Suffering

Greg Lestrade was not a nervous of worried man. However, when he received an urgent call in relation to explosions and gunfire at 221B the worst was to be expected. He arrived and immediately he could see the damage that had been done. His heart stopped as he hurtled up the stairs to the apartment. He entered almost afraid of what he was going to find in the living room. There wasn't a single surface that hadn't been hit and as his eyes roved around the room they halted and the mantelpiece. It was one of the areas which had largely escaped any major destruction.

There were two bodies lying motionless in the wreckage, clearly Sherlock and John. Lestrade rushed over fearing the worst. John's face was bloody and it appeared he had suffered a severe beating before the chaos ensued. Sherlock looked less beaten but had a rather nasty abrasion on his head. After what seemed like hours Sherlock moved and John groaned.

"Lestrade if you continue to interrupt like this we will never catch the guys who did this!" groaned Sherlock in his usual delightful manner. Sherlock had spoken before he had realised what had happened. His mind was blurry and there was a feeling rising in his stomach…John…where was John? He had set of the booby trap and there had been explosions but he could not remember why it had happened. John would know…John always knew. Slowly Sherlock turned his head and wished he hadn't. His friend was conscious but images of John being repeatedly beaten filled the detective's mind. It was his fault and he had to find who did it before they came back to finish the job. He couldn't lose John, not after everything that they had been through, even in the last few days.

"Sherlock it's okay…I'm fine" came the voice of the doctor groggily. At least he was speaking, that eased both Sherlock and Greg's minds. After five minutes and strong brandy Lestrade was able to make some sense of what had happened. Both John and Sherlock gave their accounts of what had occurred after the two men had entered the room.

From taking their statements Lestrade understood that this incident was related to the boys' earlier encounter, but it had also revealed something more personal to him. Sherlock Holmes was suffering not just as a result of the explosions but mentally. His statement had not been up to his usual standard. His descriptions of the two men were inconsistent and details around times and conversations were also vague and somewhat unhelpful. Lestrade pulled the detective to one side after the others left to discuss it.

"Sherlock, mate are you sure you're all right? Your statement isn't …well…very you!" Lestrade began. Sherlock knew he could trust the Inspector and so conceded that since the first explosion he had been having trouble in his usually sharp mind. He also informed Lestrade that he had experienced feelings of concern for John that seemed unnatural to him. This amused Lestrade but he tried to hide it from Sherlock….so he was human after all.

Although Sherlock had to deal with several set -backs, it didn't take him long to begin his investigation once again. Mycroft along with Mrs Hudson had evicted him from Baker St. until they had replaced and cleared the apartment. This left him heading to Bart's with a detour on the way to several local libraries. Something was telling him in the back of his mind that the organisation they were dealing with went much deeper than they had originally anticipated. It would take a lot more work and a clear mind to complete the case. There was only one person who he trusted to oversee his medical treatment while he worked and he was once again in a hospital bed. This is why Sherlock Holmes the great detective ended up staying in John Watson's hospital room which he had converted into a mini Baker St. After only an hour he had one of the wall dotted with pictures and documents relating to the investigation. When John woke he had barely time to gain his bearings before Sherlock hounded him with questions about the building which they had found themselves before the original explosion had occurred. John tried his best to recount their investigation into the seemingly legit organisation up to the point where they had received a tip from the Homeless Network.

"It started with Mr. Reid, Sherlock, coming to our flat and telling us his story of the disappearance of his daughter… Hang on…why do you need me to tell you this...you were there too Sherlock…Sherlock?" John turned his head from the wall of investigation to find that Sherlock had just exited in a hurry clutching a rather important looking document. As the door closed behind him he could hear the detective talking to himself…

"How did you miss this…it's all right there in front of you!" John just shook his head. The game was back on and soon the men who had hospitalised them would be behind bars…unless…

A/N: Sorry for the delay…I hope you enjoy this instalment. Onwards and upwards!