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]

"All right," she answers softly. "Tired. Ready to get out of here." She frowns faintly. "Not sure what's going to happen when I do."

Sherlock rises and approaches the bed.

"Whatever you need, Watson," he says. "Perhaps you can stay with Ted. Or perhaps Ted can stay with us."

[theodorelasso]

"Oh, I don't mind staying with you guys," Ted says immediately when Sherlock suggests it. "I don't have an extra bed, so if you want both of us around, that's probably easiest. Plus, I can't be running around all the time anyway."

[formersurgeon]

Joan can't help but smile, feeling so warm and so very loved. But she does have to make one objection.

"I'm not sure you want to live at 221B," she says to Ted. "We frequently have things around that are related to cases. Things you might not want to randomly find."

More than once those things have included severed body parts.

[theodorelasso]

"Oh. Well, what do you suggest then?" he asks, looking between the two of them. He just knows he wants to be close to Joan, and he's willing to work around stuff. He's fine with staying at his place, of course, he just assumed Sherlock would want to be on hand as well.

[formersurgeon]

Having Sherlock around is important, but Joan just doesn't want Ted to be traumatized by their work, which is unavoidable at 221B.

"You could move into 221A," Sherlock suggests. "My father owns it as well, and it's been vacant for some time now. It's close enough where I can be there as often as you need me without concerns over Ted being over-exposed to our work."

"That could work," Joan says. She looks at Ted. "What do you think?"

[theodorelasso]

Ted blinks. Of course they just own the neighboring apartment. He shouldn't even be surprised.

"I mean, sure, yeah!" Ted agrees happily. "Best of both worlds. After we get you home, I can stop by my place, grab a few things, and then head back up."

He's already got a couple of things he needs right here in the bag from Beard.

[formersurgeon]

"I shall have it prepared for your arrival," Sherlock says, pulling out his phone. He looks up a number as he heads out into the hall.

With Sherlock gone, Joan gives Ted another soft kiss. "How did it go at the club?"

[theodorelasso]

Ted sighs. "Alright, I guess," he answers. He still feels kind of anxious about it, worried about his friends, and... worried about everything, honestly. The whole thing's emotionally exhausting. Even physically exhausting to a certain point. "They all send their love though."

[formersurgeon]

"That's nice of them," she says with a smile. "They're really a great group of people."

She can hear the exhaustion in his voice. She kisses his cheek, then carefully moves over so he has room to climb into bed with her.

[theodorelasso]

Ted gratefully climbs in next to her, cuddling up against her.

"They all took it pretty well, all things considered," he says. "Roy even gave me a hug," he adds with a soft smile.

[formersurgeon]

Joan snuggles up against him as well with a sigh. The news about Roy surprises her, and she laughs a little. "Are the four horsemen of the apocalypse showing up sometime soon?"

[theodorelasso]

"Right?" Ted agrees with a chuckle. "I'm gonna stop by there tomorrow as well, tell the team before they hear too much in the news."

He still hasn't checked the news, so who knows what's out there.

[formersurgeon]

"That's a good idea." Joan hasn't checked the news either, and doesn't plan to anytime soon. She knows at some point they're going to have to help work toward making sure Rupert is behind bars for the rest of his life, but until then her focus is just on the both of them getting better.

"Everything is going to be okay," she murmurs, reassuring both him and herself.

[theodorelasso]

Ted nods in agreement, kissing the top of her head, then takes her hand and laces their fingers together.

He's still so worried about Joan, but he tries to focus all that worry just into looking after her.

[formersurgeon]

She squeezes his hand a little, then closes her eyes. She's still so tired, and napping sounds like the best way to spend the couple hours before she's discharged.

Sherlock reenters and sees that Joan has drifted off in Ted's arms. He sits in the chair next to the bed to wait and watch.

[theodorelasso]

Ted is drifting off too, but he isn't quite gone by the time Sherlock reenters, so he opens his eyes when he hears him. He gives Sherlock a soft smile, then closes his eyes again, letting himself drift off too.

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock smiles back, just as softly. He trusts Ted, enough to be vulnerable, enough to share Watson with him, enough to allow himself to be fond of the man.

He watches over them both, protective of these people he's come to care for as well as of their relationship, for the next two hours, before the nurse comes in with discharge papers. She stops at the door and looks to Sherlock. Sherlock nods and leans toward the two of them.

"Watson...Ted..."

[theodorelasso]

Ted blinks awake, looking blearily first at Sherlock, then at the nurse. Ah, alright.

He kisses the top of Joan's head, and gives her shoulders a very gentle shake. "Wake up, sweetie," he says softly.

[formersurgeon]

Joan opens her eyes slowly, looking up at Ted, then toward the door. "Oh," she says, seeing the nurse. She sits up, still leaning back against the bed. She gives the nurse a smile. "Hi."

"Miss Watson. I have your discharge instructions here, so we can get you out of here and home as soon as possible. Let me start with that IV, though."

She comes in, puts the papers aside and grabs a pair of gloves, pulling them on. Joan holds out her arm, and the nurse carefully removes the IV, taping gauze tightly to the spot where it used to be and instructing
Joan to apply pressure. Then she removes the remaining electrodes from Joan's chest and has her remove the cannula that was giving her extra oxygen.

[theodorelasso]

Ted gets to his feet to be out of the nurse's way as she does her work.

Oof, he feels kind of terrible though, slightly sticky from sweat and feeling achy. Maybe he's coming down with something. That should win an award for worst possible timing if that's the case though.

[formersurgeon]

"All right, love," the nurse says. "Do you have a change of clothes?"

"Yes," Sherlock says. "Beard was considerate enough to pick up some things at 221B when he went to get the phones."

Joan smiles at that. "Of course he did."

"Good. Have you been out of bed much yet?"

Joan shakes her head. The nurse hums.

"You're going to want someone with you whenever you get out of bed. To get dressed, to go to the bathroom, everything. Be extremely careful not to overestimate your strength. Err on the side of caution. All right?"

She nods, glancing at Ted with a smile, knowing he'll be there to help her. Her smile fades a little when she notices that he's not looking too good.

[theodorelasso]

Ted does return the smile though, absolutely intending to be there to help, whether he has a cold or not. He'll power through. (Well, unless that's like a risk thing, since she probably shouldn't get sick while she's recovering. Especially if her lungs were having problems.)

He grabs the stuff Beard brought, putting it up on the bed and starts pulling out clothes. Beard's even been considerate to pick out comfortable clothes that are easy to put on. Definitely better than the dress she came in with.

[formersurgeon]

Joan wouldn't be surprised if Ted's coming down with something. His immune system is probably suppressed by injury and stress, and he's been in a hospital. She makes a mental note to have him take his temperature when they get home.

"You give us a call," the nurse continues, "if you have any alarming symptoms. Severe headache, dizziness, fainting, seizures, anything like that. Or anything else that concerns you. And follow up with your doctor next week."

"I will," Joan says. "Thank you."

The nurse has her sign a form, then wishes her luck and leaves.

Joan turns to Ted, concerned. "Hey," she says. "Are you okay?"

[theodorelasso]

"Oh, yeah, yeah," Ted answers reassuringly, giving her a smile. "Think I'm just a bit tired from all the hubbub, you know?" He won't deny that he feels a bit oogy, but it's probably not a big deal. Hopefully nothing a good sleep won't fix. Preferably in an actual bed, and one that isn't in a basement.

[formersurgeon]

"You and me both." A good sleep in each other's arms in a comfortable bed and in a comfortable room would be absolutely heavenly, and doubtless good for them both.

"Okay," she says, carefully sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She should get dressed, but she doesn't want to disrobe in front of Sherlock if she can help it.

"Sherlock," she says, "could you get a wheelchair."

Sherlock nods, knowing she's also giving him a reason to be out of the room. He heads out and closes the door.

"Help me with this?" she asks Ted, gesturing to her hospital gown.