Don't Suppose
DI Lestrade was talking with Donovan on the far side of the inner lobby when he sees Sherlock and John arrive and join the queue at the security gate. John is already removing his black jacket as the guard gives his standard instructions
"Please place all coats, bags, cameras, mobile phones, metal objects on the belt ..."
Lestrade finishes with Donovan and strides grim-faced back toward the metal detector.
"I'll just be a minute," John says quietly nodding his head slightly toward the second security guard. Sherlock passes silently through the gate, retrieves his coat and phone and walks forward without offering any acknowledgement.
"The night attendant discovered the bodies at about 4 am," Lestrade starts without preamble as he meets Sherlock as the detective exits the gate. He then turns on his heel and immediately begins retracing his steps back across the lobby toward the corridor. He pauses to look back when he hears the beeping of the gate. He finds Sherlock is several steps away leaning nonchalantly against the wall looking at his phone, waiting. It takes Lestrade a moment to process this. Sherlock Holmes is approximately 30 metres away from the scene of a double murder, yet he is leaning against a wall, waiting. Back at the gate, John is off to one side with a security guard starting to remove his navy blue jumper. As always, he pulls his left arm out first and then pulls the garment up over his head with his right hand. The security guard takes the jumper and wands it with a hand-held metal detector. John has already assumed a stance with arms and legs spread. The security guard begins wanding John starting with his legs. John is saying something to the guard that Lestrade can't quite hear. The wand begins beeping as it is waved near John's left clavicle and beeps steadily as it's passed over his shoulder. John is now gesturing from his collar bone diagonally back toward his shoulder blade. Light finally dawns for Lestrade.
"Shit," he breathes quietly looking towards Sherlock. "You forget sometimes, don't you?" Sherlock continues typing on his phone.
"No," he says idly without looking up.
The guard was now patting down John's shoulder as he stands expressionless looking rather small in his shirt sleeves and jeans.
"It's like this every time, isn't it?" Lestrade asks. Sherlock ignores him still concentrating on his phone. "You think it's, what? Pins? A plate, maybe?" Lestrade continues.
"You suppose it still, you know, hurts?" Sherlock looks up from his phone and sighs dramatically,
"No, Detective Inspector, I don't suppose." Lestrade looks relieved by that and risks another glance toward John. He's pulling his jumper back on, left sleeve on first then up over his head with the right.
"I'm certain," Sherlock says closing his phone.
"Aw'right there, sir. Sorry for the delay. We see a fair number of knees and hips and the odd wrist. Don't get many shoulders, do we, Reg?. Car crash, was it?" the guard asks amicably.
"Something like that," John replies smiling politely. He grabs his jacket and phone and walks quickly to join the others.
"Sorry," he says looking aside. Lestrade waves him off without a word and charges on business as usual.
"The bodies are this way. The night attendant discovered them around 4 am but the interesting thing is they definitely weren't there at the start of his shift at eleven. Donovan is getting dubs of all the CCTV. So far nothing." Sherlock almost smiles as he stores this new bit of evidence that Lestrade is not a total idiot.
oooooooooooo
A/N - This is scene came to mind after re-watching The Reichenbach Fall (yes, again!) and then travelling through an airport with my friend's mom who's had a knee replacement. Didn't know what to do with it. Doesn't fit with any current stories so here it is. Maybe I'll figure out something to go around it some day?
Thanks so much to those who have favorited or left reviews for this little fic, especially constantlycold, librarywitch, Ced2114, HolmeslessWatson, hashihime and ArtyDiane. I really appreciate hearing whether I'm presenting the characters in, well, character. Sometimes I post stuff I am not at all sure whether what I'm writing feels right to other people so thanks for the feedback.
Not beta'd or Brit Picked. Comments and reviews are really appreciated!