The Science Of Second Chances//Book Two

Chapter 19~ Comfort Me

Third Person P.O.V

While two brothers went to a morgue to identify a body a young woman was sitting in her kitchen, head in her hands. Her eyes were clenched shut and her shoulders were shaking. This wasn't how her evening was supposed to go, she kept telling herself. How could things go so horribly wrong?

She lifted her head slowly and opened her red eyes in a daze. Realisation crept into her mind as she stared into the darkness of her flat.

Oh, she thought. That's why she forgave me. She knew she was going to die.

Teddy ran a hand through her messy curls and sighed. Upstairs she could hear Mrs Hudson and John searching the flat upstairs, obviously looking for anything that Sherlock might get high on depending on how his mood was once he got back. She shook her head knowing that Jeanette would be bored as hell and was probably going to break up with John any minute now. Her heart jumped slightly at the thought of John finally being single but then she felt a sickening guilt pass over her. Why was she thinking about him? Why wasn't she focusing on the fact that her best friend was dead? What kind of friend was she?

Not a very good one, she thought bitterly before standing and walking over to the fridge, bare feet hitting the floor without a sound. Teddy opened the fridge door and grabbed herself a Guiness, using a knife to pry off the lid.

"To you, Irene. If only you had told me," she whispered before finishing the whole bottle of alcohol in one go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sherlock went to bed straight after returning from the morgue. John watched his friend walk into his room, the light from the fire flickering over his tired face. With a yawn he stood up and stretched.

And that was when he heard the faint yet sharp sound of shattering glass downstairs.

Dropping his book John raced downstairs and opened the door to Teddy's flat. Barely four steps inside he felt a pain in his foot that made him stumble slightly, his arms reaching out and his hands grabbing the side of a table. He pulled himself up and sat himself down on a chair feeling a hot wetness already spreading inside his sock.

"Oh, shi..." John trailed off as he pulled off his sock, his fingers covered in his own blood.

"Sorry," a voice said at the other end of the table making John jump. He looked up, his eyes narrowed as he searched. It took him a moment for him to find the outline of a body curled up in a seat. The figure stood, making their way towards him. They stumbled, fell onto their knees, got back up and collapsed into the chair beside John. John could see Teddy's eyes and white teeth along with part of her face that seemed a little brighter then the rest of her. Her eyes were hooded, bloodshot and shone brightly with tears.

"I got angry," Teddy said, her voice slightly slurred. John could smell the alcohol on her breath.

"Jesus, Teddy. How much have you had to drink?" John asked, ignoring the dull throbbing coming from his injured foot. Teddy hiccupped.

"A few. Well, a lot. Takes away the pain," she told him. John heard her shift in her seat and sigh.

"I heard Sherly come in."

"Yeah, he's up in his room," John told Teddy with a frown. "Teddy, I'm sorry."

"I saw her, you know?" she said. John heard her fingernails tap the table surface softly. "About a week or so ago. I put the phone there for her. That's what she asked me to do."

Teddy's voice wobbled slightly at the end. She stood up and stumbled back towards a window, opening the curtains. Pale light reflecting off the snow outside shone on Teddy's skin making her look like a ghost. Her skin was deathly pale and had a sheen of sweat. Her cheekbones looked more prominent on her face and although her eyelids were heavy and covered most of her Grey-blue eyes they still looked far too big for her face. Her hair was a mess, wild curls framing her face and sticking to her forehead. Her bottom lip trembled as she stared out of the window.

"She knew she was going to die, John," Teddy whispered. "I thought there was something off when I saw her but I couldn't pin-point what. I was too happy to notice."

Teddy smiled softly, eyes staring out the window.

"She forgave me. She forgave me for leaving and now she's dead."

John stood up, wincing slightly from the pain in his foot, and walked over to her. He could see how upset Teddy was and he wanted to make it better. His bleeding foot could wait. At the moment Teddy came first.

He wrapped his arms around her. Teddy let her head fall on his shoulder. His hands rubbed her back comfortingly and patted her hair soothingly.

"I'm sorry, Teddy," John kept saying. "I'm so sorry."

They stood together for a long time. John thought they had been in this embrace for minutes, hours even. Teddy was the first to pull away but she kept her arms wrapped around John's neck.

"You want to know what else Irene told me?" she murmured. John felt his heartbeat accelerate and he swallowed.

"What did she tell you?" he asked.

"I asked her what she would do if she had a chance to love. To be with someone."

John watched as Teddy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes they were bright and any sign of how drunk she was disappeared.

"What.... did she tell you?" he repeated, his blood running hot and fast through his veins.

"She told me to take a chance and go for it."

Slowly Teddy leaned forward and pressed her parted lips against John's. This kiss was different than their first kiss at the park. This kiss was softer, slower, with a bittersweet taste to it.

When they pulled away John stared at her with wide eyes. Teddy sniffed, unhooking her arms from around his neck and taking a step back.

"You should clean the glass out from your foot before it gets infected or something," she murmured before turning around and heading for her bedroom. John watched her  pause and look over her shoulder at him. A small smile was on her face and through the sadness in her eyes John swore he saw a hint of happiness lingering in the background.

"Merry Christmas, John."

Then she walked into her bedroom and closed the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maybe she should've waited until she was sober. Maybe she should've waited until she had stopped grieving over Irene's death. Teddy couldn't wait though, because at that time she just wanted someone to hold her. She wanted the contact. Kissing John had lifted a bit of weight off her chest and had made it easier to breath. He was there for her. He always was. And she would be there for him too.

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XOXO ~ DM