Mrs. Holmes [Book III]

FINAL

September

Susanna and John had been moved out of the ICU after a week- both expected to make a full if not slow recovery. The army doctor had to have physical therapy for his shoulder to help the process, which Sherlock had to bribe him to comply with. Susanna's own injuries required their own specialized treatment and care. The two inpatients made for interesting roommates, as they were put in a joint room for maximum security.

Sherlock had often walked in, during his few times leaving their side, and found them deeply engrossed in crap telly, having a war with rubber bands or paper, or playing games. It eased his mind knowing that they were recovering both physically and mentally, which made for a much more cooperative detective when it came to sneaking stuff in.

Emotionally, they were still recovering. Susanna's would-have-been sacrifice had hit John and Sherlock very hard because of how much it reminded them of Mary. They had had several talks with the reddish blonde about it at the hospital. Knowing that she was prepared to sacrifice herself like that was both a comfort and a curse to the duo, but she had eventually eased their minds about it.

Sherlock exhaled and rolled onto his side. Susanna had finally been discharged the day before and he hadn't realized how much he would miss waking up beside her. William had actually slept all night for the first time since the shooting- which was a blessing in and of itself. He and Sherlock had spent many long nights up trying to console each other.

He scooted closer to Susanna and nuzzled the back of her neck. She shifted a bit, "Good morning, Darling..."

"Good morning, Love," He whispered and kissed the nape of her neck, "Feeling alright?"

"Sore, but otherwise fine," William started crying from upstairs, "I'll get him."

"No, stay in bed. You still need to rest."

"Sherlock, I'll be fine. We can go together."

"Very well."

Within another minute they'd made it upstairs. Susanna hobbled to the crib, followed closely by Sherlock, "Oh, what's the matter, honey? Mummy and Daddy are here..," Sherlock reached in and picked up their dark haired baby boy, then gently transferred him to her, "Shhh, William, I'm here."

"Probably needs a change," Sherlock deduced and got everything set out. They quickly changed him and then Susanna sat down in the rocking chair to feed him. The detective smiled at the scene, "He's missed you in your absence, Love."

"I know. And I know you're both glad I'm back," Susanna hummed, "I'm happy to finally be home with you two."

"And as long as you don't overexert yourself, your recovery should only last a short while longer." Susanna laughed.

"Subtle, Sherlock."

"Just making sure that we will not be visiting the hospital for a while."

"Indeed," She looked up, "Didn't you say yesterday that you and John were going to pay a visit to the shooters?"

He nodded, sobering at their mention, "Yes. They have had their time with the public and now comes their time with me and John."

"Remind me exactly who they are?"

"Relatives of one of the criminals I got sent away. Both were trained as snipers in the Army- so John will have a time with that. The third was a close personal friend of his." She nodded.

"Sherlock?"

"Yes, Love?"

"Could you make some tea, please? I'll be downstairs in a minute."

"Of course." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and hurried back downstairs to start on tea and breakfast. Susanna followed a few minutes later, carrying a then contented William. After breakfast they had a slow morning- enjoying each other's company. Sherlock played his violin, Susanna played the piano and William giggled and babbled along.

Eventually they found themselves sitting on the floor, playing with William who had started crawling and had mastered sitting up. He wasn't very fast or coordinated yet, which was good since they would have to clean up the flat to keep stuff out of his curious hands and more importantly his mouth, "His exploratory nature he gets from me." Sherlock commented proudly.

"I don't know. I was pretty curious as a baby. Got into plenty of trouble," Susanna chuckled as she turned William around towards Sherlock again, "But he's definitely a quick learner like you."

"He's a Holmes. No doubt he'll learn quickly," Sherlock smiled and picked William up as he crawled over, "Isn't that right, Little One? You'll be speaking in no time I bet. Deducing others just like I do." William laughed and Sherlock set him back down with a grin.

"He's growing so fast." Susanna remarked almost sadly.

"He's growing at the expected rate, Love."

"I know but before we know it he'll be grown up and running around London like you do. Maybe in a lab somewhere or out traveling the world. He won't be little for long."

"Perhaps, but he is and always will be our Hamish, correct?"

Susanna nodded, "Yes."

Sherlock smiled and leaned over to capture her lips with his. When they split he pressed another quick one to her cheek, "I Love You."

"I Love You too, Sherlock."

THE END

A/N: Big Shout-outs to VelvetVanity, mmkn2005, wanda1527, JustaSyd & summer710!! Thank you so much for sticking with me through the series! Love you all!!