Chapter 11

Sherlock sat on an uncomfortable chair in the bustling waiting room. Doctors and nurses ran back and forth, in and out of the emergency room. He looked around and looked at the people sitting around him, they were all so vulnerable. And now he was in the same condition as them. He hated it.

"Sherlock?" a shy voice snapped Sherlock back into reality. He looked up and saw Molly Hooper, whom he hadn´t seen in three years.

"I just heard about John. Have you heard anything yet?" she asked and sat down beside him. He shook his head.

"Don´t worry, Sherlock. He´s going to be fine." said Molly, trying to sound encouraging. Sherlock didn´t answer but his mind was racing as he stared at the door to the emergency room. He had gone into that old factory to save John. If John died, Sherlock would never be able to forgive himself. His thoughts were suddenly disturbed when a doctor walked into the room and towards Sherlock and Molly.

"John Watson?" he asked. Molly nodded.

"Is he...?" she asked.

"He´s alive, but barely. He lost a lot of blood, both from stabbing wounds and from a large vein near the liver that was ruptured from a gunshot wound, along with a punctured lung and a severe concussion. We managed to stop the bleeding in the abdomen and we placed a chest tube between his ribs. But his condition is still a bit uncertain, we don´t know if he needs surgery or not, so he´s in the Intensive Care Unit now."

"Oh, god." said Molly. "Can we see him?"

"He´s asleep now, but you can see him. Follow me." replied the doctor and escorted them upstairs. They followed him down a long corridor. It was much quieter there than in the waiting room. They stopped in front of a closed door.

"Just so you know, he probably doesn´t look very much like himself. We had to connect him to a respirator, but you don´t have to be alarmed." said the doctor kindly before he opened the door and walked with Sherlock and Molly into the room. There lay John underneath the white covers, with an oxygen mask over his mouth and tubes leading in and out of his body. He looked so pale and fragile that it seemed as if he weren´t alive. Sherlock sat down on a nearby chair and looked at John´s chest going up and down, just to make sure that he was breathing. Molly sat on the hospital bed.

"Do you want to talk?" she asked quietly. Sherlock shook his head.

"I´ll be outside if you need me." said Molly and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. When she was gone, Sherlock sat there for a long while and just stared at John´s chest going up and down. Sherlock wanted him to wake up, so that he could tell him how sorry he was. But he couldn´t. Not in here.

Sherlock heard the door opening and turned around. Mycroft Holmes stood in the doorway and looked at his little brother.

"Hello, brother." said Mycroft. When Sherlock didn´t answer, he sighed and sat down at the foot of John´s bed. A long and an awkward silence followed.

"Are you ever going to tell me how you did it?" he asked after a while, unable to hide his curiosity.

"Should I trust that you keep it secret if I told you?" replied Sherlock coldly. Mycroft looked at his brother.

"I´m sorry, Sherlock." he said.

"What else did you tell Moriarty about me, Mycroft? Did you perhaps tell him everything about John or Mrs. Hudson, too?" asked Sherlock angrily, but still speaking in his quiet, deep voice.

"I did it to protect our country." replied Mycroft, with frustration in his voice. "He was the most dangerous man in the world and he wouldn´t talk unless I gave him what he wanted. What would you have done?"

Sherlock looked at his brother. He put his hand in his coat pocket and took out a small USB flash drive. He handed it to Mycroft, who looked bewildered at him.

"Every single person who has ever worked for James Moriarty is on this drive." explained Sherlock. Mycroft took it out of his hand. "Just a little something to help you protect our country." he added coldly.

Mycroft put the flash drive in his pocket and stood up. Without another word, he walked out of the room.

Sherlock didn´t leave John´s side for the rest of the day. He didn´t speak to anyone, he merely looked at John´s chest going up and down. Then, at around midnight, Sherlock heard the door being opened. He looked up and saw a person in dark clothes walk in. He grinned.

"Miss Adler, I presume." he said. Irene Adler took off the hood on her fur coat and sat down. She glanced at John as he lay hidden behind the tubes and the oxygen mask.

"How is he?" she asked.

"Punctured lung, breathing difficulties, severed abdomen, severe concussion, may need surgery." replied Sherlock. The words flew out of his mouth. "You knew that Emily was the Raven, didn´t you?"

Irene looked at Sherlock.

"I had a suspicion." admitted Irene.

A long silence followed.

"I know you didn´t come here to visit John." said Sherlock finally. Irene sighed and said: "What did you do with the flash drive?"

"I gave it to Mycroft." answered Sherlock. "But, again, that´s not why you´re here."

Irene slowly stood up.

"You know, I never thanked you for saving me all those years ago." she said. Sherlock shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, well. That´s what enemies are for." he said.

"When were we enemies?" asked Irene. When Sherlock didn´t answer, she walked towards the door.

"Goodbye, Mr. Holmes." she said. She placed the hood over her head and stepped outside, leaving Sherlock alone with John. Sherlock had a feeling that this would be the last time he would ever encounter Irene Adler.

Hi,

I would just like to point out that I do not have any experience in medicine whatsoever, I just do a little research. If there are any errors, I apologize.