Work Text:
Telephone psychics are not therapists
by Lilithangel
"Why are there fifteen calls to a psychic hotline on this month's bill?" Ianto asked at the weekly staff meeting Gwen insisted they have since Jack went missing.
Tosh and Owen shared guilty glances and Ianto glared at them.
"Why are you calling psychic hotlines?" Gwen asked in confusion.
"Well you did say we should exhaust every avenue for finding Jack," Owen said.
"You don't believe in that nonsense, do you?" she said.
"Didn't believe in aliens till I got this job," Owen replied.
"Did they give you anything useful?" Ianto said curiously.
"Just the usual bullshit, long journeys, mysterious dark haired men," Owen sighed.
"And you had to call fifteen times why?"
"Well it was nice to talk to someone," Tosh said.
"Tell me we don't have to retcon a bunch of little old ladies in Splott," Ianto said.
"Nah," Owen said, "they're nutty already, nobody's going to believe them."
"I think we should set up some proper therapy sessions," Gwen said, "after everything that's happened it's obvious you need to talk to someone."
"So you want us to spill our guts to some shrink and then retcon it out of their heads?" Owen snorted.
"Surely Torchwood had a trained therapist on staff somewhere," Gwen said.
"There was one organised for after Canary Wharf," Ianto said quietly, "he seemed competent."
"He obviously missed your meltdown," Owen said with scorn.
"I left London before our second session," Ianto said, "but some of the other survivors have spoken highly of him."
Owen subsided at the look on Ianto's face and the glare on Gwen's. "Are you going to make it an order?"
"If I have to," Gwen said, "it's obvious you don't have anyone else to talk to if you're calling to psychic hotlines."
* * * * *
Patient: Owen Harper
Occupation: Doctor
Employer: Torchwood
Session One:
"Why are you here Doctor Harper?"
"Because my temporary boss thinks I need to talk to someone."
"Do you think you need to talk to someone?"
"No... maybe... it's been a hell of a year."
"Would you like to tell me about it?"
"I don't suppose you can just tell Gwen that we talked and I can get out of here?"
"It's your choice whether you want to talk or not, this is your hour. I won't be telling Miss Cooper anything about what occurs between us."
"So much shit happened so quickly it's hard sometimes to accept that it even happened to me."
"What stands out most for you in your memory?"
"Trying to kill my boss and nearly sucking the world into hell."
"You're talking about the recent events in Cardiff, with the gas leak and mass hallucinations?"
"Trust the government to spin a line over it, but yeah."
"Well you obviously didn't succeed so that's good. I take it that you're not talking about Miss Cooper."
"No, our real boss, the man that recruited me."
"How did he deal with your actions?"
"He forgave me and then he left us."
"And how did that make you feel?"
"I dunno really. Grateful, relieved, angry."
"Angry that he forgave you or angry that he left?"
"That he left, they always leave."
"Who do?"
"People that I... that matter to me. I lost someone else important, at Christmas. I think I went a little bit crazy to tell the truth. It's not surprising considering Torchwood."
"It's always hard to balance your life when you work for somewhere like Torchwood. Have you thought about hobbies?"
"Are you suggesting I take up knitting or some such shit?"
"How about something you could combine with your work. Something life affirming perhaps."
Patient: Ianto Jones
Occupation: Archivist
Employer: Torchwood
Session One:
"Nice to see you again Mr Jones, may I call you Ianto?"
"I would say it was nice to see you too, but I would be lying. Ianto is fine."
"Why are you here, Ianto?"
"We thought it was necessary after things that happened at work."
"What sort of things?"
"Pretty standard Torchwood things."
"Like it was at Torchwood One?"
"Different."
"How different?"
"Worse, hideous, better."
"Do you want to tell me about why it was felt you would benefit from talking with me?"
"We nearly lost our boss and destroyed the world, I betrayed his trust and then we lost him anyway."
"So it was the losing of your boss that was the worst thing?"
"We had become close; I should never have doubted him."
"Did you finish your therapy after Canary Wharf?"
"No, things got busy here and I coped."
"Really?"
"Maybe not, but Jack helped me."
"Jack is your boss, Jack Harkness?"
"Yes."
"Ahh..."
"Ahh?"
"Captain Harkness is a bit of a legend in government circles. So you have feelings for Jack?"
"Yes... no... it's complicated... He's our leader and we shouldn't have doubted him."
"Ianto, in your personnel file your last assessment before Canary Wharf described you as an outgoing, bright young man who was going places. In our one session afterwards it was obvious you were still in shock, but what happened to that young man since then?"
"What do you mean?"
"You seem quite sombre and restrained, very different from your assessment and other staff comments."
"I lost my whole life at Canary Wharf, that's bound to change someone."
"Maybe it's time for you to reconnect with that young man again."
Patient: Toshiko Sato
Occupation: Computer technician
Employer: Torchwood
Session One:
"Why are you here Miss Sato?"
"To sort out in my own head what happened to the team and what we did to our boss."
"You are refreshingly honest, Miss Sato."
"Please call me Tosh."
"Very well Tosh. How do you feel about your boss disappearing?"
"I can't really blame him after what we did to him."
"What did you do to him?"
"Tried to kill him, betrayed his faith in us. He has been through so much that we don't know about and we chased him away."
"So you think it's your fault that he left?"
"Why would he want to stay around people who betrayed and killed him? We weren't much of a team really. I should have done more to stop them."
"Could you have stopped them?"
"I should have tried but they're all such forceful personalities..."
"Tosh, I'd like you to try and be more forceful yourself, could you do that for me?"
"I can try."
"Good, and next week we'll talk about why you said betrayed and killed him rather than tried to kill him."
Patient: Owen Harper
Occupation: Doctor
Employer: Torchwood
Session Two:
"Did you find a hobby to take up?"
"Botany. I've got room in one of my labs. It's... peaceful, I've even taken to watering the plants in the office, much to Ianto's consternation."
"So it's helping?"
"Yeah. Surprised everyone at work too so that was a laugh."
"The botany or you having a hobby?"
"Me talking to them mainly I think. It's given me time to think as well. I'd forgotten the reason I became a doctor working for Torchwood. It was all too secret agent man there. I wanted to save lives, fix problems. It's nice to focus on that again."
"You wish you'd never been recruited?"
"Sometimes, but what we do is important."
"More important than your own needs?"
"When I concentrate on my own needs people die or the world nearly ends. There aren't many jobs where you can say that for truth."
"Possibly but you still need to look after yourself or you're heading for a breakdown. Take some time for yourself, perhaps even spend some time with your co-workers outside of the office."
"Team bonding? God I hope not. Alright, we used to go to the pub a lot before Jack disappeared."
"Good, you really are making progress Owen."
Patient: Ianto Jones
Occupation: Archivist
Employer: Torchwood
Session Two:
"So how's your week been Ianto?"
"Good. I did as you suggested and tried to reconnect with the man I had been before Canary Wharf."
"How is it going?"
"Slowly but not bad. The others are finding it hard to adjust although Owen seems to be handling it the best. Whatever you're saying to him is working, although I wish he was a bit more careful with his mister, some of our electronics are very sensitive."
"Have you tried talking with him about it?"
"Our relationship is a bit strained."
"Why is that?"
"I shot him."
"Was it an accident?"
"No."
"That could make working together quite difficult."
"Not really. It does make conversation difficult."
"Do you regret shooting him?"
"No, and he wouldn't want me to. We both did what we had to do."
"Do you spend time together as a team outside of work?"
"There is only work for most of us, except Gwen."
"Perhaps you might consider changing that."
Patient: Toshiko Sato
Occupation: Computer technician
Employer: Torchwood
Session Two:
"How has your week been Tosh?"
"Okay... I tried to be more forceful like you suggested. I'm not sure if anyone noticed."
"Well its early days. Now I'd like to talk about what you said at our last meeting."
"About Jack?"
"Why do you think you said that you killed him?"
"I think because we might as well have killed him when we betrayed him. We certainly killed our team relationship."
"How are the four of you getting on without him?"
"Mostly just surviving but we are trying to be a team. I think these sessions are helping to be honest. We don't talk about it but I've noticed that Owen and Ianto don't flinch around each other anymore. Owen actually suggested going to the pub and Ianto agreed with him. It was... nice."
* * * * *
"Yes, hello... I was just wondering if there was anyone in my future?"
"You think he's abandoned you but he is trying to return. He does have feelings for you. Just have faith and your tall dark stranger will return."
Ianto didn't know if he believed a word the psychic said but it was nice to hear and at least he could hide the phone bill evidence from the others.
END
Website: www.livejournal.com/users/lilithbint