July 9 - Stains

[pompey_01]

Title: Stains
Author: Pompey
Universe: ACD
Rating: PG13
Warnings: mention of abortion
Word count: 250
Summary: Watson has a difficult medical case.
Prompt: July 9 – dirty laundry
________________________________________________

He had washed away the worst of the blood at the nearest public water pump but of course much remained. Fortunately, the night was only starting to wane. He was able to return home unnoticed.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Hudson was up early and gasped at the sight of him. He forestalled her anticipated exclamation by dropping his doctor’s bag and holding up a hand.

“I was called out to tend an emergency. A young, expectant mother . . . it didn’t end well.” Bitterness leeched into his tone with his last sentence.

He blessed the landlady’s tact when she nodded and began to remove his stained jacket. “I’ll see what I can do for this,” she said simply.

“If the stains don’t come out, burn it. Please,” he added in a whisper.

Mrs. Hudson froze at his initial vehemence but nodded again and took the jacket away with her.

Watson went up to his room, lay on the bed, and stared at the ceiling while the shadows faded. He had told the truth, but not all. The girl was young – too young to carry safely to term. She had been an expectant mother – by her own father. She was expectant no longer now.

But Watson was now a criminal.

He thought Holmes would understand his actions. He had no delusions that the law would. He only hoped that word of it would not seep into the public, and that Mrs. Hudson could work her usual laundering miracles on the blood-stained evidence.