A/N: I don't want to say anything about this story yet, that would make this first chapter less interesting. Just keep on reading and you'll find out.
The first time Jane notices something's wrong, is when she sees Maura change into her pajamas in the evening. Her ribs are way too visible, her hip bones protruding.
"Have you lost weight?" the brunette asks her best friend, voice muffled by the shirt she's pulling over her head.
Maura looks up at her. "Um, I don't know. Maybe a little." This is definitely an odd answer, coming from Maura. She normally keeps track of everything, including her weight. She's hiding something.
"Maura, you're beautiful. You know that right? You don't need to lose any weight."
"I'm not doing it on purpose, Jane," Maura replies softly. "I just ... I don't know why I've lost so much weight. I just haven't been hungry lately."
Jane makes her way over to Maura, until she's close enough to wrap her arms around her. "We're eating together from now on, I don't want you losing any more weight. I'll make sure I'm not upstairs doing paperwork during lunch time. I'll come down to the lab to pick you up every day, okay?" Jane says.
Maura pulls back from their hug to look into Jane's eyes. "Thank you."
The second time Jane notices, is when she walks into the crime lab only to hear Maura coughing loudly. When she rounds the corner, she sees Maura sitting in a chair next to her desk. Maura is always working when Jane comes down to the lab, so the fact that Maura's sitting there can only be described as unusual. As she approaches Maura, she notices how tired and worn out she looks. "You okay?" Jane asks, immediately concerned.
"I'm fine. Shall we go out for lunch?" Maura asks. Changing the subject. That's nothing like her, Jane thinks.
"You're not fine, Maura. You sound as if you have some serious illness, you look like you haven't slept in days. What's up?"
"I must admit that I don't feel well, Jane. It's probably just the flu," Maura says, avoiding eye contact.
"The flu? Not some, I don't know, chemical antecubital syndrome?" Jane jokes. She smiles at Maura, who raises her eyebrows questioningly. "Antecubital wouldn't make sense, Jane. That has to do with the elbow, coughing isn't related to that."
"I know Maur, I was just joking."
"You knew antecubital had to do with the elbow?" Maura asks, surprised. Now it's Jane's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Of course not, Maura. I meant ... whatever. Let's go."
Maura gets up from the chair and follows Jane towards the elevator. When they're standing inside and Jane has pressed the button, Maura looks up to study the brunette's face. The crease in her eyebrow tells Maura that something's bothering her and the purple lines below her eyes show that Jane also hasn't been sleeping very well. Maybe she's having nightmares again.
"Can you stop that?" Jane's voice pulls Maura from her thoughts. "What?"
"Analyzing me. Trying to figure out what my "facial muscles" tell you." Jane says. She doesn't sound angry, just tired. Before Maura can respond, they have reached the level of the parking garage and the elevator doors open. When they reach Jane's car, Maura automatically walks to the passengers side and Jane to "her" side. One of many unspoken rules between the two of them.
Just before they get in the car, Maura coughs again. Jane looks at her over the roof of her car, her eyes narrowing slightly. "If this cough lasts longer than a week, I'm taking you to the hospital. I don't care if you don't want to go or think it's unnecessary." Maura sighs, knowing Jane is right. "Fine," she replies and they get in the car.
The third time is when Maura and Jane are halfway through their usual morning run. Jane notices Maura is slowing down just slightly, something she has never done. Jane doesn't comment on it at first, until Maura stopt running completely and doubles over, as if she's about to throw up. "Stop ... I can't, Jane."
Jane stops running immediately and walks towards Maura. She pulls her to the side of the road and places a hand on Maura's back, noticing her breathing is irregular. "Hey. Slow down. Breathe." When Jane notices that Maura's breathing doesn't even out, she pulls her up and looks into her eyes. "Maura. Breathe with me." Jane places her hands on Maura's shoulders and starts counting. "Breathe in, 2, 3, 4. And out, 2, 3, 4, 5." She keeps on counting until Maura's breathing slows down a little. Jane places two fingers on Maura's pulse point, only to notice that Maura's heartbeat is much quicker than usual. "Your heart is racing, honey. What's going on?"
Before Maura gets the chance to answer, she has another coughing fit. Jane looks at her worriedly, trying to figure out what's wrong. "I'm taking you to the hospital today," Jane says when Maura has stopped coughing. "I've already given you an extra week, Maura. You know I wanted you to go earlier."
"Jane, I'm just tired. It's probably nothing."
It's not nothing. She's a doctor. She knows something's off.
"Maura, you just haven't been yourself. We've been doing these morning runs for years and suddenly you're out of breath when we're only halfway through. And you've had this bad sounding cough for more than two weeks now. I don't trust it." Maura can't disagree with her, because she knows Jane is right. She says nothing.
"Can we walk home?" She asks, hating herself for sounding so weak. "Of course," Jane replies, putting her hand on Maura's back for support.
On their way home, they talk about work. Maura desperately tries to keep the subject "hospital" out of their conversation. She doesn't want to go to the hospital, but mostly she doesn't want Jane to worry about her. Jane on her part is already worried sick. Her mind is filled with a thousand scenarios and illnesses, things that can take her Maura away from her. Hold on, Jane thinks. Her Maura? Before she gets the chance to analyze that thought, they have reached Maura's house.
Jane is working at her desk when her phone rings. "Rizzoli."
"Miss Rizzoli? This is Doctor Browne from Massachusetts General Hospital. You called this morning to make an appointment regarding your friend, Dr Isles?"
"Yes, I did. I made an appointment for tomorrow morning, because today wasn't possible anymore."
"That was indeed the situation this morning, but one of my meetings has just been cancelled. Would it be possible for the both of you to be at the hospital at 4:30 this afternoon?"
"Uhm, yeah. I think that'll be possible," Jane answers.
"You said it had something to do with her lungs, right?" Doctor Browne asks.
"Yeah, she has had a really bad cough for the last two weeks and she's constantly tired and out of breath."
"Okay. You're expected to be at the second floor at 4:30PM. If you take the elevator, you'll see the registration counter immediately when the doors open."
"Thanks a lot. I'll see you then," Jane says. When she hangs up, she sees Frost eyeing her suspiciously. "Sup?" He asks. "It's not for me, just gotta take Maura to the hospital for something," she answers, expertly avoiding the real cause. Frost takes the hint, and being the good friend he is, continues with his work.
Jane picks up the phone again, this time calling Maura.
"Maur? The doctor called, our appointment is this afternoon at 4:30."
"Oh, so it's "our" appointment now?" Maura answers.
What the hell? Jane thinks.
"Uhm, Maura, I'm going with you. You're not going there by yourself. What if it's bad news and -" Before Jane can finish her sentence, Maura interrupts her.
"Yes Jane, that's exactly why I don't want you to come! Don't you understand?" Secretly, Maura wants nothing more than to have Jane be with her in the hospital. Although she won't admit it out loud, she's afraid of what the doctor might say this afternoon. And no matter what, Jane always makes things better.
"I'm taking you there and I'm staying with you. That's what best friends do," Jane answers. When Maura doesn't respond, Jane tries again. "I'll be downstairs at 4, okay?" She hears Maura sigh. "Okay," Maura's voice sounds so small. "I'll see you then."
A/N: Thank you for reading! I'm still not sure if I'm going to continue my first story, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging so I decided to start a second story. This one will certainly have multiple chapters, so be prepared! :)
Again, thanks for reading and please leave me a review. They make me happy.
M.