"Please sit." John pointed to the seat that was right next to the bed.
Somehow, Jane started walking slowly to the chair and sat down. Jane gripped the arms on the chair, causing her knuckles to turn white.
John kept looking into Jane's eyes, trying to sense anything. Fear, Anxiety, maybe even nothing. He didn't see anything at all. At times like this, John wished he could deduce things like Sherlock.
Jane looked anywhere but John's eyes.
John sighed and looked at his hands. He quickly spoke, "Jane." John had no idea how to put this. "I need to know the truth. Is your father really dead?"
Jane stopped breathing. A blanket of fear came over her. What do I do? Jane thought. I can't tell him he is alive, he will know that I was lying earlier. What if he sends me back to my father?
Jane caught her breath and said silently, "Yes…"
John could tell she was lying, but what could he say. The girl obviously was scared out of her mind.
"It's ok, Jane. You can trust me," John said with a soothing voice.
"I can't trust anybody!" Jane yelled out, the fear bubbling up inside of her. "You have no idea what he will do to me if he finds me!"
"Who will do what to you?"
"My father, Jim Moriarty!"
Jane curled up in a ball on the chair. She was shaking immensely.
There were fast footsteps coming towards the door. Sherlock and Lestrade slammed open the door.
"What happened? Is everything okay?" Lestrade said, panting, obviously from running so quickly to John's room.
John got up and walked towards Sherlock and Lestrade. He whispered, "Jane jut admitted to me who her father is."
John and Lestrade walked over to Jane and Sherlock stayed behind. John started stroking Jane's hair, while Lestrade talked to her.
Sherlock watched from a distance, taking in every detail of Jane. He examines her. From what I see, she has 32 scars, not counting the fading ones. 13 on her face, 7 on her neck, 5 on her hands, and 7 on her feet. There is an open wound, which is about 3 and half inches long, below her right eye, and two deep 1 inch cuts on her left foot. She has a black eye and her bottom lip is busted open, which was probably made the day before John found her. She has sunken in cheeks, probably from not eating for a few days. Jane really needs some medical attention.
Sherlock clears his throat. "I hate to interrupt you, but Jane really needs to see a doctor."
"Sherlock, I am a doctor," John said sounding a little annoyed.
"Well, if you such a good doctor, then you would have noticed that Jane needs stiches on her left foot and her bottom lip, and she is malnourished from not eating anything for probably a week. Oh, and her open wound under her right eye is getting infected."
John looked at Jane. Am I really that stupid? I have been so worried about Jane being Moriarty's daughter, that I did not notice that she is in need of serious medical care.
"I'll call an ambulance," Lestrade said.
When Jane heard Lestrade say "ambulance," she quickly got up and said, "No… I-I'm ok. They're scratches really. I do not need to see a doctor."
"Yes you do, Jane. If these wounds get any worse, you might get a really bad infection that could really harm you," John said with a worried voice.
"It doesn't matter… I have had worse."
John looked away from Jane. Hearing Jane say that her pain doesn't matter, is killing John on the inside. "Jane please… you need to see a doctor."
Jane could see the hurt on John's face. Jane finally gave in. "I will go… as long as you stay with me." Jane looked at John with her big, brown, tear-filled, puppy dog eyes.
"I will never leave your side. I promise," John said with a stern voice.
Lestrade went to the other side of the room and called 999 for an ambulance.
After six minutes had passed, the ambulance showed up. Two paramedics put Jane on a stretcher and started to wheel her out the door.
When they got to the ambulance, a paramedic stopped John and said, "Only family members can ride in the ambulance, are you family?"
John shook his head and said, "No, but I am all she has."
The paramedic sighed and let him get in.
Before they closed the doors Sherlock said, "Lestrade and I will follow."
John nodded. They closed the doors of the ambulance. John watched as one of the paramedics put an IV into Jane's hand and the other examined the wounds.
Jane turned her head to John. There were tears streaming down her fragile face.
Jane is obviously scared, so John knows he has to be strong for her.
After five minutes had passed they showed up at Princess Grace Hospital, which is the nearest hospital from 221B Baker Street.
John stayed by Jane's side the whole time they were wheeling Jane into the hospital and into a separate room.
"Sir, I will have to ask you to wait outside the room for a while," A doctor said when he saw John in the room.
John nodded and whispered to Jane, "I have to go for now, but I will be right outside the door." John kissed Jane on the forehead and walked out of the room.
Lestrade, Sherlock, and two policemen showed up.
"How's she doing?" Lestrade asked.
"She's hanging in there," John said, putting his hand through his white-blonde hair.
All of them waited for one of the doctors to come out to give them a report.
John was really surprised that Sherlock hasn't said anything the whole time that they have been here. Sherlock is definitely not the quiet type. Ever since that one moment he had with Jane and the syringe needles, he has not even gone within four feet of her. For the first time, I think Sherlock is actually trying to be careful what he says and does around people.
John paced the floor, waiting. Twenty minutes has passed and still no word from any of the doctors.
Finally, after ten more minutes passed a doctor came out. Everyone got up and crowded the doctor.
"How's Jane," John asked quickly.
"Jane is doing perfectly fine. We sewed up all her deep cuts and bandaged the rest. She is going through the rehydration process right now, so she might have to be here for a few days. May I ask which one of you is the father?"
Everyone looked down at their feet. Of course none of them were her father.
Since no one else would speak up, Sherlock said, "I am the father."
Everyone looked at Sherlock like he was crazy.
The doctor looked up at Sherlock and then looked back at his folder. "What happened that put Jane in this condition?"
"She called me to come pick her up from her boyfriend's flat, where she has been staying for the past week. She sounded very urgent, so I quickly got a cab and went to go get her. When she came out the door…" Sherlock choked as fake tears ran down his face. "I brought her back home and quickly called an ambulance after my friend, who is a doctor, looked at her wounds." Sherlock pointed to John, indicating that John is the doctor friend.
"And might I ask why you have brought policemen?" The doctor said, looking confused at the men in front of him.
Lestrade quickly spoke up. "I'm Detective Lestrade. I am investigating this case. I think it was attempt of murder. I have brought these two men to guard Jane's room, just in case her uh… boyfriend comes to see her."
The doctor nodded. "You may go see Jane now."
The policemen stayed outside as John, Sherlock, and Lestrade walked into the hospital room. John immediately rushed to Jane's side. Lestrade followed, but Sherlock stayed right next to the door.
"How are you feeling?" John asked with a small smile.
"Okay I guess…" Jane sounded groggy, probably from the pain killers they gave her. "How long am I going to be here?"
"For as long as you need to. Don't worry, I will not leave you," John spoke in a soft tone.
"You will be safe here. We have people guarding the doors at all times," Lestrade said as he walked to a corner of the room with chairs.
The fear subsided in Jane's eyes and for the first time, Jane actually smiled a little. "Thank you." Her voice faded as her eyes fluttered close.
John smiled down at Jane. "She fell asleep. It must be the morphine."
John turned towards Sherlock and Lestrade. Lestrade was sitting in a visitor's chair, staring off into space, thinking, and Sherlock was leaning up against a wall, looking down at his phone while texting vigorously.
John is still confused about why Sherlock said that he was Jane's father, instead of telling them the truth.
Sherlock obviously could sense John staring at him and said, still looking down at his phone, "I guess you're wondering why I said I am Jane's father."
"Well I would think any sane person would wonder, Sherlock."
"By telling them that, it gives us full access to Jane's medical files, if she has any, and there is now no limited visiting hours for us. It was convenient," Sherlock said, putting his phone in his pocket.
"Convenient? So lying is now convenient. Do you realize we could have seen those files because we have the police force with us?"
"That's what everyone thinks, but that is definitely not true. The police think they can see any file that has ever been created, with a probable cause of course, but they cannot always see the confidential files. Being the father, I can see any file I want," Sherlock smirked like he always does when he makes other people sound stupid.
John had to admit that Sherlock can be very useful, but he would never admit that to Sherlock because he knew it would only give him another reason to have a big head. "Whatever. Just go to sleep."
"Sleeping is boring," Sherlock sighed sitting in the seat right next to Lestrade, making Lestrade snap out of his trance.
"Sorry. I should probably go make some calls," Lestrade said, getting up and walking out the doors.
All John knew was that he was that he was not excited to be sleeping in a hard chair all night, but he would do it any day for Jane.
John turned off the light, grabbed a chair, and placed it right next to Jane's bed. He sat down and closed his eyes. The humming sound from the heart monitor eventually made John sleepy and after a few minutes, John fell into a restless sleep.
It was 2:24 in the morning. Most of the hospital staff that have the night shift, have gone to the cafeteria to get coffee.
The hallway was silent except for the sound of a person's footsteps. The man walked down the hall like he was invisible. Metaphorically speaking, he was. He was wearing a doctor's uniform; everyone did not pay any attention to him.
He stopped in front of a room. The two guards were asleep on duty, of course. The man chuckled to himself and patted their heads lightly. He walked in and silently closed the door behind him.
He scanned the room. There were three men sleeping in chairs. John Watson's body was upright in a chair, besides for his head, which was lying in his crossed arms on the hospital bed. Sherlock was lying down on a group of chairs that he had obviously collected from other rooms. Detective Lestrade was slumped down in a chair with his head pressed down against his chest.
The man walked over to the bed and sat on the edge of it right next to Jane. He looked over her limp body and sighed, hating that she was all bandaged, having nothing left for him to see.
He got up and put his hand in his white coat pocket, taking out a blood red, thorny rose. He placed it on a stand that was right next to Jane's bed. After placing the rose down, he bent over Jane's body and kissed her cheek. "Daddy will visit you again soon Jane," Jim Moriarty smirked as he caressed his daughter's pale face.
Before Moriarty left the room, he walked over to Sherlock and placed a small, folded piece of paper in Sherlock's front shirt pocket.
He walked out the door and patted the policemen's' heads again. He chuckled deeply as he said, "Laters."