St. Bartholomew's Hospital

Sherlock stood up out of his chair and stretched, glancing at the hospital bed to his right. Molly lay there still, locked in a dreamless sleep. He looked away, examining the framed pictures of wildlife that seemed to cover every hospital wall.

"Still here, are we?" Shannon said, entering the room with a water bottle and package of crackers in hand.

"Yes," Sherlock replied distractedly, still gazing at the pictures.

"I brought you these," she said, placing the contents on the side table next to him. He gave a quick nod, barely glancing at the food. "Well, I'll be out there if you need anything," she sighed, walking towards the door.

Sherlock turned around after she left, walking over to Molly's bedside. He watched her intently, the slow rise and fall of her chest with each shallow breath. The fluorescent light above gave her skin a sickly pale tinge, worsening her already poor complexion.

"Guilt," Sherlock laughed, his eyes studying the ground. "It's a useless emotion. One that makes you feel remorse over something that's already happened," he said, glancing up at Molly's unchanged face. "Something you can't change or…or fix." He turned away, moving to the far corner of the room. "Something that, no matter how hard you try, no matter how long you look, you still can't find the answer." He walked back to her side, his eyes searching for movement. A response of some sort is all it would take.

"Molly," he said, his voice desperate. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there when I should have been." He paused, gazing at the peaceful expression on her face. He reached over, touching her hand gently. "But I don't think I could forgive myself if you didn't wake up. So please," he whispered softly, his voice frail. "Please wake up. You mean more to…" he stopped, noticing Molly's eyelids twitch ever so slightly.

"Molly, can you hear me?" Sherlock said slowly, leaning in towards her ear.

"Mmphh," she groaned as she tried to move her head, eyes still closed.

"No no, don't move," he said softly, a small smile crossing his lips. "Stay exactly where you are." He leaned towards her, kissing her forehead gently. "Thank you, Molly Hooper."