This is a plot that has been running around my head for about a year now and I'm eager to hear your thoughts on the story! Some of the science talk in here is just whatever sounds appropriate mixed with some stuff I've found in Google so try to suspend your belief for the duration of the story in that sense!
This first chapter is really quite short mainly because I have no idea if this is a story that anyone would ever want to read so I didn't want to write too much in case it got shitty reviews. So please let me know if you'd like to see it continue!
It is T for now for language and stuff but might bump up to M for the final chapter(s) in case of sexy Rizzles fun.
Enjoy!
Maura Isles prided herself on her meticulous approach to everything she did. While some might call her obsessive or compulsive in her scientific methodology, Maura knew that her painstaking approach to life is what kept her safe and sane in an otherwise hectic world.
Yet despite her dedication to meticulousness, Maura was only human and was susceptible to the same stresses that resulted in the occasional slip-up: exhaustion, a wandering mind, a distracting co-worker, or a simple build-up of stress. Which is why, at only 4pm on a Wednesday afternoon, Maura was flipping the lights off in her office and leaving headquarters early. She knew she was not at the top of her game and, refusing to give less than her all, decided to head home early.
"Doctor Isles?" Susie asked, rounding a corner with an odd plant in her hand.
"Yes, Susie?" Maura smiled, exhaustion evident in her voice.
"I know you are heading home for the night and I hate to keep you, but I have a question about this plant you requested that I perform tests on. I tried to extract sap from the leaves but I just couldn't," Susie said sadly. "And I know that getting the sap is crucial for this because if the poison of this plant matches the reports from yesterday's victim, then Detective Rizzoli will have a lead to follow."
"Sap is best collected from the stem," Maura said as she placed her handbag onto a chair and reached for a pair of gloves. "I appreciate you running these tests for me," Maura added as Susie placed the plant down on an exam table.
"Just doing my job," Susie smiled as she watched Maura gently cut into the stem of the plant, a shiny sap suddenly catching the light. Maura continued to maneuver with the plant, her nimble fingers working to ensure the stem was cut neatly in half before stepping away from the plant.
"Is that all?" Maura asked, turning to Susie with a tired smile on her face. "You can prepare the samples and run the tests?"
"Of course," Susie said. "Thank you so much for your assistance, Doctor."
"My pleasure," Maura replied as she pulled the gloves off and threw them into the biohazard waste bin. "Be sure to thoroughly wipe down this exam table once you have removed the plant," Maura added. "I would hate to spread the toxin of the giant hogweed to our patients," she said with a soft chuckle.
"Will you be in tomorrow?" Susie asked, noticing how exhausted the medical examiner looked.
"Yes," Maura said as she moved her hands to her face to rub gently at her tired eyes. "I simply need a long bath and a night with the adequate amount of REM sleep. I will see you tomorrow morning," Maura finished as she picked up her bag and exited the morgue, eager to get to her home.
Once Maura arrived home, she pulled a bottle of wine from her cupboard along with a glass and walked immediately to her bathroom, plugging the tub and turning the hot water on to fill it. She sprinkled a handful of lavender salts into the rapidly filing tub, inhaling the scent as she pulled the cork from the wine and poured herself a glass.
Once the tub was filled, Maura placed the wine glass and bottle next to the tub and undressed, quickly sinking into the hot water. The water began to soothe her drained muscles as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the tub.
The water had gone cold when Maura awoke to the sound of her doorbell ringing. She ran her hands over her face, attempting to wake herself up with the chilly water on her face.
"Maura?" she heard Jane call out from her kitchen. "Susie said you left at 4 today. I just wanted to make sure you were good," Jane continued.
"In the bathtub," Maura called out before opening her eyes to exit the bath. Yet when Maura opened her eyes, she was greeted with darkness.
"Is everything okay?" Jane asked, her voice now coming from the other side of the bathroom door.
"I am fine. Could you turn the light on in here, please?" Maura asked.
Jane opened the door a few inches, intending to simply stick her arm inside the bathroom and flip the light switch on. But the light switch was already on and light was filling the bathroom.
"Uh, Maura?" Jane said. "The light is already on…"
"Jane, I will never understand your jokes or sarcasm," Maura sighed as she waited for light to fill the room so she could pull her robe on.
"I'm not joking, Maura," Jane stated. "The light is on. Are you sure you're fine?"
Maura felt her heart begin to race as she moved her head from side to side and saw absolutely no movement of shadows that she should have been able to see. She put her hand in front of her face and wiggled her fingers, panic rising in her chest when she once again saw nothing.
"Jane," Maura said, her voice calm yet with a distinct hint of worry. "I need you to get me a pair of yoga pants, a top, and undergarments from my dresser and bring them in here. Once you have done that, I need you to call Mass Gen and have them page Dr. Stephen Gao who is their ophthalmologist. Then meet me back here, help me to the car, and take me to Mass Gen."
"Maur, you're freaking me out," Jane stammered as she heard her best friend tell her what she needed to do. "What's going on in there?"
"Please, Jane. Just do as I told you to do."
"Not until you tell me what the heck is going on in there!" Jane said, her voice more worried than it was angry.
"I can't see, Jane," Maura said as she reached a hand out to the handle of the sliding door of her shower to steady her as she rose to her feet.
"What?"
"I think I've gone blind."
Alright, what are your thoughts? Should I continue with this or is this plot super stupid? I have some awesome dialogue scenes I'd love to write but if people think it is stupid then I won't continue.
My father lost his vision 4 and a half years ago so writing about someone suddenly losing their vision is something very close to my heart. The reason my dad went blind is not from some random plant that has been rumored to cause blindness so I am not claiming to be an expert in this issue but I do live with someone who is blind and I have seen the effect it has on even the strongest of people, so I feel good writing about it.
Let me know if you'd like to see this continued or if I should just delete this right away.