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]

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.

[formersurgeon]

Joan smiles at him when he emerges from the shower. He really does look a lot better, which is a relief. As concerned as she is about his physical dependence on his pain meds, she doesn't want him to suffer, and it's good he doesn't have some sort of bug.

Sherlock stands up so Ted can sit next to Joan, moving to one of the chairs.

[theodorelasso]

Ted smiles gratefully at Sherlock, and has just managed to sit down when the doorbell rings.

"Well, that's timing," he comments with a soft chuckle.

[formersurgeon]

"Stay there," Sherlock says, rising from his chair and heading to the door.

Joan gives Ted a smile, taking his hand. "You look better," she says softly.

[theodorelasso]

"I feel better," he replies, returning the smile. "Good lesson, I suppose. I'll definitely remember to take those now." He speaks quietly, not wanting to discuss it around Sherlock.

[formersurgeon]

She greatly appreciates how considerate Ted is being of Sherlock's sobriety. Not that she expected any less from him, of course. She's had other people stay with them that were decidedly less considerate, but Ted cares about people, and about Sherlock in general, to a much larger extent.

Sherlock returns with a plastic bag that he puts on the coffee table. He takes out the soups, setting them in front of Ted and Watson along with two plastic spoons, then takes his pad thai and chopsticks.

[theodorelasso]

Ted offers Joan a pillow to have in her lap, so she can rest the soup on that and not have to hold it lifted, without having to have the hot box right on her lap. He picks up her soup first and opens it for her, handing it to her along with the spoon.

Chances are for the foreseeable future, Joan will have to ask Ted not to help with things.

[formersurgeon]

Joan smiles a little at the help. She appreciates it, even if there's a stubborn part of her that grates against it. She takes the spoon and dips it in the soup. As she lifts it toward her mouth her hand shakes, spilling the soup back into the container.

Crap. Maybe soup wasn't the best of ideas.

She tries again and again with the same result. Finally she puts the spoon down with a frustrated sigh.

[theodorelasso]

Ted looks over at Joan, concerned and sympathetic. Not just because of the physical weakness itself, but because he can imagine how frustrating it must be.

"Want me to do it?" he offers softly, holding out his hand for the spoon.

[formersurgeon]

She shakes her head, frowning down at the container. She really doesn't want to be spoon fed if she can at all help it. A part of her worries that she won't be able to help it, but she's not ready to give in yet.

She touches the sides of the container gingerly. It's hot, too hot to hold.

[theodorelasso]

"Oh, I know," Ted says, setting his own food down and getting to his feet, grabbing one crutch to head over to the kitchen. He rummages in some drawers for a second, before returning with a small ladle, offering it to her. It's much deeper than the spoon, but not too heavy, so should be easier to use without spilling as much.

[formersurgeon]

Huh. That might work. Joan accepts the ladle and gives it a try. As long as she doesn't overfill it she can get the soup to her mouth and carefully sip it. She smiles thankfully at Ted.

Sherlock has been watching all this over his pad thai, and is duly impressed with Ted's solution. He approves of Ted's respect for Watson's need for independence.

[theodorelasso]

Ted loves being a caregiver, and would gladly do anything for Joan if she needed him to. But he also knows that Joan likes being able to take care of herself.

He's also gotten a bit more familiar with that need himself lately, so he gets it. (He's sure she will be just as frustrated as he was with needing help to go to the bathroom.)

He smiles back and sits down again, returning to his own soup. "This is really good!" he says approvingly. He's not queasy anymore, but it's still just really yummy. He doesn't have a lot of experience with Thai food.

[formersurgeon]

She definitely isn't looking forward to that experience. In the hospital her nurse had brought in a bedside commode while Ted was at the club, and Joan had been happy he wasn't there. She's not going to be able to avoid it now, though. When it was Ted who needed help, Joan would have told him not to worry or be embarrassed, but it's a lot harder to take her own advice.

"I think it's the best Thai food in the city," Joan remarks, taking another ladleful.

"Have you had much Thai food?" Sherlock asks Ted.

[theodorelasso]

"No, not really. I'm rather shamefully unfamiliar with most Asian food," he answers. "Though when I first moved here, I went to this Indian place my buddy Ollie works at, and it was the first time I'd ever had it. And, well, let's just say I underestimated just how spicy they make that when they say spicy," he recounts, chuckling. "Sweat just pouring off me, you know?"

[formersurgeon]

Joan smiles at the thought of Ted eating spicy Indian food for the first time. She loves how open and enthusiastic he is about new experiences. It's inspiring, really. And makes her love him more and more.

"Authentic Indian food can be a bit much for the American palate," Sherlock says, his voice edged with disdain.

"Oh please," Joan counters with an eyeroll and a playful smile. "Americans have plenty of spicy foods. Unlike the British, who do bland like nobody else."

[theodorelasso]

Ted chuckles cheerfully at their playful bickering. "I mean, fish and chips is great, though," he points out. "Hey, I should do proper Kansas barbecue for y'all at some point!"

He's been wanting to do it for Joan for a while, but then there's been so much stuff happening. But now he can include Sherlock in it as well. Once Joan feels ready for that amount of meat.

[formersurgeon]

Joan and Sherlock bicker like an old married couple a lot of the time, which Ted is going to witness plenty of now that he's going to be spending a lot of time with them both.

"I would like that," Joan says with a smile. "I will admit my knowledge of different kinds of barbecue is a little lacking."

[theodorelasso]

"I will be happy to educate," Ted answers with a smile. "What about you, Sherlock, what food do you like?" he asks curiously.

There is a pretty high probability he will end inviting him to dinner as well, even when he isn't already around to help Joan.

[formersurgeon]

"Food is fuel," Sherlock replies. "Under most circumstances I eat because it is a bodily necessity. I can recognize and appreciate cuisine of high quality, but like or dislike are not useful categories for me."

[theodorelasso]

Ted stares thoughtfully at Sherlock for several long moments.

Then he turns to Joan. "What in holy heck is he talking about?" he asks seriously, but the smile that creeps in indicates it's definitely a joke. Because wow, they have an incredibly different mindset.

[formersurgeon]

Joan smiles with a mild chuckle. Sherlock's unusual relationship with food is one of the unique things about living with him.

"If he tells you your barbecue is good, he really means it," she explains.

[theodorelasso]

"Alright, well, challenge accepted, I suppose," he answers with a chuckle. "Although, you apparently actually get more nutrition from food if you enjoy it, since your brain tells your body to absorb more. Which is probably why I look like this," he adds and pats his stomach. Ted takes a lot of enjoyment from food.

[formersurgeon]

Joan smiles at that. "I'm glad you enjoy food, then," she says. "Because you're perfect."

Sherlock rolls his eyes. "Be that as it may," Sherlock says, talking over Joan leaning into cuteness. "My enjoyment of food is mostly utilitarian in nature."

"As is his cooking," Joan points out with a smile to Sherlock. "He likes to bake Yorkshire puddings when he's stressed. Then he throws them away."