Chapter 4: Medicine and drugs are not the same
First thing was to wake Sherlock up so John could get some medicine into him. Taking one of the towels Mrs. Hudson had brought he dried the face from the cold sweat and took a fever thermometer to find out exactly how bad it was. Sherlock didn't protest at the thermometer in his mouth and the reading said 39.8 °C (104 °F).
"A bit not good Sherlock. You have to wake up and take your medicine and drink something. We need to get your fever down." There was at first no movement but after John started shaking the detective's shoulder a bit, tired eyes wandered confused trough the room. Not really focusing on John or anything else.
Something was definitely wrong. The world felt wrong, even breathing was strange and not like it usually was. Everything was wrong. His eyes couldn't focus, he felt hot and cold at the same time. 'Was this even possible?' A bit like when he came down from being high. But he was not high. There was no way he was going to break that promise. No more drugs. But why was the world shifting and blurry and why did his body feel like someone hat put it on an icy fire?
There was someone with him in the room. Another person, breathing the same air and touching him. 'Why was this person touching him?' He didn't like being touched.
The person tried to give him something but he didn't want drugs. He had promised this a long time ago. No more drugs. Never ever again. There was no way he would take them again. It had been far too much work to get rid of the addiction and it was still hard work to stay clean. No drugs. 'Who ever this was, he wouldn't take them.'
John could see that Sherlock was more than a bit confused, he wasn't even sure he was recognizing him. The fever shiny eyes couldn't focus and he drifted away every few seconds.
"Sherlock you have to take these." He held Sherlock's body up with one hand while holding in the other one a pill against the fever. The glass of water at close reach.
"...no. Don't... want... Promised. No… drugs. …no." Sherlock's weak fight against the medicine had no chance of being successful, he had no strength left to fight John's hand away.
"Sherlock this is medicine, no drugs. You have to take it. It will make you feel better." John wasn't exactly sure what promise Sherlock was talking about but it seemed to be something important to him. His eyes were filled with fear and in his fever-racked mind he probable though John wanted to give him drugs. 'Good to know that Sherlock wouldn't take drugs anymore but right now it was unfortunately not very helpful.'
"Sherlock, it's me. John. You know I would never give you drugs, I don't let you smoke either. Believe me that the pill in my hand is medicine to make you better." Sherlock had his mouth tightly closed and was not listening either because he couldn't or didn't want to. Newly formed sweat appeared on his forehead. This was stressing him out more rather than helping him. John needed a few second of the detective's fully functioning mind.
'Don't take something or let someone give it to you. It will destroy your hard work. It will break the promise. You don't need it.'
Sherlock tried to concentrate; whatever this person wanted to give him was some kind of pill. For that he had to swallow it. Meaning 'DON'T OPEN YOUR MOUTH' whatever happens. Even if he or she or it pinched his nose closed to get him to open up his mouth to breathe. Better unconscious then taking the drug.
The world was moving again and he was laid down, at least he thought so. His face suddenly felt warm, then warmer and two hands were cupping his cheeks. Holding his head in place and forcing his eyes to look at the person in front of him.
Warm eyes, worried eyes, kind eyes and very familiar eyes looking at his and for one second, just one Sherlock felt safe in this person's hands.
"Sherlock, you need to take that medicine or I have to bring you to the hospital. I promise you it's not a drug, nothing illegal. It won't break that promise to whomever you have made it to not take drugs anymore , believe me." That was John, he was with him and worried and trying to help. …And he certainly did not want to go to any hospital!
John = safe
No hospital = taking the pill
Sherlock opened his mouth and swallowed the pill with the offered water. After this he did not further bother to listen or do anything.
"Sleep Sherlock, get better."
'Whatever you say John, whatever you say.'
John sighed as Sherlock drifted off to sleep. There had been only a few seconds of lucidity and recognition that John could use to his advantage to get the medicine into his system. Hopefully it would be better soon. Or he had to think of an alternative plan to get medicine, fluid and everything else that was needed into his friend.
John got up and filled a bowel with water and gathered one of the tea towels. He sat next to Sherlock again dipping the towel into the water, he then rinsed, folded and placed it carefully on Sherlock's forehead to cool the overheated mind down a bit. Should the temperature not sink in the next two hours he would need to give him a bath. He really hoped that could be avoided. It would not be pleasant for either party.
He had managed to get Mrs. Hudson to go downstairs again with the promise to call her if she was needed. He couldn't imagine Sherlock wanting anyone to see him weak and vulnerable.
