Once Upon Another Time (Third Book In The "Life Is But A Dream" Saga)

His Last Vow: Part Two

While the first half of my dreams were nothing, I felt more pinches in my arm as the night went on. It was terrifying: I was in a state of being half awake. The night was a blur, but I remember soon that Sherlock was passed out next to me. My breathing was slow, but my heart was going fast. It was horrifying, but I couldn't do anything about it. All of me regretting following Sherlock to this place, and who was that boy, and the name slipped my mind again and again, as I slipped in and out of consciousness. I faced away from Sherlock, and towards a window.

Despite feeling not that terrible inside, I knew I began to hallucinate:

I heard loud footsteps, and saw a man in a suit walk up to me and squat down.

"Damn, Aspen, never in a million years did I expect you to turn out like Sherlock. What a disappointment." I heard the man drawl with an accent I couldn't put my finger on. I reached out to touch him, but fell under my own weight.
"Wow, you really are pathetic right now, it's embarrassing. Imagine what John will say."

The room spun and I saw the lamp light brighten into a blue sky. I turned and saw Sherlock and him together. They were having their battle of wits, to which ended with Moriarty blowing his brains out. I tried running to the duo, but fell, and fell and fell down into water.
"Imagine what your father would say." I heard a whisper from the water.

I woke up slowly, feeling as if I had been hit with a truck. It felt like I woke up faster after that nightmare. I tried to speak, but only a groan came out of my mouth. I looked to my lower arm, and saw track marks all the way up to my bicep.

"Aspen?!" I heard muffled, and felt someone turn me over. "Holy Shit, Sherlock!"
The voice came from my uncle, John, and I felt him scoop me up in his arms. The two were arguing so loudly it sounded like a sports match between the two of them. I couldn't move, and watched the building go by as we left. I saw the boy from the night before, and he saw me, looking like he felt bad for what he did to me.
I heard a bang and was flooded with daylight. I recoiled from the brash light and found refuge in John's coat.

"John, I was on a case." I heard Sherlock as if he was far away.
"What kind of case involves a drug den, much less my niece in a drug den?!" John questioned, and despite me being high and barely awake, I could tell he was pissed to no end. He stopped walking for a moment and told someone to get in the drivers seat.
I felt my stomach do flips, and turned my face away from John. Every meal I had in the last 24 hours was inches from John's foot, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Oh my god, Aspen." I heard the familiar voice of Mary call, and a car door slam shut.

"We're going to Barts. Sherlock has to pee in a jar, and Aspen has to get detoxified." John ordered.

"I didn't mean for this to happen." Sherlock said with an annoyed tone.

"Shut up. Just shut up." John quipped, and I felt him take a deep breath. I saw him look at me both disappointed and worried before I blacked out again.
-
The next time my eyes opened was to the face of my uncle, who had his hands on my face in observing.
"Aspen, Aspen stay with me." He directed. I felt more energy than before, and looked to the side to see an IV in my arm, with nutrients that were removing the morphine from my body.

"John." I croaked, and he swallowed me up in a hug.

"Lucky, you are." I heard the voice of Molly say. "Any more and it would've killed you.
I rubbed my eyes as my mortician friend came to my side.
"What were you thinking?" She questioned.
I heard my breathing return to normal, and looked around the room. John held me in an upright position, while Mary and some man stood several meters away. Sherlock sat near me on my right, in his own trance.

"I felt, alone..." I crooned, and shut my eyes. "I followed Sherlock because I didn't have anyone else. It's my fault, not his."

"If you were near this kind of thing, either of you, you could have called me, and talked." John suggested.

"Sherlock said it was for a case." I mentioned. "I just wanted something to distract me, and never in my wildest dreams did I expect-"
I took a deep breath in shame at what I had done. I covered my face with my hands while John went over to Sherlock.

"What kind of case need you doing this?" John asked, his voice serious.

"I might as well ask you why you've started cycling to work." Sherlock retorted, and I pulled my hands down my eyes to see the two in their quarrel. My uncle shook his head in frustration.

"No, we're not doing this again." John stated, and stepped back. I pushed my hands down onto my legs and chuckled at how similar the two were bickering.

"I mean, it's quite recently, I'd say. You're very determined about it." Sherlock added, now deducing his old partner in crime.

"Is it his shirt?" Someone added, and I saw Mary patching up a man maybe ten years older than me looking our way. He studied John like Sherlock did. I suppose he must have been 'Billy' from last night.

I severed myself from their present conversation and pressed my hand to an aching head. Trying very hard, I wanted to remember that boy who objected me with the morphine. It was all a haze, but he reminded me of someone who was once very dear to me.

"Impossible." I said to myself, and John looked at me.
"I know right, his deduction is false." My uncle said.

"No not that, it's probably right." I brushed off.

"Ah! Finally!" Sherlock exclaimed, looking at his phone, I looked at the detective. 

"Finally what? Good news?" I asked, and looked at Molly.

"Excellent news,  there's every chance that my drug habit might hit the newspapers. The game is on." He said, and then headed for the door. Looking back, he excused himself briefly.

"Excuse me for a second."

John turned to Molly.

"Can I take her now?" He motioned to me. Molly nodded and removed the detox from my arm, and then embraced me.

"Please be careful, Aspen." She pleaded. I smiled, as did John.

"Of course." I promised my friend, and squeezed her a little tighter.

We pulled away and I followed John.