Prompt 27: Leader
tw mild child abuse references
Shock. An untamed pulse of it that blew through each of their bodies as if a bomb had gone off. How had they not seen this, noticed this, felt this before? It seemed unignorable, a constant current raging beneath everything now that they were staring at it in the face, but so very impossible before.
John had to work, even though there was a case on. "I can't just leave them hanging Sherlock, not again. At this rate I'll lose my job because I'm always coming when called. I love the cases, I do, but I kind of need a steady source of income to, you know, live?" he explained hurriedly, chewing on jam covered toast and pulling on his jacket. He did seem genuinely disappointed that he couldn't go with Sherlock today. Sherlock was not feeling better because he felt guilty. Nope, not at all. "Go then, but this one is interesting, At least a seven." Sherlock finally spoke from his curled up position on through couch and he could almost hear John's responding smile. He listened to the footsteps bringing John over to him and smirked as he planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'll be back this afternoon, it's only a half shift really. Text me if you're not home and I'll meet you okay?" John added unnecessarily, Sherlock would be texting him through out the day and they both knew it. Sherlock rolled over to face him and kissed him gently "See you later John." John grinned and walked away "See you later Sherlock."
They had stopped saying goodbye a while ago, it had become too permanent a word to say, like they would never see each other again. That was what it had meant the last time either of them had said it, a croaked goodbye and a proclamation of love as they rapidly bled to death next to the rapidly cooling body of a killer. It was a minor miracle that the ambulance arrived in time. No goodbyes after that. John sighed as he stepped into the surgery and greeted the receptionist with a smile. Sherlock would probably be at the scene by now, was Anderson the person designated to be his assistant in John's absence? Sherlock would hate that he mused before sitting behind his desk and rolling up his sleeves. Fifteen patients before lunch. He could do that.
A soft knock at the door and he welcomed his first of the day, a small boy and his mother, no, nanny? Yes, she loved the boy, clearly, but she was impatient, not holding him but his hand though he was evidently ill, she looked more bothered than worried. Sherlock was rubbing off on him it seemed. "Hello there I'm , what seems to be the problem?" The nanny sat the boy down with a soothing pat on the head as he clutched his stomach and sniffled quietly into a worn bear. "He was fine when I arrived this morning to mind him" John silently congratulated himself "and then he threw up some bile. I think he has a fever but the family don't seem to keep anything of use around, no thermometer, no calpol... When he started to shake I decided to bring him here." John nodded and walked across to the boy who was indeed trembling a little in his tiny clothes. "Would you mind awfully if I asked you to sit up on the big bed over there and do a few things for me?" If John wasn't mistaken he could have sworn that the child looked terrified at the prospect. "What's your name, huh? You remind me of a friend of mine actually." and he did, with his dark curls and pale (greenish) skin, he was a dead ringer for a certain detective he was knew. "Callum" the boy called as he clambered awkwardly onto the examination table. "Well Callum, I'm just going to take your temperature, try and find out what's making you feel ill alright? This goes in your ear for a while so we can chat until it beeps ok?" Callum played with his sleeves and didn't reply, his nanny wasn't even paying attention, engrossed in her phone by the door.
He cleared his throat "So Callum how old are you?" Callum held up four fingers, eyes trained to the floor. "Wow, are you sure you're only four? You seem so much bigger than a four year old. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" John inquired lightly and was relieved at the slight shake of his head, even if it dislodged the thermometer somewhat. "That's cool, I bet your parents spoil you rotten" There it was again, fear. Over whelming terror. Now he was worried, the first one he could write of as a fear of doctors or injections but that was blatant. He was afraid of his parents. There was a loud beep and he looked at the numbers, reading the high fever in an instant. It looked like Callum had the flu, but he wanted to do a full check up just in case. Better safe than sorry. "Callum can you take off your shirt for me, I want to listen to your heart and lungs properly." The boy stiffened beside him and looked up with tear filled eyes, bright brown orbs that made John feel horrible. "I... I'm not supposed to. Daddy says it's against the rules." John braced himself for what he was about to see. "It's okay Callum, you can show me. I won't hurt you, I promise." The slip of a boy bit his lip, clearly torn as to what to do. "Just do what he asks Cal, you'll be in trouble if you don't" finally the girl at the door chimed in and clearly Callum didn't want to be in trouble because he unzipped his jacket carefully and held his arms in the air. Gently John tugged his t-shirt up and over his head, holding back the grimace at the sight that revealed itself. His entire left side was covered in bruises at various stages of healing and his arms were no better, the outline of two hands molded into the soft skin. What he really payed attention to were the protruding ribs and flat stomach. "Callum" he began, so softly that the only person who would hear was the boy "when did you last eat?" He looked confused, like John was some sort of alien to ask. "Last week. If I'm good and follow the rules Daddy might give me more in a few days." John felt sick, so much so that he had to close his eyes and compose himself for a minute. "You can put your
top back on now, I'm just going to talk to your nanny for a second so you wait there." John stood and strode over to the girl who was no more than twenty and looked completely oblivious, but she had said he'd be in trouble, as if she knew the significance of the threat to the little boy. "Miss? Have you seen Callum's chest before?" he asked praying she'd say no. "No? I just stay with him until from eight to twelve and make sure he doesn't burn the house down. That's it. Why?" Sometimes John wondered how people got their jobs and Melanie here was one such person. "Right, okay. Does Callum have two parents or just a father?" She shook her head, still not looking up "Just the boy and his dad." Looking back at the small boy he strengthened his resolve to help him. "Ok well miss I'm going to make a call to social services on behalf of Callum here, you can go if you want." That made her look. She looked at Callum and then at John, turned on her heel and left. "Okay Callum, I'm going to get my boss to come in and take a look at you, and maybe have a chat ok? But first I'm going to give you some medicine to bring down your fever." Sarah came within minutes of his page and knocked on the door. He had been on the floor, playing with Callum, and pushed himself up to tell her what he had seen. She made the call and took Callum into her office. It would be a long day.
When John finally got a chance to look at his phone he was leaving the surgery for the day. As expected Sherlock hadbeen texting him all day with varying degrees of coherency. The only one he played attention to was the last one Scotland Yard -SH. Smiling to himself John hopped in a taxi to the yard.
Sherlock was getting rather tired of being called for easily solved cases. While at first glance the case had seemed interesting, he saw through it almost instantaneously. The mother had killed the children as revenge for the father getting custody, and then he had killed her for the offence. Obviously. It was just barely worth getting dressed for and not near worth the amount of paper work he would have to do in the same room as Anderson and Donovan. Nothing was worth that, yet there he was, sitting by the door trying desperately to ignore them while he filled in his statement. That it seemed, was not how they wanted the day to play out.
"Oi, freak. What are you doing here?" Sherlock sighed and gritted his teeth. "I'm doing your job, as I so often do." he replied coolly and smiled into the splutters of indignation that ensued. "We don't kill people freak, we're not psychopaths like you. You're a waste of space and if it were up to us you'd have been put away a long time ago. Just keep that in your weird brain, freak. You don't belong here, or anywhere else for that matter. You're nothing." John had made it right to the door of the room where Sherlock was supposed to be, just cracking it open as Sally went on her tirade. He watched as Sherlock's face fell and he held his hands together before replacing the indifferent mask everyone was used to. Sherlock was hurt and John, well he was enraged. He threw the door open and glared at Donovan and Anderson. "Right. I am only going to say this once so pay very close attention. You two work for people who have asked for Sherlock's help time and again, because everyone they've hired has been too incompetent to solve cases that need solving. Sherlock is here to help put criminals behind bars for you and to solve the puzzle for himself. Now. I don't particularly care what he's said to you because it's more than likely true. But what you say to him on a daily basis is unacceptable and from now on I refuse to accept it. If I so much as hear the word freak coming out of either of your mouths you will have a very angry, very capable, me to answer to. And believe me I would have no qualms in showing you exactly how capable I am. Once more. That's all it will take and I won't hold back. Do you understand?" John barked out, standing taller, using the voice he had reserved for the army.
Anderson and Donovan stood shocked into silence and in fact the entire floor had gone quiet, Lestrade had popped his own head out of his office too. "I'll repeat myself, do you understand?" They nodded profusely and he stood back. "You'll do well to remember it." and he turned to the crowd staring at him in shock from their cubicles. "That goes for all of you. Show him the respect he deserves." John swiveld back to face Sherlock and smiled brightly at him. "Well now that's sorted. Are you nearly done? I'll just grab us a taxi and meet you outside, unless you want me to get them to grovel?" Sherlock smirked and shook his head fondly at him. The yarders were shocked. How had they not seen this before? John was clearly born to lead, to take charge of all those around him. It was terrifying. John grinned and pecked him on the cheek which gained a gasp from the two who saw it and winked at him before making his way back outside in his usual friendly manner. Lestrade stared at him as he went and walked in to the office still looking surprised. "What the hell was that?! That wasn't like John at all!" he exclaimed to Sherlock who was fastening scarf. "Oh yes, you haven't seen Captain John Watson in action before have you? You all see the doctor, the friend, the back up but you never see the leader. He's good isn't he?" Lestrade nodded "That's an understatement if I ever heard one. I don't think anyone here would dare disobey him" he added in awe as he walked with Sherlock to the door. "That's the objective Lestrade. Text me if there's something on that's worth my while." and with that he bounded onto the street where John was waiting and their taxi was just pulling up.
"Bad day?" he asked as they slid into the backseat. John sighed "A bit yeah, child abuse case, a little four year old boy. He looked a lot like you... I think I just got a bit more riled up by what Donovan was saying because of it but I still probably would have chewed them out over it" Sherlock grasped his hand and smiled brightly. "Thank you anyway. I'm looking forward to the next case already!" he joked and John chuckled. It would be interesting all right. He hadn't been kidding, one toe out of line and "Sherlock? Mycroft could get me off of a murder charge right?" and they collapsed into giggles in the back of the taxi, leaving the driver utterly bewildered.