a/n:responses to Hades' December Challenge. Prompt from Lemon Zinger - Watson falls into his gambling habit by accident one night and is faced with the possibility of being unable to pay the rent. How does he approach Holmes?
The morning after the night before
It was late when the doctor staggered homeward;
And struggled to insert the front door key;
He had had quite an entertaining evening,
Though several hours were missing and a total mystery.
~0~
He recalled he had started out as usual;
(A spinning head now made it hard to think.)
He had cleared a busy surgery of patients;
Then dropped into the "Horse and Hounds" for just one festive drink.
~0~
He had met Tom; or was it Charles or Harry?
At any rate, a comrade from the war;
And one drink had led on to a second,
And the second had, unfortunately, led to many more...
~0~
And then; he'd abandoned better judgment,
And accidental gambling had occurred.
He'd succumbed to the lure of dice and dealing;
His funds had fast diminished as events became more blurred...
~0~
So, now he was broke, yet fairly merry,
He got the key inside the lock at last,
He twisted it, unlocked the door in triumph,
And burst into the hallway, quite unsteady, far too fast.
~0~
He slid across the highly polished flooring
And ended in a heap against the wall.
There he stayed, smiling wide, and singing softly;
A ditty based on Sherlock Holmes, his closest friend of all.
~0~
And there, Holmes and Mrs Hudson found him;
A drunken and contented little heap.
He waved at the couple, hiccupped loudly,
Then sang another verse or two and promptly fell asleep.
~0~
Next day, dawned too soon and far too loudly,
As many hammers pounded Watson's head.
He winced as he recalled the night's behavior
And was secretly impressed to find he'd ended up in bed.
~0~
He neither wanted tea nor any breakfast
And hoped the morning sun would go away
Then groaned as a dreadful notion struck him;
No money left to speak of, and his share of rent to pay.
~0~
So, out of the bedroom, head still throbbing;
To see this sorry saga to the end
He sheepishly approached the breakfast table
Prepared to face sardonic barbs and censure from his friend.
~0~
But Holmes, unexpectedly, said nothing,
As Watson stirred a lukewarm cup of tea;
He slid a written note across the table;
An early Christmas present which declared the month rent free.
~0~
"My dear Watson, you've held clinic after clinic,
Worked every single hour you had to spare,
One brief lapse in your judgment's no disaster;
And I certainly have funds enough for both of us to share."
~0~
"But, perhaps, I should confiscate your cheque book,
I'll put it in that drawer and lock it tight.
In return, I'd be grateful for a favour;
Don't ever sing that song again you sang to me last night!"
~0~
