"She's awake! Frank, get in here, Janie's awake!"
Jane started at the sound of her mothers voice. Her eyes struggled to focus on the figures hovering at her bedside, and her groggy brain tried to make sense of a sudden abundance of noise around her.
"Frost, go get Korsak. Tell him she's regained consciousness."
Jane smiled at this other familiar voice, at the gentle hand holding hers, and at the large attentive eyes gazing at her with a mixture of happiness and concern.
"Hey," she croaked.
Maura smiled.
"Hey. How are you feeling?"
"Like I just got shot in the gut. And like I wanna buy a beer for the guy who invented morphine."
"Look at that, hardly awake and already cracking jokes. She must be doing better."
Jane whipped her head around at the sound of her brother's voice. He lay in the bed next to hers, with a large bandage around his torso and an IV in his left arm. The two shared a smile.
Jane looked down at her own abdominal binding.
"Hey. We match."
Frankie gave a small chuckle, and immediately winced.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Doctors fixed me right up. Be back on the job in a few days."
Angie shot him an incredulous glance that didn't go unnoticed.
"…Or a couple weeks. But thanks to Miss Maura here, I'm gonna be fine."
Jane turned to beam at her best friend.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me. He's like the brother I never had, how could I let him…"
Maura's voice trailed off, avoiding the unpleasant thought of what might've been.
"And Bobby?"
Korsak spoke from the doorway.
"Bullet pierced his right lung, bounced off his spine, and embedded in his heart. He didn't make it to the hospital."
Jane gazed down solemnly.
"You're a hero, Jane."
Maura grasped Jane's left hand in both of hers and gazed at her sincerely.
Jane couldn't help but smile.
"And Bass? He eating again?"
"Bass? Oh, I haven't checked. I should probably have someone go feed him…"
"Yeah, you should," Jane replied with attitude. "Turtles need food too. Err… tortoises. What about Jo Friday?"
Just then a bark came from Frankie's bed and Jo, hearing her name, jumped down from Frankie's lap and bounded into Jane's.
"Hey there. What are you doing here?" Jane said, ruffling the dog's fur.
"I told the nurses she was a therapy dog," Frost said with a smile. "Korsak couldn't stand the thought of her cooped up in your apartment alone while her owner took a seventy-two hour nap."
"Wha… seventy-two hours? I was out for three days?" Jane looked to Maura with a scolding smile. "And you still haven't fed your turtle?"
"Tortoise."
"Your friend has been at your side the entire time," Angela said. "I think she even slept here. You're lucky to have her."
"See, Ma? I don't need a man to worry about me, I have Maura!" Jane said with a grin, and Maura blushed.
"What about Tommy? He around?" Jane asked.
Angela's face fell, and Frank replied "He decided he'd rather go to Atlanta with his buddies than see his family. We tried to contact him when… when this happened, but…"
Angela interrupted. "But it just kept going to voicemail!" she wailed.
Maura stood up and placed her hand on Mrs. Rizzoli's shoulder. "Hey. Both Jane and Frankie are okay, and that's what matters, right?"
"Yeah, I suppose. But this just proves it, ya know? It's too dangerous. First Frankie gets shot… You know, they said that if he wasn't wearing a vest, and if Dr. Isles hadn't been there, he'd be dead. Dead. Then my baby girl…"
"Angela. Angela." Frank finally cuts her off. "Not now."
Maura and Frank are physically supporting the crying woman. Frost and Korsak stand near the doorway awkwardly. Jane looks down at her hands in shame and guilt.
"Ma…" Frankie starts, then doesn't know what to say.
Maura notices the pain evident on Jane's face, and leaving Angela in the arms of her husband she returns to her seat at Jane's side and grasps her hand.
"Hey. Are you okay? Do you need more painkillers? I could go get a nurse…"
Jane gives a small, forced smile, and shakes her head. It finally dawns on Maura that the pain isn't physical, but emotional.
"Hey, look at me. Hey. This is not your fault. I'm not saying you didn't scare the hell out of me…"
Jane looks up, surprised at the mild but rare curse coming from Maura's mouth.
"… But what you did takes courage. You are a hero. I'm proud of you."
The two women shared a heartfelt smile, and the dark mood that had permeated the room was lifted.
Then a nurse walked in with a clipboard and a new bag for both Jane and Frankie's IVs, and started to usher everyone out. Maura was the last to exit, and Jane shouted to her as she was almost out the door.
"Hey! Get some sleep, okay? I'm not going anywhere."
Maura smiled and walked out.
"And feed your turtle!"
"Tortoise!" was the only reply as the door closed behind her.
"Oh, and Jane?" Maura added, re-entering the room halfway. "Friedrich Sertürner died in 1841."
"Huh?"
"He discovered the analgesic properties of morphine." Maura smiled and left.
Jane lay back and smiled as the nurse discarded the used IV bag and started to check her blood pressure. Then she noticed for the first time just who her nurse was.
"Um… Hey, Jorge."
"Hello Jane. You know, when Maura told me you were gay, I didn't know that meant you two were in a relationship. But after the way she fawned over you while you were asleep, I can definitely see it now. You two make a really cute couple." He winked and exited the room.
Frankie turned to Jane with a teasing smile, his right eyebrow raised almost to his hairline.
"He just assumed!" Jane said defensively, looking for something to throw.
"Mm-hmm."
"Oh, shut up!"