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Chapter 7
"Well!" John coughed to break the silence.
"Sherlock!" Lily cried, running to him. She stopped and lifted her arms so he would pick her up. He obliged after a few moments of silence and she happily laid her head on his shoulder.
"So how did everything go?" I asked, beginning the task of picking up all of Lily's toys, books, glasses, and garbage.
"Good." John said neutrally, handing me a small doll he nearly stepped on.
"I am on fire!" Sherlock noted happily.
"So you saved another victim?" I was amused at his jovialness at another murder.
"Yes. A Mr. Ian Monkwood who apparently got into a spot of trouble." Sherlock said. "He left the country using the aid of a car rental whom specialized in helping people disappear."
"Wow. Interesting line of work." I commented, dropping to my knees to fish out a few wrappers from underneath Sherlock's chair.
"Yeah." John agreed, before collapsing into his own chair. "How does one find that sort of thing?"
"You mean you never see those ad's that ask for criminals needing relocation, John?" I teased the friendly doctor, laughing heartily.
"No!" He said adamantly, refusing to raise to the bait. I just continued to laugh.
"Mommy, I'm tired." Lily yawned into Sherlock's neck. I gave her a soft smile, when she turned to look at me.
"Alright. I think it's bed time for someone." I gathered everything, quickly throwing it into the bags and the wrappers into the kitchen bin.
"I'll carry her down." Sherlock offered after John said something to him, which I couldn't hear from the kitchen.
"Thank you." I struggled with holding all three bags before Sherlock wordlessly took one from me.
We headed to my flat in silence. Lily had once again stuck her thumb in her mouth. She was struggling to stay awake.
I unlocked the door, flicking on the light before making my way down the stairs. I led him to her room, which was the only fully completed room in the whole flat. She had it all decorated in yellows and oranges. I had painted a large sunrise on the wall opposite her bed.
"Let me get her dressed," I told him as he laid her down on the bed. I handed him the other two bags and shooed Sherlock out of the room.
I slid a pair of her pajama's on her expertly before I gently placed her between the covers. I took her clothes and put them in the hamper before I clicked on the nightlight. I gently shut the door, leaving it open a hair.
I walked into the dilapidated living room to see Sherlock staring at the floor. I knew what he was thinking about – when I was a hostage and who planted the shoes in my flat. I walked up behind him and placed my hand on his back.
"I'm just creeped out on how he got into my apartment." I said. Sherlock turned around to face me, a frown on his face.
"Yes. Apparently this place isn't well secured." I gave him a wry smile.
"Well it's no Fort Knox that's for sure, but I'm hardly hiding any secrets in here am I?" He chuckled. "Thank you."
"What for?" He appeared genuinely confused. I suppose people don't generally share their gratitude with him.
"For everything." I smirked before giving him a gentle kiss.
"Well I'm going to have to do everything in my power to continue to get your gratitude." Sherlock gave me a grin. I had to laugh at his antics. "I have to go." Sherlock noted his watch with a frown.
"It's alright Sherlock." I said before walking with him to the door. "I made up a couple of dinners. They are labeled in your fridge."
"I'm not - "
"Hungry, I know. But since you solved this last case, you need to eat tonight. Gain some strength." I told him, my hand on his arm. "Please eat for me?"
"Fine." He sighed before kissing me again. Once he left, I leaned against the door, a goofy smile adorning my face. Finally, connecting back to reality, I locked the door then stopped by Lily's room to check on her.
She was lying on her side, snuggled into the stuffed dog I had bought her as a baby. Robert had wanted to buy her a garish pink teddy bear. I had spotted the dog and immediately knew that this was going to be her stuffed animal. We bought it along with the teddy, which was discarded after her nonuse of the bear and then the flu incident.
I walked over to her side and pulled the blankets over her form until they rested below her chin. I gently brushed the hair out of her face, then pressed a kiss to her temple. She sighed and smiled in her slumber and I quietly left her room.
I checked all the windows, as well as the door that opened onto the side street, before I slipped my clothes off and pulled my pajama tank and shorts on. With a sigh I shut the light out, making sure to leave the door open a crack so I could hear Lily. I laid on my stomach and after several moments I finally fell asleep.
The next morning I was startled out of bed by the loud pounding that generated in the vicinity of the door. Hurrying down the hall, freezing because I forgot my robe, I reached the door and looked through the peephole. A pale blue eye was staring or rather glaring back at me.
Hastily I undid the chain and the lock to swing open the door. Sherlock and John were standing outside. John looked away, once he saw the more or less revealing outfit I had on. Sherlock merely looked at me before striding past me into the apartment.
"Mommy?" Glancing down the hallway I spied Lily in her blue heart PJ's, rubbing her eyes tiredly, clutching the stuffed dog.
"Lily!" I pushed past Sherlock to scoop up my tired offspring.
"Is it bedtime?" She was acting too lethargic for, a quick glance at her clock showed the time, 7:19. I frowned as she rested her head on my shoulder. It felt hot and was burning like a furnace.
"Honey, how do you feel?" I asked, shifting her onto my hipbone. I flew past Sherlock, who had crept past me when I picked Lily up, to set her on a kitchen chair.
"Hot," she murmured resting her head on the cool formica table. My frown grew deeper as I pulled the thermometer from my purse and popped it into her mouth. After two minutes the thermometer beeped, signaling that I could check her temperature. It read 103.7.
"John!" They were both in my kitchen by now. John came to my side and looked at the screen. He whistled before squatting down to begin asking her questions.
"Are you alright?" Sherlock asked me quietly. He put his hand on my lower back, in an attempt to share some of his solidarity I would guess. I nodded, not convincingly as John stood up.
"I think you need to take her to the hospital." John told me serious. My eyes widened and my barely contained anxiety and panic rose.
"What's wrong?" Fear was gripping me tightly within its awful hold, as my mind flew many horrifying possibilities.
"Aria, calm down please," John stated calmly. I nodded, pushing my panic back down. Lily needed someone to be calm for her as well. "I think she may have appendicitis."
"Oh my," I gasped as I looked at my sick daughter. She was going to be subjected to having a surgery so early in life.
"It's going to be ok," John reassured me. "Go get some clothes on. I'll watch Lily." Nodding, I dully did as instructed. I pulled out my first pair of jeans I could find in my closet and then pulled on a long sleeve t-shirt as well as a cardigan. Quickly, I used the restroom, brushed my teeth and hair, then slid on my suede boots and grabbed my purse.
"You ok?" John asked as I walked back into the kitchen. Sherlock had sat down in the seat with Lily on his lap. He had pressed one of his cool hands to her burning forehead.
"Of course, she's not ok, John. Her hands are shaking, which she is trying to disguise as merely twitching her hands. Anxiety and panic noted in her outfit as she missed several buttons and I can clearly see several tangles still in her hair." Sherlock said. Lily moaned when he had raised the hand on her forehead slightly and tried to pull him closer.
"Let's just go." I begged moving forward to take Lily, but Sherlock stood and tucked her into his neck. We all moved outside and John nabbed a taxi.
"St. Bart's hospital. As soon as possible." John leaned into the passenger window to address the driver as I got into the cab first. Sherlock handed me Lily and waited until I got us both situated before he handed me another item. It was his black credit card.
"Use it for the cab fare." He said quietly. Sherlock slammed the door shut quickly and the cabbie began to drive away from Baker Street. We moved rapidly throughout the streets until we came upon St. Bart's hospital. I was happy we made it in a half an hour, as usually the traffic makes the fifteen minute trip into that of a nightmare.
Seeing as we made record time to the hospital, I gave the cabbie a twenty pound tip, half from my own pocket the other ten pounds from Sherlock. I rushed Lily inside the hospital where we were pushed to the top of the list of patients in need of a room. After a CT scan and some blood work it was determined, John's initial diagnosis was correct.
I texted John and Sherlock as they prepped an Operating Room for her. To say I was terrified was an understatement, but I had to be content with the doctor's skills within this hospital. I sat next to Lily on the bed and stroked her hair in an effort to soothe both of us.