The Laws of Attraction - The Blind Banker

The Blind Banker

For ImJustLaurie and dramaqueen0, who nagged me.

Well, nagged is a strong word.  More like gently nudged me to finally update the goshdarn draft I've been sitting on for nine months.  Well, now that I think about it, it was probably actually longer than that... yeah, that's my bad... 

Oops?

Anyway, enjoy I guess.  Or not, no pressure.

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     Dark and murky, like sinking deep into a bog.  Hazy.  The feeling of nothing; the mind, separate from the body.  Weightless and drifting.  Far above, a small bright light.  A low, resounding sound, resonating through the world.  It was like a blanket, warm and soft and deep.  A name, beckoning.

     "Leanna..."

     Everything became a bit more solid.  Weight gradually returned, and the floor beneath; it was hard and cold.  Feeling returned to limbs — arms, fingers.

     "Leanna."

     Shapes took form through the darkness, hovering close above her.  The light expanded and became more prominent.  Her eyes flinched against it as everything began to focus.

     The image of Sherlock Holmes came into view, shining his flashlight in her eyes as he pried them open.  Her voice came out in a breathless whisper as she fought to inflate her lungs.

     "Sherlock..."

     "Hush and hold still.  You've taken a bad blow to the head."

     Her head and body slowly merged as he told her this, everything beginning to fall back in place.  Then, she remembered.

     "Soo Lin —"

     With a gasp she sat bolt upright, her last memories coming back to her.  This was a bad idea; if she hadn't felt the pain in her head before, she felt it now.  It came back with a wham, making  her instantly weak.  Her vision faded quickly to black again.  She felt herself slump over, Sherlock's steady form holding her.

     "I told you to hold still.  Do you not listen?"

     "Soo Lin, she's -" she struggled to speak.

     "Dead."

     Her vision began clearing again, and Leanna tilted her head to see the body of the young woman sprawled out on the floor.  Her face was turned away from them, and her dark hair billowed out under her.

     "Oh god..." 

     Her stomach knotted.  She feared for a moment that she might be sick on Sherlock's coat.

     "Leanna, you have to calm down," Sherlock began, but she paid him no heed.

     "I was supposed to protect her.  I stayed to... to..."  She felt herself growing fainter.  "Oh, god... this is all my fault..."

     "Don't be ridiculous," Sherlock scolded as he held her fast on the floor.  "There was nothing you could have done."

     Leanna closed her eyes, breathing deeply, his words echoing in her head.  Slowly, as she felt her strength returning to her, she fumbled through her pockets.

     "What are you doing?" Sherlock asked.

     "We've got to call it in —"

     "I've already done that," John called as he approached them, holding up his mobile.  "Police are on their way.  And an ambulance."