Medicine

Chapter 11

John and Sherlock didn't even notice Harry walking down the stairs because her footsteps were so quiet. 

"I just don't know what to do..." she heard John say from the living room. Once she stepped onto the last stair, she looked over to where her younger brother and his boyfriend were sitting on the sofa. Their backs were facing the staircase, and John had his head in his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees. Sherlock was rubbing his back, having seen it done in the movies to comfort others. 

"John, she'll be okay. If you were able to recover so quickly from all of this then I'm sure she-"

"The only reason I could was because of you, Sherlock. She doesn't have anyone," John interrupted, turning his head to the brunette.

Harry looked at the floor. She didn't want him to worry about her like this and felt ashamed that she had caused him to feel like this in the first place. All she wanted to do was hug John and tell him that she was going to take care of him, but now he thought that he would have to take care of her. 

"She has you," Sherlock pointed out. 

"I know...But I don't want to be the only one she has."

"She'll find other people. I like your sister. She's happy and nice to people, and people like that."

Harry smiled at Sherlock's comment. She had never heard him say anything kind about anyone except for John. It made her want to reach out more. 

John ran his hands down his face. "I just need a break from all of this," he said, muffled through his hands. 

"Do you want to come to my house tonight?" Sherlock asked. 

John shook his head. "I couldn't leave Harry here by herself."

Harry found that this was the perfect time to intervene. "John..." she called from where she was standing at the bottom of the stairs. She began to walk towards the two boys when they looked back at her in surprise. 

"Harry, I didn't realize you were-"

"John, you should go," she said, cutting him off from saying anything else to her. He didn't want any more apologies or explanations from him.

"Go where?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"With Sherlock."

John sighed slightly. "I'm not going to leave you. Not now," he decided, shaking his head.

"I can phone a friend. I'll be fine, really. I don't want you to think that I can't handle being by myself for a night." She gave him a sad smile, encouraging him to spend some time with his boyfriend. 

John hesitated. "Are you sure?" 

"I'm positive. Go have some fun. Or don't, or whatever..." Harry mumbled, letting eyebrows rise and fall as she spoke.

"Okay, okay, just...don't," John said, avoiding eye contact with her as she let out a lighthearted laugh. The blonde smiled hearing this familiar sound that seemed to be lost forever until now. 

Harry looked at the two with a content smile. She was happy that John was happy, or getting happier. He had been so happy before this whole incident, and she thought it was very unfair that something had been torn from him just as he was finding his happiness. Her legs carried her into the kitchen, almost forgetting about the empty cup of tea in her hands from earlier that night. She turned the water on in the sink and slowly began to wash the tea cup. Wasting time seemed like a much better alternative to thinking about the negatives, so she was trying to figure out a way to keep her mind off of pessimistic thoughts.