Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; they are the property of Colin Dexter and ITV. I do not intend any copy right infringement and I make no profit from this.

I love Lewis and was gutted when it was cancelled but this is my first Lewis fanfic after being inspired to write my own after reading others. I apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes that I haven't picked up on. I would be grateful if you could point any of these out to me and of any constructive criticism you would like to give.

I'm not a medical person so I apologies for any mistakes I've made regarding medical issues.

"Both police and coroner took a lenient view of the transaction, and beyond a mild censure for the delay in registering the lady's decease, the lucky owner got away scatheless from this strange incident in a career which has now outlived its shadows and promises to end in an honoured old age."

Robbie looked up with a sadness in his eye as he gently put the book to one side without closing it "Well lad, that's it every story of the great detective, we'll have to find another book now, we can't have that massive brain of yours wasting away, you need something to occupy you." He stood up, allowing his legs to move for the first time in hours, and walked over to the suitcase in the corner, rummaging around in the crumpled mess of pyjamas and socks he eventually found what he was looking for, a rather worse for wear looking copy of Hamlet, holding the book up he asked "this one next do you recon? Do you remember our first case together that was all a bit Hamletey?" The book sank back down along with his eyes as the man in the bed still gave no response.

It had been 63 days since the accident, 63 days and 62 Sherlock Holmes stories. Everyone says you should talk to someone in a coma but how can you keep talking about normal life when nothing is normal about life any more. He had always felt guilty and angry for not being there when Morse had died and a million times worse with Val, but at least that was final. But with James he there was so much uncertainty, like being trapped, he couldn't grieve because he wasn't dead and he couldn't move on because he could wake up any day, people wake up from comas all the time, but that didn't mean that James would. It wasn't even peaceful for him, Robbie could see the pain he was in sometimes when the nurse would try to elicit some response from him by causing him pain, it was fantastic to see his body become animated, fighting back against his unknown assailant but it still wasn't really him and Robbie hated seeing him going through any kind of suffering. After 10 days of keeping vigil by James's bed side Robbie had returned to work, but he still visited every day to give him an update on the case and to read him Sherlock Holmes. He didn't even know if James liked Sherlock Holmes, he half hoped that he didn't and would wake up just to tell his boss to shut up. Innocent dropped by at least once a week, she had always had a soft spot for James but every time she visited she behaved more like an angry boss than a concerned friend, reprimanding James for not coming into work and doing his job and leaving her with extra paper work, sometimes she would work herself into hysterics by shouting at him, but she wasn't really angry with him, the only person she was angry at was herself. Everyone has different ways of coping with things that no one should ever have to cope with.

Laura popped in as often as she could; it was easy for her what with working at the hospital. But her visits were often to see Robbie rather than James, not that she didn't want to see and talk to James, she just felt that by looking after his boss she was helping him out. She made sure that he left the hospital and didn't spend the night there as he had done in the first few days and that he was eating properly as well. Laura was also responsible for putting some of James's belongings in the suit case that was now sat at the edge of his room. But Laura wasn't coming tonight because she had gone away for the weekend on a course. She hadn't felt completely happy about leaving Robbie but she had made him some frozen meals and she was satisfied that although he wasn't his normal self he was at least functioning properly.

Robbie returned to his chair next to James's bed, with a quick glance to his sergeant, as if to make sure he was listening, he started to read

"Act 1 scene 1, Elsinore, a platform before the castle.

Francisco at his post. Enter to him Bernardo: "Who's there?" Francisco: "Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself."" He paused "I hope you realise what I'm putting myself through here, honestly I've never heard so much tosh and we're only on the 6th line!" He continued to read until he could no longer hold his eyes open and his head drooped onto his chest with a slight snore.