"Oof, you look rough…" Molly stood in the doorway when he looked up from where he'd been mashing his keyboard into submission, sorting digital images of x-rays. She cast a sympathetic eye over his face. "Hard day?"
"You've no idea."
"Should I leave you to it, then? I mean, you asked me to come by at 6… but, we could always do this later… If, y'know, you're too tired..."
"No, no please, come on in. Sorry if I'm a bit dismal at the moment. Sit down. I'm nearly done and I could do with a distraction about now."
She sat quietly beside the desk for a few moments before she couldn't help herself and quickly righted his name-plate, which was still lying front-down on the desk. He gave her a brief, tired smile of thanks and quickly finished what he was working on. His shift was technically over, but mindless sorting was helpful in calming him down enough to think straight.
"Sherlock got you out of sorts?" He wasn't sure if she was actually asking or just making conversation.
"No, he's actually been oddly quiet on the texting today. Just asked me to pick him up more crackers on the way home. He's being surprisingly not-alarming."
"Oh, I didn't mean to assume-"
He waved the apology aside. "With Sherlock, it's usually a safe assumption. Actually one of his least favorite people has just paid me a call."
Molly looked alarmed. "I thought his least favorite person was… dead…"
He realized what he'd said.
"Oh! No! No, not that person! God no! Actually in comparison, Donovan's an angel of mercy."
"Donovan?"
"You probably don't remember her. Police Sergeant that follows Greg Lestrade around all the time. I think you've met her once…"
"OH! Yes, the one who doesn't get on with Sherlock?"
"Well that's half of Scotland Yard, but yeah. She makes a career of it."
"Sour looking, never smiles?"
"That's her."
"Hm… I can see not getting on with him, even though I've always quite liked him… But she did seem a bit more put off than most. I remember that better than I remember her face."
"Yeah, I think she hit on him and he shut her down like he does. Probably didn't sit too well."
"Yeah, he's not exactly gentlemanly about these things…." Molly shrugged. "Still, she ought to just let it go. He never takes up with anybody." She glanced at him and smiled "present company excluded."
John shrugged, though a grin was trying valiantly to push through the frustrated gloom on his face. "Not certain that's it, but she certainly looked pissed when I said it."
"Well then she's a sour, tarty, wretched woman, and she deserves all the unhappiness she's bringing herself." Molly stamped her foot as emphasis.
"That's the meanest thing I think I've ever heard you say about another person, Molly Hooper." The grin finally won out.
She flushed slightly.
"I mean it!"
"I don't doubt it. And hearing you say it instead of me puts me in a much better mood. Cheers." He grinned at her once more as he slipped a notebook out of his desk and flicked through pages until he found a blank one. He wrote Wedding Plan Notes at the top in neat little letters and they got to work.