if Rhi was coming with the rest of the stuff. There was still no sign of her.
"Let them be the judge, okay? I think it's funny," Jack spoke.
"All right," Ianto agreed as Rhi finally made her way outside.
"It turns out you really do have to wear a condom every single time," Jack said and Sarah Jane closed her eyes. Rose laughed and Luke asked, "What's a condom?"
"It doesn't help when you're working for Torchwood either," Ianto added.
"I think we'll be leaving, but it was nice to see you two again," Rose said, patting him on the arm, "Congratulations."
"Good luck," Sarah Jane whispered to him with a little smile that ended up making him feel terrible as the three of them left. It was going to be okay, wasn't it?
***************************************************************
Jack knew that Ianto was unhappy. He just didn't know how to change that. Rhi still scared him in spite of their joint venture and Alice was in the early stages of a new relationship. There still hadn't been a good time to mention that the lover having his baby was actually a man so Jack had ended up with Johnny for the afternoon. They were at Championship Vinyl where he was pleasantly surprised to still find vinyl.
"I know he's unhappy. I just don't know what to do about it," Jack told him while looking at an old Cole Porter.
"Well, he is carrying your bastard child. No one wants that," Johnny spoke, "but I heard him talking with Rhi, he's still not sure about your commitment. That's what I did. I married Rhi when she got pregnant."
It had been decades since Jack had been married. He didn't really want to do it again. On the other hand, if it made Ianto happy...but...
"But for the last month, I've offered to do more things as a couple and he almost always turns me down, says we'll be seen. You'd almost think he was hiding me," Jack said and a thought struck him, "Do you think he's trying to hide me? Like I embarrass him or something?"
"Probably, I'd hide you," Johnny joked, "the whole situation is kind of embarrassing though. He's a pregnant bloke, which just goes against the laws of nature, you know? If it was anyone else, they would have gotten rid of it, but not him, he's all maternal over it."
Either he didn't want to be seen with Jack or he thought Jack wasn't taking this seriously enough. Maybe he'd have to go for the grand gesture even if they didn't actually go through with it.
"How much do wedding rings cost?" Jack asked Johnny for having more recent experience in the matter.
"It really depends. I think you're supposed to spend three months salary on a ring," Johnny replied and Jack sighed. With what Torchwood paid him, he could almost give Ianto the Hope Diamond set in a ring.
"Not that you'll have to spend much, I doubt Ianto wants the standard female engagement ring with the big diamond and everything," Johnny added and he had a point. Ianto would want something more classy and elegant. He didn't even want to think about the wedding aspect of it yet.
"At least porn pays well so you shouldn't have a problem paying for it," Johnny commented and picked up a CD by some band that Jack didn't know.
"It's not porn. All we do is show you where the nude scenes are in which movies," Jack explained looked through more of the Cole Porter section. He liked music before rock and roll the best from Earth. Otherwise, he would have to wait over three thousand for his favorite music genre.
"Like Mister Skin?" Johnny asked and he was taken aback.
"What? Who's Mister Skin?" Jack questioned and Johnny's gaping mouth didn't help matters.
"Mister Skin," Johnny said and smiled in a rather large way. Jack shook his head.
"You have a laptop in the car, yeah?" Johnny asked and he confirmed with a nod. What he saw next made him call an emergency meeting for the house. Their jaws dropped in the same way his did.
"We've wasted fourteen months of our lives," Mickey summarized for everyone. Jack sighed and said, "This is exactly the same as our site. How did this happen?"
Mickey ran a hand through his short hair, saying, "Mister Skin, that's even a better name than ours!"
"Well, fuck," Andy spat.
"Shit, they got the top ten group shower scenes! Why didn't you think of that, Owen?" John asked and punched him in the shoulder.
"Don't put this on me!" Owen complained.
"Damn," Jack complained.
"Shit, I saw it online at one point, but I guess I didn't connect the dots," Andy said and sunk against the couch.
"What are we going to do now?" Mickey asked.
"We have to come up with new cover stories or go back to saying we work for the government," Jack uttered and leaned on the elbows resting on his thighs.
"But Lord of the Rings starts at 7:30 prompt because it's proper theatre and everything." John pointed out, "even though the elves are fucking hot."
"Shit, it's almost seven now. Don't worry. We'll sort it out," Mickey said and snatched up his iPod beside him. Mickey, John and Andy left for their play. Andy had a few days off again so he was sporting the mustache and he heard the others ragging on him as they shut the door.
"I have noticed that this seems to only have females. We could still do it with blokes and females and that would be different enough, right?" Jack asked and Owen smirked.
"And by that tone, I'm going to guess that you don't want a new cover story because you're still using the old one too much. Have you told Ianto anything?" he retorted back.
"Not exactly," Jack admitted and Owen groaned, "but he's been in a mood lately. I'm thinking of asking him to marry me. What if he thinks I'm not being serious enough about the baby?"
Owen winced before suggesting, "And you don't think it might have to do with his not knowing anything about you? How did you think that was going to work? Wait until you're getting the marriage certified and let him see the birth certificate? Do you even have one?"
Jack shrank away from Owen and crossed his arms.
"I have a birth certificate," Jack stated but Owen was undeterred.
"And what is the date listed on it?" he asked with incredulity. Jack thought back.
"Well, it would have been for the RAF during the War so...4th of April in 1906," Jack admitted and saw that there could be a problem there. Lucia had known everything before becoming pregnant with Alice, but Ianto was finding out everything afterwards.
"Jack, it would be best if he finds out this stuff from you rather than finding out at work. He's Torchwood, too. How long is it going to be before he puts two and two together that you're really working for Torchwood? If he doesn't find out from you, think how upset he could get and that kind of stress won't be good for him or the baby. Has it moved up into the abdominal cavity?" Owen asked and Jack knew he was right. It still felt like the easiest plan to just him to marry him. Still, he didn't want to put Ianto or his daughter in worse danger. They were in danger enough just by knowing him. Alice and her mum had changed their names just to protect themselves from him. It had been a struggle to stay in her life.
"I hope so. We find out tomorrow at the twenty week exam," Jack told him, "but I just...I hate telling people."
"I think he'd understand," Owen said in a soft voice and left without another word as though tired of Jack.
********************************************************
Ianto lay on the table. He was naked and had spent the whole day making himself sick with worry. What if she still hadn't moved up where she should be? What if she had to be delivered in the next few weeks instead months? His anxiety felt like it was being mirrored in the baby's frantic movements the last few hours. He remembered what Faith had said and knew he shouldn't be stressing the baby except he couldn't help it. Ianto caressed his bump. The new maternity clothes were really coming in handy.
"Here we go," Martha said and started squeezing gel onto his bare skin. His attention was split between the picture on the screen and his doctor's face. Relief spread over him as she smiled.
"The baby is right where it should be and healthy so right now, I don't see any reason why you can't go full-term with it," she explained and Jack squeezed his hand. It felt like the best news he had ever received in his life. After a couple of more minutes, she wiped everything off and her face was serious again.
"I need to check on other things," she said and nodded towards his groin. He shook his head.
"I could have Jack leave," Martha suggested but he shook his head again. If she was going to have to do that, at least Jack was a little comforting especially his intoxicating smell. Martha began doing things with his legs spread that he tried not to think about as he lay there. He closed his eyes. It felt like immediately after that when Martha snapped off her gloves.
"You can relax now," she said and couldn't hide her amusement, "you know since I was born a woman, I have to go through these every year."
For the first time in about a month, he wished he could have a beer.
"I'm hoping that I will never have to go through this again," Ianto told her.
"It'll work out," Jack spoke for the first time during the entire visit. He had almost seemed as nervous as Ianto.
"There's another thing though, you should start thinking about your birth plan," Martha spoke and wrote some notes on her clipboard.
"We have a birth plan. At forty weeks, you will cut the baby out of me and I think that is a very good plan," Ianto insisted, "and by then, you'll have found an antidote to this so I won't have any girlie parts whatsoever."
"And I understand that except that I'm sure you've read all the studies and literature almost as much as I have, vaginal birth is a much safer method than cesarean. It has far less chance of complications and less down-time than having surgery," Martha spoke in that voice like she was right and he was wrong. He saw her points but he still hated the thought of even having a vagina, much less actually using it.
"However, you do have a hymen so it would be better if that was broken and...and the area stretched before the birth," she suggested and he glared at her. If she wasn't a professional and his friend, he would almost think that Jack had put her up to this. How dare she imply he needed to have sex in that manner!
"Also, it's best for the baby if you could solely breast-feed for the first six months. The studies indicate the babies are healthier with less infections and allergies," Martha spoke and he sighed. He had read that it was better. It was just hard to imagine using them either...and it would delay his no longer being this hermaphrodite thing by six months. Still, he wanted what was best for his daughter. She mattered more than he did.
"You don't have to do anything today. Think on it, yeah?" she asked with a sympathetic expression. Ianto rolled to the side and sat up too fast. The room spun and Jack held him steady. Martha was at his side in a second with her finger on his pulse.
"We can only deliver this baby full-term if you relax more. Your heart-rate was border-line earlier and now it's shot up again. I want you to take the rest of the day off and I'm calling Guppy to make sure this happens," Martha said and helped him down with Jack, "I want you to go home and rest."
Ianto turned to start putting his clothes back on and heard Martha's voice again in Jack's direction, "Make sure he rests, will you?"
From her tone, it was almost like she didn't believe me; Ianto thought and rolled her eyes since they couldn't see him.
"Fine, but you should tell Gwen, too, or she'll be worried," Ianto told them.
******************************************************
Jack drove Ianto to the guesthouse he called home where the younger man yawned just inside the door.
"I guess I'm more tired than I thought," he said and let Jack help him out of his work clothes. A few minutes later, Ianto was lying on his bed with the covers over him and Jack was sitting beside him.
"I feel like I'm an invalid or something," he complained and Jack lay down on the bed, too.
"Have you talked to Rhi about this? I'm sure she took naps, too. It's just a pregnancy thing," he told him and rubbed the curls on his head. He seemed to process this. Maybe Jack should go ahead and do his thing and it might cheer Ianto up a little. He reached into his pocket and took out a jewelry box. He popped it open to reveal the sterling silver ring with diamonds embedded four times within the band.
"Ianto, I’m sure this isn’t how you pictured it being exactly and it’s not how I wanted it. That is why I’m presenting you with this because I thought this might cheer you up. You said you weren't happy and I wasn't sure what to do. So, basically, I’m asking you, will you marry me? Because I’m in love with you," he rambled before realising he should stop. Ianto looked frightened. It felt like an eternity before he said, "I love you, too."
However, he wasn't moving at all to accept the ring.
"That's good," Jack spoke and held the box closer to him.
"But here's the thing," Ianto started and put his arms under the duvet.
"Ah," Jack acknowledged at his being refused and waited to see what the reasons would be. What exactly was he supposed to do then?
"I don’t really know yet what that love means. It’s so new and it’s so exciting. It’s great. I don’t know. We’ve only known each other for three months, that's not enough time," Ianto said with his gaze appearing to study the stitching on the duvet. Jack seemed to be off the hook for the moment, but he still hadn't solved the underlying problem.
"Look, I thought you felt weird that we're having a baby and we're not engaged," Jack explained and thought how he could leave now. He could leave Ianto to his nap and phone later yet he hadn't even pocketed the jewelry box.
"No, that's the one thing I didn't feel weird about. I’m okay with that. We’re just doing what we can. I don’t want us to put any more pressure on ourselves than we have," Ianto uttered and took his hands out to put on Jack's arm.
Chapter Fourteen: Twenty Weeks Along
Author: Ericadawn16
Prompt: Knocked Up
Character/Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Rhi/Johnny, Ianto/Lisa
Rating:R
Warnings: MPreg, sex, language
Spoilers:Character from COE
Word Count:68,599
Disclaimer for TW and the movie you are using:I own nothing.
Summary:Ianto gets a promotion at work, meets Jack and things are never the same...
Beta: BIG Thanks to
madkatstar_pir8 pirate4evrnavy2 and surreal_44Author's Notes: This story is very AU. Chapter Twelve: Sixteen Weeks Along
Chapter Thirteen: Eighteen Weeks Along
"How do you know Jack?" he asked and couldn't resist the urge to rub the bag over his belly.
"Not as well as you know him, I'm guessing, but he and I go back a bit," she said and at this, Sarah Jane looked away for a moment. She knew Jack, too?
"I see," Ianto commented and wished Jack would say something.
"I didn't realize the four of you knew each other," Jack told them.
"Ianto stumbled onto Hyperville so he helped the Doctor and me.. Then, I introduced Sarah Jane to him later," Rose explained and he noticed that she didn't explain where and when she had met Jack.
"I was writing an article on this thing that had been found...turned out to be something the Doctor referred to as a Chumbley," Sarah Jane spoke and her tone turned more light-hearted, "So, is your sister having another baby then?"
"No, Ianto is," Jack said and Ianto cringed.
"What? Like a surrogate?" Sarah Jane asked as she kept glancing at Luke who seemed bewildered by it all.
"No," Rose uttered and her light brown eyes widened. Then, she giggled and shook her head before moving the bag away from his middle. He twisted from her light grip. However, the damage had already been done. Sarah Jane held a hand to her mouth as Luke continued to look puzzled and Rose stated with a grin, "You're actually pregnant."
"It was a big surprise," he understated.
"Are you from the future, too?" Rose asked and Ianto was stunned. Who was from the future?
"It's a really funny story of how it happened if you have a second to hear it," Jack spoke and Ianto had the impression he was trying to change the direction of the conversation. He was reminded of what Faith had said.
"It's not really funny," Ianto argued and wondered how this was going to work if Rose had worked it out in two seconds. Since she had been the Doctor's companion, she was more knowledgeable about the odd stuff than the average Brit, but still...how could he even hope to keep it a secret at Torchwood? Was it his face? Did he have the fat cheeks that Lisa had predicted?
"Tell us," Sarah Jane said and crossed her arms.
"It's not funny," Ianto maintained and looked at the front of the store to see if Rhi was coming with the rest of the stuff. There was still no sign of her.
"Let them be the judge, okay? I think it's funny," Jack spoke.
"All right," Ianto agreed as Rhi finally made her way outside.
"It turns out you really do have to wear a condom every single time," Jack said and Sarah Jane closed her eyes. Rose laughed and Luke asked, "What's a condom?"
"It doesn't help when you're working for Torchwood either," Ianto added.
"I think we'll be leaving, but it was nice to see you two again," Rose said, patting him on the arm, "Congratulations."
"Good luck," Sarah Jane whispered to him with a little smile that ended up making him feel terrible as the three of them left. It was going to be okay, wasn't it?
***************************************************************
Jack knew that Ianto was unhappy. He just didn't know how to change that. Rhi still scared him in spite of their joint venture and Alice was in the early stages of a new relationship. There still hadn't been a good time to mention that the lover having his baby was actually a man so Jack had ended up with Johnny for the afternoon. They were at Championship Vinyl where he was pleasantly surprised to still find vinyl.
"I know he's unhappy. I just don't know what to do about it," Jack told him while looking at an old Cole Porter.
"Well, he is carrying your bastard child. No one wants that," Johnny spoke, "but I heard him talking with Rhi, he's still not sure about your commitment. That's what I did. I married Rhi when she got pregnant."
It had been decades since Jack had been married. He didn't really want to do it again. On the other hand, if it made Ianto happy...but...
"But for the last month, I've offered to do more things as a couple and he almost always turns me down, says we'll be seen. You'd almost think he was hiding me," Jack said and a thought struck him, "Do you think he's trying to hide me? Like I embarrass him or something?"
"Probably, I'd hide you," Johnny joked, "the whole situation is kind of embarrassing though. He's a pregnant bloke, which just goes against the laws of nature, you know? If it was anyone else, they would have gotten rid of it, but not him, he's all maternal over it."
Either he didn't want to be seen with Jack or he thought Jack wasn't taking this seriously enough. Maybe he'd have to go for the grand gesture even if they didn't actually go through with it.
"How much do wedding rings cost?" Jack asked Johnny for having more recent experience in the matter.
"It really depends. I think you're supposed to spend three months salary on a ring," Johnny replied and Jack sighed. With what Torchwood paid him, he could almost give Ianto the Hope Diamond set in a ring.
"Not that you'll have to spend much, I doubt Ianto wants the standard female engagement ring with the big diamond and everything," Johnny added and he had a point. Ianto would want something more classy and elegant. He didn't even want to think about the wedding aspect of it yet.
"At least porn pays well so you shouldn't have a problem paying for it," Johnny commented and picked up a CD by some band that Jack didn't know.
"It's not porn. All we do is show you where the nude scenes are in which movies," Jack explained looked through more of the Cole Porter section. He liked music before rock and roll the best from Earth. Otherwise, he would have to wait over three thousand for his favorite music genre.
"Like Mister Skin?" Johnny asked and he was taken aback.
"What? Who's Mister Skin?" Jack questioned and Johnny's gaping mouth didn't help matters.
"Mister Skin," Johnny said and smiled in a rather large way. Jack shook his head.
"You have a laptop in the car, yeah?" Johnny asked and he confirmed with a nod. What he saw next made him call an emergency meeting for the house. Their jaws dropped in the same way his did.
"We've wasted fourteen months of our lives," Mickey summarized for everyone. Jack sighed and said, "This is exactly the same as our site. How did this happen?"
Mickey ran a hand through his short hair, saying, "Mister Skin, that's even a better name than ours!"
"Well, fuck," Andy spat.
"Shit, they got the top ten group shower scenes! Why didn't you think of that, Owen?" John asked and punched him in the shoulder.
"Don't put this on me!" Owen complained.
"Damn," Jack complained.
"Shit, I saw it online at one point, but I guess I didn't connect the dots," Andy said and sunk against the couch.
"What are we going to do now?" Mickey asked.
"We have to come up with new cover stories or go back to saying we work for the government," Jack uttered and leaned on the elbows resting on his thighs.
"But Lord of the Rings starts at 7:30 prompt because it's proper theatre and everything." John pointed out, "even though the elves are fucking hot."
"Shit, it's almost seven now. Don't worry. We'll sort it out," Mickey said and snatched up his iPod beside him. Mickey, John and Andy left for their play. Andy had a few days off again so he was sporting the mustache and he heard the others ragging on him as they shut the door.
"I have noticed that this seems to only have females. We could still do it with blokes and females and that would be different enough, right?" Jack asked and Owen smirked.
"And by that tone, I'm going to guess that you don't want a new cover story because you're still using the old one too much. Have you told Ianto anything?" he retorted back.
"Not exactly," Jack admitted and Owen groaned, "but he's been in a mood lately. I'm thinking of asking him to marry me. What if he thinks I'm not being serious enough about the baby?"
Owen winced before suggesting, "And you don't think it might have to do with his not knowing anything about you? How did you think that was going to work? Wait until you're getting the marriage certified and let him see the birth certificate? Do you even have one?"
Jack shrank away from Owen and crossed his arms.
"I have a birth certificate," Jack stated but Owen was undeterred.
"And what is the date listed on it?" he asked with incredulity. Jack thought back.
"Well, it would have been for the RAF during the War so...4th of April in 1906," Jack admitted and saw that there could be a problem there. Lucia had known everything before becoming pregnant with Alice, but Ianto was finding out everything afterwards.
"Jack, it would be best if he finds out this stuff from you rather than finding out at work. He's Torchwood, too. How long is it going to be before he puts two and two together that you're really working for Torchwood? If he doesn't find out from you, think how upset he could get and that kind of stress won't be good for him or the baby. Has it moved up into the abdominal cavity?" Owen asked and Jack knew he was right. It still felt like the easiest plan to just him to marry him. Still, he didn't want to put Ianto or his daughter in worse danger. They were in danger enough just by knowing him. Alice and her mum had changed their names just to protect themselves from him. It had been a struggle to stay in her life.
"I hope so. We find out tomorrow at the twenty week exam," Jack told him, "but I just...I hate telling people."
"I think he'd understand," Owen said in a soft voice and left without another word as though tired of Jack.
********************************************************
Ianto lay on the table. He was naked and had spent the whole day making himself sick with worry. What if she still hadn't moved up where she should be? What if she had to be delivered in the next few weeks instead months? His anxiety felt like it was being mirrored in the baby's frantic movements the last few hours. He remembered what Faith had said and knew he shouldn't be stressing the baby except he couldn't help it. Ianto caressed his bump. The new maternity clothes were really coming in handy.
"Here we go," Martha said and started squeezing gel onto his bare skin. His attention was split between the picture on the screen and his doctor's face. Relief spread over him as she smiled.
"The baby is right where it should be and healthy so right now, I don't see any reason why you can't go full-term with it," she explained and Jack squeezed his hand. It felt like the best news he had ever received in his life. After a couple of more minutes, she wiped everything off and her face was serious again.
"I need to check on other things," she said and nodded towards his groin. He shook his head.
"I could have Jack leave," Martha suggested but he shook his head again. If she was going to have to do that, at least Jack was a little comforting especially his intoxicating smell. Martha began doing things with his legs spread that he tried not to think about as he lay there. He closed his eyes. It felt like immediately after that when Martha snapped off her gloves.
"You can relax now," she said and couldn't hide her amusement, "you know since I was born a woman, I have to go through these every year."
For the first time in about a month, he wished he could have a beer.
"I'm hoping that I will never have to go through this again," Ianto told her.
"It'll work out," Jack spoke for the first time during the entire visit. He had almost seemed as nervous as Ianto.
"There's another thing though, you should start thinking about your birth plan," Martha spoke and wrote some notes on her clipboard.
"We have a birth plan. At forty weeks, you will cut the baby out of me and I think that is a very good plan," Ianto insisted, "and by then, you'll have found an antidote to this so I won't have any girlie parts whatsoever."
"And I understand that except that I'm sure you've read all the studies and literature almost as much as I have, vaginal birth is a much safer method than cesarean. It has far less chance of complications and less down-time than having surgery," Martha spoke in that voice like she was right and he was wrong. He saw her points but he still hated the thought of even having a vagina, much less actually using it.
"However, you do have a hymen so it would be better if that was broken and...and the area stretched before the birth," she suggested and he glared at her. If she wasn't a professional and his friend, he would almost think that Jack had put her up to this. How dare she imply he needed to have sex in that manner!
"Also, it's best for the baby if you could solely breast-feed for the first six months. The studies indicate the babies are healthier with less infections and allergies," Martha spoke and he sighed. He had read that it was better. It was just hard to imagine using them either...and it would delay his no longer being this hermaphrodite thing by six months. Still, he wanted what was best for his daughter. She mattered more than he did.
"You don't have to do anything today. Think on it, yeah?" she asked with a sympathetic expression. Ianto rolled to the side and sat up too fast. The room spun and Jack held him steady. Martha was at his side in a second with her finger on his pulse.
"We can only deliver this baby full-term if you relax more. Your heart-rate was border-line earlier and now it's shot up again. I want you to take the rest of the day off and I'm calling Guppy to make sure this happens," Martha said and helped him down with Jack, "I want you to go home and rest."
Ianto turned to start putting his clothes back on and heard Martha's voice again in Jack's direction, "Make sure he rests, will you?"
From her tone, it was almost like she didn't believe me; Ianto thought and rolled her eyes since they couldn't see him.
"Fine, but you should tell Gwen, too, or she'll be worried," Ianto told them.
******************************************************
Jack drove Ianto to the guesthouse he called home where the younger man yawned just inside the door.
"I guess I'm more tired than I thought," he said and let Jack help him out of his work clothes. A few minutes later, Ianto was lying on his bed with the covers over him and Jack was sitting beside him.
"I feel like I'm an invalid or something," he complained and Jack lay down on the bed, too.
"Have you talked to Rhi about this? I'm sure she took naps, too. It's just a pregnancy thing," he told him and rubbed the curls on his head. He seemed to process this. Maybe Jack should go ahead and do his thing and it might cheer Ianto up a little. He reached into his pocket and took out a jewelry box. He popped it open to reveal the sterling silver ring with diamonds embedded four times within the band.
"Ianto, I’m sure this isn’t how you pictured it being exactly and it’s not how I wanted it. That is why I’m presenting you with this because I thought this might cheer you up. You said you weren't happy and I wasn't sure what to do. So, basically, I’m asking you, will you marry me? Because I’m in love with you," he rambled before realising he should stop. Ianto looked frightened. It felt like an eternity before he said, "I love you, too."
However, he wasn't moving at all to accept the ring.
"That's good," Jack spoke and held the box closer to him.
"But here's the thing," Ianto started and put his arms under the duvet.
"Ah," Jack acknowledged at his being refused and waited to see what the reasons would be. What exactly was he supposed to do then?
"I don’t really know yet what that love means. It’s so new and it’s so exciting. It’s great. I don’t know. We’ve only known each other for three months, that's not enough time," Ianto said with his gaze appearing to study the stitching on the duvet. Jack seemed to be off the hook for the moment, but he still hadn't solved the underlying problem.
"Look, I thought you felt weird that we're having a baby and we're not engaged," Jack explained and thought how he could leave now. He could leave Ianto to his nap and phone later yet he hadn't even pocketed the jewelry box.
"No, that's the one thing I didn't feel weird about. I’m okay with that. We’re just doing what we can. I don’t want us to put any more pressure on ourselves than we have," Ianto uttered and took his hands out to put on Jack's arm.
Chapter Fourteen: Twenty Weeks Along