The Holmes Called A [Sherlaide III]

Syncope

Adelaide had made it into the kitchen and barely set the pans on the counter before she passed out, collapsing facefirst onto the tiled floor in front of the oven. A minute later Iona walked in carrying more dishes and saw Adelaide's shoes peeking out from behind the table. She dropped the dishes in the sink and gasped, "Ada!?" She got down beside her granddaughter and felt her forehead, "Oh dear. Sherlock, get in here!!"

The consulting detective came running in faster than she predicted. When he saw Adelaide on the floor he called for John and then knelt next to his wife, picking her head up and resting it in his lap after turning her into her back, "It's syncope. For some reason the blood oxygen supply to her brain was or still is insufficient, thus she lost consciousness."

John jogged in and froze, "What the-! Why is Adelaide on the floor? Did you drug her too?"

"John, you know that was strictly for Magnussen. Do you think I'd drug my own wife on Christmas Day? You know what, don't answer that. I didn't drug her or anyone else. Now do just come help."

The army doctor shook his head and joined Iona and Sherlock beside Adelaide. He gave her a once over and then reached for her wrist, "How's her breathing?"

"Deep and slow. No obstructions. Her pulse?"

"It's normal and healthy... A little fast though."

"Fast?" Sherlock reached for her wrist as well. Of course he had her resting heart rate memorized for comparison. He took Adelaide's pulse and exhaled, "You're right. It's elevated beyond her normal range. And her skin is clammy and cold."

"Most people who faint come around within a couple minutes. If she doesn't wake up in another minute then we'll worry. Er,.. let's elevate her legs to help the blood- oh, you've already done that, Iona."

Iona nodded, "I've assisted my fair share of fainting people."

Sherlock scanned her and probed, "Something happened with her earlier. What was it?"

"We were finishing up the baking and she was getting pies out of the oven. I looked over and she was red faced, puffing and fanning herself. She said it was the heat from the oven and that it took her off guard."

"Considering it is still quite warm in here and that we were all packed into the dining room, it's feasible that she overheated. In that case we should probably move her into a cool room and loosen her clothing a bit to help circulation."

Sherlock shook his head, stroking Adelaide's cheeks, "She's still not waking up, John. It's more than heat exhaustion."

"Let's just get her into a cool area and go from there, okay, mate?"

"Alright," Sherlock slid his arms under Adelaide and gently picked her up. Iona cleared a path to the living room for them and they laid Adelaide out on the sofa. Teddy trotted over as Sherlock was dabbing at her face with a cold, damp cloth and started sniffing around her, "Teddy, no, not right now."

The nearly year old Doberman refused to back off though. Sherlock pushed him back a few times, not wanting Teddy to disturb Adelaide, until he noticed a pattern.

It started to become clear. Sherlock froze and let Teddy get closer. Sure enough he returned to focusing around her abdomen. Dogs can smell changes in body chemistry. Given the localization pattern, it is plausible that Teddy senses that something is going on. He doesn't understand it, but he knows something's different. The detective reached for Adelaide's phone, pulling up the tracker she used.

And finally the pieces clicked into place, just as Adelaide started to wake up. She opened her eyes and groaned as she slowly sat up, "Sherlock..? What happened?"

"You fainted in the kitchen about fifteen minutes ago, Love. I may have just figured out why."

"Did I overheat?"

He shook his head and replied quickly, "No. It was a vasovagal syncope caused by low blood pressure, which can also cause you to feel dizzy and hot."

"Low blood pressure? That's ridiculous-"

"No it's not, Angel."

"And why not?"

"Because first trimester symptoms include low blood pressure and vasovagal syncope because your blood vessels are expanding and all to accommodate the baby-!!"

"Sherlock, hold up! You're talking too fast for me to understand you, Darling!"

"You're pregnant, Adelaide!" He blurted out.

Much louder, and with more gusto than he had intended to.

Adelaide was so struck that she started to teeter, "... I-I-I'm... pregnant?"

"Please don't faint on me again, Angel," He reached out and steadied her, "And yes, the probability is high that you are in fact pregnant. Low blood pressure is a symptom as is syncope, and Teddy seems to have picked up on the change too. I-I just checked your log and it all lines up."

"Seriously..? You're as close to positive as can be?" Adelaide asked.

"Yes, Lovey."

"Then I'd guess we'd better get it confirmed before all the rest of the family explode." She hummed, referring to the several relatives who were pressed against the doors whispering excitedly.

He smiled sheepishly and whispered, "Sorry, Angel. I didn't mean to broadcast it like that."

"You're forgiven. Just give me my phone back so I can make an appointment. You go talk to the others."

"Of course," He stretched up and they shared a few kisses, "I'll be right back, Love."

"Alright, I'll be right here." She winked as he walked out to handle the nine eavesdroppers with one of the most giddy smiles he'd ever worn.

Thank you for reading!! Love you all!! ❤💕