"Salma? Salma! Salma, oh my goodness..." Benedict said, falling onto the floor, carrying my body, leaning onto his.
"Benedict? What are you doing?" Lily said opening the door. She saw Benedict and I laying on the floor in a pool of blood, and her face fell white. "What's wro- SALMA!
"CALL AN AMBULANCE! Salma... Salma please, please STAY WITH ME!" Benedict yelled to Lily. Lily's shaking hands managed to find their way to her phone as she dialed 999 as quick as she could.
"Hello? Yes my friend has been shot!" Lily yelled into the phone with a broken voice.
"Salma... Salma... please. Please, don't leave me. You promised you'd never leave me... please... I love you so much, Salma... please don't die on me..." Benedict said, bringing me close. I felt a tear fall onto my cheek. Benedict was crying. I fought hard against the darkness for the strength to say something but the only thing that came out...
"Olivia..." I said, falling into the darkness again in defeat.
"Salma!" Someone yelled, waking me up. I was on the floor, in a white blurry hallway. I was confused and weak, as my vision kept blurring.
"Salma... Saaalmaaa." A sweet voice said. It came from behind me. I spun around, fighting my way to stand again.
"WAKE UP!" A deep distorted voice said startling me. I searched for the voice, ignoring my conscious telling me to run away.
"Who's there?" I exclaimed, my voice small. I heard the sound of heels clicking towards me. I slowly turned my back and, to my surprise, Irene Adler was walking towards me.
"Hello, darling." Irene said in her usual sensual voice. She was wearing nothing but Sherlock's trench coat and black pumps.
"Irene?" I said, my voice still small. I couldn't believe it. "Where am I?"
"You're in your mind palace. Didn't think you had one, didn't you?" Irene said with a smug smile plastered on her face. Mind palace? I always wished I'd have one, but I didn't know I actually did. I looked at her in disbelief, trying to understand everything that's going on. "Everyone has a mind palace, they just need to find it."
"What... how...?" I couldn't bring words out of my mouth. What is going on?
"You're dying, Salma. We are here to help you." Irene said, turning around as Sherlock Holmes walked towards me.
"Hello Salma, Irene." Sherlock said nodding to us both. I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"This can't be real..." I said pacing the room.
"It's not. You're in a coma in the outside world, and you're slowly slipping away." Irene said, stopping me in my tracks.
"We're here for you to be, well short version, not dead." Sherlock said with a serious face.
"Fine." I said giving up. "What do I have to do?"
"You need to stop yourself from dying. Control the pain." Sherlock's words echoed in my head. All of a sudden, the pain from the bullet hit me, making me scream. Control the pain. The words echoed over and over as I tried to forget the pain, and control it. "That's it." Sherlock said helping me stand.
"Now, you watched yourself get shot, no?" Irene said walking over to me. All of a sudden, the image of the event played for us to see. "Did you hear the mirror break behind you?" I shook my head all the while still controlling the pain, as directed.
"That means the bullet is still inside you." John Watson said walking over to us. Suddenly, we were in the mortuary, just like in the Sherlock episode, with my naked body laid onto the metal table, as John examined the wound.
"Well, if you're in a coma, that means they successfully took out the bullet." Sherlock said, taking out his magnifier, examining the wound as well. "It hasn't gotten that deep, so you have a better chance at surviving."
"Good, so the final step is for you to wake yourself up." Irene said, holding me by my shoulders.
"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked in a ragged voice.
"I think I can help with that." A voice said behind me. Another person? I turned around to find Jim Moriarty behind me.
"Moriarty?" I asked.
"Not dead, remember?" He said walking towards me. "So, for once, you need my help. The first you need to do, is hit yourself."
"Hit myself?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yes. The pain will speed up your heart, keeping you alive, and can jolt you awake." Moriarty said. I took my hand off my wound, and I punched myself in it, screaming in pain. I felt my heart start to speed up. "Good job. Your body jumped, but it's not enough. Do it again." He said, as I hit myself again, harder this time. I felt my vision start to blur again, as my screams engulfed the room. Moriarty laughed. "This is fun, isn't it?" He said smiling.
"Not me, it isn't." I said panting. Moriarty's smile faded.
"Come on, dearie." A voice said. Irene, Sherlock, Moriarty and John disappeared from around us, leaving me alone in a white room. "Why don't you just die already? There is no use in bringing up back. Come on, you're almost there..." The voice said, coming closer to me. I backed up in fear, ignoring the pain in my lower stomach. "Come on... one little push, and off you pop."
"Why are you doing this?" I said when I recognized the voice. Immediately, Olivia appeared in the room.
"I told you already, Benedict is mine." Olivia said with a crazed smile on her face. "Come on, just die. Imagine what it would be like..." She circled me, my eyes following her every move. "Your sister will cry, mummy and daddy will cry. Lily will cry. Tom will cry. Benedict will cry buckets and buckets. I wouldn't leave him alone with me, pfff I tried to kill you, who knows what I'll do to him..."
"No!" I said backing up onto the wall. The gunshot would kept hurting more and more.
"Benedict Cumberbatch is definitely in danger, Salma..." Olivia said watching me attentively. Immediately, the pain in the lower stomach ceased. I felt stronger, like I could wake myself up again. I started to get up, and Olivia's expression was priceless.
"Oh, you're not getting better are you?" Olivia said looking worried. I still felt sore, so I yelled as I brought myself to my feet. I made my way to the door. "You're not going to leave me here, right?" I walked out the door, locking Olivia in. "SALMA!" was the last thing I heard before I made my way through the great hallway, finally reaching the end room, and opening the door. Next thing I knew, my eyes fluttered open, and I was in a hospital bed.
I made it out.
Benedict was sleeping in the couch beside me, his fingers entwined in mine. How long was I out? I asked myself as I started to sit up, ignoring the piercing pain in the my stomach. Benedict immediately woke up as he felt me move, tears swelling in his eyes when he sees me.
"Salma..." Benedict said in disbelief.
"Hi." I said with a small smile.
"I... I... how?" Benedict said as a tear fell onto his beautifully sculpted face.
"Short version, not dead." I said winking at him, making him smile. I wiped the tear from his face with my free hand.
"Are you okay? How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Benedict said getting up calling the nurse. He smiled a toothy grin as he looked at me from the door, waiting for the nurse. "I'm glad you're okay, baby." Benedict said smiling.
The nurse walked in, and she stopped in her tracks when she saw I was alive.
"Salma... You're not dead." The nurse said with surprise.
"Looks like it." I said laughing, which shot deep pain into me, making me wince. Benedict's smile was wiped from his voice, filling with hurt and worry.
"This is a miracle!" The nurse walking over to me, checking the big machines next to me.
"Why would it be a miracle?" I said confused.
"Well, we didn't think you were going to make it. The bullet penetrated deep into the stomach, and it broke apart inside you, leaving fragments to pierce into your system. It punctured an important artery. You lost a lot of blood. We were lucky to have been able to close it up, and take out the bullet fragments. You were out for a month." The nurse said. ONE MONTH?
"What? A full month?" I asked with my mouth gaping. I didn't think it would have been that long, probably 3 or 4 days! Not a whole month!
"Yeah, we were surprised by your recovery. It was slow, but it looks like you made it through. You're a very lucky woman. There was a very low chance of your survival." The nurse said lifting my white hospital dress to check on the wound. I had a big scar going across half of my stomach. "We had to perform surgery, since the bullet fragments traveled far apart."I ran my hand over the scar, but as soon as I touched it, it started to hurt real bad, making me wince again.
"Thank you so much for you and your team's work, Nurse Brown." Benedict said sitting on the chair beside me again.
"It's my job, Mr. Cumberbatch. No thanks needed." Nurse Brown said smiling. "Now Salma, you are going to have to be careful for the next couple of weeks. It is going to hurt, but the doctor prescribed some pain killers for you, so you can go on with your daily life. Would you like again?"
"I'm really hungry, and very thirsty." I said just noticing my hunger and thirst. "Could I please have something to eat?" I asked kindly.
"Of course you can. We have some pasta and tomato soup in the kitchen. Which would you like?" Nurse Brown asked as she walked to the door.
"Could I have both please?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed for how much I wanted to eat.
"Sure. I advise you only eat soft foods, such as bread, pasta, soup, ice cream, etc. for the time being because it will hurt a lot less as the food digests." Nurse Brown said with a worried smile. I nodded and she walked out the door, leaving Benedict and I alone.
"One whole month?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to wake up..." Benedict said looking down at his feet. I could see the tears well up in his eyes when he looked up at me. The pain and worry showed deep in his eyes, making me start to cry. "Hey, why are you crying?" Benedict walked over to me, taking my hand and putting it to his lips, leaving a lingering kiss.
"I was so scared... I was locked in my head. I don't understand... Sherlock, John, Irene, Moriarty... Olivia... they were all there, inside my head, telling me to wake up..." I said in between sobs. Benedict looked at me with concern. I was aware of the fact that I sounded crazy, but I didn't care. Nothing made sense. I tried so hard to wrap my finger around the situation but, I just couldn't.
"It's okay. You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you..." Benedict said, leaning his forehead on the end of the hospital, my hand still in his. I heard his faint sobs and i felt his tears on my hand. I took my free hand and I pulled his chin up, kissing away his tears. I love this man so much I thought I was going to explode. I have never loved someone this much, someone so broken and fragile, but he hides it so gracefully under his breathtaking beauty, smiling the pain away. But to see him this way hurt more than anything did, because he's crying because of me.
"I love you so much, Benedict. More than I ever thought I could." I said letting the tears fall freely onto my cheek. Benedict smiled, and he kissed me. The kiss; sweet and soft, and filled with love.
"And I, you. There is no one I can ever love more than you, Salma." Benedict said after he broke the kiss. I smiled, feeling all warm inside. Nurse Brown walked in, interrupting us with my food. I was more than hungry. After all, it has been a month since I ate.
"Here you are. I'll be back soon to check on your recovery. You should be able to go home in about 2 days." Nurse Brown said, as she checked the big machines near my bed again.
"Thank you, Nurse Brown." I said smiling.
"Please, call me Jackie." The nurse said smiling as she left the room. I immediately start to eat, fully aware Benedict was watching me. I ate like there was no tomorrow, and to my surprise, the food was delicious. Benedict started to laugh discreetly, but not discreet enough as I looked at him with a smile on my mouth full of food.
"Do you want some?" I said with a full mouth. Benedict shook his head no, and I continued eating.
When I finished, I felt immediate relief. A full stomach helped me start to think straight, and I felt okay again.
"So, tell me what I missed this month." I said making myself confortable with a smile on my face.
"Nothing really, I had a couple interviews, all of them concerning you. The news of your injuring travelled pretty quickly, everyone's really worried about you. Amanda and Martin came to visit 3 times. Lara came, you sister, your father, Mark, Steven, a lot of people. I'm sure they're going to be happy you're okay." Benedict said. My smile sure faded when I heard "your sister and your father". I didn't want them to know, but then again, I can't control the media. Then I noticed something.
"Wait, did you say my father and sister came?" I asked in confusion.
"Yeah. They phoned when they got the news, and they came as soon as they could." Benedict said taking out his phone.
"Shit. I didn't want them to find out..." I said looking down at my hands.
"Do you want to call them?" Benedict said handing me his phone. I had an unsure look on my face and he noticed. "Come on, they would want to know if you're okay or not, and the best person to tell them is you." Benedict said reassuringly. I took the phone and I dialed my sister's number.
"Hello?" The voice said.
"Hi, Suraya." I said. I could hear her gasp and it made me smile.
"Salma? Oh my god, you're okay!" Suraya said.
"Yeah. I woke up a couple hours ago. How are you guys doing?" I asked. Benedict took my hand and smiled.
"We're good! We got here last week, once we heard what happened. How are you feeling?" My sister asked.
"I'm doing okay, Benedict's here with me, which makes me feel even more better." I said looking at Benedict with a big smile. He kissed my hand and mouthed "I love you", and I did the same.
"That's good. By the way, when were you planning on telling me this?" My sister asked.
"Well..." I said laughing.
"It's okay, I'm just glad you're okay. Could Dad and I come and see you?" My sister asked.
"Yeah yeah of course! It has been a year since I saw you guys, come please!" I said enthusiastically.
"Okay, we'll be there soon. Soon you later."
"Okay, bye." I said hanging up.
"So?" Benedict asked taking his phone back.
"They are coming to see us. Is that okay?" I asked Benedict. He gave me a oh-come-on look.
"Of course they can!" Benedict said getting up from his chair. He went into the bathroom and started to straighten himself up, making me laugh. He looked at me and smiled. "What's so funny? I like a good joke, you know." He said walking over to me, leaning in close.
"You." I said smiling as he kissed me softly.
"I really am happy you're okay." Benedict said smiling.
"So am I." I said. I sat up correctly, and I tried to fix my hair, with was unsuccessful since I didn't have a mirror. So I stopped and I ignored the fact that I probably looked like shit right now, and I thought of my family. Imagine what it would have been like for them to hear that I was shot by a psychotic ex. The look on their faces made me shiver. Benedict noticed my sadness and he took my hand again.
"Hey. Are you okay? Do you want me to call and tell them not to come if you're not feeling okay?" Benedict asked looking worried.
"No, no. It's okay, I'm fine. I promise. Just thinking, that's all." I said, trying to force a smile.
All of a sudden the door knocks, and my father and sister walk in. They both looked great, and the smile on their faces when they saw me made me feel warm.
"Salma!" Suraya said running to hug me. I winced when she hugged me, and she looked at me with sadness in her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot." I gave her a reassuring smile and my dad walked over to me and he kissed my head.
"How are you doing habiba*?" My dad said.
"I'm okay." I said, and I felt Benedict stand up, letting go of my hand.
"Hi Benedict, how are you? I'm sure this is pretty hard for you." My dad said shaking his hand.
"I'm doing good. I'm glad your daughter is safe and in good health. That's all that matters." Benedict said smiling. "Hi Suraya. How's your art going?"
"It's doing great, thanks for asking. How are you holding up?" My sister asked giving Benedict a hug.
"Good, better than good." Benedict said looking at me.
"Did he tell you that he was here the whole time? He never left the hospital unless he needed to." My dad said smiling.
"No, he didn't." I said smiling to Benedict.
"Well he did. He made sure everything was well arranged if he did need to go somewhere." My dad said looking impressed.
"I must be a lucky woman, then." I said smiling. "How was your flight?"
"It was okay. What do you expect from a 7 hour flight?" My sister said laughing. I laughed in response, ignoring the pain in my pain.
"So Salma, what happened?" My dad asked. I looked at Benedict and he nodded.
"Well, Salma was shot by an exgirlfriend of mine. She was in a mentally unstable state, and she took it out on her. The amount of jealousy got to her, I guess." Benedict said. He took my hand in his, and he gave me apologetic look.
"And where is this woman now?" My father asked with concern.
"She is in a mental hospital in Wales, far away from here." Benedict said with a serious voice.
"We didn't want to press any charges because of her mental state. So we let her get help first. She shouldn't be a problem anymore." I said looking at Benedict.
"Okay, it's better this way." My dad said.
The day went by quickly when my family was here. We spoke about serious stuff, and laughed about funny stuff. I felt good, despite the random spikes of pain in the middle of conversation, and they seemed to be pretty accepting of Benedict and I's relationship. When they left, Benedict stayed with me.
"Ben, are you going to sleep here again?" I asked Benedict once my dad and sister left.
"Yes. I'm not going to leave you, not until you come home." Benedict said with a serious voice. I smiled at how much he cared about me and how luch he loved me.
"Fine. But you are sleeping in this bed with me. That chair must be terrible for your back!" I exclaimed, maiking room for Benedict.
"Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you..." Benedict said looking worried.
"Don't worry, i'll be fine." I said patting his place. He smiled and she climbed in next to me, spooning me from behind, being extra careful not to hurt me.
"You know, I asked for one miracle. I asked you not to be dead. I asked you to wake up." Benedict said closing his eyes.
"I heard you." I said before I fell into a deep sleep in his arms.
I hope you guys like this chapter!
So, have you guys recognized the Sherlock references? If you do, post a review telling me if you found them.
HINT: There are 2 references. See if you can find them.
Love you all, and thanks for reading!
Salma xx
*habiba: "honey" or "sweetheart" in arabic.