Chapter 54
Unconscious Growing
John bursts into the building that houses Mycroft's office and promptly collapses onto the floor. the security officers and other members of staff just stare at the teenager's body before Anthea comes to investigate the disturbance. Her gaze on the exhausted body lying prone on the floor. 'Don't help him then!' she exclaims dropping down next to him. 'John? John, can you hear me?' John groans but otherwise doesn't respond. Anthea carefully pinches his skin and watches as it subsides back into it's original position. 'Badly dehydrated. Right.' She rises to her feet. 'Someone carry him carefully to Mr Holmes' office.' She whips out her mobile and rapidly fires off several texts.
'He needs a doctor.' Someone says.
'One will be arriving at Mr Holmes' office shortly.' A burly security officer carefully picks up the prone form of John supporting his head and spine. Heivan runs in and glances around the assembled group.
'John. Where's John?' His eyes nervously dart at each other. Anthea lays a calming hand on his arm.
'He's dropped from exhaustion and dehydration. But otherwise fine.'
'Where is he?'
'I'll take you to him.' She tells him calmly. She guides him through the corridors after the security guard who had carried the blonde teenager. 'What happened?' Heivan shakes his head.
'I can't say.'
'Why not?' she asks curiously
'It's not my story to tell.' Anthea opens the door to the Mycroft's office. Heivan glances around the office before his gaze lands on the comatose teenager. He all but runs over to the teenager and pushes the doctor out of the way.
'That was uncalled for Mr Heivan.'
'Corporal, Corporal Heivan.' Heivan snaps at Mycroft. 'I am a retired corporal in Her Majesties Army.'
'Apologies Corporal Heivan. But that was uncalled for.'
'He was given something. A dart hit him.'
'I was only giving him fluids.' The doctor mutters. John stirs moaning.
'John?' Heivan whispers. 'Captain?' John whispers something inaudible to three of the adults. Heivan grabs the doctor's bag and starts rooting through it. The door to the office crashes open and Bill Murray bursts through. His gaze lands on Heivan and John and the Army nurse falls to his knees beside them. he takes the bag out of Heivan's hands.
'What does he need?'
'He muttered something about sedation.'
'What did he say exactly?' Mycroft asks.
'Vallgen, or something close.'
'Vallergan?' Mycroft asks going very pale.
'Yeah.'
'Strip him.' Mycroft demands. 'Anthea, get Greg and Sherlock here now.'
'Why?' Heivan squares up to Mycroft.
'Because I don't want to him to be uncomfortable. He's about to grow.' Murray quickly divests John of his clothes and covers him with a blanket.
'What happened?' Mycroft hesitates. 'Mr Holmes, he's not just my former boss he's one of my best friends. Please, tell me what's going on.' The door bangs open again.
'Sherlock.' Greg is the one who enters Sherlock . 'Gregory.'
'What happened?' Mycroft indicates Heivan and Murray. 'You Bill Murray?' Bill nods. 'Well?'
'Attempted abduction.'
'Why is he out cold?
'One managed to shoot a dart into his neck.'
'Do you have the dart?' Sherlock speaks for the first time. Heivan plucks a handkerchief out of his top pocket. Sherlock snatches it and unfolds it revealing the dart. 'Do you have iodine and alcohol wipes?' He addresses the doctor
'Of course I have.' Sherlock puts out his spare hand and raises his eyebrow. The doctor quickly finds them and hands them over to Sherlock. The teenage consulting detective steps over to Mycroft's desk and conducts a simple test.
'He's been dosed with Vallergan.' Sherlock confirms. Greg visibly deflates. The detective inspector pulls himself together and glares at everyone who is close to John's head. They all move back allowing him to take up his rightful position. Sherlock abandons the dart and medical supplies and joins his father in the vigil on watching his brother. Behind them, Mycroft indicates that the doctor, Anthea and the soldiers should leave Greg and Sherlock to their vigil. Murray and Heivan glare at the government official.
'I may just be a security officer Mr Holmes. But I'm not leaving him.'
'I may only be an army nurse and I'm staying as well.' Greg and Sherlock ignore the interaction. The doctor slips out of the room closely followed by Anthea.
'Besides, you're staying.' Mycroft sighs.
'I'm family. Not blood but still family.' Mycroft says. 'Fine. You can stay.' He reluctantly relents. Murray and Heivan both nod once. 'But if he wants you out you go.'
'Understood.' Murray answers for them.
It takes five hours for John to awake from his sedated sleep. The five other people who had remained in the room watched as the teenager grew. His limbs lengthened and the muscles filled out giving the young doctor a look much closer than his normal one. Sherlock is the first one to notice John's eyes fluttering. Beside the young detective, Greg had fallen into a restless sleep. But his eyes spring open when Sherlock whispers 'John?'
'John?' Greg whispers his hand cupping John's face.
'D D Dad?' John manages to croak.
'Hey?' Greg replies.
'Mycroft, water.' Mycroft swiftly moves to Sherlock side holding a glass of water with a straw. Sherlock seizes it from his brother's hand and passes it to his father. Greg accepts it and positions the straw next to John's mouth. John draws the water into his mouth and moistens his throat gratefully. Greg puts the glass on the floor and assists John in sitting up.
'It hurts.'
'What does?'
'The scar.' Sherlock moves around Greg and starts massaging the damaged tissue. John chuckles slightly.
'Shut up.'
'What?' Heivan asks really confused.
'I'm older than him now. Properly and physically.' Sherlock scowls.
'I'll grow soon.' John chuckles.
'But you won't catch me up.'
'Boys.' Greg warns.
'Sorry Dad.' The two regressed crime fighters chorus.
'Are there any clothes I can wear? Only…' John vaguely gestures around the office.
'Mary's coming with some more clothes.'
'Jim will be pissed.'
'Why?'
'You've grown again and he hasn't.' John smiles lazily and stretches clicking all his joints.
'That is disgusting.' Sherlock says wrinkling his nose.
'You do when you grow.' John counters. Mary and Jim walk into the room stopping Sherlock from retorting. Mary smiles and hands over his clothes. John accepts them gratefully and wraps himself up in the sheet and walks into the bathroom attached to the office.
'If we are dosed with Vallergan, we grow however amount of years.' Sherlock stands and begins pacing the length of the room. 'First time we aged a year in an hour more or less. But we aged seven years last time. It doesn't make sense.'
'You slept for seven hours then. Sherlock.'
'Oh.' John emerges from the bathroom.
'How old?' Greg asks his elder son.
'Huh, oh twenty.'
