I'm back! (Finally.) In my defence, it's been a ridiculously busy summer. But here is chapter 3! Enjoy!
Chapter 3
It's four in the morning and Sherlock is suddenly woken up to a horrific scream.
His eyes fly open as his brain registers Cassie's young voice, and he bolts out of bed to her cot. The poor girl is in tears, crying her heart out. Sherlock scoops her up, cradling her close to his chest as he tries to quiet her.
"There there. I'm here. No need to be upset," he says comfortingly, but the baby keeps crying. He checks her, making sure she doesn't need changing before reaching for a bottle he had prepared earlier. Offering it to her, he smiles softly as she latches on.
But a moment later, she pushes the bottle away, crying even more. The detective frowns, unsure what is happening. He pats her back, bouncing her slightly in an attempt to calm her. He even sings to her, a soft lullaby in his deep voice, holding her tightly. But nothing works. Cassie still cries. Sherlock begins to worry.
What if he did something wrong? What if she was in distress that Sherlock couldn't figure out? He worriedly rocked her, trying to calm her. He pulled out his laptop and started playing some music, hoping that might help.
It was an hour later before Cassie had finally cried herself back to sleep, and Sherlock held her, panicking in silence. He spent the next two hours wide awake and scouring the Internet for anything that might help. He did manage to find a few helpful tips and tricks to help calm Cassie.
One of the most likely suggestions was that she was teething, so Sherlock set about preparing things that might help ease her pain. When she woke up a while later, Sherlock offered her a warm bottle. She drank most of it, before pushing the remainder away. She seemed at peace for the moment, so Sherlock just held her and rocked her. Cassie played happily with a toy he gave her, gumming the rattle-like object with contented sounds. Sherlock sighed, relaxing at the happy girl in his arms.
"Hey Sherlock," John said, his voice coming from the speakers of Sherlock's laptop as he smiled on the screen. That smile soon turned into a frown though as John peered at the screen.
"Sherlock, are you okay?"
The detective tiredly ran a hand through his messy curls. He looked like he hadn't slept in days - bags forming under his eyes, his hair unkempt even for Sherlock, and the drool-stained tee shirt he wore not quite sitting right. Sherlock hummed tiredly.
"'m fine," he said, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. Cassandra sat happily in his lap, burbling as she saw her daddy. John smiled at her.
"Hello baby girl. Daddy will be home tomorrow, I promise," John said, before studying Sherlock again.
"Are you sure you're okay Sherlock? You look awful."
"I'm fine John. I swear," the detective said irritatedly. "Travel safely." With that, he disconnected. Cassandra frowned, looking up at Sherlock.
"Daddy had to go, sweetie. But he'll be home soon," he explained, not quite stifling another yawn. She babbled, apparently moving on. Sherlock relaxed against the headboard, eyes falling shut. It had only been three days, but he felt like it had been an eternity. Having read up on all the tips for teething toddlers, he experimented with Cassandra to see which worked best.
It turned out, aside from having her gums rubbed, Cassandra really liked to chew on a cold teething ring. Luckily for Sherlock, both were rather easy things to do. Unfortunately for him, the pain associated with the teething had Cassandra up almost every hour, meaning Sherlock had to be up as well. This meant that the man who was known to go days without sleep for a case had legitimately been awake for days. And he was not coping well.
John may believe that Sherlock was a machine that needn't eat or sleep, but the truth was that Sherlock was very human. Three days without sleep and caring for a distraught infant had taken their toll on the detective, and he dreaded the remarks his friend would make when he arrived home.
John arrived home the next day. He grabbed his bag, paying the cabbie before digging around in his pocket for his keys. Unlocking the front door, he called up, "Sherlock, I'm home!"
But there was no answer. Worry pricked at the back of his mind, but he pushed it away, rationalizing that Sherlock probably hadn't heard him. John climbed the stairs, calling out again as he opened to door to their flat.
"Sherlock, I'm-." He stopped, then broke out into a huge smile. Sherlock was laying on the sofa, angled slightly towards the back, with Cassie sound asleep on his chest. Sherlock's eyes were closed, his breathing steady as he too slept, arm over Cassie's small body protecting her.
John slowly set his bag down and got out his phone, careful not to make a sound. He took a picture of his daughter and his best friend. After taking a few pictures, he smiled, making his way quietly further into the flat. Sherlock woke several minutes later, hearing John in the kitchen. He instinctively protected Cassie, before relaxing once he knew it was just John. The good doctor came through with two cups of tea, smiling as he saw Sherlock now awake.
"Have a nice nap?" He asked softly, setting Sherlock's cup on the coffee table as the detective cautiously sat up.
"Yes, thank you. When did you get home?" Sherlock asked quietly, holding the sleeping Cassandra to his chest.
"About ten minutes ago." John said with a smirk. Sherlock's face fell slightly.
"Oh. I suppose you saw..." He trailed off. John nodded, sipping his tea.
"You two were quite cute," he replied, smiling at the detective. Cassie shifted in Sherlock's arms, causing the detective to look down at her.
"Was she alright?" The doctor asked. It took Sherlock a moment before he answered.
"She was fine, John. Though I do think she's started teething." The doctor sighed, hand running a hand through his hair.
"Yeah, I knew it wasn't to far away. She's already 4 months old," he said. Sherlock nodded slightly.
"She likes it when you rub her gums. Or give her a chilled teething ring," the detective informed him. "I've found those calm her best." John frowned slightly in surprise.
"You...you rubbed her gums? And bought her teething rings?" The doctor asked, surprised at the level of attention and care Sherlock had given his daughter while he had been away. Sherlock shrugged, as if it was nothing.
"She was in distress. I helped ease the pain," was his plain reply. John just smiled slightly to himself, impressed. He knew Sherlock cared about Cassie more than he cared to admit, but he hadn't known that he cared this much. It made him relax a bit, knowing his daughter had been well taken care of in his absence.
"Thank you, Sherlock," John said with all the gratitude he felt. Sherlock gave him a small smile.
"You're welcome John."
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