Dog´s day
(Part 4 of Wolfes)
"Sherlock Holmes. Go back to your bed, this second." John´s voice traveled through the open living-room door in the hallway and catches Sherlock in the doorway to his bedroom. "How often do I have to tell you that? You have the flu and you belong into bed." John wasn't angry, he was tired after caring for a sick and very boring detective for three days. Said detective thinks he is well again and wants to carry on with experiments on the kitchen table.
"But John. I´m fine. I feel great and it is boring in my room on my own." Sighing heavily John gets up from his chair, giving up on watching the news for the first time in three days, going back to Sherlock.
"How about staying in bed if I keep you company." The growing smile on the detectives face was evidence enough. Happily climbing back into bed with John next to him, Sherlock let even the extra blanked throw onto him without complaining. "Happy?" Asks John and get a fanatic head nodding from under the blanked. "You will be fine in the morning, give it another night with plenty of rest and the flu won´t come back anytime soon, promise."
Sherlock fall asleep soon after, a side effect of his medicine. John looked down on his sleeping friend, he could leave but he spend so much time in Sherlock´s room and bed since the whole wolf-thing there was no use in denning it. He liked being with Sherlock, especially sleeping in the same bed. John had never felt anyplace safer. Next to Sherlock was the safest, warmest and most loved place for John. Apparently Sherlock liked it too. Or he wouldn't walk out in the cold hallway only to get John´s attention to not being alone anymore. The big cuddler. With Sherlock close John had never again the feeling a monster would overtake his being. The presence of his friend makes the monster softer. While transforming it isn't a fight anymore. With Sherlock there is less pain. The transformation comes naturally. He hasn't to fear it anymore. John smiled and closes his eyes for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Sherlock wakes up and feels hot. There was no other way. 'Stupid blanked' was his only thought but with the awareness of his body he felt only a corner of the blanked over his lower back. Something warm and dry was on his neck and a huge ball of fur lies under his hands. Sherlock´s eye opens and he is greeted with the picture of a sleeping wolf in his bed. Sherlock was used to it but it wasn't a night where John changed and if it would have been a night he would have changed back.
Confused and still a bit sleepy, Sherlock tries to wake John, waking a sleeping wolf is often not the best idea but John only growls a bit and turns around. With the movement of his huge body he nearly pushed Sherlock out of the bed.
Sherlock get out of the bed to the other side. "John wake up. You changed." He shakes the wolfs shoulders and finally get the cracking of an open eye. With a following growl with the meaning 'don't disturb my sleep'.
John didn't look to good. His eyes look tired and after another touch to his noise confirmed Sherlock fear. John was sick. The normally wet nose of his friends wolf-form was hot and dry. Why his friend had changed was a good question for later when he could talk to answer it. "John I think you got infected with what I had." The guilty feeling that grows in his chest wasn't pleasant. Sherlock felt guilty. Since three days he had tried to keep John as close as possible. Yes he was bored and lonely but if he had known that John, the immune doctor would get sick from staying to long by his side he had preferred the boredom and loneliness.
John looked at him without making further noises. "I´m sorry." Sherlock pets John head. "What should I do now?" The question was answered with a soft touch of John´s nose at Sherlock´s arm.
"Alright. John you stay in bed. I bring you some water." Jumping up to get fluid for the sick wolf but before leaving the room he put a blanked on top of John.
Sherlock does the same John did for him. Getting everything the sick person needs. Keeping the person warm and getting water in them but with the medicine part comes the first problem. Sherlock had taken the medicine John had given him. Human medicine means he couldn't give to John in his wolf form.
The water in the salad bowl Sherlock finds John in the doorway, waiting for him. "John back into bed. I just needed to get the water." He placed the bowl next to the bed and John drinks something before the wolf climbed back into bed. Sherlock kneed next to the bed one hand slowly petting the wolf´s back. "What should I do? I have no idea how to care for a wolf. If you were still in your human form I could copy the things you did for me."
Sherlock gets his phone out what earned him a tiny growl from John. "I will just call him and ask, okay?" He selected the contact number for his brother and waits inpatient for the answer.
"Good morning, brother mine. Are you feeling better? I heard you had the flu." Mycroft was in a good mood. Probably dominated a country or started a war yesterday. Or ended one, who knows.
"Yes thanks I´m fine." Too polite. "I have a question. What kind of medicine do I give to a wolf with the human flu?" He couldn't have asks more obvious but he needs an answer, fast.
Mycroft needed a second to answer, bad sign. "You can ether give him the human medicine or a medicine for dogs from a vet. But I don't think they would help. Probably it the best in this situation to wait it out." Not the answer he had hoped for but also the answer that Sherlock had expected.
"Okay, thank Mycroft." Too polite, again. His worried for John makes him being nice to his brother.
"Are you sure you okay Sherlock. You sound a bit … off." Now Mycroft is worried, great.
"I´m fine but I have a giant wolf in my bed with the flu and he wouldn´t stay in the bed except I´m with him." The same he did, Sherlock noticed shocked. They have definitive build up a codependence. Sherlock hang up before he could do something he would regret.
Suddenly John sneezed and Sherlock was pushed back and landed on his bum. "Try to sleep a bit. I will stay here with you." John nods with his big head and closes his eyes. A few minutes later was a light snoring hearable, coming from his friend under the blankets.
Sherlock was still next to the sleeping doctor/wolf/friend/everything. Watching John sleep in his wolf form was somehow relaxing. The strong creature, quiet on the bed with slow breaths. During Sherlock´s time being sick John had made him soup, that he had actually eaten. He could do this for John too. A bit of chicken soup to make him better. He gets up as quiet as possible and went to kitchen. He was never the best with the whole cocking thing but John had made the soup from his cocking book. What could go wrong with clear instruction? It would be nothing else then following the instruction for an experiment.
At least that was what Sherlock thought. They had all the ingredients in the kitchen, probable bought by John for another soup. That means no shopping, for what Sherlock was very grateful, because he doesn't want to let John alone. After he had burned the meat, lost most vegetable to the floor and wall of the kitchen after an exploding pot and a spectacle accident with the spices, the whole soup was ruined. After tasting the soup and spitting every last drop out into the sink again he notices John in the kitchen entre. Sitting there with hanging ears and tried eyes.
"John what are you doing here. You should rest in bed." Sherlock get only a knowing look. It was exactly the same John had told him the last few days. "Yes I know you told me to do that too. But you as the doctor should listen to your own advice." John´s tail slapped the doorframe twice. "I wanted to cook you a soup but I guess the rule 'no cooking for Sherlock' is still active." Sherlock smiled apologizing at John who looked a bit like smiling too. Sherlock placed another bowl with water on the floor and let John drink until it was empty.
"We will just go back to bed. It is not our day, today." They were both lonely without the other and in times of sickness or unwell-being; there is nothing better than a bit of cuddling in bed, together. Sorting out the transformation, the flu and the mess in the kitchen later.