Molly heard the door of the morgue open, then shut. She looked over to see Jayden stalking towards her. She examined him a moment, just as she would any of the bodies that came into her possession.
Somehow, in that small, sad smile, she portrayed in a moment everything that needed to be said.
I know you're upset.
"Want to help?" She offered, gesturing down to the body on the table that she had prepped for autopsy.
"Is that even legal?" Jayden mumbled.
"Probably not. But it's a bullet wound to the head, so pretty straight forward." She said. "No one will know you helped if you don't tell them."
Jayden nodded, "Alright."
He accepted the latex gloves that Molly handed to him, and going up towards the body's head, he examined the wound. He frowned, then moved to examine the hands.
"Powder burns. Angles. Distance..." He mumbled. "Self-inflicted?"
Molly nodded sadly, "A pity, isn't it?" Molly said. "The file said he left behind a wife and two kids..."
Jayden hummed in agreement. He continued inspecting the body.
His eyes narrowed.
"What's wrong with the shoulder?" he asked.
Molly glanced over.
"Just some bruising." she answered. "He was a construction worker."
"That explains his build." Jayden nodded.
They worked for awhile, Molly occasionally giving Jayden instructions.
"Why do you have to do an autopsy on a man who died by suicide?" Jayden asked.
"I have to do autopsies on all deaths that are regarded as suspicious." Molly said. "Just to be positive it's not murder."
After recording the characteristics of the body, as well as noting the size, type, and location of various bruises and cuts present, Jayden helped Molly prep for the first incision.
Smiling slyly, Molly gently set a scalpel on Jayden's hand.
Jayden looked up at her like she was insane.
"No way." Jayden said. "I'll mess up."
"You have steady hands, I've seen you." Molly said. "Besides, there's not a lot to mess up. The only thing we'll be doing is checking the stomach, gallbladder, and Pancreas for any signs of poisoning, and they're all protected by the ribs. Unless you're strong enough to cut through bone using a scalpel, there's really no danger. "
Molly, pressed two of her fingers on the body.
"Start here, then go up to here." Molly shifted her fingers to a different location. "After that, make one from here to here, and then here to here."
Jayden carefully proceeded to do as Molly had said.
Doesn't take much pressure at all. Jayden noticed.
"So then," Molly said, "What's wrong?"
Jayden smirked in disbelief, and slight irritation. "Just because I'm not laughing doesn't mean something's wrong."
"Maybe not." Molly said. "But stop trying to fool me, I've been lied to all to much on account of these sort of things."
They continued in silence.
"I just-" Jayden hesitated, "It seems like they won't tell me what's going on. Like they don't trust me enough to know the whole thing."
Molly sighed, a fond smile appearing on her face.
"Join the club." She told him.
"What do you mean?" Jayden asked, his brows furrowing.
"I've known Sherlock for years... Never have managed to make it to his inner circle though." Molly said.
"Boy that's encouraging." Jayden muttered.
It was silent a moment, both of their attentions returning to the body.
"Sherlock loves you," Molly said, suddenly glancing up at Jayden, "He does care. You know that, right?"
"I-" Jayden hesitated, finding he wasn't sure how to respond. Jayden was naturally a quick thinker, but there just sort of seemed to be a mental block, some sort of obstruction in his thoughts.
"He's gotten attached to you more quickly than I've ever seen before." Molly said. "The reason he's keeping you out of the loop is because he's trying to protect you from whatever is happening right now."
"Did he ever once consider that maybe I don't want to be protected?" Jayden said. "That maybe, just maybe, I can take care of myself?"
"He'll get over it Jayden, he always has. He tried it with Lestrade, with John, but you know how they are now. I suppose you just have to tell him that you're not willing to be left in the dark."
"I would do it right now if he wasn't so... so..." Jayden struggled to find the right word.
Molly smiled sympathetically and looked back down to her work.
"There's a lot of words that could fit into that slot." she said. "Believe me, I know. But the thing is, he's just trying to show that he cares in the only way he knows how. By protecting you."
They continued working for awhile before Molly spoke again.
"Sherlock, he's seen more death, more loss than you could possibly imagine. John too, and Lestrade, I imagine." Molly said. "That uh- that eventually gets to a person, I would think. It makes sense that they would be overprotective."
"What about you?" Jayden said. "You're a pathologist, you work in a morgue. You see dead people everyday."
"Ah, but that's different."
"How?" Jayden asked.
"Because they're already dead when they get here."
They worked in silence awhile longer, first sawing through bones, then weighing organs, and taking samples to send to the lab.
"I originally wanted to be a surgeon." Molly said. "Do you know what changed my mind?"
Jayden shook his head.
"I came down here because a mistake on my part can't hurt anyone, because they're already dead." Molly said. "Your brother, he's a brave man. He's willing to take the risks necessary to save lives, no matter how much danger he puts himself in. The problem comes when while he's not afraid of harm coming to himself. That's when people start targeting his loved ones."
"What was Lestrade talking about when he said that Sherlock hated to be seen like 'this'?" Jayden asked.
"Upset probably." Molly said. "Scared. His emotions taking control."
Jayden raised an eyebrow.
"It does happen sometimes," Molly said, "Not often, but sometimes."
"But why can't I help him?"
"Lestrade has always had a special bond with Sherlock." Molly said. "He helped get him straightened out, and kept him alive before John came along."
"You didn't answer my question."
"Sherlock is hesitant to show people what he's feeling." Molly said. "Especially with people he feels the need to protect, to be strong for. If you came with Lestrade, then Sherlock would be more likely to clam up."
"Doesn't make much sense." Jayden muttered.
"You're right, it doesn't." Molly agreed. "But it's not our job to change him. We've just got to love and care for him the way he is. He'll come around eventually."
Sherlock stared at his phone silently as they walked towards the morgue, but his mind was alive, and buzzing with questions and ideas.
Focus. Alright. Where could the victim be? What's in the background? What do I hear, what do I see?
He watched the video again.
"Train, low rumble... air conditioner?" He muttered. "Rain... a little rain pattering on the... tin roof... Thunder too. Not a lot."
Where has there been a storm near a tin roofed building by train tracks?
Sherlock pulled up the weather for the area. For whatever reason, he somehow knew that the kidnapper hadn't taken John far.
A scene struck itself up in Sherlock's mind.
Arms wrapped around his shoulders, holding him tight. There was noise, screaming, in the background. There was the sound of shattering glass, and the arms held tighter. The smell of fear filled the room, and it was a moment before Sherlock saw the face connected to the arms that were embracing him. It was blurred in the low light of the room, but one thing was clear. This face was trying to calm him down. It was trying to protect him.
Sherlock stopped in his tracks.
It loved him.
Someone had loved him, and he had deleted it.
Lestrade was caught off guard when Sherlock just stopped walking for seemingly no reason.
"Did you find something?"
A/N: Here's another chapter, not as long as I'd like, but hey, at least it didn't take me forever this time. Anyway, I hope you liked it. I'd love to hear what you think.