Fragile

15

We had left Alice with Mrs Hudson for a few hours so that me and Sherlock could watch a film together. I had somehow persuaded him to let me pick a movie, which hardly ever happened.

"I'm just going to the toilet, sit tight I'll be back in a second" Sherlock said as he planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

God I love him.

I smiled as he walked away, and I pulled a blanket over me as I waited for him to get back. As I'd just got comfy, I heard the sound of Alice crying from downstairs. I knew Mrs Hudson would never do anything to hurt Alice but the sound of her upset still worried me, so I decided no harm could be done by checking on them.

With great effort, I hauled my frail body off the sofa and limped my way over to the stairs. I put one foot down one step, then another. I felt like I was taking years to move just an inch. I was only a few steps away from the ground when I heard Sherlock call my name. I instinctively turned my head and lost my balance, slipping on one of the steps. Suddenly my feet went out from under me and I felt my body hit the stairs again and again and again before finally hitting the ground with a thud. I heard a scream from Mrs Hudson and a shout from Sherlock.

My whole body was in pain and I felt something drip down my face. Blood? Tears?

Sherlock was by my side, as he always was.

"Sorry-" I mumbled, trying to stop everything from spinning.

"Shh you silly thing..." I heard Sherlock say, his baritone voice still making me feel as safe as ever.

"We need to get her to the hospital"

"Call an ambulance"

"Is she still awake?"

"Margo, stay with me"

"Margo can you hear me?"

"Margo?"

"Margo!"

"Margo?"

*6 Hours Later*

I could hear a beeping sound, and a few people talking, but my vision was nothing but darkness.

"You should prepare for the worst..." A voice, unfamiliar

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Another voice, baritone

"She shouldn't really leave the hospital now" My vision started to return to me

I was in a hospital bed. Again.

This was my life now. In and out of hospital, constantly. I felt terrible, not just physically but mentally. Because even though Sherlock didn't have Leukemia, he was suffering from it too.

Sherlock saw I was awake and rushed to be by my side. He had dark circles around his eyes, he looked so tired. So weak. 

"Alice-" I managed to say

"Shhh" Sherlock mumbled, pressing a kiss on the back of my hand "Alice is fine, she's fine..."

"Are you fine?" I whispered, unable to get my voice out

"Of course I am" Sherlock smiled, but it was weak and unconvincing.

"Want to go for a walk?" Sherlock asked, reminding me of the day we first met for a coffee.

I just nodded, still recovering. Sherlock helped me out of bed and as I stood up I clutched onto his arm, unable to stand if he wasn't there to support me. I was attached to a drip, but luckily it had wheels so I grabbed the metal handle and pulled it along with me as we walked.

"Where are we going?" I whispered to my husband

"You'll see" Sherlock replied

We got into an elevator and Sherlock pressed a button. We were standing there silently for about a minute before the doors opened and we were suddenly outdoors. On the rooftop of the hospital.

The cold pinched my skin and I shivered. Sherlock pulled his coat off and put it on me, wrapping it around me as it drowned my small, skinny frame. He held onto me and steadied me as we walked. We sat near the edge of the hospital roof, looking out onto the city below us. It was pitch black outside and so the rest of London was lit up brightly, the sound of the roads was like a soft droning sound, and suddenly I felt detached from the world around us.

We sat down together and Sherlock pulled me close to him. I wanted to cry, because I knew that my time with Sherlock was now limited. Very limited. I didn't cry though, I had to be as strong as I could. For him. For Alice. For John. For Mrs Hudson. 

Sherlock reached into his coat and pulled out a single cigarette. He lit it and began to smoke silently for a few seconds before passing me the cigarette. I took it and we sat there in silence for ages, looking out onto the city that we live in, the city that we fell in love in.