Fic: Mrs. Hudson's Valentine: G

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Title: Mrs. Hudson's Valentine
Rating: G
Length: 221B
Summary: Mrs. Hudson's Valentine's Day is everything she dreamed of.
Author's Note: Greenaway's Language of Flowers gives 'patience' as the meaning of the ox-eye, which is an American daisy, white with yellow centre. Also, for those who don't want to click on the link. One Night Cough Syrup contains morphine, cannabis, alcohol, and chloroform. So pretty good for a cough :) For the monthly prompt: card.

Mrs. Hudson coughed.

“I can’t rest, Doctor Watson. Bessie’s worse than I am. I had to send her home. There’s the washing-up from breakfast and lunch; there’s curtains to replace, and the fire brigade’s so wonderful but they do track in so much mud!”

“At least take some medicine.”  

“I’ve no taste for brandy, sir.”

He held up a spoon and a bottle. “One Night Cough Syrup.”

---

The light trickling into Mrs. Hudson’s room was much brighter than morning-light.

She sat up.

“Goodness!”

A bouquet of white-and-yellow daisies and a card sat on the bedside table.

“’For our most beloved on the day of love,’” she read. “No! That would mean I’ve missed a whole day!” She jumped out of bed, threw on her dressing gown, and ran to the kitchen.

And gasped.

It was clean, every pot and pan, scrubbed and shining.

“SURPRISE! HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!”

“Gentlemen! Oh, heavens!”

Her skin warmed; she dropped her head, catching sight of the stairs.

The mud was gone.

“And the curtains are replaced as well,” said Doctor Watson.

“And once you dress, you and your sister will be escorted to Simpson’s for lunch,” said Mister Holmes.

“And we will be taking care of ourselves.”

“And not destroying anything for the rest of the day.”

She beamed. “And my cough is so much better!”

Comments

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Awww. Best Valentine's Day ever. Forget the flowers and dinner; say it with cannabis, morphine and chloroform!

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

True. And it's tough to cough when you are in a coma!

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, this is very sweet!

I am sure Mrs Hudson made the most of the day, before everything returned to normal.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Yes, I am sure she savoured it.

[debriswoman]

Wonderful:-)
And the cough linctus is something else:-)

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And, yes, it is good for what ails you. And I suspect one night is enough--if you wake up the next day.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

"...and the fire brigade’s so wonderful but they do track in so much mud!” I love that line - so much implied but left unsaid ^___^

So sweet and kind of Holmes and Watson. And nice to see the doctor branching out in his medicines - complete oblivion does sound like a good idea for a cough ^_^

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

I was happy with that phrase. That's the genuine challenge of a 221 word story, no? Yes, I wanted something to go her way for a change. And we've all had that cough, the one that sounds like tuberculosis and people move away from you in public. And a tiny, tiny teaspoon of that syrup wouldn't look bad AT ALL!