Woooooooooooooo so it's about 3am and this is about 8 pages long my darlings. My partners in crime (and the people who actually write this story~ I am just their unworthy editor) -senoritas lulu and chrisybee- are very delighted with you guys' enthusiasm. For all those who have suffered because of my woeful neglect, never fear I have been thoroughly cyber slapped to within an inch of my life. We all went through the spinner trying to actually put all the pieces of this together, so I hope you like it! As always, enjoy my lovelies :) Reviews make Olaf the snowman even happier! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Molly Hooper grabbed her lunch from the refrigerator and sat with Angel, the nurse on call for the front desk. Technically they weren't supposed to have lunch with someone while they were working but Molly did it all the time anyway. She sat down at the desk next to Angel, so she could look like she was working, opened her salad and talked. She was about half-way through her explanation on her new diet when a young blonde nervous boy in a school uniform approached the desk to ask Angel a question.
"When can I see my friend?" The boy asked, he looked pale and jittery.
"What's his name sweetheart?" Angel asked smiling sympathetically.
"Merlin, Merlin Holmes."
Angel looked down at the computer screen in front of her, but it was only because it was a habit. "I'm sorry, Merlin was only admitted half an hour ago. He's still in intensive care. He'll pull through though, I know the doctor, he's one of the best. I'll let you know when anything changes." The boy nodded then went to sit down.
"Poor kid," Angel sighed.
"Wait, did he say Holmes?" Molly asked.
"His friends only been admitted for half an hour and he's come up here to ask me if he can see him six times already."
"Angel!"
"What?"
"It is Holmes right? That's what he said."
"Yeah," then understanding crossed Angel's face as Molly got up from her seat, "Wait! Molly you can't just ask..." But she was too late. Molly was already up from her seat and walking towards the blonde school-boy and his older companion.
The blonde boy looked up as she approached, Angel was right he did look scared. Molly smiled at him reassuringly, sat down next to the boy and introduced herself.
"Hello, my name's Molly Hooper, you see I work in the morgue here..." but apparently that was the wrong way to begin a conversation.
"Merlin's dead!" boy practically screamed, and his grandfather, Molly was guessing, tried to quiet him while looking scared and quiet confused.
"No, no! Merlin's not dead." Molly reassured sincerely hoping whoever Merlin was hadn't died in the fifteen-minutes she had been away from the morgue. "You see I heard that a Merlin Holmes was admitted to the hospital and I was wondering if he might be related to a friend of mine." Molly explained mentally kicking herself for how unprofessional it all sounded.
"Who's your friend?" the older man asked.
"Sherlock Holmes."
"That's Merlin's older brother." the boy piped in after getting control of his emotions. "I have Merlin's mobile and I've been tried calling him and texting him but Sherlock hasn't answered yet."
"That's funny; I didn't know Sherlock had a younger brother." Molly said thoughtfully. "I take it you haven't been able to see Merlin yet have you?" Both, the older man and the boy shook their heads. "I'll see what I can do for you and who are you exactly?"
"I'm Arthur, a school friend of Merlin's."
"And I'm Mr. Gius, I'm the counselor at Arthur and Merlin's school." After shaking both Mr. Gius and Arthur's hands Molly went back to the front desk, where Angel was hiding behind paper's she was holding up to shield her face, and rolled her eyes when Molly started texting Sherlock about his brother.
John Watson stepped through the doorway of 221B Baker Street at 5:15, as his shift at the clinic ended at 5 o'clock. He sighed, took off his jacket, hung it up, and entered the kitchen to find something to eat. As always Sherlock ignored him as he passed and continued to look at something far more interesting than John Watson under his microscope. John heard Sherlock's mobile go off, then again, and then a third time.
"Sherlock, are you going to get that?" John asked as he looked in the refrigerator for anything to eat.
"No." Sherlock said shortly.
John rolled his eyes what has he thinking? This was Sherlock, he has better things to do than answer his phone. "Where is it?" John asked, partly because the mobile's message alert noise was going to get annoying and partly because he wanted to know what catastrophe Sherlock was ignoring now. John was shocked to see that Sherlock had 20 missed messages, and even more shocked that they were all trying to tell Sherlock the same thing. "Sherlock Merlin's in the hospital he had an asthma attack." John said as he rushed to get his coat back on only to run back into the kitchen and see that Sherlock had not moved yet.
"Asthma is an incredibly treatable lung disease, Merlin will be fine." Sherlock said.
"It's also incredibly frightening Sherlock. Merlin's asthma isn't that bad." When Sherlock still did nothing John got mad. "Tell me Sherlock when was the last time Merlin had an asthma attack." Sherlock opened his mouth to shoot some witty retort back but John beat him to it, "Oh, that's right when some mad man kidnapped him, held him hostage, and forced him to take something that induced an asthma attack. Merlin was scared and alone then and he's probably scared and alone now."
"John, someone was messaging me, if someone was messaging me that much and Merlin can't be the one sending them he's probably not alone."
"His brother's not there. He chose to live here Sherlock. Mycroft's probably there or at least doing everything he can to be there." Sherlock was looking as John with a blank look, "Sometimes Sherlock you can be so thick." John tossed Sherlock's phone back at its owner who instinctively caught it and then ran out of the apartment to get to St. Bart's hospital the fastest way possible.
Arthur had finally been allowed into Merlin's hospital room hours ago and he still couldn't get over vulnerable and weak Merlin looked lying on the bed. Merlin's skin looked sickly pale (although Merlin was always pale so it was hard for Arthur to tell), Merlin's black eye contrasted with his pale skin making it look worse than it actually was, not to mention the layer of sweat that covered face and neck.
When Arthur had first entered the room Merlin's shoes, socks, dress shirt, blazer, and tie had where neatly folded at the foot of his bed leaving the boy in question in his thin white t-shirt and dress trousers. Merlin had an oxygen mask on, which had been replaced with the nasal prong tube things. Arthur suspected the doctors had given Merlin something because Merlin kept drifting in and out of sleep and even when he was 'awake' he was extremely groggy and Arthur doubted Merlin was really understanding or going to remember anything anybody who visited him said.
Mr. Leon and Ms. Hunith had visited. Ms. Hunith had been in tears as she was under the impression that she had almost killed a student and Mr. Leon had come to drop off Merlin's school work and to tell Arthur to tell Merlin that Percival was really really sorry about something not that anyone who was completely lucid in the room had any idea what he was talking about. Arthur had called his father who thought he was discreetly egging on his sons friendship with 'The British Government' but Arthur wasn't that stupid. Arthur was about to lose what little faith he had in Merlin's brother when finally they showed.
When John got to the front desk they had surprisingly allowed him back into the ward. He did not know if he should be surprised that Sherlock was already there. He definitely wasn't surprised that Sherlock was already in a heated argument with Mycroft. John didn't even bother to care about whatever they were fighting about; he walked past the bickering brothers to keep the youngest of the Holmes brothers company.
"Hi, I'm John Watson I'm Sherlock's roommate." John introduced himself to the older man sitting by Merlin's bed and shook his hand. "Hi Arthur, thanks for staying. You both have rides right?"
"My chauffeur is on his way." Arthur said.
"I have money; I can get a cab or catch a bus." Mr. Gius answered.
John nodded then busied himself with Merlin's clipboard hanging to the end of his bed. Mr. Gius shook hands with John, gave Arthur a pat on the back, told Merlin to feel better, and then left.
Arthur leaned back in his chair and surveyed the scene unfolding on front of him. "We really need to work on your family situation. Honestly the only adult in this room who is actively worried about your well-being is your brothers platonic life partner."
"Pla-wha" Merlin said sounding confused and half asleep.
"We really need to work on your vocabulary, Merlin."
John, having enough of the two older brothers' childish antics decided to end it before nurses got involved. He put the clip board back where it belonged and got between Sherlock and Mycroft. "Would you two get a hold of yourselves? What could you possibly be fighting about at a time like this?"
"Maybe you could let Merlin decide?" John said as the voice of reason just as Arthur's phone buzzed.
"My chauffeur's here I should go." Arthur said.
"Thanks." Merlin said looking on the verge of sleep, yet again.
"I couldn't let my tutor die could I?" Arthur said. He grabbed his things and left the ward.
It was silent for a moment in Merlin's curtained off section of the ward while John, Mycroft, and Sherlock all observed Merlin with a calculating stare.
Merlin let out a few coughs then looked from Mycroft to Sherlock questioningly. "What were you to fighting about before?" He asked, his words only sounding a little but slurred.
"I got you a scarf, Merlin." Mycroft said stepping forward and putting the red scarf on the bed within Merlin's reach. "I thought you lungs might be a little weak or sore due to your asthma attack and I though red would go well with your completion."
"Thank you." Merlin said as he reached out to feel the scarf for himself.
"Yes well I also got you a scarf. But I got you a blue one. I know you've always admired mine." Sherlock said laying his gift on top of Mycroft's. "And I knew his would be inadequate."
Mycroft and John rolled their eyes. "What exactly do you mean by inadequate, do you have any idea..."
"The one you gave him is all scratchy..."
"How can you tell you've never touched it!"
"I didn't have to I can see it from here Mycroft, I'm not stupid!"
Just when Mycroft was about to open his mouth to retaliate a nurse walked into Merlin's part of the ward. "I am sorry to interrupt but if you two don't quiet down I am going to have to ask you to leave!"
"I am very sorry." Mycroft said as he straightened up and gave the elderly nurse a diplomatic stare. "I was just wondering if I could have the paperwork to have this young man discharged."
"Are you related to him in anyway?" The nurse asked.
"We are his brother's and a trusted friend." Mycroft answered.
"I was just coming to speak to you about..." The nurse checked the paperwork she was holding, "Merlin. He was admitted while having an asthma attack, an inhaler had been administered but didn't help. The thing that is troublesome is that when we gave him our medication his asthma would fade out but then come back. We finally came to the conclusion that panic and stress where a constant trigger for his asthma attacks. We had to go as far as to sedate him lightly, just enough to put him at ease and rest, and while most his symptoms have stopped he is still fighting the sedative. We don't want to discharge him until we know what exactly is setting of his asthma attacks."
"Does he need to have the medication anymore?" Mycroft asked gesturing toward the tubes on Merlin's face.
"Well no..."
Mycroft cut her off and turned to Merlin, "Merlin how do you feel."
Merlin looked up as he was trying to wrap both of the scarves around neck at one time. He shrugged and said: "Alright..."
"Do you want to stay here?" Mycroft asked again.
"I'd rather go home if it's alright." He answered not looking at anyone.
"There you see." Mycroft said, but the nurse still looked unconvinced, "This is Merlin's doctor who lives with Merlin and my brother Sherlock. Merlin will be in perfectly capable hands." Mycroft gestured to John.
The nurse looked at John with a skeptical and judgmental stare, as if she was sizing him up and doubted he was a doctor, which left John looking fairly offended.
Merlin took the scarf from Mycroft but before he really got a good look at it Sherlock shoved the blue scarf in Merlin's direction. "I knew Mycroft would botch his present so I made sure to get you a better one."
"Give it a rest Sherlock it's just the color." Mycroft said rolling his eyes.
"No it is not just the color. Yours is all scratchy. Merlin has sensitive skin..."
The brothers continued to bicker not hearing Merlin's soft "Thanks you."
"Excuse me!" An older scary looking nurse said as she burst through the curtains separating Merlin and the next patient. "Just who do you think you are! Having a row! In an emergency room!"
Mycroft and Sherlock both opened their mouths as if to tell her exactly who they were but then John cut them both off.
"We're Merlin's family, well they are I'm..."
"He's Merlin's doctor." Said Mycroft smoothly, ignoring the surprised looks from Merlin and, according to Mycroft, his doctor. The nurse looked John over with a judgmental eye as if she didn't believe he was a doctor. "Could we have Merlin's discharge paperwork please; we'd like to get him home as soon as possible."
"Actually," said the nurse, "we planned on keeping Merlin here over night. According to his medical record his asthma is strictly sports induced, we are reluctant to release him until we know what caused it. It seemed as though his asthma attack was brought on by some sort of panic attack. We gave him something to take the edge off but he refuses to rest." The scary nurse took this opportunity to glare at Merlin like he was trying to be difficult just for her. "There also is the matter of Merlin being sick." The scary nurse smirked as she saw all three men looked surprised at this fact, "It's nothing too bad and probably contributed to the asthma attack but we'd like to monitor it a little just in case."
"Could we have moment alone please?" Mycroft asked in mock politeness. The nurse nodded and left, then Mycroft turned to Merlin. "Merlin, do you want to stay here."
Merlin shook his head.
"Now wait just moment, if they don't want Merlin to leave then be should probably stay."
"Do you think you know what caused the asthma attack?" Mycroft asked, ignoring John.
Merlin nodded. "I had felt a little sick all day, but I didn't tell anyone because it wasn't a big deal and I was going to ask coach if I could sit the game out." Merlin added quickly before anyone could interrupt him, "I left lunch early because I wasn't hungry and I went to the biology room for my next class. I was the only one in there and there was something covering my desk. I figured it was harmless if Mrs. Hunith had left it there and I brushed it off." Merlin purposely fiddled with the edge of his scarf so he wouldn't have to look at Sherlock outraged face. "I know it was stupid but I..."
"What happened next Merlin." John asked quickly.
"Whatever it was it must have come from a lab they did in another class and it smelled like that stuff... That stuff he gave me, to make it so I couldn't breathe. It wasn't exactly it but it made me have these flashbacks and I couldn't... I couldn't breathe..." Merlin ran hand through his looking agitated and on the verge of panic.
"It's alright Merlin." John said as Mycroft quietly stepped out onto the other side if the curtain.
"Sometimes Merlin you can be such an imbecile." Sherlock said as he took the blue scarf out of Merlin's hands.
"I'm sorry Sherlock I just wasn't..."
"Thinking? I know Merlin." Sherlock said as he wrapped the scarf around Merlin's neck the same way he wore it.
"Where did Mycroft go?"
"He's threatening the nurses for your release forms." Sherlock answered.
Within moments Mycroft came back through the curtain. "Merlin grab your things, we're leaving."
A nicer, scarred, looking nurse came in and took out Merlin's I.V. and helped Merlin take the tubes out of his nose. Merlin shoved his feet into his shoes, out on his blazer, and wrapped Mycroft's scarf around his neck. John grabbed his dress shirt and tie and followed the Holmes' out of the emergency room.