After The Fall || A Sherlock Fanfiction

Chapter 21 - Morse Code

Jemima woke up and moaned sleepily. She felt a soft, familiar hand on hers and found herself looking into Sherlock's eyes.

"Oh thank god, you're awake." He said with a sigh of relief. "Some of the doctors didn't think you'd wake up." He stroked her hair fondly but he still looked worried.

"I'm definitely awake." Jemima mumbled sleepily.

"I thought I'd lost you." Sherlock said. "Never do that to me again."

"I won't." She promised. She tried to reach up to give Sherlock a hug but she quickly fell back, letting a moan of pain escape her lips.

"Try not to move, it'll hurt less soon." He said, gesturing to the morphine drip attached to her arm. He quickly leant over her to the machine next to the bed and upped her dose a little. She smiled up at him gratefully.

"Can you lean down and give me a hug? Just be gentle, okay?" Jemima asked.

Sherlock smiled a little and carefully embraced his wife. She gave him a swift kiss on the lips. He tasted like coffee, she noticed. He must have been downing mugfuls of the stuff just to keep himself awake.

"I should tell John you're awake. He arrived a few minutes ago with Mary but the nurses wouldn't let them in." Sherlock said. He ran from the small, bright hospital room with the promise to be back in a minute. Soon after he returned with John and Mary, who were both very relived to be greeted with a big smile from Jemima.

"You're very cheerful for someone who's just been shot." John said, his grin matching hers.

Jemima laughed and then winced, clutching her side. Sherlock was immediately holding her hand again.

"How are you doing?" Mary asked.

"I'm a bit dazed and very sore but otherwise I'd say I was a whole lot better than earlier." She replied as cheerfully as she could.

Suddenly, a nurse burst into the room.

"It's you two again! I told you to leave! Shoo! Get out! Stop harassing my patient! One visitor is more than enough!" The nurse babbled, chasing John and Mary from the room as if they were naughty schoolchildren. Sherlock tried to hold back giggles as he watched them go.

"Hello nurse." Jemima said, trying be polite after her sudden entrance.

"I was told you'd woken up so I came in to check on you. How are you feeling?" The nurse asked.

"Good. In pain but otherwise good." Jemima said, basically repeating what she had only just said to Mary. She sighed a little and sank back onto the pillow.

"You need rest." The nurse advised her matter-of-factly. "Get a bit more sleep and I'll cone in and check on you again later."

Jemima rolled her eyes at the nurse's retreating back as she turned on her heel and left the room as quickly as she had come.

"Get some rest." Jemima mumbled mockingly. "Just been shot and now I'm being told to sleep it off."

Sherlock laughed. "Go to sleep." He told her.

"I don't want to." She pouted. "I just woke up."

"Go to sleep." He insisted.

"No." She replied stubbornly, even though she was already yawning again.

"Fine. I'll do this then." He eased himself under the sheets next to Jemima and put an arm around her as gently as he possibly could. He was careful not to hurt her as she relaxed into him.

"I think I will go to sleep now actually." She said with a sigh as she snuggled back into Sherlock's warm embrace. "I think I am tired after all."

"I thought you might be." He replied, smirking at her.

"I love you." She mumbled.

"I love you too Jemima." Sherlock said, taking her hand in his under the sheets and brushing his thumb in circles around her palm comfortingly. He was only all too aware now of the fact that he couldn't live without Jemima. He reflected on the fact that he never believed that that a woman could ever make him feel the way he did about Jemima. Yet here he was. Married. He smiled to himself. They lay there together for a while. Just staying awake. They wanted to be close to each other and didn't really want to sleep. They didn't need to talk to each other either. Each other's company was more than enough.

After a long while, Jemima felt Sherlock's fingers begin to tap on the palm of her hand. She was just about to tell him off for being irritating but then she realised what he was trying to do. She concentrated and kept track of the pattern. She immediately recognised it as Morse code. When he'd finished, she smiled. He'd said 'I love you'. He then felt her tap back. 'I Iove you too, my Sherlock.'. He seemed shocked when he felt it, his hand tensing up. He obviously was used to never getting a reply. Jemima smiled at the realisation that he probably taps things out in morse code all the time when she's sleeping but she doesn't notice. Sherlock smiled again before stroking her hair and falling asleep with her held in his arms, as if he was the only thing keeping his fragile wife from breaking into pieces.