I can see John promising a lot in order to get Sherlock back, but the future?

Bit like selling his soul, isn't it? But I see John being that far in, even though he makes a stab at bargaining and tries to reserve a liitle autonomy.

I was thinking the biggest stretch was John catching the implications of Sherlock's question and initially saying it didn't include the future. My theory was that John's used to remaining clear-headed in stressful situations, at least if he doesn't get angry, and he's used to Sherlock being manipulative.

Once Sherlock regained consciousness and heard John's tone of voice, I imagined Sherlock going for the max. It's manipulative, but it clears the way for the other things he hasn't told John, some of which could be viewed as even bigger than letting John think Sherlock was dead.

I was wondering what you thought of using the present tense. Oddly, the scene came to me that way. I considered changing it partway through, but I kept thinking of it in present tense. I'm still not sure though, especially with the introductory scenes in the past tense.

Thank you again for the attentive reading you give these. I appreciate it enormously.