Chapter 2

Sitting in a bar across town, was a very upset Angela and Frank Rizzoli. All of their planning had been for naught. Their son, Tommy, would not be coming home after all. He was still being released from prison, he'd just rather stay with his friends than be with his family. Angela was heartbroken. The sound of her phone ringing pierced through her sobs.

Not recognizing the number she answered, "Tommy? Tommy, please tell me that you've changed your mind after all."

There was a slight hesitation on the line. "Mrs. Rizzoli, it's Dr. Isles-"

"Oh, Maura. Can I talk to you later? Now's not really a good time, dear," Angela interrupted before she could say anything else.

"No. You see there's been a... been an incident," Maura answered.

Fear gripped Angela. "What kind of incident?" she asked.

"A horrible one. Jane and Frankie... they've been shot. You need to come to the Boston Medical Center right away."

"Oh my god. We're on our way."

Thanking the receptionist for the use of the phone, Maura turned back to the waiting room with a sigh. Her emotions were running rampant. And she had never been good with dealing with emotions.

Jane had flatlined in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Flatlined. For all intents and purposes she had died. When Maura had heard the solid beep of the monitor she felt as though she had died right along beside her. In that brief moment, before the paramedics were able to restart Jane's heart, it was her life that flashed before her eyes. She realized that it was divided into two distinct parts: The before Jane, and the after.

Now that she knew what it was like to live in the world of Jane Rizzoli, she didn't want to go back to the before. Back to the times when her friendships were based on her social status, and her parents' bank account. The times when the outward appearance of perfection mattered more than anything else. The times when she needed to project a certain image of herself in order to be liked. When the only being she could really be herself with was a tortoise. She wanted to stay firmly in this after. To really know what it is to live, to laugh, to love, and to be loved for who she was. Or maybe in spite of it. Jane was the one who had really introduced her to life, and there would be no living without her.

She paused in the doorway of the waiting room. Frost was sitting with his head in his hands, while Korsak paced the length of the room. She watched for a moment before deciding to go sit by Frost's side. Once she was there she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She opted for sitting there silently, hugging her arms to her chest, and fighting to control her emotions. When Frost placed a comforting hand on her back she lost the battle and tears once again began streaming down her face. Korsak stopped his pacing to sit by her other side. He pulled her into a hug, trying, unsuccessfully, to soothe her. She continued to cry in his embrace.

The hug was all wrong. The last time she had broken down like this it had been Jane's arms wrapped around her in comfort. While Maura appreciated the effort, it just wasn't the same. All it did was serve to remind her why it was that she was that she was crying, and why it wasn't Jane doing the comforting.

Not knowing what more to do, Korsak and Frost sat in silence as they waited for Maura's sobs to subside. After a few minutes, when it had finally seemed as though her tears had run their course, Maura spoke up, "I'm so sorry Korsak. I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay, Doc, I understand. It's been a long day. Maybe you sh-"

"No," Maura interrupted him, anticipating what he had been about to say. "I need to be here."

Just then, a doctor stepped through the double doors. "Anyone here for Rizzoli?" he asked.

Immediately, Maura and the detectives jumped to their feet. They all answered simultaneously, "Yeah, that's us" - "What is their status?" - "How are they?".

"Are you immediate family?" the doctor asked, looking at the motley crew.

This time only Maura spoke up, hesitantly. She had wanted to lie so badly, but she just couldn't. "No, but please doctor. Their parents aren't here yet and we-"

"I'm sorry ma'am, we can only give out information to immediate family."

Maura looked close to tears again when another voice spoke up very rapidly, "We're their parents. Frank and Angela Rizzoli. Please, tell me how my children are."

Angela and Frank had just rushed around the corner into the waiting room and heard the doctor talking to Maura. She had a look of desperation about her and Angela could tell she had been crying. Fearing that her worst nightmares had come to pass she told the doctor, "Please, tell us. You can say anything in front of them... they are family."

Maura and the detectives looked on gratefully as the doctor formulated his answer. "Well then, Mr. and Mrs. Rizzoli, I'm Dr. Edwards and I just wanted to give you an update on the status of your children. Frankie has suffered extreme blunt force trauma, and with that some complications. His spleen has ruptured, but it is mendable and a splenectomy will not be necessary. Also, his left lung has collapsed, and we are taking the steps to repair that as well. Aside from a few broken ribs, and some bruising, he should come out of this fairly well. He was very fortunate, though. Had it not been for the procedures performed on him in the field, he would have never made it here, and we would be having a very different conversation."

Angela's relief had been palpable. She let out a sigh and took a seat. Frankie was going to be okay. She still didn't know the details of what had transpired that day, and wanted to find out as soon as possible. Especially since she needed to thank whoever it was who had ensured her boy's survival. But first she had to ask, "And Jane?"

Maura, who had been standing by, stiffened. She waited with baited breath, as her entire existence was hinged on the doctor's answer. It seemed like an eternity before he finally answered.

"Jane is another story," the doctor said slowly, clearly trying to figure out the best way possible to tell the family her condition. "Her case is completely different since the bullet actually penetrated and then completely exited her body. It carved a path of destruction on it's way out. The intestine, a kidney, the liver, and the stomach have all been damaged. There is a very high risk of infection due to the damaged intestines and stomach. She was fortunate, though, that the bullet missed the spinal cord upon exit. We're doing everything we can right now."

Facts, statistics, possibilities. Maura's brain went into overdrive. She didn't like the direction her thoughts were headed. She just kept trying to think, She'll be fine... Everything will work out... She'll be completely fine. But it was too much for her. Her nerves were shot. She fainted right into Korsak's waiting arms.