A/N
Hello! I'm back!
This is the third part of a series, so I would recommend reading "The coffee cup and the suitcase" and "The valley of boxes" first...But it's up to you.
Thanks to all the lovely people who have written to me about the past two installments, I was touched by the support and encouragement to continue.
This is for you.
On to the story!
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"No...Please..."
"Oh my, where are your manners?"
"I'm sorry, Master. Please, Master, I won't tell anyone..."
"Oh Freddy dear, you look so cute when you beg. Ask me again."
"Please, Master..."
"On your knees."
With his legs too weak and unsteady to support him, the old man used his trembling hands to push himself off the chair and onto the floor, his white head bowed submissevly.
"I beg you, Master, plese don't make me do this."
"Freddykins, little lamb, do you want me to make a call?" The soothng, coaxing voice asked sweetly.
"God, no! Please! I..."
"Well then you know what you have to do."
The old man blinked at the little blue bottle in front of him.
"Hemlock." The cool voice answered the man's unspoken question. "It seemed fitting. You like plants, don't you?"
A slow death. A painful one.
The carpet was soft under his fingers. He had bought it many years ago, it was strange how only now he realised how comfy it was. dust particles danced in the air, caught by the last rays of the dying sun.
"Chop chop, Freddy, I don't have all day."
His body struggled to support him as he reached for the tiny vial. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Suddenly he wished he could hear rain. He always loved the sound of rain.
His eyes rose to meet the cold, calculating ones that glared back in childish delight.
"Now, bottom's up, there's a good chap...There we go, that wasn't too hard, was it? Good boy. Good little lamb. Shall we watch some telly while we wait for it to work? We still have time to play...Plenty of time."
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Molly sighed contentedly as she stepped out of the hospital doors. The sun was still out.
After months of returning home from work in darkness, it was pleasant to be welcomed by sunlight. it felt as if she had much more time left in the day!
Although mornings were still chilly, it was warm enough for her to unzip her coat and shove her hat in a pocket.
It felt like a shame to go straight home, so Molly took the longer way round, across a small park.
Children were still playing on the swings and on a rickety, unstable-looking see-saw; parents and caretakers chatted amiably on benches in the afternoon light; a man in a green hoodie was taking pictures on his phone while another was jogging with his dog; a couple was kissing behind a tree. Everyone was enjoying the first heralds of spring.
"Toby, I'm home!" Molly called as she opened the door. Her tabby languidly walked uo to her, rubbing his head against her calf.
"And they say cats don't miss us." Molly mumured affectionately, picking up the purring creature and making her way to the kitchen for a cup of tea.
Her phone rang. With one hand still holding Toby, she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"When are you coming home?"
"Hello, Sherlock." She smiled. "Your timing was perfect, I just got in..."
"It's sunny now so I knew you'd take your time and go through the park, causing a 10 minute delay in your return to the flat. When are you coming home?"
Molly gently let Toby down and put the kettle on.
"What happened?"
"Judy won't let me look at a body that died of Paraneoplastic pemphigus. Can you believe that? PNP, Molly! And she's keeping it all to herself!"
"What did you do?"
"Tell her to let me look at it!"
"What did you do, Sherlock?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all!"
"He called her fat and lazy." Molly heard John call casually.
"I did not!" Sherlock snapped. "I simply offered to take the body off her hands, because since the Christmas holidays her backside has widened by 3 inches and she hasn't been to the gym in 2 months, so it was safe to assume she would enjoy the chance not to exert herself. I was being helpful." He added indignantly.
Molly shook her head and shared a knowing glance with Toby.
"Have you apologised?"
"John told me to. It made things worse."
The pathologist poured the boiling water into her mug. "I'll call Judy and see what I can do."
"When are you coming home?"
"Sherlock, I can't just abandon the hospital, Doctor Hoffe needs me to..."
"Can't they just take Judy? She's replacing you here, the two of you could just swap."
"She doesn't want to move to Manchester!"
"Who asked her?"
"Sherlock!"
"...Yes."
"I'll be back soon..."
"I have to run, I've got eyeballs in the microwave."
"Ok. Have fun."
He hung up.
She smiled.
"I miss you, too."