"New dimension"

The first sensation I had, after the doctor had anesthized me and I had lost consciousness, was the sound: little muffled sounds coming from near where I was laying of someone whispering funny onomatopoeic words, shortly followed by small chuckles of surprise or joy. Then came the smell: I recognized the scent of fresh towels with an undetectable residual of disinfectant. The touch came third: I was comfortably resting on a soft surface, my head too was slightly elevated on something fluffy like cotton and I had a wonderful sensation of warm. I was no longer in pain, the persistent pain I had experienced before, even if I was still dazed from the anesthesia. I tried to open my eyes but my eyelids were just too heavy and I had to gather my strength to succeed in that act. At first, my vision was a little blurry, I shifted my head on the pillow towards the source of the sounds and a confused graying form came into focus. There, too concentrated on the little pink bundle he was firmly holding in his arms, was Sherlock Holmes, making an interesting variety of funny noises to amuse the little creature whom I knew was my daughter. He had not noticed I was awake. I tried to speak and found that my voice was just a whisper. I tried again, a little louder, not wanting to disturb the child, and this time he heard me, for he shifted on the chair he was sitting.

"Let me see her…" I asked him.

He did, still holding her in his strong arms. She was sleeping peacefully. She was beautiful, even if I could see very little of her, just her little face and a tiny hand, for she was enveloped in the soft towel. I wanted desperately to hold her, I asked Holmes and tried to get up but I had to give up, because when I did so I felt a odd pain in my abdomen, not like before anyway, and I immediately understood that the discomfort was caused by the stitches the doctor put on me. As Holmes suggested, I laid still. He carefully sat beside me and put the baby down, so she was in the centre of the big bed. In that way I was able to see her resting comfortably. Then Holmes leave and we were left alone, but soon returned with Doctor Sheppard, who wanted to make sure I was alright. He was going to come back tomorrow morning, he said, and I thought we were very lucky to have him, because I alone would had never been able to manage the whole situation. I was left alone again with the child, Homes was worried that I was too tired and that I needed to rest, that was true in fact, but I insisted for him to take the doctor to the main door downstairs so to have some minutes alone with the baby. Before leaving, he made sure we were both comfortable and that the child was not in danger to fall from the bed. When I knew I was alone, I allowed myself to cry at how beautiful she was and in that moment, looking her sleeping peacefully, I understood I would have done just everything for her, I would have given my life for her. I could not quite believe we were able to give life to this little miracle. Holding her, I felt I was going to fall asleep again, even if I would had loved to watch her all night, but my body was telling me otherwise. "Good night, Elizabeth! I love you!" I murmured in her little ear. I heard Holmes' steps on the stairs and I allowed myself to close my eyes and get some sleep.

I spent the following days in bed, as Doctor Sheppard had suggested, and enjoyed the motherly care of both Mrs. Hudson and my Holmes. I slept a lot, and when I was awake I spent my time watching Ellie sleep or doing funny faces. Feeding her was difficult for me, because the stitches still hurt a little, and Holmes was afraid of not being able to do it when of course he would had done it perfectly but I did not put him under any pressure. There was plenty of time to learn how to take care of her in every aspect of life. So Mrs. Hudson was more than happy to help us. I guess that was the moment the dear land lady understood that she would had become her "nanny" forever. Ellie was too little to comprehend who we were or anything else, she was simply watching around her and moving her little arms and legs up and down, but I was so proud of her. Heart of a father!

After three of four days I was able to get up and sit comfortably, without the risk to put out the stitches. After one week or so I was on my feet again. Holmes was more than kind to me, as usual, for he offered to do almost all the works that needed to be done with Ellie, if work was the right word in this case; we were both so enthusiastic of our new dimension to argue about who had to feed her, to wash her, and so on. Eventually, when she was sleeping or when we left her to Mrs. Hudson's care, I and my lover talked and spent time together, because now we needed each other's support more than ever.

We received the last visit of Doctor Sheppard at the end of the third week of Ellie's life. We had dinner together and then he checked on me and the child one last time, saying we were perfectly fine. He suggested to wait for another week or two before take her back to London, because the train trip was too long for her. We accepted his wise advice and arrange things with Mycroft for our return. He went to the Cottage on the last week of our stay and assured us everything had being taken care of.

Once back in London, we tried to resume our every day life, but it was not so easy because we had to find a new equilibrium, for Elizabeth had completely changed our life style. I had always thought that Holmes would had died with nothing to do, I mean if he had not criminals to search all around London or without putting a fight with some racketeer in a dark dirty alley and coming back home with bruises and cuts if not worse. But Ellie needed so much attentions and he simply was so busy with her to not notice that he was casting aside his detective career for her. I did the same, for the first 5 or 6 months, then, when she was more independent and we could leave her to Mrs. Hudson, I resumed my physician's career at the consulting room with my patients: I wanted to assure her a good quality of life, after all, and doing my job was the only way I knew to do it. Holmes, on his side, became a sort of consultant for Scotland Yard, but he rarely went into a fight or put him in any dangerous situations.

One day, when Elizabeth was almost two years old, I came home in the early afternoon with a new book for her. She was very clever and she loved books. I was used to come home a little later, so she was not expecting me. I entered the main door and heard her little voice coming form the living room upstairs. She was teaching Holmes how to make tea, in her particular language. As I went up the stairs, I heard Holmes' voice instructing her to hide.

"We would joke dad a trick!" he said, making her laugh. "But you have to be silent! Do we have a deal?"

"Ye', da!" she answered.

I carefully opened the door and, pretending not to see her, I said aloud: "Hello, Holmes! Did you see Ellie around? Mrs. Hudson said she was here but I cannot see her!"

"I am sorry, my dear, she is not here!" he answered, clearly winking at her, who was just behind me.

"I cannot imagine where she is!" and I started to call her. "She has disappeared!"

She encircled my knees with her little arms, laughing, I pretended to be scared and that made her laughing just more. I took her by her waist and lifted her in the air, so she was looking me in the eyes and said, with a booming voice: "Don't do that again, little girl, or the tickle monster will have you!"

"I'le no da'!" she answered still laughing.

I put her down and went to sit on the couch, she followed me with bright eyes and asked me to sit her beside me. She had seen the small colored package I had hidden behind my back and was watching me with a clever expression. "Mine!" she said, pointing to the gift I was now holding in front of me. Actually, Mine was one of the few words she could correctly spell.

"I found it at the door. I don't know if it is yours, maybe it is for Mr. Holmes." I explained, teasing her.

"No, mine!" she repeated louder happily.

"Alright, alright, this is for you. Why don't you ask Daddy to open it for you?" and I directed her to an amused Sherlock, who willingly took her in his arms and opened the gift, making a surprised sound when they discovered it was a little colored book of fairy tales. She watched Holmes and then me, with a huge smile on her face.

"What do you say to dad, now, Ellie?" Holmes asked her in a very sweet voice.

"T'an' 'ou!". She gave Holmes a kiss and then hurried to me.

"Da' re'd fo' Ei!"

"Of course, my dear! Come here!" I made her sit on my knees and started to read. Holmes was watching us from his chair, enjoying the moment we had. At some point Ellie asked for him to seat beside us and so he did. That was one of the many magic moments we would cherish forever.

Personally, when I think of her, now that she is grown up, I still see her as the little three years old child, dressed in a brilliant little white sundress with black and blue lace details, soft tanned skin, cute fascinator with a white bow with black and blue lace rolled into a rose in the centre and bright blue eyes.

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