𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝑯𝒊𝒎 𝑮𝒐 (𝑱𝒐𝒉𝒏 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒐𝒏)

(10) The Blind Banker

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Cora idly wanders around Tesco to search for some peppermint tea. Her nightmares had begun rearing their ugly head again, and peppermint tea was the only thing that kept her at ease. She volunteered to go food shopping with John, both knowing they couldn't rely on her brother to come because otherwise, they'd starve. Cora knew precisely what to get. Due to having lived together with her brother, she always had to get all the shopping done because she couldn't stand doing it. Having failed to find her tea, she meets up with John at the shop's exit, both having failed their food task.

"Where's the shopping gone?" Cora asked, frowning in confusion, seeing no bags in his possession.

"I argued with a chip and PIN machine. Don't you happen to have any money with you by any chance?"

"No, I left it back at the flat, sorry," Cora replied, letting out a sigh only just realising, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"So, when was the last time you had a decent night's sleep?" John asked, glancing sideways at her with a frown of concern as they both started heading out of the store. They hadn't talked about the night John had comforted her a while back, yet he could not help but be concerned, as a flatmate and a doctor, about what it could be doing to her mentally and physically. But who was he kidding when he's probably just as messed up as she is?

"Yes, sort of," Cora offered with a forced smile that she knew he probably wasn't buying.

John gave her a dubious look, "Really because I heard you get up at three this morning and found you in the living room watching late-night shopping on the way to the bathroom."

"Well, what can I say?" With a forced cheery tone, Cora responded, walking beside each other down the street, "It's interesting TV."

"Okay, when did you last get a decent night's sleep?" John inquired, more like a Doctor talking to his patient.

"Not sure, the last time was well..." she paused, glancing sideways at John briefly and awkwardly clearing her throat before continuing, "...with you that one time," she smiled gratefully, "That I'm thankful for, but I'm doing fine now really," Cora brushed off shrugging before slipping her hands into her coat pockets.

John shook his head, "Cora, you've been up every day since that night and when I moved in, and it isn't healthy."

"John, please," she stops before him, "I know your concern..."

"I am concerned," he abruptly cuts her off, "Because my flatmate isn't getting enough sleep, and for someone as smart as you should know what a lack of sleep does to the brain," the air between them goes silent for a moment as she again shrugged without care.

"So, are you still having those nightmares then?" John asked her as they looked both ways before crossing the street.

"Yes," Cora let out a sigh of defeat and nodded her head, knowing there was no convincing John that she wasn't coping well with her lack of sleep, "But it isn't just the nightmares that keep me up at all hours John," the older man sees the worry in her eyes that looked less blue today than usual. Yet, he could also hear the tiredness in her voice as she spoke, "It's Sherlock as well; he's always a constant worry."

"You can't worry about him all the time. He's a grown man. He can look after himself," John tells her as they turn the corner and head down Baker Street.