Born Mad

Chapter Nine: Guess Who's Back

At least, I thought I was.

I woke with a gasp, bolting upright to find myself in the medical sector of Parkhurst. Watson was at my bedside, sound asleep with a blanket thrown over his shoulders while Holmes simply stood at the window in the opposite side of the room.

His head snapped up at the sound I had made, and a small smile curled on his lips in what had to be the happiest I had ever seen him. "I see you're awake."

"Apparently," I murmured, wincing as I settled against the headboard. "How long was I out?"

"Twenty-three hours," he answered softly, the smile fading to concern while he made his slow way to my side. "John has been at your side, fussing and worrying, for twenty-three hours. You weren't expected to make it."

"I also wasn't expected to live past age four in Parkhurst. People are idiots," I remarked with a shrug, cringing as I moved my left shoulder, and I looked down to find my arm in a sling. "Schist, that hurts. Guess I won't be able to use this for a while."

"You need to relax," Holmes murmured with some disapproval and anxiety, his helping me get into a more comfortable position with my head resting against a few pillows. "You sustained quite some damage."

"Well, I can feel that much," I remarked dryly, rubbing at my head ruefully with my good hand. "I'm guessing massive head trauma and a concussion to last me for ages among the bullet wound in my arm."

He nodded, pulling my hand away and absentmindedly letting it rest in his own. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. The head injury you sustained from the kidnapping still hadn't healed when this happened, and those stitches were ripped open in your fall."

He looked down at his feet, sighing slightly as he moved to my cover my hand with his other as well. I was surprised to say the least. This was the most emotion I had seen out of him in, well, ever, and I was beyond confused. He didn't meet my eyes as he breathed, "I want to apologize for putting you through this, Aurora. It was never my intention to have this taken so far, and I never wanted you to be harmed. You are but a child-"

"Mister Holmes, I'm alright," I insisted in the most reassuring tone I could muster, cracking a grin. "It takes more than a little bullet and head trauma to stop me."

He smiled slightly, using his top hand to give me an old friend. "I brought 'Steve' along, figuring you'd be bored here while I work."

I smiled at first, twirling the skull on my one finger like the basketball players I had seen in the old videos in that head office when I was younger. The detective put a finger to his lips and nodded to the security cameras as I moved to speak, but my smile merely grew. "I hacked into the system ages ago, Mister Holmes. Those cameras are as useless as the Scotland Yard. Anyways, I was wondering what information you were looking for. Most likely proof that Parkhurst was bought to keep me, correct?"

He nodded, lowering his voice as the doctor stirred in his seat beside me. "I had my brother get me the blueprints of this place, and, by what I can figure, this island isn't just dirt and rock. There's a passage deep in the ground, and I suppose what we need will be there, but there was no entrance dictated in the blueprints-"

Holmes was cut off upon my finding a pair of arms wrapped around me so tightly that I thought I would break.

"Oh, Aurora, you're awake!"

"Doc, I'm fine. Really."

Watson merely hugged me closer, placing a kiss on the top of my head despite my squirming protests.

"Never do that again," he ordered desperately, and I thought I was home free to lie back down as he let me go to catch Steve's head that I had dropped. He tossed the (thankfully still intact) skull to its owner before pulling me back into his arms.