Broken Child

Chapter Two

John was the first and only person they told about the baby. Molly insisted on hosting dinner for him, and telling him the big news after they had finished eating. The look on John's face was priceless when he had been informed.

"Your kidding right?"

He asked. Molly and Sherlock exchanged a glance and shook their heads. John stared at the two of them, like the news he heard was incomprehensible. As if they had told him that Molly was to give birth to an alien rather than a human child.

"How in the hell did you manage to do that?"

He asked awestruck, shock clearly laced in his voice. An awkward silence filled the room that caused Molly to blush, and stare down at her lap uncomfortably. Sherlock cleared his throat but said nothing, one of the few moments in which hesitance would overcome him.

Of course John eventually spread the news to all of Sherlocks colleagues and somewhat close acquaintances, for the couple was too reluctant and timid to do so themselves. They all shared similar reactions with John. Mrs. Hudson even payed the couple a visit herself, however more ecstatic than the rest, showering them with gifts and kisses and kind words that Molly was thankful for but Sherlock seemed irritated by.

"I've been waiting for the day Sherlock would finally start a family of his own,"

She would say, her voice chipper and full of excitement,

"It's a miracle, him always being cooped up in his flat, never going out unless of course their was a murder or something of the sorts, which is why I was so ecstatic when you two married two summers ago and I was so very glad-"

"Yes, yes, yes, Mrs. Hudson, we're very happy to hear it."

Sherlock would interrupt her irritably, causing Molly to shoot a glare at him. Mrs. Hudson wouldn't seem the least bit discouraged, she would just keep rambling on and on until finally Sherlock eventually managed to get her out of their flat leaving content and satisfied.

Molly had only caught glimpses of when Sherlock truly displayed happiness. He always hid his emotions, tucked them away in the crevices of his mind like unwanted memories, concealing his expression with a giant wall. As if they were something to be ashamed of, a weakness. But as the weeks pressed on, when the news came that the child inside Molly was a boy, it seemed like someone had smashed the wall barricading his emotion into pieces. Sherlock smiled, squeezed Molly's hand in a way that sent pleasant shivers down her spine. A boy. A boy Sherlock could relate with, connect more profoundly with. A boy Sherlock would never have to adopt pitiful worries from, like clothes and feminine things. Sherlock would be able to indulge in the paternal perks of being a father to a son. The news delighted Sherlock intensely and in a way he had never felt before. Molly didn't specifically care about what gender it was, she was content with either, so she was happy as well when the news came that the baby was a boy. Especially because she knew how much it meant to Sherlock. She could see it on his face, the way he practically bursted with happiness when they learned the results from the ultrasound. It gladdened her to see him so happy.

It took ages for Molly to, well to firstly convince Sherlock that the baby actually needed a name. They were both at home one day, Sherlock busily typing on his laptop, emailing John about a case he was deeply involved in, while Molly laid herself down on the sofa, exhausted, even though she had barely done a thing all day.

"We need to think of names for him Sherlock,"

She exhales. Sherlocks fingers quickly type away on his keyboard. He barely flinches.

"Names are boring,"

"Names are kind of necessary Sherlock,"

"Why does he need a name? Couldn't we just call him...Sherlock Jr?"