They had arrived at Baker Street around dinner time so John had insisted on making a stop at a restaurant. John had shown where things were and then they all ate in silence, Josie had only just taken a bite of her sandwich until she barged out of the room and vomited into the bathroom toilet.
“Christ!” John yelled as he rushed in after her. He pulled the hair out of her pale face as she retched all of her stomach contents. She gagged
“It’s O.K. Josephine. It’s O.K. Shhh…” John said as she coughed heavily, he rubbed her back slowly. He noticed she had sick all over her shirt “Sherlock!”
“What?”
“Could you get a shirt from my room?” he heard a scuffling of feet as Sherlock rapidly searched for around John’s room
“Where are they? I can't find any!”
“Oh for pity sake…” John rolled his eyes “Sherlock just come here!” Sherlock emerged in the doorway “Look after Josephine while I look for some clothes, if she vomits again pull on her hair. Rub on her back for now.” Sherlock nodded and knelt beside the trembling girl.
John came back a few seconds later holding a dark shirt –that was much too big for Josie.
“Sherlock, help me change her shirt.” He said and knelt on the left of the girl “I’m going to remove your shirt now O.K.? I’m going to have to touch you alright?” the girl nodded but kept her gaze to the floor. Sherlock tugged the girl’s arms upwards as John removed her shirt; she was wearing a vest underneath that hadn’t been touched by the sick so John left it on. He noticed how thin her arms were under all her clothes as he put his shirt over her. She shivered as his hands brushed across her arm, John secured the shirt and Sherlock helped her to her feet.
“Are you alright?” Sherlock couldn’t help but ask. The girl managed a shaky nod; Sherlock slowly escorted Josie to the couch in the living room
“Are you O.K. sleeping here for tonight?” John asked “I mean you could sleep in my bed.”
“No.” Josie’s voice raked at her throat “It’s *ahem* fine” Sherlock left the room and trotted off to his room, banging his feet on every surface in the process. John shuffled around the flat, trying to make things a little neater.
“So if there’s anything you need or if you’re not-“John paused as he heard the sound of soft snoring he turned and saw the girl sleeping soundly of the couch. He smiled and un-folded the blanket at the end of the chair and placed it on top of Josie “Goodnight.” he said softly and turned off the light.
The next morning John came into the living room to see Josie still sleeping he smiled at how peaceful she looked. He tiptoed into the kitchen and saw Sherlock sitting at the table, surrounded by files.
“Morning.” John said
“Hmmm…? Oh, good morning. Josie was still asleep so I decided to look over the case files of her family’s murder.”
“Oh. So they found the bodies?”
“Indeed…”
“Sherlock, John!” Miss Hudson said as she entered the kitchen “Why is there a girl on your sofa?”
“Miss Hudson! Oh! It’s not what it looks like!” John stammered
“You have a 12 year old girl sleeping on your sofa who’s as pale as a ghost and you haven't given her a cup of tea?”
“So you're O.K. with her staying here?”
“Yes, So long as you take care of her instead of me. I’m your landlady, not your housekeeper.” And with that, she left the flat. Sherlock and John heard a rustle of fabric and imagined that Josie was awake.
