AN-Oh hey, look! I'm a masochist and a sadist who likes to write heartbreaking fanfics inspired by the song Forever and Always by Parachute.
Molly looked at her watch again. He was late, very late. He hadn't called; he would have called. She hastily dialed Mary's number and waited anxiously for her to answer.
"Hello?" Mary's voice answered brightly.
"Mary, did John and Sherlock go off on a case and forget to tell me about it?"
"No, he just got back from the clinic a few minutes ago. Why? Is something wrong?"
"Sherlock isn't home yet, and he hasn't called either. It's not like him to be this late and not check in." Molly bit her lip in worry.
"Well, I'm sure he's fine. He's probably on his way home right now," the blonde tried to reassure her.
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." There was a crashing sound in the background followed by a shout of surprise from John. "I should let you get back to your family," she said with a chuckle.
"Let me know when he gets home. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go save my husband from dinner." With that, she hung up.
Molly sighed and walked over to the window. The light from the street lamps illuminated the diamond on her left hand. She smiled to herself. It had been a year since he had finally managed to admit his love for after a particularly close call on a case, six months since she had taken residence at 221b Baker Street, three months since he had slipped that ring onto her finger after several failed attempts at proposing. It had been such a long journey, but they had finally made it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. It was Sherlock.
"Where are you? You had me really worried," she asked before he could say anything.
"Miss, are you Molly Hooper?" came the unfamiliar voice on the other line.
"Yes, who is this, and how are you calling from my fiancé's phone?" She was suddenly filled with an immense sense of dread.
"I'm sorry, but there's been an accident. You should come to St. Bart's Hospital right away."
Molly felt her heart stop. An accident? What kind of accident? What had happened to Sherlock? What was going on? She shook herself and replied, "I'll be right over." With that, she flew out the door, down the steps, and out into the crisp London night air. She miraculously managed to flag down a cab and make her way to the hospital. She called Mary for the second time that night.
"Hey, Mols. Is Sherlock back yet?" Mary asked. Molly let out a strangled sob. "What's wrong?"
"Sometime's happened. I don't know what, but there's been some sort of accident and Sherlock's at Bart's."
"We'll be there as soon as we can."
After what seemed to be an eternity, the cab pulled up to the entrance of the hospital. Molly quickly paid the cabbie and ran in. She rushed to the front desk and frantically asked to see her fiancé. A nurse came and tried to calm her down as she led her to Sherlock's hospital room.
The doctor outside tried to explain to her what had happened, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. Someone was drunk. Someone ran a red light. Someone had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was a lot of blood loss. Something was ruptured. Something was broken. Something couldn't be fixed. Nothing made sense to her. Vaguely, she heard her name being called.
John and Mary rushed to Molly's side. They held her close as she wept, her body shaking from the silent sobs.
"No," she said finally. "He can't see me like this." She hastily wiped the tears from her face. "May I go in and see him?" she asked the doctor.
He gave a nod, and she pushed to door open and stepped inside. The lights were off, with only a lamp to provide a gentle glow. She saw him lying on the bed looking ghostly pale. The sight of Sherlock Holmes, the great, invincible consulting detective, looking so broken made her want to let out another cry, but she willed herself to stay strong for him. She slowly walked over to his bedside and quietly sat down. She took his hand tightly in hers. Sherlock slowly opened his eyes. A pained smile crossed his face when he realized that she was there.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, trying to mask her fear.
"Like I was hit by a bus," he replied in an attempt to be cheeky.
"That's it. No more running around London for you. It's too dangerous," she said with a tense chuckle, unshed tears burning her eyes.
"I have always wanted to live in the country. In fact, there's a lovely place in Sussex that I've been looking at," came his reply.
"That would be a nice place to start a family, away from all the city smog and congestion," she nodded, sniffling a bit.
"Yes, I think one boy and one girl would be good," he agreed. "And maybe a dog or two. I guess your cat can come along, too."
"I could have a garden in the back. We could grow our own vegetables. We'd have lots of flowers around the house."
"I've been thinking about maintaining an apiary. We could have fresh honey all the time."
"The kids would really like that." They laughed softly together.
"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly after a bit of silence. "I'm sorry I can't give you any of that."
That was it; that broke her. She shook her head silently as she clutched at his hand. "No, Sherlock. Don't apologize. It's not your fault. Please, don't apologize," she whispered hoarsely. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Wait here," she told him. They reluctantly released each other's hands as she walked to the door. She looked at the people outside the room and quietly told them her wish.
The room was a bit crowded now. Molly stood by Sherlock's side, holding his hand for dear life with one hand and the Watsons' wedding rings in the other. The Watsons stood on the other side of him. The hospital's chaplain stood at the foot of the bed with the doctor and a few nurses standing behind him.
The chaplain finished reading the verses from his book and looked up at the bride and groom. "You may now recite your vows."
Molly looked into Sherlock's eyes, the deep blue orbs her safe haven. "Sherlock Holmes, I have always loved you, and I will always love you, through the good and the bad and the ugly. You are my better half. You are one of the greatest men I have ever known, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, grow old with you. I'll love you no matter what, forever and always." The tears in her eyes threatened to fall; all she could see was his blurred form. She quickly wiped them away and gave Sherlock a smile.
Sherlock cleared his throat, his voice soft and low. "Molly Hooper, you are the single greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I have no idea how I managed to get lucky enough to have you in my life. You have stuck by me through everything. You have kept me strong when I thought I couldn't go on. You have saved me more times than I can count. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to realize how much you mean to me. I wanted so much to make amends, but there just wasn't enough time. Please just remember, even if I'm not there, I will always love you, forever and always."
"You may now exchange your rings," the chaplain said, his eyes glistening with tears.
Quietly, they slipped the Watsons' wedding rings onto each other's fingers. He grasped at her hand as though it were his only lifeline; it probably was. Molly looked down at their hands, the silver rings shining in the dim light of the room.
"You may now kiss the bride."
She leaned down to him and kissed him, gently at first, but it quickly turned passionate. She kissed him like her life depended on it. He returned the kiss with equal fervor, as if her kiss gave him strength. They parted only after the need to breathe became too much. She looked at him and smiled through her tears, this moment so bittersweet. She could hear the beeps of the machines slow. She knew it wouldn't be long now. She leaned forward and buried her face in the nape of his neck. "Forever and always," she whispered into his ear. She felt his hand go slack. She heard the machine flatline. She finally let all the tears that she had held back fall.