The victim was stood with her back to sherlock. Lestrade hadn't really wanted to let Sherlock in to see her but the child wouldn't talk to anyone. So there was one condition; he had to take a tape recorder in so they knew he wasn't making anything up. "Hello." sherlock said gently, the girl jumped a little and turned slowly, sherlock was shocked; to say the least.
"Hi?" She bit her lip, sherlock breathed in.
"I'm Sherlock, what's your name?"
"Lyla."
"Hello lyla, where's mummy and daddy?" Sherlock knelt down infront of her so he didn't seem intimidating. Lyla shook her head. "Okay. How old are you?"
"Seven."
"A little small for seven…." sherlock muttered. "Do you live in london?"
"Yep. Why are you all questioning me? Have I done something wrong?" She asked then proceeded to bite her lip again.
"No you've not done anything wrong sweetie. Just we need to know who did this to you." Sherlock said pointing to her arm.
"Why? Didn't you get puni-" the girl cut herself short.
"Its okay, you can tell us. We're here to help, sunshine." Sherlock slowly, gently took the little girl's hand.
"I want to bu-but I'll just get hurt more." The girl whimpered.
"No, no, you won't. We won't let them hurt you again."
"You-you promise?" She asked with a tear rolling down her bruised cheek.
"I promise."
Lyla looked into Sherlocks eyes for a moment before fishing a peice of paper from her pocket she began to read it: "Daddy says I was an accident, He says I'm a freak. Mummy doesn't like me either, they hate me with ease. Mummy doesn't stop him, Daddy doesn't stop lyn. It makes sense to me now; I'm a freak, a mistake, He says I'm a whore. I deserve nothing more. A discusting little maid. Made to serve him in any way, shape or size. He hurts me in ways Even I can't describe, Mummy hurts me differently, With burns shocks and slaps, Reluctant to feed me, But knowing if they don't I won't be able to serve their every need. They hurt me And beat me rare But nothing hurts more than when He comes in during the night and Strips me down bare." Lyla finished with a sob. Sherlock gulped and blinked back the tears.
"Y-you wrote that?"
"Yes. Sorry. I-i…."
"No, no. Its okay. Where does your parents live darling?"
"Number five wallwood road…" she said and sherlock heard a tap on the glass window, he'd forgotten he was in a hospital, lestrade was looking at him dissapprovingly.
"I'm sorry lyla I have to go now…" sherlock said standing up. The girl flung herself at him.
"P-please don't let them take me back to them. Please?" The girl hugged sherlock tightly and lestrade looked shocked.
"I promise, I swear you won't go back. Lyla, I have to go back now. Before I get shouted at."
"Mr sherlock, take my poem, sir… if they find it then I'll get…. just take it… please?"
"Of course I will sweetie. Can I give it to the police?"
"Yes… if-if you want…" sherlock hugged her
"Go to sleep, you need it. The nurses won't hurt you dear. Go on. Hop in." Sherlock pulled back the duvet and she clambered in. Sherlock pulled the duvet to cover her. "Sweet dreams sweet heart." He stopped recording and left.
"What just happened?" Lestrade asked gobsmaked.
"Sh-lyla was… she.." he couldn't get his words out so he just passed lestrade the poem and the tape.
"Sherlock." Lestrade said in a warning tone
"I'll be back here within half an hour." Sherlock choked out. "Read and listen before I get back." He said before leaving.
Lestrade and Donovan looked at each other confused. Until they listened and read. Around 20 minutes after sherlock left Donovan said; "you don't think he's gone to their house do you?"
"I don't know, we'll give him 10 more minutes then we'll go after him." Just as Lestrade said that sherlock came back onto the ward with a thunderous expression and a bag in his hand.
"Well, he's back." Donovan muttered and looked in on the girl who had resumed her place sat on the floor doing her best to not fall asleep.
"She's still awake isn't she?" Sherlock asked.
"She got up about ten minutes after you left." Lestrade said shocked.
"I'm going back in. Do I need another recorder?"
"No. Its okay." Lestrade said. Donovan looked at him distraught but didn't say anything. Sherlock nodded then walked into the room.
"Hey, lyla." Sherlock said gently, lyla jumped and turned around.
"S-sorry I was just…" she looked towards her hands.
"Heyy, its alright. I'm not going to hurt you." Sherlock sat infront of her on the floor, crossed legs; side ways on from the window so lestrade and Donovan could see them.
"Why are you here?" Lyla asked frowning.
"I bought you things." Sherlock said and placed the bag infront of her. "Open it." She looked confused so put her hand in. She pulled out a box full of cars, "you see, I didn't know what you liked to play with so I bought a selection. She put her hand back in the bag and pulled out a barbie with three clip-on dresses. For a third time she put her hand in and pulled out a teddy bear. She looked up at sherlock in awe.
"Thankyou." She said as she brought the bear to her chest and hugged it. She placed it down so carefully you'd have thought it was an antique.
"Its fine." Sherlock said as he watched the girl look at her new toys then back at sherlock.
"Why are you shaking?"
"I-i….I'll be fine." Was all he said, Donovan saw his shaking.
"Sir, the freak's shaking."
"Just make sure nothing gets out of hand. I'm sure he'll be fine. I'm phoning John, he keeps texting me about Sherlock. I'm going to get him down here, show him what sherlock's like with childeren." Lestrade answered walking away. When Donovan looked back sherlock was opening the barbie for her.
"What do I do with her?" She asked.
"Play, make a story up about her. If you want, its up to you. Get her dressed maybe?" Sherlock answered passing her the dresses.
"I like this one." She said pointing to the lightblue dress with little roses on it.
"Would you like help with putting it on her?" Sherlock asked.
Donovan had the luxury of watching Sherlock concentrate so hard that hhe stuck hs tounge out to the side. It gave her a laugh. Lestrade came back with coffee for her. They watched as sherlock and the girl played with the barbie and made up stories.
"Will you go and meet John, he's just outside. He doesn't know where we are." Lestrade asked Donovan, she nodded and left.
"Donovan? What's all this about? Is sherlock hurt?" Well obviously lestrade had only told John to come to the hospital because sherlock was there.
She grinned "no no, nothing like that. Follow." She said and they walked to the ward that Lyla was in and the sight was astonishing. Sherlock and the girl racing cars back and forth, a strategy game sherlock and the girl were racing three cars back and forth between them sometimes sherlock had two and others Lyla had two and sometimes the cars got past Sherlock but they were going so fast and giggling so hard they didn't notice the new spectator.
John gasped at the sight.
"That's not all, they were playing with that barbie a second ago." Lestrade pointed to the doll sat on the bed next to the bear.
"And, guess where it all came from?" Donovan asked with a suggestive tone, john looked at her in dis belief.
"Noo, sherlock? He bought them?" John asked and stared through the window at them.
"Yep." Lestrade answered.
Sherlock watched as Lyla began to slow down, the final straw was when she yawned and her arms began to get heavy.
"Heyy, are you sleepy?" Sherlock asked her, she looked rather startled. "I'm not going to hurt you." He reassured. She nodded her head slowly. He nodded and proceeded to pack away the cars he reached up onto the bed and picked the barbie up, he put everything back into the bag appart from the teddy bear. "These are yours." He said pointing to the bag. She nodded, he could see her eyes were heavy. He picked her up and put her in bed, she immediately grabbed hold of the bear and held ut tight to her chest. Sherlock kissed her on the forehead. Before turning round to see John, sherlock was startled by the new face amongst lestrade and donovan. When did he get here? Sherlock walked quietly out and as soon as he was out he started shaking again.
"Freak's shaking again sir." He heard Donovan say. The name made the shaking worse until john stood infront of him.
"Sherlock?"
"John, I want to go home." Was all sherlock said to John, he turned to Lestrade. "May I have that poem? She gave it to me." He asked. Lestrade saw no point in keeping the thing, she'd read it out for the recorder so he passed sherlock the folded paper without a word. Sherlock put it in one of his inside pockets before walking out, tears running down his face, but no one saw.