For Joan

[theodorelasso]

Continued from here.

(warnings: sexytimes. also, panic attacks, brutal violence, attempted murder, discussion of suicide and actual murder... )

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[formersurgeon]

She lets go of one of Ted's arms to grab the arm of the wheelchair and carefully lower herself into it with his help. She nods at the suggestion. She still doesn't love having to be helped in the bathroom, but she still has to go.

"Sounds good."

[theodorelasso]

At least now she's pretty close to being able to do it herself. There's an end in sight for it.

"Oh, and I had a thought," he says, as he grabs his crutch and hooks it over his arm, so he'll have it even as he wheels her around. "If the weather's nice, how about we go have a picnic in the park tomorrow? You know, we've been cooped up for a while, and it would probably good for us to get some sunlight and fresh air."

His hour in the park earlier had helped him, and made him realise how much he was missing it. It might help with the trapped and restless feelings. And she's strong enough now that it shouldn't be a problem.

[formersurgeon]

"That's a great idea," she says, smiling up at him. "It would be nice to get some fresh air and sunshine."

They've all been cooped up, and it would do them good to get out a little.

"Sitting on the ground might be interesting," she notes. She's stronger, but sitting on the ground takes more strength than sitting in a chair or in bed.

[theodorelasso]

"You could always just sit leaned against me," he suggests with a smile, going to wheel her out to the bathroom, leaning on the wheelchair for support.

[formersurgeon]

"That sounds really nice," Joan says, smiling back. "What kind of food do you like to have on picnics? Sandwiches? Potato salad? Cole slaw?"

[theodorelasso]

"Oh yeah, breads and spreads," Ted answers. "Some charcuterie, you know? Though you don't have to go too fancy, sandwiches are great. You know, Beard and I do Secret Sandwich Switchroo."

[formersurgeon]

She laughs a little at that. taken aback by the whimsy of the phrase and incredibly curious. "What's Secret Sandwich Switcheroo?"

[theodorelasso]

"Well basically it's just that we make each other lunch, but what kind of sandwich we make is a surprise," he says with a chuckle. Reaching the bathroom, he parks the wheelchair next to the toilet, then offers his hands to help her to her feet.

[formersurgeon]

Joan chuckles. "That is so you and Beard," she says. She adores the friendship between those two men, the dedication to one another and the clear affection they have for each other. Making each other sandwiches is such a simple example of that.

She grips Ted's hands and carefully stands up out of the wheelchair. The dizziness is a lot less now, which is good. She grips his arm with one hand and carefully works her dress up and her underwear down.

[theodorelasso]

Ted resists making a comment about strip tease, instead just making sure she doesn't overbalanace, and that she sits down.

"Alright, call me when you need me," he says, and grabs his crutch and goes to give her some privacy.

[formersurgeon]

"Will do," she promises.

Once she's done, Joan flushes the toilet, and once again gazes at the wheelchair, wondering if she can make it by herself. It's really, really tempting to try. But she manages to rein in her pride once again, knowing that there are few things more embarrassing that dying of a head injury while trying to get off the toilet.

"I'm done," she calls.

[theodorelasso]

Ted returns with a smile, going to help her up.

"You know that period early in dating where you're really in love but you're not ready to be aware of your partner's bathroom habits? Totally cool with skipping right past that into just being really in love," he quips.

[formersurgeon]

She smiles at that, grasping his hands and carefully standing. "To be fair, it was kinda foisted on us. But I'm cool with it, too. There's something to be said for being really in love without being hung up on bodily functions."

She manages to get her clothes in decent order, then carefully sits in the wheelchair.

[theodorelasso]

"Yeah, I'm too old to get hung up on bodily functions. And having a kid really gets rid of that stuff," he says with a chuckle, wheeling her over to the sink so she can wash her hands.

[formersurgeon]

"I bet!" she says as he wheels her over. "Having been a doctor helps, too, although there's still some pride there when it comes to yourself." She turns on the water, wets her hands, and starts soaping up. "It's the same dynamic that makes doctors the worst patients."

She rinses her hands and shuts the water off.

[theodorelasso]

"Oh yeah, that makes sense. Well hey, at least you don't do the full doctor hand scrub, right?" he chuckles, handing her the towel.

[formersurgeon]

"That takes a long time," she notes with a smile, drying her hands. "I do still use beeswax hand cream, though." She holds out her hand, showing the nails. "And I keep my nails short. That's how Sherlock knew I had been a surgeon when we met. He saw my nails and smelled the beeswax."

[theodorelasso]

"He's an observant fella, I'll give him that. Maybe too observant," Ted comments with a (somewhat wry) smile. Makes it a little difficult to have secret or keep private things private.

[formersurgeon]

"He can't help being observant. I can't help being observant. We can't choose what we see and what we notice. All we can choose is what we do with that information." She looks up at him. "Like I said before, people don't like to be deduced."

[theodorelasso]

"Yeah, I think I understand that a bit better now," he answers. He leans down and wraps his arms around her, hugging her from behind. "You're a bit better than him with the whole boundaries thing though."

[formersurgeon]

"I have better people skills," she says, leaning back against him and squeezing his arms. "Sherlock has gotten better, though."

Clearly Sherlock deduced something about Ted that upset him. Something that he was keeping secret, not just from Sherlock but from her, too. It worries Joan that he feels he can't tell her. But there's little she can do about it. He knows he can tell her when he's ready.

[theodorelasso]

"Yeah, he means well," Ted agrees.

He kisses Joan's cheek, then straightens up again, ready to roll. "You ready to socialize with people who aren't me and Sherlock?" he asks with a smile.

[formersurgeon]

"Most of the time." There are still times when Sherlock uses his powers of deduction as a weapon. But she's certain that wasn't the case here.

"Yep," she answers, smiling back.

[theodorelasso]

Ted doubts very much he would do that without good reason, and not against Ted. Sherlock cares about him, which means a lot. Ted trusts him with a lot. And now he's starting to trust him with that if he does make some of those deductions, he'll keep them private.

"Alright," he answers, heading towards the living room, parking her next to the couch and going to offer her a hand (or two) to help her move over.

[formersurgeon]

The fact that Sherlock refused to tell Joan what had happened demonstrates how much he cares about Ted, and how much Ted can trust him.

Joan takes Ted's hands to transfer from the wheelchair to the couch. She can feel the muscles in her legs trembling.

"I think I might be pushing my body a little too far."