Mrs. Johnston unwrapped her arms from around him after a while, although she didn't move away. Sherlock stiffened, waiting for her to scold him for the screaming and the temper tantrum he had essentially thrown, even if it had been by himself in the woods.
Instead, she tipped his chin up with her hand and said "Sherlock, what's wrong?"
He shrugged.
"No, please don't give me that. Something has happened. I know you don't know me very well, but please talk to me. I want to help, sweetheart. What's wrong?" she asked, a note of pleading in her voice. He almost answered her, almost told her, but when he remembered what she had said, about wanting to get rid of him and... and split up him and John and Mycroft... he couldn't do it. So he shrugged again, pulling away from her. She looked hurt, but she didn't press the subject and she didn't move towards him.
Suddenly, she had an epiphany.
"You didn't overhear my phone conversation, did you?" she asked. Slowly, he nodded, picking at fuzz on the couch they sat on. "What did you hear?"
"I... heard you say that... you didn't think this was the place for me. And that, that John and Mycroft could stay but I should go... and you told her about my ankle and you said I wasn't settling in well... you said you didn't want me," he muttered, refusing to look at her. She bit her lip.
"Sherlock... I did say that I was worried that this wouldn't be the placement for you, and I said that you weren't settling in well, but I never said I didn't want you. I never said you should go." She sighed, paused a moment to organise her thoughts, then continued.
"What I meant when I said those things was that you didn't seem to be happy here. You don't want to interact with any of my kids, and you're even mad at John and Mycroft. I cam tell you two are close, but you're not even getting along with him. You don't don't seem to want to be here, Sherlock, and I thought maybe you needed something that no matter how I tried I can't give you. You don't trust me, I know... but it's not that I don't want you. I do. I want you to be happy."
He didn't reply to her words, only sat in silence and considered what she had said.
After a moment, she spoke, one more time.
"Give me a chance. Give it some time before you decide you don't like us, okay? Cassidy, my daughter, she's getting home from camp tomorrow, and I want you to give her a chance before you decide about us, okay?"
He bit the inside of his cheek; then slowly, slowly, he nodded. She grinned, obviously very pleased, reached out to grab him into a hug, then froze, unsure if that was too much. Sherlock wasn't sure himself, but his policy was better safe than sorry, so he stood up and went into the bathroom to wash his face and hands for breakfast.