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 smiles at the joke, knowing that it wouldn't come to that.

"Okay," she says, sitting up. "Let's do this."

Sherlock goes to her side, and helps her slide her legs over the edge of the bed.

[theodorelasso]

Ted joins too, using only one crutch, so he can hold Joan's arm and be prepared to catch her. He also makes sure his good leg is the one closest to her, so he can take the weight in case that does happen. It's not like they're gonna be walking very quickly though, so he can be careful with his own leg.

[formersurgeon]

Joan knows to put most of her weight on Sherlock, but having Ted on the other side to steady her is still important.

"Okay," she says, taking a breath and tightening her hold on Ted and Sherlock. "Standing on three. One...two...three."

With their help she rises to her feet...and immediately wavers as the blood rush makes her dizzy.

[theodorelasso]

Ted holds his arm as steady as possible as she holds onto them, ready to catch her. He smiles when she stands up, but the smile fades a little as she clearly sways a little bit.

"You okay? You wanna sit back down?" he asks, though he waits and just supports her, in case she's able to adjust.

[formersurgeon]

"Watson...?" Sherlock says as he tightens his hold on her to steady her.

"I'm okay," she says, holding on tight to them both but leaning on Sherlock. "Just...just a little dizzy. It's okay." She closes her eyes, takes a couple deep breaths, allowing the room to stop tilting and spinning. She opens her eyes and nods. "Okay. Let's walk."

Holding on tight, she starts carefully moving forward.

[theodorelasso]

It was probably a good idea for them to limit themselves to this room for now. They can work up to longer distances.

She does recover though, and after a moment she seems a lot steadier. She's holding most of her weight, they aren't lifting her. And she's managing to keep herself up while lifting her feet to walk, even if she leans on them.

"Hey, there you go," Ted says, excitedly supportive, no matter how slow-moving it is.

[formersurgeon]

Joan smiles at him, grateful for his encouragement. She speeds up a tiny bit, starting to walk instead of taking step by step. It feels nice. Nice enough that she keeps going a little too long. they've almost gotten to the other side of the bed when her knees buckle.

[theodorelasso]

"Whoa, okay!" Ted's got his arm hooked under hers immediately, and between him and Sherlock, they keep her up easily. It's a good thing she's not heavy. "Time to sit down."

Walking around the bed was probably a very good idea, since they barely even have to turn to sit her back down, and Ted sits down next to her. "That was great!" he says excitedly. Even if she buckled a little at the end, that she did get to push herself a little bit. And it's already a lot better than it was yesterday.

[formersurgeon]

Joan had no warning that her knees were about to give out, which is disconcerting. There had been just a touch of panic as she began to fall, but Ted and Sherlock caught her quickly and sat her down, Sherlock sitting on the other side of her. She's out of breath from the effort, and her hands are shaking slightly, mostly from having held on so tight but also from the adrenalin of that split second she was falling.

"Yeah," she says, giving Ted a smile that was a little strained. She closes her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply to calm her system.

[theodorelasso]

Ted rests his crutch against the bed and takes her hand in both of his, stroking her skin with his thumb. He waits patiently as she calms herself, smiling gently at her. He's very much in full supportive encouragement mode.

[formersurgeon]

She smiles as he strokes her hand, her eyes still closed. It takes another couple seconds for her to settle. Then she sighs and leans against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks," she says softly.

[theodorelasso]

Ted lets go of her hand with one arm, wrapping that around her instead.

"How's your legs? You want to try again in a bit, or is that good for now?"

[formersurgeon]

Joan slips her arm around Ted's waist.

"I think I can try again in a minute." She looks over at Sherlock, who is sitting patiently beside them. "Are you up for that?"

"As long as you are," he says. "I would caution not to put undue strain upon yourself, however."

[theodorelasso]

"Yeah, you might want to save some energy for dinner later," he points out. She doesn't need to be walking for that, but she does need to be conscious, and able to eat and drink.

[formersurgeon]

"That's true." She considers that for a moment. "How about I walk back to my side of the bed?"

It's short and practical.

Sherlock nods. "That would be a satisfying way to conclude your first walk," he says with a slight quirk of his lips.

[theodorelasso]

"Sounds good," Ted agrees, giving her shoulders a squeeze. He can imagine it's frustrating, not being able to even walk across the room, but her progress is really fast, so as long as they're a little bit patient, she'll soon be able to.

[formersurgeon]

Joan knows intellectually that her recovery is going really well, but that doesn't entirely alleviate the frustration. She wants to go for a run, and she can't even make it across the room. But being here with Ted and Sherlock makes it bearable. They love her and support her without being saccharine or pitying about it.

"Okay," she says, psyching herself up for the return trip. "You guys ready?"

[theodorelasso]

"Heck yeah," Ted answers, softly enthusiastic. He gets to his feet and gets ready to help Joan to her feet, and to steady her if she gets dizzy again.

[formersurgeon]

Sherlock also stands, taking Watson's hand and elbow to help her up.

"Okay," Joan says, taking a deep breath, then another. "Ready? One...two...three."

On three and with their help she gets to her feet. This time there's a tiny bit of dizziness, but it passes quickly. "Okay," she says. "That was better than last time,"

[theodorelasso]

"There you go, like the least memorable song on the Sergeant Pepper album, it's 'getting better all the time'," Ted quips, holding onto her and getting ready to support her while walking.

[formersurgeon]

"Even forgettable Beatles is still great," Joan says with a smile, tightening her hold on their hands. "They're the pop music equivalent of pizza."

She starts moving, going slow this time, step by step by step.

[theodorelasso]

"That's a perfect analogy, I can't believe I'm unable to high five you right now," Ted answers, grinning as he watches Joan's feet as they walk. He's glad she's taking it a bit more careful this time.

[formersurgeon]

"I'll take it as a reward when I reach the other side of the bed," she says with a smile. She's taking it slow and easy. As she nears the spot where she started she can feel her legs beginning to tremble, but she's able to make it at sit down without them completely failing her.

"Yessssss," she hisses in triumph with a small fist pump.

[theodorelasso]

Ted gives a whoop of celebration and excitement, so happy to see her happy and progressing.

"Here you go, as promised," he says, holding up his hand for a high five. Sherlock is definitely not as effusive about this sort of thing, but Ted is easily making up for it with his level of enthusiasm.

[formersurgeon]

Joan happily gives him a high five, albeit not with the force she would otherwise. Her hands are shaking again as she returns them to her lap, but she barely notices.

Sherlock watches the two of them interact with some wonder. Watson isn't typically an effusive sort either, but Ted brings it out in her. It's fascinating, seeing this part of her that is largely unfamiliar.