After braving the snowy roads and the crazy drivers, she finally arrived at Jane's building. She sighed in relief as she shut off her Prius and grabbed the bottle wine she had brought. As she climbed the stairs, the closer she got to Jane's condo the louder the sounds. At first she thought Jane was just yelling at the TV, at some sporting event, like she was known to do. But when she got the Jane's floor she also heard another voice, one she recognized. It was Tommy.
Maura stood at the top of the stairs listening to the storm that was raging in the apartment. She knew it was wrong, but she didn't want to intrude and make everyone uncomfortable. It seemed like the argument was coming to a close because there were long pauses between shouts. When suddenly the door opened and Tommy came out.
Standing in the doorway, Tommy yelled, "Don't forget what I did for you Jane!" Then he slammed the door. He stood looking at the door for a moment breathing hard, trying to gain his composure. He turned around and saw Maura. Maura opened her mouth to speak, but he held up his hand and said, "Don't ask." He brushed past her and started down the stairs, and was gone.
Maura stood there confused when the door opened again and Jane came out. "Tommy if you…" She started. "Oh, Maura. How long have you been here?" she asked, her face turning red with embarrassment.
"Long enough, Jane. I heard the fight with Tommy. What was it about?" Maura asked as she shifted her weight from her left foot onto her right.
Jane sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Not out here, come on in." she said as she turned around.
Jane went to the kitchen and grabbed two wine glasses and brought them to the couch. Maura opened the wine and poured them each a glass. After a few minutes of silence and swirling the deep red liquid, she spoke up. "Jane, what's wrong?"
Jane took a sip from her glass and stared at her hands, "Maura, I have a confession. I've kept this between me and Tommy for years, but I can't keep it in any longer. You might not want to speak to me after I tell you...I'll understand."
"Jane, whatever it is, it can't be bad enough for me to stop being your friend." Maura said as she took Jane's hand in hers, lightly rubbing the scar with her thumb.
Jane took a deep shaky breath and began, "I had just been accepted to the Academy, so me and Tommy decided to celebrate. We took his car to the docks and got shitfaced. We had a disagreement about who would drive home. I know, not a good idea driving drunk, but I was young and stupid. After he fell on his ass it was decided, I would drive." she stopped and took a large swig of wine. "We were almost home...three more blocks and we would have made it. I turned down an alley to cut a few seconds off the drive and at the other side…" she choked back a sob. "At the other side there was someone there. My reaction time was shit from the alcohol and I ran him over." Her head fell into her hands and she cried.
Maura sat silent, staring at the liquid in her glass. She cleared her throat and whispered, "You hit the priest, not Tommy?"
Jane nodded and replied, "He took the blame because he knew how much I wanted to be a cop. He knew I would never get to be on the force, so he said he was driving, alone. He went to prison for me Maura."
She slide over and took Jane's hand and looked at her, "I still care for you Jane. If you ever tell someone else, I will be there for you. I will always be your friend."
"Thank you Maura." Jane sniffled.