Chapter fourteen: Walking down a corridor
The small emergency room was crowded with Lisa's parents and the entire Holmes family. Many of Lisa's friends stood with their backs against the wall. Linda and Clark sat nearby, his hand on her back the entire time.
Mary and that Shaun, they sat together, talking quietly. He was intently supportive of Mary; he hadn't let her hand go for one second. In spite of his terrified worry for Lisa, he was enough of his father's son to have the sense to snap a discrete photo of him and send to Mylo to run it through the system and find him. Shaun Edwards came back with a clean record and no one in his family had any ties to the Holmes family.
Sherlock couldn't understand what was running through his veins. Mary was like a sister. Why, had this almost animalistic anger surged inside his chest? Lisa, the woman he loved, was in surgery, fighting for her life and he was having both women on his mind. It was as if he was walking down a dark corridor. A corridor, with spiders covering every inch of the way.
He looked up as his mother walked up to him. She placed a casual kiss on his cheek. "You look terrible. How are you holding out?" she asked softly as she rocked Maria in her arms. "You doing ok?"
He nods. "Fine."
She smiles sadly at him. "I believe that 'fine' is secret code for, 'I'm in Hell and I can't find my way out'. Am I right?" he nods. "You should talk to your father. I know you don't want him to know but…he's been through this, quite recently if you recall."
He shook his head in dismay. "I-I just…talked to Mary."
"Do you know who this man is she's here with?"
"Shaun Edwards." He bites out. "He's nothing. Single, working two jobs, no parents, arrested once for being drunk on his 21st birthday. He's an only child." He glances at his mother to find her frowning at him. "What."
"You looked him up didn't you?"
"Why shouldn't I? She's like my sister."
"You didn't look Clark up. You knew who he was and you remained silent." He didn't respond to her quiet words. She rubbed his shoulder. "Be sure you know where your heart lays Sherlock. That's all I'm saying."
He crossed his arms and scowled as his mother turned and walked away. His father glanced up and shot him, 'the look'. 'The look' had a variety of definitions. Sometimes 'the look' was 'you are so dead.' Or 'you really dared to do that to your mother in front of me?' Right now, it was the 'I don't know why you're giving her that look, but there better be a good reason for it!'
He was saved from his father moving towards him by questioning him, by Uncle John entering the room. Everyone stood up and held their breath. When he hesitated his father said. "Tell it to us straight John."
"Of course." He cleared his throat. "The man sliced her throat twice, slicing the jugular as well." Molly gasps and her husband gripped her tightly around her waist, as if he can hold her up for the news. Sherlock held his breath as his lungs tightened in his chest. "She choked on her blood for quite a bit, we had to drain her lungs. She flat-lined on us twice, but, she is going to be all right." Everyone in the room collapsed into tears of relief and words of praise. Sherlock reached for a chair and gripped the back of it before his knees collapsed on him in sheer relief. "As near as we can tell, she'll have no speech issues in the future. She will have two slices on the left side of her throat. She's got 36 stitches and will definitely be needing therapy when she's out of the hospital. She should be all right in about four weeks."
Molly collapsed onto the ground crying, with her husband's arms around her. He looked at them, crying in relief. His pain would have faded in time, had Lisa died. But theirs, the love a parent had for a child could never die, nor go away. They would have lost their only child.
He was brought to attention by Mary hurrying up and hugging her father. Shaun stood up and surveyed them from a short distance away. She kissed her father's cheek. "You're amazing."
He rolls his eyes. "Thanks darling." He notes Shaun and gives both of them a look back and forth. "Am I missing something here?"
"Not really. Father," she beckons Shaun forward. "this is Shaun. I just met him today and he came to give me some support."
"Oh." Uncle John was taking this a lot calmer than he thought he would. "I see."
Shaun reached out and shook his head. "It's nothing like you're thinking. She was upset in the movie theatre and I just happened to be talking with her when you called her."
Sherlock couldn't resist adding. "Don't worry Uncle John. He checks out clean according to the yard."
Mary turns towards him, her eyes wide. "You didn't."
He smirks at her and he crosses his arms. "It was business. Of course I did."
His mother exhales and shakes her head. "Oh boy."
Shaun glowers at him. "Am I to understand….you just had the police run my file…through their systems for your satisfaction?"
"Only for Mary's sake. I doubt she's told you about her-
"Shut up Sherlock!" Mary shouts at him. "You've no right!"
"Everyone." His father says firmly. "Calm down. Now! Everyone's tense enough at it is!"
"Your girlfriend didn't die!" Mary spits at him. "I can live my life without you!"
Everyone's head jerks towards Sherlock. He glowers at her angrily. "Nobody knew that!"
"Well, they do now!"
"Let me get this straight," Shaun says. "he's dating Lisa? Right?" Mary nods. "And… he's upset that you and I…well, we aren't anything yet. So, friends?" She nods again. "You said you two….weren't romantically involved at all?"
"Never." Pain flashes in Mary's eyes and she bites back a comment. He can see it, practically sitting on her tongue.
"So….what's the issue?"
"Listen," Sherlock spits out in fury. "you don't belong here! This strictly for family and friends. You're not welcome here!"
Shaun's eyes flashed and he walked up to him. He watched in slow motion as Shaun drew back his arm and punched him in the nose! "That's….for doing a background check without my permission!" Everyone let out a holler as Sherlock fell back on his behind! Slapping the floor, he rolled back up and threw a punch at Shaun! Shaun recovered faster than normal, throwing a punch at his chin!
Sherlock lunged for him, but was caught at the back of the head by a strong arm. He was whirled around into his father's stern face. His brother's were restraining Shaun and Uncle John was standing between them. "Not now boys." He said. "It's been a difficult day, very tense. I can imagine hormones are careening about like crazy. But we don't need any more of these incidents. Is that clear?"
"Mary," his father said firmly. "if you don't mind, could you take these two and clean up their faces?"
Mary straightened her backbone. "With all due respect Mr. Holmes, your son, can take of himself. If he were lying in the street bleeding in this moment, I'd walk by and spit on him." Everyone stared at Mary in shock. He wasn't surprised though. She was angry with him. She didn't even look at him as she walked up to Shaun and examined his bleeding knuckles. "Come with me. I'll fix you up."
He smiles wirily. "Sure you know what you're doing?"
She nods as they walk out of the room. "I'm an assistant nurse, remember? And my father's a doctor."
He laughs. "Right. Can't see how I forgot that."
"And you," his father says firmly. "are going to clean yourself up and we are going to have a huge talk right now!" He gives him a shove in his back. "Let's go!"
Keep giving your opinions, just because Lisa is living for the moment, doesn't mean things couldn't change.