Vena Cava by SilentAuror

Vena Cava by SilentAuror:

theylovedfanfic:

Sherlock has been shot in the chest; John has been shot in the heart. Though everything is broken, they do their best to heal the wounds that Mary left on them both.

Word Count: 27,452
Chapters: 1/1
Status: Complete
Series: No
Category: M/M
Age Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Angst; HLV fix-it; Infidelity; Sex; Anti-Mary
Pairings: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson; John Watson/Mary Morstan

Reviewed by Meekus

Wow.  I mean…WOW! This story is phenomenal!  

I was scrolling through my dash when I saw a post say: “I want the scene where John sits at Sherlock’s beside after Sherlock’s been shot!  WHERE IS THAT SCENE?!” (Loosely paraphrased.)  It was then that someone linked to this story, and I can’t thank whomever it was enough.  (I tried going back to find that post, but I didn’t press the ‘Like’ button, so now it’s lost in the Tumblr abyss.)  The writing is breathtakingly beautiful, and the characterisation is just unbelievably good.  

In just one chapter, @silentauroriamthereal​ manages to capture drama, wit, and suspense in a fantastic fix-it piece to His Last Vow (HLV; S03E03). While it is a short story, it does not seem “short” by any means.  In fact, I’d say this is a slow-burn in that it felt like a multi-chapter piece. What makes this so good is that there was so much thought that went behind this piece that it’s almost mind-boggling: research has been made on medical analysis and rehabilitation processes in addition to conjuring up a plot and ensuring flawless characterisation.  I mean, what else can I say?  This is a quality piece of fiction.

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Holy crap! I just got the notification about this and I’m floored - and thrilled! HUGE thank you for this detailed and thoughtful review!! 

Haha - it was actually ME who attached that link to the post you mentioned! Someone was indeed looking for a scene of John at Sherlock’s bedside the night he was shot, and someone else had linked another story of mine which does feature similar scenes, except from Sherlock’s POV (that would be The Yellow Poppies). There are other instances of it in my writings, too, but nowhere in as great length or detail as in Vena Cava. 

Massive thanks for the things you’ve said here. It’s not a short story (after 10K, a story can’t be classified as “short” any more); between 20-35K, it’s technically a novella. I prefer the single-chapter format when it’s my preferences (as far as the author is allowed to have one!) that the story be read all at once. Thanks for your shout-outs to the medical research that went into this, and for the “flawless characterisation” - that means a lot to me! And an extra thank you for this: 

Despite being a romance, I wouldn’t consider this story “fluff”. To do so would subvert how well written this actually is. It’s a pet peeve of mine when people confuse all romance with fluff, which to me denotes something light-hearted and insubstantial, and I definitely intend my romances to be substantial! There is a time and place for fluff, but I never like seeing the terms used interchangeably. Thanks a lot for making that distinction, and calling this a romance! This absolutely made my night - thanks a heap!!