The day Sherlock was finally released from hospital was almost a blessing in disguise. John had been hoping it would stem the childish whinging when he had access to his beloved computer and a new phone. Instead the childish whinging had just taken a new direction. The stream of noise from the not yet fully able detective was constant.
"John, my phone..."
"Lestrade wants me to look at the crime scene for..."
"John, your phone..."
"Where's my skull?"
"MRS HUDSON!"
"John, where are my eyeballs, I left them in the microwave..."
"We don't have any milk John..."
It built up over a week – he was supposed to stay in bed for two. It was at the end of the first week that John finally lost it.
"SHERLOCK – JUST SHUT UP!" he yelled, breathing heavily as if he had run one of Sherlock's marathons through London, after the consulting detective had started complaining about John throwing out his decomposing hands from the bread basket.
"I have sat and listen to you whine all week. So let's make a deal – you keep your whining to yourself for two day – two full days, 48 hours – and then the next time Lestrade calls, you can go. Otherwise, I'm locking you in your room for the next week, and meals will be delivered, because I refuse to listen to you anymore."
Sherlock blinked in surprise at his flatmates outburst. John rarely lost his temper to this extent.
"Do we have a deal?" he asked with enforced calm
Sherlock blinked again.
And again.
Amusement began to seep into Watson's expression at the utter confusion that was displayed on Sherlock's face.
"I...I believe we do." said Sherlock slowly, extending his hand.
"Right." The tension in John rushed out in the expelled breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. "What do you want for dinner?"
And just like that, calm – or a relative calm, anyway – descended over 221B Baker Street.
John cooked, and cleaned.
Sherlock stayed in bed, read and recovered.
That is, until 3 days after the deal was made, around 10 at night.
John was making tea – again – as Sherlock abused the television in a very comical manner. Apparently crime shows were completely inaccurate. And quite frankly Midsummer Murders was exceedingly slow, even by Lestrade's standards.
"No, no, NO! Why would you even ask that..."
"It's a television show Sherlock – it's not real." John soothed as he tried not to laugh
"But that blood splatter couldn't even be real, I mean really even Anderson could tell you that..."
At this John lost it, and laughed properly for the first time since the confrontation with Moriarty.
Sherlock looked bemused as his flatmate dissolved into laughing so hard that he nearly spilled the tea he had just been about to hand Sherlock. Soon, Sherlock's laughter was intertwined with his, the subconscious stress that they both felt lifted as their spirits did.
A sharp knock at the door interrupted their merriment. John stumbled over to the door, gasping for breath, grinning like an idiot.
Said door swung open to reveal a none too pleased Sgt Sally Donovan.
She raised an eyebrow at the laughing double act.
"Right." she said, distaste evident in her voice. "Lestrade sent me to get you two."
The laughter stopped abruptly, as John straightened, and Sherlock swung himself off the sofa.
"But...there's been nothing in the papers, no news coverage..." started John
"Meaning you knew you were out of your depth from the beginning. Your getting better John." Sherlock's voice had reverted to his closed analytic tone as his eyes flared with interest.
John sighed.
"It has been two days – It shouldn't hurt."
Sherlock grinned gleefully as he reached for his coat.
"No Sherlock."
Sherlock looked up like a child deprived of a toy
"Not in your pyjamas." smirked John
Sherlock looked down at himself before looking back up at John and dashing out of the room, over tearing of his top as he did so. John picked it up and draped it over the back of the sofa Sherlock had been occupying.
"Got you properly trained, hasn't he?" Donovan said.
John didn't comment on her rhetorical question
"So what is it this time?" he asked
Donovan sniffed, and if John's eyes didn't deceive him, she paled slightly.
"All I'll say is that I hope you haven't eaten recently. Even Anderson was having problems keeping his dinner down."
John looked at her wide eyed. If Lestrade's faithful, if annoying, pathologist was having trouble handling this one it was definitely something new.
"Sherlock's going to love it isn't he." he muttered under his breath
"Speak of the Freak." returned Donovan as the afore mentioned man bounded back into the room in his full energetic glory.
"Come on John, let's not waste time – Sally lock up on your way out." he said as he darted out of the door, with Watson in pursuit.
"Going out Mrs Hudson – Don't wait up!" he crowed happily
"Oh Sherlock, be careful – Are you sure you're well enough?" she answered coming to the bottom of the stairs just in time to see Sherlock dash past in a flurry of black material
"Evening Mrs Hudson" said John as he followed as he heard Sherlock yell for a taxi.
Sally Donovan slowly walked down the stairs, after pulling the door flat closed behind her. Mrs Hudson looked up at her, and smiled sympathetically at her.
"Don't worry dear; those two are always like that – dashing around like mad things."
"Yeah." Sally replied as she made her way out the door.
"Hurry up Sally, you didn't tell us where to go!"
Sally snorted.
"I thought you would've deduced that by now Freak – Hyde Park – Down near that cafe, The Lido, not hard to miss." she yelled back before climbing into her own car, and followed the taxi out of Baker Streat.
It was as Sally had said. Hyde Park was alight with the flashing blue and red lights of the police cars. Small crowds of late night walkers had gathered around the police tape, as stern faced members of the police force in uniform tried to maintain order around the crime scene.
"Move, move...how slow do you people want to be?" Sherlock made his way flamboyantly to the tape, John and Donovan following in his wake, with John muttering the usual apologies for his flatmate's rudeness.
Predictably, one of the PC's stopped Sherlock at the tape. Who started throwing a tantrum. Sally stepped forward with a sigh.
"Its ok – let the freak through!"
"Sally, this one should be fired – he's on drowsy prescription medicine over his regular dosage, he's been fornicating with the WPC over there in the public toilets in the pretence of looking for evidence."
"Sherlock!" groaned John "Really, can you not..."
"Ignore the freak" Sally said to the officer who looked horrified and embarrassed "Just don't let it happen again. Freak, go find Lestrade – you're annoying me."
"Only for you Sally, only for you." muttered Sherlock sarcastically as he strode off towards the edge of the lake, where Lestrade was shouting orders.
"No I don't want those candles blown out – What do you think it is, your birthday?"
"But sir..."
"Nothing is touched until Sherlock gets here."
There was a snort from a crouching man at the water's edge.
"You really pander to the Freak, Lestrade. All he ever does is contaminate crime scenes."
Sherlock smirked at Anderson's surly tone as he walked up.
"No I don't Anderson. I leave that to you."
The man in question stood and spun around in surprise.
"I take it your wife is back Anderson – Sally is no longer wearing your deodorant and she's avoiding you like the plague."
"You..what..."
Lestrade sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Sherlock, just look at the body, and give me something to work with."
He indicated to a row boat that was usually hired out for boating on the Serpentine. The dim light of 3 candles could easily be seen from it. Sherlock walked over.
"John..." he said slowly as his eyes glassed over slightly.
"What?" Watson walked forward and nearly gagged at the sight before him, understanding what Sally had said about not eating dinner recently.
"This is why we need you Sherlock – there's literally no forensic evidence, and God damn Sherlock, unless we get a DNA match, how the hell are we supposed to know who this is?"
A.N.
Another chapter down! Yay!
And study, well, it might have been put on hold...again.
Hope you enjoyed.
Thanks to:
SweetLilNothing
Hades Lord of the Dead
for their reviews!
See you next chapter
Kylara-Jade
xxx