Surprising Sherlock

Chapter Nine

"Sherlock are you positive? You could have been hallucinating, were you drugged?" Lastrade sat at the end of Sherlock's hospital bed as he watched an annoyed Sherlock answer this question for the 5th time.

"Yes, I'm 100% sure. I had a conversation with him and then got knocked out, there was no way all of that was a hallucination." Sherlock went on to recount his conversation with Moriarty, and John slipped out of the room. He couldn't stand to think of that awful man being alive and being able to hurt Sherlock again. 

Before Lestrade had gotten to the hospital, Sherlock had told his 'best friend' some of what had happened. The thought of anyone beating Sherlock made John feel queasy, full of anger, and heartbroken. Even seeing Sherlock cleaned up and in the hospital made John's heart hurt. 

'How the hell could this be happening  Sherlock saw Morarity blow his brains out.'

John paced back and forth thinking about the insane circumstances that were currently his life. Lestrade walked out to speak to John,

"He's certain it was him, but we should wait for the results of tests you ordered just to be sure." 

"I'll talk to his attending to push his cat-scan results, but Sherlock didn't consent to a tax screen. Legally they can't do it without his permission". 

"Doesn't that strike you as odd though?" Lestrade asked. "I mean, if Sherlock was clean why wouldn't he consent to the test? What if he is using it again and this was part of some trip?"

"No, I know Sherlock. He is stubborn but he would have talked to me if he thought he might relapse. I believe him, that somehow Jim Morarity is alive."

"I need that too screen, if I'm ever going to convince anyone else at the yard of that."

John headed back in to talk to Sherlock and try to get his consent for the test. 

"Before you ask, I'm not imagining this, I am not mental." Sherlock blurted out as John walked into the room. 

"I dont think your mental, but Sherlock, we all saw the body. It's hard to accept that this psychopath came back from the grave. If you consented to the tox screen, it would be a lot easier to believe you." John trailed off and looked down. 

Sherlock looked furious "I AM CLEAN!"  

"Sherlock, I believe you, I really do. But given your past...no one else is going to without a drug test." 

"John, I have no way of knowing what happened to me when I was unconscious. No matter what this test says it won't mean anything. Who knows what he may have put in my system after his goons beat me up?"

"Isn't it better to know one way or the other?"

"No." 

John stood up and walked over to the window, looking out onto the streets of London. The conversation he had previously had with Lestrade replaying in his brain.

"You won't consent to this test because you already know what its going to say when it comes back. Don't you?" John said, his back to Sherlock. 

"John-" He was cut off before he could get anything else out.

"If you were clean-"

"I am clean!"

"IF you were clean, you would have no issue with a tax screen! The only reason you could possibly have for refusing one is that you know it will show that you are using!"

"John, you have to believe me when I tell you-"

"Stop Sherlock. I learned a long time ago not to believe an addict. I'm calling your brother, he will get the tox screen with or without your consent."

Just like that, Sherlock was alone in his small hospital room.