After she had left the practice, there were a good 2 hours left before the meeting. She drove back to her hotel, took a shower, changed her clothes and then went to the restaurant. Since it was a beautiful evening and the city was slowly being covered in Christmas lights, she decided to walk. She had to get to know the city again. It also allowed her to look for flats.
Thank goodness, she had put a lot of time aside over the years and was mostly just working to collect overtime. Her boss was very sad to lose one of his most competent employees, but of course understood her decision. Jack had apparently informed him about the incident and for days she couldn't stop herself from being pitied by her colleagues and asking questions until she finally couldn't stand it any longer.
She felt empty after Sherlock's departure. She felt that something was missing and her homesickness became stronger again. After about a month she could no longer stand it and contacted Mycroft Holmes. She knew that Jack was in contact with him and after all he had done to her he owed her. He didn't even ask why and took care of everything. A few weeks later she received the information that everything was set in motion and she could leave soon.
After she had left Chicago and felt English soil under her feet again, she was first of all, how could it be otherwise, taken to Mycroft by his assistant in a black government car. The latter handed her all her papers and explained to her that her "erasure" could be successfully reversed. She thanked him and then drove on to her home town, to her old university. She needed some of her awards including her certificate of completion of studies and some work references. Then she drove on to her old area to say a final farewell to her house and her past.
And now she was here again, in London. In the city where everything somehow began for her. Where she met her friends and where she fell in love. And was looking for a suitable flat.
On her way to the restaurant, she found a few that appealed to her at first sight. She would take care of them tomorrow.
Now she was on her way to a dinner with her boyfriend and his fiancée. She remembered that the last time she wanted to have dinner with John, she was almost run over. A cold shiver ran down her spine with these memories. But there was also something good about that evening. She had met Molly and found another friend. And she was grateful for that.
She arrived 5 minutes before the agreed time and waited for them outside the restaurant. This time nobody wanted to take her life.
Nervously she stepped from place to place. She casually noticed a few glances from the men going in and out. While working in the bar she had already noticed that she had a certain effect on men. But she did not see the one she wanted the way the other men did. She was just about to drift off in her thoughts again when John and Mary turned the corner.
John had reserved a table for them and they quickly found their place. After they had placed their order, they talked about the past and the future. They were only briefly interrupted when the waiter handed them their meal.
Most of the time Katie wanted to know how John and Mary met and fell in love. John also told her that Sherlock had ruined the first attempt at his proposal with his sudden appearance and that he could have killed him as a result. He didn't, of course, but there was a bloody nose for him anyway. He was angry and disappointed that he had let him believe he was dead all these years. Then he told the story of how he was almost burned alive and Sherlock and Mary saved him. Since then, they have been talking things out and are best friends again.
Then Mary wanted to know what her life was like in Chicago all those years. She only casually told about it and did not dare to tell John that Sherlock was with her during his death.
At some point they came across her ex-boyfriend Jack. John wanted to know what had happened and whether he was the father of her unborn child. She told him the truth and that he was a collaborator of Mycroft, who had been playing her all along. She didn't answer his other question, instead she told them the same thing she told Molly.
Mary looked at them sympathetically all the time and reached out her hand in a gesture of comfort.
"Oh, Katie. I'm sorry about that. Did you at least have someone there to talk to about it?"
Katie shook her head gently and lowered her eyes.
"Well, John and Molly know..."
John, who had just shoved a piece of his steak in her mouth, interrupted her.
"And Sherlock..."
Katie stared at him with big eyes. Every colour faded from her face.
"How?... Where from?"
Again John chewed on a piece, only this time he decided to swallow it down for now.
"Well, after he told me about being with you briefly when he saved you from that guy, I assumed you might have talked about it too. I didn't know what the guy had done to you. And I got worried after I stopped hearing from you. I thought maybe something had happened that must have reminded you of it and maybe you had done something to yourself or something."
She didn't know what to say. Sherlock knew? She suddenly got sick to her stomach. She had to get out of here.
"Excuse me a moment," she said, got up from her chair and disappeared towards the toilets.
Mary had been watching her attentively the whole time and understood immediately. She also apologised to John and went after her.
Katie bent over one of the sinks and clawed at the sides. Tears were streaming down as Mary came in.
"Sherlock was the father, wasn't he? You were pregnant by him?" she said and moved closer to her. She put one hand on her shoulder.
"Yes," she sobbed, "but he was never meant to know. I did not want him to know. I feel so bad about it. I mean, it's my fault."
Should she tell her? Katie thought about it for a minute before she went on.
"You know, it was the third month in Chicago when I found out. The doctor said there was some risk. I was living in a short relationship at the time and when he heard that I was pregnant and by someone else from another guy, he changed. He was constantly angry and I was afraid that he might hurt me or my unborn child. So I took refuge in work. But at some point during my shift at the bar, I felt something was wrong. The next day I went straight to the doctor, who told me that I had lost my child. It's my fault! I should have left the guy and listened to the doctor! I wanted to. I wanted it so badly. After all, it was the only thing I had left of Sherlock, especially after hearing about his death. I know it's selfish, but I just... I just... "
Mary turned her towards her and pulled her into a reassuring embrace.
"You loved him, didn't you? And you still love him?"
Katie kept crying into her shoulder. She didn't answer, but Mary knew the answer to her question.
"It's not your fault. You did it because you wanted to protect your child. But I think you should talk to Sherlock. He would want to know."
Again this sentence. Would he want to know? Would he even care?
After a short time Katie broke away from Mary again and wiped away her tears.
"Thank you" she smiled slightly. But like this morning with Molly, it didn't reach her eyes.
Mary looked at her pitifully and then helped her to fix her make-up.
"John will wonder what we've been doing here for so long."
John. He didn't know it was Sherlock's child. Katie turned to Mary and asked her to keep it to herself and not to tell John. Mary looked at her with a slight surprise but understood. She nodded and pulled Katie out of the washrooms with her.
John sat in his seat and was slightly surprised at her reaction. But when he finally saw the two women coming before him, Mary held Katie in her arms, his face lit up.
"Is everything all right with you?" he now asked as Katie sat back down in her chair.
"What? Oh yes, I probably just couldn't quite take the chicken" and looked at him apologetically.
The rest of the evening was increasingly relaxed. Mary finally turned the spotlight on her wedding, for which Katie was very grateful. In just a few months it should be time. They also thought about a double wedding for a short time but as Molly and Tom could not agree on a date so far, they quickly dropped the idea.
Of course they would also be very happy if Katie would come to the wedding as well.
After some time they said goodbye to each other. Mary gave her her number and asked that if she needed someone to talk to, she should get in touch with her.
They hugged each other goodbye and then disappeared in different directions.