Joe – 17
Natty - 10
Halie - 15
"This is without a doubt the best case we've ever helped on." Halie grinned as she admired their surroundings.
They were kids in a candy store, literally. Sherlock had taken the case when the owner of a local sweets store had reported drugs being slipped into the chocolates to put him out of business by making all his clients sick. Sherlock had quickly proven it was the man's wife who was jealous he spent all his time working rather than with her.
As a reward, the owner had given both Joe and Halie, who had been under cover as simple customers, a bag and told them to take what they like, once the police had cleared out once all the poisoned sweets.
"This is the best chocolate I've ever had!" Joe grinned biting into another piece.
"Come on you two." Sherlock motioned for them to come closer, "It's time to go, you've gotten your sweets."
"Try some of this." Halie offered Joe the peanut brittle, "It's fantastic."
"It looks like melted metal." Joe made a face.
"Just try it! Peanut brittle is the best!" Halie insisted snapping him off a piece.
"It will get stuck in your teeth." Sherlock warned as he ushered them into a cab.
Sighing Joe took the sticky substance and bit into it, delightfully surprised to find that it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd imagined. Actually it was quiet nice, though his dad was right, it did get stuck in your teeth.
It took them only a few minutes to get home and Halie flew out of the car to get to her room and hide her stash before the others got their hands on any of it.
"Hurry up Joe or the others will eat it all when our backs are turned." Halie whispered.
"All what?" Natty asked appearing by the stairs.
"Nothing." Halie replied quickly, dashing up to her room.
"Sweets Natty." Joe replied, "Here, you can have mine."
"Really?" Natty asked suspiciously, Joe had a known sweet tooth, it was odd for him to give up lollies of any kind.
"Yeah, I think I ate too much already, I've got a bit of a stomach ache." Joe sighed, rubbing his belly, the ache was beginning to get worse. He hoped he wasn't going to be sick.
"If you're sure." Natty smiled snatching up the bag and hurrying off to eat.
Joe's stomach gave another pang, forcing him to retire to the closest couch and lay down. He was developing a slight headache too, something must of disagreed with him. He was certain it wasn't the poison, that poison made people throw up within a few minutes of ingestion, he'd not eaten any more sweets since they entered the cab.
Usually a short rest was all that he needed when he had a stomachache but after ten minutes he felt worse if anything. Gently he lifted his palm to his neck, it felt swollen, perhaps he was getting a cold, which usually made his lymph nodes swell up pretty badly.
He groaned as his stomach began to throb terribly, he curled in on himself trying to stifle another moan when it continued. This was defiantly not right, when he began to wheeze he started to panic. His throat felt tight, much too tight, he was beginning to struggle for breath.
"Natty!" He cried, knowing she was close by, "Natty!"
Carefully he got to his feet but found he doubled over almost immediately as his stomach protested as did his lungs, he made to it to eh doorway and leaned on the wood heavily.
"Na-tty!" He chocked, it was getting harder to breath.
"Joe?" Natty's innocent voice echoed through the hall and she appeared at the staircase once more, "Joe!"
Thankful he had some help Joe slid down the doorframe until he ended up awkwardly leaning on it while he sat on the floor.
"What's wrong with you?" Natty asked quickly trying to pry her brother's arms from their place wrapped around his stomach. When she finally did Joe heard her gasp.
"Hives! Joe you're arms are covered in hives!"
Joe would usually of replied with a sarcastic comment but this time he just managed to nod weakly and cough.
"I'm going to get dad and John." Natty told him, "Just breath slowly until I get back okay? And don't you dare go to sleep! Halie! Halie get down here!"
Joe nodded again; he didn't really have the energy for anything else.
…
"Colonel Mustard, in the dining room, with the pipe." John concluded.
"But that makes no sense!" Sherlock exclaimed, "The only way this could work is if the victim-"
"Dad! John!" Natty yelled came up the stairs after the door slammed below and soon the little girl had burst through the door and was panting.
"You've gotta come! It's Joe, he's sick, or something." Natty panted, "He's covered in hives and he can't breathe!"
The game was forgotten in seconds.
"I'll get my medi bag, you go to him." John yelled, heading for his room, "If it looks to serious don't wait for me!"
Sherlock was already at the door.
When he entered 222 he quickly saw the problem, Joe was slumped against the doorway with Halie holding his face toward hers, the boy was barely conscious.
"Hey, no sleeping, remember." Halie hissed, "Eyes open."
"What happened?" Sherlock asked quickly beginning to check him over with both his eyes and hands.
Eyes glassy, the way his arms are positions indicate abdominal pain, skin on arms coated in hives, most likely on the chest and stomach as well. Swelling on the neck causing the restriction of breathing, most likely light headed and dizzy, half aware.
Conclusion: Sever Allergic Reaction.
"Joe, I need you to listen." Sherlock turned so that Joe's half closed eyes were focused on him, "We're you bitten by anything recently?"
He shook his head and wheezed, not enough air to spare for speech. Bad.
"Have you eaten anything you've never tried?" Sherlock asked, he was ninety precent sure on this but he had to confirm. As expected Joe nodded.
"Peanut brittle!" Halie announced, "It must have been the peanut brittle I gave him!"
Sherlock nodded, he concurred. However in the brief moment it had taken to glance toward Halie to listen Joe had finally lost consciousness.
"Sherlock, what's going on, fill me in quickly!" John announced, appearing at his side and quickly taking in the unconscious adolescent.
"Sever allergic reaction to peanuts." Sherlock summarised, "He needs help, now. Natty call an ambulance!"
The girl was gone in seconds.
John busied himself reading a spring-loaded needle of adrenaline.
"This will help him hold out until we can get him to hospital." He explained quickly locating a vein on Joe's thigh. His arms were completely coated in a red rash of hives now, no use injecting there.
The boy didn't even flinch when the doctor plunged the needle in. Carefully Sherlock gathered the boy up in his arms, leaning him the sitting position against his chest in an effort to help clear his airway, the detective found himself listening to the slow wheezy breathing and praying it continued.
…
Joe felt funny, no the painful kind he remembered feeling before he passed out, but the strange warm fuzzy kind that came with drugs. He blinked his eyes open and found himself in a bed, surrounded by a curtain. Hospital.
"I told them sedating you was a bad idea."
Joe jumped at the unexpected voice.
Sherlock gave him a short smile from his place at the side of the bed.
"The others are downstairs in the waiting room, they're driving the nurses crazy asking after you." Sherlock continued.
"Dad, I think there is a slight possibility I'm allergic to peanuts." Joe grinned.
"I concur." Sherlock nodded before turning serious, "You must be careful."
"I'll need to carry an epipen." Joe sighed, "The doctor says so long as you don't ingest any of them you should be fine."
"I'm surprised we haven't had this problem before, considering all the Chinese food we eat." Joe sighed, "When can I go home?"
"Soon, once the doctors have checked you over once more." Sherlock replied.
Carefully Joe stretched his muscles, he felt stiff after spending so long in a bed, he must have been out for a while.
"Do not worry me like that again." Sherlock added seriously.
"I won't." Joe promised, Sherlock gave a small smile and gently laid a kiss on the boy's forehead.
"Come on then, let's go get the doctor so you can go home."
That was WAY longer than I thought it would be. I chose Joe cause I haven't written him in a while, I try to write about them all in rotation but I end up forgetting about some of them for a while.
I don't know what American's call epipens, or if they even have a different name but in case they do. An epipen is what Australian's call a special needle which people with sever allergic reactions carry with them, if they begin to have a reaction they can inject themselves with medicine to stop or slow it. Then they have more time to get help.
