What Bliss is this?

Chapter 1

Maura looked at the hospital bed which currently held her best friend in the world. Nobody in her life had made her feel that she was accepted. In all honesty they were polar opposites Jane was athletic and beautiful and cool, yeah that could be used to describe Jane. There was a furrow on Jane's forehead and Maura reached up noticing the slight tremor of her hand. Softly she caressed the brow and watched as her best friend settled back into a restful sleep. It caused an ache to know Jane had been through so much and yet she still rolled with the punches in spite of all the hard knocks. At first she had been unsure about being a mother but she had slowly started making plans of getting a bigger apartment and creating a nursery and what kind of theme she would choose depending on the baby's gender. Now fate had dealt her hand, and there would be no baby. Maura tried to stifle the sob, feeling the loss deep inside of her soul. She had just convinced Jane that she would be welcome to live in her house which was too large for her and truthfully Jane was there every night anyway. The thought of Jane and the baby sharing her house had somehow made her feel complete as if this was what had been missing in her life.

Maura was staring at the wall trying to still her tremulous thoughts when a hoarse voice caught her attention. "Maur…" Jane reached out and pushed a strand of hair off of Maura's forehead. She looked exhausted and disheveled which, when It come to Maura, never happened. "You ok, Maura?" She took in those hazel eyes which never wandered far from her thoughts; she basically knew every emotion that has been seen in those eyes. Right now she read guilt and sorrow in Maura's eyes and wished she could take away her pain.

There was a small sniffle and Maura wiped a stray tear and looked towards Jane with a shaking smile. "I am not the one who had their intestines manipulated with a steel pole. We need to be worrying about you and not me."

"I am fine and will be back to work before you know it." There was little doubt in Maura's mind that she was telling the truth there. No matter what the injuries are and what the doctors said Jane always was back at work long before the allotted amount of time had passed.

"Let's worry about you feeling better before you consider going back to work. Your body has been dealt the maximum amount of trauma which was exacerbated by previous trauma that your intestines had from the shooting." Maura wrapped her fingers around Jane's and kissed her scarred knuckles lightly. It was funny that Maura was the only one Jane would let touch her battle scarred hands. There were still some scars that had not healed from Hoyt. When Jane slept over at night it had become a habit that in the middle of night when evidence of nightmares flowed through the house, Maura would climb into the guest bed and pull Jane close and chase away the demons.

"I know that I rely on science to provide me data but when it comes to you Jane I believe you have someone looking out for you and I will never be able to thank them enough that you are still here with me."

Jane smiled a crooked smile and her gravelly voice carried through the otherwise silent room. "You do not need to worry, I am not going anywhere."

Maura arched her back as she repositioned herself, "I am going to hold you to that but I really wish you would stop travelling without backup."

Jane snickered "We could always try to get you into Homicide. Detective Isles has a nice ring to it.

Maura shook her head "I will stick with bringing justice my way, the dead are far less judgmental than the living."

Jane knew that aside from her family there were very few people who had allowed Maura to feel at ease in their presence. She knew the Chief Medical Examiner considered Janes family a part of her family as her family felt the same way. Angela Rizzolli considered Maura the daughter she always wanted, they shared hot cups of tea and gossip about magazines and Hollywood stars. It amused Jane that she read Hollywood tabloids and Cosmopolitan when an average day reading for the ME usually consisted of titles that Jane could not even pronounce on the best of days.

The detective tried to adjust herself in the bed and gasped as a pain shot through her side. She tried to hide it from Maura but knew it was pointless as her best friend read her better than her own mother did. She could tell on the phone when Jane had a bad day and constantly left little messages of encouragement right at the moment she needed it. If the truth would be told Jane knew for a fact her feelings for her best friend ran much deeper than friends but she would never tell her that because the thought of not having her in her life caused an ache far more intense than any other pain she had ever felt. She tried to make things work with Casey and put her feelings aside but when talk of marriage came up she knew she had to be fair to the soldier. He deserved someone who could love him with her whole heart and unfortunately Jane's heart belonged to another.

"If the pain is too much just push the button to release more pain meds, Jane. There is no need to make yourself suffer, there is nobody here but you and I." Maura could see the lines etched around those beautiful lips and there was a knot in her jaw as she tried to control her pain level.

"Pain, I feel no pain." Jane grinned that grin which always caused Maura's heart to skip a beat. There were all kinds of scientific reasons that her heart accelerated and her breath would catch whenever Jane looked at her with those beautiful brown eyes of hers. It took everything she had to keep her feelings hidden but she would because Jane was truly the most important person in her life. Her life had been spent with people laughing at her and taunting her, judging her for the personality flaws that had kept her alienated her own life. She had not been close to her parents and later had found out she was adopted which had made her question if she had been bad as a infant.

"Despite what you think Detective Rizzolli, you are a mere mortal." Maura reached out and ran her thumb down Jane's cheek and lightly massaged the tightened jaw.

"Who told you that? I will get out of this bed right now and kick their ass." Jane tilted her head and lightly kissed her hand. Anyone who walked in would swear they were seeing a couple because their closeness was evident.

"You will do no such thing. You will keep your gluteus maximus in the bed until the doctor says you can get up and not a moment before."

Jane grinned and performed a salute "Aye, aye cap'n." Maura giggled in spite of the tension that had been in the room thinking of the loss that had been suffered.

"I love to hear you laugh, Maur." Jane was getting tired as Maura had pushed the button without the detective being aware. She knew if it were left to Jane she would just suffer needlessly.

"I love that you make me laugh." Maura said as she ran her thumb down Jane's forehead causing the detective to get drowsy.

"Did Mom go home?" Jane asked struggling to keep her eyes open.

"She did, I promised to call if we needed anything. She knows I am not leaving until you are given a release. Dr Pike is taking over at work." Jane groaned and Maura laughed silently. She knew that the Detective despised the other Medical Examiner.

"I feel for the guys at work." Jane mumbled. She fumbled with the rail on the side of the bed and Maura arched her eyebrow as she watched her. "What are you doing?"

"You have not slept so you are going to get up here and keep me company." Jane saw that Maura was going to argue and Jane pressed her fingers on the Medical examiners lips. Maura swore her temperature just rose twenty degrees and wanted nothing more than to kiss the fingers on her lips and take them between her lips and suck on them, teasing the digits with her tongue. She lowered her gaze knowing Jane would be able to read the desire that was reflected in her hazel eyes. Pulling her hair behind her ear she eased the rail down and gently climbed next to Jane. She knew that she needed the closeness to reassure herself that Jane would indeed be ok.

No sooner than Maura got settled and turned the light down, she heard a light snore in her ear. Smiling, she looked at the peaceful face of the woman she loved. Maura had no idea when she fell head over heels in love but indeed thought it was the first time she saw her. She laid her hand over the steady heartbeat being careful not to touch the bruised flesh with her arm.

She started to hum softly not really paying attention to the tune as Jane's soft breath fell upon her skin causing her to shiver.

"You cold?" Jane's gravelly voice mumbled.

"I am fine, love. Rest." She knew the endearment had slipped but knew the detective would not notice as she was basically asleep. It warmed her to know that Jane watched out for her even in her sleep. She tried to look after Jane but the detective made it hard constantly pushing the envelope and endangering herself.

"K." Jane mumbled and snuggled closer to Maura. Jane's leg covered hers and a muscular lanky arm encompassed her in the warm cocoon of bliss. Maura truly found herself in heaven and closed her eyes as sleep slowly crept into her awareness. The dark unruly hair of the detective was covering Jane's face so Maura pushed it back lightly. She tried not to focus on the feel of warm breath landing on her neck causing a tingle under her skin. Surely Jane had no clue the effect she had on the Medical Examiner if she did she would run hard and fast and Maura knew she would lose the family she had gained as well.

"Sleep, my beautiful angel. I will be here to protect you, there will be no one to harm you tonight." She pressed her lips to Jane's forehead and her eyes closed. Awareness faded as the warmth of the detective lulled her into slumber.