He didn't know why.
You have a new case. JW
No reply.
Three men dead. Locked doors and windows. Lestrade called. JW
He forgot Sherlock was gone. They all did, from time to time.
Everyday, he would send him messages. Hoping. Just holding onto that small sliver of hope that he had left.
Sherlock can't be dead. He wouldn't go like that. Not the way he did.
In John's grieving mind, that was the only rational part of his day. Thinking that simple thought. The very idea of a world without the younger Holmes brother was simply and totally unreasonable. It couldn't be true. It was impossible-
Ding
John heard his phone alert him. He looked at the screen.
New message
It could have been Harry. John's mind knew that it had to be Sherlock, though. His tremor had come back after Sherlock left and it was especially present as he reached for his phone. He took a deep, shaky breath and slid his thumb across the screen.
Message failed to send. This number is no longer in service.
The hope was gone.