m_findlow

Title: Sacrifices
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Ianto, Rhiannon
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 879 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for m_findlow's prompt "Any, any, reading a book to someone" at fic_promptly
Summary: Ianto makes a lot of sacrifices for family.

Ianto slipped through the door without knocking. He knew there was no point in announcing himself with a sound like a knock. His sister wouldn't be able to tell who it was anyway. 'Hello, just me,' he said, walking up to the hospital bed. 'How're you feeling?'

'Rotten,' she replied.

He felt for her. The whole thing that had landed her in hospital had been nothing more than an accident. The can of deodorant had been dented and damaged, which was why it was on the discounted items shelf at the co-op. No one expected it was so badly damaged that it would explode, sending a waft of chemicals directly into her face and eyes when she went to use it.

She'd been half frantic when she'd somehow managed to get him on the phone. Thank God for voice activated phone software, he thought. Why she hadn't just called an ambulance straight away was still beyond him, but he supposed at least she'd thought of him as her first point of contact in an emergency. Fortunately there hadn't been any serious chemical burns, but the doctors were being cautious in keeping her eyes covered for a few days to allow them to heal after having carefully rinsed them and checking for corneal damage.

Johnny had been useless at home, of course, which was why Ianto had taken a few days off work to help out, keeping the place stocked in hot cooked meals, kids school lunches and clean laundry. In between school runs, he'd made time to go and visit Rhiannon, and taking the kids in after school as well so they could visit their mum. He could tell it was the best part of her day, getting to hug the kids and tell them how much she missed them, even if they thought it was all a bit over the top.

'Johnny making a nuisance of himself?' she asked.

'No more than usual,' he replied. He wanted to stick up for his brother in law. It wasn't his fault he'd been looked after so well for so long that he wasn't very good at doing all of those things himself. Ianto knew Johnny appreciated him being there, even if he couldn't admit it.

'I want to go home,' she complained.

He reached out and squeezed her hand. 'I know. But they're looking after you okay here. It's just a few more days.'

'I'm going mental in here, Ianto.'

'Couldn't you watch TV or something?'

'Watch TV?' The way she said it implied that he was the biggest idiot she'd ever met. If she had her eyesight, she'd have been giving him a withering glare.

'You know what I mean. You can still listen to it to pass the time.'

'It's not the same. I was hoping they'd take the bandages off for a bit. Julie from number nineteen bought me a book but I can't even read it. Or the trashy magazines.'

'You're not missing anything,' Ianto replied, reading the outrageous headlines on the front covers, stacked on the side table. Did anyone really care who Katy Price's latest love interest was? 'Anything I can do for you?' He knew just how mindlessly boring it could be stuck in hospital, or at least in the Torchwood equivalent of one. People like them that were used to running around all day long went mad forced to nothing but lie there and rest.

'Actually, you could read the book to me. Fill in some time since you're always so chatty.'

Ianto reached across and picked it up, reading the back cover blurb, cringing. 'Do I have to?' he said pulling a face at the front cover.

'You offered,' she said. 'You said "is there anything I can do for you?" Well you can.'

He groaned. 'It's chick lit.'

'So? We can't all be engrossed in Proust like you.'

'I've never read Proust,' he countered. Nor would he.

'So, why are my judging me, then?'

'I'm not judging. But you're asking me to read it out loud.'

'That's the general idea.'

He leaned in closer. 'But everyone will hear me!' he hissed.

'So, charge them a bloody fee if you're that upset about it. I'd read the damn book myself if I could.'

Ianto sighed. The things he did for family. It was probably lucky she couldn't see the look on his face that wavered between annoyed and guilty. Why couldn't Julie have bought her a murder mystery instead?

'Try not to drone on, either,' she said. 'If you're not going to do it properly, don't bother.'

Great. Now she wanted him to start method acting it out. 'Any other requests? Different accents for all of the characters?'

'Only if you think you can manage it,' she teased back.

He sighed audibly, pulling open the book to the first chapter. 'Chrissie says "don't worry if he can't clean up after himself. So long as the sex is mind blowing, none of the rest matters all that much. Unless of course he's a serial killer. "Check his closet," she says. He'll either have dirty magazines or weapons." Instead it turned out he was a transgender with a box full of dildos...'

Bloody Julie! Next time he saw her, he was going to have a bone to pick with her.