Lost Inferno {The LOST Chronicles, BOOK 2}

Chapter 14- He Just Stopped

John's Pov-

It'd been a couple of weeks now since the trial and Maddy's removal and to say the least, Sherlock was not doing well.

He barely ate or slept... I mean he didn't really have much time to eat most of the time, as he claimed that it slowed him down, he also didn't really sleep much either, as he was usually too busy working or doing something to occupy his active mind, most of the time it would be one of his deadly experiments but lately he had stopped doing them. He just stopped. Most days he would just sit there in his chair in the living room, with his hands steeped under his chin, who knows what was going through his mind. Although it was probably along the lines of 'I wonder how Maddy is, I wonder how she's coping, I wonder if she misses me, I wonder if she likes it better there'. It was only natural for him to be acting like this, they are father and daughter after all.

I accepted this behavior as a normal response to their separation but he really started to worry me when he stopped talking. Truth be told, his speech did decrease over the first week but I, of course, thought this was normal and left him to it. Now he doesn't say anything. Sherlock hadn't said a word, not to me, not to himself, not to anyone. He just stopped. It was like he wasn't even in this life, like he had taken himself out of reality.

I honestly didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to approach him, I didn't know what to say to him, I didn't know what I was going to do but I was going to have to do something about it but I just didn't know what, yet.

As heartbroken and angry as I was, although nothing compared to what Sherlock must be feeling, I just had to try my best to accept the fact that she was gone. I started going back to work the other day, after I took some compassionate leave, I was trying to be strong for him. I had to get him through this, I wasn't going to let him fall.

~

I came home today, after being back at work for a week, to find Sherlock back to his old tricks again. He was back on the drugs. I could tell this from the sheer way he was acting, his inaccurate ability to control his movements as he swayed and staggered around and from the more obvious fact that he was smoking one right when I walked in.

He focused on me the minute I walked through the door, his bloodshot eyeballs and heavily dilated pupils looked at me in anger, frustration and desperation. He looked almost ashamed at the fact that I had caught him in the act. I couldn't believe it! What the hell was he playing at?

"Sherlock." I nodded, I tried to hide the deep fuming rage inside myself that was lingering.

"John." He croaked.

"What are you doing?" I interrogated him, looking for his explanation.

"Smoking, what does it look like I'm doing?" He snapped.

"Sherlock, look you don't need to do this again." I told him.

"I ne-ed it." He stammered.

"No you don't, Sherlock this isn't helping this situation at all!" I countered.

"Yes, I DO!" He raised his voice and stood up.

He walked dangerously towards me but I stood strong, holding my current position I stood still, I had to be careful not to push him too far while he was in this state, I had to be careful.

"Why would you care anyway?" He scoffed.

"I'm your friend!" I told him. "And friends protect each other."

"Oh yeah, where have you been for me in the past week?" He questioned me.

I honestly didn't realise he wanted me around, I thought it'd be better to leave him alone to give him some space to think but clearly it wasn't. I thought I had been fully supportive of him but now I know, I wasn't here when he needed me most. Now it's time to make up for it.