Author's Note:
Before you continue I want to warn that there is a major character death.
But it's not what you think.
If you wish to continue go ahead. If not, that is perfectly okay.
Enjoy:)
Running water. It sounds like a stream of water floating down the river in my ears. I see the sun at the end of the bank; serene and sweet. So sweet that I could taste it .
Whatever it was melted in my mouth. I looked down. My feet were bare.
Tilting my head to the side in question I took a step further and noticed beneath my feet was grass. I looked up. An endless field of green grass and the river beside me.
The sun at the end of the bank. It seemed so close.
I could feel it. The warmth emancipated gradually toward my way, the sunlight became brighter.
I stepped closer. Something rustled behind me. More rustling. My head turns around to see woods, a shadow hiding behind a tree.
"Hello?" My voice sounds gone. Far away. Very far away. I step to the figure that stays hidden behind the tree.
I'm closer.
"Hello?" I circle the tree to see porcelain feet.
"Hel-"
Nothing. The shadow is gone.
"Jane."
My eyes widen. Not at my name being called but the voice to whom it belongs to.
My head jerks around to see. Where is she?
The water is louder and my feet are cold. I look down. The water has run over onto the grass. Into the grass. Onto the land.
"Jane."
My head jerks to my right.
I can't believe what I see.
There she is. Green eyes smiling as one is painted across her lips. The infectious smile with the head tilt and exposed dimples.
Her hair is glowing and perhaps it's from the aura that surrounds her as she stands feet away from the wife she left.
"Maura."
She holds out her hand.
The water. I look down. The water is covering my ankles. I look up.
The glow is gone, the smile is gone.
"Let's go. You are not meant to be here."
I frown. "Maura? What are you-"
My hand is grabbed by hers. I'm being pulled slowly and then we are running.
"Maura?!"
"It's okay."
I can't see her face. I only see the back of her as we are running.
Running where?
"It's time for you to go back."
Back. Back?
No!
Her hand let's go.
"No!"
She's gone. Again.
"Don't leave me! Maura please! Don't leave me again, PLEASE!"
.
.
Bright lights. The lights are so damn bright.
"Ugh…" Jane groans raising her arm over her eyes. Her whole body is sore and stiff. Not a good combination.
"The hell…" She gruffs angrily sitting up on a...hospital bed.
What?
"Mom."Mom? Frowning and sporadically looking to her left Jane froze.
The soft but firm voice chiming 'Mom' -clearly mistaking because Jane was no one's mom- belonged to this teenager who looked just like-
"I can't believe you're awake Mama."
She didn't have any kids. Right?
Jane frowned. Right?
Wait, awake? Huh?
"Mom." The girl smiled wide this time from ear to ear. Quite bright and quite familiar.
"Do you want me to go and get Nonna?"
Jane's eyebrows rose. She didn't know what to say. She sure didn't think what she was thinking now would be appropriate either.
Suddenly the girl laughed. A breathless laugh that chimed joy, realization and relief.
"Of course..," She shook her head and hid her smile with a lightly scarred hand. "I'll go get the nurse."
Watching the girl stand Jane nearly doubled over.
The teen had on blue jeans with a long patterned cardigan wrapped around her frame but Jane could tell that she was skinny. Skinny and tall. Her skin was a rosy pale that glowed somehow.
Jane gulped.
The teen also had blonde hair that reached down to the middle of her back. Two black clips doing a poor job of keeping side swept bangs out of her face.
Jane blinked and looked at the door that had just closed.
And those eyes.
Those green sparkling eyes.
"I have a daughter."
Jane whispered in disbelief.
The door opened and she came back. Mini Maura came in trailing behind an olive skinned doctor with short hair and sharp eyes.
The doctor smiled. "It great to see you awake Jane."
She frowns. " How long have I been...sleep?"
Her eyes glance to the teenager who is now standing near the end of her bed- arms wrapped around herself.
Her green eyes glaze over and she answers. "Three months."
Jane looks at the ceiling. She was so confused. Everything was so confusing.
Three months? What the hell happened...
"Let me properly introduce myself, " She took off her glasses and folded them, "My name is Doctor Remming. I am you're attending."
Jane nods to note that she has heard the doctor. Then she chances a look up at Dr. Remming and really looks at her. She's short and poised. Dark pixie cut hair and grey eyes. Every plane of her face smooth and freckled.
She has freckles. She has freckles like- "Maura. Where's Maura?"
Jane questions before she has even thought about it. She looks to the young blonde as if waiting for her to answer.
The teenager fidgets. Nervous.
"Mom."
"Huh? I…." Mom? Again.
Jane closes her eyes and shakes her head. Trying to gather her thoughts as they all jumble and scatter like a whirlwind through her brain.
"Hold on…," She says to give herself some leverage to continue and ask the questions she's been afraid to.
She opens her eyes and they land on her. "You're my daughter."
The teen looked as if she had expected the question. Jane could see the wheels spinning in her head. "Yes. I am. You're my mom and-"
"Maura."
Jane finishes.
Inclining her head she nods. "Yes and in case you didn't remember...my name is Alice."
Jane's chest warms and she nods her head and test the name.' Alice."
Wait...me and Maura. Maura and I had a child? We were...together together.
"Maura and I had you together. Like together together."
Alice smiles. A smile that made the corners of her eyes crinkle lovingly. " Yes."
"Alice." Dr. Remming directs her attention to the young one. "I have to tell her."
The teenager suddenly looks stricken. "Don't -"
"It's important. She can't not know."
Jane frowns and is growing slightly irritated at the subtleties around her. "What is it? What is it that I don't know."
Alice looks at her mother and her eyes begin to water and Jane is immediately alarmed.
"What's wrong?"
"Nonna...Uncle Frankie, Uncle Tommy and Frost are in the waiting room. We come here every day." Her voice is soft and wandering. She is working her way up to something and 'Jane's chest can't help but tighten with each word spoken from her child's mouth..
"Okay."
Alice looks down and she begins to fiddle with her cardigan. Jane sees a tear drop onto her white sheets.
"You have two more children. Jacob and Emmaline. They're with Grandma."
Jane takes a deep breath to calm down. The monitor is going higher and higher and Dr. Remming looks like she could melt right in her place.
Jane clears her throat. Grandma?
"Grandma?"
"Constance…" Alice's voice cracks. Dr. Remming interjects, "You don't have to be the one to tell her Ali-"
"I didn't want them to bother you so that's why I only got the doctor."
"Okay." Jane replies and she is lost. She is so lost.
"I know that Ally.. but.." Jane looks at the doctor whose grey eyes are on Alice. Jane frowns and turns back to her daughter.
Her daughter. "Maura-"
"Mommy's gone."
Alice looks up from dripping lashes and shake her head. 'She's gone mama. She's been gone." Jane shakes her head. Gone. Gone?
Maura can't be gone. She has children with her. She- "She's gone?"
A hand rest on her shoulder that belonged to Dr. Remming. Jane looks up into grey eyes. "She passed, Jane. She's not in the waiting room."
Jane's face feels hot. She feels nonexistent as if she were floating. Nothing is making any sense. She just saw Maura in her dream.
'I don't understand."
She just saw her in her dream.
Her dream.
Jane closes her eyes and rubs her temples. She died. Maura left her.
"God..." Jane shakes her head as it comes back to her.
"No..." She could feel her pulse beating in her ears. It blocked out all other sound except the breath that was raggedly moving in and out of her mouth.
"Jane. Calm down."
"What?" Opening her eyes Jane looks to Alice. "What did you say?"
"Nothing." Alice replies with confusion and a small sniffle. Her eyes red rimmed- she frowns. "What is it?"
'"Right here darling."
Shifting her gaze to the right. She sees her. Oh my goodness she sees her.
Standing near the window with a smile she waves.
Jane is frozen and she cannot believe. She cannot believe what she is seeing.
Smoothing down her dress she steps forward into the beaming light that shone through into the room.
With watering hazel green eyes she smiles. A glimmer in her eye, hands clutching over her heart.
'"Hi pretty girl." She whispers.
Maura whispers.
Eyes explicitly on Jane.
"Maur…"
Author's Note:
Hi :)