Title: Making the Connection
Story Summary: A non-chronological collection of short chapters based on one word prompts, including (pre-)slash for Johnlock & Mystrade, pre-series and post-Reichenbach chapters.
Chapter Summary: After John met Sherlock he attends another therapy session and comes to a realisation. Prompt: Calendar
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Moffat, Gatiss & SACD.
A/N: The prompt came from the incredible floppybelly (whose "Oneword prompts: Sherlock" you should definitely check out, it's amazing!). Depending on whether or not I get another prompt I will continue (if you have any suggestions you can prompt me in the reviews).
John went to see Ella on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in the beginning of March. Ella's receptionist had called to remind him to come and see his therapist again. So here he sat, opposite of a woman who had absolutely no idea of what was going on inside his mind even though she got paid for it.
Her questions were all too predictable. She asked him about Sherlock, with whom he had moved in just over a month ago. Of course Ella had read his blog and therefore knew what John had been up to: running around London chasing criminals. She asked him, whether he thought it was a good idea, especially in regard to his PTSD.
It took John a second to reflect on her question. His psychosomatic limp and the tremors in his hands were gone, the frequency of his nightmares had decreased over the past month, he had established a loose email contact with his sister and he actually hadn't thought about the war in the last twenty-four hours. That's what he told Ella, who struggled to keep her poker face in place.
Thirty minutes into his session his mobile beeped and vibrated in his pocket. He excused himself and took the phone out to see who had texted him, although he already knew.
New case. Meet me at Scotland Yard in fifteen minutes if convenient.
SH
After three seconds of pondering he decided that it wasn't worth missing an adventure for the sake of being polite to his therapist.
"I'm terribly sorry", he said while he was already standing up. "But something has come up, I need to leave immediately."
He was already out the door before Ella even realized what went on. She wanted to call after him, tell him his mental health was more important than the short thrill of yet another case with Sherlock Holmes. But today John had completed the minimum amount of sessions for veterans, if he wanted to leave there was nothing she could do about it.
"We still have the Wednesday three to four o'clock slot open for you, Dr Watson. Would that be a convenient time for you?" John was in the anteroom, taking his jacket off the coat rack when the receptionist asked him, the calendar already in her hand with a pen hovering just millimetres above the page.
"No, it would not. In fact, I don't think I will need another appointment. Thank you very much, though", he replied and was out the door a moment later, feeling a sense of relief. He had another case to solve.