for him

nine

john woke up, panting heavily as he crouched over, coughing. he caught his breath and laid back again, running a hand through his hair as he controlled his breath. he looked at sherlock's side of the bed like he expected something, but there was no one. he looked back up at the ceiling and quieted his sobs.

it's been six days now. six days since sherlock was gone. john was losing his shit. he couldn't think straight and everything set him off. harry was still staying with him. she took care of her younger brother. there was an officer in the flat every night, constant surveillance on the flat and when john was at work, there was always an officer on his floor.

john walked into the locker room, getting stared at from his co workers. he walked to his locker and opened it, taking his coat out and putting it on before shoving his bag into it.

"how are ya?" mike asked his friend.

john shrugged as he closed his locker. "i think he's dead."

mike patted his friend's shoulder. "i'm here for ya, mate."

"you tell me every day, mike."

"i know. i just want you to know that i am and i'm just not saying it to be nice."

john sighed and gained eye contact with king who was staring at him. "oi!" he shouted. "got a problem?" he asked angrily.

king shook his head and ran out of the locker room.

"i don't know what their problem is." john said to mike. "it's not like i haven't been like this all week."

"they're just worried bout ya."

john sighed and shook his head. "don't you have rounds?" he asked mike.

"i'll catch you later then." mike said and gave john another friendly pat on the back before leaving the locker room.

john sighed heavily and calmed his nerves before walking out of the locker room and going to the nurses station because that's all he was allowed to do now.

it was a quarter after one when nurses came running through with a stretcher as a paramedic and a couple of officers ran after it. john stood up and walked around the nurses station, looking down the corridor as he watched the stretcher disappear. he looked around then sat back down at the nurses station.

"john!" mike shouted from the lift.

john looked up from the paper and watched mike run over to the desk. "what?"

"they just brought him in. he's in surgery now." mike said with a smile.

john dropped his pen and stared at mike in shock.

"come on then!" mike said, gesturing for john to follow.

john got up quickly and followed behind mike anxiously.

while john was sitting in the waiting room, greg came in and saw the boy. he went over to john and sat next to him.

"how long has he been in?" he asked.

"an hour. mike said he's almost done, they're just stitching him up now." john informed him, keeping his eyes on the door. "did you get him?"

greg nodded. "james moriarty is deceased as of this morning."

john let out a sigh of relief and let his eyes close for a second. "thank you, greg." he said and looked at the officer.

greg gave john a smile, patting his shoulder. "i'm always here for you and sherlock, don't forget that."

"i won't."

twenty minutes later, mike came out and took john and greg to sherlock's room where the detective laid in the hospital bed with bandages and stitches all over his body. john moved the chair closer to the bed and sat in it, taking sherlock's hand and kissing it as he held back the tears. greg sat on the opposite side of the bed, watching the boy look over the wounds of the detective. he always thought that john and sherlock wouldn't last long. that it was just a short fling, but when they were dating for two years, greg realized that sherlock was serious. he was actually serious about how much he cared for the boy and how much love he had for him. 

around seven was when sherlock woke up. greg was gone and it was just john in his room but everyone stopped by and dropped off gifts. the first thing sherlock saw when he opened his his eyes was the get well balloon then felt the hand of his lover and squeezed it gently.

"sherlock!" john gasped softly, getting up and looking down at the man.

sherlock smiled. "hey, baby." he said hoarsely.

john sniffled and smiled, rubbing sherlock's cheek. "hi." he said with a small chuckle. "how do you feel?"

sherlock let out a small hum. "i think a kiss would make me feel better."

john laughed softly and kissed sherlock gently, being careful of his bruised nose. "i love you." he said softly.

sherlock smiled, rubbing john's hand. "i love you, too." he sniffled.

john wiped sherlock's tears away with his thumb. "you're crying!" he exclaimed softly. sherlock never cries.

sherlock's smile grew wider as he cupped the boy's cheek. he chuckled and kissed john again. "i missed you. so much." he said softly.

john placed his hand over sherlock's. "i missed you, too."