Chapter 2:
Sherlock heard the noise long before he felt the impact. As the cab driver came to a stoplight, he thought it quite odd that he pulled out so far into the street. It took all of his willpower not to say something – rude, something rude – to the driver. However, even if he had wanted to say something, there simply wasn't time. The screeching of tires had been so loud that it made both Molly and himself jump slightly. Sherlock could see Molly peek over at him before turning to face the window again. The slight color of pink began to creep up Molly's neck, and he knew she was embarrassed for being startled so easily. Being embarrassed was the least of her problems, however, as a double-decker bus came barreling toward them.
So many things happened within a matter of second, that a normal person would not have been able to comprehend it all. Sherlock was not a normal person, however, so he caught everything. Molly's loud scream. The piercing sound of the bus slamming into the cab. Glass breaking as the cab did a barrel roll several times, before skidding to a stop on its side. The starling conclusion that within moments, they all could be dead.
Molly could be dead.
Those words echoed in his mind as he sprang into action. The cab had landed on its left side, so Sherlock was the closest to the ground. Surprisingly, as he assessed the situation, he was completely fine. Only a few scratches on his face and hands (possibly some on his arms, but his coat covered them). The cab driver had been thrown from the vehicle as it began to spin, so he didn't need to worry about him. Grunting slightly, Sherlock shifted his body to see Molly's condition. When he did, he let a small gasp escape from his lips.
Molly was still sitting upright, as the seat belt had protected her. That was the only job the seat belt did. She may have been sitting upright, but that was the only positive thing about Molly right now. Her face was covered in blood and he could see that there were shards of glasses littered in her golden brown hair. Blood covered her work clothes, and as he examined further, he could see two lumps under her left breast. Her ribs were broken. He could also tell that one, if not both of her legs, were broken as well. Molly was a startling sight, and it shook something inside Sherlock that he never expected.
He was angry, scared, and deeply saddened all at the same time. All these emotions. All this sentiment he was feeling was startling. The sight of his pathologist unconscious and broken next to him was more than he could handle. Even more startling was the fact that tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. Instead of dwelling on the fact that emotions were making his heart and mind their battleground, he did the next logical thing.
Reaching for his pocket, he felt for his phone, which he hoped would not be broken. Thankfully, it was unscathed, except for a small scratch. He quickly punched in some numbers and listened as the phone on the other end rang and rang endlessly.
"John, for Pete's sake..." He mumbled. "Where are you?"
Finally, after what seemed like hours, John answered. "Sherlock?"
"John..." He said with a slight moan. Possible bruised ribs too. "John, there's been an accident."
Sherlock heard John sigh on the other end. "What did you do this time? Please tell me that you didn't burn down the lab."
"John!" He snapped into the phone. "For crying out loud, shut up! There's been an accident. A serious accident. The cab Molly and I were in was just hit by a double-decker bus."
"Oh my..." John said quietly before stuttering out a ridiculous question. "Are you and Molly okay?"
He moaned again as he looked over at Molly. "I'm fine. Molly isn't. She needs help...now."
Sherlock was surprised by the desperation that colored his tone. He didn't sound the like the brave consulting detective he hoped he was. Instead, he sounded like the little boy who used to get picked on by the other children...when there were other children. Before he could say anything else, Sherlock suddenly felt himself getting tired and he realized what was happening. The shock of what just occurred was wearing on him. He heard the small thud of his phone as it hit the ground, before his eyes slowly closed and he was lulled to sleep.
But not before he reached over and took Molly's hand.