Checkmate

Chapter 18: Rest

At the hospital Sherlock was awake alright, awake and hissing at everything and everyone that moved. Seb and John get there as quickly as they could. Walking into the room they see Sherlock propped up on the bed, and hyped up on several very strong drugs. The drugs make the detective exceedingly irritable, snarling at unfortunate nurse who was attempting to do bloodwork.

"Stop poking me already." Sherlock hissed, eyes narrowed to flinty slits. The nurse looks up, giving Seb and John a withering look of pure exasperation. Seb gives her a sympathetic look. "I could take over..." John tells her softly. "Thank you doctor." the relief is evident in her voice as she moves aside, handing over the clipboard. John takes over the remaining tasks as the nurse leaves. Seb shifts from foot to foot and takes a seat next to Sherlock.

Sherlock submits to John's proddings, knowing the army doctor is going to take zero crap. But that doesn't stop Sherlock from grumbling under his breath in a language neither of them recognize. Fortunate too, because the detective is saying exceedingly naughty things to deal with the pain and frustration. Seb raises an eyebrow and shakes his head with a smile. He didn't understand what Sherlock was saying but he knew it was very Sherlock of him.

Sherlock pulls his arm away from John when he's done. John sighs and hangs the clipboard back up and plops into a chair on the other side of Sherlock. The detective is eyeing both of them. 'Rumpled same day clothing. Haven't bathed... Rings around their eyes showing lack of sleep....' Sherlock muses. "Bloody hell, you two look awful." Sherlock snaps. "You don't look any better. " Seb mumbles. "I took a hit, you twats, what's your excuse?" Sherlock glares them both down. "We worried, scared that we would get a phone call saying in the middle of the night that there was complications and you had passed. " John says deadpan.

"Well obviously I am fine so you gits can go get cleaned up." Sherlock snaps. Seb rolls his eyes, "Obviously you aren't. ""Piss off." Sherlock bares his teeth at both of them. Sherlock would rather have his friends thinking he was an asshole then to see him as the fragile thing he was in pain. Seb sighs, "Lashing out, typical sign of trying to hide something Sherlock..." They knew better than to fall for it. "So?" Sherlock rolls his eyes. "Sherlock I'm your fiancé. He's your best friend. We know you better than you think. ""I don't care." Sherlock's lip curls. "You do. " John pipes up. "Irrelevant. Now get out." Sherlock snapped. "You'll have to get out of that bed and shove me out the door. " Seb snarls, taking zero bullshit from Sherlock. Sherlock glares daggers, eyes burning with wrath, quiet but fuming. If the detective's side wasn't shooting fire over his spine, he might just try to forcefully make them both leave. "Exactly. Lay your ass down. " The room flared with spiked tempers and tension. Sherlock doesn't respond, not allowing Seb to taunt him. That was his final gab, pulling himself back and putting up the walls.

John watches from a safe section of the room, wondering if they would stop taking verbal swings at each other. Seb takes a step forward to the bed only to have Sherlock flinch slightly back. Only then Seb realises he shouldn't be reacting like this. The man took a bloody bullet for him. He knew he was tired and his nerves were fried but this wasn't right. Seb steps back, trying to look submissive.

"Leave." Sherlock's voice is a low hiss. Sherlock wanted time for the drugs to get out of his system. He knew that he was being an ass, but he didn't care. Seb doesn't answer. John puts a hand on Seb's arm. "Let's go get something to eat. We haven't eaten anything in over 18 hours." John says softly, trying to diffuse the situation. Seb takes a deep breath and nods, "Yeah..." He stands up and follows John out the door.

The two check back in a few hours later to see if there were any changes. It was a completely different version of Sherlock. The walls were down, the detective was laying down curled into a ball on his side that wasn't mangled. The detective looks very small. The men calm down a little and walk to the side of the bed. "Sherlock?" Seb says softly. Sherlock grunts softly and opens one blurry eye to look at Seb. "Tiger..." Sherlock moans, the drugs out of his system. Sherlock's earlier venom was gone as well. Sherlock's face is soft, gentle.