A/N: My first Sherlock fanfic – I had the intention of writing a cute, fluffy one shot. Promise it wasn't meant to come out this angsty :( please, be gentle with me, and let me know if it needs follow up chapter?
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He can't breathe. The impact of the bullet has knocked him to the dusty ground, and he's not sure whether it's shock, or from the hard landing, but either way his lungs decide to stop working. He's a medical man, trained for years to hold up under pressure, so why can't he fight through the fog that's sprung up in his head?
Then suddenly, he's back – his ears assaulted by the barrage of bullets sweeping across, and through men; the blood running down his shoulder, feeling like lava kept hot by the scalding midday sun overhead; his eyes searching for another medic, and seeing only the blank stares of his comrades staring out from battle ravaged faces, bodies torn apart by enemy fire.
And then, time slows down to a crawl as he catches sight of Tommy forging ahead – not 22, on his first tour of duty, yet this doesn't stop the bullets from slamming into him, dropping him to the ground like a rag doll.
John is startled into action, using his uninjured arm to pull himself towards the wounded boy. But no matter how much effort he puts in, he can't get any closer. And then something starts to drag him back, drag him down. He feels himself being pulled over an edge, and falling…falling….
John snaps awake, sweating and breathing heavily, his old wound pounding from phantom pain, and eyes wildly traveling around the room trying to make sense of his surroundings. Finally recognition hit, and John clutched the blanket tightly to his chest. "221B Baker Street. 221B Baker Street. 221B Baker Street…." He whispered to himself, over and over again.
Unnoticed by John, the light footsteps of his roommate came to a hesitant stop outside his door. He would have been surprised had he seen the self-confessed sociopath tentatively reach towards the doorknob, debating with himself before dropping his hand back to his side and moving off towards his own room.
