John emerges from the bathroom half an hour later with a steely look on his face. 'I have to go out. I need him to see me out of the flat. I'm going to Regent's park for a while.' He tells Sherlock who stares across at him incredulous.
'Don't be an idiot. You're just out of hospital; you look like death warmed over.' Sherlock argues trying to give John a hard stare but it comes out as more of a frightened plea, only reinforcing John's guilt at the whole situation.
'I won't be long but I have to show my face, so he doesn't go after someone else.' John explains looking very tired and defeated.
'Fine, then I come with you. I'm not having you go out there on your own.' Sherlock frowns and crosses the room. John just nods honestly relieved at the company. While he worries that Sherlock will get caught in the crossfire he honestly feels safer when they are together.
They wander together toward the park in companionable silence. Their pace is slow due to John's injured knee. The walking cast is making movement easier but it still slows him down and he finds it puts an annoying amount of strain on his hip. Unfortunately this hardly registers in comparison to the incessant pain from the bruises caused by the previous day's shooting. Every step shoots pain through John's chest making him wince involuntarily.
Eventually Sherlock extends his arm and John hesitantly takes it. It feels odd so be hobbling along with Sherlock's arm under his own but it eases the pain a little and Sherlock doesn't seem bothered by it.
'I think this should qualify as being out of the flat John.' Sherlock argues as they reach the open air theatre. He can tell John is in pain by the constant grimace on his face and he really wants to get them back to the flat as soon as possible.
John nods his head tiredly and they begin to make their way back to Baker Street at an even slower pace. John hates the fact that he is truly looking and acting like a cripple now. He knows that he appears every bit as helpless and weak as he feels.
It is a testament to the way his life is turning out when he is not even surprised that when a runner passes them he feels pain surge up with refreshed intensity in his back. He collapses against Sherlock grappling at his arm. 'Christ…. Help… Shit… Not again.' He moans as Sherlock catches him lowering him carefully to the ground.
'I told you not to go out. What did he do?' Sherlock asks fear written clearly across his face.
'Not on my back… ow… I think I've been stabbed.' John groans out clutching tightly to Sherlock to hold himself upright and stop his back from hitting the ground.
Sherlock eases him down carefully laying him on his side and moves around to look at John's back out of which protrudes the handle of a small standard kitchen knife in a frightful shade of yellow.
'You're causing me to owe Mycroft an awful lot of favours.' Sherlock jokes as he fishes his mobile out to call his brother yet again. He may be playing it light but the blood pouring out of his friend's back and the way that John has gone even paler than previous, which is no mean feat, is making him really rather worried.
'Mycroft, we need another ambulance, to Regent's park, south west corner. We had nearly reached York bridge. John's been stabbed, please hurry.' He urges and it is to Mycroft's credit that he does not question his brother's request but simply offers a swift. 'I'll send one straight away.'
It is not long before John begins to tremble and his eyes drift shut and Sherlock begins to feel panic rising in his chest. 'John, you know better than to go to sleep. Come on, open your eyes.' He pleads and John thankfully obeys, his eyes fluttering open again.
'I'm not sure I can…' he mumbles, releasing his weak grip on Sherlock's arm. 'Fuck… it hurts… so cold.' He gasps and terror truly takes a seat in Sherlock's chest. John is going into shock way too quickly. It doesn't help when John coughs and then let's out a strangled cry blood dripping from his mouth onto the path.
Three onlookers have arrived to gawk at them and one of them kneels down next to John studying him. 'Something's bleeding inside him' he offers unhelpfully and Sherlock feels like ripping his head off.
'I know that you idiot. He's got a knife in his back of course he's bleeding.' he snaps instead 'judging by the angle at which the knife went in he has a punctured lung and quite possibly an injury to his liver, and that would be the second injury to that organ in the scope of a month so it's not good.' He spits out before thinking that John is in fact still looking up at him and can hear every word.
'You should tell… tell them that.' John whispers before he goes completely limp as unconsciousness claims him.
To Mycroft's credit the ambulance arrives after only four minutes. Not the previous one with no markings but a proper ambulance. It must have been diverted from UCH around the corner for it to arrive that quickly. Still it is not quickly enough for Sherlock's liking as John has now been unconscious for several minutes.
Some part of Sherlock knows that watching him panic as his friend bleeds all over him is exactly what John's stalker had told him was the aim of the constant assault on his friend but knowing this only makes it worse. He wishes desperately that this maniac would attack him directly instead of going through John. John may be physically stronger than him, or at least he had been before this attack had started, but Sherlock knew that he would be able to deal with the cruel taunts better, after all he was used to it, people had been calling him names for as long as he could remember and it had never really affected him, well maybe it had but he had gotten used to it, he didn't want John to have to get used to it.
The medics bundle John into the ambulance swiftly and Sherlock is allowed to climb in after him before it takes off with sirens wailing. He finds that the words 'Tell them he needs emergency surgery straight away' are like a knife stuck between his own ribs and he frowns when the ambulance turns toward UCH instead of Mycroft's clinic. He worries that John might not be safe there, it is too large a hospital, Mycroft won't be able to keep tabs on everyone. Yet John needs surgery as fast as possible and he has to trust Mycroft's judgement on the issue. If he has directed them to UCH instead of the clinic it most likely means that there isn't a surgeon available at the clinic and they will just have to make due. God how Sherlock hates making due.