In the Tub (A Sherlolly Fanfic)

Hope

"No Mum. I can't talk right now. People are asleep in my room. No, Mum. I'm fine. You don't need to come. You and Dad should have a nice time in New York. Mum, I'm fine. Okay. Alright. Kay. I love you. Tell Dad I said that I love him too. Okay, fine. Bye." Molly sighed as she settled back into her pillows.

She looked at John who was grinning at her. He nodded his head towards where Sherlock lay asleep in his chair. "He was worried." John whispered.

Molly felt her face heat up. Her eyes rested on the way his curls framed his face. He looked so peaceful sleeping. Maybe- No its not going to work. You know how he is. If anything, he was worried about you because you're his friend. And yet she could feel the hope starting to bubble in her chest again. "How long have you guys been here?"

"Since we talked to the police and the taxi driver last night."

"Did the police catch my attacker?" John shook his head. Molly felt fear creeping up in her stomach.  For some reason, even though she knew that it was impossible, she kept feeling like her attacker washim. 

"Greg brought you flowers." John whispered, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

"Really, where are they?" Molly's room wasn't that big and she couldn't see any place they might have been hidden.

"Well, Sherlock made him take them away." John voice kind of trailed away, as if he was suddenly unsure if this was a good topic change.

"I don't want to know." Molly said. Her eyes flickered to Sherlocks face, and the hope within her started to creep back up. Maybe what ever he did will squash that hope. "Never me mind. I do want to know."

John looked uncertain, but he continued anyway. "He said that they may have some sort of spores. And that the spores may have diseases or cause infections. Apparently he wrote something about then in his website." Suddenly John gave her a sly look, "Maybe he was jealous."

Molly's cheeks flushed. She shot John an angry look. Did he trick me? Was this whole conversation a trap? "Don't say that please." She begged, a hole forming in her chest. "John, you of all people should know why I can't let hope creep up on me."

John looked at Sherlock."You of all people should know why you should hope."

---

Sherlock awoke to John and Molly whispering. She's okay.

"Don't say that please. John, you of all people should know why I can't let hope creep up on me." Is John incouraging her? He shouldn't be. He should know better.

"You of all people should know why you should hope." Dammit John. Sherlock could feel the need for a cigarette sneaking up on him.

"Why?" Molly asked, her voice a harsh whisper. "Because for once he showed some interest in me? Not even real interest at that!" Sherlock began to desperately wish he wasn't here listneing to this conversation.

"Not real interest? Not real interest? How much interest does he need to show? He stayed here all night!" John's voice showed barely contained anger.

"You stayed." Both John and Sherlock froze at that. Sherlock cracked his eyes open. 

Molly's face was red and streaks of tears crossed her face. He had never wanted to see her like this.

"I should go." John walked out angrily.

Molly wiped the tears from her face. "Where's the stupid call nurse button."

"Its between the mattress and the rail." Sherlock stirred and finally sat up. Molly eyed him nervously.

"Did you sleep alright? That doesn't look very comfortable." Sherlock felt the need to tell her that it wasn't. To let her know he really did care, but he couldn't give her that false hope she was so afraid of.

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't have fallen asleep here." Hurt flicked across her face for just a second, but then she got it under control. "Tell me about what happened."

---

Molly told Sherlock everything, from her thought process to calling John, though she skipped telling him about how she nearly called him.

"Figures." Molly said with a nervous laugh. "Only I could trip and save myself."

Sherlock listened intently, but at the end, instead of saying anything, he walked out when she finished.

Fear began to creep up on Molly and a memory from her child hood crept up on her.

When Molly had been about eight she and her mother had gone to visit relatives somewhere in the middle of America.

Her mother had warned her that tornados were common that time of year, and that the safest place in the house was the bathroom. Preferably the tub.

Molly looked at the IV in her hand. This is going to hurt. She gritted her teeth and pulled it out slowly. Molly, later, had no clue how she was able to do so without crying out.

She quietly crept out of bed and into the little bathroom. She left the door open and the light off. Molly slid herself into the tub and layed as flat as possible.

Molly heard her door open.

Footsteps shuffled in. Even from a room away she could heat his raspy breath.

"Molly, are you in here?" Molly nearly cried out. She knew that voice. It was her father's.

Not the father her mother was visiting New York with. Her biological father. Her murderer of a father.

He had been arrested when she was three and soon afterward her mother married the man who she called Dad.

When she had been fifteen he had come home. That same night he had disappeared again.

Molly squished herself farther down into the tub. She began to shake in fear.

Even after she heard him shuffle out, she lay in the tub, eyes wide and scared for her life.

Author's rant:

Fun! Background information about Molly's family.

Mwuahaha I have done it. I have made it so that John ships Sherlolly!

Should my chapters be longer? Anything I need to improve?

Questions, comments, and concerns are always welcome! And don't forget to vote!

Claire L. S.