Fully Alive
Chapter Twenty-One
A/N: Changed the baby's name from "Norah Charlotte Elizabeth" to "Norah Charlotte Elise" in the last chapter because I was sitting there thinking that damn that name sounds really good. And then I remembered that the new Princess was Charlotte Elizabeth Diana and realized that's why I thought Charlotte & Elizabeth went well together. Haha. So, I made a tiny change. And Vivienne said that Elizabeth was her middle name, so now that means her middle name is Elise. And I think Vivienne Elise sounds better. Lol... anyways... onwards to the story!
Vivienne sat down her multiple shopping bags in John's old armchair with a sigh. Sherlock turned towards the noise from the kitchen table to see the look of distress on his wife's face.
"What are we going to do?" She asked, looking at Sherlock and rolled her eyes at the sight of him dressed in nothing but a bed sheet.
"About what? My parents buying all of the baby items on the greater London area?"
"You have no idea. There's more downstairs. We had to take three taxis to get here- wait. No! You are not changing the subject. What are we going to do about the bear and Jim? It's creepy."
"I took the bear to Bart's. Did x-rays and tested it for everything I could think of. It's clean. Nothing to worry about. I'm handling it."
"Sherlock. We can't have your- your arch-nemesis or whatever the fuck he is coming in here in the middle of the night and leaving creepy shit." Vivienne groaned in frustration.
"I said I'm handling it." Sherlock replied tensely.
"Oh, yes. Because you handle things so well. Do we need to mention how you've handled things just while I've been in the country?" Vivienne retorted. "Let's see... You flew to Pakistan to save The Woman. You thought you were poisoning John on purpose. You jumped off a building. Tried to singlehandedly take down a massive criminal web while your friends thought you were dead."
"You can stop now." Sherlock interrupted.
"I'm not finished. You jumped into a bonfire. You got fucking shot. Oh, and then you killed a man after drugging your entire family. So, I'm sorry if I don't exactly trust you to 'handle it'."
"Don't get cranky with me just because you're tired."
"Pot, meet kettle." Vivienne groaned. "We'll talk about this later. You're parents are upstairs changing so they can take us out to dinner. I don't think they'd appreciate you wearing our sheet."
"Hmph." Sherlock responded. "Do we have to go?"
Vivienne let out another groan as she felt her stomach tighten a bit.
Sherlock noticed the change in her expression. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, it's nothing. Just walked too much today, is all."
She turned to go to the bedroom, but grabbed the door frame and let out a small yelp as her stomach tightened again, this time a bit painfully. She felt a warmth between her legs and looked down to see a small, red puddle forming at her feet. "We're not going to dinner."
"Oh, thank god. That would have been dreadful." Sherlock replied, not looking away from his work at the table
"No, we're not going to dinner because you need to take me to the hospital."
Sherlock turned to see Vivienne grip her stomach as pain ripped through her once more. His eyes widened at the blood on the floor. "Oh, fuck." was all he said as he rushed to his wife's side. "Just... just hang on." He ran to his die and shouted up the stairs. "Mother! Mrs. Hudson! I need you now!" His voice was frantic.
Mrs. Hudson and Mr. and Mrs. Holmes made it to the apartment at the same time. Sherlock pointed noiselessly at the kitchen and they rushed over to see Vivienne, her eyes clamped shut in pain and tears falling down her cheeks.
Mrs. Holmes turned to Sherlock and her husband. "Darling, you call an ambulance. Sherlock, put some clothes on."
The men obeyed the commands as the women helped Vivienne over to the couch.
"Well, we've got the labor and the bleeding stopped for now." Dr. Michaels said, looking over Vivienne's chart. "Have you been under any stress lately?"
Vivienne gave a dry chuckle. "You could say that, yes."
"And have you done anything out of the ordinary?"
"Went shopping today. Did a little more walking than I'm used to."
"How much walking?" Dr. Michaels asked, taking notes.
"About eight hours worth?" Vivienne shrugged.
"Alright, well, I'm putting you on bedrest until our next appointment. In about three weeks."
Vivienne's jaw practically hit the floor. "I have to stay in bed for three weeks?"
"Yes. No shopping, no cooking, no cleaning, no working. For three weeks. And no sex. I'm just being cautious here. We don't need you coming back until that baby is ready to make her appearance. On schedule. You can get up to go to the bathroom and take baths. Nothing else."
"What if there isn't a television in my bedroom?" Vivienne asked.
Sherlock scoffed. "I hardly think that's important."
Dr. Michaels smiled. "Okay. You can get out of bed, but only to go to the couch to lay and to the bathroom."
"This is ridiculous. I'm fine." Vivienne rolled her eyes.
"I hardly consider going into labor at nineteen weeks fine, Mrs. Holmes. If everything checks out at your next appointment, I'll take you off bedrest. We're going to keep you overnight for observation. If everything goes well overnight, you can go home tomorrow."
"Thank you..." Vivienne replied.
Dr. Michaels hand a small nod and left the room.
"You see what this is doing to me? I'm now stuck in bed for three weeks. Blame Jim. Fuck him. Fuck Jim Moriarty."
"Yes because walking for eight hours straight didn't do anything." Sherlock replied dryly.
"I would have been fine today if it wasn't for that stupid fucking bear. This is bullshit."
"Calm down. You're going to send yourself into labor again. We don't want that. She wouldn't be viable outside the womb right now." Sherlock looked up to check Vivienne's vitals on her monitors.
"You don't want that? Are you sure? One less thing you'd have to worry about." Vivienne snapped.
"I'm going to go let everyone know you're okay." Sherlock shook his head and walked away.
Vivienne saw the hurt expression he was trying to hide. "Sherlock- Sherlock, I'm sorry!" But it was too late, he was already out the door and down the hall.
Vivienne rolled over in her hospital bed to see Sherlock pacing in front of her window, hands shoved in his pockets.
"Are you going to sleep tonight or are you just going to wander around the room gripping John's pistol in your coat pocket all night?" She asked him sleepily.
Sherlock turned to face his wife. "How did you-?"
"I may not be a consulting detective, but I'm not stupid. I've learned a few things from you." Vivienne gave a half-smile. "Seriously, though. Are you alright?"
"Why do you ask?" Sherlock turned back to look back outside.
"I'm worried about you." Vivienne shrugged.
"I'm fine." Sherlock replied dismissively.
"I'm still worried about you." Vivienne scooted over in her hospital bed. "Come here, would you?"
Sherlock sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. "I said I'm fine."
"I want to apologize. Because I said things earlier, hurtful things, that I shouldn't have. Things I didn't mean."
"Didn't you, though? Things said in anger usually have some truth to them somewhere."
"Well, I-" Vivienne bit her bottom lip. "Maybe I wouldn't think those things if you seemed a little more excited or at least acted like you care. You just seem indifferent."
"I don't want to talk about it." Sherlock glanced out the window again.
"Well, I do. So, talk. Prove me wrong. You know how much you love doing that."
Sherlock kept his gaze out the window, avoiding eye contact. "What if I don't love her?"
Vivienne reached out and put her hand on Sherlock's leg. "Do you love me?"
Sherlock looked at Vivienne, baffled at the question. "Love is just-"
"A chemical reaction. I know. I studied the brain, too. But that's not what I asked. Do you love me?"
"Well, of course I do. You know that." Sherlock laid his hand upon Vivienne's.
"And was it easy to fall in love with me? Even though it wasn't easy to get you to admit at the time."
"Easiest thing I've ever done. And I've done a lot."
Vivienne grinned. "You'll fall in love with her just as easily as you fell in love with me. She'll love you, too, just because you exist and are there for her. She'll look up to you."
"That's not worrisome at all." Sherlock rolled his eyes.
"You're a good man. I believe that with all my heart. But you've made mistakes. We all do. Nobody's perfect. But I love you because you're aren't perfect."
"I'm a drug addict that solves crimes as an alternative to getting high, Viv. I'm not father material. Hell, I'm barely husband material."
Vivienne sat up and lifted her hand to Sherlock's chin. She turned his face to her and laid her hand on his cheek. "You're a human being that has made mistakes. Get over it, my love. Newsflash, you have flaws. I have flaws. She will have flaws. But we still love you." She removed her hand from his cheek and took his hand in hers, moving it to her stomach. "Say something. Anything."
"What are you do-" Sherlock stopped as he felt a tiny, little bump hit his hand.
"You feel that?" Vivienne asked as it happened again. "That's what she does every time you speak. She doesn't care about your past. She doesn't care about the things you've done. And neither do I."
Sherlock couldn't think of anything to say so he leaned forward and kissed Vivienne.
"Go get some sleep. No one is going to try and come after me in a hospital."
Sherlock nodded wordlessly. He stood up but didn't move his hand from Vivienne's stomach. "I love you." He smiled a bit as he felt another kick.
"You telling me or her?"
Sherlock shrugged. "Both. Goodnight."
"I love you." Vivienne replied as Sherlock took his coat off and made himself as comfortable as he could on the small cot the nurse had provided for him.
"Thank you." He said quietly as he watched Vivienne lay back and quickly fall back asleep.
Xxxxx
A/N: Ugh. I feel like this story is getting away from me. I feel like it's too much fluff, not enough action. But I don't want to put too much action/bad stuff because I don't want to seem like I'm overdoing it. Review, follow, favorite? Xoxo