I am not lonely [Mystrade]

CHAPTER 144 : Little devil

"Crumpets !" Mycroft erupted as he, once more, got covered in baby vomit. "You little devil !"
For an unknown reason, Aelane kept getting sick and vomiting pretty much twice a week since she had arrived two and a half months ago and most of the time, her father was her favourite target. She already had ruined at least five of his finest shirts.
"Gregory dear, can you help me with your daughter and bring me some clean clothes ?" the auburn requested, half yelling to be sure that the detective would hear him from wherever he was in the house.
"Don't you think it could be wise to try to consult someone about her ?" the older man wondered, taking the little girl from his partner's arms. "I mean, we can hardly say it's just her being a little sick, no ?"
"Yes, I suppose. But the paediatrician is on holiday until the 20th. I'll ask Anthea to book an appointment after that date." the politician nodded, taking his shirt off with a little twitch of disgust.
"Well, I need to drop by Baker Street before work, maybe I could bring her with me if ever John is around than I'll let her at the nursery. What do you think ?" the yarder proposed, wiping his daughter's lips from the vomit.
"I guess it could do the trick at least for now yes." Mycroft agreed."Are you sure it won't bother Jameson if you arrive a little late at work ?"
"I've got so much overtime that the secretary can't even count them any more." Greg shrudded as his husband was putting on a clean shirt and re-knotting his tie.

"Oh Gregory ! It's so nice to see you at last ! Happy new year dear !" Mrs Hudson cried out as the man had barely stepped a foot at 221B
"Good morning Mrs Hudson." the detective nodded. "How was your holiday's season ?"
"Oh, not that bad if you don't mention the hip." the old lady evaded the question. "So here she is ! Look at her ..."
"Hello !" Aelane smiled, joyfully waving her hand at the woman even if she didn't really knew who she was.
"Oh." the housekeeper gasped. "She already has such a nice accent ! Beautiful, beautiful ! But I thought that she was going to the nursery on Wednesdays ?"
"Oh yes, I would just like her to see John if ever he is around." nodded the policeman before climbing the stairs to his brother-in-law's infamous flat.
Loud sounds were escaping from the said flat as the detective stepped in. Sherlock was rummaging around his living room, probably looking for some paper he had lost years ago. The radio playing in the bathroom indicated to Greg that John was indeed at home.
Despite not seeming to have noticed the yarder, the young sleuth suddenly stopped his rummaging and threw himself in his armchair. The agility of the man was a constant surprise to the detective who couldn't see how such a drug addict could be such an athlete at the same time.
Greg was still standing in the door frame, his daughter in his arms and a wondering look on his face when John appeared, all dress and freshly shaved. The doctor seemed in a very good mood, even at his standard, and as he made his way to the living room he stopped to tickle his "niece"'s cheeks.
"What owes us the pleasure of your visit Greg ?" the blonde wondered, taking a seat in his own armchair.
"Well, I'm sorry to bother you with that, but Aelane has been vomiting rather a lot since we welcomed her, and we are quite concerned it could be something serious ..." the policeman explained, uneased to disturb his friend.
"Well yes sure, I'll have a look. I'm not a paediatrician but I suppose I'm still a doctor." John nodded. "So, let see what you have miss ..."
The doctor got hold of the baby from her father's arm and brought her to the kitchen, laying her on the surprisingly clean table, taking off her coat and shoes. He grabbed a stethoscope in one of the drawer and warmed it in his hand for a few seconds before putting it on the
baby's chest.
"Mmm ... That seems all good ... She doesn't have any temperature either ..." Watson mumbled as he continued his auscultation. "There's nothing obvious that could explain her vomiting. I think she would need some more exams to find out what she actually has."
"Do you think she need can wait until her paediatrician is back from her holidays or is it too urgent ?" the detective wondered, rather scared.
"Well, if you bring her to the surgery tomorrow afternoon around five, I could check on her a little more and try to give you a better diagnosis." the doctor proposed to Greg's greatest relief.

The surgery was already nearly empty as the work hours of most of the doctors were already over. Greg sat down in the waiting room, a few chairs away from an elderly man whose health seemed to be very poor, even to the unprofessional eyes of the detective.
Aelane was looking a little tense, all of her last visit to the surgery having lead to her receiving injections. She had been pretty well all day but her face had turn paler when entering the building, and she was now standing dead silent on her father's laps.
"I'll see you next week. Take care of yourself and my best regard to your husband." John exited his office, leading a middle-aged woman to the door before noticing Greg in the waiting room. "Ah, here you are ! Come in, come in !"
If Aelane wasn't tensed already, she was now utterly terrified. She started crying as the policeman put her down on the examination bed. Noticing the toddler's distress, Watson softly ran a finger through her hair.
"Shhh ... It's gonna be alright miss ... Don't worry, no injection for you today ..." he muttered to her before turning to the yarder. "So, how was she today ?"
"Pretty fine really." Gregory answered, taking a seat not far from his daughter. "Actually she is fine most of the time, only it seems that some time, usually in the morning, after she took her breakfast, she tends to be sick."
"Mmm ... Well, if it had been only days or weeks since she had arrived I would have said that it might have been the acclimation time but to be honest, it's a little to long now to still be a plausible reason ..." John explained, listening to the little girl's heart.
"That's what we thought." the inspector nodded.
"I'd like to run a few tests if that's alright with you." the blonde frowned, putting his stethoscope back on his desk. "She does not show any clear physical sign but I'm pretty sure she really does have something. She is way too young for us to assume that she is simulating isn't it ?"
"Yeah, yes, do as you think is best for her." the older man agreed, clearly worried.
"Alright miss, is it painful when I press here ?" the doctor asked to the toddler. "Ouch or not ouch ?"
"No." Aelane answered, not really seeing the point of what the man was trying to do.
"And here ?" John asked once again.
He kept trying for a good five minutes but as the little girl gave only negative answers it was quick for him to assume that it clearly wasn't a physical issue.
"So, everything seems to be right here ... No pain whatsoever ...." the blonde summed up. "But, you've said that it was always after her breakfast that she was sick, isn't it ?"
"Well, not always but mostly yes." the policeman repeated. "I would say like three time out of four."
"And what does she usually have for breakfast ?" Watson wondered.
"Do you think it could be something in her food ? Because it's nothing fancy, just toasts and juice most of the time." the detective retorted, slightly surprised.
"Mostly ? And the days she vomits, does she have the same breakfast or is there something different ?" John questioned, curious to understand the reason, of the little girl's sickness.
"Hmm ... Well she sometime eats a little bit of her brother's cereal or some pancakes and waffles. But I can't remember if she has some every time she is sick. Yesterday she had cereals." Gregory explained, trying to recall his daughter's menu.
"Does she have milk with her cereals ?" the doctor grinned slightly, pretty sure of having put his finger on something.
"Yes. Do you think it could be that ?" the inspector nodded.
"Well, what I would recommand you is to try a diary-free diet for the next week and just to observe if there is any improvement in her behaving. If you don't want to change too much her habits, it's quite easy to substitute real-milk with almond milk or such as. You should find diary-free products at the supermarket." John proposed before turning to the little girl. "What do you think about that ? Will it be yummy to have a nice dairy-free ice cream ?"
"Ice cream ?" the toddler smiled before licking her lips.
"Yes, ice cream !" her dad confirmed before picking her up from the examination bed and dressing her up.
"Well, we are all done then." the doctor smiled grabbing his own coat and opening the room's door.
"Thank you ever so much. I'll keep you updated about the result of the diet." Greg shook the other man's hand. "Will we see you at Molly's birthday next week ?"
"Hmm ... I think so, I mean if Sherlock don't send me to the dead end of the world for a case of course ..."
"Ahah yeah ... Well, see there !" the detective saluted his friend as they were exiting the surgery. "And now you miss, let's go to the supermarket !"

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In case you doubted it Ellie, yes this one is more or less inspired by you. Let's say I can't kill the character everytime I get inspired by you ...

xxx