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Just as John was about to leave to go back to the surgery Mrs.Hudson called him wanting to see if he was able to come back to 221B. Meanwhile Lestrade was trying to find an old cold case to distract Sherlock with for at least a little while.
“I was just about to head back. I’m with Sherlock and Lestrade at Scotland Yard at the moment. Is something wrong?” John was sure if he told Sarah she would understand him not coming back if it really was an emergency.
“There is a young lady here looking for you. She says she’s your daughter.” Even though this was a surprise to John Mrs.Hudson didn’t sound surprised at all.
“What! Alright … I’ll be there as soon as I can.” It was shock that hit him first but even through the shock he knew that he needed to go home quickly.
Seeing John’s normally calm composure break so quickly Greg was curious as to what had just transpired between him and whoever was on the other end of the line. “What happened?”
“Apparently I’ve got a daughter and she’s come to see me. She’s at Baker Street right now. I don’t know if this is true but I’m sure Sherlock will help me find out.” He was still in a state of shock as he told his lover what he was just informed of.
“Well, keep me informed okay?” Was all Lestrade needed to say to reassure him that if it was true she would be welcome with open arms.
Back at Baker Street Mrs.Hudson was with a young lady who was close to nine months pregnant yet covered in dirt as if she had just played in a mud puddle. Mrs.Hudson had shown her to the sitting room, given her a hot cup of tea and a warm blanket to wrap herself in.
When John laid his eyes on her he stopped in his tracks as Mrs.Hudson did not say anything about her being pregnant over the phone. “Hello.” He introduced himself as well as Sherlock as Sherlock had decided she was very interesting to deduce.
“Hi. I’m Harlow Chambers. Apologies for my appearance but mum kicked me out when she found out about the baby.” She spoke softly as if he was about to kick her out of the apartment as well but she still placed a protective hand over her belly.
“I umm … I’m sorry … I’m a bit …. surprised. Who’s your mother?” John thought that if he had gotten anyone pregnant they would have told him or at least tried to contact him.
“Anne Chambers. It was the night before you left for Afghanistan.” She spoke as calmly as she could knowing he must have a lot of questions.
“Why didn’t she ever tell me? Did she think I wouldn’t want you?” He always wanted to be a father but with Sherlock having him run around the city he didn’t think he would ever get the chance.
“You left before she even knew. She told me that you asked for one final night of pleasure in case you didn’t come back.”
“But after I came back.” John was completely devastated that he missed so much of his daughters life. “I always wanted to be a dad. I’m really sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“I don’t know why she never looked for you but I always wanted to know more about you. Especially since you’ll be getting a grandson soon.” Harlow couldn’t get rid of her huge smile.
Sherlock leaned over to whisper to John to reassure him. “She’s definitely your daughter. She’s got your hair color as well as your satire and face shapes are very similar. However that means the baby Lestrade is carrying, which you would consider your own, would be almost the same age as your grandson.”
“And? Why would that bother me? If anything it just makes me feel like a young grandpa. Nothing wrong with that.” In just a few days his family has grown exponentially. “My boyfriend is having a baby but it’s not mine, it’s a long story. Come on. I’ll run you a bath and then we can all have dinner.” John knew it must be fairly uncomfortable to still be wearing dirty clothes.
“Well I have lots of time to hear about him. I’d love to meet him. It would be nice to finally get clean. Thank you.” Harlow couldn’t wait to finally get clean. Mrs.Hudson went to look for something for her to change into when she was finished.
“I'm just elated to find out that I have a daughter. I can bring you to get the baby checked tomorrow.”
The only thing Harlow could say was thank you as John showed her how the shower worked. She wanted to hug him but thought maybe she shouldn’t as she was still covered in dirt. However John hugged her anyway. “I’m glad we could finally meet.”
“Me too.”