July 5 - Bee Aware

[pompey_01]

Title: Bee Aware

Author: Pompey

Universe: BBC (during Hiatus)

Rating: G

Warnings: distinct lack of resolution

Word count: 400

Summary: John receives a mysterious gift. He’s not sure what to make of it.

Prompt: July 5 - The list of five. Include a list of five items in your work today

A/N: My items are the pulse-ox, stethoscope, hand sanitizer, envelope gluer, and . . . it.

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John had just finished a quick bite of lunch and was headed back when he saw it from his office doorway. It was perched in the middle of his desk next to his pulse-ox and stethoscope. His little bottle of hand sanitizer and his envelope gluing stick had been arranged to form makeshift columns on either side of it.

“It” was a bee the size of his thumb, made of yellow felt embroidered with black, with white felt wings glued to its back and two black bead eyes that seemed to stare back at him.

It was ridiculous to be upset by a stupid bit of fabric, John told himself firmly, but between his army days and having been roommate to Sherlock Holmes, he couldn’t keep his nerves from jangling.

“Mary,” he said sharpishly to his girlfriend coming up behind him, “do you know anything about this?”

She peered past him and snickered slightly. “Cute.”

“Do you know who did this?” John persisted, trying to keep his fear-born anger in check.

“Well, the bee came from your last patient, the laceration one. Said she forgot to give it to you before you left the room. But all I did was leave it on your desk for you.” With that, Mary gave him a quick peck on the cheek and slipped away.

John turned back to the bee. His last patient had been his fifth acute injury of the day (one rather deep but short laceration to the left hand, two simple strains, one second-degree sprain, and one budgie bite.) A woman in her early fifties, medium build, brown hair and dark eyes.

John sat at his desk and pulled up the woman’s file again. Essie Scott. It was an unfamiliar name but the woman’s face had been vaguely familiar.

Later that night, when he had more time to think everything over, certain thoughts surfaced. He had known her face. She had been one of Sherlock’s Irregulars from before he . . . from before. Was it a coincidence that she had been at his clinic? The timing was suspicious, with next week being the one year anniversary of Sherlock’s . . . fall.

But why would she want to give him a felt bee, for heaven’s sake?  What did it mean? And who arranged his desk like that, and why?

And did it have anything to do with Sherlock?

Comments

[capt_facepalm]

Perhaps Sherlock "felt" John was slipping into a regular, more boring, life as a practising physician?

[pompey_01]

omg, the pun!