Chapter Two: Paranoia
OMG Why did any of you guys read my first chapter? There were so many mistakes! I had originally wrote Jane telling someone else about Maura but then I figured I could probably make that scene a chapter it and of itself so I switched it to Frost and I guess a missed (a lot) a couple things that needed to be changed... plus I find Jane's bond with Frost to be pretty strong (They're my BrOTP, C'mon!) and her relationship with him is second in line right after hers and Maura's;)
The first and third chapters both cover semi-big things and I didn't want them side by side so this it kind of like a filler chapter even though it covers a couple things/make a few things make sense... Please R&R!
It had been a long restless night for Jane. She wondered what Frost must think of her, how work the next day was going to be like with him knowing something of that magnitude. Would he tell someone? Just because he knew he had the power to? No, no Frost wasn't like that; was he? Jane's brain was racing with questions and she wondered if this was how Maura felt all the time. Maura. Even the name... focus Jane! She chastised herself every time her mind drifted off to her friend. That's what she was, her friend. Nothing more. That Jane was sure of. Now, just to keep it that way...
Jane walked into the precinct two hours late but with her mother's new 50% off sprinkle donuts sale in the cafe keeping every cop's attention, no one noticed her absence; except Frost. He notices Jane walk in quietly from the other side of the glass window separating the cafe from the rest of the precinct. He pushes past the hungry officers hoping to meet up with the other detective before she headed up stairs.
"I've been waiting for you..." Frost comments, as he sneaks up on Jane. She jumps and reaches for her gun merely out of habit but once she realizes it's only Frost, she relaxes.
"Guh, it's you. Wadda you want?" Jane asks in mock disgust.
"Why are you late? You're never late." Frost walks with Jane towards the elevator as he waits for a response.
"I slept in... Why do you care?" Jane moves around Frost so she can push the 'up' button on the elevator.
"You're a terrible liar detective Rizzoli."
"What, I did; I got no sleep last night." Jane gives Frost a look that tells him he should already know why.
"Okay... well that could be partly true then." The elevator dings and the doors swing open. A man with a black briefcase steps out just as the two detectives move inside.
"What are you getting at, Frost?" Jane is annoyed now but keeps her composure as the doors close back up. She told him to keep his mouth shut, if he brings it up-
"You're late because you didn't want to bump into Maura this morning; you knew you'd feel something for her." Frost said it as if he were a small child figuring out the answer to the world's toughest riddle.
"Frost..." Jane warns as she stares at her blurry reflection in the elevator doors.
"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone and I won't. That doesn't mean I can't talk to you about it." Frost continues, oblivious to the anger rising inside Jane.
"Frost, shut up..." The female detective has her hands balled into fists once more, her breathing, although quiet, is getting heavy.
"What? All I'm saying is you guys would make a cute coup-"
Jane turns and violently pushes her partner up against the elevator wall right before hitting the emergency button, bringing the elevator to a halt. Frost grumbles as the hand rail digs into his lower back, a sharp pain coursing through his spine. She raises her left hand and points it directly at Frost's chest; the fingers on her right hand dig half-moon shapes into her palm at her side.
"I told you to never say anything about that. I don't feel anything for her-for any woman. Not like that. Never have, never will. Got it?" She doesn't wait for a response before she releases the emergency stop. "I regret saying those things. It was a mistake telling you in the first place." the elevator dings and Jane leaves the small metal box as fast as her long legs will allow. She walks into the nearly empty bullpen and sees Korsak typing up a report for a new case at his desk.
"When did we get a case? I wasn't called in." She asks, hoping for a good distraction. Jane unbuttons her holster from her belt and sets it in one of her desk drawers.
"Late last night, about 11:45-ish" I told Frost to call you. Jane turns to look at her partner.
"We were working late yesterday with Dr. Isles. Thought you'd want sleep." Jane thinks it over and mentally thanks her partner for thinking of her. Her guilty conscience is getting the best of her and she folds.
"Oh, thanks... and um, sorry about..." Jane points lazily at the closed elevator but before she can finish, Frost waves her off.
"Ah, it's not a problem." Frost smiles and Jane reciprocates it; all while a confused Korsak looks on.
"Wait, what?" The sergeant asks, the report on his computer forgotten momentarily.
"It's nothing, Korsak. Go get a donut, half off today." Frost jokes as he makes his way to his desk.
"I already did, two actually." Korsak smiles as if eating unhealthy was the best thing he'd done in a while.
"Detective Korsak, you and I both know donuts are extremely bad for you" Jane tenses. She knows that voice; how could she ever forget it. "The grease and refined sugars clog arteries, the white flour has little to no fibre and the levels of high fructose corn syrup are just-"
"Right. Uh, thank you Dr. Isles. I'll remember that for next time." Korsak chuckles and turns back to his report. Maura smiles, glad she can help a friend stay healthy. Just act like you always do, Jane. It's nothing.
"Oh, Jane! Where were you this morning? I had to get Frost to drive me to the crime scene." Maura fixes her hold on a large red bag and goes to smooth out her dark grey pencil skirt at the same time.
"I slept in, sorry."
"Not a problem. I was waiting for you before I started the 'good part' of the autopsy. I know how you like to get information first hand." Maura cracks a smile as Jane looks up at her. The detective can't help but return such a contagious grin. Maura's hair is down and slightly curly as usual. She wore a white and grey floral print blouse with specks of red in it and her mid-length red trench coat to match.
"Thanks, Maura. I'll be down in a minute." Maura nods, says good bye to the other two detectives and heads out. Jane turns back to her computer and when she thinks no one is looking, steals a glance at Maura's retreating figure. As she watches the doctor's hips sway and the nod of her head as she greeted other officers, Jane figured that Maura could maybe be considered slightly attractive. Maybe.
Jane catches herself starring (quite obviously now) and pulls her attention back to the half finished note in front of her.
Once Jane was done with the cursory notes on the case, she heads down to Maura's office.
As the elevator doors open onto the basement floor, Jane is hit with cool air and the faint smell of decomposing organs. She's always wondered how someone like Maura could work it conditions like this, but she never brings it up in fear that the doctor will come to her senses and leave to find a different job; one that didn't involve Jane.
As the detective rounds to corner, she sees Maura bending over the apparent victim dissecting his insides like always.
"Hey," Jane walks in, rubbing her hands together, getting ready for info.
"He has several puncture wounds to his abdomen; I count... six." Maura gets right to it. She looks over the body, making sure her math is correct.
"Stabbed to death?" Jane asks as she steps closer to the body on the table.
"No."
"So these aren't what killed him?"
"No, it is." Now the detective is confused.
"But you just said he didn't die from the stab wounds."
"And I'm fairly certain I'm correct."
"Then how did he die Dr. Know-It-All?" Maura grins at the nickname. God, that smile... Jane! C'mon, focus!
"Myocardial Infarction."
"Heart attack?"
"Mhmm..."
"Can't you just use tiny words like everyone else?"
"Well, I can... but I choose not to." Jane smirks.
"Smart-ass; that's what you are, you know." Maura giggles and continues.
"The victim was stabbed with something sharp that is approximately an inch wide." The doctor moves her fore finger and thumb so they're about an inch apart and lets them hover over one of the stab wounds. "As far as I can tell, he survived the initial stabbing, but as he bled out he had the heart attack."
"Literally scared to death..." Jane looked over the body. Even after so many years on the job, she still couldn't understand how someone could kill another person under any circumstance other than self defense.
Maura moves around to Jane's side of the autopsy table and holds out her right arm.
"Help me?" Maura gestures to the bloody glove hoping Jane will help peel it off her hand. For leverage, the detective wraps a hand around the doctor's wrist and uses the other to pull the glove both inside out and off at the same time; careful not to touch the blood herself.
The feel of the M.E.'s skin on hers was indescribable. It contrasted well with Jane's rougher hands but was tanned all the same. The detective keeps a light hold on Maura's wrist as she turns and drops the glove into a metal bowl at the end on the table. The warmth that radiates from her skin... the smoothness... "Um, Jane? Can I have my hand back please?" Maura giggles again and raises her arm to show the detective that she was still holding her wrist.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't even realize." Jane drops Maura's wrist suddenly as if it had started to burn her.
"It's okay." Maura is still grinning as she goes to take off the second glove herself and throw both in the garbage bin across the room.
Even in bloody scrubs, latex gloves and hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, Maura looks amazing.
Maura turns and unties the apron before tossing it into the garbage bin just as a knock on the door catches the attention of both women. It's the new intern of Maura's with news from a previous case.
"Hey, Dr. Isles. These are the test results from 0096-12; the floater down at the bay." The intern smiled politely and held up a thin folder.
"Oh, thank you Criminalist Porter." Maura takes the folder from the man and begins walking back to Jane. The intern turns back to the door and Maura steals a glance behind her, watching as the man makes his way down the hall. "He's cute, right?" Maura smiles but it's somewhat seductive; different from the ones she usually gives Jane.
"Huh? What—yeah... I guess." Jane stutters. To be completely honest, the detective hadn't really noticed much about the intern. "It's too bad he works for me." Maura looks sideways at Jane and both of them giggle as if they were sharing the same thoughts. Jane was simply humoring the doctor however. She hadn't found the man half as attractive as she had for the other person in the room…
Maura looks back at the folder and scans it quickly, noting nothing beyond normal.
"Nothing of out the ordinary regarding this other victim's tests... Oh well, I'll find something." Maura says matter-of-factly.
"Hey, why don't I know about this case?" Jane points at the folder, keeping up small talk.
"There's more than one homicide detective in Boston, Jane." Maura retorts, a half-smile playing on her lips and Jane smirks back. It's quiet for a beat and then,
"Well, I should actually get going. Gotta tell the guys and start looking for his killer. I'll see you?"
"Of course. Drinks at the Robber?" Maura asks hopefully.
"Meet you there?" Jane pushes the swinging door open, waiting for the doctor's response. Maura simply nods and smiles a toothy grin. Jane returns it and exits the morgue.
She passes a few officers before calling for the elevator and getting on by herself. She presses the button for her floor and the doors close. As soon as she hears the clink of metal on metal, she's bent over and taking deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. She didn't suspect anything, did she? I mean, it wasn't obvious, was it? Jesus, Jane, calm down. You've got it. She tells herself as she closes her eyes, trying to keep her head from spinning. If this was how her body reacted after a few minutes in the same room as Maura at work, how was she going to be once at The Dirty Robber?
Thank you guys for reading, I really appreciate it! As usual, please Read & Review! They help me write (and hopefully write better)!