Jane slid her key into the doorknob using the light from her cell phone to cut the darkness. She opened the door slowly. The whole house was dark. She eased inside, securing the latch as she did so. The click made Jane cringe. It sounded so loud in the silence of the house.
She removed her boots carefully, placing them next to the door. Her stomach began to gurgle, but hunger didn't seem like it was going to win out over exhaustion.
Jane shuffled through the hall on tiptoes, passing the nursery door to her right. She felt a familiar tug at her heart as she thought of Conner nestled under his blanket in the crib. She had only gotten to see him this morning on her way out as Maura fed him his morning bottle. Frost found a break in the case, a break that led to a fifteen hour work day.
She paused in the doorway, the soft, light blue glow of the lamp called to Jane. All she wanted to do was take him from the crib, kiss his forehead and smell the sweet aroma of the expensive baby wash Maura insisted upon using due to its "hypoallergenic qualities and sulfate-free organic formula." Jane liked to pester her about it. She would never admit it to Maura, but she secretly loved the smell.
She took one step inside of the room, but instantly changed her mind. There was a chance that she might wake him and she knew that she couldn't hold her eyes open long enough to get him back to sleep. Not only that, but she had no idea what kind of day Maura had endured.
With that in mind, Jane left the nursery and moved down the hall. She noticed that Maura's door was cracked slightly and a small stream of dim light tumbled out into the hallway. Jane walked over to it, wondering if she would find Maura reading a book or something.
She peeked in, only to find Maura lightly snoring with Conner sleeping soundly atop her chest. She smiled, not wanting to disturb anything, and moved back to the guest room which had basically become her room to change. She slid into a large t-shirt and a pair of old cotton pajama pants. She grabbed her phone and moved back to Maura's room. This time, she eased her body inside, careful to avoid the floorboards that she knew squeaked.
She gazed down at Maura. Jane could tell that she was equally exhausted. Her left hand rested upon Conner's tiny back, his chest rising with tiny, even breaths. Jane snapped a picture with her phone, her eyes lingering on the screen and delaying the task at hand.
Never in a million years did she imagine that she would love that little boy as much as she did. While Jane could not stand her and she hated what she had done, she would always be grateful to Lydia for leaving Conner on Maura's doorstep.
The moment was so incredibly sweet that Jane hated to be the one to break it up, but she knew that Maura would wake up concerned that he had slept on his stomach, something about SIDS, and be upset with herself for falling asleep.
Jane sighed and slid her hand under Conner's stomach, lifting gently as she positioned her hand on his chest for more leverage. Maura's eyes fluttered open and she gasped, pulling Conner closer to her body. Jane placed her free hand on Maura's arm.
"Maura, it's just me. It's ok."
Maura relaxed back into the mattress, relinquishing her hold on the baby.
"I thought he was rolling off of the bed," she muttered in a gruff voice.
"No, I'm just moving him back to his crib. Go back to sleep."
Maura nodded, and closed her eyes again. Jane re-positioned the baby in her arms and turned off Maura's lamp.
She deposited Conner in his crib. His tiny pink lips parted and he let out a small cry. Jane grabbed his pacifier off of the dresser and eased it into his mouth. She kept her fingers on it lightly, allowing him time to latch on. He sucked contentedly and Jane could not deny the relieved feeling that washed over her.
She turned to see Maura standing in the doorway.
"Maura, what are you doing?"
"I wanted a glass of water." Maura ran her fingers through her mussed hair. "And I forgot to brush my teeth." And I wanted to talk to you.
"How was he all day?" Jane had worried about Maura being home completely alone with him for the first time. Not because she didn't know how to take care of him, but because neither had even been completely alone with him before. Even if Jane or Maura was out, Angela was always near-by.
"He was a little fussy today. I administered infant simethicone drops twice, and it seemed to help. I just hope he isn't getting colicky."
"Me too." Jane turned the baby monitor on and both women left the room and turned towards the kitchen.
"I'm really sorry it took so long today."
"It's ok. They didn't need me in the lab, so I actually got the whole day off."
"Well hopefully I won't be needed tomorrow. Cavanaugh gave me and Frost the day because we worked so long today, unless of course we get called in."
Jane sank to the barstool, leaning her face against both of her palms.
"I should only have to go in for a few hours tomorrow." She noticed how tired Jane looked as she poured herself a glass of water.
"What did you two do today?"
"Conner had a bath and we went to the grocery store. That was an adventure." Maura laughed at the memory.
"Wow, how was that?"
"I was worried because I had never taken him anywhere by myself before, but it proved to be very simple. I used the baby sling; it proved to be quite useful. He slept the whole time." Maura pulled the plate she had made earlier for Jane out of the fridge assuming that she would be hungry.
"I refuse to use it."
"Why? It allows him to remain snuggled into your body, relaxing him, and still allows you the function of both hands." Maura placed the plate in the microwave.
"It looks dumb."
"While it may not be the most aesthetically pleasing baby item, it was incredibly helpful today. I thought that it would be strange going places with him, but it wasn't at all."
The microwave beeped and Maura took the plate out. She set it in front of Jane and got her a fork.
"Thanks."
"The baby sling caught a lot of attention. I had several people ask to see the baby."
"That's why men use babies to pick up women."
Maura laughed, "Well that certainly wasn't my goal, but I can tell you that it would've worked had it been."
Jane tensed at the statement but couldn't really explain why.
"Were you uncomfortable having people come up to you like that?"
"I don't mind showing him off. He's beautiful." Like you, she kept to herself.
Jane smiled. "You're really good with him."
"You are too." Maura placed her empty cup in the dishwasher.
"I couldn't do it without you, you know."
"I know," Maura quipped
"So modest."
"Jane, you're my friend. You needed help."
"On second thought, I could've probably managed."
Maura shot Jane a disapproving look, but she knew that she was joking.
"I wanted to help. I love you two."
Jane smiled, knowing that she couldn't have done it without Maura. She thought back to the first week of taking care of Conner, when she was trying to make it work in her apartment. Maura helped her with the late-night feedings, the endless diaper changes—Jane would not have been able to do all of this without her.
"I know. Thank you, Maura."
"I'm going to go brush my teeth. I'll be right back."
Jane nodded and Maura could tell that she needed to sleep more than anything.
Maura had to admit, the last six weeks had been new and challenging, but she had never been happier. She had liked her life before, but everything was just, better now. Maura no longer came home to an empty house.
Lydia had given Maura a sweet little boy to care for and love, but she had also given her Jane. For once, Maura felt like she had a family of her own.
She moved to the bathroom, noting the obvious changes. There was a small light blue baby bath in the corner of her bathroom, a stack of baby wash rags on the counter, and a basket of various infant grooming tools, baby fingernail clippers, soft bristle infant brush, etc.
A smile danced upon her lips. She loved these changes in her life, even if she did feel tired most of the time. It was worth it.
She brushed her teeth and joined Jane once more in the kitchen.
Maura observed that half of Jane's food had been eaten, but she was passed out on the counter. She ran her right hand across her back to wake her. Jane's head popped up in alarm.
"Why don't you go to bed? I'm going to bed right now myself."
Jane nodded and picked up her plate.
"I'll take it. You just get some sleep."
Maura cleared the plate and placed it in the dishwasher as well. She checked to make sure that Conner had clean bottles for his inevitable evening feedings and moved back to her room. She noticed that Jane's door was closed. A part of her wished that she could go in and lay with her, but she fought the urge.
The clock by her bedside read 11:19. She knew that she would be up again in an hour to feed Conner. She turned the second pillow to lie vertically against her back and curled into a ball. She was asleep soon, but not without first thinking she wished that Jane could be the pillow behind her.
Hope you all liked it! I just had to have some sort of outlet after the finale! I love the idea of Rizzles babies so much!
I'll most likely write more, but there will be no order or anything to them. :) Thanks for reading!