"Wait, so someone managed to sneak up on you and prick you with something, they were never caught and then you eventually found out you got malaria"
"Yes, I was investigating a lab that was studying malaria and I think someone didn't like my inquiries despite the fact that I was there on behalf of the Swiss government"
"Was the culprit ever found?"
"Not yet, but they're still looking last I knew"
"I see, by the way, Lestrade said that we might not actually be able to go to where Donavan was born like we thought we would be, at least not easily"
"I see, guess he's going to do some checking first before I'm cleared for full duty right?"
"Yep"
"Hopefully though everything works out"
"Agreed, but if it doesn't then we'll figure something else out and get the closure that Donavan, and his family needs, even if they don't want to acknowledge it"
"Yes, though we don't even know what the complication Lestrade mentioned is, it might be minor enough that he'll clear the issue soon"
As it turned out Lestrade would indeed be able to clear up the issue and they would indeed be able to go to where Donavan was born, and actually conduct an investigation, not just regarding the hospital but also help any issues in town while they were there. This is because the problem had been that Scotland Yard was not actually recognized as able to enforce the law outside of London since they were considered London police officers, basically a jurisdictional issue, just like would be in the United States if they weren't State police officers or the FBI/NCIS which were Federal police officers, though the NCIS specialized unlike the FBI. As such Lestrade had to ask permission to conduct an investigation into the hospital to the local police force, but he also asked to help with regular crimes as well since he figured that they would be there for a few days at least, but he was unsure if permission would be granted and thus had to wait before saying if the mission was a go or not.
"This permission will definitely last as long as we're there?"
"Yes the Police Commissioner of the town assured it to me personally, and a letter signed by the mayor was also given to me"
"Then when are we going?"
"Next week, it'll take that long to make all the arrangements"
"Understood, uh, Donavan one quick question, are you sure this is where you and Bradstreet were born?"
"Yes, why are you questioning it when you have Bradstreet's records as well?"
Lestrade sighs
"Because we found out someone messed with those records, and the records of several other officers during the time we were all in the academy, and with hospital records now suspect during the time period of your birth..."
"Oh, add in parental denial regarding me and you're wondering if their memory was affected due to my supposed death at the time"
"Exactly"
"Then if this hospital is a lie we'll find a way to find the right hospital, but for now the hospital we're going to is our best lead regarding me, and maybe...maybe give us answers about my brother who may or may not be alive"
"How so? I mean...I know we don't have a body and yet we had a funeral anyways but what answers are you talking about Donavan?"
"Simple, I'm wondering if the same thing happened to Bradstreet, plus...you know the phenominon where twins sometimes feel each other? I think...I think I might be feeling my twin's pain, and have been on occasion for some time now"
"But you never knew you had a twin plus...I don't think I want false hope about Bradstreet's possible survival"
"Sorry, it's just...I don't know, but I do still get a feeling that the hospital is the key to solving a lot of mysteries regarding me and Bradstreet"
"We'll see, in the meantime we have another, relatively easy case before we head over to where you were supposed to be born"
"I see, what's the case?"
"A home invasion/robbery case, at least that's what we think it is anyways, but it might not be that"
"Oh?"
"Yes, something about the homeowner's statement seems...off for some reason"
"I see...I'll look into it before going further then, because that discrepency might be easily explained"
"True enough"
As it would turn out, the reason the statement seemed off was because of the fact that they were partially out of it because of an antibiotic reaction that they were unaware of at the time they made the police statement. As for the case itself it would indeed be a simple home invasion/robbery case that was solved by the time the group was supposed to leave for the town where Donavan and Bradstreet were supposed to have been born in.
"So it was a simple case after all, it was just that an antibiotic made things seem more complicated at the time was all, and messed with the memory of the home owner enough that they forgot about the video camera that they'd installed recently as a precaution"
"Yes sir, though finding the suspects would have been harder without that camera"
"Indeed, now then are you packed for tomorrow?"
"Yes actually I am, how are we getting there by the way?"
"Train, or well first a train and then the last part will be by car since we can't go directly to town by train, and of course the car would be needed in either case for getting to the hospital"
"Got it"
"Now then, due to our trip tomorrow everyone is allowed to leave early today"
"How early?"
"An hour and a half to two hours depending on how fast we can get the paperwork done"
"Right, then I guess we'd better get started on the paperwork"
Ultimately the group would finish paperwork in time to leave two hours earlier than they normally would be allowed to leave which gave them that little bit of extra time that they needed to prepare for the journey the next day. The next day they would take a train ride to Ipswich and then drive to Martlesham where the hospital was, arriving at a time when it was decided that it would be best to introduce themselves to the Martlesham police and then find their hotel for the duration of their stay and begin the investigation into the hospital the next day.
"It's always best to follow leads whenever we're mentally and physically fresh, and to confront the head of the hospital..."
"I understand, this was a long trip and I don't even remember making an appointment to meet with said doctor now that I look back at my own investigation"
"I did that actually, it's in the morning after rounds"
"Okay"
The next day the group went to the hospital and was led to the doctor's office at the hospital when they arrived since they were still a little early and rounds were still being done. When the doctor arrived Lestrade took the lead on the investigation
"We're here about a nurse who falsified at least one death certificate if not more during their time here, and as the doctor who signed the certificate you have answers you need to give me"
"I see...ask then and I shall answer"
And so through the interrogation they learned that the doctor had gotten to the point where he trusted the nurse so much that he simply signed any forms he was given by said nurse and thus was an unwitting accomplice in their actions. When the session was finally done the doctor agreed to help figure out who Donavan was initially sold to in order to find out if there was a traffic ring or not.
"I'm also going to write my resignation letter and hand it in as soon as the answer about the child traffic ring is found"
"Thank you doctor, by the way do you have any long term patients who are a John Doe?, they would have arrived about a year or so ago. They would have either been dropped off and abandoned, or the people who dropped him off would have refused to answer questions and left as soon as was feasible"
"Yes and no actually, we do have a John Doe, and they've been here for about as long as you asked, but they came from a hospital in London, this is because we have a long term care facility for coma patients. London also has one but sometimes they don't have the capacity, or in this case felt that the business of the hospital would make it harder for the patient to recover, and when that happens the patients are sent to us"
"I see, is it possible for us to look in on the patient, see if we can't identify them?"
"Not for a week at least, they're in isolation right now and only medical personnel can enter with the right equipment"
"Understood doctor, your patient, your rules"
"In the meantime I'll start gathering all the records from that time period to see if there's a pattern or a way to find out who sold Donavan here to his adoptive family, or at least the intermediary that the nurse used"
"Thanks, if needed just use the non-emergency number for the local police and leave a message for us, mention that we're the Scotland Yard police and they'll tell us when we go into the station for whatever reason"
"Got it"
And so the group left the hospital only to get involved in a car chase, though it turned out that it wasn't a criminal trying to escape the police, but a confused diabetic, who was also deaf. As it was a case of a medical situation an ambulance was called instead of them getting arrested and once the person was coherent they only got a speeding ticket and a stern reminder from the doctor about watching their blood sugar levels, especially before driving since this was actually the second incident for them having a blood sugar crash while behind the wheel.
"Thanks for the help with that diabetic driver"
"Thanks yourself for modifying our rental to allow us to use it as a police car"
"You're welcome, by the way, how long are you going to be here?"
"Not sure, but we do know that we're going to try and identify a long term John Doe next week once isolation ends for them"
"I see, do you have any reason to think you might recognize them?"
"Not really but, it's still good to check since they apparently came from London originally, and we do have some missing person cases that need resolved"
"I see, hope you have luck then"
"Thanks"
"By the way, can you give us copies of your missing person cases, just in case?"
"Sure"
"Thanks, after all sometimes they may be confused, or abducted and moved to a different location secretly, a location that you have no jurisdiction in, but local police do"
"You have a point, and in that regards...sorry for not sharing information recently there have been...well issues that prevent it, issues that are not easily resolved unfortunately and can't be spoken about further I'm afraid"
"Understood, in the meantime there's something else that needs dealt with"
"Reports on the diabetic driver incident?"
"Yep, primarily because while the initial paperwork was already dealt with there is unfortunately follow up paperwork required by the person's doctor and as one of the responding officers..."
"Right"
The group writes up their report for the doctor and then simply works on basic cases that the station they were currently working out of needed help on. A week later they were informed that isolation was continuing unfortunately for at least another half a week because of just how bad the initial infection that created the isolation conditions in the first place was.
"Understood, just call us when the patient is finally out of isolation so that we can see if we can't identify them"
When he hung up Lestrade saw that everyone else had overheard the conversation. As such he simply sighs and nods letting them know that it was true what they had just heard.
"Right, did they say why the patient is still in isolation?"
"Apparently it's in order to protect the patient this time around, their immune system is not very strong due to a combination of illnesses that they have gotten since arriving in this hospital in a coma, and the fact that in their first hospital they had an infection before being transferred. The hospital is keeping an eye on a potential super bug that just started showing signs of being around and so they're putting all of their immunocompromised patients in isolation to protect them"
"Right, and it's best for us to also stay away so that we don't catch it if at all possible"
"Exactly, the hospital will contact us once it's safe to see them and identify them"
"Right, in the meantime we have other cases right?"
"Yes, we do actually"
Finally though, almost two weeks after they arrived the group finally got permission to visit the coma patient, and as soon as they see them they could immediately identify them, though Anderson was the first person to speak up
"Bradstreet!"
A doctor came up
"Do you recognize him?"
"Yes, that's Inspector Bradstreet, he's a Scotland Yard officer, we...we've thought he was dead for almost four or so years now"
"I see, one of you can stay with him at all times then, but you have to rotate on occasion. You can talk to him because we do think he hears us, but don't expect any response to your voices considering how long it's been since he's seen you"
"Thanks, think we should split up now guys?"
"No, we still have that hospital investigation"
"Oh, good point"
"In any case, what will the rotation schedule be?"
"Every day or every other day I think"
"Looks like you have some talking to do"
"Guess so"
Ultimately they agreed to an every day rotation. The next day they checked in with the doctor to find that there was no progress on that end but that they were doing as promised in working on the issue.
"Okay, let us know if you have any progress"
"I will, about your friend...be warned that he may never wake up, our doctors didn't give him much of a chance when he first arrived, now that it's been so long..."
"We know, but...we have to try"
"I know you do, just don't expect any miracles okay?"
"We know doctor, we know"
The group would be on the rotation for two and a half months when one day, when Sherlock was in the room he was talking and holding Bradstreet's hand when suddenly Bradstreet squeezed it, and though the doctor said that it was reflex Sherlock believed otherwise and set out to prove it.
"Bradstreet, it's Sherlock, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand"
Bradstreet squeezes it, and then Sherlock does the one thing that would prove that Bradstreet was coming out of his coma.
"Now Bradstreet, I need you to let my hand go, it need only be for a moment, but I need you to let go of my hand"
Bradstreet let go at the prompt and then, though it was brief, very, very brief, he actually opened his eyes before they closed again.
"You're correct, he's finally coming out of his coma, but it will still take time, and even when he does he'll be pretty weak considering how long he's been bed bound because of his coma. He might not be able to be an officer any more depending on how his recovery goes, you do understand this correct?"
"Yes, we know, we've known since we found him that it was a possibility, but after considering him dead for so long, we'd rather him never able to be a police officer again then to not have him at all"
"I understand, now then he needs rest still and you have to tell the others that he's woken up, even if only for a brief moment"
"Right"
And so Sherlock calls the others to let them know about Bradstreet waking up briefly, but it would be another month before he was strong enough to properly meet his long lost twin.
"I...I'm shocked obviously but...while I want proof I know you're telling the truth, somehow, I just know that you're my twin brother, even though I never met you before"
"At least you believe me, our parents are denying I was ever their child"
"We'll prove it to them somehow, for now let's just get to know each other like we should have this whole time"
"I'd like that"
And so Bradstreet and Donavan start getting to know each other, with the rest of the Scotland Yard group not visiting as much to allow that to happen, though with Bradstreet and Donavan both arguing with them, they did still visit at least once a day as a group during visitor hours.
"The doctor who signed off on your death certificate is helping our investigation, but will resign after everything is over, but we're wondering if you want to press charges as well Bradstreet"
Bradstreet shakes his head.
"No, I'm not going to punish the doctor, for one it serves no purpose after so many years, and the second reason is because I can understand how it happened, he trusted the nurse a little too much in their duties. I've seen it happen in the past, though not in the medical field where someone trusts a junior in regards to what they're doing and thus doesn't supervise as closely as they used to and it costs them in the long run"
"Understood, by the way you're going to be moved soon"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, you're going to become an in-patient for physical and occupational therapy, the doctor thinks you're strong enough now"
"That's good news, you've been here for a long, long time now, granted it was because of a coma, but you've definitely been here for long enough that it was about time talk was made regarding you moving to another wing"
"Yeah, but still...this doesn't mean I'll become a police officer again Lestrade, you know that right?"
"I know Bradstreet, but even the thought of you just walking again on your own excites me"
"Same here, by the way, I got the story behind Sherlock but there's still something I don't understand, why did he remain dead even after he regained his memories?"
"Ah, he didn't explain that part did he?"
"No, he didn't"
"It turned out to be the same reason as the original time he made us think he was dead for so long, excluding the amnesia time period"
"Oh, and you guys had no clue did you?"
"No, we didn't, even though we looked as a precaution we found no signs of that kind of interferrance"
"Yeah, and I helped initially with that look too"
"In any case though that's basically what happened after he regained his memories"
"I see, guess I can understand now what happened with Sherlock, now then I'm moving to in patient PT tomorrow right?"
"Yes"
"Can you guys still visit regularly?"
"Yes, we've been assured of that, and we'll help however we can the further you get in your therapy, promise"
"Thanks, I might need emotional support, especially in the beginning"
"We know"
And so the next day began a month long grueling therapy session for Bradstreet where he slowly started learning how to walk again and do other things on his own once more since the coma had in one way protected his brain but in another hadn't done him any favors in regards to having muscle strength or the ability to do certain activities. Finally though one month after his in-patient therapy was started the doctors were confident enough that Bradstreet could live on his own with the occasional help once more.
"Doctor, except for my bad days you've cleared me to live alone, but...do you think I'll ever be cleared to try and re-qualify for Scotland Yard?"
"Yes, however we want you to wait for a bit because while you've regained most of your strength back and only need the crutches from time to time, except on your bad days when you can't even walk there's other tests that need to be done before we can clear you to try and get back on duty after being in a coma for so long"
"My vision, I've noticed, sometimes it's as if my vision had never changed and then sometimes things at a distance are suddenly a little blurrier than they used to be, the further the distance the greater the blur too"
"Exactly, we need to figure out if it's just your eyes adjusting to seeing again for the first time in several years or if it's an aftereffect from whatever happened to you that caused the coma in the first place and thus trying to figure out a prescription that works for you"
"Plus your hand-eye coordination needs checked as well once we get your vision issue dealt with due to how long it's been since you've used a gun, the occupational therapy has helped with day to day hand-eye coordination but your job takes that to a whole different level"
"I understand completely"
And so once Bradstreet signed some paperwork he was officially released from the hospital and the first thing he did was go to his parent's home and finally gets answers regarding the twin he'd only just found out about.