Title: Life of a Page Boy

Author: Pompey

Universe: ACD

Rating: G

Warnings: none

Word count: 550

Summary: Billy sees the aftermath of the Garrideb case

Prompt: July 30 - Give a minor character's point of view to something going wrong

Being the page boy for Mr. Sherlock Holmes ain't the same as being a page boy for anyone else, and that's no lie. Mr. Holmes, he keeps hours as queer as Dick's hatband, and us in the household, we dance to his tune. That makes it sound like the job's a real chore but it ain't, not on the usual anyway. There's a bit of fun to it, bringing in all the clients to Mr. Holmes and listening in on the sly – another witness as insurance, Mr. Holmes calls it. But it ain't all fun.

Like tonight. The upstairs gentlemen had gone out to see about some bloke what's named Garrideb. Mrs. Hudson didn't see them leave but I did. Mr. Holmes was wearing his grim face that sets Mrs. Hudson's nerves on edge, for it means there'll be danger and she won't know if they'll be coming home to celebrate or coming home with calls for hot water and bandages and sending me off for the doctor double-quick. Tonight was the latter, as the gentlemen say.

I wasn't there to see them come home – I'd gone to bed well before – but I heard Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson arguing from the front door right up the stairs. Something about going for a doctor and Dr. Watson saying that he WAS a doctor and they didn't need to wake Mrs. Hudson or me.

'course, it was too late by then. Mrs. Hudson and me was already up with the racket. She put the kettle on to heat and was already pulling out the supply of bandages she always keeps at the ready. As for me, I ran to get my trousers and boots, just in case.

When I got up to the sitting room, the doctor's leg was all bloodied and his trousers ripped around the wound so you could see he'd been shot. That stopped me in my tracks. Usually when one of them's been injured, I don't see much. Either there's bandaging in the way or a body is blocking my view or I'm sent on my way immediately.

Dr. Watson saw me and I guess I must have looked scared cuz he smiled kindly at me. "I'm fine, Billy. It was a grazing shot. It just looks worse than it is."

"Even so, Billy," said Mr. Holmes, turning to look at me, "we'll need you to fetch a doctor."

"No, Holmes," said Dr. Watson, very firmly. "Billy, stay here."

"Billy, go," ordered Mr. Holmes.

And that put me in a fine pickle, for who was I to obey? Dr. Watson was a doctor, right enough, but what if he wasn't able to medicine himself? Mr. Holmes would be very angry if anything worse happened to him. But Dr. Watson might get angry himself if we didn't trust that he could take care of himself when he could.

Mrs. Hudson saved me by putting a hand on my shoulder and pushing me to the door, gentle-like. "Go on, Billy. Do as Mr. Holmes says."

Before I went, I looked over my shoulder at Dr. Watson. He didn't look happy and that's no lie. I shrugged at him to show there weren't much I could do about it. "Sorry, Doctor, it's two against one and she pays my wages."