Ripple
By: Raven612
Chapter 13: Ask and You Shall Receive
Summary: Sherlock is submitted to the most intense interrogation of his life by the scariest people he's ever met.
A/N: So…even more apologies from me. Life got in the way, but I'm making it up to you all with a fluffy chapter!
*Day 9 of Hell*
Sherlock hadn't slept. He was convinced that, as soon as he would shut his eyes, John would stop breathing. It was completely unwarranted. John was fine. He was just resting and his body was healing itself. Sherlock knew this, yet he couldn't bring himself to settle down. Sherlock was convinced that anything concerning John Watson would always take first position in his mind. He simply couldn't focus when John was hurt, or being threatened.
Sherlock sighed and got to his feet. He had to pace to ease the tension in his back. The chair was starting to agitate his muscles. There wasn't enough padding on it to be conducive to his current situation. He walked the short length of the room. His eyes always stayed on the monitors hooked up to John. None of them had changed at all during the night. He looked up at the clock. It was 8AM. The doctors had lowered the pain meds and antibiotics just an hour ago. Sherlock expected that John should be finding consciousness in the early evening. Sherlock sighed, he was so bloody BORED.
Just as he thought he'd literally lose his mind, a soft knock sounded at the door, he turned, "Come in Harry," he called and moved to stand on the good side of John's bed. His gaze narrowed when he saw Anna and James trail Harry.
"Morning," she called and set a vase of flowers on the windowsill on the other side of the room. Anna and James hesitated a moment before going to John's bedside.
Sherlock narrowed his gaze at them, "Morning," he answered slowly not looking at Harry.
Harry sighed and rolled her eyes, "They wouldn't stop bugging me to come and see John so I broke down," she told him and set her purse and coat on the small counter next to the sink.
Anna looked across John to Sherlock and smiled, "Morning Uncle Lock!" she called and waved.
Sherlock and James flinched, "Morning Anna," he nodded. He reached up and brushed some fringe from John's forehead, "How are you?" he asked because he could see the look John would be giving him if he didn't ask.
She giggled, "I'm okay Uncle Lock," she told him with a nod and then watched as her mum came to stand next to her and James.
Harry reached up and smoothed her hand along John's cheek, "How is he doing?" she asked and didn't look up at Sherlock.
Sherlock grunted, "Good, he's started to move a bit, his meds have been lowered. He should wake up in the early evening," he informed her while his gaze settled on John's chest and he watched it rise and fall.
Harry nodded, "Good, that's good," she muttered and blinked. She lifted her head to look at Sherlock, a small smile on her face, "He'll be right pissed about having his shoulder injured again," she teased trying to lighten the mood.
Sherlock made a noise and lifted his shoulders. He just wanted John to wake up already so that they could go home. He sighed.
Harry cleared her throat. She'd been studying John while the twins were studying the room. She blinked and settled her gaze on Sherlock.
He narrowed his gaze at her and shook his head, "No, no, no, no Harry, I'm not…I can't…no," he said with some force.
Harry frowned, "Please Sherlock, I don't have anywhere else to leave them," she pleaded.
He shook his head, "No, do you really want to torture me?" he hissed at her.
Harry narrowed her gaze, she could play the game too, "Sherlock…you owe me, after what they went through because of you," she knew it was a low blow, but she really had nowhere else to leave the twins while she and her wife got a few issues settled.
Sherlock's spine straightened. He really wished John was awake now. He narrowed his gaze, she had to go there. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before giving a sharp nod, "They can stay for a few hours," he told her sternly.
Harry smiled wide and nodded, "Thank you Sherlock, I'll make sure to be as quick as I can, they shouldn't be too much trouble, thank you," she gushed and grabbed her things. She turned to the twins and knelt down. She murmured to them and kissed each of their foreheads. They said their goodbyes, and then, Sherlock was left alone with the hellions.
An hour later and Sherlock was ready to decorate the walls with his brains. The twins had been upon him as soon as Harry left. James hadn't, no matter what Sherlock did, let go of his hand, and Anna was never more than two steps behind him. The detective could not find his own space, nor enough quiet to just think, so he plopped down into his chair and ignored the twins.
They eased away from him after becoming more comfortable with their surroundings, and they started to explore the room. James found a leftover stethoscope and he and Anna entertained themselves for about ten minutes playing doctor. Soon they got into a fight over who was the doctor and for how long; Sherlock found himself with a new stethoscope. Anna started to explore the cabinets and equipment, and that's when Sherlock made the decision to take them out into the halls for a walk.
Sherlock decided that he should have done the walk a long time ago. The nurses faun over the twins and give them candy. Sherlock is unsure of the candy at first, but it shuts them up so he's fine with it. He is also slightly thankful for them as a distraction. An hour ago he was nearly losing his mind in John's room with nothing to do, and now he had two little kids to keep his attention.
They wander the halls, Sherlock following behind the twins while they explored and looked into different rooms. They traveled a floor down and found the pediatric wing where a playroom sat unused. James and Anna exchanged a look before taking off. Sherlock sighed and followed. He found an uncomfortable waiting-room chair and sat down to watch the twins play themselves out.
The twins managed to entertain themselves for a good hour before they complained of being bored and asking to see John again. It's nearing lunchtime and Sherlock knows he should feed them so he brings them to the cafeteria. After the twins finish lunch and Sherlock has a sandwich, they ask to go to the room again.
Sherlock complies and they head back to the room. It's a feat in and of itself, but Sherlock is actually feeling exhausted when he gets back to the room. He goes up to John's bed and murmurs a greeting. He bends over and kisses his forehead. John makes a noise and his head moved slightly searching for Sherlock, but he doesn't wake up.
Anna tugs on Sherlock's trouser leg, "Uncle Lock, I wanna give Uncle John a kiss too," she whines.
Sherlock sighs and bends to pick her up. He hasn't held the twins often, and it's a bit awkward as he lifts her by her tiny waist and bends her over so she can smack her lips on John's cheek. The doctor makes an incomprehensible noise. Anna giggles, and Sherlock sets her down. James looks up at him pleadingly. Sherlock grumbles under his breath and lifts James so he can smack John's cheek as well. Sherlock sets him down and sighs. It's almost one and Sherlock is terrified to think that he could use a nap. He pulls the chair closet to John's bedside behind him and plops down. His long legs spread out before him and he deflates. Anna and James don't waste a second and climb into his lap. He groans and glares at them.
"Must you invade my space at every turn?" he sighs and is too tired to push them away.
Anna giggles and shakes her head, "Why are you so mean Uncle Lock?" she asks as she settles herself more comfortably on his long thigh. Her small legs dangle on the inside of his thighs. James is sitting in the same manner, but he's stiffer.
"Because I'm a sociopath," he tells her and flashes a quick, fake smile.
James cocks his head, "What's a Soci…Soci-path?" he asks and kicks his legs.
"Too complicated for you to understand."
The twins both frown, "Nah-uh, what are you Uncle Lock?" Anna asks this time.
Sherlock glares, "I have no emotions Anna," he finally says.
Anna and James both seem to be trying to think about what he said, "But you love Uncle John, right?" James asks, and his body relaxing a bit more in Sherlock's lap.
Sherlock rolls his eyes, "Of course I love your Uncle John," he mutters.
"Then you're a human," Anna says with a nod and smiles. She nestles closer to him and lays her head against his chest.
Sherlock stiffens. He's not used to anyone else cuddled so close to him except John. He looks away from the kids, "Of course I'm a human," he grumbles while staring at the wall.
"Then you're not a Soci-path," James reasons.
Sherlock snorts, "You don't understand," he told them with a slight shake of his head.
"Is that man really dead forever?" James asks suddenly, his hands are gripping Sherlock's thighs tightly.
Sherlock nods and swallows the lump in his throat, "He's gone forever, he won't ever do anything to anyone ever again," he says quietly and lifts a hand to ruffle James's curls, and he smiles a tiny bit.
Anna sighs and nuzzles into Sherlock's chest, "Do my mum and mummy really love each other?"
Ah, the perception of a child, Sherlock looks down. Anna isn't looking up at him, but James is. Sherlock clears his throat, "I think they do, very much," Sherlock is thankful no one, save for an unconscious John, is in the room to hear all of this.
"Why did they leave without us then?" James asks and follows his sister's lead and cuddles against Sherlock's chest.
"They needed to do something only they could do with each other," Sherlock responds with a slight shrug.
"Couldn't we help?" Anna asks him and winds her arm around his waist.
Sherlock snorts and shakes his head, "No, this was grown-up business," he mutters and suppresses a yawn.
"When will I be a grown-up?" James asks and his eyes flutter as he listens to Sherlock's heartbeat.
"In fourteen years," Sherlock answers and looks down at the twins. He feels a bit funny having them like this. It's too normal. He's not sure if he absolutely hates it, or just really dislikes it.
"When we're grown-ups, does that mean we get married then?" Anna asked and yawned wide.
Sherlock blinked, oh Lord help him; he was not going to tread these waters. He cleared his throat and looked at the wall, "Yes, if you…if you fall in love then…then yes…yes marriage should be…erm…the next step."
"How come you and Uncle John aren't married then?" James asked softly.
Sherlock stiffened and looked down with wide eyes. He hadn't been expecting that, and he didn't really have an answer for it. He'd only recently been contemplating the possibility, but wasn't sure how John would feel about it. He cleared his throat and drummed his fingers against the arm rests of the chair.
"Yeah, how come you and Uncle John aren't married Uncle Lock, do you really, really love him like times a billion?" Anna yawned again and Sherlock felt his cheeks heating up.
He looked across to where John was sleeping, the thick bandages around his shoulder and arm to hold everything in place left a mound in the blanket. He smiled faintly and settled into the chair again, "We've never talked about it I suppose," Sherlock answers honestly with a slight shrug.
"Should we ask him for you?" James mumbles and his eyes begin to flutter and he yawns again.
Sherlock's own eyes are growing very heavy. His chest rumbles with a low chuckle, "Yeah…sure," he mutters and his head lolls to the side as his eyes flutter shut too.
John felt the pain first. It shot through his shoulder and down his spine. He groaned and tried to shift, but he felt so heavy. He groaned again and his eyes slowly fluttered open. He hissed at the light and squeezed them shut again. He lifted his good hand and lazily rubbed it over his face. He sucked in a deep breath and finally opened his eyes. He let the breath out through his nose and sighed. He blinked a few times before turning his head. He could hear soft snores and wanted to see Sherlock. He smiled when his gaze finally settled on the detective napping in a chair with the twins on either thigh. It was an adorable picture, and he wished he could capture the moment forever. He slowly blinked his eyes and smiled. He watched them for a moment before the door to his room opened. He jumped slightly, too caught up in the moment. He turned his head and smiles at the nurse.
"Ah, you're awake doctor, nice to see you," she greeted with a smile and recorded his vitals.
John nodded and opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. The nurse smiled and moved forward. She pressed a button and John's bed raised a bit so that he was in a semi seated position. He smiled and let the nurse pour water down his throat. God he was in heaven. He drank all the water in the cup and sighed. He let his head sink into the pillow and the nurse left the room quietly.
"Good morning sunshine," a deep baritone sounded from John's right. He grinned and turned his head to see Sherlock awake again. The twins were slowly beginning to wake as well.
John smiled, "Hi," he breathed. The fingers on his right hand flexed, missing the reassuring heat of Sherlock's fingers.
Sherlock grinned and fought against stretching so that he didn't disrupt the twins while they woke, "How do you feel?"
John sighed, "Like I bloody got shot in the shoulder…again," he muttered and a smile tugged at his lips, "I see you've…adapted," he grinned full on then and Sherlock frowned and grumbled.
"I still dislike them a lot," he muttered and stuck his chin out defiantly.
John chuckled, and then flinched when pain shot through him.
Sherlock gave him a pointed look, "Don't hurt yourself," he muttered and looked down as Anna and James both yawned wide.
"Hi Uncle John," James greeted and waved. He slid from Sherlock's thigh and stood.
John smiled, "Hi James…how are you feeling?" he asked quietly.
James smiled, "I'm alright Uncle John," he went to John's bedside and grinned at him. John grinned back.
"Uncle John," Anna starts, but has to stop because her words are swallowed in a yawn, "Uncle John, would you pretty please with a cherry on top marry Uncle Lock?" she still looks sleepy as she asks the question and both men go very still.
Slowly Sherlock and John's eyes meet. Sherlock swallows uncomfortably and shifts. John blinks. He's lost his voice. He's not sure what to do, but James and Anna are both staring at him with huge grins. He settles his gaze back on Sherlock, "I…well…he'd have to ask me himself," John finally manages to get past the lump in his throat.
Anna and James turn to look at Sherlock. He swallows thickly, and his cheeks turn a deep red. "Ask him Uncle Lock, remember, you love him times a billion," Anna urges with a grin, completely serious.
Sherlock would like to very much die. He looks nervous. This is not how he had pictured this moment, if he had even ever pictured it. He looks around the room. This whole situation has gone from bad to worse, and he's not sure how to fix it without hurting John.
John chuckles, "Anna…that's a very important and life changing question, Sherlock…if he ever wants to ask it…he'll do so when he wants to…" John said with a forced grin.
Sherlock blinked, and before he knew it, his lips were moving and his voice coming out, "John, I…I want you to marry me…please?"
John snapped his head up, and cringed at the pain. He blinked wide eyed at Sherlock. Anna and James giggled and clapped. John opened and closed his mouth. He didn't know how to respond. He didn't know if Sherlock meant it, or if he was just doing it because he was put on the spot. John was about to answer when the door opened again and Harry came in.
A/N: Ohhhhh, lookit guise, a small cliffy! Stay tuned to see what happens in the next chapter! Please review! Thank you for reading!