Holmes spun, his almost fearful gaze meeting mine, and his eyes flicked to my leg. The Irregulars would only send for us if they could not neutralize the intruder alone, and there was a chance I would be needed to treat injuries. I would not be mobile for very long, however, with the way the muscles were already beginning to spasm, and I would certainly not hold my own in a fight.
Unless I removed the effects of my injury.
"Call us a cab," I said. "I am coming." I turned to Edward. "My medical bag is next to my desk. Grab that and the brace under the desk and meet me at the front door."
Edward lunged into motion, and I limped toward the stairs. His footsteps sounded behind me as I reached the top step, and the possibility of the Irregulars being in danger made me choose speed over dignity. I sat on the top step, crossed my ankles with the bad one on top, and slid down the stairs like a child on a cardboard box.
"Save your comments for later," I answered Holmes' amused look and Edward's grin. Edward, at least, remembered Harry and me doing that for fun as children, but now was not the time. I exchanged canes at the door, and Edward followed us into the rain, ignoring my thanks as he handed me my bag and the brace Thompson Junior had made.
"Let me help," he said instead. I put my bag in the four-wheeler without answer. "Please, John," he added. "Let me prove I am trustworthy."
A glance at Holmes left the question up to me, and I finally agreed. We lurched into motion before he had even taken a seat.
"If you breathe a word of the location," I warned lowly, strapping the brace to my calf as I spoke, "or anything that could trace back to them, you will not enjoy the results."
He nodded quickly. "I will not hurt them, John. You know that."
No, I did not, especially after so many years of thinking he had abandoned Harry and me, but I would not say as much. I did not think he would, and I was willing to give him a chance. Blood relation would change nothing if he caused harm to one of those children.
I focused on Holmes instead of voicing my thoughts, fastening the last few straps by touch.
"Do you remember what I told you about this brace?"
"Of course," he answered, steadying me as the cab shot around a corner. The first time he had seen me use this had been the same wager that had described Edward as Rubio. My colleague had been trying to make a device that would distribute my weight around that old injury, but he had only partially succeeded. While the brace removed my limp, I could not wear it for more than an hour or two before the chafing and sore knee removed my ability to walk at all. I simply hoped we could resolve this quickly.
The cab dropped us at the corner closest to the hidden courtyard, and I carried my sword cane in one hand and my bag in the other as we rushed through the rain-soaked alley, following the sounds of a fight drifting over the storm.
The various rotting debris that normally covered the small entrance now lay scattered about the alley, and the path of wreckage continued around the courtyard. Scattered blankets, broken cots, and thrown supplies littered the typically well-ordered space, showing first the intruder's thieving rummage, then the ensuing fight. Near the opposite wall, the ten oldest boys surrounded a large man, tag-teaming him to keep him contained and away from the hidden exit until we could arrive.
My bag landed to the side, and, for once, I could run just as fast as Holmes. We sprinted across the courtyard, Holmes barely a step ahead of me.
"Baker!" Jimmy called on sighting us.
The boys immediately shifted, and Arthur took George's place harassing the intruder to leave a gap for us. Holmes' fist landed on the man's already bruising cheek, and I hit him with a rugby tackle a moment later. We had him pinned before Edward reached the huddle.
"Behind!"
"Hold!" The boys froze at my voice, still in a variety of defensive positions. "He is with us."
They slowly relaxed, watching Edward but no longer about to attack, and I disregarded my uncle's staring to concentrate on the man grumbling beneath me.
"There is rope in my bag, Holmes."
"No need." He pulled a set of cuffs from his pocket—why he had those, I had no idea—and fastened the intruder's hands to one of the undamaged cots. Ignoring the way my shoulder throbbed, I pulled myself to my feet when he finished, and Holmes began emptying the man's pockets as I directed my attention to the Irregulars.
"Is anyone hurt?"
Jimmy indicated a negative but started checking the others, and we looked at George at the same time. The apprentice smith scowled at the attention.
"I'm fine."
"Then why are you holding your shoulder like me?" I asked wryly, quickly retrieving my bag from where it had dropped when we entered.
"Because he learned his definition of 'fine' from you," Holmes shot back.
"Pot, kettle, Holmes. Focus on your burglar."
Out of the way in his place against a nearby wall, Edward released the amusement Holmes tried to hide, but I ignored them both to sit George on a nearby bedroll.
"What happened?" I asked as I gently examined the rapidly forming bruise.
"Landed on it wrong," he answered, grimacing when I moved the joint too far. "He wanted to escape more than he wanted to attack, and he threw me just before you got here." His arm jerked in an aborted flinch. "One of the dents in that cot fits my shoulder," he quipped with a faint smile. Holmes moved to stand behind me.
"Better your shoulder than your head," I replied lightly, gently securing his non dominant arm in a sling, "but still not as good as avoiding the injury altogether. I do not think you broke anything, but you should take it easy for a day or two. If it still hurts in a week, I want to examine it again."
"Yes, Doctor."
"Oh, no, you don't!"
Commotion sounded behind me, and I turned as our intruder stood, apparently having picked the lock on his cuffs. Holmes lunged, but the man landed on his face again before Holmes could cross the distance, this time with Edward on his back.
"Get off me!" the man growled.
"Slim chance of that," Edward replied, centering his full weight on the larger man. "You broke into the wrong house. You're not leaving except in the company of the Yard."
"This is a courtyard, not a house, you fool! Now get off me!"
"Four walls, a ceiling, a hidden door, and people eat and sleep here," Edward replied as I grabbed the rope from my bag. "This is a house, though what jewelry you thought you would find is anyone's guess. I recognize you from the Hope Fest. You tried several times to distract me long enough to steal from my booth."
"That building contains a small jeweler," Holmes answered, gesturing to the south wall. He joined me in resecuring the man—this time to a convenient metal ring attached to a nearby building—as he continued, "Shelton, here, is the man I have been tailing in connection to the recent burglaries. He was probably searching for a way to enter from the rear when he happened upon the Irregulars. He will get to tell everyone in the local jail that a group of children gave him two black eyes and multiple bruises."
"And a broken wrist," I added, retying the rope to let me inspect the injury. I quickly recognized the results of the last self-defense class I had taught. "Well done, Jimmy!"
"Thank you, Doctor."
Footsteps sounded in the alley as I splinted his wrist, and Lestrade hurried inside, a constable and Johnny close behind.
"Richard Shelton," Lestrade said immediately. "I wondered when you would get yourself caught. Is everyone alright?" he asked Holmes and me.
"I believe so," I answered, "but we were waiting for you to arrive before letting the others come out. Shelton already picked the lock on one set of cuffs."
"No fear of that happening again." Lestrade's cuffs joined the ropes, and the constable untied the knot around the metal ring after Shelton had been secured between them.
"All clear!" Holmes announced when Shelton no longer faced the concealed emergency exit.
"Finally!"
Doris' voice broke the silence, and the noise of several moving bodies started immediately. Doris herself appeared a moment later, apparently coming out of a shadowed corner as she led the rest of the young ones into the courtyard.
"Who's the idjit that broke into our home?"
"Richard Shelton," Lestrade said again, nodding a hello at the Irregular he recognized no matter her outfit.
"Mr. Sticky Fingers," she corrected, her own greeting fading as she glimpsed the man's face. "There is no way you followed me home today."
He scowled at the epithet, most of his irritation probably stemming from Doris' obvious irreverence.
"I've never seen you in my life, little girl."
"Of course not." Her gaze flicked toward the south wall. "Ah, you wanted the shiny stuff from that jeweler. I thought crooks were supposed to be smart? That shop doesn't have anything but fakes and look-alikes."
He scowled, realizing he had been caught for nothing. "Smarter than a loudmouth pipsqueak," he snarled. "Shut your mouth, you little—"
He called her a term better suited to a barnyard animal, and her expression stilled. Jimmy spun around from where he had been checking the younger children, but she beat him—and me—to it. A foot on Shelton's instep shifted his weight, the other knee between his legs bent him in half, and with his head at her level, open palms soundly boxed the man's ears.
"Serves you right," she declared over his howl.
"Lestrade?" I interjected before Jimmy could more than half cross the courtyard. "I would suggest getting him out of here."
Neither Yarder tried to cover their amusement, but they did as I advised. My hand landed on Doris' shoulder to prevent her from moving away, though I waited until they were out of earshot before I spoke.
"You know it is not honorable to strike a bound man," I said quietly. She started to scowl at me, and I continued before she could reply, "but in this instance, I believe the correction was necessary. It was also better dealt by you than by me or your brother." I raised my voice to normal volume, adding, "Excellent technique to negate the height difference."
Her near scowl became a proud grin, and I returned my attention to the children beginning to clean up the courtyard.
"Is everyone alright?" I asked when Jimmy joined me.
He nodded. "A few bruises, and he scared several of the littles, but no real injuries."
"I imagine there might be a batch of sugar biscuits in the kitchen," I replied, "if you were to stop by the flat sometime tomorrow."
The worry drawing his eyebrows together eased somewhat. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Do not hesitate to come before then if needed."
He nodded again, and I moved away, wandering through the various groups retrieving belongings and setting broken furniture aside to be mended. Holmes did much of the same, checking in his own way that every Irregular was present and unhurt, and I was just beginning to truly notice the brace on my leg when another set of running footsteps sounded outside.
Every child was on his or her feet in an instant, ready to either fight or hide. I was closest to the doorway, and I took a step to the left, putting myself between the entrance and the youngest children.
Jackson Major, Doris' eldest brother and the former leader of the Irregulars, appeared in the doorway, and a collective sigh of relief whispered through the courtyard. The others resumed cleaning as he hurried towards me.
"Doctor!"
"Calm down, Jackson," I said when I saw how out of breath he was. "Everyone is alright."
His hurried steps never slowed, but the tension slowly seeped from his shoulders as he picked his siblings from the crowd, then started counting heads.
"I passed Lestrade on the way here," he told me, still checking faces more than looking at me, and I knew what had worried him. These alleys only went so far, and there were only so many places from which Lestrade could have been taking Shelton. Jackson had probably sprinted from the main street.
"Everyone is alright," I said again. Jackson worked as a bank clerk on the other side of town, but with both brother and sister still part of the Irregulars, he had not bothered to find lodgings other than the bedroll he had used for the last ten years or more. He gave a portion of his wages for food for everyone, saving the rest for when Doris and Jimmy could join him. I doubted those three would ever live under different roofs.
"The jewel thief your sister has been helping us track set his eyes on that shop," I continued, gesturing to the wall in question. "He found the courtyard by chance, and the others contained him quite capably. He already had two black eyes and a broken wrist when Holmes and I arrived."
Jackson smiled proudly, finally looking at me instead of scanning the children cleaning up the courtyard.
"Is that all?"
I laughed. "Yes, that is all. Shelton was far more interested in escaping than attacking. Jimmy did an excellent job at leading, and while they probably could have neutralized him alone, Jimmy decided to contain the man until we could help."
"And I got to box his ears!"
Doris came up behind me, her proud grin a perfect imitation of her brother's. "Sticky Fingers has a dirty mouth," she informed her brother. "I don't think he expected a 'loudmouth pipsqueak' to ring his head like a bell."
I made no attempt to stifle a smile at her phrasing, but Jackson's grin battled a scowl. "I wish I had been here. I would have rung more than his head."
"Doris did just fine," I replied, "and you know every other inmate at the local jail will ask how he sustained his injuries."
Jackson huffed, but his scowl faded a touch. We had heard more than one story over the years about how the inmates determined rank. Shelton would deal with more than comments after being injured by children, no matter that those children were the Irregulars.
Jackson followed Doris toward the nearest group as I resumed checking the others. I had not gotten far, however, when I realized which faces I had not yet seen. A quick scan revealed no sign of them.
"Jimmy!"
"Doctor?" The boy appeared from where the youngest had huddled in the far corner, slowly disengaging from the tiny girl holding his hand to meet me in the middle of the courtyard.
"Where is Tim Major?" I asked quickly, "and I have not seen the new boy either. Henry, I think his name was?"
Jimmy searched the courtyard. "I thought Tim was hiding from your friend," he answered, gesturing toward where Edward silently watched in the far corner, "but I have not seen Henry since…" He trailed off, checking faces again before he turned toward where his sister was helping repair one of the cots. "Doris!"
Red curls separated themselves from the crowd, and she readjusted her hat as she hurried toward us.
"Were Tim Major and Henry in hiding with you?" Jimmy asked.
"Henry was," she answered immediately, "but I haven't seen Tim since before I left for the park this morning."
"I was talking to Tim when Shelton appeared in the doorway. I thought I saw him rounding up the littles, but—"
He cut himself off, nearly bolting across the courtyard instead of finishing. Doris and I followed close behind.
"Timothy!"
"Henry and I are fine, Jimmy," Tim's voice carried from the narrow tunnel the Irregulars used as an emergency exit. "Henry doesn't wanna come out yet, so I'm stayin' with him."
I relaxed at the words, leaning against the wall to remove the brace on my leg. Tim and Henry had been the only two absent, and with the danger past, there was no reason to wear the contraption until I could no longer walk.
"Why don't you want to come out?" Jimmy was asking as I set the brace aside.
A small whimper was his only answer, and I knelt in front of the low hole.
"Henry?" I tried. "It's safe, Henry. The man is gone."
He made no reply, and I slowly stuck head and shoulders into the hole.
"Can I come in?"
Neither boy replied, and I crawled partway into the tunnel. The opening was too small for an adult, which was why they used it as a hideaway, but by the time my eyes adjusted, I had found a comfortable enough position just inside the entrance. I quickly spotted the two boys huddled against the opposite wall.
"Lestrade took the man away, Henry. He cannot hurt you."
"Not him."
I did not answer for a moment, putting together the half sentence. "It is not because of him that you are hiding?" I realized. "Then why are you hiding?"
"Don' wanna go home."
Timothy's arm landed around Henry's shoulders, firmly pulling the smaller boy closer.
"Why didn't you say that sooner?" he asked. "This is your home, now. Doctor Watson would not send you back to that man, and neither would Mr. Holmes."
"Of course not," I said quickly. Henry had run away from his abusive father. He would not admit from where he had come, but he had been alone for at least a fortnight before Jimmy had found him sleeping in a rubbish bin. Henry had spent that night at the flat, enjoying his first real meal in weeks while I carefully treated the many half-healed injuries left over from his father's beatings.
Henry tried to push himself further away from the opening, but he only succeeded in leaning harder against Timothy. "Looks like Father. Don' wanna go back."
"He is not your father, Henry."
"Looks like him."
"Mr. Kendrick cannot be your father. My uncle does not have any children."
A strangled noise came from where Timothy sat, but I ignored him for the moment as Henry studied me warily.
"You're sure?" Henry asked.
"Very sure," I said firmly. Holmes had never been wrong about such an important detail. If he said Edward did not have a wife or children, then Edward did not have a wife or children.
He made no immediate answer, and I stayed where I was, ignoring my growing discomfort to let him decide. Henry did not yet know me well, and I would not risk scaring him further. If I had known Edward resembled the blackguard that was such a recent memory for Henry, I would not have let Edward come, but I could do nothing except reassure the boy now.
Henry still had not replied when footsteps stopped behind me.
"Watson?"
"Just a minute, Holmes." I kept my gaze on the small boy leaning against Timothy. "Come out, Henry," I tried again. "Mr. Kendrick is not your father, but even if he were, he would not touch you. He would not be here long enough to touch you, and he would have to stop at the hospital on his way to jail because everyone here would want to practice their fighting skills on him. You are safe."
Henry looked up at Tim, who smiled. "He's right. I would love a chance to beat up your father, and so would all of us who know what he did to you."
A faint smile slowly turned the boy's mouth, and he hesitantly pushed himself off Tim's side. I backed out of the narrow entrance, and Tim and Henry followed as Holmes gave me a hand up.
"You dropped something," Holmes told me, his serious words belying the humor in his gaze.
I laughed, taking the proffered cane. "It is not often I can misplace that, is it?" A grin twitched his mouth, but he made no answer as I first checked Edward's location—he was talking with one of the older boys in the corner—then turned back to where Henry and Tim stood next to me. "Did you pick Edward's wallet a few days ago, Tim?"
His face flushed, and he nodded sheepishly. "I didn't know he was your uncle!"
I clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "It is alright, my boy. Do you still have the wallet?"
"Just a minute."
He bolted away, leaving Henry nearly clinging to Doris to rummage through a nearby pile. He came back a moment later with a brown, leather wallet.
"Here, Doctor. We used the money for food, but everything else is still there."
I tucked it into my jacket pocket as Henry resumed his place next to Tim. "Thank you. I will give it back to him later."
Jimmy had been called away while I was in the tunnel, but Doris held a hand towards the smaller boy.
"Do you and Tim want to help me, Henry? I could use some helpers putting these cots back together."
He smiled faintly, cautiously taking her hand though he glanced worriedly towards Edward, and they had just turned away when a surprised cry carried across the courtyard.
"Henry!"
Feet pounded cobblestones, and a frightened squeak sounded as I spun to find Edward hurrying toward us. I instantly stepped in Edward's path, and confusion appeared on his face when I ignored my aching leg to settle into the beginnings of a defensive position. Tim and Holmes flanked me while Doris held Henry close, and when Edward kept coming, the sword in my cane slid partway out of its sheath. He halted mid step.
"How do you know him?" I nearly growled.
Uh oh. What did Edward just get himself into?
Thanks to MCH1987, Guest, Corynutz, and dr. who for your reviews :)
MCH1987, skeptic is probably smart. Watson obviously is too :D
Congrats to Corynutz for guessing Edward would want to help. Also, thank you :)
Guest, I'm afraid I can't do anything about whether you like or dislike Edward, but hopefully you were satisfied with Shelton's black eyes? And broken wrist? All courtesy of the Irregulars. He did get punched at least three times, and Edward might yet earn himself a beating. Watson won't draw his sword on or for just anyone, lol