CHAPTER 14. Appetite and Heart

"You called Mycroft!" Sherlock groaned putting his slender fingers to his temples, he wished this headache wasn't so damned persistent and the pounding was gaining speed.

"I didn't have a choice! I warned you! I fucking warned you! And I warned Frankie!" Sherlock winced at the dark tones of his usually easy going abundantly patient friend, gray eyes scanned the med student's pale face. The deduction came quick, it wasn't a difficult one to guess that John had been in a fight, and by the deep scratch on the shorter man's cheekbone he knew with who.

"I take it you fought Frankie in the gym. He has a very distinctive class ring"

"I gave him what was coming to him! I warned him the last time I found that crap in our dorm room. You looked right at me and told me you were done!" John started to pace, he ignored the taste of blood on his lips, Frankie had been a foot taller but John knew how to take a punch as well as deal them out. Fear and anger had possessed him to go after the drug dealer, he'd found him in the gym probably exchanging cash for more cocaine. John hadn't cared he'd tackled the taller man and security had came to break it up but fearful of being caught Frankie fled with a warning. But John didn't care, he'd headed back to the hospital were he met an angry Mycroft in the hospital corridor.

" Give me his name, assuming you left him alive." Was all Mycroft demanded John didn't hesitate taking the taller man's handkerchief for his own bleeding nose.

"Yeah, coward ran off. His name is Frankie Eston." The government official didn't say another word he only turned away and started to make a call on his mobile. That's when John had entered Sherlock's room to find his friend wide awake and fuming.

"I m being sentenced to rehab John I hope you're happy."

"Me, no. Far from it! You git! How could you be so stupid! I had to give you CPR!" John collapsed into a chair near his friend's cot.

"I wont go-"

"You will, or so help Sherlock Holmes I wont ever talk to you again. I've tried to be patient. But I wont watch another person in my life be victim to addiction and no matter what you think. it is. anaddiction. You promised me you'd quite but you haven't clearly. You will go and when you return I'll be here."

"That's it then your ultimatum. You're sounding more and more like Mycroft-"

"No. No. You don't get to treat me like this." John growled. "I wont stand by while you lose yourself to this-this poison. Do you hear me. I will never speak to you again." Sherlock read the resolve in his friends face.

"Fine." He muttered.

"Fine." John sighed falling back into the chair.

"John I think it's best you go home and get some rest. I would like a word with my baby brother privately." John shot a worried look at the younger Holmes, but his friend waved him off.

That had been the first overdose, but there had been relapses after and John Watson could never follow through with his threats.

"John, I'm wondering if you are doing more harm than good for my brother." Mycroft had fumed outside the newest rehab.

"What are you saying?"

"I thought it was a good thing to have you keep an eye on my brother, but I think perhaps I should send him to another school far from temptation."

"He wont go for that Mycroft. Have you and your father tried to sit and talk to him? I mean really talk to him. After your mother died he's been-distant. He needs to feel support-"

"You are only a med student John Watson don't try and psychoanalyze my family. You haven't the right nor the wit." John held his ground against the angry Mycroft Holmes government official.

"I wont be bullied Mycroft. I am just telling you because I am a friend. I don't want this void between the two of you to widen anymore. I know you're scared to death, this one was a close one. But he has to want to be clean. And he needs a reason. I cant be with him all the time it's not fair to him it's not fair to me. Please. Just try. He needs you, you're his brother. Family is all we have."

"And why should I be lectured by a motherless boy who's father and sister are drunkards with no future?" John took a deep breath he knew Mycroft was hurting, the older Holmes was worried and the words cut John, but he refused to back down.

"You're right. I should know what addiction does. I know better than anyone, he's a good guy your brother. A right genius but he needs help."

"Help he shall receive John. If he relapses after this bout of rehab then rest assured he will force my hand and I'll cut him off. I only hope for your sake as well as his this doesn't occur." John stood quietly as Mycroft walked past him. But it had happened again, and John hadn't understood Mycroft's threat. Not until that day five years ago, a life changing day.

John recalled how Mycroft's usually cold uninterested mask slide away reveling the anger that boiled beneath. "Where were you this time John? " his voice steady and icy.

"Mycroft-" John didn't know what to say. This was his fault, all of it. Sure Sherlock had taken the drugs himself but John had left him-left him on a danger night. How could he have missed the signs? What a horrible night so far, between Sherlock and his sister's addictions John was finding it hard to keep himself sane. "I don't have any excuses." He replied defeated, running tired hands over his face.

"Of course not. Why my brother chooses to keep you around has always been a mystery to me. I thought I could trust you to keep him safe. You promised me-"

Harry's angry words still drummed in John's head. "You would choose them over us any day wouldn't you John! We are your family not them! Yet you abandon us and now look what's happened!"

What a mess, John tried to keep himself from being sick. First his father dieing in a car wreck, one Nathan Watson was at fault for and thank god it was a tree and not another car. Still, Harry had been the one to identify father's body. And John had to pick her up from the hospital. Funny enough this same hospital, only to return to the dorm to find his friend unconscious on the floor of their room. John found the room trashed, his mail thrown everywhere, as if a tornado had hit.

"You were right John I am his brother. I am." Mycroft put a delicate hand to his own chest, his other clutched his damn umbrella handle. "My brother." He stressed again. "I think he's done with you after tonight. I know I am. If you think any scholarship committee will see you now-" John didn't care about anything right now. Mycroft was angry he understood that, and an angry Mycroft wasn't a great thing, but would he really threaten his scholarships? "That said, Mr. Watson. I would like you to understand. My family is no longer a concern of yours. You should leave."

"No." Mycrofts eyes widened and John sighed "I will say goodbye to him." He went back into the room "I owe him that much." John turned his back on the taller Holmes' seething figure.

Sherlock laid on the bed his back to John, he'd turned over when he saw the blond man entering.

"Sherlock-"

"Is that it John I'm a burden to you. I always knew Mycroft hated me but you-"

"Sherlock" John went to sit on the edge of the bed a hand on his friends shoulder. "Sherlock look at me."

"Go away John."

"Sherlock I'm your friend. I ve always been your friend."

"Have you? Or is it just a way to use me-"

"Sherlock when have I ever-hey look at me." Sherlock didn't roll over.

"I found your scholarship acceptance letters John do you think I'm stupid? "

"What are you talking about? If this is about the applications I put in, you knew I was applying for more aid, I'm almost at graduation-"

"How long have you been taking my families money? You're just another minder."

"I don't understand-"

"The scholarships John, I'm not an idiot. They are from my fathers company." John felt sick, he'd turned in his application, written essays. He thought he won those on his own merit. His grades every point he worked to maintain. He applied to the uni and was accepted but was it? Remembering Mycrcoft's threats John felt sick. Was he even as smart as he thought? What if they'd manipulated his grades so he was able to continue going to the school with Sherlock. How dare Mycroft, how dare they manipulate him, how dare they treat the younger Holmes like an unwanted child.

"Sherlock just hear me out I'm your friend-"

"I don't have any friends!" Sherlock rolled back over to face the taller man who moved off the bed, hurt prickled his vision. "Leave John, I don't want to see you ever. You can clear out of the dorm-"

"Right." The shorter man swallowed and Sherlock watched a mask of calm fall over his ex friends face. "As a former friend I beg you to stay in Rehab this time, if you continue on this path you'll just end up dead."

"What do you care?"

"I do care Sherlock. Everyone cares, your brother cares he cares greatly for you that's why he's so annoyingly over protective. Family is all you've got in the end." John's voice broke off, and he needed to go, go somewhere and be sick to save face to get away from the swarm of feelings, threatening to crumble him.

"Go away John. I have no patience for fools, especially of the sentimental kind. I expect this is the end of our acquaintance and I for one am glad for it. You slow me down. Mycroft warned me that taking on a friend of such low standings and class was a mistake and he was correct. Sentiment John it's a useless feeling, it gives no advantage and is a chemical defect found on the losing side." John felt as if he'd been kicked in the gut for the second time in the last 24 hours.

"Well you might have given up on me. But I wont give up on you. Goodbye Sherlock." John turned and left his best friend behind leaving the room and escorted then out by the hired security of Mycroft's. He held in his anger, this was his fault why hadn't he paid closer attention why was he destined to keep messing up? Hadn't he tried to help Harry and failed so many times. Even his father was a lost cause. And then how could he not have known about the scholarships? Of course the Holmes had a hand in his scholarships. How could he have not seen through that?