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John Watson sighed half asleep. A sense of lethargy infused in the alpha’s cold tired bones.
So cold. Why am I out here? Oh right. I promised the kids.
The subject of camping outdoors came up during an All-Pack dinner. Greg Lestrade-Holmes had told their kids a camping trip his father had taken him on in the middle of winter when he was 8 years old. Their twelve-year-old twins and ten-year-old-triplets, who had been camping in warmer weather, thought it a grand idea to go camping in winter.
Sherlock, pregnant with twins again was unable to go, had thought it lunacy. Their ten-year-old Natalia Olivia reasonably argued that if Greg Lestrade, as a beta of eight years could survive, surely their hale and hearty offspring at twelve and ten years of age would be fine. Still, Sherlock utterly refused to allow their children out in the middle of nowhere freezing, especially since John would be the only adult present. Lestrade, was in the middle of several murder investigations and did not know when he would have time. No one even pretended to ask Mycroft.
It was their eldest, Siån, who suggested the compromise of a weekend in the back yard. That pleased both parents and allowed their seven-year-old omega son, Ben, to join in. He had promised them they would do it this weekend. Though he was tired, he had not wanted to disappoint them. They cleared away some of the snow, pitched two tents for comfort and settled in with his brood.
The alpha turned in in his sleeping bag and...nothing.
It took John a moment to realize he had not moved.
It took John another moment to realize he could not.
He was aware of his surroundings. He could sense his children sleeping near him in the tents. Siån, Sionyn and Gregory were closet to him. Benedict, the youngest, sleep between his sisters Evelyn and Natalia.
So cold… I can’t move…
He could not move his arms or legs. He could not lift his head, wiggle his fingers or toes.
Sleep paralysis? You’ve got to be kidding. Give it a minute.
It was only when he reawakened and felt worse that John realized he fallen asleep. He knew time had passed as Sionyn, Ben and Natalia had changed positions from when he last sensed them.
Why am I so cold? I can’t stay here.
He knew he had promised but he could not stay there out there any longer. Alpha Watson does not get sick, not the kind of sick he felt something was wrong. He just wanted to go to sleep. Just a few minutes and he’ll get up.
{Sherlock…}
His entire back was chilled. He needed to get up and get help getting the children inside.
He had not felt that type of drained in his body since…
Not since that mission in the mountains of…
He could not remember he was just so sleepy.
No… I still can’t not move.
A sense panic set in as John felt his two youngest children react. At thirty-five weeks the alpha was tuned to the pups Sherlock carried.
{Sherlock…?}
Why am I so sleepy?
He reached out for his omega and felt Sherlock shiver in his sleep.
{Sherlock wake up. Omega!}
He knew they were cold, moreover he knew they were cold because, Sherlock was cold, and Sherlock was cold because of he was cold, and Sherlock could feel it through their bond.
{Sh-sher…lock H-help…}
Sleep that seemed desperate to take him back under. Even in mindspeak he felt too sluggish to call out.
{Sherlock…}
The alpha, the doctor, the man knew the fate of his pack depended on his not doing so.
{WAKE UP!}
“I love y…”
John felt its pull take him….
><><>-<><><
Sherlock startled awake in the middle of the night.
He immediately pulled the covering around him as his teeth chattered uncontrollably. He was so cold – in fact, he was freezing cold.
He was in their bed swaddled in covers. The heat was on. He was not sick or running a fever, yet he could not stop shivering.
H-h-how is this p-p-possible!
He tried to rise, but it was as if he were frozen in place and could barely move.
I’m cold to the core. The core? Oh god! John! No! The pups!
The omega immediately reached to the two inside him and breathed a sigh of relief the they were fine.
Sherlock realized then that it was not he himself that was cold.
It’s John, our connection making me feel what he’s feeling. Why is he..?
{John?}
Sherlock reached out to his alpha. He could barely feel John’s thoughts. All he could get was that sense of extreme cold.
{Alpha!}
John! He’s freezing!
Sherlock forced his body into action and raced out of bed. He started sending thoughts of warmth to John.
Not for the first time Sherlock wish he had his alpha’s ability to communicate with everyone all at once. He sensed each child individually as he or she startled awake at same compel that woke him.
{ALPHA!}
Sherlock quickly slipped on his dressing gown, grabbed his boots and ran downstairs.
It was chaos as Sherlock reached the kitchen as the three youngest children allowed outside reached the door at a panic. Evelyn, who carried Ben, came in with Natalia - all three shouting.
“Daddy! Papa’s not moving!” “Papa’s sleeping bag is frozen solid!” “He’s too heavy we can’t move him!”
He had to stop it before it became an endless loop in their increased agitation.
“SILENCE!”
{ALPHA!}
He could feel John, yet not. It was an odd silence; he was not responsive.
He’s unconscious! That’s what it feels like for us. Now I know.
“Evelyn call Zachary. Natalia check the trips, they’re awake from the panic, I feel them. Ben get Nixon.”
In his rush to get to John, Sherlock had not looked out at the weather. The earlier snow had turned to an icy rain. Sherlock did not think twice as he ran out into the weather to get to John.
{Come on John!}
The lights for the yard came on as he reached the bottom step.
Natalia or Evelyn, good thinking, girls.
Siån, Sionyn and Gregory were strong children, but they were still children. The three tried to drag their father across the now icy yard with the wind and rain in their faces.
“GET INSIDE NOW!”
{Alpha please! You can’t leave me! We did not survive South America for this!}
Sherlock had reached them and had lifted the near frozen John in his arms before he had finished speaking. The sleeping bag, frozen near solid around the back of John’s torso, added to his weight. The twins within him reacted to the sudden extra cold against the body and the stress.
Sorry my loves. This is one time I hope you cannot sense your papa.
{JOHN! TALK TO ME!}
{Sh-Sh-Sherlock…}
><><>-<><><
“John seemed fine when he left the hospital, how on earth did this happen?” Dr. Charles Zachary, the alpha’s personal doctor asked as he and Sherlock spoke downstairs. Two hours later John was warmed and rested upstairs. Most of the children likewise in their beds.
“The tent was not quite anchored properly. When it rained on top of the snow it seeped under. John was in a high-count goose down sleeping bag. It was the perfect insulation for cold weather. Unfortunately, water resistant is not waterproof. High count goose down is utterly useless when wet. We had to carefully cut him out of the bag where we could and let him defrost out of the rest to not rip his skin or put his body into further shock.” Sherlock explained. “He was already a little under the weather by the time he reached home, his resistance was down, but he had promised the kids. He attributed his shivering to that; not that his sleeping had absorbed water. He had fallen asleep and slowly froze, dangerously dropping his core body temp. The kids were fine, scaring each other with ghost stories. I had fallen asleep myself, this pregnancy is wiping me out as well, or I would have sensed the danger he was in sooner. By the time John was awake enough to realize the danger and reach out to me through our bond he was already hypothermic and bringing me with him.”
“Are you and the pups, alright?” Zachary looked to Sherlock alarmed. “Have you called…?”
“We’re fine, Zachary. Once I woke up and started moving his hold broke. I warmed up quickly, but yes, I made an appointment with Taveras, my OmObGyn, for later to be sure and because I know John will insist on it come morning once he’s up. I’ll know he’s fine once he stubbornly makes his way down and want tea.”
“Is that why you put to guards on him?” Zachary shook his head, knowing his patient well.
“Yes.” Sherlock admitted, knowing his husband well.
“Good,” Zachary chuckled and gave some more instructions as he put on his coat, “I’ve looked him over, you’re right, John is a strong Alpha. He’s doing remarkedly well and has everything he needs here. Bringing him to a hospital would have only driven the staff quite mad.”
“Because doctors make the worst patients?” Sherlock mused at the old adage.
“No because my omega husband has yet to walk into a hospital and then walk out without having made someone cry,” said a croaky voice coming down the stairs.
John’s movements were slow, but solid as he carried their eldest son over his shoulder fireman style and his eldest daughter under one arm. Sionyn held himself up enough to keep from bouncing but did not try to get down, even weakened the alpha father was still much stronger.
“What can I say? It whiles away the time.” Sherlock narrowed his eyes at John, but accepted the relative, if slightly exaggerated, truth of the jibe in good spirits. “Siån? Sionyn? Your request to stay up was granted with the proviso of keeping your father in bed. Please tell me why your papa is out of bed.”
“Daddy how are we supposed to keep him in it when he’s still fast enough and strong enough to do this?” Siån huffed in an exasperated way that all but said Idiot(!) to be asked such a question as a smiling John carefully put his two eldest down.
“Alpha, I love you, but if you don’t get your-self, back in bed.” Sherlock rolled his eyes. "I will chain you down."
"Promise....?" John grinned.
Zachary shook his head amused at the pack, “John, your recovery time is tremendous, even for an alpha, but you still need to be in bed. What are you doing?”
Sherlock raised a brow at his husband knowingly.
John, Siån and Sionyn spoke at the same time. “Tea.”
Sherlocked looked to Dr. Zachary. “Told you.”