Chapter Four

Sherlock hadn't seen John since New Years Eve, so when he saw him in the school playground he was happy, though he still clung to his mothers hand feeling scared. Today was his first day at his new school - Applegrove Private School. He was thinking about Jim back in Edinburgh and was sad to think that he may never see him again.

The school bell rang in Edinburgh and Jim was looking around the playground for Sherlock - he was no where to be seen so Jim assumed that he must have been unwell. Everyone headed in to the school and Jim took out his pencil case which was under a small wrapped present - for Sherlock. He had bought Sherlock a woolly hat because it was his birthday soon. The school day went along without any important or exciting events.

The next day at school Sherlock still wasn't in so again Jim decided he must have been very sick but he started to get worried around the third day of the week when he hadn't seen or heard anything from Sherlock.

A whole week went by and Jim was really worried. He decided that on the first day of the second week back that he should ask the teacher where Sherlock was, "Miss, do you know where Sherlock is? I am worried about him."

"Oh Jim." she said, "Didn't he tell you? He has moved to London."

"He wouldn't leave without telling me!" he exclaimed.

"Jim I'm sure he had a good reason for not telling you." she tried to explain.

Jim started sobbing quietly to himself. "He is my best friend though." he whispered.

"Why don't you go in to the quiet room." she suggested.

"Okay." he said.

Jim had a very hard time at home and so when he met Sherlock he felt comfortable and didn't feel the need to hide himself from anyone. That evening he was standing in the kitchen waiting for his father to stop smoking and make him dinner. He had been crying since five o'clock and his face was stained with streaks from the tears.

"Son, what is wrong?" his father asked.

"Sherlock left." he whispered.

"Jim, don't worry. If he never told you why then he must not have been that great a friend."

"No Dad, he was the best friend ever!" Jim shouted and he ran upstairs screaming.

Jim's dad was an electrician but he also had a small van that he did removals in, neither job was that well paid and because the van broke down a lot so more often than not he did the removals for free. What was surprising though was that Daniel Moriarty had actually been to The University of Cambridge to study Physics - he had never told Jim though. While at Cambridge Daniel met Jim's mother Helena and they had become best friends, soon leading on to a more serious relationship and they then moved in together in their second year of university. At the age of nineteen Jim's mother became pregnant and she dropped out of her course. Daniel hoped to stay on at university while looking after Helena but he found juggling classes and home life very hard and because he loved her so much he dropped out to be with her. He got an electricians apprenticeship and looked after Helena and the baby - Jim - but sadly after his first birthday Jim's mother died in a car crash. Helena had planned out what she wanted for Jim and Daniel promised that he would have the best life that was possible; she wanted him to go to nursery and then on to a private primary school and hopefully then a private secondary school and Daniel had kept the promise, he moved to Edinburgh and enrolled Jim into a private primary school, thankfully he had been saving so he could afford the first two years, it was the rest of Jim's school career that worried Daniel though.

The day of the car crash Daniel was looking after Jim when he got a phone call from the hospital telling him that there had been an accident. He rushed to the hospital but he was too late. Helena had been through surgery that seemed to have been successful, she had regained consciousness and told one of the nurses to give Daniel a message 'If I get through this tell Daniel I will marry him.' he got the message but never the chance to put a ring on her finger. He wore everyday, on a chain around his neck a silver engagement ring, it had no stone in it, it was a plain silver ring and he planned to give it to Jim when and if he found someone as amazing as Helena.

"Jim, please come down here." he shouted. "I want to tell you a story about your mother and me. About how we met."

Jim came hurtling down the stairs, he loved hearing stories about his mother.

"As you know it all started at University." and Daniel continued with the story of his life from when he met Helena to what he had for breakfast that morning

The story was very long and Jim ended up falling asleep in his fathers arms before it was over.

Daniel continued to tell the story regardless of lack of audience and he felt his eyes start to sting. He never liked Jim to see him cry because he was the 'man' of the house, but this moment felt different. It was the day before Helenas birthday, she would have been twenty nine. Helena and Daniel had so many plans for when they left University; they were going to travel, and do voluntary work in Africa but that life was sadly cut short.

Jim woke abruptly. His shoulder was damp and he twisted around in his fathers grip to see why. His dad was still awake and he had been crying.

"Dad, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing son, but I don't want you to go in to school tomorrow." he said.

"Why?"

"I just think we both need a bit of a break."

"But why?" Jim asked again.

"Well you must be having a hard time at school without Sherlock and I am missing your mother quite a lot at the moment."

Jim and his father spent most of the day watching daytime television, but when it was around five o'clock Daniel suddenly stood up and looked at his watch.

"James." he said with a serious voice "I need to go out, I won't be too long but I want you to stay here, I will make you something to eat quickly, don't answer the door or the phone and I will close the curtains."

"Okay Dad." he knew something was wrong, no one ever called him James unless something was wrong or he was in trouble, but he somehow knew his father was in a bit of bother.

He left half an hour later after finishing his dinner of toast and beans and Jim went up to bed because he was really tired and worried about his dad.