CHAPTER 61 : La Mano

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Mycroft was awoken by a gentle slap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and blinked several times before remembering where he was and what had happened. He was still holding Gregory's hand in his and the detective was still sleeping, stunned by the painkiller.
"Mycroft?" Molly asked softly, sitting herself on a chair beside the official.
"Hello." replied the man, his voice weak and his throat dry. "What hour is it ?"
"It's 9 in the morning. You've been there all night ?" answered the young woman looking worryingly at her friend lying on his bed.
"Yes. I must have fell asleep." the auburn nodded. He ran a hand across his face,repressing a yawn, still not letting his boyfriend's hand go.
"How is he doing ?" the post-mortem wondered gesturing toward the inspector.
"Nothing vital had been touched but the surgeon says he will need other surgeries and he lost a part of his liver. He've awoken around three in the morning but been fast asleep half an hour later. The nurse says it's the painkiller." the elder Holmes informed her.
The young woman rested her hand on the auburn's forearm in a comforting gesture. She couldn't think about anything else to try to pacify her friend's distress so she just remained silent, her warm palm against the man's pale skin.
"Who told you what happened to Gregory ? I've forgotten to advise anyone."questioned Mycroft after a few minutes of silence.
"Sally called me two hours ago. I think she had called John and your brother too." Mrs Hooper told him.
"I need to call his parents and his kids." the official stated, standing up and letting his partner's hand go for the first time since the DI had awoken six hours ago.
"Are you sure you don't want me to do it ?" the post-mortem proposed but Mycroft shook his head and exited the room, letting her alone with the sleeping policeman. She took the hand that was now dangling on the side of the bed. She could felt the pulse of the man beating faintly and understood why the elder Holmes wouldn't let it go. It was his way of making sure that his lover was still alive by his side, a way of comforting himself more than a way of comforting the fast asleep detective.
When the auburn re-entered the room half a dozen minutes later he was looking rather cross and the young woman glanced him an interrogative look as he was taking back his seat, tipping angrily a text on his phone.
"Eleanor won't let the kids come and visit their father because 'he doesn't have their custody' according to her damn time table." he answered furiously.
"She told you that ?" retorted Molly, surprised and shocked.
"Yes. She wouldn't even let me talk to them. And she said that if he didn't pick them up himself next week there was no way she let me pick them up and he will just have to wait one more month." sighed the official, tears in the corner of his eyes.
"Bitch. She has no right to do that, no ?" gasped the young woman.
"Technically she can ... But I never thought she would go to that extreme just to annoy him." the elder Holmes replied.
"Can't you do anything against that ?" Mrs Hooper suggested.
"I've promised Greg that I won't interfere in this case." Mycroft informed her, clearly regretting his promise at this moment.
"I think he won't mind if it's to allow his kids to visit him in that circumstances." the post-mortem reassured him, enjoining him to meddle in.
"I hope you are right because I've just threaten a judge." the man sighed, showing her his phone. "Eleanor will probably guess that it's me who've make him change his mind but she is already convinced that I've intervened in Greg's favour so it won't make her hates me more..."
"You got Mr and Mrs Lestrade on the phone ?" wondered the young woman to change the subject.
"Yes, they must be on their way now. I think you have no difficulties imagining Vera's reaction when she learnt that her little Greggy has been injured." answered the auburn, attempting a smile
"Maybe then it's not that bad that they haven't been made aware of it before he woke up. Parents are always the worst in my experience." nodded Molly with a little pout.
"With all my respect, you do post-mortem. You are not announcing injuries but deaths." the official chuckled slightly.
"It's not that different I believe. One is just more definitive than the other." smile the young woman
They were smiling at the post-mortem remark when they heard a sound coming from the detective lying in bed. Jumping on his feet, Mycroft leaned to his boyfriend trying to understand what the policeman was muttering.
"Water." the yarder asked in a weak sigh. His partner filled a plastic goblet with water from a bottle on the bedside table and helped the DI to sit up a little to be able to drink without chocking. The auburn slipped a few drips of water between the half opened lips of the inspector before putting back the goblet on the table and gently running his fingers on his husband's cheek.
"Molly is here." he whispered to the other man before sitting down and letting the young woman take his position.
"Good morning Greg." Mrs Hooper said in mid-voice, approaching the detective. "So, you finally found a way of avoiding paperworks?"
The policeman smiled weakly at this remark, happy to see his friend by his side while Mycroft was strumming frantically on his phone to try to have the Lestrade kids to visit their injured dad in hospital.

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