The hospital is eerily quiet as Jane walks down the sterile hallway towards the nurses station; the heel of her boots click loudly against the linoleum.
She waits patiently for the nurse, whose name badge reads Melissa, to finish her phone conversation and look at her before speaking.
"I'm here to see, um," Jane glances down at the piece of paper in her hand, "Maura Isles."
"And you are?" Melissa asks.
"Jane Rizzoli," she answers and quickly sweeps the fabric of her blazer to the side, flashing her badge. "Detective."
The woman glances from the badge to Jane's face. "I haven't been notified of any suspicious activity related to the patient's injuries, detective."
"Sorry," Jane replies, shaking her head. "Habit. I'm not here on police business."
Melissa raises an eyebrow. "Well then, what can I help you with?"
"I'm here to see Maura Isles," Jane repeats. "I'm her emergency contact." She recites her phone number and waits for Melissa to verify that she is indeed listed as the emergency contact. Well, sort of.
Melissa grabs a clipboard from behind the counter and motions for Jane to follow her as she begins walking down a different hallway than the one Jane had come through earlier. "Right this way, detective."
They walk in silence, turning left and right until Jane is certain she won't be able to find her way back to the entrance. She almost bumps into Melissa as she abruptly stops in front of their destination.
"She just got out of surgery. I would expect her to be waking up within the next hour or so﹣"
"Jesus," Jane interrupts as she catches sight of the woman in the hospital bed. "What happened?"
"Car accident. Four vehicles involved. From what I've been told, Dr. Isles here was hit when a car traveling in the opposite direction hit a patch of black ice, lost control of their vehicle and swerved into oncoming traffic."
"Oncoming traffic meaning her?" Jane asks, gesturing to Maura.
The nurse nods.
"Casualties?"
"One." A sad expression casts over her features. "I'm sorry, two."
The two of them are quiet for a moment, watching the monitors and listening to the rhythmic beeping. Neither speak until Melissa is interrupted by her pager. "Excuse me," she says and walks towards the door.
"Hey, wait," Jane calls out.
The young woman is moving so fast, her sneakers squeak as she comes to a halt.
"If... when she wakes up, what should I do?"
Melissa gives her a small smile. "Hit that call button," she instructs, pointing to the device near Maura's bed. Before Jane can ask what she should say, the nurse is already out the door.
Jane looks back at the bed, suddenly feeling terribly out of place. She sighs heavily and presses her thumbs into recently healed scar tissue before sitting on a chair beside the bed. She takes the opportunity to study the woman next to her and makes mental notes of the injuries visible. Fresh stitches hold together a line of broken skin across her right cheek bone and up to her hairline. The skin beneath both eyes had already begun to discolor and swell with dark shades of purple. Most likely from the airbags, Jane thinks. Small cuts and bruises form patterns along Maura's chest, arms and hands. She's afraid to uncover the injuries hiding beneath the hospital gown.
Jane isn't sure how long she has been sitting at Maura's bedside when her phone buzzes loudly, pulling her from her daze. She reads the caller ID and decides to take it, answering quietly before stepping outside.
When she returns minutes later, Maura is struggling to sit up.
"Hey," Jane nearly yells, "easy." She rushes to the bedside and rests a hand on Maura's shoulder, easing her back down. Jane is about to press the call button when she feels a gentle squeeze on her wrist. She looks down at Maura who is visibly in pain, eyes wide.
"Wait," Maura's quiet, scratchy voice instructs.
"Let me just page the nurse," Jane replies, but another squeeze to her arm tells her to stop.
"Please... just tell me what happened," she says before closing her eyes.
Jane sighs and sits on the edge of the bed. "I don't know much," she admits. "The nurse said you were in a car accident."
"What are my injuries?" Maura asks, eyelids fluttering open to look at Jane.
"From what I can see, you have stitches on your cheek, some pretty wicked bruising and swelling around your nose and under your eyes. But that's about all I can tell you."
Maura nods before taking a deep breath. Or at least, attempts to. She makes a noise of discomfort and takes a few quick breaths. Jane can tell by Maura's reaction that it was a painful move.
"Fractured ribs," Maura says after a moment. She closes her eyes once again as she tries to asses other injuries. Jane takes the opportunity to press the call button before resuming her position on the edge of the bed. She catches Maura looking at her. Analyzing her.
"Did the doctor say anything about a head injury?" Maura asks. "Is that why I don't recognize you?"
Jane smiles.
"I haven't talked to your doctor, but head injury or not, you wouldn't recognize me."
Maura's swollen face wrinkles in confusion.
"We've never met before?"
Jane shakes her head.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm listed as your emergency contact."
"What?"
"Well, my number is. I was assigned a new phone after..." her voice trails off as she looks down at her hands and rubs them together nervously. Maura follows her line of sight and when Jane notices her looking at her scars, she quickly shoves them between her legs. She clears her throat. "Um, anyway. I guess whoever had the number before must've﹣"
Her explanation is cut short by a knock on the door from Maura's doctor.
"Well hello there, Dr. Isles," the woman says cheerfully. "Glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
Maura smiles apologetically at Jane before directing her attention to the doctor.
"I feel a headache coming on. And it's quite painful when I breath. Fractured ribs?" she asks.
The doctor smiles and nods. "Three of them," she confirms and begins to explain the extent of Maura's other injuries, recovery time, etc. Jane feels like she's intruding on her privacy, but not enough to get up and leave.
"And the accident?" Maura asks, reminding Jane that she still doesn't know what happened to her. Jane listens as the doctor retells the story.
"Casualties?" Maura asks nervously.
The doctor nods again. "The driver of the car that hit you was killed on impact. You're lucky, Dr. Isles. It could've been a lot worse."
While she appreciates the sentiment, Maura is not comforted by the statement.
"Well, that's ev﹣"
"Wait," Jane interrupts, surprising both doctors. They each look at her.
"Melissa, the nurse who was in here earlier, said there were two casualties. Did the other pull through?"
The doctor looks confused and glances down at her notes before realization hits, taking on a sullen expression.
"I suppose it depends on how you look at it, but," she glances from Jane back to Maura. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this Dr. Isles, but the baby didn't make it."
Jane looks down at Maura. Confusion is evident in her features.
"Baby? What baby?"
The doctor looks at Jane. "She didn't know?"
"Didn't know what?" Jane pushes.
The doctor looks visibly distraught as she turns her attention to Maura.
"You were just over six weeks pregnant."
"Shit," Jane exhales.
"What?" is all Maura can say. Her tone, her face, her everything makes Jane want to wrap the woman in a hug. She instead opts to reach out for her hand. It's awkward and out of character for her, but she can't help but try to offer some support.
"I'm so sorry. A nurse will be by shortly to administer another dose of pain medication. It will help make breathing a little easier for you," the doctor says before exiting the room.
It's quiet for a long time and Jane struggles with Maura's unreadable expression. She squeezes the hand in her own and waits.
The action seems to pull Maura from a daze; her free hand subconsciously goes to rest on her lower abdomen. Her fingers flex protectively.
She starts to cry.
The sight is so heartbreaking, Jane can't decipher the tears of pain from the tears of distress. Maybe there isn't a difference. She lets Maura cry until it's clear that the emotional release is causing too much distress to Maura's injuries.
"Easy," Jane says softly as she gently brushes hair away from Maura's face. She isn't sure where the sudden urge to comfort came from, but she's grateful for it. "I know it hurts," she pauses, "all of it, but just breathe for me. Alright?"
Maura looks up at her with watery eyes and tear-stained cheeks. She gives a small nod before focusing her attention on breathing.
"There we go," Jane says after a few calming breaths. She's a bit thrown off by this nurturing side of herself, but it doesn't stop her from gently swiping the pad of her thumb beneath each eye, careful to avoid the path of stitches. Feeling Maura's eyes on her, watching her closely, she attempts to lighten the mood.
"Those tears can't be good for your stitches."
"Actually," Maura replies in a voice that's quiet and tired, "the salt produced in tears can be helpful in disinfecting wounds."
"So next time I'm injured I should literally just cry over it?" Jane asks jokingly and is rewarded with a small smile that she can't help but return.
The room once again falls quiet.
"Is there anyone I can call?" Jane asks. "Your actual emergency contact? Boyfriend, parents, whoever?"
Maura carefully shakes her head.
Jane doesn't question her, but Maura explains anyway.
"It's... complicated."
"Ok," Jane replies simply. "No more questions."
"I have one," Maura says softly.
"Shoot."
"How do you grieve the loss of something you never even knew you had?" Her voice cracks with emotion.
The way she asks it makes Jane want to cry. Reaching for Maura's hand, she holds it protectively between her own and says, "Look, I'm not gonna to tell you everything's going to be ok when I don't know that it will be, but I am here for you. I mean, know we don't really know each other, but… I'm here, if you want me to be."
Maura's crying again, but something tells Jane it's for a different reason entirely.
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Because I know what it's like to wake up and feel like you'll never be the same again," Jane admits honestly. She feels on of Maura's thumbs grazing over the scar tissue on her palm. The sensation makes her flinch, but she doesn't pull away.
"Your hands," Maura says. A question and answer all in one.
Jane nods and looks down, surprised by the comfort she feels from the way Maura is massaging her palm.
"What happened?" Maura questions. Her tone cautious, but curious.
Jane's gut reaction is to say none of your damn business, but when she looks up and is greeted with Maura's face ﹣ all honest and gentle and free of judgement ﹣ she instead replies with: "It's kind of a long story."
Maura looks around the room, as if to say, I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon.
She smiles at Jane.
"I've got time."