Bonds Chapter 2

By the time they reached the hub the baby has been chirping hungrily for at least fifteen minutes straight. The sound was a very shrill cry, and very loud. Ianto had asked what it was doing if something was wrong, Gwen had asked if they could make it stop, while covering her ears. Jack explained that it was hungry. It was crying, babies do that when they’re hungry. It didn’t sound like an infant though, not a human infant.

This worried Jack, human beings were wired to respond to the sounds of babies crying. Most creatures that cared for their young evolved to respond to them in a nurturing way. However, people weren’t wired to respond other species offspring. Well to some extent, anything young, a puppy, a kitten, a baby polar bear, would bring about some maternal or fraternal response, awing, and fawning over it. However, hearing these strange, alien cries, might not insight the same desire to nurture as the crying of a human baby, and the loud noise was certainly stress educing.

He worried his team wouldn’t like that they were keeping it. As Jack drove he glanced at them. Ianto seemed concerned, and frightened in a, what am I supposed to do about this, sort of way. Gwen seemed annoyed, and was looking to him to tell her what they were going to do. Ianto had the idea of letting it suck on his finger like a pacifier, which didn’t work well, he pulled his finger out with a yelp. “It bit me.”

“You put your finger in her mouth.” Jack pointed out, the sighed, “she isn’t a mammal, so she doesn’t nurse, baby humans will suck on your finer or pacifiers because they are designed to nurse. Kogalha mothers do produce milk, but they’re kind of like montremes, no teats like mammals so the babies just lick at the milk, they can also eat pre chewed food.” He said, explaining the basic biology that he had learned ages ago.

“So how are we going to feed her?” asked Ianto, “and what does she eat exactly?”

“We can probably feed her baby food, as for formula, ever fed a baby bird with a eye dropper? We’ll do the same thing with turkey baster.”

When they arrived at the hub, Jack gave orders, “Gwen, go to the store, we need supplies, a lot of supplies. Diapers, food, formula, the works, oh and get one of those baby carriers, you know the sling ones that you can strap to your front for Ianto. That will makes things easier than holding her constantly, though she can cling pretty well on her own, but it might be a bit safer, especially when she sleeps.”

“Wait, so I’m a marsupial now. Jack, couldn’t we just get a crib or something?”
asked Ianto, “how long is this going to go on Jack? Am I on nanny duty until it grows up? And in case you didn’t know, caring for babies isn’t covered in Torchwood employee training manual. I don’t know how to take care of a human child, how am I supposed to manage this?”

“The best you can,” said Jack sternly, “because she bonded to you, you have to take care of her. I’ll help with this, we’ll all help with this, it’s our duty.”

“To care for alien babies?” asked Gwen, “Jack, what are we going to do, long term?”

“I don’t know,” said Jack honestly, “but if we don’t take care of her she’ll die. She’s a sentient creature, just like a human child. If you found a human newborn all alone somewhere and just left it, it would be completely unconscionable, there’s no difference. Outside of UNIT and a few other individuals and forces we’re the only ones on this planet who know aliens exist, we’re the only ones who can take care of her. Besides that, she bonded to Ianto. Ianto you’re the only one who can do this. If she were separated from you at this age, even for a few days she would die. It would be just like leaving a baby alone and not touching it, even if you fed it, and took care of its physical needs, without touch they die. Kogalha need constant contact with their mother, and she thinks you’re it. If you set her down for any extended time, she’ll scream her head off, if you left her alone like that, she would die from the stress of it.”

“What about you Jack, you know so much about this, couldn’t you?” started Ianto, he didn’t like this. He didn’t want a child. He wasn’t ready to have a child.

Furthermore he kept his private life out of Torchwood. Yes, he and Jack were together, but that was private life, at work, Jack was the boss, they never touched. They flirted, and engaged with each other as a couple only in rare moments when they were alone. Now, he was suddenly raising a child, with Jack apparently. That was family life, that was private life and this baby was apparently Torchwood’s concern, his Torchwood duty.

Jack sighed, “I wish she had seen me first, imprinted on me, because you’re right, I do know more, and I’m more willing to take this on. Since she thinks I’m her father I can take her a few hours maybe, but she needs you. Kogalha cling to their mothers constantly, they never leave their side, and the father’s primarily just provide care for the mother and infant. So I can’t take her off your hands and care for her, you’re going to have to be there for her twenty four hours a day. I know that this is a lot, and you didn’t ask for this, but it’s something we have to do.” Jack looked to Gwen, “Gwen, would you get the supplies please, we kind of need to feed her now.”

Gwen nodded, heading for the car. Jack headed into the hub, heading down, followed by Ianto.

“I’m not a mother,” he said, looking down at the baby who continued to chirp. “Jack, I can’t do this. She’s crying now, and I can’t make her stop, and how long is this going to be for? I can’t do this. I can’t.”

Jack headed for the mini fridge, taking out a banana, and then he grabbed a small plate and spoon, proceeding to mash it up. “Ianto,” he said gently, “we’ll just deal with this, one day at a time.” He pulled up a chair and sat down, “Here hand me the baby.”

Ianto complied, and Jack cradled the tiny blue alien in his arms, and began to feed her the bananas, putting the tip of the spoon to her mouth and using his fingers to help push it in. She was hungry, and ate without a fuss.

Ianto couldn’t help but smile watching Jack feed her. He was so gentle, so caring. Ianto had never really considered Jack as a parent; he had never considered himself as a parent, not since Lisa anyway. After canary Warf he’d pretty much decided that Torchwood and family we mutually exclusive. How can you raise a baby when you have to save the world, when you could die at any time, it wasn’t as though many Torchwood employees reached retirement age. Ianto had no dreams of eventually settling down or raising kids. It had annoyed him, to some extent, that Jack was so enthusiastic about the baby. Did he want to play mummy and daddy? Did he think that they could just act like a normal couple, that there wasn’t a constant danger that their lives could end at any moment?

Well maybe not Jack’s. But, what happened a few months ago, loosing Tosh and Owen. It was Canary Warf all over again. They could all die at any minute. Jack knew this, Jack knew he could lose Ianto, he had to. So why was he so thrilled at raising a baby with him? This wasn’t the time, or place for that.

Now though, Ianto understood that it had nothing to do with him, or ‘them’ as a couple. It was just about her, the baby. She needed to be cared for, and Jack was more than willing. “Are you sure it’s safe to feed her that?” asked Ianto, concerned.
“she’s a different species, what’s fine for us might be toxic to her. Then there are allergies.”

Jack smiled, “see you’ll make a fine parent,” he teased lightly, relieved that Ianto had gotten over his initial shock, fear, and stress slightly. Jack knew Ianto was a deeply caring emotional person, just like Gwen, and he knew that they both would be able to handle, because this was a Torchwood responsibility. “Don’t worry though, she’s omnivorous, and her kind has a pretty solid constitution, can eat basically anything, so I think she’ll be alright on a human diet. I’d like to run a blood test, to see about allergies. We need to get a medic, we need more staff period, especially now. The baby is going to need you, and take up most of your time, can’t exactly put you on field duty with a baby strapped to you.”

“So you’re putting me on maternity leave?” he asked.

“I’ve giving you a new assignment, and she’s it.”

“Great, promoted from tea boy to nanny boy.”

“You know you’re more than that, and you know I’m not trying to force this on you.”

“I know, there’s just no other way. I understand, but it scares me. Look at her, she’s so small, so helpless, I want to take care of her. I just don’t, it’s like suddenly I’m a parent, and a mom? I feel like I’m suddenly playing house wife. Take care of the baby, that’s all you do.”

“You know it isn’t like that.” He said gently, “I’m not going to tell you get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich. It isn’t about us as a couple either, you know we’re separate from work; you’ve made it clear from the beginning. At work, I’m your boss…”

“and I’m essentially your man servant.” said Ianto, laughing slightly, “well I guess I asked to be a butler.”

“Yeah, but don’t forget, you’re also most competent field operative, not to mention your other skills, organization, hacking, that memory. You get the employee of the month gold star. But outside of work, us…”

“Its separate.” said Ianto, when they were together; he wasn’t an employee having an affair with the boss. That sort of relationship wouldn’t be healthy, because there would be an imbalance of power. In their relationship, they were just boyfriends, equals, in fact Ianto was the one who called the shots in the relationship, if any of the two had more power in their relationship it was him. It was completely different and separate dynamic than their working relationship.
“but, this, her. She’s going to affect both our working and private lives. As a Torchwood employee, you’re charging me with her care, and I accept. As your boyfriend, I suddenly have a baby to take care of.”

“and I’ll help you. As a member of Torchwood, its my responsibility to take care of her as well, as your leader, it was my decision that we have to care for her. As your boyfriend, we’ll do this together.”

The baby finished eating, and turned towards Ianto, raising its arms towards him, as if to say, pick me up, help me, mummy. Ianto came forward, taking the baby from Jack, and leaning in to give him a quick kiss on lips.