Falls Killing Breath
By Deanlu
NOTE: The characters of Rizzoli and Isles are not mine, but the expressed property of Tess Gerritson, and TNT. I do not claim to own them. No copyright infringement intended. I am shamelessly borrowing them for a little piece of fluff.
"How Long?" Maura Isles asked as she walked into the warehouse where other detectives were examining a grid map of the dock area. Maura shivered in the late autumn chill that had set in that day. Maura wrapped her arms around her new Ralph Lauren jacket. The long sleeve warding off the cold from the outside, but it could do nothing for the chill on the inside. Only Jane could shatter the ice that had formed inside and warm her there. Frost and Korsak looked up seeing the tension on Dr. Isles face and knowing the woman before them was barely holding her emotions in check. They both felt for her. Frost walked over and led her to a chair, then handed her a cup of coffee.
"A little over four hours. We are searching building by building. We will find Jane." Maura looked at the grid map of the docks. Multiple buildings had been marked off, but several were still left to be searched. Too slow. They were moving too slow. Night would be falling soon and the temperatures would dip into the freezing mark. Maura had told Jane to wear the fur lined gloves this morning. She knew the scars would hurt with the forecasted weather. Jane had laughed, coming close to Maura.
"You'll keep them warm." Jane had then placed those beautiful hands around Maura's waist, pulled them close and kissed her deeply. Soft bruised lips and dark onyx locks wrapped Dr. Isles in a haze of contentment. Their relationship so new, yet seamless since the day they had met. She just hoped it would get the chance it deserved.
Earlier that day:
Cavanaugh had sent Korsak, Jane, and Frost down to the docks to make some inquiries into the death of a Lily Jameson. Nothing major had occurred and all seemed like a dead end, until they had stopped by one of the warehouse areas right toward lunch time. Jane hated this section because it was a new part right next to the old. If you wanted criminal behavior it normally happened in this area just because the older warehouse area was a maze. It was perfect for doing business and not being seen. Most of the guys from the docks were sitting around eating lunch, giving the police a hard time. Jane, especially, was on the receiving end of some less than polite compliments about her fine ass.
"You know detective, I could make your dreams come true?" McFadden's buddies were enjoying the eye candy and the razzing they were giving the detective. Jane shivered from the wind that blew across the docks, and rubbed her hands together. She should have listened to Maura about the gloves.
"I could heat you up, drive away that chill detective." Low catcalls resounded around Jane. McFadden was suddenly standing close, too close for Jane's liking.
"It would take more man than you! Ever seen her before?" Rizzoli flashed the picture in front of the workers. Jane watched for any facial changes in any of the workers. McFadden's face blanched and he backed off some. Then as fast as lightening a cold mask slammed down .
"If I had ever seen her before, I would have made sure she never left." Suddenly, his words were cold and impersonal. But his eyes never left the picture. Jane noticed, too, he had started messing with a ring on his left hand.
"You're sure about that? Your behavior seems to suggest otherwise." Jane stepped forward, forcing McFadden back. "Maybe you know more than you saying." Jane didn't let up. McFadden seemed to pull his bravado forward, staring the detective right in the eye.
"Maybe I just don't like pussy cops harassing hard working people." McFadden turned to return to his lunch.
"Bobby, isn't that….." McFadden looked at his buddy who shut up immediately. "Like I said, if I had seen her, she would never have left." His buddy contemplated his sandwich and nervously looked at the ground.
Jane decided there was more here than met the eye, but she needed to get the buddy alone. "Yeah, well if you remember anything give me a call." She handed her precinct card over to McFadden and his buddies. Frost was coming back from talking with the dock manager as Jane headed his way. Korsak was still talking with the dock security guard.
"Anything?" Jane asked. Jane watched as the workers began to walk back to their jobs. McFadden and his buddy seemed to be arguing. She pulled her jacket tighter around her. The fall wind blowing across the water made her wish she had listened to Maura this morning and taken the gloves. Already the scars were aching, and the muscles responded in a way she knew she would pay dearly for after work.
"Yeah, seems the dock manager seen Lily Jameson here before with Bobby McFadden. McFadden was her boyfriend from what the manager said. He also said that Lily and Bobby had been arguing the day she disappeared."
"Let's go have a talk with McFadden see what he remembers now. Before we do that, I want to talk to the buddy. He seemed to know more than McFadden wanted him to say. I think they are headed around the side of the building. Come on." Jane and Frost started heading toward where they had seen McFadden and his buddy disappear. She waved toward Korsak who acknowledged them and continued his conversation with the guard.
Just as they rounded the building, Jane saw McFadden strike his buddy across the temple and shove him off the dock. Frost and she took off running. "Korsak, its McFadden. We need you, south side of building. We need a bus too. McFadden just tried to kill his buddy." Frost peeled off and headed toward the buddy in the water while Jane took off in pursuit of McFadden.
"McFadden, POLICE! STOP" He just kept on running. Jane radioed in her location once more as she chased the suspect through the dock area. McFadden entered one of the older buildings near the water, taking the steps two by two toward the higher floors. The old brick warehouse number 46 had seen better days.
God, I need to listen to Maura and cut back on the fatty food, she thought as she ran after Bobby. She just barely slammed herself to the wall as Bobby pulled the gun he had been hiding, and fired downward. The police radio fell off her side and tumbled down the stairs. Shit, all I need. Jane reached down for the radio, made her last contact for her location, and then lowered the volume on the radio all the way down. Bobby had nowhere left to go.
'RIZZOLI, REPORT!" Korsak was desperate. They hadn't heard from Jane for fifteen minutes and the maze of warehouses made it impossible for them to locate her. "RIZZOLI, REPORT!" Unbeknownst to Jane her radio had been damaged when she had slammed into the wall area and it had tumbled down the stairs while trying to avoid Bobby's gunfire.
"Headquarters, this is detective Korsak. We need multiple units out at the warehouse district. Officer missing while in pursuit of a suspect." DAMN you Rizzoli, you better be okay. Korsak did not want to be the one to notify Maura about Jane.
Jane knew she should stop, wait for backup. But she wanted this perp. She knew if she didn't get him now he could disappear very quickly. Slowly she crept up old stairs. They were on the third floor now. She could tell this was one of the older warehouses from the rotting wood floors and the broken windows. She had to be sure she watched where she stepped. "Bobby, come on out. You have nowhere to run." She moved along the third floor between old boxes and doorways.
"No way, detective. She's dead. You know it. I know it. You aren't gonna take me in." Jane had stopped and changed direction toward his voice. She stepped forward and floorboard creaked. Bobby popped out, shooting twice. That's four, Jane stated as she continued her search.
"You were her boyfriend, Bobby. Why? She trusted you?" Jane noticed the late afternoon sunlight was no help as it filtered in the windows casting shadows among the containers still housed on the third floor.
"She was pregnant… I was excited… Offered to marry her… But no, she said it would ruin her life. That we weren't cut out to be parents." He heard the detective moving among the boxes. Then he saw it. A hole in the floor where water had leaked and disintegrated the wood. Just large enough that if he distracted her, he could push her into it and get away. So he kept talking luring her closer and closer.
Keep talking idiot. I almost have you. Damn, where are Frost and Korsak?" Jane knew she was close now
"I didn't mean to strangle her. She just wouldn't shut up." Almost there he thought. Jane came around the side of the stacked boxes. Bobby lunged batting her gun away and shoving her toward the break in the floor. The cracking of wood and the sound of Detective Rizzoli's scream resounded through the warehouse. She hit the next floor and didn't stop. Breaking through the weaken wood she hit the ground floor and it cracked, and gave way. The next second all Jane felt was ice cold water, then darkness.
Bobby inched close to the hole, and smiled. "That'll teach the Bitch!" He picked up Jane's gun from where it had fallen. Bobby moved quickly through the warehouse maze, attempting to avoid the police officers searching for Rizzoli and him. He got about 12 warehouses away, almost home free he thought.
"Don't move. Put your hands up." Frosts voice echoed from behind him. He put his hands up swearing. Korsak quickly shoved him against the wall. Searching Bobby quickly, Korsak asked, "Where is Detective Rizzoli?" McFadden could hear the anger and tension in the officer's voice.
"Don't know what you're talking about. The dumb bitch couldn't keep up. Lost her somewhere back there." Bobby knew as long as they didn't have a body, he was okay.
"Really? Then why do you have her gun?" Korsak punched him in the kidneys. Bobby sagged against the wall. "Where is she?"
Bobby coughed, "I don't know and I hope the dumb broad dies." Just before Korsak could punch him again Frost intervened. Squad cars arrived and took him away.
"You should have let me keep going." Korsak told Frost as he watched the squad take him away.
"No, we have to find Jane. He has nothing to lose. He probably killed Lily, so one more dead body isn't going to bother him. Jane is nearby and from the way he was talking we don't have much time." Frost looked back at the maze of warehouses. Where are you Jane?
Jane came too. She was wet, cold, and she seemed to be pinned against something. Her head and chest were above water. But the rest of her seemed to be stuck. She leaned forward, but the pain in her head almost made her throw up. "Ahhh, shit. Maura's gonna kill me. I promised to stop doing stupid shit." She couldn't stop shaking and leaned back against the beam she was pinned against. She attempted to move whatever was pinning her, only to receive a sharp pain that lanced up her legs and into her pelvis. She looked up toward the floor she fell through; the light was starting to wane. Well, add falling through a building from three stories up to my list of things done. She leaned back as the world began to fade out.
6 HOURS LATER…
"We are down to 3 warehouses. Frost and Korsak took warehouse 46." Cavanaugh was briefing several officers. Maura listened to the radio messages going back and forth. Cavanaugh sat next to her. "We will find her Maura. I swear to God we will find her." Pale and drawn, Maura could only nod. Jane you promised, no more stupid shit. What am I going to do with you? God please let her be okay.
Korsak and Frost went through the warehouse quickly. Frost noticed the hole in the floor first. As he approached he could hear low moaning coming from inside. "Jane? Jane, are you in there?" He leaned over the edge as pieces of it gave way. "Shit!" Korsak pulled him back. Turning on a flashlight he handed it to Frost, and they peered over the edge.
"Oh My God." There was Jane soaked, shivering uncontrollably, and pinned by what seemed to be a section of the floor. Korsak radioed back to the main warehouse. "We need paramedics, and emergency fire crew. We have found detective Rizzoli. Over."
Cavanaugh's voice broke through, "Tell me her status. Over." Maura had leaped from the chair and was holding onto his arm.
"She is below warehouse 46 trapped by a section of the floor that gave way. She appears to be submerged to her waist in water. She seems to have suffered head trauma. That's all we can tell from here. The floor is unstable, so we cannot get any closer. Over."
"Jane! Jane!" Frosts voice penetrated Jane's haze. Carefully she moved head to peer up through the floor. Her brown eyes blinked in the light. Her head ached, she couldn't feel her legs anymore, and she just wanted to go to sleep. "Took you long enough. Can you get me out of here?"
"Yeah, just hang in there. Stay Awake Jane." The sound of sirens and medical crew soon flooded the area. Maura was on scene in seconds, Cavanaugh leading her to Frost and Korsak while they waited for the Fire Crew to get Jane out. It took 40 minutes to unpin Jane and stabilize her, before she was lifted out. As she was being loaded in the ambulance, Maura was finally able to grab hold of her hand. She shivered from the cold she felt in Jane. It would be close Maura knew as they closed the doors to the ambulance and the EMT's set to work.
"Detective Rizzoli, can you hear me? The EMT was worried. The body temperature was low and the detective was phasing in and out of consciousness. Her heartbeat was erratic, and pulse was slower than normal. Everywhere the EMT pealed back clothing Jane was covered in bruises and lacerations.
"Cold, soooo cold." Jane could never remember being this cold. She just wanted to sleep. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered a discussion with Maura about the effects of hypothermia when they had pulled a young boy from ice cold waters last winter.
"I don't understand, he has to make it. We got him out. All they got to do is warm him up." The worried tone in Jane's voice was causing Maura to explain.
"No, Jane, it's not that simple. The body maintains a relatively stable temperature whereby heat production is balanced by heat loss. Normally, the core body temperature is 98.6 degrees Farenheit or 37 degrees Celcius. When the outside environment gets too cold or the body's heat production decreases, hypothermia occurs. Hypo meaning less and thermia meaning temperature. Body temperature is controlled in the part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which is responsible for recognizing alterations in the body temperature and responding appropriately.
The body produces heat through the metabolic, processes in cells that support vital body functions. Most heat is lost at the skin surface by convection, conduction, radiation, and evaporation. If the environment gets colder, the body may need to generate more heat by shivering. But if heat loss is greater than the body's ability to make more, then the body's core temperature will fall. As the temperature falls, the body shunts blood away from the skin and exposure to the elements. Blood flow is increased to the vital organs of the body including the heart, lung, kidney, and brain. The heart and brain are most sensitive to cold, and the electrical activity in these organs slows in response to cold. If the body temperature continues to decrease, organs begin to fail, and eventually death will occur. For some reason Jane felt that was important right now. She just couldn't think clear enough to know why.
"Jane, stay with me. You need to stay awake Jane. Please Jane. I need you….please" Maura was watching Jane's vitals and they weren't good. Maura knew hypothermia had set in to Jane's body. Hopefully, they had gotten to her before any serious damage had been done. Jane's eyes opened, but had trouble focusing on Maura.
"Maura?…K, staying." Maura continued to whisper to Jane, making sure her eyes stayed open and on her. EMT's continued their communication with the hospital adding another blanket from the compartment in the back. Arriving at the hospital Jane was rushed back, while Maura was held back by the nurse. An hour later, Korsak, Frost, Angela, Tommy, and Frankie waited to hear any news about Jane. Frankie was holding Maura whispering to her, while Korsak held Angela talking in hushed voices.
Doctor Rivers came out 20 minutes after the family arrived. "Dr. Isles and Ms. Rizzoli?"
"How is Jane Doctor?" Maura thought her heart would drop from her chest if she didn't hear him say the words she wanted to hear.
"She is going to be fine. She is suffering from mild hypothermia, two cracked ribs, and a mild concussion. The area where her legs were pinned is bruised and torn badly, but we sutured the lacerations, began treatment with antibiotics and will be monitoring the next 24 hours closely. We are slowly raising her body temperature and are confident she will be able to go home in a couple of days. She was very lucky. She has not developed any frostbite or Chilblains. Had she been in the water longer, she might not have been so lucky." Maura felt light headed as all the stress just drained from her body. Frankie held on to her. Angela cried on Korsak's shoulder. While Frost and Tommy gave each other punches and high fives! Frost immediately got on the phone calling Cavanaugh and the precinct.
"Can I see her?" Maura asked. She had to see her, reassure herself that the doctor was right. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. It was just she didn't trust anyone with Jane. She had seen in the ambulance how difficult it had been for her to stay in the moment. She needed to see her.
"Yes, she has been asking for you." Maura walked back with Angela. The doctor pulled back the curtain, to reveal a pale Jane, head stitched from a cut, covered in warm blankets. Angela leaned over, kissing Jane on the forehead. She whispered something in her ear, but Jane never budged from sleep. She stood there a while longer as Maura raised the blankets checking Jane's injuries. Angela so wanted to yell at her daughter for taking stupid risks, for putting Maura through HELL, and for endangering herself once more. But she was just thankful she had her baby girl still. She would have Korsak stop by the church on the way home to offer one more prayer of thanks.
"I'm gonna go home Maura. I will bring back some food for you, a change of clothes, and feed Bass. Okay?" Maura nodded, not even really listening. Just looking at the woman she loved and being thankful she got one more day. Angela slipped out as Maura pulled the chair next to the bed. The nurse came in and hung two bags of warm IV solution, then replaced the blankets with new warm ones. "We will be moving her in a couple of hours to a room. Doctor Rivers wants to make sure there were no complications with the hypothermia." The nurse left after this and Maura had a few minutes alone with Jane.
"Jane, what am I going to do with you?" Maura gently caressed Jane's face. Jane's body temperature had increased though she still felt cold to Maura. "I can't live without you." No, that wasn't quite right. Maura could live without Jane, but what she would be without her would only be a shell of her previous self. "I don't want to live without you. So you better heal fast, because the nights and days are lonely without you." She spread soft kisses across her forehead and continued to hold her hand.
"She's a hard one to love Maura, but she is worth it." Korsak stood in the doorway admiring the loving look Maura was bestowing on Jane. He was happy they had found her in time. But he was sure going to lay into her over running off without cover.
"I know, but she promised Korsak. She promised." Tears fell from Maura's eyes landing gently on the blanket surrounding Jane.
"Yes, she did. And Frost and I plan to give her what for, when she gets out of here." Korsak hugged Maura gently. He then walked over to the other side of the bed. He bent over and whispered in Jane's ear, then smiled at Maura. "She will be back to a 100 percent soon. Don't worry."
"What did you say to her Korsak?" Maura asked curiously?
"Nope, that's between Jane and I. Get some rest Maura." Korsak left. Frankie, Frost, and Tommy all visited and then Maura was left alone with Jane.
"Jane, I swear if you ever do something stupid like this again…..Oh, I will tie you to the bed and not let you out of the house for a week." Maura whispered anger and relief woven into her words while she continued to caress Jane's face.
"Oka….."Jane's voice cracked from lack of moisture. Maura gave her sip of water from the nearby cup. "I thought you were to punish me, not make me repeat the action." Jane smiled one of her trademark smirks. The thought of being tied up by Maura for a week brought wonderful thoughts to Jane's mind.
"Oh, Jane… I love you." Maura hugged her close. Suddenly Jane wasn't as cold as before.
"Love you too, Maur….Sorry." Maura just nodded into Jane's shoulder and held on to her lover. Life was so fragile. They would take the time they were given and be thankful for each day.