A Study in Scarlet: Epilog

John suddenly stood. "Pat, I'd like to leave. I'd like to go home now." His voice was flat, emotionless.

Pat looked at him carefully, now uncertain, fearful for him. She quickly made up her mind, moved to the door and unlocked it. Turning to John who had followed her, she put her hand out to him.

John looked down at her. "It's okay, Pat. I'm fine, not to worry. I would just like to go home now," he reassured her softly. He smiled faintly and left.

********************

The harsh ring of the telephone broke the silence of the Holmes' home. Renee quickly grabbed the phone, juggling it before answering. "Hello, hello?"

"Renee, it's Pat. Have you spoken to John today? I've been calling all morning and all I get is his answering machine. Same with his cell phone."

Renee worried her lower lip, her anxiety apparent. "I've called also, Pat. I don't know where he is." She paused for a moment, "I'm going to drive over there, Pat. I'm sure that there's nothing wrong, but I'm going to make sure. I'll call you as soon as I know something."

Pat's voice was tight. "Renee, I'll never forgive myself if..."

"Don't be silly, Patty, We both agreed that John needed a kick in the ass and who better to do that than you? I think that John just needs some time to himself. That was the idea, Pat... to give him a jolt to get him thinking again."

Pat sighed. "I guess you're right, but call me the moment you hear from him - I'll do the same."

Woody looked up at his wife as she put down the phone. "You're going nowhere, Irene. This is where it ends - now."

Renee gestured at him impatiently. "Stop it, Woody. I'm just going to check if he's at home. I won't even go up."

Woody stood, moved to the dining area and picked up a chair. He then strode quickly to the front door and placed the chair in front of it and sat down. "I said that you're going nowhere, Irene, and I meant it. He's had enough of your interference. You won't be happy until you drive John up a wall; I don't understand why he even allows it.

"Well, I'm putting my foot down now. Leave him alone, Renee. Just leave him the hell alone. I told you that last night could be dangerous, but you wouldn't listen. Even Pat was reluctant, she mentioned the danger, but no, you had to push, push, push. It ends now, you're going to back off. Leave him alone - I mean it now. Just leave the man alone."

Irene heard the steel in his voice and instinctively knew that she couldn't push her husband any further on this. In all truth, she was a bit relieved. There was always this little bit of anxiety about the 'plan.' She remembered quite well Pat's warning about the danger, the danger to John's psyche, the danger to his mental stability, but Irene truly felt that her friend needed something dramatic to move him off of dead center.

Suddenly she began to cry. Quietly at first,, turning away from Woody. She stood and let the tears stream down her face. Then her breath caught in her throat and the silent tears turned to sobs, sobs that racked her frame, sobs that she could no longer control.

Woody sprang to his feet and quickly strode to her. Enveloping her in his arms he murmured words of love and affection to her, trying to comfort her. He knew that Renee's motives were pure. She truly wanted nothing but happiness for John and Esther and was now agonizing that perhaps she wanted that too badly - so badly that she may have really screwed up and she was now frightened to death.

The sobs stopped, the tears subsided, yet she still clung to her husband. She turned a tear streaked face to him and her voice was hoarse. "Oh, Woody, what have I done? What if we pushed too hard? Where is John, what is he doing? If anything happens to him I'll die, Woody. I'll just die. It's all my fault, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have talked Patty into this. I really thought she could get through to him. She warned me, she warned me." Renee clutched Woody tighter, her eyes tearing again.

********************

John Watson would have been quite shocked at the worry and anxiety displayed by his friends. He had spent a sleepless night after leaving Patty's and it wasn't until daybreak that he finally dozed off. John had spent the long night hours productively, his mind a beehive of activity. Unfortunately, somewhat like a beehive, his thoughts were random and at times chaotic. He had to continually steel himself, corral his wandering mind and again concentrate on the encounter at Patty's.

John wasn't stupid. It wasn't long before he came to the realization that Patty's attack was planned and premeditated and he recognized the intent and also knew that Renee had more than just a hand in it. Consequently, he wasn't angry for he knew that these two women had his best interests at heart. It would be totally unproductive to harbor any ill feelings although he had to admit to being more than slightly peeved.

That was fine as far as that went, but the conversation with Patty had forced him to consider much of what she had said. He had truly tried to suppress the points that she had made, but, his intelligence wouldn't allow it. Oh, subconsciously part of his mind negated the points that had been made. It had tried to make Esther out to be a faithless slut and didn't deserve any further consideration. It tried to tell him that all women had more than just a little capacity for betrayal. But it wasn't easy to be a misogynist, again his intelligence wouldn't allow that.

John woke late the following morning. Fortunately, he had the foresight to disable his phones and had turned his cell off. He knew that they would be ringing constantly and he was in no frame of mind to speak to either Pat or Renee. After a quick shower and shave, he donned casual wear and headed out to do what he usually did when faced with a conundrum - walk.

John returned home late that evening, exhausted. He figured that he must have covered miles before coming to some conclusions and he felt satisfied with his deliberations, despite how tenuous they were. He undressed, showered and collapsed into bed, this time falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.

He awoke early, feeling alert and refreshed. A quick shower and shave made him feel even better. Putting on a pot of coffee he remembered his phones and with a wry smile, reconnected them. He saw the light blinking on his answering machine, but ignored it. Carrying a mug of coffee into the bedroom he went about dressing and collected his wallet, keys, etc., when he was startled by the ringing of his phone. Looking at his watch, he frowned and muttered, "too damned early," as he picked up the receiver.

"JOHN, JOHN," screamed a voice in his ear.

Annoyed, he snapped, "STOP screaming, Renee, Damn it, control yourself."

He heard her breathing heavily, then at a more normal level. "John...it's Esther..." Her voice was trembling, whispering now.

"What...what? What about Esther?" John's voice had now risen.

"Oh, Johnny. Esther has cancer. They're operating this morning. I called her office and they told me. I had no idea, she never said anything to me..."

Renee paused, her voice now resolute. "John, I'm calling the airline. I'm flying down to Atlanta on the first flight I can get..."

John interrupted her. "Get two tickets. Call me back, I'll pack."

********************

"Carol, I'm frightened... damn, I'm scared silly," Esther Watson said softly as she sat, propped up in bed, in that cold, sterile hospital room.

Dr. Carol Berg was sitting at Esther's side, holding tightly to her hand. "I know, Esther. You wouldn't be human were you not, but just remember, Es, you have an excellent surgeon and the prognosis is good actually."

"I know, Carol. I understand all of that intellectually, but my heart is beating like crazy and I can't stop trembling."

"That's certainly understandable, Es. Just try to breath normally, it won't be long before they come for you and I'm going to be with you throughout the entire procedure." Carol paused for a moment. "Es, are you sure that you don't want me to contact...anyone?" Carol looked at her searchingly.

Esther paused and then smiled wryly. "No thanks, Carol. It really isn't necessary. Hopefully, I'll call my friend Irene in a couple of days. I told you about her; we were really close."

Carol nodded and clutched Esther's hand a bit tighter.

Suddenly the door to the room opened and a surgical gurney was wheeled through. A young, male hospital attendant was at the other end and with good humor said, "Okay, Ms. Watson. Your transportation is here. Just slide over and make yourself comfy."

A nurse who accompanied the young man was right behind him. She looked to Dr. Berg who nodded to her. She assisted in Esther's transfer to the gurney and then said, "Let me check your IV, Esther. I'm also going to give you something to relax you and make you feel just a bit drowsy." She then injected the contents of a small syringe into the IV line.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for Esther's eyes to flutter as she felt herself relax into a twilight sleep.

********************

The plane landed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in mid-afternoon, and around 11 minutes early. They quickly exited with their carry-ons and made their way to the Quality Auto Rental desk. Armed with a mid-sized sedan and a map of Atlanta, they soon were on I-85 headed for Emory University Hospital where they dropped the car off at the valet station.

Getting directions at the visitors desk they proceeded quickly to the appropriate floor. Arriving at the nurses's station, John, with barely controlled anxiety, asked the nurse for Esther Watson's room.

The nurse looked from John to Irene. "And you are...?" she asked quietly.

They quickly introduced themselves. The nurse then looked behind them and called out. "Dr. Berg, these are visitors for Esther. Perhaps you can speak with them."

Carol Berg introduced herself and after being informed as to their identity, ushered them into the visitor's area and sat them down.

"First of all, the surgery was straightforward. A portion of Esther's colon was removed, the margins appear clear and her recovery should be uneventful. I want to tell you that not only am I Esther's physician but also her friend and I'm tickled pink to see both of you here."

Carol then looked anxiously at John. "Mr. Watson...sorry, Dr. Watson..." but was interrupted by John.

"Let's forget the titles, Carol. I hope that I'm not presuming, but this is Irene and I'm John." He paused for a moment, looking piercingly at this slim, attractive woman. "You're sure of that? Esther is going to be ok? No complications?"

"John, settle down and let her talk," interrupted Irene. She smiled wryly at Carol and lowered her voice a bit. "John has a tendency to get excited."

John looked over and Carol saw the annoyed look on his face. She felt comfortable with the two of them and resumed. "Yes, John. I'm sure. There are never any guarantees, you know that, but everything went as expected. There really is no reason why Esther will not recover nicely with no major after affects. She came out of the anesthesia not long ago and is now sleeping comfortably."

"Can we see her?" both John and Irene asked simultaneously.

Carol hesitated for a moment. "Yes," she replied cautiously, "but please remember, she just came out of major surgery. Let's not do anything to annoy or upset her. Now is the time to keep everything placid, ok?"

Both John and Irene nodded quickly and then followed Carol to a private room not far from the nurse's station. They entered quietly and Irene gasped and John turned a bit pale. Esther was lying in bed and it appeared that there were countless tubes running into or out of her. A tube was inserted and taped to her nose, an IV line was in her arm, they could see plastic bags hanging from drain lines to her stomach as well as a catheter bag half full of urine. She was pale but seemed to be sleeping comfortably, her chest rising and falling gently.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Carol blurted. "I just didn't realize what a shock this must be for you. I'm so used to seeing patients like this after surgery. Please, please let me assure you. All of this is perfectly normal considering she's just up from the recovery room."

The both seemed to relax just a bit, recognized the truth of what they had just been told. Irene fell into a chair, recovering her breath, but John just stood silently, gazing at his ex-wife. Irene glanced at him but his face was expressionless.

Carol paused at the doorway. "I'll leave you now, Esther should be awake soon, but please don't tire her, she's very weak. Let's let her rest and gather her strength." Carol saw them nod silently and continued on her rounds.

Irene sat for a few moments while John just stood silently. It seemed that he couldn't tear his eyes away from Esther. She rose and went over to him, placing her hand gently on his arm. "John, I'm going to take the shuttle to the hotel. Don't forget, we already have rooms reserved. I'll check in and freshen up. You can stay here, I'll be back soon. Okay?...John... John?"

He finally nodded. Irene hesitated for a bit then quietly left. John stood for a few more moments, then moved to the chair across the room and positioned it by Esther's bed. He sat, still looking at the face of his ex-wife, who lay still, breathing softly, her hands at her side. John suddenly reached down, gently took her hand in his and held it. His gaze returned to her face and he relaxed.

Approximately two hours later Irene returned to the hospital. Before she reached Esther's room, a different nurse caught up to her and motioned to the room, holding her finger to her lips. Esther peered in. John was sitting by Esther's bedside, holding her hand. He was fast asleep, making soft snoring noises. The nurse smiled and silently left. Irene stood in the doorway for a few moments, then sighed and with a grin on her face turned and left to look for Carol Berg.

********************

Esther's eyes fluttered open. She felt pain and a bit of nausea. Her throat also hurt and it was difficult to swallow. She moaned softly then her eyes focused and she blinked. It was a dream, she thought. She was dreaming, dreaming that John was there, holding her hand. She then again felt the pain and she moaned a bit louder, waking John.

"Esther, Essie," he said softly. "Shhhh, I'll get the nurse."

Esther wouldn't let go of his hand. He was real, he was really there. She couldn't believe her eyes, but she soon recognized that this was no dream, the pain was all too real.

"No," she croaked hoarsely, the tube down her throat making it difficult to speak. "No," she repeated more loudly. "Please, John... don't go...please...don't leave," she said softly now, her voice fading.

"Shhhh," he whispered. "I won't go...I won't leave, Essie...I'll never leave."

The scene in the room was being observed by Irene and Carol Berg near the doorway. They had remained very still, not wishing to disturb the two in the room.

Carol turned to Irene and in a soft whisper said, "I'll send in a nurse. She'll give Esther something for the pain."

Irene never took her eyes off of the hospital bed. She also smiled and replied. "I don't think that she really needs anything now. I think that her pain is over," she murmured as the evening shadows cloaked the bed and the figure huddled by it.

THE END