Chapter thirty-four: How heart's break

Watching my father in complete denial was utter agony. He shook his head. "You're wrong John!" As father moved towards the door, Uncle Mycroft grabbed him around the shoulders, restraining him. "Get your hands off me!" He roared.

"Sherlock," Uncle John shouted as tears poured down his face. "there was nothing we could do. There were complications and….we couldn't control the bleeding."

"Stop it!" Father shouted. "Just stop it!"

Mary speaks up, as she holds onto her father. "They tried. They really, really did." Her soft-spoken words stopped father in his place. "She...really is gone."

His expression is cold, haunted and almost unrecognizable. It is not my father anymore. I watch as he shudders violently a few times and then a loud, agonizing, unearthly cry comes up from my father's throat. All of us jump as father's cry grows in volume. I became a mass of sobs as I cling to Clark. Father suddenly breaks Mycroft's hold, shoves everyone out of his way and heads into the room. I break away from Clark and head after my father along with the rest of the mob.

We halt inside my parent's doorway, astounded at the sight. Mother is lying in a mess of bloody sheets, her face is pale and the sight of my father holding her close in his arms is a sight that's enough to break the hardest of hearts. I looked at Uncle Mycroft and saw a tear streaming down his cheek. Aunt Irene steps close and wraps an arm around his waist. "I always admired her." She said softly. "She was strong, but not in the way you thought. She was strong of mind and strong in the heart."

I can only look at father as he kisses mother on her mouth. "Don't leave me." He pleads with her. "Don't leave me."

"She can't hear you." Uncle Mycroft says patiently.

Clark frowns at him. "You can't be sure of that. Leave him be!"

Father looks down at mother's hand, the one with her wedding ring on it. Father said it had been stuck on her hand after giving birth to Scott and Alexander and she'd never been able to get it off. He presses a kiss to her limp hand. "Please, my love….don't leave me."

I sob into my hands as Clark tightens his grip around my shoulders. I glance at him and see tears are flowing freely down his cheeks. The agony I feel deep in my soul in indescribable. It's as if all the sunshine and joy were sucked out of the earth this moment. My father, is dying, I can see his grief is crushing him. I turn aside and bury my face in Clark's coat.

"You bloody bastards!" Father shouts suddenly. "There's a blip on the heart monitor!" Everyone jumps and I stand there praying to God above begging for my mother to regain consciousness. Everyone hurries back over to my mother's limp form as father holds onto her hand, pleading with her. "Tammy, Tammy, my love. Come on, hang in there darling. Come on, come back."

Clark's grip on me tightens as I watch the whole scene play out in front of me. Father is shouting at Uncle John as he and the other doctors attempt to work over my mother. Uncle Mycroft and Sherlock attempt to pull father away from mother, but he won't budge. Aunt Irene stands there holding onto the doorframe, her eyes wide with hope.

Father has a hold of her hand. "Come on darling. You can do this." I can hear the blips as well, father isn't imagining it. "Don't let me down. Come on. I need you," I stare at the monitor, watching the line spike. "Our children need you. Come on. I can't live without you."

Suddenly, the heart monitor's beeping becomes more regular and I collapse to the floor in tears of relief. I vaguely register Clark's arms around me as I stare at my mother's form. She gasps for air and I begin sobbing as she turns her head to look at father. She frowns and croaks. "Sherlock?"

"Shut up." He begs as he kisses her hand. "Please, shut up until they've stabilized you."

A nurse ushers us out. "Please, we need all family members to leave. You too Mr. Holmes."

"Go to Hell you bitch!" He shouts so loudly that everyone jumps.

Mother frowns and hisses. "Sherlock."

"I am not leaving you." He growls at mother with such ferocity that her heart monitor spikes. "I won't leave you."

She smiles weakly as she closes her eyes. "All right."

"Hey," her eyes flutter open as she looks at father, her eyes full of love. "I love you."

"I know."

Tammy's POV,

I feel so heavy. My limbs are exhausted. I open my eyes and find that I'm in a hospital. I turn my head to see Sherlock is on top of the bedcovers beside me, sound asleep, still holding my hand. I smile as I lick my lips and run my thumb over his hand. "Sherlock?"

He awakens instantly and looks down at me. His face looks awful, as if he hasn't slept any longer than a few minutes. "Oh, thank God, you're awake." He kisses my hand. "You're awake."

I smile. "I'm thirsty."

"Right." He reaches into a bag and pulls out a bottle of water. I make a face. "I'll let you have your tea after you've finished this bottle." He hands it to me with a straw in it. "Now, drink some of it."

I take a few swallows before waving it aside. "Where….is everyone?"

He exhales and takes a hold of my hand. "At home, hanging onto their phones for dear life."

"And…why aren't you with the babies?"

"I wasn't going to leave you!" Tears fill Sherlock's eyes. "Dear God….do you know how close I came to loosing you?" He shakes his head. "I never understood how people thought a heart could break until I thought you were dead. Moreover, you… you thought I'd died twice! I'm truly a horrible man to have put you through such agony!"

I smile softly. "You always were." He glowers down at me as I reach up and stroke his cheek. "I still can't get you to stop walking over the furniture."

He shakes his head. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"You really shouldn't be here today." I smile as I hear Sherlock launch into his medical deduction. "You lost a significant amount of blood and-

"Sherlock," I whisper. "please. Delete that information. I'm here now, please, don't reflect on the past anymore. We have a whole future to deal with. Now, tell the children, I'm all right. And…get a doctor in here."

He leans forward. "In a moment." With that, he leans forward and kisses me lightly on the mouth multiple times. I smile as I close my eyes, loving his affection towards me. After some long, precious moments, he pulls away. "Now, I'll get John."

I smile and whisper. "Did Linda accept Clark's proposal?"

The priceless look on his face is enough to ensure that Clark hadn't even asked her yet. So, I'd be around to see the joy on my daughter's face when she walks in with Clark's ring on her hand.