Miscalculations

"Toby!" Lily called, laughing as Toby chased Pan through the park. The corgi was clearly enjoying himself and Toby was giggling as the pair of them romped around the patch of green on a rare gem of a sunny afternoon.

The little boy paused momentarily to look at her before resuming chasing the dog. Unable to stop herself from smiling, Lily called her dog and watched Pan turn and race towards her, Toby following behind on his clumsy little legs.

She petted Pan as little Tobias Holmes toddled over. Only, when he was about halfway there, he paused and started panting. He made a few more steps before he collapsed in the grass. Pan was next to him in the blink of an eye with Lily close behind, scooping him up. His breaths came in and out as wheezes and he seemed to have trouble getting air in.

"Someone call an ambulance!" Lily shouted, trying to get Toby into a position where it would be easier for him to breathe. Cradling him, she noticed the faint tinge of blue in the beds of his nails and around his little lips. He had been wheezing occasionally for the past day or two but he was still stuck with a cold and she had hoped the fresh air and sunlight would do him some good.

It was all a blur after that and Lily was with Toby every second of the way until they got to the hospital. As they took Toby somewhere deeper into the hospital, one of the nurses stopped her.

"Are you family?"

"I'm the nanny. Please, his parents aren't here yet and he's going to be frightened if he wakes up."

"I'm sorry," she said, and she truly looked it. "But if you're not family, you aren't allowed back with him."

As soon as she was out of sight, she made three phone calls: one to Sherlock Holmes, one to Irene, and one to a third number she had been given in case of emergencies. The first, then the second went to voice mail. The third picked up and a pleasant voice said,

"Hello?"

"Hello, This is Lily, Toby's nanny. He's in the hospital and I was told to call this number in case of emergencies and Sherlock and Irene aren't picking up their phones."

"Lily, it's John—John Watson. Which hospital are you at?"

She looked around frantically before spotting a sign and spitting the hospital name through the phone as though it would get him there more quickly.

"I'll get a cab and be there in ten minutes. Stay where you are."

She picked out a hospital chair and tried to take calming breaths before calling both Sherlock and Irene back and leaving voice mail messages for them in a tone that conveyed the urgency without revealing her panic. They would both hear it in her voice anyway, but the fact that she could contain it was enough for her at the moment. There was a man in the waiting room with her. Smiling wryly, he held out a little paper box.

"Cigarette? It'll calm your nerves."

"I don't smoke," Lily told him, wishing that she did just so she would have something to do while she waited for Dr. Watson to arrive.

"Go on, just take one out for a smoke. It'll help."

"Thanks, but I've got to stay here."

He shrugged and walked to the nearest exit, pulling out a lighter as he did.

"Suit yourself."

She had long since given up chewing her nails but in times of stress old vices tend to revisit and when John Watson arrived in the children's urgent care ward, he found Lily pale and gnawing on a thumbnail which was already too short.

"Lily?"

She recognized him from the day Toby was born, but hadn't seen him since. Sherlock occasionally brought small presents from him, but neither Toby or herself had seen him since the baby was born. She assumed it was for the same safety reasons that kept Sherlock and Irene from keeping the same schedule or coming without disguises on.

"What happened?"

"He's just had a cold for a bit, a regular old cold. Little bit of a fever yesterday but he was fine today! It was nice and I took him to the park, I thought the sunshine and fresh air would do him good. He was chasing Pan around and I was calling him because I thought he ought to take a break since he was a bit ill and on the way over, he just collapsed and started wheezing and he couldn't breathe and then there was the ambulance and the hospital and I'm not family so I can't go in with him and he's probably terrified and there's no one with him and I know I'm not his mother, but he knows me better than anyone else and he needs me!"

Lily was making her best effort at holding back tears at this point, but her best efforts weren't good enough as tears ran down her cheeks.

"All right now, let's calm down. I'm going to get you a tea and talk to the nurse and we'll get you in for Toby. I don't know where his parents are but I'll call and let them know that I'm here with you."

Lily sniffed and nodded before reaching into Toby's diaper bag,, which she was still carrying, and pulling out tissues to blow her nose on and to mop the tears off of her cheeks. John patted her hand gently.

"Just breathe a bit, all right? You've just had a bit on a shock."

She nodded again, sniffling quietly to herself.

"All right then. I'll be back in a moment."

He begged a tea off one of the nurses at the nurses' station before going to talk to the nurse in charge. He explained that both of Tobias's parents were currently unable to be reached and that he, the boy's uncle, had permission to allow Lily access to the child. It took about half an hour and a bit of string-pulling, but when he got back to Lily with a paper cup of lukewarm tea, she was slightly calmer and he had good news.

"Drink this to settle your nerves, and then we can go in and see Toby. You're no good to him if you're all upset, are you?"

"I suppose not. I'm really very sorry for this. I'm usually just fine under pressure, but they wouldn't let me see him and I couldn't get a hold of Sher-"

John silenced her by firmly patting her hand.

"I know. But I'm here now and it will be all right."

"Silly of me," she muttered, sipping the tepid tea and mopping her face off with another tissue. "Getting upset doesn't do me any good."

"Understandable," John assured her.

She drained the last of the tea and tossed the cup in the rubbish bin before following John to the doors that led to the children's urgent care ward. The nurse that met them looked less than thrilled, but led them back to a room where Toby was lying in a hospital crib, one arm strapped outwards with an IV running into it and a strap across his chest. He was dozing and Lily was shocked that he was asleep.

"He was screaming for so long, I think they just tired him out. He wakes up every few minutes or so. An oxygen tent is being brought over; there was a mix-up and they brought us the wrong size so we're working on it. Any questions?"

"Can I touch him?"

"Once you scrub down, yes."

"Will I be able to hold him?"

"Once he's in the oxygen tent, you will be allowed to stay there with him."

"How long will the IV be in?"

"It's an antibiotic solution along with fluids. We're running a few tests to see what it causing this. Once we determine what it is, the IV may be able to come out."

"Do you have any ideas of what it might be?" John asked, and the nurse shrugged.

"Could be a lot of things. Best guess right now is RSV."

"RSV?" Lily asked anxiously.

"Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It starts with cold-like symptoms and then it causes infection in the lungs and breathing passages. You can clean your hands with the sanitizing soap there and then get a sterile mask from the box."

"Thank you."

As the nurse left the room, Lily looked over at John as she pumped some of the soap into her hand and turned on the tap.

"Where are Sherlock and Irene?"

John shook his head.

"I don't know. But right now you stay with Toby and I'll see about contacting them through some mutual acquaintances."

-Sicily, Three Months After the Massage Indecent-

He was lying in the shade reading a local history of the area when a warm voice purred at him in rudimentary Italian that he was trespassing. He knew her voice from the first word and he lowered his sunglasses to glance up at her.

"There wasn't a sign."

She indicated a neatly hanging sign from a nearby tree.

"I'm so sorry miss, I don't speak Italian. English?" He said in the accent of a lower London accent.

She smirked at him.

"Would you like to come inside?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because even in that vacation getup, you're not comfortable in the heat."

It was true. Even in the loose cotton shirt and light shorts, he was sweating. His feet had tan thongs on them and between the sunglasses and the shoes, he looked very much the inexperienced tourist.

"What if I said I was comfortable?"

"You would be lying."

"Yes? How can you tell?"

She smiled.

"Damn spots under your arms, red cheeks, sweat along your hairline and a touch of pink around the collar of that shirt where you've gotten too much sun. Gin and tonic?"

"I'd prefer something less strong."

"Getting weak on me, Sherlock?"

"Merely dehydrated."

When she turned towards the gate, he got up, marking his place in the book, and followed her inside.

"I have still water, tea, cappuccino, and there's a bottle of squash leftover from the last resident if you like. What brings you to Sicily?"

"New climate, new disguise. You're clearly here working some sort of game."

"I prefer to think of it as work."

"John thinks his blogging is work. Doesn't mean it is."

"Misbehaving then."

"I presumed. I'll have the still water."

He helped himself to olives in a bowl on the counter, spitting the pits into the trash can.

"Curious about my misbehavings?"

"Hardly. But clearly you're eager to share."

"Eager isn't the word I'd use."
"You've brought it up several times after I dismissed the topic. I am not the most capable at social interaction, but from what I understand, persistence indicates you do indeed wish to talk about it."

"John's been training you well, I see."

"Hardly."

"I'm here for the prime minister's niece."

"Politics, not love."

"Obviously," she replied, handing him a bottle of still water.

"She's connected with someone who knows information you want. Interesting, not working for anyone."

She wasn't surprised that he knew all of that. Observation was his specialty.

"Very good, Sherlock."

"Hardly. It was all quite obvious."

"If you can guess who, I'll let you have a prize."

"I don't need an incentive to deduce things, Irene."

"Oh?"

"She's clearly not interested in you sexually as she is rigidly heterosexual so you come in as a friend, a confidant. She stays here at least one night a week, but in your bedroom rather than the spare; she is nervous about being alone. She is seeing someone rather important that you can get information from. He confides in her because she is the Prime Minister's niece as well as his lover. As far as who, the only logical two choices are the head of the Italian intelligence network or someone in security—not the head, it's a woman and she's married. Probably a deputy, there are two of them and one is male and classically attractive."

"Which is it?"

Sherlock's eyes scanned Irene, then the room.

"The deputy. The head of intelligence is slightly too old for her."

"Very good, Sherlock. Would you like your prize?"

"I have told you that a prize isn't necessary."

"Well I have aloe vera for the sun burns on your shoulders and I suspect your back as well. They look quite painful."

Sherlock paused.

"That would be acceptable."

"Excellent. Pop off your shirt and I'll fetch it."

After having her knead his muscles and see him in nothing but a robe, being shirtless didn't faze him. He knew the effect she could have on his body and was determined that this time, he would not be the one bending to another's whims. He was determining how precisely he would remain unyielding when she came back in a bra and a loose skirt carrying a small tub of aloe vera gel.

"I got a burn a few days ago...so I will dress your burn if you dress mine." Her smile was pleasant and didn't seem to be hinting at anything more, which was more suspicious than if she had been.

He nodded stiffly and set his shirt on the sofa, lowering himself to the floor and crossing his legs so she could more easily access his back and shoulders. Hearing the tub open with a soft 'pop', Sherlock expected her to touch him very quickly. However, when she finally began spreading the soothing gel over his skin, it was in slow, gentle strokes, reminiscent of the evening in an Irish storm they had shared a few months prior. The application of aloe took very little time and after a minute or so, she walked around in front of him, showing a faintly pink, still clearly healing back.

"I'll just lay down on the couch so it can dry when you've finished. I do enjoy a little siesta in the afternoons when I can afford it."

Setting the tub on the floor, Irene lay face down on the minty green sofa and reached back, unhooking her bra.

"The entire back please, Sherlock. It was a rather serious burn and I want to ensure it heals properly."

He didn't say anything and instead, scooped some aloe from the tub and onto his fingers. Gently, mindful of her tender skin, he spread a layer of it over her skin, starting on the back of her neck and shoulders.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, you don't have to be so timid."

He snorted and continued, losing the so-called timidity in favor of a firm hand rubbing the aloe into her skin to be absorbed. After he was finished, he paused, scooped just a little aloe onto his fingers, and began to very gently rub small circles at the base of her neck, carefully moving along one shoulder blade at a time. Recalling the way her fingers had stroked, worked, and kneaded his muscles, he tried his best to replicate those motions. He did not find any knots, which did not surprise him in the least. He assumed she was accustomed to massages, which was what made his actions so odd. They were unexpected.

His hands worked across her shoulders, down her spine, along her sides, and then after a moment of hesitation, worked the muscles of her legs, then her feet. He moved back up to the back, then to her arms. The aloe was gone from his fingers now and he began gently massaging her neck. Hand creeping slowly upward, he pulled the clip from her hair and ran his fingers over her scalp, massaging her head, the base of her skull, her temples. He was both surprised and pleased when she gave a little sigh of contentment.

"That feels lovely."

The remark spooked him a bit, as she had been silent this whole time. Reaching behind her back, she hooked her bra back together and sat up before sliding off the couch so she sat on the floor next to Sherlock.

"I see you've learned something from me."

"The knowledge has proven useful."

"Mmm. Would you like me to give you more knowledge?"

"If it can be of use. No point in totally useless information."

"It will help you understand people better."

"What good will understanding do?"

"See into their minds and hearts and you can catch them, convince them, and correct them all without being noticed."

Intrigued, Sherlock studied her. Her eyes were dilated and he was sure his were too, at least slightly. Though it was bright outside, the inside of the house was dimmer and cooler as well.

"What is this technique?"

"Well I can't teach you them all. I was thinking of starting with something small."

"Such as?"

"Something I began to teach you a while ago."

"Oh?"

She leaned in closer to him.

"Lesson number one, consent is everything. Lesson number two, pleasure opens a lot of doors."

"Pleasure?" he asked.

She leaned in close, her breath on his lips and instantly he was in Ireland again in the little cottage with her, his clothes hanging by the fire, another man's dressing gown his only clothing.

"Pleasure," she repeated. And she leaned in slightly closer and brushed her lips against his.

Everything in his mind happened at once, every process slamming into overdrive as he processed the sensation, the rush of chemicals in his brain, the way her hand was gently resting on his knee.

I appear to have miscalculated, he thought to himself. But at the same time, he didn't mind that this was not what he had calculated as an occurrence. He was certain that others may have found it obvious, but he had disposed of certain information about interpersonal relations because of their uselessness to him. He could spot an affair at six meters but when it came to his own body and his own relationship, however complex, with others, he was as clueless as any normal man, probably more so.

It was to her surprise as well as his when she ended the kiss and looked up at him from only centimeters away.

"Learn anything?" Her smile was sultry and she looked pleased with herself. He reassured himself that it was for the element of surprise and definitely not sentiment when he leaned in towards her and kissed her again, effectively silencing any further questions.

The oxygen tent over Toby's crib made a constant low hum from the pump and Lily lay on a cot next to the crib, one hand inside of it gently stroking Toby's belly, his head, his little legs, anywhere she could reach. He still cried periodically, but seemed more exhausted than anything else. Whenever he awoke screaming, she sang whatever came to mind in a low, soothing voice. Sometimes it was the Beatles, a lullaby, a hymn from a church she had once attended, others it was something she'd heard on the radio or the theme to a show on the telly. Toby didn't seem to particularly care what she sang, but he quieted some when she did so she continued, sticking her head out from under the oxygen tent when she could. It was humid under there to help the baby breathe but it wasn't doing wonders for her.

It took an hour to convince one of the nurses that he would struggle less if he was moved to a children's bed and she could stay with him. In the end it was John that managed it and though she couldn't convince them to unstrap his arm and chest because of the way he pulled at the IV, she did eventually have her way.

It took another hour before John came back into the room with something for her to eat and the news that Sherlock and Irene were on their way and that additionally, Toby would be moved elsewhere. The large, public hospital was not a good place for the security and secrecy required to ensure it was not discovered that Toby was the son of the country's best detective and a woman that had died years ago.

Finally, after a total of six hours since Toby had fallen in the park, he was settled in a private room at a small hospital near the center of London. They were on the top few floors and Buckingham Palace was visible through one of the south windows. The room they were in was painted in pastels and instead of being strapped down to prevent him from interfering with the IV, Toby wore a sort of brace over his arm that held the tube in without needing him restrained entirely. The bed in the room was large enough for Lily to lie down with Toby, who didn't like the oxygen tent very much and was mostly being held there by Lily telling him stories and reassuring him that if he stayed under the tent then he could have jelly with his supper.

Supper was late and accompanied by three people: Sherlock Holmes, Irene, and a balding man who looked like he had swallowed a lemon.

"Lily, this is Tobias's Uncle Mycroft."

While Lily shook hands with her charge's uncle, Irene rushed over to the oxygen tent and slipped underneath it to greet her son. Meanwhile, Sherlock examined the room and all the apparatuses used within it.

"You certainly paid a fortune for this," he muttered to his brother, whom sniffed.

"My only nephew whom I have never met was ill. And it would be better for you, myself, and his mother if his existence was kept out of public knowledge. The money was worth it."

A wailing cry came from under the tent and Lily rushed over to where Toby was screaming and reaching.

"Toby, what is it?" Irene asked.

He wailed louder and Lily sat down beside him.

"Toby, I know that you don't feel well and you're not happy, but I need you to tell us what you want, all right? Screaming isn't helping us figure out what you need."

The little boy went quiet for a moment and then he sniffed and looked up at his mother and his nanny.

"I want Daddy."

AHHHHHH Toby's first words as well as some hints about the beginnings of Sherlock and Irene's relationship...whatever it is. If you enjoyed this, please review! I love feedback and I like knowing what you all think!