WATSON!
I instantly abandon reasoning and clear thinking and rush into the direction where the source of these sounds is to be found.
I push the door open (it had only been ajar) – and there he is! He is shivering badly, he is groaning, he is in tears... he is asleep!
Normally, this would raise a few questions: For example, why he had chosen MY bedroom for his intended rest, given the fact that Mrs. Hudson had made sure that everything (including his bed) had been prepared for him to spend the night...
...and why he was still wearing his suit and shoes, lying in a quite uncomfortable position, only halfway on the coverlet, head on the pillow, with his legs still outside the bed.
While I have to assume that he had obviously only intended to stay a short while in the room and must have fallen asleep there rather involuntarily, I have no time for idle deductions that would further prevent me from stopping him... crying...!
Oh, dear God!
I have never ever seen my friend shedding tears. I have been with him in all kinds of moods, but I have surely never seen him crying. Years ago, I would have considered such a sight uttlerly abhorrent. The imposition of having to deal with a person so far beyond self-control...!
Anyway, there is only one thing that bothers me now: That my Watson could secretly suffer that much! That there might be something in his mind haunting him so badly!
If it is somehow in my power to help him, I have to do that right away! What's pride now to me, what's self-control, what's the benefit of a mind being all brains?
"Watson! Watson, old fellow!"
He is stirring, but still seems in the jaws of a nightmare, helpless and beyond my reach...
I remember the soothing effect of his smile and the unspoken promise: Everything is going to be all right...
"It's all right, Watson. You hear me? It's all right, wake up. JOHN!"
I am kneeling beside the bed now, throwing my arms around his shoulders, calling him by his name. I have never felt so much fear in my life, not even at the Reichenbach Falls!
It is with a sob and a start that he suddenly opens his eyes. The candle light only illuminates the room dimly, but I can see more than just a trace of embarrassment on his face. Anyway, what's embarrassment in a moment like this!
He is still panting, not uttering a single word. Then I feel his arms around me, though it is less a hug than a vicelike grip! I can feel a heart pounding, and I am not sure whether it is his or mine.
Gradually, slowly, his breathing becomes more calm and steady. And I know that there is something for me to do right now, before these strange moments are over.
(t.b.c.)