Joan returned to her empty apartment and took a long, relaxing shower of her own. She began replaying the day's events over in her mind, hoping to convince herself that it was okay for her to leave Sherlock at the brownstone with Kitty rather than checking him into the hospital. Standing in the shower Joan kept looking through the steamy transparent door to her phone sitting idle on the sink. With her curiosity burning Joan shut off the water and wrapped up in the soft cotton towel before checking her phone: No new messages, no missed calls.

"Good."

She placed the phone on her dresser while she dressed herself in fresh clean clothes, before caving in and decided to send Kitty a text; just to check in.

Kitty was still sitting in the shower with Sherlock leaning against her shoulder and chest. The chilly water that continued to wash over the duo was causing an increasing discomfort, but it was one that she was willing to endure to help reduce Sherlock's fever. From her pocket she felt her phone vibrate and make a small jingle from an incoming text.

"Oh, damn." Her phone was surely drenched and would fail soon.

Unable to answer her phone and unwilling to jostle Sherlock too much, Kitty dismissed the incoming message electing to answer it later. That is, if her phone would still work after 'its shower'.

Joan waited ten minutes for Kitty to answer the text. An immediate response wasn't expected or necessary but she couldn't help but worry. Scrolling through her list of contacts Joan's thumb hovered over Kitty's number for a few moments before she finally pressed dial.

Again from Kitty's pocket she heard her phone sounding off. This time for a call, not a text.

"Damn it!" She was growing annoyed by the noisy, intrusive nuisance. Looking over at Sherlock who seemed to be in a peaceful slumber, Kitty spoke aloud to her resting mentor. "I suppose it's Watson who is attempting to make contact. Regardless of the caller I cannot answer." She looked ahead at the blank porcelain wall. "Deal with it."

Kitty's voicemail picked up and Joan decided that it was time for her to return to the brownstone for a vintage 'house call'. She took her phone, grabbed her purse and wrapped her heaviest coat around herself as she left her apartment.

She hailed a cab and all the while began mentally arguing with herself whether or not she was worrying too much.

"Kitty..." Sherlock mumbled again from her shoulder. His voice was almost slurred from his weakened condition.

"Yes, Sherlock?" She did her best to keep her teeth from chattering as she acknowledged him.

"Am I good person?" He repeated his difficult question from earlier.

"I can't answer that."

Sherlock didn't respond audibly, but he opened his eyes and looked up at Kitty's blue tinged pallor, even her lips were almost purple from the cold she was enduring. He tried to lift his head away from Kitty's shoulder but he was too tired, he sighed weakly and heavily draped his arm across Kitty's waist instead.

Kitty was unsure of what this gesture was meant to convey. Was he trying to hug her? Was he trying keep her from leaving? Or was he trying to keep Kitty warm as she sat in the cold water with him? At this moment she didn't care what he was trying to do, but she did appreciate his warm arm (poorly) shielding her abdomen from the pouring shower water overhead.

Unconsciously Kitty resumed running her fingers through his hair and she felt Sherlock's tense body relaxing under her touch. Gently she moved her hand to his forehead to check the severity of his fever, much to her relief his skin was still unnaturally warm to the touch, but not nearly as hot as it had been earlier.

Without a means to check the time Kitty was unsure of exactly how long she and Sherlock had been sitting in the icy shower. Just as she was about to reach up to turn off the faucet she heard the front door of the brownstone open and shortly thereafter slam shut.

"Hello?" Joan called from the front door.

"Thank goodness." Kitty said out loud. "Upstairs!" She responded loudly, without shouting or even waking Sherlock in the process.

She listened intently as she heard Joan's footsteps ascending the wooden staircase, reach the top landing and slowly walk the length of the hallway until Joan realized that someone was in the bathroom.

Joan, who hadn't even bothered to remove her coat, peeked into the opened bathroom door and saw the duo sitting in the shower together. Kitty looking nearly hypothermic while Sherlock looked as though he had endured a physical ordeal that had pushed him to his absolute limits. "Oh my God." She hurried to the shower and turned off the water. "What happened?" She pressed her fingers to Sherlock's neck to check his pulse and other vitals.

"Well," Kitty began, still trying desperately to keep her teeth from chattering together. "his fever returned and the previously filled water in the tub had been drained. I improvised."

"It worked." Joan admitted as she pulled her hand from his forehead. "He's much cooler. And so are you from the look of it."

"It seems you haven't lost your touch doctor." Kitty replied sarcastically. "Think we can move him out of the tub so I can stand up?"

"Right." Joan took the arm Sherlock had draped over Kitty and wrapped it around her neck, while Kitty wrapped his other arm around her own neck.

While Joan pulled Sherlock over the edge of the tub Kitty helped lower him down to the ground. They laid him flat on his back while Kitty eagerly took a thick green towel from the towel rack and wrapped it around her cold, dripping body. Joan grabbed a second towel from the same rack and used it to dry Sherlock's skin as much as possible. She watched Kitty from the corner of her eye and could see how cold the young woman truly was.

"I've got this. You should go dry off and change into some warm clothes."

"Bless you." Kitty responded quickly before practically skipping out of the bathroom toward her own room.

Joan curled her legs under herself as she sat next to Sherlock on the floor. "You're lucky. You really know how to pick partners, do you know that?"

...to be continued...

Author's Note: Nearing a conclusion but I shall do my best to not disappoint! Also, I want to thank 'Iara'! ^.^ Hard to thank everyone sometimes, but I found a way! ;) Really, I just want thank everyone in general. It makes a hobby feel rewarding when other people are enjoying it as much as I am!