Sweet Dreams

Chapter Eight, Part II

A/N: This chapter is supposed to be short; it's just what happened at the end of chapter eight. Chapter nine is currently in the works and I don't want to kill anyone with suspense, if you're that into the story at all. Without further ado, here is part two of chapter eight...

Lo's POV

People run out of buildings to see what’s going on and I begin to cry; not out of sadness but out of shock. Humbert has shot himself. The man who stole my innocence and took away what could have been of my childhood is gone. He is dead on the ground in front of me.

Mary runs up to me and grabs my shoulders. “Are you all right?” she yells.

“I… I…”

“Come on, we have to get you home!” She takes me by the hand and gets me into the car.

Back at the house, Mary waits anxiously for John to get home as I sit in the chair, still in shock.

“Just breathe, Lo. You’re fine. Humbert can never, ever hurt you again. It’s not possible anymore, right? So this is good. You’re all good.”

I focus on my breathing, shuddering at nearly every move my chest makes.

John finally gets home and sees me staring off into space.

“Lo? What’s wrong?” As he probably expected, I don’t give an answer. “Mary, what happened to her?”

Mary and John begin whispering in the kitchen. The only thing I can think about is how much I want Sherlock to be here right now. I need him to be here with me. I feel like I’m drowning under a pile of all this stress and I can’t get out. I can’t pay Mrs. Hudson rent, I can’t keep burdening John and Mary with me staying here, I can’t finish school like this, and I surely can’t raise a baby on my own. I’ll have to give her up for adoption, and then I’ll end up being homeless as well.

Oh, Sherlock, why did you go?

©2014 “Sweet Dreams” by Peyton Celeste. See story description for additional copyright information.