Author's Note: I actually originally found out about Wattpad because someone had stolen this story and posted it as their own here; I was searching for other Sherlock sickfics and this came up. I am the actual author of the story, so I decided to post it myself.
Sherlock suddenly awoke from his fitful sleep. He had been fighting a bad cold for the past few days, but the stabbing pain in his right ear was a new symptom.
"John!" he called out. "John, I need help!" He sat up, noting that this action made it slightly less painful.
John quickly entered the room and turned on the light. "What is it?" he asked Sherlock. Sherlock had been so stubborn about refusing John's attempts to help him feel better, so this request came as a surprise.
Sherlock put his hand over his ear. "It really hurts, John," he whimpered. "Can you do anything to make it better?"
"I'll try," John replied. "I'll be right back to take a look at it." He went to retrieve his otoscope, and when he returned, he also brought two painkillers and a small cup of water for Sherlock. "Take those and they should help a little," John instructed. After Sherlock did so, John looked in his ears. "It looks like you have a middle ear infection," John told Sherlock. "This is a fairly common occurrence with colds as bad as the one you have. Try to relax for a while, and I'll be back with something that will help you feel better."
Sherlock leaned back against the headboard of his bed and sighed. John was only gone for about twenty minutes, but it felt like much longer. When he returned, Sherlock noticed that he was holding what appeared to be a small bottle.
"Lie down on your left side," John said. "I got you some drops that will numb your ear to get rid of the pain. They will feel a little weird going in, but stay calm and lie still and you'll feel a lot better."
Sherlock braced himself, thinking the medicine would be cold, but he was pleased to find that John had been kind enough to warm the bottle beforehand. The warmth was soothing, and Sherlock's whole body relaxed as the pain began to subside.
"See, that was easy," John said, patting Sherlock's shoulder. He placed a piece of cotton wool in Sherlock's ear. "Now you should be a lot more comfortable."
"Thank you, John," Sherlock murmured as his eyes closed.
"Let me know if you need anything else," John said as he turned off the light.
"Hmm," was Sherlock's only reply. He had already gone back to sleep.
John smiled as he left the room, knowing that he had helped his friend feel better.
