Prompt at the end
"…We shall see you at seven tonight."
My pen swung between two fingers as I studied the page. That line ended the scene. What did I need to write next?
The denouement, I decided. I could add more details to that conversation as needed, but I did not have any other major points before Holmes laid his ambush.
"Absolute silence, Watson. This must be timed precisely."
I made no answer, never looking up from my papers. We had not spoken in hours, and I had no intention of doing so now. Several minutes sketched the lead-in, the trap itself, the unplanned complication, and finally the capture and reveal. A sigh of relief set my pen aside. Now it needed only a few proofreads before I could put it away.
Later, though. For the moment, I needed to stretch, and I wanted something to drink. Perhaps a small bite to eat, as well, considering I had missed breakfast this morning. Careful movements pushed my chair back without noise. Did Holmes still focus on his experiment?
Yes, which meant he would not appreciate an offer to get him anything, nor would he want me to pass behind him on my way to the stairs. The rug silenced my uneven footsteps as a short detour retrieved my cane from its place against the wall, and I walked away from Holmes to take the long way through his room. Mrs. Hudson usually kept a quantity of meat and cheese available. I could grab some of that while waiting for a pot of tea to steep.
Or, I realized with a glance at the clock, I could simply help Mrs. Hudson with luncheon. She would have confirmed our midday plans soon anyway, and I doubted she would mind starting a few minutes early. If I happened to finish my portion while we prepared everything, that meant one less thing to carry upstairs.
Except Holmes would want to keep working as long as he could. Probably better to grab a few slices of meat to carry me to our normal mealtime. That avoided interrupting his experiment, which ensured he would not have to repeat the process later. The last time circumstances had required he redo an experiment, we had—
"Watson, get down!"
Terrified urgency interrupted my wandering thoughts, but I had no chance to react before a deafening explosion shook the room. Blunt force shoved my back to make me stumble, and while an instinctive twist avoided hitting a small table, my searching grasp found nothing to steady my ruined balance. I bounced painfully off the door to impact hard wood.
"Watson!"
And fight to inhale. I needed to stand, needed to ensure Holmes had not been injured, but the awkward landing had forcibly exhaled every bit of air from my lungs. Long seconds trying to breathe kept me on the floor.
"Check on Watson while I neutralize this."
Footsteps hurried from the other doorway, then Mrs. Hudson knelt beside me. I finally got a full—however gasping—breath just before she would have rolled me off my shoulder.
"Doctor?"
"F'ne." Rapid pants shortened the word. I pushed myself to my knees, then to a sitting position. A spasm shot from shoulder to leg to make me flinch. "I'm fine," I managed after a moment. "Holmes?"
"I ducked beneath the table in time," he promised without looking away from the broken beaker in front of him. Several shards of glass and a small burn mark gathered no notice as two drops of one chemical and a splash of another landed in the bubbling liquid, then the nearby pitcher grew suddenly fuller when he dumped the entire solution into the tepid water. Worry joined the pain in his gaze as long strides carried him to where I still sat against the wall.
"Alr—"
"Did you lose consciousness?" I asked simultaneously. Mrs. Hudson stood to let him kneel in front of me, but my attention remained on him. At the least, he battled a rather strong headache, but the same shock wave that had cost me my balance could easily have given him a concussion.
"No. Are you injured?"
"No." He did not exhibit the symptoms of a concussion, and the clear—and penetrating—gaze substantiated his words. I did not press for now, though I would return to the topic if his headache did not ease. "What happened?"
"The lid came off." Frowning concern noted the spasm twitching my shoe. "Close to a tablespoon entered the solution instead of the drop I intended. Then what did you do to your leg? And shoulder," he added when a shot of pain made me loop my thumb through my belt.
"Don't worry about it." Lingering pain said my efforts to stay upright had buckled my leg, and my shoulder had impacted both door and ground. The discomfort would ease in a few minutes. I did not need to admit something that happened so frequently.
Though repetition also made the problem easier to deduce. Holmes' longer reach nudged my stick further away. "Are you injured anywhere else?"
No—and this did not count as injury. A twitched grin answered my glare even as he draped my arm over his shoulders. One smooth movement let me stand with his support, but directing us at my chair earned me a frown.
"I'm fine," I said again. "I just need to sit for a minute."
More like a couple of hours. I would not say as much, however. A moment deposited me in my chair, and my manuscript and pen slapped a convenient side table a moment later.
"Thank you."
He ignored me, as usual. "Why did you get up?"
To eat, but I could wait. A gesture brushed the question aside. "Needed to stretch. Next time I'll do so in my chair."
He smirked but continued studying me. We both knew I usually stretched next to my chair, but a strange outline caught my attention before he could deduce my true goal.
"Holmes, did you realize you broke the hinges on at least two doors?"
He had not, based on how fast he spun to follow my gaze, and the sagging wood sparked a less than serious argument that thoroughly distracted him. Mrs. Hudson's comments only helped my cause.
Though they did not distract her. The pot of tea a few minutes later also accompanied a few slices of meat. She merely laughed when my thanks joined a murmured comment of acting like Holmes.
From V Tsuion: Blasting off again!
Thank you much to those who reviewed yesterday's chapter! So glad you enjoyed :D
Corynutz: well, as much as I can, at least. I've found a few humorous oopses in previous stories :) but anyway, yes. Based on what I found, you did your own studying, whether under tutors or on your own in the library, and went to the university only to take your exams. University of London did not become a "teaching university" until about 1900