Title: Taking Care of Molly Hooper

Summary: It has been years since Molly came down with a fever and she figured that since she was an adult, she won't have to suffer it anymore; but of course she is proven wrong. Now, she's living alone with high fever and she can't even stand up on her own to drink her medicine! She just feels miserable and hopeless but can help come in unexpectedly?

A/N: So I was sick with high fever recently and it just made me realize how hard it is to be living alone and no one is there to take care of you when you're sick. Plus a lot of people are getting sick these days...Yes, I make illnesses an inspiration for a story. Oh well more fun for us eh? Enjoy!

Warning: overlooked errors ( those are ninjas I tell you!) and clichés. Well, I did try to spice it up a little though haha

Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Sherlock

Enjoy!~

It was 10:00 in the evening and Molly Hooper was happily watching one of her favourite movies in the telly with her cat Toby cuddled at her side when her head throbbed suddenly, thinking that it is just a migraine which will be gone as soon as she sleeps, she stopped the movie and went to her bedroom.

"Goodnight Toby" She yawned and stretched as she lay down. Sleep came to her as soon as she closed her eyes.

Early morning light came through a gap at the curtains and touched Molly's cheek. She scrunched her face and started turning in her sleep, obviously wanting to catch a few more precious minutes in dream world.

RIIIIIIIINNNNGGGGGGG!

But alas, since it is a workday, her alarm went off which jostled her awake. Molly pressed snooze in her alarm and sat up. Which was a big mistake for as soon as she sat up, the world starting spinning around her, making her want to lose whatever was in her stomach.

Molly groaned and decided to just lay back on her bed "Oh this is just great" she mumbled weakly, her palm touching her forehead and felt her high temperature.

Molly knew that she needed to get out of bed and eat something so she could drink medicine, but she can barely sit up. Her body feels heavy, her head feels stuffy and she just wants to stay put on her comfortable bed. She sighs "I'll just sleep this off" she mumbled to herself and shivered. She grabbed her comforter and covered herself, her shivers never leaving her.

"Molly I-" Sherlock Holmes barged inside the morgue expecting Molly Hooper to be there but was surprised to see an elderly man instead.

Sherlock blinked. He knows Molly's shifts since he read and memorized it as soon as he saw it posted. (John thought that memorizing Molly Hooper's work schedule was funny; Sherlock just ignored him) He looked at his watch to make sure that he did not barge in the wrong time.

"May I help you?" The elderly man asked him as he noticed Sherlock by the door

"Where is Molly Hooper?" He asked

The elderly man just sighed and shook his head "The poor girl is at home with high fever, she called me to cover for her. She sounded awfully sick though, her voice..."

Sherlock nodded at the elderly doctor and left without finishing what the man was saying. He was already at the door when the elderly doctor said "...she probably hasn't eaten or drank medicine yet, she lives alone and she sounded so weak. Poor dear"

Sherlock stopped. An illness not properly cared for will become worse and he can't let Molly Hooper's illness worsen. It'll be...inconvenient.

"Doctor, how do you cure a fever?"

Molly shivered under her bed cover. The throbbing of her head is not getting any better and she felt hot and cold at the same time. She feels that she will vomit with every small move she makes and to top it all, she's aching all over. She wants to cry and scream in frustration but is just too weak to do so.

"Meow" Toby jumped on the bed to look at his mistress and licked her wrist in concern. Molly sighed and opened one eye to look at her cat "I'm sick today Toby, I'm sorry but I won't be able to feed you or play with you" She mumbled and closed her eye back to go back to sleep. Molly didn't notice a shadow hovering at her bedroom door as she dozed off.

Sherlock was torn in two. He wanted to cure Molly Hooper of her illness since it is an inconvenience but he doesn't want to nurse someone back to health. That was John and Mary's job! As much as he wanted for either of the Watson's to take care of Molly, he can't ask for help since they are busy with the baby and their respective day jobs.

Sherlock gave a small sigh and walked inside Molly's house. The place was not as clean and organized as it was. He saw a pillow strewn on the floor and an unwashed mug on the coffee table among other things. He remembered the first time he went inside her flat; He realized that although Molly is a doctor, her sense of strict organization leaves her as she leaves the hospital. She cleans and organizes her things but it's a messy kind of organization which surprised Sherlock. But he doesn't mind, he has a certain way of organizing things as well.

He easily located her bedroom door which was slightly ajar. He went inside and was greeted with Molly's bedroom in darkness and a shivering ball of bed comforter on the middle of the bed. Toby looked at him from his post at Molly' bed and jumped down, acknowledging that he was there and he will take care of his mistress.

Might as well. Sherlock thought

"Molly, wake up. You need to eat this"

Molly felt herself being shaken from her fitful sleep. She blearily opened her eyes and saw a hazy figure with beautiful iridescent eyes looming over her. Urging her to take a bite from a spoon he or she was holding. Molly, being too weak just didn't care and accepted the offer.

Spoon after spoon of tasteful chicken soup was fed to her and she felt her strength slowly come back. As her gaze focused, the figure became more and more defined and familiar. A mop of curly dark hair, high cheek bones, cupid bow lips, and eyes that shine several colors came into view and she found herself being spoon fed by Sherlock Holmes.

Molly would have jumped and blushed if she had the energy but since she is sick she just stared at him with wide eyes.

Sherlock, realizing that Molly has somehow snapped out of her fever induced haze stopped feeding her soup and looked at her eyes directly.

"Sh-Sherlock!" Molly croaked

Sherlock gave her a glass or warm water and she accepted it. "What brings you here" she asked after drinking the water

"Isn't it obvious?" He replied back and offered another spoonful of chicken soup to her

Molly looked at the spoon and bowl he is holding. She looked around her room noticed a basin of water and a plastic bag on the floor beside him. She looked back at the spoon and Sherlock then touched her forehead and found a cool damp towel covering it. Molly felt herself blush, although it might not be obvious since she is sick

"Why?" She looked at Sherlock and studied his expression. He seems to be as expressionless as always but there's a certain look in his eyes that she can't place.

"You are sick and no one else is able to nurse you back to health so here I am" He replied simply in a straight and nonchalant tone with the spoonful of chicken soup still offered for her to take.

Molly noticed a slight twitch on his mouth and that certain look in his eyes never left. She wanted to ask further but decided not to and just accepted the spoonful offered to her. She knew that this is a rare occurrence, might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

A few seconds ticked by and Molly observed Sherlock as he continued to feed her. He was silent and his movements were measured. His face was expressionless and his gaze was faraway; she is familiar with this look since she had seen it a few times. This is when he gets lost in his thought whenever he is doing something that is uncomfortable for him. This look usually emerges when he uncharacteristically helps her or anyone for that matter. To think that Sherlock will do this for her even though he clearly dislikes it is really sweet of him and it warms her heart. She stopped an emerging wide grin from her face by biting her lip. She is sure that once he noticed the grin on her face, he is going to be defensive which will lead to him being horrible. It's best to just enjoy things like this secretly.

But as much as she is enjoying this, she can't bring herself to make Sherlock continue; it was already really nice of him to drop by and give her food and medicine. She'll just feel guilty if she abuses his rare kindness to her.

"Sherlock" She said as she swallowed. His gaze focused on her

"I can feed myself you know"

Sherlock stopped midway of scooping soup from the bowl and he clears his throat. "Yes, I know you can. Here" He said and gave the bowl to her.

Molly accepted and gave Sherlock a smile "Thank you for this Sherlock"

The detective nodded and stood up from his place "The medicine is inside the plastic bag and it's best that you take it after you finish the soup. I do encourage you to finish the soup since I've read that it helps bring down the fever.." He trailed of as he looked around her room. Molly felt her face flush as she noticed that the state of her room is very messy.

"I'll just be outside if you need me" He finished as he walked away and closed her door.

Molly blinked and backtracked to what Sherlock said "..outside? He'll stay here?" The pathologist just shook her head and decided to heed the detective's advice since she hasn't drunk any medicine to help her get better yet plus the soup was delicious. She'll just ask what was going on when she's done.

Sherlock Holmes was in deep thought as he sat on Molly's couch with Toby sitting on his lap. Helping Molly Hooper was not such a bad ordeal for him much to his surprise. In fact it felt...nice to know that he is the one helping her. He didn't know why so since the thought of taking care of a sick person is not appealing for him at all. But seeing Molly Hooper, with her messy bed hair and oversized sweater with short tight shorts looking up at him in a daze, he felt the strangest urge to touch her. But the idea of wanting to touch and hold Molly Hooper was new and confusing for him. In fact if he is honest with himself, he is certain that he is growing feelings and sentiment for the pathologist. He was absently stroking Toby and was lost in his thoughts when he heard a loud thud coming from the bedroom.

Sherlock immediately stood up from the couch and went to the source of the crash. He went inside and saw Molly lying down on the ground.

He immediately went to where her prone form is and cradled her head. She was flushed and her temperature was still really high

"What were you doing?" He asked snappily and gathered her to his arms to place her back to the bed

Molly sighed and winced at Sherlock's tone "I wanted to stand up to get more water but I felt dizzy and weak. I lost balance and well...I fell." She explained lamely as her eyes darted away from him.

"You could have asked me" Sherlock said and placed Molly back to her bed

"I don't...want to be a bother" She said and averted her eyes to his intense gaze

Sherlock didn't say anything and just left the bedroom, after a short while he came back with a glass of lukewarm water and handed it to Molly which she gratefully accepted

"You are never a bother, Molly" Sherlock quietly said and grabbed the cup as soon as Molly was finish drinking

Molly blinked and had barely heard what Sherlock said "Sorry? What was that?" She asked

"It's nothing. Now you should sleep" Sherlock cleared his throat and made his way out of her room

"Uhm Sherlock"

Sherlock stopped from going out and looked at Molly who was looking at him with such soft smile on her face "Thank you for this"

Sherlock clears his throat and nodded "Yes, it's no problem. Now go and rest" he said and quickly stepped out of the room

Molly smiled to herself as she lay back down to her bed. Maybe being sick isn't that bad after all.

She sleeps with the warm thought that a dark haired consulting detective thinks she is important enough to be cared for by him personally and she grinned.

-end-

A/N: Here's the end of my little one-shot! I think it somehow ended abruptly, sorry but it's kinda hard to visual the ending for this so I left at is. Please leave a review/comment/constructive criticism! :)

Thanks for reading!