I'm back! Here's another one... Let's take a trip back in time a bit, shall we? More or less three years before the last chapter. Here's the day John and Sherlock add one to their family.
Thanks to everyone who read last chapter, especially AdorableToast, Browneyedshamer, and TheNameIsHolmesSherlockHolmes here on FF. Special thanks to Victoriapain on tumblr for reading this chapter in advance.
Disclaimer: Rights to ACD and Mofftiss for John and Sherlock, but the daughter is mine :)
"John? John! Are you dozing off again?" Sherlock prodded. John awoke with a start, pulse rate rising then falling again as he recognized his surroundings. "John, of the two of us, I'd think you'd be the one who would at least show some enthusiasm. Today of all days! Today, dear Watson, our lives will change. We will have a role in life that neither of us has had before, starting today," he looked over at John and took a breath; "That is, unless she doesn't hurry along, then I guess it could be tomorrow, but they'd probably induce—"
"Yep, Sherlock. I know. Doctor, remember?" he pointed to himself, "But I've been sitting here for six bloody hours in this bloody hospital! I think I have a bit of a right to be irritable, dear."
"Five."
"What?" he was growing impatient.
"Five hours, John. You said six."
He turned to Sherlock. He wanted to punch him in his perfect face for being so goddamn particular, but instead, he just looked at him. He studied his face. Beautiful man, no doubt about that. I guess that makes me pretty lucky, to be stuck with someone like him. He liked how, from his position, he was always looking up at Sherlock. The light bounced off of his angular face in the most striking way, giving the looming, tall man a very dramatic appearance. John's attention zeroed in on the smaller details of his face, like the faint lines that were starting to make themselves known. His forehead was constantly furrowed in concentration, leaving its mark up by his hairline. The corners of his almond eyes would sometimes crinkle up when he smiled, along with the slight laugh lines beginning to form on his cheeks.
That, right there, is what calmed him down. He forgot all about his anger at Sherlock. He was able to relax by studying his partner's face. The stress of waiting for the past six months was finally able to leave his system. It was like there was a weight lifted off his shoulders, and he could see the finish line. He took a deep breath and let the calm surround him.
Sherlock, on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves. He was jittery and restless, but not irritable. No, he was not in a bad mood at all! He was… excited, that's the word. Excited to start off on his next big experiment, the one that would last him a lifetime. He glanced at the clock every two minutes and tapped out Paganini and Vivaldi on the arm of the chair with his fingers.
He looked nervously at John, who had gone from furious to calm in a few seconds. At least he found some peace. I'm being quiet, but in no way is this peaceful. He hoped that he could pick up some of John's calm composure by osmosis, so he reached out to John in the seat next to him and wrapped his long arms around his companion. John was surprised by the sudden burst of affection from the slender man, but he hugged him back anyway, breathing in his scent. To John, Sherlock smelled like the wool of his trademark coat, morning tea, and pages of an old book. To Sherlock, John smelled like love.
At long last, after six hours of waiting, a smallish woman wearing scrubs called Sherlock and John to the room just down the hall. She ushered them in and shut the door behind them for privacy. Inside the clinical-smelling room, a young woman was lying on the hospital bed, pillows stacked up behind her lower back for support. In her arms, she held a tiny bundle of blankets. Her right elbow was tipped up to support the infant's head, and she was gazing down at the precious little parcel.
John stood by the door, hand in hand with Sherlock, and waited for the new mother to look up and greet them. She turned her head away from the baby to say hello to the two men that had entered. A brief nod of her head and a smile gave them the OK to step forward into the room, and they hustled over by the side of the bed.
Sherlock felt his heart melt as soon as he looked into the tiny blue eyes of the little child. Looks just like the mother. She'll be beautiful when she's older. John saw Sherlock's features soften as he watched the little girl with visible joy.
"Would one of you like to hold her?" she inquired. John squeezed Sherlock's hand to encourage him.
"Uh, yes. I-I would," Sherlock stammered, at a loss for words for what seemed like the first time in his life. She smoothly passed the bundle to the eager man, placing her gently in the crook of his elbow. He sat on the edge of the bed, one foot slightly off the ground. He brought the long, graceful fingers of his left hand up to the baby's head to smooth the blanket out of the way. "She's uh, really beautiful," he finally managed to say. He held her for a little while longer, then decided his turn was up. "John, do you want to hold her?"
He came around to Sherlock's side and lifted the baby into his arms. She was small enough to snuggle right into the fuzzy folds of the sleeve of his jumper. She's gonna love my jumpers when she's older, I bet. Sherlock stood up from the edge of the bed and moved into place behind John. He gazed at the little beauty from over John's shoulder before nuzzling his chin into the spot where his neck and jumper-covered shoulder met, hugging him from behind. "I'm so happy, John," he murmured.
John chuckled. "Sherlock Holmes, 'so happy'? I should get this on camera to show to the Yard. The guys'd never believe you," John teased, eyes shining. He leaned his head back into Sherlock's embrace and let out a sigh of relief. They looked down at their daughter, their daughter, and could see all the years ahead in her sparkling blue eyes.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Questions, comments, concerns? Review!
Love y'all -Purple
