How To Save A Life

Chapter 1:

It was one of the most strangest things I had ever witnessed in all my time living with the one and only, self-proclaimed, consulting detective. Never in all my wildest fantasies could I have ever imagined what would occur next. But, I suppose I am getting ahead of myself and falling into my old 'telling a story backwards' rut. I wish I could say that I would have to go back to my notes for this one, oh, how I wish it so, but this is one case that is so deeply imbedded into my mind that I will never forget. Not even the slightest of details.

It was a cool, rainy Sunday morning and I was sitting at the table enjoying a lovely breakfast of hard boiled eggs, toast with some charming strawberry jam, and hot tea. The early paper that Mrs. Hudson had brought up with my food was sitting to my left and Holmes, as on a number of occasions, was nowhere to be found. I wasn't too worried by this minor absence. He had gone out a number of times before, to check up on a clue or to watch over a client and left me to dine all by my lonesome. So when he rushed into the room, slamming and locking the door tight behind him, I was a little curious as to what he had been up to.

"Holmes." I said rising to my feet. "Holmes, what on earth are you-" Holmes waved me off and dashed over to the windows, throwing down the blinds. His face was paler then usual and his hair, which was normally combed back neatly, was all over and in his face. When he had closed all the blinds and double checked that the door was safely bolted, he poked his head into his room and took a quick look around.

"Who has been here?" he asked breathless. I took a quick glance around the room then back at my panic stricken friend. "No one, Holmes." Holmes quickly walked over to the windows and drew back one of the blinds, just enough to see around the front of our rooms. "Who has been here?" he repeated again, this time with more hast. "Who has been in this room?" His tone was harsher, sharper then I had ever heard before and I found it hard to even think for a moment.

When I had time to collect myself, I walked over and set a calming hand on his shoulder. "Holmes," I said softly, hoping not to startle him any further. "Holmes, no one has been here in this room. No one save for Mrs. Hudson and myself." Holmes let the blind drop and turned to look at me. His eyes were wide with panic and he had bags under them as if he hadn't slept in days. "No one. Are you quit sure?" he asked.

I nodded and pulled him over to the chair nearest the fire. It took some effort, and with a few choice words, I finally got him to sit down. "Holmes." I said walking over to the table. "Where on earth have you been all this time? You're a complete and total mess!" I picked up an empty tea cup and filled it with some hot tea. "Here you go, drink this down. You'll feel better and you can tell me all about your little adventure." I walked back over to him and held the cup out for him to take. In an instant he was back on his feet and slapping the cup from my hands.

"I don't want your tea, you've poisoned it or something!" he yelled rushing back to the windows. I jumped back, shaking my hand in hopes to cool it from the hot sting of the tea that had splashed half way up my arm. "Holmes!" I cried. I couldn't believe him or the way he was acting. It just wasn't like him! "Holmes, what is the matter with you?" I rushed over and grabbed him by the arm. "Holmes, please, Have a seat and talk to me!"

Holmes looked down at my hand then up at my face. "Watson." he said in a whisper. "Watson, what’s happened to your hand? It's all red." He gently touched my hand and examined it with some great care. "Holmes, you did that to me not even a minute ago." I said. "You slapped a cup of hot tea out of my hands, insisting that I had poisoned it!" I grabbed his hand and brushed back some of the hair that had fallen into his face.

On closer examination, I saw that his face was covered in little cuts and bruises and he even had some on his wrists. "Come on. Let's sit you down in front of the fire again, shall we?" I asked, pulling him back to the chair closest to the fire. "You're shaking! Holmes, please. Tell me what happened." I walked over and picked up my medical bag that was sitting next to Holmes' chemistry set. He sat there, silent and watched my every movement as I walked back.

"Shall I try to get you another cup of tea, or will you aim for my eyes next?" Holmes looked over at the table then down at the mess on the floor. "I'm sorry Watson." he said softly. "I won’t burn you again." I nodded and set my bag down by his chair. "Sit tight. I'll only be a moment." I walked back to the table and poured him a second cup of tea. Making sure to stand at an angle so he could see that I wasn't poisoning him.

"Now," I said handing him the cup. This time he took it and set it down carefully on a stack of books next to him. "Tell me what happened." Holmes looked down at the floor for a moment then turned his attention to the fire. "Two days ago," he began. "You remember the woman that had called upon us? At six ‘o’clock I believe it was. She was looking for her husband and one of his business partners who had vanished into thin air roughly a week before."

I nodded and opened my medical bag. "Where are you hurt?" I asked kneeling in front of him. He looked down at me then looked back at the fire. "It's just some bruises." he said. "Nothing to worry about." I glared up at him and in the flicker of the fire I saw that his neck was darker than it should have been. Much too dark for just a shadow. "Holmes, your neck!"