It was cold, freezing even, and Molly was staring at her kettle as if this would speed up the process of boiling the water. It had taken all her willpower to drag herself out of bed this morning and now she was seriously regretting it. However, she had things to do and staying in bed would not have gotten her any where. As soon as the kettle had finished boiling she made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the counter in her kitchen. For a little while she flicked through the newspaper that was lying there, sipping her coffee and slowly warming up. When her phone made that little 'ding' sound to signal it had received a text, Molly jumped slightly. As soon as she saw the text was from Irene Adler she knew it was going to be a long day. There were few reasons for Irene to contact her but most recently Sebastian Moran had become one of them. He's done it again, Molly. Can you come clean him up? He's being stubborn and refusing to go to a hospital. Well, there went any hope of it being a normal day.
Molly wasn't exactly sure how she had come to start helping Sebastian, she certainly hadn't planned it. All she could remember was Irene pleading for her help and then dragging her off to some house where the man lay covered in all sorts of burn and cuts. It was safe to say Sebastian had not taken Jim's death very well and any anger or resentment he now had for the man was being taken out on himself. Molly felt there was more to it than that though, it was just anger there was also sadness. Whether he admitted to it or not, Sebastian missed Jim. From what she could understand, Jim had been pretty much all that Seb had. Who wouldn't miss the one person in their life that meant something?
With a sigh, Molly bit down on her lower lip. I'll be right over. She sent the text to Irene before dumping what was left of her coffee down the sink and leaving the cup on the counter, she'd have time for the dishes later. Pulling on an old purple t-shirt and stonewashed jeans, Molly found herself wondering what Sherlock would think of her running off to help Jim's right hand man. He'd probably be annoyed with her. Sebastian was, after all, the sniper who'd been instructed to kill John that day Sherlock had faked his death. He was the man who had been instructed to shoot John should Sherlock not die and if Sebastian were to ever know Sherlock was still alive he'd probably shoot John in a heartbeat. Thank god she could keep a secret, other wise Sherlock would definitely hate her.
Her medical kit was already packed in the car, in fact she hardly ever took it out. It was a lot quicker to just keep it in there, that way she was always prepared for Irene's texts. Sometimes she'd be called around at two or three in the morning because Sebastian constantly refused to go to the hospital. It was hard enough getting him to let Molly clean up his wounds, he was a stubborn bastard. Molly picked up her phone and tucked it into her jeans pocket. At least she had some coffee in her system now, that was something. Grabbing her car keys Molly left her apartment and got into the car, driving over to Sebastian's house.
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When Molly got to the house Irene was stood outside by the door, looking anxious. She pulled up on the drive and retrieved her medical kit from the boot of the car before walking up to Irene. "Is he bad?" She asked and watched as Irene nodded mutely. It was common for Sebastian to end up in a pretty bad state after one of his moods but not often did Irene look so worried.
"He's inside in the living room. Mind the broken glass, it's all over the place," Irene said as she ushered Molly into the house, shutting the door behind her and carefully walking over and around the shards of glass that littered the floor.
"Hasn't done this since the first night," Molly said, mainly to herself as she walked into the living room and saw Sebastian stretched out on the sofa. He was quite literally covered with cuts and gaping holes in his shirt and jogging bottoms. She had a sneaking suspicion that the shirt was actually Jim's, it looked a bit small for Sebastian and as far as she knew he didn't actually own any shirts.
"Oh fantastic, it's you." Sebastian wasn't pleased to see Molly, he never was. The girl was too nice, too polite and it unnerved him. He wasn't used to being around nice people, he'd been around Jim so long he'd forgotten what nice was like. "You didn't have to call her here, Irene, I'll be fine you know," He added on but Irene just shook her head at him before disappearing into the kitchen. She was pissed off, that much was obvious. Probably because he'd completely trashed one of Irene's favourite corsets that had been in Jim's wardrobe. She was almost as bad as Jim was when it came to clothes.
"Look at the state of you, Seb," Molly was saying as she knelt down beside the sofa. She opened up her medical kit and put on some latex gloves before beginning the process of cleaning him up. He protested at first, trying to convince her to leave but eventually falling silent, not even flinching when she started stitching up some of the deeper wounds. When she went to touch his right foot there was a hiss from Sebastian. Molly frowned slightly, not used to the man reacting to the pain and moved to take a closer look. The ankle was swollen and it looked a lot worse than she had originally thought. "It might be a sprain but you could have broken it," Molly said as she stood up, pulling off the gloves. She had nothing with her to help for a sprained or possibly broken ankle and no equipment to see which it was. This meant a trip to the hospital, whether he wanted it or not. "He's going to need to go to the hospital," She told Irene who was stood leaning against the door frame, biting on her lower lip.
"I can't take him, I have a client to attend to," Irene said, feeling a little guilty at leaving Molly to deal with Sebastian and he's mood swings but this client was important. Very important.
Molly sighed as she began packing away the medical kit. "Right, okay I'll take him. Don't worry about it Irene," She smiled, not feeling quite as confident as she may have looked.
"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" Sebastian asked, trying to move and sit up but wincing as he did so.
"Careful of your stitches," was all Molly said, using one hand to push him back down on to the sofa gently whilst looking at Irene. "Do you think you could get another top for him, the one he has on is covered in blood. People will think he killed somebody."
"Of course, dear. I'll go fetch one." Then Irene was gone, searching for a top that wasn't ripped to shreds or covered in blood.
Sebastian was glaring at Molly when she turned around and he pushed her hand away from him. "I'm fine, Molly. I don't need a hospital."
"Sebastian, your right foot could be broken and if it isn't looked at it could get infected. Will you stop being stubborn for five minutes and do as your told," Molly snapped, starting to lose her patience with the man. She didn't often get angry with people and hardly ever shouted. She'd gotten in to an argument with Jim once and then had shouted at a friend of hers but she usually managed to keep her temper under control. Sebastian was really starting to frustrate her.
"I don't need a hospital," Sebastian muttered under his breath but fell silent anyway, a little amused at how Molly had snapped at him. He was used to quite and timid Molly but of course she'd put up with Jim for long enough, he shouldn't be surprised that she could take control.
Irene returned with a t-shirt that had a few holes in but apart from that it was okay. Suitable for now, at least. "I'm going to have to leave, Molly. Are you sure you'll be all right?" Irene asked and when Molly nodded she smiled gratefully, kissed the girl on the cheek, told Sebastian to leave and then was gone.
"God, you two are like doting parents," Sebastian said, but this time he couldn't help but laugh a little. He didn't see much point in arguing any more, Molly was right. If he didn't go to the hospital it would only get worse and that would be giving in. Jim would hate him for giving in.
"Yes, and you are like our misbehaving five year old," Molly smiled, helping Sebastian to pull of his shirt and put on the new t-shirt. She wasn't sure what to do with the shirt and decided to just leave it on the sofa for now. She'd have to come back to the house to tidy up the mess he'd made, she'd deal with it then. "God, you look like a rag doll Seb." It was true, too. He had stitches near enough everywhere and Molly was dreading what the Doctors or nurses would say.
Sebastian didn't say anything in reply, he didn't want to think about the numerous scars and stitches that covered his body. A lot of the scars were from Jim himself but there were a few new ones too. Sebastian didn't want to think about those ones.
"Come on, I'll help you up."
"Molly, do you really think you're going to be able to help me walk?" Sebastian asked with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't exactly calling her weak but he was certainly bigger than she was and if he put to much weight on her he had a horrible feeling she'd end up on the floor.
"Of course I do, now come on," she repeated, helping him to stand up and then placing his left arm over her shoulders. "Just lean on me and try to not put weight on your foot," she instructed and her did as she said, hobbling along. "Do you have any shoes you could slip on your left foot, so you aren't barefoot?" Molly asked him just as they got to the front door. It had been harder to miss the broken glass this time but she'd managed to do it, thankfully.
Sebastian shook his head. "No, let's just go get this other with." If he waited for Molly to find his shoes and get them on he'd have probably changed his mind about going all together. Best just to leave now. "I'm used to walking barefoot, anyway," he continued because he could see she was about to argue with him.
Sighing, Molly nodded and opened the front door. She seated Sebastian in the passenger seat, locked the front door and then got into the car. "Off we go then," she said cheerfully, staring the car and pulling out of the driveway before driving to the hospital.
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It was a twenty minute drive to the hospital and then a two hour wait before they could see a doctor, which Molly found ridiculous and ended up having a heated argument with the receptionist until Sebastian convinced her to just sit and wait.
Eventually they were called forward and Molly helped Sebastian walk to the doctors room, quietly muttering about how they should be given crutches or a wheelchair.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Miss Hooper," the doctor said once they were in the room. Molly and the doctor were sat on chairs whilst Sebastian was perched on the small hospital bed that was situated in the room.
"Two hours is a bit long, don't you think?" Molly replied somewhat bitterly as she handed over the forms with Sebastian's information written on them.
The doctor didn't reply as he looked over the forms, frowning a little before turning to Sebastian. "We'll have to take an x-ray of your foot, but it looks like it may well be broken," the doctor explained, looking over Sebastian with pursed lips. "May I ask how you acquired all these cuts? The stitching is very good though."
"He slipped and fell through a glass door," Molly interjected before any more could be said. "He's a very clumsy person. I stitched him up but there was nothing I could do for his foot," she explained and when the doctor asked if she had medical experience Molly nodded. "Of course I do." Well, maybe she was used to working on dead people but living people weren't much different really and she'd gotten so used to helping Sebastian that she thought nothing of it.
"Right well we will get you a wheelchair Mr Moran and then take you to the x-ray room. One moment please."
When the doctor returned with a wheelchair Molly helped Sebastian into it and then began pushing him towards the x-ray room. She had to wait outside and a little while later the doctor came out with Sebastian, explaining that it was fractured and he would have to keep his foot in a cast for a few weeks.
"I'll set you up an appointment for three weeks from now and send you a letter with all the details," the doctor said with a smile and Molly thanked him, thinking that she would have to make sure Irene kept an eye on the post now as well.
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Once they had put a cast on Sebastian's foot and giving him medication for the pain they had left and gone home. Molly had called Irene to let her know what had happened, although she regretted it when she realised she could hear the heavy moans of what must be Irene's client.
"You going to be okay walking?" Molly asked and Sebastian nodded as he stood up, using the crutches the doctor had given him.
"Stop doting Mols I'll be fine," Sebastian mumbled as he made his way to the house.
Molly locked her car and followed him, wondering just how powerful the medication was. He only ever called her Mols when he was drunk.
They got into the house and Sebastian sat down on the sofa, smiling slightly. "I've made a real mess of the place haven't I?" He hadn't really looked around before but now he could see the broken bottles, the pieces of clothing and the alcohol that littered the floor. "Fuck, I'm so sorry Mols. You don't have to clean this up, I'll hire a cleaner to do it tomorrow."
"Do you have the money for a cleaner? Because from what I hear you wasted all the money you had left on gambling."
"I know people."
Molly guessed this meant the cleaner would be one of Jim's contacts so she didn't question it, just nodded. If it meant she didn't have to tidy this up then she would go along with it. "I guess I should leave then, really. Will you be okay by yourself?"
Leave? Sebastian would be left alone with a fractured foot and quite strong medication in a house that was the biggest danger zone in London. No, he wouldn't be okay by himself. He'd probably accidentally shoot himself or fall on a knife. "Please stay. The guest room hasn't been touched it's still clean and reasonably safe. You can sleep there. I just don't want to be alone." That came out a bit more pathetic than he had attended but Molly agreed to stay so he didn't dwell on it.
Molly made them both a coffee and then followed Sebastian to the guest room. It was late now, they'd been at the hospital for at least four hours and she was just so tired. It may only be 7pm but all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and fall asleep. "Where are you going to sleep?"
"I'll go sleep on the sofa, don't worry about it."
"Don't be stupid Sebastian. This bed is big enough for the both of us, just share with me." Molly wasn't sure how much glass had ended up on the sofa and seeing as this was probably the safest room at the moment she was going to make sure he stayed in it until they got a cleaner for the rest of the house.
Sebastian didn't just share beds with people. If he was sharing a bed with someone, the chances were it was because he was having sex with them. He hadn't innocently shared a bed with someone for years, not since he'd started working for Jim. However it didn't look like the matter was up for discussion so he just nodded, leaning his crutches against the nearest wall and then getting into bed.
There were two bedside tables, one either side, and Molly placed his coffee on the table his side before placing her coffee on the other table and getting into the bed. It was silent for a while as both of them sipped their coffee's, not really sure what to say. Soon enough though Molly was yawning and she placed her cup on the bedside table, laying down properly.
"Night Seb," she mumbled, her eyes shut as she began to fall asleep.
Sebastian smiled slightly, glancing at her. "Good night Mols," he replied although he was pretty sure she had already fallen asleep. He couldn't help but wonder what Irene would make of this situation when she arrived in the morning. Sebastian Moran sharing a bed with Molly Hooper, Irene would probably just be happy he'd stopped being so bitter towards the girl.
"Sebastian stop staring at me," Molly whispered with a smile causing Sebastian to choke on his coffee.
"Sorry," He managed to say through coughs, placing the cup on the bedside table before laying down. His foot was starting to ache a little but it was nothing compared to the what he was used to dealing with and soon he was falling asleep as well.
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That morning Irene arrived at the house bright and early at nine. She was surprised to see Molly's car still here and let herself into the house. It still hadn't been cleaned and it would appear that nobody else in the house was actually awake. She looked around and eventually walked into the guest room to find Sebastian and Molly asleep. Sebastian was sleeping on his back and Molly had ended up cuddled beside him. She was surprised but thankful to see they were both still fully dressed. Molly was the only person who was willing to clean Sebastian up, Irene didn't need him scaring her away. "Well isn't that just adorable," she said to herself with a laugh. Maybe Molly could be the one to help Sebastian, she hoped so. Jim had destroyed nearly every part of this man whether he had meant to or not. He had a destructive personality, it couldn't be helped really. Molly was different though, the opposite of Jim. Sweet, kind Molly who was willing to help anyone. This could actually work and then Sherlock could come out of hiding. Everything would be okay again. Hopefully.