An ACD John whose health really is weak when he starts living with Sherlock, just absolutely destroyed from the war.
So John tires easily. Sherlock isn't aware, perceptive as he is, of the true nature of John's weakness. He drags John along to every case. John is afraid to let him down and follows without complaint, but each case ends with him feeling worse and weaker.
He falls truly ill one day. Too worn to even rise from bed and burning hot with fever. It feels like he's back in Afghanistan, like he's in the war again, like he's dying in a foreign country and there's nothing he can do to stop it--
If it weren't for Sherlock, petting his hair and sponging his sweat-sheened brow and murmuring,
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm so sorry, my dear Watson."





















