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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[theodorelasso]

Ted looks both impressed and horrified. Now, he knows a thing or two about high-pressure situations, having had twenty thousand people yell insults at him at an almost weekly basis. But even so, there's a limit to his control in that situation, and even if they fail, well, they lost a game. It's not the end of the world.

He can't imagine actually being in the situation where the consequences for your failure is that someone dies. Even if this isn't news to him, it's just strange to imagine that Joan was in that situation just yesterday.

"And you did, right?" he asks. He hopes she would've mentioned a fourth already otherwise.

[formersurgeon]

"We did," she affirms. "We were able to trace a certain Italian brand of belt to the store where it was sold, and they were able to tell us who bought it. That led us to our suspect."

She takes another bite, chews slowly, swallows.

"We found his address and accompanied a pair of uniformed officers to make an arrest. The suspect saw us coming, and started shooting."

[theodorelasso]

Ted puts his cutlery down with a look of surprise and worry. "Are you okay?" he asks immediately. He can tell that she's physically okay, but surely she must be shaken up. And what about everyone else?

[formersurgeon]

She gives him a gentle, reassuring smile. "I'm...okay," she says. It's mostly true. "I don't get shot at a lot, so I'm a little rattled. And it's not how I would have wanted the case to end. I prefer suspects behind bars, not in the morgue. But these things do happen. It's part of the job."

[theodorelasso]

Ted has to take a moment to digest that, but he does immediately reach out and put his hand on Joan's.

And while that news is scary - terrifying, honestly - he's glad she told him, and that she admits to being rattled by it, so that he can be there for her. He's also glad that's apparently rare, because while he admires what she does, being in danger like that too often would take a toll on a person.

He doesn't know what to say, so he just squeezes her hand.

[formersurgeon]

She turns her hand over to hold his. She appreciates his concern, and wants to reassure him. She knows he must be afraid for her. She's also grateful that his response is to be supportive and comforting rather than wanting to not talk about it. She's learned not to tell these sorts of things to her mother, for instance. And she can talk about it with Sherlock, but he's typically not very comforting.

"I'm okay," she says softly, squeezing his hand back in a silent thank you.

[theodorelasso]

Ted just holds her gaze for a few moments. "Well, I'm glad you're okay," he answers quietly, and gives her a small smile, even if it's a worried one.

"...I'm also kind of glad you didn't tell me until today, I don't know that I'd want that news through text, and I'm not sure me worrying about you would've been helpful to either of our jobs," he admits with a half-hearted chuckle. It does intensify his desire to make this a safe and comforting space for her, though.

[formersurgeon]

She gives him a small smile back. "Yeah, I was thinking that, too. I didn't want to worry you. And I really enjoyed texting with you about positive things." She squeezes his hand again. "I promise, if anything bad ever happens, I'll let you know right away. Or Sherlock will let you know. Otherwise you don't have to worry. Or at least not too much."

She imagines Ted is going to worry about her anyway, because he cares about her.

[theodorelasso]

"I appreciate that," he answers. Because yes, while he doesn't want to worry unduly, he also doesn't want to be kept in the dark just to spare his feelings, in case there is something that he should actually know. If Joan gets hurt, he'd want to know immediately. He'd want to be there for her. Beard and Nathan can always cover for him in cases of emergencies, after all.

And he's glad he managed to give her some light spots in the midst of all that. Hopefully she knows how to manage when it's helpful and when it's a distraction. Ted isn't someone who needs a text back right away. (Though he might have to keep track of his own feelings regarding that, in case it does make him worry if she doesn't text back.)

He looks down at his plate, and then over at Joan again. "You wanna move this party to the couch so we can actually sit next to each other?" he suggests with a soft smile. Suddenly it feels like the other side of the table is far too far away from him.

[formersurgeon]

Joan has always been independent, the healer instead of the healed, ever the doctor who is bad at being a patient. But the thought of having Ted by her side if something terrible happened is actually appealing. His caring, like his positivity, is refreshingly non-saccharine. She feels safe and comfortable in his presence, and can imagine that safety and comfort being a good thing in a time of crisis.

She smiles at his suggestion. "Yes, please!" She stands and picks up her plate and her wine glass.

[theodorelasso]

His smile widens at her enthusiasm, doing the same and moving to the couch. Even just sitting shoulder to shoulder is better, giving a comforting closeness without taking up their hands.

"Is Sherlock doing alright?" he asks after they're settled. Ted doesn't really know how the man would react to those kind of things. And Joan cares about him, so Ted cares about him by proxy.

[formersurgeon]

It's nice, being in physical contact with him while they're eating. She's missed his touch terribly, so its nice to take advantage of every opportunity they have.

"He's fine," she says, grateful that Ted cares about Sherlock. "These things don't usually bother him, unless someone he cares about gets hurt." She cuts another piece of food. "He's very protective of me. When the suspect started shooting, Sherlock immediately grabbed me and got me around a corner and out of the line of fire."

She put the bite in her mouth.

[theodorelasso]

Ted smiles, touched by Sherlock's actions. That's actually very reassuring, to know she has someone looking out for her, making sure she's safe. And from what she says, Sherlock is very good at his job, and cares about her a lot, so obviously he'd take that seriously.

"Remind me to thank him," he says softly. It's still wild to him that this sort of thing can be discussed so casually, but this piece of information does a lot to soothe his worry.

[formersurgeon]

"Not sure how he'll take it," she says with amusement, "but you can give it a shot."

She takes a sip of wine.

"You should come hang out at 221B," she says, putting her glass down. "Sherlock will have to get used to you eventually. And you can get to know him. Hopefully the him behind the misanthropic facade."

[theodorelasso]

Ted nods in agreement. "I'd like that," he says once he's swallowed his food. Ted is definitely not new to being persistent and patient to get behind someone's facade. And he's got the inside scoop from Joan, so to speak, which makes being patient a whole lot easier.

He takes a sip too, and considers with an amused smile. "Is this the detective version of taking me to see your parents?" he asks jokingly.

[formersurgeon]

It's interesting how Joan and Ted are again so similar, having the same ends but different ways of getting there. Joan got through to Sherlock with her dry wit and taking absolutely no crap. And Ted would do it with patience and kindness. Neither of them would give up on him.

Joan chuckles at the idea. "I think that would be if I took you to New York and introduced you to Captain Gregson. With Sherlock...it's more like taking you to meet a sibling."

[theodorelasso]

"Oh right, yeah, of course," Ted answers mock seriously, then chuckles.

"Well you've already met my coach sibling, and likes you, so. You know he called you a nice lady?" he says, and then gives Joan an impressed look that implies how big of a deal that is.

[formersurgeon]

The impressed look is adorable. If Joan didn't know Ted at all, she would have thought it was a joke. If she knew him a little, she would have thought he was over-impressed. Now that she knows him well, she knows he's absolutely sincere, and absolutely right.

"I'm glad I have the Coach Beard seal of approval," she says with a smile.

"How was the game?" she asks, spearing another bite onto her fork.

[theodorelasso]

"Oh, great. We played well and it paid off," Ted answers proudly. He really enjoyed going back and seeing all of Joan's texts afterwards.

He pauses to take another bite. "Tell you what though, they've got some wacky signs over there. Look like someone fell asleep on the keyboard. It's mighty impressive they can read that."

[formersurgeon]

"Ah, Wales," she says with a smile, spearing the last piece of her meal. "You know, they have one of the longest place names in the world. Even they don't call it by its full name, though."

She chews and swallows.

"I would really love to go to a game sometime."

[theodorelasso]

Ted loves getting fun facts from Joan. A real benefit from having a well-informed girlfriend. Between her and Beard, he's got a constant stream of interesting trivia, and he loves it.

"Oh yeah!" Ted agrees immediately, excited by that. "You can sit in the owners box with Rebecca and Keeley!"

[formersurgeon]

Joan loves sharing interesting facts with him. She loves how curious he is, how much he loves learning new things.

"That would be so much fun," she says, setting her plate down and picking up her wineglass. "I imagine Keeley in particular goes all out cheering the team on."

[theodorelasso]

"Oh, I bet," Ted agrees, then pauses. "I have no idea though, obviously I've never been up there during a match. Though Higgins told me Rebecca's gotten real into it lately," he says with a warm chuckle. He hasn't seen it during a match, but it's been delightful watching her open up.

[formersurgeon]

"I imagine it would be hard to coach from there," she says, amused. "Rebecca does seem a little formal. I'm glad she's been enjoying the games more."

Ted's affection for the woman is clear, but Joan doesn't let it worry her. She trusts that Ted would tell her if there was something romantic going on.

[theodorelasso]

"Yeah, I think I mentioned she got the team in her divorce, so obviously she had some complicated feelings about all of it," Ted says with a nod. "But then eventually she became invested in it, you know, on her own terms."

Ted doesn't plan on divulging what those complicated feelings actually led to, because that's water under the bridge, but the actual emotional investment isn't really a secret.