Maura had been gone for 8 days now. Jane couldn't focus out in the field so Korsak gave her desk work but she couldn't even do that. Maura had disappeared and no one knew where she was. The BPD had filed a missing persons report.
Jane's head was swimming with scenarios that all ended with Maura lying dead somewhere. Jane wished she could help find her friend but there was no evidence. No signs of a struggle at her apartment or down at the ME's office.
Jane was deep in thought when her phone rang. She jumped and reached for it. Maybe it's Maura, Jane thought, but she was wrong. The number had a New York City area code and she didn't recognize it. She picked it up and spoke shakily. "Hello?"
The voice on the other end was female and the person sounded kind and concerned. "Hello, this is Detective Olivia Benson. Is this Detective Jane Rizzoli?"
"Yes."
The detective continued quickly. "I have some news." Jane gasped and Olivia continued, "We know that you reported Dr. Maura isles missing 7 days ago. How do you know her?"
"She is my best friend and we work together. Why? Have you found her?" Jane's heart leapt at the thought of her friend coming home and walking through the elevator doors onto the homicide floor.
Olivia answered. "Yes, we did. She was found unconscious in Central Park. She was raped." Jane gasped so loud that Korsak and Frost turned and stared. They noticed how pale her skin had gotten and how horrified she looked. Both made their way over to her. Olivia heard Jane's reaction and decided to continue quickly before the shock fully set in. "Will you please come to New York City to get her? She is in Mercy General Hospital"
Jane jumped up out of her seat and fumbled with her coat. "Yes, of course. I'm leaving right now." With that Jane hung up and headed to for the door. Korsak called out but Jane was gone.
Jane blindly walked through the hospital doors and up to the desk. There, she got Maura's room number and headed that way. When Jane reached the door she was stopped by 2 detectives. She stared at them in disbelief. Why were they trying to stop her from seeing her best friend who'd been raped? The male detective stood tough like he owned the place but the female detective looked compassionate.
Then female spoke "Who are you?"
Jane tried to sound confident but her voice was shaky and she was on the verge of tears. "I'm Detective Rizzoli. You must be detective Benson. You called me here so I could see Maura." Jane tried to push past them but the male detective stood in her way.
Benson looked at the male detective and spoke softly. "Elliot you have to let her pass." The man moved and Benson spoke again. "You can go in now. She just woke up." With that Jane ran past them but froze in the doorway.
She had never seen Maura look this bad before. Her hair was a rat's nest and her face was covered in bruises along with her arms and probably the rest of her body. She had minor cuts all over, too. But the worst part was her eyes; they were so dull and lifeless which was so unusual for the usually happy Maura.
Jane stepped forward with caution and Maura finally noticed she was there. At the sight of Jane, Maura's eyes lit up. "Jane." Her voice was scratchy which was probably from screaming for help. She held out her arms and Jane ran forward and hugged her best friend gently. Maura was crying now.
Detective Benson stepped into the room and closed the door. She came in and sat next to Maura's bed. "Maura, we need you to tell us what happened."
Maura started shakily. "I was on my way home from the ME's office and I was walking because it was nice out. Suddenly he had a cloth over my mouth. I blacked out. Then next thing I remember is waking up in a cement room. There was another person in the room. A little girl. Her name was Katherine and she was 14. She told me that she had been there for about a month and that I should be prepared for the worst time of my life."
Maura lets a small tear slide down her face. "The poor girl. She showed me her bruises and then she told me how often I would be raped and how little I would be fed. She was barely able to move she was so malnourished. Then the man walked in carrying a baseball bat. He…he started to beat her with it." Maura looks at Jane with such pain in her eyes that Jane turned away.
"I moved over to her and tried to protect her. I put my body over hers and he started to beat me. Then he said that for denying him the joy of beating Katherine, he was going to rape me. And he did. He did it every day to Katherine and me."
Maura suddenly tried to get out of bed but Jane held her down and started to murmur comforting words. Maura just shook her head. "No. You don't understand. I have to find her." She looked at Detective Benson. "Do you know where she is? Do you know where Katherine is?"
Benson nodded and spoke. "Yes but she will not talk to any of us. Maybe she will talk to you. Will you please try?" Maura agreed and Detective Benson left to get a nurse's approval.
When she was gone Jane started to talk to Maura. "Oh my god Maura! I am so glad you are ok. I was so scared." Jane hugged Maura again as a tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it away and Maura grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
Maura's voice was hollow. "I am glad that I will get to go home but I won't leave Katherine until we find her family. She went through more than anyone can ever imagine."
Before the conversation could go any farther, Detective Benson walked in. "The nurse will allow you to go down the hall with me to Katherine's room. If you will please follow me."
Maura stood in the doorway held up by Jane and Benson. Jane was shocked into silence by what she saw. The girl in the hospital bed looked like a ghost. Her hair was tattered and dirty. Her eyes were sunken into her face. Her bones showed through her papery skin which was mismatching shades of black, blue, and purple.
When she spotted Benson and Jane she started to yell but then Maura stepped forward and she stopped. Maura walked up to the side of her bed and took the girl's hand. The girl stared up at Maura and her lower lip began to quiver. Maura whispered, "It's okay, Katherine." With that the girl began to sob.
Benson tapped Jane's shoulder and pointed to the hallway. Jane understood and closed the door. Benson and Jane watched through the window into the room as Maura sat down on the bed and lay down, still holding the girl in her arms as the girl sobbed and shook. When she finally stopped crying, Maura and Katherine started talking. Sometimes Katherine would cry, sometimes Maura would cry, and sometimes they would both cry.
After both of them being alone together for an hour Maura finally let Jane and Benson in. Katherine was still scared of the 2 women but with Maura next to her she was a little more confident. Jane realized had the brightest blue eyes. She whispered in Maura's ear and Maura smiled.
"Katherine, this is my best friend Jane Rizzoli." She stopped and stared questioningly at Detective Benson. "And this Detective Benson. She is going to ask us some questions that we need to answer ok?" Katherine nodded. Benson asked her questions and Katherine answered them though sometimes they were hard to make out through her heavy sobs. Once Detective Benson was done with her questions she left after posting a police officer on the door. She also said that there was one on Maura's door too.
Katherine was tired and soon fell asleep in Maura's arms. Jane sat close to Maura and they talked for a while until Maura's eyes drooped. Jane told Maura to sleep and soon all three were fast asleep.
(2 days later)
Maura smiled just like she used to as her and Jane and Katherine stood outside the NYPD building. Detective Benson stood outside with them. She was making sure that they were ok enough to return home. It had been a hard past couple days and they all looked tired.
Katherine was still puffy-eyed from being in court and she clung to Maura's side. Jane had stuck close to both girls to make them feel safe. Every time they were around, Jane always made a big show of adjusting her gun.
Court had been tough on all three of them. It was hard especially on Maura and Katherine. They had to relive the tragedy in deep detail. Katherine sometimes cried for hours and even Maura broke down often. It was even hard on Jane, having to hear in detail what happened to her closest friend. It made her heart hurt just to think about it.
Detective Benson had done all she could trying to help Katherine find a home but the young teen was stubborn and would only live in Boston close to Maura. That was okay with Maura and Jane but it made it even harder to find her a place to live.
Now the girls were ready to return to Boston. Katherine would ride to town with them and Jane would drop her off at her new home 6 blocks away from Maura's and 8 blocks away from the BPD. Then Jane and Maura would go to Maura's house where Jane's mom was waiting along with Frankie, Korsak and Frost.
As the three climbed into Jane's car, Jane thought back at what a crazy 10 days it had been. Jane had thought she had lost her best friend forever. Then she was shocked to hear that her friend had been violated in the worst way. And finally Jane realized what kind of sickos are out there that would rape a woman and a child in front of each other and then beat them with a baseball bat.
Jane looked over and starred at her best friend then looked at Katherine in the back seat, asleep. Jane realized how lucky she was to have these people in the car with her and how shaky life could be.