~Attitude~

My wound was very sore one morning about two weeks after Holmes and I had moved in together. One of his mysterious guests had showed up and I relinquished the sitting room to my companion.

I was rather down, my lack of friends or funds made it difficult to enjoy myself. I began to slowly descend the stairs, intending to go for a walk. I heard a crash and a cry from our landlady when I was standing in the landing.

"Mrs. Hudson?" I called, trying to ascertain if she needed help. I heard another bang from the kitchen and my doctor instincts forced me to go check.

She was in the kitchen, a bowl of soup splattered across the floor. She was dipping her left hand in cold water and muttering angrily to herself.

"Are you alright?" I asked, startling her.

"Oh Doctor! Oh, I'm fine. Sorry for the noise." She said sheepishly.

"You burned yourself." I said knowingly. "Let me look."

"I'm alright." She said, grabbing a rag to clean up the spill.

"I just want to check, we don't want your wound to interfere with your wonderful cooking." I said. I had dealt with difficult patients in the war and knew that flattery and calmness would usually get someone to let me fix them up.

Mrs. Hudson nodded and I went upstairs to fetch my medical bag in my room. Returning, I noticed she'd pulled out two stools for us to sit while I worked. I sat across from her, pulling out a cream and small bandages. "This shouldn't take long." I said.

She held out her left hand, revealing the burns. They weren't bad, but her fingertips were red and there was a red line across her palm. I didn't ask how it had happened- it was obvious enough. I applied the cream to help with the pain and applied a thin layer of bandages- enough to cover it, but not too much so as to hinder her movements.

"I can deduct this from your rent." She said when I finished.

"By no means, accidents happen. Besides, you gave me something to do." I said.

"Mr. Holmes stole the sitting room again, didn't he?" Mrs. Hudson inquired.

"Yes." I said, gathering up my supplies.

"You sound tired Doctor." She commented.

"I'm just having a little trouble with my wound." I admitted.

"Doctor heal thyself." Mrs. Hudson teased.

"I'm as healed as I'm going to get." I sighed.

"Now what kind of attitude is that?" Mrs. Hudson asked.

"The kind of attitude a wounded old army surgeon has when he has nothing to do." I replied.

"You have to find something to do with yourself." Mrs. Hudson said. "Something you can do to make you feel better."

"I just don't know what that would be. Life seems so dull."

"You know, Mr. Holmes said the very same thing to me yesterday." Mrs. Hudson said. "By the way, how are the two of you getting along?"

"Fair I suppose. He's tolerable, compared to being alone." I said.

"If only you two could get to know each other better, but when he gets guests he kicks you out."

"Yes, but it doesn't bother me. I assume he's offering some sort of service to earn his keep."

"Have you given any thought to volunteering?" Mrs. Hudson asked.

"Not really, what did you have in mind?"

"Hospitals are always looking for doctors to make house calls and whatnot, why not try to occupy yourself that way?" Mrs. Hudson said. "Not very often mind you, you're still recovering, but once or twice a week to just get you out and about."

I thought about it, considering using my medical practices for something useful.

"Thanks," I said, "I'll look into it."

"You're welcome Doctor. You need to brighten up- be cheerful about the life you've been blessed with. I've always found that helping others brightens me up. The reason I keep tenants, besides for money, is because I get great joy from serving others." Mrs. Hudson explained. "You've been blessed with a gift for medicine, try tapping into that skill to begin to feel useful, and as a result, happy."

I saw the wisdom in her words and nodded. "I appreciate the advice Mrs. Hudson. I guess you're right, I need something to do."

Mrs. Hudson smiled. "Now shoo, I'll never get lunch finished with you taking up my kitchen space." She admonished. I retreated, leaving her to her chores.

"But Doctor," she called, and I turned to hear what she wanted to say. "If you ever need some advice, I'll be here."