Disclaimer: I still don't own Sherlock :(

A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews, sorry for the cliff hanger in chapter one. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. I don't have a degree in medicine, in fact I didn't even take biology at GCSE, so if you're expecting a lot of medical knowledge then to be honest you're reading the wrong story, there are plenty of writers out there that are better at that than me. I got all my knowledge from watching Casualty on BBC1 on Saturday nights, and I haven't even watched that for the last twenty years (is Charlie still in it?). This chapter has a lot of angst so if you don't like, don't read.

Chapter Two

John ran through the automatic doors at the entrance to A&E, stumbling slightly in his haste. Making his way straight to the main desk, he leant on it to catch his breath. Unable to wait any longer than absolutely necessary for information, he gasped.

'My friend has been brought in ... Sherlock ... Sherlock Holmes. Please! I ... I need to know ... how is he?'

'Sorry sir, what name did you say?' the receptionist asked in a polite but slightly bored tone. His shift was due to finish soon, and he was looking forward to meeting some of his friends at the pub.

'Sherlock Holmes, he's my friend!' John's voice was stronger now as he straightened up and fixed the receptionist with a glare.

The receptionist, now suitably chastened, looked at the screen in front of him and clicked a few buttons on his keyboard. Just as he was about to answer, a voice could be heard from behind John.

'John?'

John turned around, Greg was standing there, worry creasing his brow.

'Where is he? What happened?'demanded John.

'There was a case. He's been shot.' Greg took a quick step back when he saw the expression of fury cross John's face. 'They've taken him up to theatre, to remove the bullet and fix him up' he added rapidly as he raised his hands in a universal gesture of surrender.

'How the HELL did he get sho... wait ... he's in surgery? Oh God' John's knees began to buckle as Greg jumped forward and grabbed him trying to keep him upright. Together they stumbled over to a row of plastic chairs where John collapsed into a seat. He lowered his head and took several deep breaths until the black spots had gone from his vision. As he raised his head, a cup of water was thrust into his hand.

'Here, drink this. I'll see if I can find a nurse or someone, to let us know what's happening.' said Greg as he walked up to the desk and showed his identification. After waiting several minutes, which to Greg felt like hours, a young nurse came over.

'Are you waiting for news about Mr. Holmes?' the young woman asked, a little nervous as this was her first week in casualty, and she hadn't been qualified very long.

The heads of both John and Greg swivelled around to look at her.

'Yes!' answered Greg as John appeared to be having difficulty forming words due to the distress he was feeling. 'How is he? Can we see him?' continued Greg, bombarding the nurse with questions.

'May I ask? Are you family, as we can only give out information regarding patient welfare to family members.'the nurse asked, remembering that the lecturer had been rather forceful on that point.

'Oh right, yeah, this is Mr. Holmes' partner Dr. Watson, and I'm a friend DI Gregory Lestrade' Greg answered, again showing his identification.

'A policeman? I see, if you'd care to follow me, I'll take you to a quieter room where you can wait. Mr. Andrews the surgeon will be along shortly, and he'll be able to answer any questions you may have' answered the nurse as she began to walk along a corridor towards a door at the end.

Once the nurse had left them having pointed out where the drinks machine and toilets were, Greg took a seat on one of the chairs, which were only marginally more comfortable than the chairs in the A&E waiting room. He looked across at John, who was standing at one of the two windows which looked out across the car park. John leant his head against the glass and put his hands in his trouser pockets. Greg looked away, not wishing to intrude.

'I can't lose him Greg.' John's voice was low and Greg had to strain his ears to hear him. 'You know, it's our one month anniversary tomorrow ... I ... er ... I'd arranged with Molly to ... er ... get some body parts' John released a slow breath as he tried to calm himself ' so he ... erm ... he ... he' swallowing hard past the lump in his throat, John glanced across at Greg, the devastation on his face plain to see as the tears spilled from his eyes and slid silently down his cheeks. He quickly turned back to the window embarrassed, his years of training telling him that he was a soldier and soldiers don't cry. Of course the rational part of his brain then proceeded to tell him that, that was the biggest load of rubbish he'd ever heard.

A moment later, John jumped slightly as he felt something brush against his arm, and a packet of tissues was held out in front of him. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard Greg stand up and walk over to him.

When John had calmed down a little and wiped his face, he walked over and sat down next to Greg and handed back the rest of the unused tissues with a small thank you.

After several more minutes passed, the door to the room opened and a middle aged man with greying hair and a slight paunch entered. He was dressed in surgical scrubs and was running a hand through his hair in an attempt to straighten it having just removed his cap.

'You're awaiting news on Mr. Holmes?' he asked as he closed the door behind him.

'Yes, I'm DI Lestrade, and this is Sherlock's partner Dr. Watson' replied Greg.

'Okay, well I'm James Andrews, and I carried out the operation on Mr. Holmes. He's currently being monitored in recovery and we'll be moving him into ICU shortly. The operation was successful in that we removed the bullet from his thigh and have repaired the damage. He did however, lose rather a significant amount of blood, and it was touch and go for a while. I'm afraid he's still not completely out of the woods, as it did put quite a strain on his heart, though I'm hopeful of a successful outcome. Because of this, we are keeping him under sedation for at least the next twenty four hours to give his body time to recover, and he'll be in ICU for several days. As soon as he's settled in to ICU, I'll have someone bring you up so that you can see him, though it will be only one visitor at a time I'm afraid.' he informed them.

Once Greg had thanked the surgeon (John was still having difficulty), he left the room.

John leant forward, his head in his hands, his body wracked with sobs as relief swept through him. Greg gently rested his hand on John's back, looked across at the window and waited.

A/N: Chapter three may take a while as I will be busy over the Easter weekend.

I know Sherlock hasn't actually appeared yet, but don't worry he will definitely be in the next chapter.

Please review (please be kind).