Author's note: sorry this chapter is later than usual. Spent a day with the family on Monday and had my wisdom teeth out yesterday. So I'm a little behind this week! Hope the wait is worth it!
30th April-9th May 2021
Molly yawned and stretched. She felt well rested. She glanced over at her alarm clock to see it was 8:30 AM. Sherlock had insisted on being the one to get up when the girls stirred, saying that she deserved to sleep in a little after not only working yesterday, but also allowing him to enjoy another middle of the night lovemaking session.
She was pleased that her plans for his birthday had gone so well. But now it was time to start thinking ahead to Victoria's birthday. She still had to make some purchases, and she would have to wrap the presents Sherlock had already bought. It was hard to believe that Victoria would be turning three in eleven day's time. With Victoria's birthday falling on a Monday, Molly would be working, so they would have to celebrate properly when she got home from work.
Molly dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen, where Sherlock was in the process of cleaning Christina's hands and face. He looked up "Good morning, love. There are crumpets ready for you to toast."
Victoria, who was already out of her chair, standing by the high chair, walked to Molly for a good morning hug.
It was so nice to no longer be working on Fridays, Molly thought as she pushed the toaster slider down.
The day sped by. Molly managed to wrap Victoria's presents and order some new clothes for her for summer. She definitely would not be able to fit into her current summer clothes when the weather got warmer. Molly also took the opportunity to buy some summer clothes for Christina, although she suspected that Christina could probably wear some of Victoria's from the previous year, given that she was already bigger than Victoria had been at the same age.
Molly practised her solo again for Sunday, on Saturday afternoon. She felt a little nervous about standing at the front if the church to sing a solo again after so long.
She still felt a little nervous about her upcoming solo as she and Sherlock settled into their usual pew with their daughters on Sunday morning. She had handed over the disc and informed the sound technician of the track number she would be using. Today it was George on the sound board, and he gave her a thumbs up. "You'll be great, Molly."
Once seated, Sherlock leaned over Victoria to whisper into her ear, "Looks like Matthias has switched pews to be closer to Allison and Archie."
Molly looked across the aisle. Matthias had indeed moved to the pew in front of Allison, on the opposite side of the tape that divided the pew. He was turned in Allison's direction, and they were obviously conversing. "Oh, that's a good sign; things must have gone well last week. Did you talk at all during the Zoom NA meeting yesterday?"
"Actually, he wasn't there yesterday, but it isn't as if we discuss personal things during meetings anyway,"
The sound of the organ playing the prelude to begin the service caught Molly's attention, and she looked to the front of the church as nerves began to plague her again.
Unlike praise singing, which had always been done at the beginning of the service, solos were performed after the sermon, so Molly had to push down her nervousness for over half an hour before Pastor Briggs concluded his sermon.
That was Molly's cue to go to the front, removing her mask as she did do, and take up the microphone.
Fortunately, almost as soon as she began to sing, Molly's nerves faded away as she thought about the beautiful lyrics of the creed.
"Our Father everlasting, the all-creating one, God Almighty;
Through your Holy Spirit, conceiving Christ the son, Jesus our Saviour."
Molly let the truth of those beautiful words of the creed flow through her as she sang, looking at the various members of the congregation.
It was very rare for anyone to clap at the conclusion of a song, but when Molly finished, Victoria clapped her hands in delight and people joined in. Molly smiled shyly as she made her way back to her pew.
"Beautiful, as always," whispered Sherlock.
At the conclusion of the service, Molly stood and took Victoria's hand as she waited for Sherlock to hoist the changing bag to his shoulder and then lift Christina to his hip.
Timéo walked up to her, accompanied by Elisabeth. "You sang ze piece very beautiful, Molly. Très magnifique," said Timéo in his charming French accent.
"You sounded lovely. I've heard that song before, and I can't wait until we get to sing it ourselves in a service," added Elisabeth enthusiastically.
Molly beamed. "Thank you, Timéo and Elisabeth!"
Other congratulations followed, but finally Sherlock and Molly were able to leave church and head home.
As they rode, Molly realised it had been four weeks since her miscarriage had occurred. She wondered when her cycle would return. For now, there was no sign of it. No premenstrual twinges, as she often experienced. Perhaps it would take weeks. Perhaps she would get pregnant again and not even realise it. She kind of hoped that would be the case, although she couldn't help worrying that, having had a miscarriage, it might happen again. Her mother had experienced two before she came along. Molly pushed the unwelcome thoughts away. She had to leave things in God's hands.
At home, she received a text from Kayla.
Sorry I didn't get to speak with you after church. You did a great job with your solo. Oh, and I wanted to let you know I'm getting my first Covid jab on Wednesday.
Thanks, I love that song, and that's great about the vaccine, Kayla. Sherlock's getting his first dose on Tuesday. I can't wait for the time when we can go around again without masks.
I know, I'm just glad that Rosie and Adam are too young for them. I miss singing in church, but most of all, I miss seeing people's smiles.
Me too. It was so nice to have the opportunity to sing today without a mask. Let's hope we can go back to singing in church soon. I hope all goes well with your jab.
Thanks, I hope Sherlock's goes well too, typed Kayla. By the way, John's last day at the hospital is the fourteenth. So when things get back to normal again, he'll be available to go with Sherlock on cases again."
Oh, that's wonderful, Kayla. I'll tell Sherlock. I'm sure he'll be pleased.
And indeed, when Molly imparted the news, Sherlock gave her a broad grin. "Excellent, I'll have my sidekick back when Greg includes me once again in investigations."
On Tuesday, Sherlock went off to have his first vaccination.
When he came home, he walked into the front room where Molly was helping Victoria and Christina do some colouring, "How was it?"
"No big deal. They use such a small needle, I barely even felt it."
Molly smiled. She had thought the same thing.
The next day, Sherlock assured her that, aside from a little soreness around the injection site, he was doing fine.
"And what about you, love? Any sign of your cycle returning?"
"Not yet."
On Friday night, when he broached the subject for the third night in a row, Molly suddenly felt annoyed.
She had just entered the bedroom after her shower, and Sherlock was about to take his. "No twinges? No bleeding?"
Molly put her hands on her hips. "Please, Sherlock, would you just stop pestering me about this, already? If anything changes, you'll be the first to know!" She knew she sounded harsh, even to her own ears, but she couldn't help. His question made her feel as if her body weren't recovering fast enough. It wasn't like she could make things happen. She continued, unable to stop the words. "For heaven's sake, the doctor said it might take a few weeks for my regular cycle to return. I'm not a baby-making machine!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
She saw the hurt in Sherlock's eyes as he stared at her in shock. He mumbled, "Sorry I asked," and turned away from her to leave the bedroom.
She rushed to lay a hand on his arm from behind before he could exit the room. "Oh, God, Sherlock, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to say that." And suddenly, tears were trickling down her cheeks. "I know you don't think of me that way. I just feel so awful. I'm still trying to deal with losing our baby, and it's like you just want to move things along to conceive another one."
He turned, and she saw the sheen of tears glistening in his own eyes. "I didn't intend to make you feel that way, Molly. I...I don't know what's wrong with me. Perhaps it's because I just realised I'm forty-four. You're forty-one, and I have this sense that time is running out for us to have any more children. If you do conceive again and then miscarry, I have to say I feel that has to be it for us. I can't put you through yet another pregnancy and potential miscarriage again if it happens a second time." A tear slid down his cheek and he put his hands on her shoulders. "I love you so much, Molly. I'm sorry for being selfish."
Her hand reached up to brush at the tear on his cheek. "You're not being selfish, and I'm not saying at all that I don't want us to try again. Instead of being in a hurry, why don't we just give ourselves a time limit? Like, if I am not pregnant again by the end of the year, we accept that our family is complete as it is."
He heaved a deep sigh. "Yes, I think that would be best. I know I told you we should keep going until we had at least one of each gender, but it wasn't fair of me to say that. I think this is a good compromise. If you are not pregnant again by the end of the year, I will undergo a vasectomy so we do not have to be concerned about it happening later."
In that moment, Molly loved him more than she'd ever loved him before. "You'd be willing to do that for me? Most men worry it will affect their virility."
He gave a choked laugh and moved his hands to cup her face. "Molly, I'd do anything for you, and that's a bunch of nonsense, anyway."
She licked her lips. "Well, we don't need to worry about that for now, at any rate. Now go and take your shower so you can demonstrate your virility to me afterwards."
He bent his head to give her a lingering kiss, then said, "As you wish, Princess Buttercup."
She gave a little huff of laughter at the reference to The Princess Bride and swatted his bum as he turned again to leave the bedroom.
Still feeling a little ashamed of herself for snapping at Sherlock, Molly decided to put on some lingerie and then get into bed. She selected the satin electric blue corset Abigail had given her as a hen night gift. Corsets were such a pain to put on, but she wanted to make the effort for Sherlock. She knew he'd appreciate it. She hadn't worn the corset much. It was designed for a slim figure, and had not been practical during her pregnancies, nor whilst breastfeeding.
She struggled with the rear hooks and eyes, thinking halfway through that it might have been better to fasten it at the front and then worry about turning it around.
But finally, the task was done, and she slipped on the matching G-string. She contemplated putting on the thigh high stockings Abigail had given her along with the corset, but decided it wouldn't be practical, seeing as she was going to be in bed already.
Then she grabbed her pink plush octopus and slid with him beneath the covers to await her husband, making sure she was completely covered.
Naturally, Sherlock immediately guessed, as he always did that, she was concealing her body as a surprise for him.
She saw the smirk on his face as he entered the bedroom. "Am I to assume you are hiding something delectable beneath the covers, my love?"
She brought out her octopus toy, on the blowing kiss side, of course. "What do you think?"
Sherlock gave her a sultry look and removed his dressing gown, replacing it on the hook behind the door, then striding to the bed naked. He pulled the toy away, throwing it unceremoniously on the floor.
"I deduce that you are wearing a corset this evening, my love," he said, sweeping the hair from her neck to expose and kiss her bare shoulders. That was the obvious answer, of course. Her other lingerie had straps, but the electric blue corset was a strapless one.
She gave a mock sigh and pushed the covers down so he could view it for himself.
His hands touched the swell of her breasts where they emerged from the top of the corset, displaying pronounced cleavage. "I must say, Molly, one thing I truly enjoy is the permanent increase in your chest measurements since you've had our daughters." She had indeed gone up a cup size.
"It could just be that the ten extra pounds I've gained and haven't been able to get rid of, have concentrated themselves in the chest area," she said.
He bent his head down to kiss one mound, then the other. "Well, in that case, I hope you never take off those ten pounds."
She sniffed. "In other words, my breasts were too small, as you told me all those years ago."
He lifted his head to look into her eyes. "You know I only said that because I was jealous. Your breasts have always been perfect, and they are even more perfect now than ever. But they are still just a small part of the beautiful package that is my wife."
She gave a little sigh of contentment as he began to feather kisses along her jaw and her neck. He always knew the right thing to say.
Then his mouth moved to cover hers, and they kissed for some time, bodies pressed close together, hands moving to glide over one another's skin.
Molly giggled when Sherlock cursed under his breath as he worked to remove the hooks and eyes of the corset. "Believe me, Sherlock, it's still easier for you to take off than for me to fasten it," she said, lifting her body to allow him easier access for his task.
"I still contend that a zip would be more practical."
"But isn't the reward worth the effort?"
He didn't respond immediately, concentrating on his task. When he eased the corset away from her body, he finally said, raking his eyes along her body, "Definitely worth the effort."
Talk ceased as they enjoyed the delights of their marital union, which propelled them into the usual sleep of pure contentment afterwards.
How ironic, Molly thought the next day, when she felt the familiar twinges that preceded her getting her period. But that knowledge also helped her to recongise that the previous evening she had been hormonal, and it was that which had led her to get cross with Sherlock.
They had finished lunch and were in the front room as usual with the girls. Sherlock was helping Victoria move the bow along the strings of her violin, and Christina was sitting on Molly's lap as they watched.
Despite her discomfort, Molly was glad to know her cycle seemed ready to resume its usual pattern.
Sherlock helped Victoria play "Twinkle, twinkle, little star," and then she said "Now Daddy play."
"Let's put your violin away first," he told her.
Victoria helped Sherlock put her violin away, then scrambled up to sit beside Molly and Christina as Sherlock took out his own violin and played some tunes.
Molly grinned as Christina said, "Down," and went over to Sherlock to cling to his leg as he played. She had done this several times, and it was sweet to see the rapt expression on her face as she looked up at him.
While Sherlock put his violin away, Victoria asked. "Mummy, watch 'Beauty and the Beast' now?" It seemed every time they watched a new film, it became Victoria's favourite for weeks.
While Molly found the film on Disney Plus, she heard Sherlock's phone start ringing.
She watched him pick up his phone and look at it. "Greg," he said softly. "I'll be back." He left the room.
A few minutes later, he joined Molly on the sofa. Victoria was watching the film intently. Christina was in the playpen, uninterested in the film, more concerned with rolling a ball around.
Molly turned her head to look at Sherlock. "Anything important?"
"He was just telling me the conclusion of the case I helped him with on my birthday. They got the evidence they needed, and Greg is quite sure a conviction will be easily forthcoming for the two men."
"That's good news. Any more cases on the horizon he needs help with?"
He smiled. "He's sending the files over for me on another one now, so I'll take a look later. And he said once restrictions ease further as of the seventeenth, he will start inviting me to any crime scenes he thinks I might be interested in."
She took his hand. "I'm so glad, Sherlock, and now that John will soon be no longer at the hospital, he will be available to go with you."
Sherlock nodded absently. They stared at the television screen, and suddenly, Sherlock said, "Do you remember how we saw the live action film at the cinema during our engagement?"
Molly grinned. "As I recall, you and I indulged in some rather lovely kissing during the 'Be our Guest' song, and then we did some more of it after the film finished."
He smirked. "We could re-create that when the song occurs in this film, if our daughters are sufficiently distracted to not notice."
She gave him a coquettish look. "I would not be opposed to that, husband dear."
And Molly was quite delighted when Sherlock, being a man of his word, proceeded to kiss her thoroughly during that song. It certainly made her forget about those little cramps she was experiencing, at least for a while.
When they had climbed into bed later that evening, Molly rested a hand on Sherlock's shoulder and said, "I know why I snapped at you yesterday, and I'm really sorry about it."
"It's okay, sweetheart. You were right, I should not have been continually asking you questions. Your cycle will return when it's ready."
She gave him a rice smile. "Well, you've experienced the way I get hormonal before my period, and I should've recognised it as a sign. I've been having the usual cramps, so I expect by tomorrow I'll be bleeding."
"Oh." He reached a hand to stroke her face. "In that case, we had best make love if we will be unable to do so again for the next several days."
She snorted with laughter. "In that case? Are you trying to say you weren't intending for us to make love tonight until you discovered that it will be the last opportunity for us to do so or a few days?" She quirked an eyebrow.
"Nope, but now I plan on having my way with you twice, instead of once," he responded, moving his head to plunder her mouth with his own.
And again, being a man of his word, he did.
In the morning, Molly's cramps persisted, and Sherlock brought up a glass of water for her with some co-codanol, which she accepted gratefully. It was still early, and the girls were not yet up.
"Should we stay home from church?" asked Sherlock, taking the empty glass from her.
Molly sighed. She hated to miss church, but she really didn't feel good, and she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate on the service if she felt this way. "I suppose that would be best. Thank goodness I sang my solo last week."
"Well, you stay in bed and rest as much as you want. I'll look after the girls."
Molly bit her lip. "You should probably get me some knickers and a pad."
"Of course."
He fetched them and brought them over to her. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"I could probably use the heating pad. It's in the linen cupboard."
Sherlock got the heating pad and plugged it in, then handed it to Molly so she could adjust the setting to the heat intensity she preferred.
"Thanks, honey."
"No problem." He bent his head to kiss her forehead even as Victoria's voice came through the monitor.
"I'm up!"
"Duty calls. Get some more rest, love," advised Sherlock.
Molly nodded and closed her eyes.
The heating pad soothed the pains, or perhaps it was the tablets, and she nodded off.
Molly opened her eyes and looked over at her alarm clock. It was past ten o'clock. The heating pad had turned off, but she was no longer feeling the cramps, at least for now.
When she went to the bathroom, she was unsurprised to see the blood.
She dressed and went downstairs, finding Sherlock entertaining their daughters with a story. He looked up at her entrance, even as Victoria said, "Mummy!"
Christina joined in with her own smile and, "Mama!"
Molly always loved it when the girls were so happy to see her, and she bent to kiss both of them.
"How are you feeling, love?"
"Much better. Auntie Flo has officially arrived." She used the nickname she and friends used that she had explained to Sherlock years earlier.
He nodded. "That's good." He added hastily, "That you're feeling better, not necessarily at the arrival of Auntie Flo."
The too-observant Victoria looked between her parent's "Who's Auntie Flo?"
Sherlock placed a hand on her head. "Nobody you need worry about, princess."
"Alwight," said Victoria, pointing at the forgotten book. "Wead more, Daddy"
"I'm just going to have something to eat," said Molly, and she headed for the kitchen.
In the afternoon, Molly read a couple children's Bible stories to Victoria and Christina. It didn't feel like Sunday if they didn't devote some time to the Lord, and Molly felt it even more acutely, having missed the church service.
Christina was more interested in the colourful illustrations than the stories, but Victoria enjoyed the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, and she said, "Howwible snake," when Molly turned to the page where the serpent tempted Eve. Victoria had heard this story several times by now. One of her other favourites was the story of Noah's Ark.
After the girls were tucked in for the night, Molly said to Sherlock, "I can't believe Victoria is turning three tomorrow. Where does the time go?"
Sherlock took her hand as they reached their bedroom. "I know. Time seems to pass quicker each year. Another year and we'll be thinking of getting Victoria into nursery school. John's already mentioned about that about that for Rosamund."
Molly's eyes widened. "Of course! She's already four. It's a shame we can't have the Watsons over tomorrow for Victoria's birthday."
They sat on the bed and continued their conversation, Sherlock's thumb tracing circles in Molly's palm in the way she liked so much. "We promised to have them over as soon as indoor gatherings are allowed next week."
"Maybe we can have them over next Tuesday so I don't have to worry about coming home from work."
"I'll speak to John while you are at work tomorrow," said Sherlock. "Speaking of which, when are your mum and Martha coming tomorrow for our daughter's birthday celebration so I can order from Nando's ahead of time?" Seeing as Victoria enjoyed the chicken from Nando's, and Molly had to work, Sherlock had insisted that Molly not cook.
"I told them six. Mum's bringing a cake for Victoria too."
"Ah," Sherlock said with a nod, "I was wondering why you had not said anything about baking one this evening."
"Yeah, thank goodness for that. I'm still not feeling great," admitted Molly. She'd continued to have cramps now and then during the day.
"Would you like to use the heating pad again?"
"I'll go take my shower now. That might help."
Sherlock nodded, and she collected her things for the bathroom, including a fresh pad. She had read that the first period following the body's recovery after a miscarriage could be pretty heavy, and this was certainly the way it was in her case.
Sherlock came into the bathroom while she was still showering, and she heard him already shaving and brushing his teeth. "Just leave the water on for me," he told her through the curtain.
"Alright,"
It was a bit harder, trying to dry herself off with the water running, but she wanted to be able to do that and then immediately put on her knickers while she was still in the tub.
"Can you grab my knickers, Sherlock?" she asked, and he handed them to her.
"Sorry, I should have realised keeping the shower on was not the best idea when you have to worry about er...leakage," he said, looking embarrassed.
She handed him her towel, slipped on her knickers, and stepped out of the tub. "It's okay, honey. Shower's yours."
Sherlock stepped into the tub, handing her back her towel, and Molly used it to dry her hair more thoroughly before heading back to the bedroom in her dressing gown.
She disrobed and got into bed, thinking again about Victoria's birthday tomorrow. She was looking forward to having both her mother and Martha over to celebrate it with them, and she was glad Sherlock planned to invite the Watsons over next week. Victoria and Rosie had missed a lot of time together this last year, and she wanted to continure to nurture their friendship. She was also curious to see how Christina and Adam would relate. They hadn't had much opportunity either to interact, and they were so close in age.
She was still thinking these things when Sherlock came back into the bedroom, disrobe and joined her in bed. "What has you all serious?" he asked.
"Just thinking about Victoria's birthday tomorrow and about the Watsons coming over soon as well."
"Ah yes, I must not forget to call John. I will have to set a reminder on Alexa."
Molly smiled as Sherlock took advantage of the Alexa Echo Dot she had purchased for his birthday. "Alexa, set a reminder for tomorrow at nine o'clock"
Alexa's voice sounded. "Nine o'clock in the morning or evening?"
"Morning."
"What's the reminder?" Alexa asked.
"Call John."
"I'll remind you at 9 AM," came Alexa's voice in affirmation.
Molly giggled. "I'm glad she is already a useful addition to our bedroom."
Sherlock raised an eyebrow as he gathered her into his arms. "Are you discounting the fact that I had her play romantic music for us already more than once?"
"No, but it's good she has multiple uses."
He kissed her forehead, then her lips. Obviously, there could be no loving tonight, but at least he could hold her as he always did, and Molly smiled.
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
"Goodnight, my love."
And she passed into slumber peacefully.
Author's note: So, a little conflict here. No relationship is without its ups and downs. Fortunately it was resolved quickly, and the reason behind it was made clear the following day. I have established since my very first story that Molly sometimes has mood swings leading up to "that" time of the month.
And I think they made a good compromise for their future plans. What do you think?
Are you looking forward to reading about Victoria's birthday? There are only two chapters left in this story, Victoria's birthday, and then the final one will be the long anticipated visit with the Watsons.
Please review in the box below.
