Late next morning found Sherlock walking John from his ward room and down the corridor.
John's face now had colour to it and he felt stronger, but the fact remained that his limbs were weak.
"It'll be a while before you can run, John" Sherlock said, tightening his grip around John as the shorter man stumbled a little.
"Yeah" John said sadly as he rested back a little against Sherlock's chest. "That's what I get for not moving for 13 months I suppose" John said with a sigh.
"You're the Doctor, you should have known better" Sherlock said with a smirk.
John rested back fully now, looking up at Sherlock with his head tilted back at an impossible angle.
"I've made a pretty remarkable recovery considering this time yesterday I was ready to face death" He said with a little echo of his usual rage.
Sherlock's smile grew. "Impeccable" He said, placing a delicate kiss to the shorter man's forehead. "Now, come on, think you can make it to the vending machine at the end of this corridor?" He asked.
"Easy" John said with a smile.
Sherlock tilted him back to his feet and hovered behind the soldier as he shakily shuffled across the shiny floor.
Once he had touched the vending machine, Sherlock grabbed him just in time to hear claps and woops from behind them.
Several of the nurses had congregated at the doorway to John's ward and were watching the patients' progress with excited giggles and teary smiles.
John smiled back to them as he rested again on Sherlock's chest.
Much to the nurses' delight and John's surprise, Sherlock bent down and hooked an arm around John's knees, hoisting him up easily in his arms.
John smiled widely as Sherlock carried him back to his room to help him wash and dress.
After several hours, Sherlock wheeled John into the entrance of Scotland Yard.
"John! Good to see you, mate" Lestrade said with a wide teeth bearing smile as he swooped forward to shake his hand with both of his own.
"Shouldn't you be saying that to him?" John said with a light laugh as he pointed his thumb to the man that stood behind him.
"We've seen enough of freak already" Donavon said as she passed the office nonchalantly.
"As indelicately as she phrased that" Lestrade said apologetically. "We have already seen him" he said with a smile toward the taller man.
After much paperwork and a cup of tea, Sherlock gave John an envelope containing Greg's latest case notes before pushing the borrowed wheelchair back out onto the street below. The sunshine was very welcome as John enjoyed the sights and sounds of being in public once more. Sherlock seemed to sense this as he avoided taxi's and opted for pushing John toward Bartholomew's Hospital. John looked up at Sherlock as they neared their destination, as though making sure he wasn't going to find him bloodied and broken on the pavement still.
"Relax, John, we are going to see Molly. No jumping today" Sherlock said abruptly before turning his back to the door and pushing it open in order to wheel John through.
"Ah, Molly" Sherlock said warmly. "Might we have a cup of tea?" he asked with expectantly raised eyebrows.
John smiled as Sherlock sat down beside him on a plastic lab chair.
"Have you….explained everything, then?" Molly asked nervously as she nodded towards Sherlock.
"No" Sherlock said shortly, taking the tea cup that was offered to him.
"'Explained everything?'" John asked Molly tentatively with a smile.
"Sherlock" Molly said warningly.
Sherlock sighed heavily and turned toward the Doctor.
"It was just a magic trick, John. Me, jumping. Molly here dressed a John Doe in my clothes, placed the coloured contact lenses and blood to make it look like me. I jumped but landed in the waste skip that was parked on the pavement. A member of my homeless network knocked you over on his bicycle. This activated the H.O.U.N.D. chemical that was already in your body, you saw what was your worst fear; my death" Sherlock finished.
Molly looked down at her own teacup from where she stood behind the Petri dish counter. "I kept an eye on you, John. But…you…you were failing fast…"
John looked between the two in shock, clutching his own teacup until his knuckles were white.
"When was the chemical put in my system?" John asked, controlling his anger well.
"When you were sleeping on that counter over there; I ensured you breathed it in" Sherlock said apologetically.
"Why?" John asked, his voice shaking, he settled for a sad look toward his flat mate.
"Moriarty offered me a way out by saying I could call off the snipers, and then he shot himself…I had to do it, John…" Here Sherlock sighed heavily and looked up to John's dark eyes "…in order to save your life".
John looked down guiltily.
"It is true John. Sherlock has been almost all around the World tracking down every member of Moriarty's gang" Molly burst.
"Web" Sherlock corrected. "Molly called me many times during my time away. I realised about a month ago that I had to come home whether I had finished or not." The taller man explained expressionlessly.
"Did you?" John asked meekly as he rubbed a thumb across the rim of his cup.
"No. There is one member still to track down" Sherlock replied dully as he placed his cup back onto the bench. "Which reminds me, we need to go to Baker Street, John" he said standing up to fetch his coat and scarf.
Molly nodded and headed out of the room once she had gathered the three empty cups together. Just before she opened the door, John shouted out;
"Thank you, Molly, for everything".
The young female turned shyly and nodded again.
"No problem" she replied.
Sherlock swept toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Molly Hooper" he said gently before placing a gentle kiss to her cheek. Molly smiled widely and a blush covered her entire face as she left the room.
When Sherlock turned round he found John pouting at him from his wheelchair, he started to laugh.
"So I am forgiven then?" The self proclaimed Sociopath asked, walking slowly back to John.
"Depends" John replied as he looked up at Sherlock.
"On what may I ask?" The brunette asked as he stopped in front of the Doctor.
"Did you miss me?" John asked, straight faced as he looked toward the floor.
Sherlock lowered to a knee and raised John's chin toward him.
"Everyday" He answered simply before they shared a sweet kiss.
Through the lab door window, Molly smiled.
