"Okay, Molly, looks like you're free to go!" Molly's doctor said happily as they stood in the lobby. Molly smiled. "Thank you so much."
"Just remember not to put that much pressure on your side. Also, try not to walk too much. We don't want to tear those stitches open, all right?"
Molly nodded. "Yeah. Thanks again."
"You have a cab that's taking you home, correct? Walking home's not a very good idea right now."
"Oh, of course," she replied assuringly, waiting for Mary to pull up around the corner with the cab she'd hailed back home. At least, that's what she'd said on the phone. "I have a friend who's picking me up. She'll be here at any minute."
"Great!" the doctor said, before fidgeting with his gloved thumbs. He hesitated and looked up at her.
"What is it?" Molly asked, feeling uneasy. "Is there something wrong with my insurance? Treatment? You can tell me if there is."
He shook his head. "No, don't worry, you're going to be fine," he smiled, and mumbled, "in about six months." Molly smiled. "No worries. I know it'll take time to heal. I'm going back to work, but I'll be sure not to move around so much until the stitches are out."
"Right." The doctor hesitated, then sighed. "All right, I know this isn't really my place, but there were numerous times when you'd wake up crying that we doubt you'll remember, after all, you were on quite heavy medication. We just want to make sure that you'll recover from this mentally, as well. We understand that the experience of being wounded in the way you were is very traumatic, and we can suggest counseling for you if you need some recommendations-"
"Oh, no, I'm really fine," Molly smled, although the rest of her expression was unconvincing. "I'm all right from my incident, I just…" her smile faded. "I just…lost a friend in the process." "I'm so sorry!" the doctor exclaimed. "I really didn't know, this is why they told me not to recommend it, but I-"
"Not in that way," Molly replied. "It was… someone no longer wants anything to do with me. Someone who was really, really important to me." She felt her eyes get misty, but blinked furiously to attempt at a conversation that didn't end in her breaking down pathetically.
The doctor nodded slowly. "I see. Well, possibly I can cheer you up a bit. Would you maybe like to… go out for coffee sometime?"
Molly studied the man. Was he honestly asking her out when she'd just broken up with Sherlock? She couldn't do that to him, it would be so rude- well, on the other hand, he didn't want her anymore, did he? Sherlock had made it pretty clear that he didn't want her around anymore. This doctor seemed like a rather gracious person. He didn't seem evil or cold hearted, and he wasn't bad looking, either…
Molly, you can't do this, you know that there's one person you care about in that way, she thought sadly. Don't toy with this man's emotions. Just politely decline.
"Sure, I'd love that!" Molly said cheerfully. What the- what did I just say?! Her mind screamed inside of her. That was not the sentence she'd meant to say.
"Perfect. How about we meet at Café Storm, right across from here, say tomorrow if you're up for it?" he asked, pointing over at the quaint little joint. "Sounds brilliant," Molly said with a smile.
"Great," he said, stretching out a hand. "I'm Daniel, by the way."
"Oh, all right," Molly replied, shaking his hand. "I'm Molly."
"I know, it's on your charts," Daniel chuckled. "Oh, looks like your cab is here!"
Molly turned her head to see Mary, saying something to the cabbie, handing him some money, and walking through the large glass doors. "You ready to go?" she asked, giving her friend a gentle hug. "Uh, yeah, all ready," Molly said happily, gathering her suitcase of clothing (which Mrs. Hudson had brought her earlier in the week) and waving goodbye to Daniel.
When they were both settled in the cab and driving to Molly's flat, Mary turned to her. "Molly, what was Daniel saying to you?"
"You know him?" Molly asked.
"Well, I worked with him when I was still an intern."
"Oh, I wondered where you went when the lab was still open late!"
"Come on, Molly. Don't change the subject. What were you talking to him about?" Mary pressed with a determined look on her face.
"Oh, well, he, uh… was just giving me instruction on safer ways to handle my side, that's all," she stuttered, looking out the window.
"Uh huh," Mary said. "And after that?"
"Fine, he asked me out on a date," Molly replied.
Mary smiled. "Really? Did you tell him yes?"
Molly nodded. "Should I have, though?"
"Molly, I know you don't want to hear this, but Sherlock does love you. He's breaking up with you because he thinks it's too dangerous, it's not that he doesn't want you."
Molly bit her lip. "Then… he's got a very funny way of showing it," she replied slowly, trying not to cry. "I love him, but I have to move on. You don't have to sugarcoat it and tell me he cares when he doesn't. As much as I want him to have a heart, I don't think he does."
Mary frowned. "If you'd been in there when he was planning to do this, you'd know-"
"Mary, it's okay, really, it is," Molly interrupted in a kind tone. "Regardless of how either of us feel, he ended the relationship. I think I'm someone he only respects- and he knew what I wanted from him, so he gave it to me, and he thinks he's paid of whatever debt he thought he owed me for helping him. The worst part about it was-" she took a sharp, shaky breath- "I'm still going to love him, even while he pushes me away. That's why I'm going out with Daniel tomorrow: I have to move on, even if I really, really don't want to." Mary opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and nodded. "You're probably right. I understand."
She turned away from the window and did her best to hug Mary. "Thank you so much for being my friend," Molly said, tears threatening to spill. "It means so much to me. You and John both are such wonderful people. Sherlock is, too, but you especially have been amazing people." Mary laughed. "It's great being your friend, Molls." Molly pulled back and noticed Mary's left hand, now sparkling on the third finger with a bright white diamond. "Wait a minute," she said, grinning. "Is this- are you engaged?"
Mary chuckled and nodded, showing her the ring. "Yeah, just a day ago!" Molly gasped. "Congratulations! John's one lucky man. Have you told anyone?" Mary shook her head. "Nobody around here. I called my sister and my mother, but they both live in the United States. I doubt they'll be able to come to the wedding."
"Oh, when is the wedding?"
"We're shooting for about a week from now, actually."
"Wow. That's a bit soon, isn't it? How're you going to prepare for something like that?"
Mary shrugged and smiled. "Well, truthfully, neither of us wand a big, grand wedding. It seems like a waste of time to go through all the trouble of doing that. I already have my mother's wedding dress, and he owns a tuxedo, there are only a few family members around here that can be there, and as far as food, we can just eat at the restaurant under John's flat, since we're getting married at the church around the corner around the bend."
"You have everything planned out already, don't you?" Molly said, glad to be happy for the first time in a while. "I'm so happy for you, congratulations."
"Thank you," Mary replied. "Do you think you'll be in an okay shape to come? It's not going to be anything fancy, just wear a dress and stay for a few hours, there won't be too many people there, and it won't last long."
"Of course I'll be there," Molly confirmed. "Thank you for getting me the cab home!" Just then, the cab pulled over carefully by the sidewalk in front of Molly's flat. She climbed out, suitcase in hand, and waved goodbye to both Mary and the cabbie. Once they drove off, the smile turned to a small smirk. She was so happy for Mary and John, so genuinely happy. More than anything, she wished that she could be more happy at the moment. Unfortunately, the idea of Sherlock was tearing at her, so when she entered her apartment, she broke down in tears.
She couldn't believe he could be so cold and disrespectful and just… awful. All she'd wanted was for him to love her. As she realized that that was a lot to expect out of a person, she still found herself laying down on her sofa and crying, feeling like the smallest thing in the galaxy. Not even Toby could make her feel better, and that was saying something.
Once she slowed her breathing enough, she turned over and turned on the television, hoping to lose herself by watching something mindless. A really old episode of an American soap opera, Young and the Restless, was on. The same mindnumbing plot that most shows like that had was enough to distract her for a good hour, before lulling her to sleep.
In the morning, her mobile phone began to ring loudly, bringing her into a groggy, half-awake state. She checked the number, and it was unknown. With a confused noise escaping her mouth, she touched the answer key and lifted it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hi, Molly. It's Daniel."
"Oh, hello!" Molly tried to make her voice sound extra cheerful, as if she hadn't just woken up. "What do you need?"
"Well… look, I'm sorry to say this, but I can't go out on a date with you."
Her smile faded into a frown. "Oh. How come?"
"This guy called me, said his name was Sherlock Holmes-"
"Sherlock called you?" Molly asked confusedly, feeling anger boiling in her chest.
"Yeah. Look, he told me to stay away from you, and I don't know if he's like an old flame or something, but-"
"Daniel, he can't control what I do, he doesn't even… care about me," it still crushed Molly to know that he didn't care about her. But if he didn't, why was he telling Daniel to stay away? Nothing was adding up.
"Well, I think that you need to straighten things out with him before you try and find someone else. I'm sorry it didn't work out, but maybe it will with someone else. You never know. Hope your side gets to feeling better. See you around, Molly."
He hung up before letting her say anything. With a frustrated groan, Molly threw her phone down on the floor and flopped over on the couch, ignoring the immediate pain it caused to her side, placing her hands over her face and trying to count backwards from five, which ended up failing miserably. As soon as she got to three, her thoughts scrambled. Why would Sherlock do that? Hadn't he done enough? Was he not only trying to break her heart, but ruin any chances at mending it as well? Was she that annoying, that repulsive to him, that he wanted to ruin her life?
No. He had no right to do that. Molly instantly got up and stomped to her bedroom and got dressed in a new set of clothing, putting on her best dark blue blouse and black pants. She slipped on her flats and grabbed her purse, heading out the door. Screw the not-too-much-walking advice. She marched down the streets of London, walking almost a mile to 221B Baker Street. It had been a long, long time since she'd felt so determined and so infuriated at somebody- to the point where she was nearly scaring herself.
She took a deep breath as she finally arrived to her destination. After three quick raps on the door, a tired looking John opened the door. His eyes widened when he saw her. "Oh, Molly, that's… surprising. Your wounds doing all right?"
"I'm fine," Molly replied. "Where is he?"
"Who? Sherlock?" John asked.
Molly nodded. "Where is he?" she repeated.
"Look, I'm not sure it's such a good idea to see him right now, Molly," John said cautiously.
"Well, this morning, he hasn't had any good ideas himself," she returned shakily.
John stared at her for a second, then stepped aside, pulling the door out. "Be my guest. He's upstairs in his room, but he might be-"
Molly didn't bother to hear the rest of his sentence. She bounded up the stairs, and took a deep breath before bursting into Sherlock's room.
He'd had his eyes closed, as if he'd been thinking. His head snapped up, and his cool features showed a hint of surprise. "Molly?" he said, more like a question than recognition.
"What do you want from me, Sherlock?" she asked, voice trembling. "You don't want to be around me, yet when I try to move on, you somehow find out and mess it up? I don't understand what you're trying to do!"
There was a silence, and Sherlock stood up and walked toward her. She took a step back into the wall, but he moved closely to her, trapping her as his icy blue eyes locked with hers. "Where would you get the idea that I don't want to be around you?"
Molly blinked. "In the hospital, you… you ended this, this…" Sherlock furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "This what?"
"This… whatever it is you started between us!" Molly sputtered in frustration. "I have absolutely no idea what it is that you want me to do, but you clearly don't want me with you, but now you've shown that you don't want me to move on to someone else! Did I do something or say something that caused you to feel like playing with my emotions?"
Sherlock continued to stare at her. She glared at him, and groaned, hitting the back of her head against the wall. "I'm not an experiment, Sherlock," she said softly, her eyes clouding up. "I have feelings."
"There's only one thing you've done," Sherlock said after a pause.
"What?" Molly asked, letting tears slip down her face. "What did I do?"
He held her face in his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs. "You've continued to amaze me."
"I… I don't… what?!" Molly shook her head and brought his arms down with her own. "What are you talking about?"
Sherlock sighed. "Molly, there's one reason why I ended our relationship. You're going to get hurt. It doesn't matter how you do or who does it, but I'd much rather see you alive and sad than see you dead. Or at least, I thought I could deal with that. Unfortunately, your crying is possibly the worst thing I've ever seen."
Molly swallowed. "I can take care of myself, Sherlock."
"Maybe in some ways, but not against the type of people I seem to attract that bring you to danger."
"I don't understand," Molly said, her thoughts scrambling from the things he was saying. "You- I don't even think that you can stand me."
"I can't comprehend where you would get that from," Sherlock said, "But there couldn't be anything less true than that statement. Molly, how could I ever not just love you?" She gaped at him, dumbfounded. "Wait… what?"
Sherlock exhaled sharply, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "How could I not be absolutely mad about you? Everything about you is lovely. Your cheerful disposition that I so clearly misjudged, your beautiful smile, your breathtaking appearance, and your strong will and passion," He held her head in his hands once again, and this time, Molly didn't make any move to stop him. She only stared into his captivating gaze. "You're perfect, Molly Hooper. And, whether I show it or not, you are mine." He brushed his lips to hers, causing her to jump in surprise. Eventually, she sank into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. He deepened the kiss, keeping her locked in a tight embrace before they pulled away for air.
They gazed at each other, their breathing rapid. A thought came to Molly's mind, and her eyes clouded over. "What is it?" Sherlock asked, noticing almost immediately. "Please don't be doing this out of guilt," Molly said abruptly. "You don't have to feel obligated, because I'll cry if you don't want me anymore, I promise I can get over it-"
Sherlock smirked, and shook his head. "What will it take to show you that I love you? Molly, there are plenty of things that I've done out of guilt or respect, but loving you isn't by any means one of them. You're flawless, and you'd never be able to convince me otherwise. I thought that I was strong enough to let you go so you wouldn't get hurt, but it looks like I'm a coward."
"I don't think you're a coward," Molly said with a breathless laugh. "I've never met anyone braver, or more brilliant than you." Sherlock rolled his eyes, but the small smile remained on his face. "Although I don't agree, I appreciate the compliment." Molly smiled genuinely, and hugged him gingerly. He complied, wrapping his arms around her, careful to avoid her wounded side. "I love you," she whispered.
"You, Miss Hooper, are mine," Sherlock replied softly, noticing that the smile hadn't left his face.
And for once in his life, he wasn't going to take it off.
This is the longest chapter I've ever written on here. It was so fun to write. I hope you enjoyed it! :D Since this one is a little late, I'll try and post the last few chapters closer together. There will be 12 all in all. Please leave any feedback if you have the time, I love to hear from you guys. Also, PM me if you have any questions or comments, I'll always write you back! Thank you all for being so lovely as I write this, you've made my experience as a writer so much more fun that it already was. :)