For Joan

[theodorelasso]

Continued from here.

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

Comments

[theodorelasso]

Ted has been rather careful about not taking pills in front of Sherlock, and keeping it packed away. Not out of distrust, but out of concern. He got a big talk from the doctor when he was prescribed these, so he knows they're fairly potent, and can be addictive. It's also one of the reasons he was getting so much follow up with Shaun visiting.

He frowns softly when she mentions his fever though, and he pulls out the pill caddy he uses to keep track of his doses.

"...Oh," he says, realising as he looks at it. "I forgot to take them this morning."

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock turns his head at that, catching Joan's eyes, knowing that they're both thinking the same thing.

Sherlock is the one to say it, all too familiar with what Ted is going through.

"You're in withdrawal."

[theodorelasso]

Ted looks over at Sherlock. Well, he would know, wouldn't he?

"Oh," he answers. "Well, that makes sense."

He shouldn't be too worried about this - he knew it was a possibility, and he's also taking his evening dose soon, which should fix the suckiness. But, well. There's that anxiety gnawing away at him, making him feel worried even so. But mostly what he finds himself worried about is Sherlock.

[formersurgeon]

It's good that it isn't something contagious, because Ted was right to think that it might be a problem for Joan to get sick now while her body is still recovering from hypoxia. However, it does suggest a future problem.

"When you stop taking these, we'll need to be careful to wean you off of them slowly," she says.

[theodorelasso]

Ted nods. "Yeah, my doctor told me that," he answers. "Had a whole speech about being careful with my dose and everything. But... You know, there was so much stuff this morning, I guess I forgot."

He might have been craving them more if he knew that's what was going on.

[formersurgeon]

"Luckily for you," Sherlock says, "you will be sharing a domicile with a woman trained in narcotic dependency mitigation. There is likely no better person you could be sharing your bed with right now."

Joan rolls her eyes a little at the way he put that, but aside from the unnecessary allusion to their sex life, Sherlock's not wrong.

[theodorelasso]

"Well, I knew that well before this, but that's just based on her being a great person," Ted answers with a chuckle, trying to inject some cheer into this conversation. And maybe distract a little from the topic.

[formersurgeon]

Joan smiles at that, and takes his hand in hers.

Sherlock sighs a little, the outside party to Ted and Watson's cuteness. He doesn't mind all that much, though. Not as much as usual. It's nice to see Watson happy.

[theodorelasso]

Ted squeezes her hand and smiles back at her. Hey, Sherlock opened the door for that. He's just going to have to deal.

"And then right before someone tries to, you know, have me dealt with, I befriend not one but two detectives. Impressive, being that lucky and unlucky at the same time," he muses.

[formersurgeon]

"It is a fortunate coincidence, " Sherlock replies, not one for luck.

Joan, on the other hand, is willing to go with the premise. "I think we were meant to be together," she says with a smile.

[theodorelasso]

Ted, a believer, obviously believes in luck. While also being sensible enough to know he can't blame everything on luck, of course.

When Joan says that incredibly sweet line though, Ted looks over at Sherlock. "Sorry, Sherlock, but we're gonna be annoyingly cutesy now," he warns.

And then he turns and leans over to give Joan a kiss and then rub their noses together, smiling happily at her.

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock sighs again, looking away, his expression sourly exasperated.

Joan, on the other hand, is so happy. She kisses him back, then rubs her nose against his in turn, enjoying the affection and not really caring if it's annoying or cutesy.

"I love you," she murmurs with a smile.

[theodorelasso]

Hey, at least he warned him.

"You too," he answers quietly, barely loud enough to be heard over the rumble of the cab. They can't properly cuddle in here, but he leans lightly against her, holding her hand for the rest of the ride back.

[formersurgeon]

She leans against him, smiling. She's definitely not at a hundred percent...not even close if she was being honest...but in this moment she can forget, and just be with him.

When the cab pulls up at 221A Baker Street, Sherlock hops out to get the wheelchair from the trunk.

[theodorelasso]

Ted himself is feeling pretty awful. (He does shiver a couple times.) But Joan's lovely presence does a lot to mitigate it. And it helps to know he'll soon feel better.

Ted gets to his feet as well, opening the door for her, then helping her out once Sherlock has taken out the wheelchair and come to join him.

The cab driver even comes to help them get up the few steps into the apartment, and Ted thanks him profusely, since he himself is limited help.

[formersurgeon]

Joan doesn't like this part, feeling keenly her helplessness and loss of control. It takes a mercifully short amount of time, though, and then they're in the apartment.

The place has been aired out and cleaned, and it smells pleasantly like lemon. The living room is furnished, with a sofa and a couple chairs. There's also a work room with a couple tables and a desk. The main bedroom is upstairs, but there's a smaller room on the first floor that has been made up for them, the queen sized bed sporting incredibly soft cotton sheets.

[theodorelasso]

"This is nice," Ted comments as he glances around, appreciating how it's been made ready for them. "You hungry, or just wanna get ready for bed?" he asks Joan. He's basically intent on just following her every whim for the forseeable future.

[formersurgeon]

"I think I could eat," Joan says. She looks at Sherlock. "Is the kitchen stocked?"

Sherlock shakes his head. "I felt it would be best to have Ted's input on what supplies he would like to have on hand."

"Mmm." Joan considers that for a moment. "There's a Thai place down the street. Some coconut soup would be nice right now."

[theodorelasso]

"Sounds great," Ted agrees. He doesn't actually have much of an appetite, too queasy for it, but he should probably try to eat something.

He looks up the place on his phone and finds their phone number. "You want anything?" he asks Sherlock.

[formersurgeon]

"I wouldn't refuse a pad thai," Sherlock says, sitting in one of the chairs.

Joan can bet that Ted is feeling queasy. "The coconut soup is good for nausea," she tells him. "It has lime and ginger, and the chicken is a gentle protein."

[theodorelasso]

Ted nods a bit, then phones them up and orders two coconut soups and a pad thai to be delivered. He hasn't sat down yet, since he worries at this point if he does, he won't want to get up again.

After he hangs up, he checks the clock on his phone. It's actually almost about time for his evening dose. Thank goodness.

"I think I'm gonna go take a shower," he says. He feels all gross and sweaty, so it's not just an excuse to not take pills in front of Sherlock. "You gonna be alright?" he asks Joan. As long as Sherlock's there he assumes the answer is probably yes.

[formersurgeon]

"I'll be fine," she assures him. Sherlock is there and will keep her company.

"There are towels in the hall closet," Sherlock notes. "And soap and shampoo in the bathroom."

[theodorelasso]

"Alright, thanks," he answers, and gives Joan a quick kiss before he heads off to the bathroom, bringing his bag and picking up towels on the way.

Once there, he puts down the lid of the toilet and sits down on it, opening his bag and pulling out his medication, immediately taking his evening dose, swallowing the pills dry because he can't make himself get up to get water.

He sits there for a minute, but he can't really wait for them to start working, so he sets about the exhausting business of getting undressed and wrapping up his cast so it doesn't get wet in the shower.

[formersurgeon]

Joan asks Sherlock to help her out of the wheelchair and onto the couch. It helps her feel a little bit more normal. Sherlock folds up the chair and puts it in the hall closet.

Sherlock sits on the couch next to her, the two of them keeping each other company in a comfortable silence.

[theodorelasso]

Once he's in the shower, Ted takes his time. It's the first time he's been alone for more than a few minutes in... he's not even sure how many days. And normally that doesn't necessarily bother Ted that much, in fact it's been quite deliberate this week. But this week has been... a lot. And he doubts he's fully processed even half of it.

So he just stands there for a while, letting the hot water wash over him. Trying to regain some equilibrium, so he can be there for Joan.

Taking his time has the added benefit of giving his meds time to work, so when he's finished drying off and getting dressed, he feels alright. And Beard even gave him a couple t-shirts and underwear in this bag, so he doesn't even have to get back into the sweaty ones. By the time he comes out of the bathroom again, he looks a lot better.