Jane and Tommy, with one of Maura's arms around their shoulder, helped Maura inside.
Angela, by the door, yelled for her other son. "Frankie, come help! They're back from the hospital!"
Almost instantly he came and took Jane's place. "Okay, I…I got her. You alright?"
Maura could barely whisper out a "yeah" as the three of them moved forward slowly.
"I spoke to Korsak. They've got Sensei Matta's guy." Frankie said as Tommy helped Maura to the couch. "You sure you're okay?" He asked his sister.
"Yeah. Let's get her some water." Jane walked to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Tommy was helping Maura prop up her leg on the coffee table, using a pillow as a cushion. "So I didn't tell my pop about knowing you know who."
"I think that's wise." She laughed.
"Do you think I should tell my ma?"
"No!" She yelled out quickly.
This caused some alarm to the nearby Angela. "Tommy, did you hurt her?" She admonished.
"No." He said, offended that she would even think that.
"No, no, he didn't." She said, scooting forward so that Tommy could put a pillow behind her back at the same time that the eldest Rizzoli draped a blanket across her legs. "My surgeon was very impressed with Jane's incisions."
"I always wanted a doctor in the family."
"Well too bad. You've got two cops and…" She looked at Tommy and, deciding to be a nice sister, she just left it at that.
Frankie finished for her. "An undertaker."
"Oh, no no no. I'm not doing that ever again."
Angela laughed and pulled Frankie closer to her. "I've got three great kids!"
Jane sat down next to the injured woman. "No, I think you got a doctor too."
Maura smiled at the comment. "Thanks."
The detective nodded.
"And thank you for saving my leg, Jane."
Said woman could only shrug, not sure what to say to that.
"I think you two should apologize to each other." Angela said, being her mothering self.
"Butt out." The two women on the couch said simultaneously.
She rolled her eyes and looked over at Frankie, who shrugged.
Maura gave Jane a playful punch on the shoulder. "I'm sorry if you are."
"Okay, but I'm less sorry."
The M.E. gave her a look but knew that she was just being Jane.
"No, we were both jerks."
Angela looked at them sternly. "You were both assholes."
"Ma, watch your language!" Said the ex-con.
This caused the doctor to laugh.
"And I didn't really win sweetest camper award." The chocolate-eyed woman confessed.
"You didn't?"
Jane shook her head.
"I missed you." Maura said.
"I missed you too." Her voice conveyed the overwhelming emotion she was experiencing at the moment and her eyes began to water.
They embraced. Jane rubbed Maura's back and reveled in the feeling of being hugged by her best friend, a feeling she was afraid she would never experience again.
After a few moments, Tommy, suddenly feeling very jealous, plopped down on the other side of Maura, though careful of not jostling the couch too much due to her injury. This caused the two to break apart. "So, is there anything I can do for you Maura? Want another blanket? Pillow? Neck massage?"
The M.E. just smiled over at him. "Thank you, Tommy, but I'm fine."
Jane saw what her youngest brother was trying to do and sneered at him before speaking. "What about me, Maura? Is there anything that I can do?"
Said woman looked over at her with a confused look before something came to mind. "Yes, actually. Could you scoot in a little closer? I want to lean against someone."
Before Jane could even register the request, Tommy wrapped his arm around Maura and shifted so their sides were touching. "You can lean against me!"
"Oh!" She exclaimed, surprised at the sudden contact. "Thank you, Tommy." Though she appreciated his eagerness to help, she had asked Jane because she makes her feel safe and comfortable plus another pleasant feeling that she couldn't quite put her finger on. She definitely needed to feel safe after what had happened.
He grinned and shot a smug look in Jane's direction.
She didn't catch it, however, as she got up and walked into the kitchen to get herself a beer. After procuring a bottle, she stood next to Frankie.
"Someone's got a bit of a crush on Maura."
"What? Who told you?" She panicked.
He looks at her oddly before nodding towards their brother. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Oh." She calmed down and laughed nervously. "You meant Tommy."
"Yeah. What'd you think I meant?" Already knowing the answer, he looked over at her with an amused smirk.
"N-nothing."
"Right."He laughed quietly to himself. "So, anyways, I'm – uh… I'm glad you didn't drown, Sis."
She chuckled. "Thanks. I'm glad I didn't either."
"But, seriously, I really look up to you, Jane. If I'm ever half the detective you are I'll be lucky."
"Thank you, Frankie." She said before pushing him playfully. "Now stop being so sentimental."
"Geez, sorry." He laughed.
"Can you two stop horsing around and get out of the kitchen so I can make dinner?" Angela pestered as she walked in.
The siblings just gave each other a look and went into the living room. Jane took her previous seat next to Maura and Frankie sat down on a chair adjacent to the couch.
The four of them sat and watched a random game on TV while dinner was cooking. Then, the male Rizzoli's helped Maura to the table where they had a quick, but satisfying meal. Afterwards, Frankie was put on dish duty and Tommy and Jane helped Maura get back to the couch. This time, Maura attached herself to Jane's side right away.
The detective smiled and wrapped her arm around the other woman protectively. When Frankie came in, she caught the look he was giving her but didn't mind. She was happy where she was right now, even if it wouldn't last.
Maura saw the officer sit down and briefly turned her attention towards him."Frankie?"
He walked over to her. "You need something?"
"I just wanted to apologize for snapping at you earlier."
"Oh… it's okay. It was a little scary though." He laughed.
She shook her head. "It's not. I was – you just said some things that Jane usually said and I just couldn't deal with it. I shouldn't have acted like that."
He smiled. "I understand. It's fine."
"Thank you."
"What exactly did he say?" Jane asked, intrigued and unsure if she should be offended.
The M.E. shook her head. "It's nothing. Just… he said he had a gut feeling about something."
"Hmm." She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and looked toward the TV again.
After an episode of a nonsense show, the eldest Rizzoli called it a night, prompting the two males to get going too. By now Maura was already sleeping against Jane's side who was hesitant about waking her up. Figuring the bed would be more conducive to a restful night's sleep, she shook her arm that was currently in use as a pillow in an attempt to wake the other woman up.
It worked. Jane then got Maura her painkillers and a glass of water before helping her to the master bedroom.
"Jane." The shorter girl mumbled.
"I'm right here, Maura. It's okay." The detective said, laying her down on the bed. She took great care to make sure she didn't hit the injured leg as she tried to get the blanket out from under the other woman and drape it over her.
"Jane." She whined.
She spoke softly. "What?"
"Don't leave me."
"Don't worry." She said, thinking that her concern stemmed from them being angry at each other. "I promise I won't let that happen again." She lowered her voice to a whisper as she carried on. "I love you too much for that." She placed a gentle kiss to Maura's forehead before heading to the door.
"Jane…"
That caused her to stop and turn. "What? Do you need water? Another blanket?"
"Don't leave me."
Her brows furrowed. "I won't leave. I'll be in the other bedroom."
"No. Sleep in here with me." She tried, in her sleepy state, to pat the empty space next to her but it just looked like she had a twitchy hand.
Jane walked over to the bed again. "I can't do that, Maura, I'm sorry. I might kick your leg in my sleep or something."
"I don't care." She mumbled, half asleep. "You make me feel safe."
That caused a smile to appear on her face as she decided to honor the request, though only slightly. She slid under the covers with the intention of getting out of bed when she was sure Maura was fast asleep. This became complicated, however, when the M.E.'s hand searched out and grabbed onto her own. She smiled even wider at that as a warm feeling emanated throughout her body. "Good night, Maura."
"Night Jane." Maura muttered before passing out.
The detective lied there for awhile just thinking about the past few days and how hectic they were. Though she wouldn't trade them for the world given the fact that her best friend is now her best friend again. Throughout her night-time musings she would often glace over at the sleeping woman and smile. She knew she had more than friendly feelings for the doctor but figured it was a lost cause. She's felt a lot of unrequited feelings in her life. Why should the feelings she has for Maura be any different?
Time passed slowly but, eventually, sleep came to Jane. It wasn't too long after she fell asleep that her companion awoke.
Maura looked over at Jane and smiled. She always looked so at peace when she was sleeping which was something she, no doubt, didn't feel very often given her profession. She felt lucky to be able to see her like this but wished there was more. She had an inkling of what that might mean but, since National Guessing Day had already passed, she didn't allow her brain to venture into that territory.
Something that sounded like a crash broke her out of her thoughts. Knowing that she could not get up on her own and, even if she could, she was of no use in her current state, she reached over and shook the other woman awake. "Jane?" She whispered, slightly panicked.
"Mmm… no. Don't put the freeze-pops in the blender." She muttered in her sleep.
"Jane wake up." She tried again, her voice a tad bit louder now.
Said woman turned over and cracked open an eye. "Wh-what? Maura? What is it?"
"I heard something."
Despite only having caught a few hours of sleep, this statement woke her right up. "Like what?"
"A crash. Do you think someone broke in?"
"I dunno. Just stay here." She rolled out of bed and was mentally kicking herself for leaving her gun in the other room. She stayed close to the wall and tried her best to hear where the intruder was. Thinking she heard activity in the kitchen, she slowly crept down the hall and peeked around the corner.
Her eye twitched when she saw the culprit of Maura's worries. "What the –? Tommy? What are you doing here?"
"I, uh… still have a key."
"That's not an answer."
"I wanted to make Maura breakfast."
"I could have done that." Jane grumbled.
He laughed. "Please. You couldn't even make me an' Frankie some hamburgers!"
Jane didn't even respond to that, she just turned around and went back into Maura's bedroom.
She saw the annoyed look on her friend's face and sighed. "I'm sorry. Was it just Bass?"
"Nope. Tommy. He's making breakfast."
"This early? What time is it?"
"Ten."
She seemed surprised at that. "Really? I guess this pain medication threw off my usual sleeping pattern."
"Doesn't matter. You can't do any crack-of-dawn yoga if your leg is like that anyway."
Conceding to that, Maura nodded, and then shifted to the edge of the bed. "Help me up?"
Jane did just that and led her into the living room where she sat her down on the couch and propped her leg back up.
"Morning, Maura!" Tommy greeted. "Sorry if I woke you up."
She shook her head, though he couldn't see as he had turned back around to tend to the food. "I was already awake."
Next to her, Jane mumbled. "I wasn't."
Things in the room stayed quiet for the next few minutes until Angela came in. She stood at the doorway for a second, seemingly processing the scene. "I've never seen you up this early, Tommy!"
He glanced at the clock. "Ma, it's ten-thirty."
She smiled. "I know."
He shook his head. "Whatever. Can you get the plates?"
She nodded and, soon, there was a plate filled up for every person in the house. They ate and talked about what they were going to do for the day.
Minutes later, they were done eating and settled into the couch.
Tommy looked over at his sister. "You wanna get the dishes, Jane? Since I cooked."
She couldn't argue with that but she did shoot him a glare.
Sensing that Tommy wanted to talk to Maura alone, Angela got up and helped her daughter with the dishes.
He just smiled smugly and sat down next to Maura. "How're you feelin' today?"
"Better."
"Good." He scooted a bit closer after glancing over at Jane. "So, I've been thinking and… I know you've said no about a million times before but I hafta ask again. Will you go out with me?"
She laughed at his perseverance. "You already know the answer to that."
He sighed. "C'mon, Maura. We could have something special here."
"I'm sorry but… you're just not the Rizzoli I want to be with."
He paused and considered that sentence. It could only mean one thing. "You like Frankie?"
"No… just – just leave it alone, Tommy. You're a good friend but that's all we'll ever be."
Just as Jane reentered the living room and sat down, Tommy's brows furrowed. Why would she say something like that and then lie. It didn't make any sense until he realized something. Maura couldn't lie. He looked over at her again. How could he have missed that? He thought he paid attention to her before but, clearly, he didn't, as he had never noticed how much more her eyes lit up when they fell upon Jane or just how absolutely radiant her smile becomes when she is with her.
He knew she was right, anyway. They were friends. Pretty good friends, actually. She had opened up her home to him even when his own sister didn't believe he could be trusted. Now it was time for him to pay her back. No matter how much he wanted to be with her, he wanted her to be happy and she was happy with Jane. That much was growing clearer and clearer to him.
He sighed and decided to distance himself on the couch. Silently admitting his defeat.
Maura pressed herself against Jane again and sighed happily. Though her leg still felt massively uncomfortable, this was the best she's felt in quite a while.
"Maura?"
"Yes, Jane?"
"I was thinking… maybe we should talk about what happened. I'm a little afraid of reopening that can of worms but I think… I think we should."
Maura nodded. "I agree. But not right now."
"Definitely not."
"And, who knows, maybe that audiobook will come in handy."
That caused Jane to snort and then pause. "Oh. You were serious?"
Maura laughed and the room was cloaked in silence once again.
"Well, I should get going." Tommy said, standing up. "Need to walk some dogs in a bit."
Angela stood up too. "And I need to get ready for work." She filled up her cup with a little more coffee and went back into the guest house.
Jane took this as a cue to change the channel to what she wanted to watch. As she reached for the remote, however, she was stopped.
"There is something else I wanted to talk to you about. While we're alone."
This worried the detective a little but set the remote down and gave the other woman her undivided attention.
"When you told your mother that you do have a doctor in the family… what did you mean?"
She smiled. "You're part of the family, Maura. Ask anyone and they'll say the same thing." She hesitated before saying the next part. "And, uh… someday I hope it becomes official."
To say Maura was taken aback by that was an understatement. "Wh– what?"
"I, um… I hated being mad at you. But not having you around made me realize just how much I need you in my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Maura, in one way or another."
Maura blinked, processing the words. "But… by official you mean…"
"Marriage maybe. If we make it that far. I – I mean that's even assuming that you even feel the same way about me. Why would you. You're amazing and I'm just – hffmp." She was cut off by a pair of soft lips. But only for a moment.
"I had to do something to shut you up." She said with a wink. "And in case you didn't realize it by now, I do feel the same way."
Jane just smiled and returned the kiss. It was shorter than the first, but only because they heard a door open.
"I'm off to work!" Angela said. "Take care of Maura, Janey."
"I – I will."
The older woman stopped and looked at the two of them.
"What?" Jane asked. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of Maura today, Ma."
"It's not that." She stayed silent for a minute, trying to figure something out as she surveyed the room. "It feels like something's changed but I can't put my finger on it.
Jane smirked and interlaced her fingers with Maura. "Don't worry. I'm sure it'll come to you."
She shrugged and left, leaving two giggling murder-solvers behind.
XXXXX
A/N: Quick question. How do you guys feel about these post episode fics? I'm finding they're getting harder and harder to write so I was wondering if you think it's worth it to continue or not. Let me know with a quick review! Also, side-note, if you decide to Google the name of this fic, stay away from the image search. Don't say I didn't warn you.