for him

eight

john sat at the nurses station as he clicked his pen eagerly. his supervisor said he was only allowed to do rounds on patients since what was happening and everyone saw that he was extremely anxious. he only got a few hours of sleep last night because all he could think about was sherlock and that jim was going to get him. his phone went off and he instantly took it out of his pocket, checking it.

We're still looking. Still no sign of him.

john sighed at the text and stuff his phone back into his pocket. he stood, grabbing his patients file before going to their room.

"look at him." jim cooed in sherlock's ear. "completely defenseless with out you."

sherlock let out a frustrated sigh as he watched the security tapes of the hospital, watching john constantly click his pen unless someone asked him to stop.

"i could easily take him." jim said. "bring him here and do those things i wrote in the letters. god, i've been dying to get my hands on him."

sherlock's breathing got heavy as he tried to calm his rage.

"he's getting angry!" jim said with amusement. "this is quiet the show," he grinned. "seeing you get all worked up over john. you can't even protect him now." he said as he got closer to sherlock's face. "pathetic."

sherlock inhaled deeply and headed jim, causing the smaller man to get angry.

jim wiped his face before pulling his fist back and releasing it on sherlock. he gripped sherlock's hair and pulled his head back roughly. "don't make me angry, sherlock. you won't like the outcome." he growled before letting sherlock go roughly and walking away.

sherlock sighed and held back the tears as he let his head hang foward, watching the blood from his face drip onto the floor.

jim didn't come in for the rest of the day. he did however, leave the security tapes running, the screen always showing john. then after eleven, it showed john in the flat with harry. sherlock never knew the cameras were there or how long they were there either.

"how long do you plan on staying?" john asked his sister as he picked at the loose string on his sweater.

"as long as i have to." harry replied. "you don't want to stay with me, so i'm staying with you." she said as she made tea.

john sighed and pulled his knees to his chest, resting his head on them as he looked at the mantle piece. "do you think he's alright?" he asked as he looked at the picture of him and sherlock from a christmas a few years ago.

"of course." harry said as she walked into the living room with two mugs. "sherlock is one of the strongest men i've met. he's still going knowing that you're here and worried." she said, handing john a mug.

john took it, staring into the liquid. "what if he gets killed?" he asked.

"don't say that." harry said as she sat in the chair across from her brother.

john sighed. "jim's fucking crazy. he just might actually do it."

"and sherlock will fight back. you know that he won't give up."

john blew on his tea gently. "i just want him back. he's all i got." he muttered as he sipped his tea.

the following day, john went to work and sat at the nurses station in between rounds. he got the simple cases in the er since he pestered his supervisor about it, but if he messed up or got distracted, he'd be sent home.

sherlock watched john all day. the computer that sat in front of him played every movement of john. he watched his break downs in the flat then watched him start organizing the flat to get his mind off of him. then when jim made small comments, sherlock got angry and tired to fight with him until jim beat sherlock to where he could barely move his neck with out pain shooting through his body.

sherlock marked the days in his head. it was wednesday when jim told sherlock his plan on how to catch john. sherlock couldn't do anything but sit there and listen. listen to jim explain what he was going to do to john and how he was going to do it. sherlock had started crying. tears fell from his eyes and jim laughed and called him pathetic. in sherlock's own eyes, he was. he always thought he could beat jim. but now, he was dehydrated and he could feel his stomach decaying away inside him. it was jim's plan all along. to let sherlock die slowly watching the thing he loved the most. sherlock used to look down at his bicep and think about that day. think about his and john's fourth anniversary and the expression on the boy's face when he showed him.

"what is it?" john asked excitedly, practically jumping up and down.

sherlock smiled and laughed softly. "calm down." he said as he took his jacket off. "it's fresh, so it's not going to look good." he said as he rolled his sleeve up, taking the saran wrap off his bicep. he looked at the boy with a smile. "it's your initials. in a heart beat."

john smiled widely and took a step closer to sherlock, giving him a kiss. "i love it." he said as he looked at the tattoo. "and i love you."

"i love you, too." sherlock responded, giving the boy another kiss.

sherlock sobbed quietly as he looked down at his sliced bicep, not being able to see the tattoo as clear. his mind was starting the dissolve and he was going insane. he had to get out. he had to get to john.