4th January 1939
"For god sakes Molly, give me something to do. My brain is rotting reading the newspaper over and over again." Sherlock wined again for the 34th time that day. Yes, Molly had been counting. Every single time. Including when she was out and the nurses that were standing at the station outside had told her that he as being loud.
"You can go back home in a few minutes. You just need to get dressed."
"Why, its only Baker Street. I still won't be able to do cases for another few weeks." He scowls as he looks down at the wound, almost snarling. "Why won't this just hurry up and heal already?"
Molly smiles and shakes her head. "That's not going to work Sherlock and you of all people know that." She slowly sits him up, sliding his shirt on and buttoning it up. Tucking it into his trousers and pulling the brasses over his shoulders."
"I can get dressed myself Molly."
She looked up at him. "I'm the only hospital staff you let in here and you were refusing to get dressed.
He rolled his eyes. "You're treating me like a child."
"You're acting like one
He fell silent, it took exactly Twenty seconds. "I need a case Molly."
She sighed a little."You need to heal, a case is not going to help."
He groaned again and mumbled as he tried to stand up, Molly coming to his aid fairly quickly. Sliding an arm around his waist and putting his arm over her shoulder. He looked at her and smiled. "I meant what I said you know."
She chuckles. "You were on painkillers Sherlock. You wouldn't know what you were saying."
"I remember calling you pretty. I was just saying what I was thinking. Based on that, I meant everything I said." He kissed her cheek.
She blushed a little. "You really don't remember what you said."
"How much did I mention?" He looked ever so slightly worried.
"I don't think there's much more you could say."
"I'm sorry for whatever I said that may have been a little..." He tried to find the right word, almost tongue tied. Something she had never expected of him. "Improper."
"It doesn't matter, you had drugs in your system. Some of it was rather flattering." She smiled.
...
She didn't know how he did it, but he convinced her to go to Lestrade and get some case files. Only two hours and she was knocking on his office door.
"Come in." his muffled voice came through the door. He was slightly surprised to see her there. "Dr Hooper?" He stood up. "What can I do you for?"
"Sorry for disturbing you Detective Inspector. Sherlock wants a couple of cases he can do from home while he heals."
"Oh no, don't worry about it. Greg, please." He searches through the files to find a couple of cases. "Moaning already."
"Before I left it was the forty first time, that was just today."
"You and Watson must be saints in order to be able to put up with him daily."
She smiles. "He's not all bad, just a little..."
"Arrogant, Pompous and those are the polite words." He said passing a couple of paper files to her. To his surprise she laughed a little.
"That's only when he's on a case or bored."
"Most of the time then."
...
"Stabbed, he said."
"Yes, with a pen."
"And then scalped..."
"Yes." Molly cleared her throat and dropped her voice a little, knowing Mrs Hudson was around.
"Stabbed and then scalped and left on the bar of the pub, fascinating..." Sherlock was sat on the floor and in the most comfortable position that they could find. Refusing to sit in the chair for a reason that only he knew.
'"The King's Arms, the pub's called." Lestrade walked in, taking off his hat and leaning against the door a few feet away. Looking at him rather suspiciously, a him and a woman on their own in 221B. The starts of a scandal right there.
"Sherlock." He said with a warm smile, straightening up and offering his hand. "Good to see you're okay. Hello again Dr Hooper." He nodded at Molly who gave a smile.
"Yes, likewise." Sherlock muttered. "What do you already know?'
'Uh, let's see.' Lestrade blinked a couple of times and pulled his notebook. "He was discovered by the landlord's daughter two nights ago, changing one of the barrels. We questioned her and didn't have anything to be suspicious about..."
"I'll need to interview her myself."
"You will do no such thing. You're not going out of this flat until John comes back from seeing his Sister." Molly interceded, a stern look on her face. Lestrade was slightly surprised that she only got away with the exasperated sigh Sherlock huffed out, knowing that it would be a week or so.
"Blood?" Sherlock asked.
"Yes, surrounding the body. I managed to get a camera down there. Photos are in the file. " He pointed to the file in Molly's hands. she was already flicking through them.
"Axe?' She passed the file over to Sherlock.
'Wooden handle, single bit, straighter edge than usual. More likely an axe of some sorts. Couldn't be anything else from the bloodstain on that beam back there and the damage on the underside of the board game." Eyes alight with the thrill of the game being on again. "Which is most likely at the bottom of the Thames by now." He grinned.
