Torchwood: Fanfic: Time to say goodbye

[m_findlow]

Title: Time to say goodbye
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Jack, Ianto, OCs
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 854 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for withasmile87's prompt "Any, any, Telling the truth was harder than telling a lie" at fic_promptly and Fffc May Special Daily Challenge - May 1st - He held her close in his arms when he told her the terrible news.
Summary: For Jack and Ianto, it's time to say goodbye to a dear friend.

Jack held her close in his arms when he told her the terrible news. It was all he could do not to burst into tears again.

'Why are you sad, Daddy?'

He stroked his daughter's hair, that same light brown that matched his own. Somewhere in another room, Ianto was doing the same thing as him with their other two children. Perhaps they should have done it together, as Ianto had suggested. Jack didn't think he could. One look at the devastated expression on his husband's face and he'd have fallen apart. It was easier this way. He could be strong for the kids, just not for Ianto.

He supposed they'd always known this day would have to come eventually. He just didn't expect it would be today. Their dog, Buddy, had been a faithful companion for so many years, even before the kids had come along. He'd always been a character, getting into more scrapes than even Jack, but they'd both grown to love him all the same.

He was much more subdued these days, being an old dog, though still capable of running around and causing trouble when it suited him. More often than not though, he was a lapdog, or more correctly a sofa dog, curling up with them to watch TV. His old legs were getting arthritic and he often stayed downstairs, no longer keen on clambering up the stairs to the second floor unless it was a particularly cold night and he wanted to snuggle in someone's bed for the night. Usually it was their bed, since they at least were strong enough to pick him up and put him on the end of the bed, saving him from having jump up onto the bed himself.

What he'd been doing upstairs this morning Jack had no idea. Perhaps he'd been wanting to hang out with Ianto in their study, whilst Jack was downstairs making phone calls, both of them working from home. He heard the series of thuds just as he was hanging up the phone.

'Ianto? Is that you?' he said, coming to the base of the stairs, only to find a pile of black fur crumpled at the bottom of them.

Buddy didn't get, up and let out only the most pathetic of whines. Before he knew what was happening, Jack was yelling for Ianto. The yelp and howl Buddy gave him when he scooped him up into his arms was so awful that Jack nearly dropped him right there and then.

They'd rushed their beloved pet to the vet, but it was all bad news. The arthritis was no longer arthritis, but cancer that was riddled through his old bones. The vet surmised that the weakening bones had lead to the fall down the stairs. There were several broken bones and he was in a lot of pain. The vet broke the news to them that the only humane thing left to do would be to put him to sleep.

They'd wanted to wait until they could pick up the kids from school. It felt wrong not to let them have a chance to say goodbye, but Buddy was in so much pain that neither could they let him suffer any longer than was absolutely necessary. The whole thing was just such a shock that it was impossible to process.

Ianto played with his floppy ears, tears falling thick and fast as the vet administered the drugs that would finally ease his pain. He just kept repeating the words "good boy" over and over again, long after Buddy would have been able to hear them. Jack himself was speechless, strolling the thick black fur, unable to believe this was happening.

Even now Jack couldn't believe he was gone. It had been the right thing to do, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

'Baby,' he began, 'Buddy had a fall down the stairs today and he was very badly hurt. We took him to the vet but they said he was very sick and in a lot of pain, so the vet had to put him to sleep.'

'When's he waking up?'

He wanted to lie and tell her everything was fine. Lying was so much easier than it was to have to face the truth. Kids were good at believing lies, but they were also very receptive to the truth. Much more than adults were.

'He's not waking up, sweetie. He's up in heaven now.' Just saying it made him want to cry again. Instead he squeezed her tight against his body, so she couldn't see how upset he was. Buddy had been just as much a part of the family as anyone.

When he raised his head, he saw Ianto standing in the doorway, one child in each hand, all of them looking miserable. Both kids came over to add their own hugs, and he found Ianto leaning over him to place a kiss in his hair. He let his own tears fall, knowing that there was a time to be brave and a time when it was okay to let go.

Comments

[bk_forever]

*sobs* Poor sweet, naughty Buddy. I want to hug the whole family this was so sad =(