Jane perked up at the 'click clack' sound of designer heels in the hallway outside Homicide. She had only been in the office a couple of hours, but the stack of cold case files on her desk was not enough to keep her attention. The constant munching of mixed nuts coming from Korsak's corner of the room didn't help. Jane and Frost were arguing with their eyes over who would try to get Korsak to at least chew with his mouth closed when Maura appeared, saving the day.
Jane turned in time to revisit today's outfit (she had examined it once already that morning at Maura's house), an embroidered skirt, pink blouse, and some stylish kind of suit jacket. The outfit complimented Maura's hips, especially as she walked toward Jane, whose eyes gradually came to rest on a dazzling smile.
"Ready?"
Jane almost forgot why Maura had appeared; they were headed to their first prenatal doctor's appointment. "Oh, yeah, absolutely." She grabbed her blazer off the back of her chair and stood to put it on.
"You two got a lead on something?" Korsak shoved his nose in where it didn't belong.
"Takin' a long lunch, Korsak,"Jane snarked as she pulled her hair out from under the blazer. "We got lotsa girl talk to do, you wouldn't understand." She took Maura's hand and led her away before any hives could refute her claim.
"It was nice to see you, detectives!" Maura called over her shoulder.
"I'm a big girl, ya know, I could've gone to the doctor on my own." Jane clicked the lock button on Maura's key fob and looked both ways before guiding Maura across the street with a hand at the small of her back.
"I know, but I need to be there to gather whatever information the doctor has for us. This is my first time, too."
Jane really didn't mind Maura coming along, but she enjoyed the banter and felt the need to remind Maura that she wasn't completely helpless. She had already lost a good deal of her independence with this little arrangement they had, spending most (had it been all?) nights at Maura's and eating whatever was put in front of her without (much) complaint. She didn't want Maura to go mad with power. She had to draw the line somewhere, right? And she would, eventually. When she found something objectionable.
But it was kind of nice being taken care of by Maura. It wasn't like when her Ma did it, nagging and telling her what to do. When it was Angela, it made Jane feel like a kid getting a dirt smudge cleaned off her face with spit. With Maura, it was different. With Maura, it was like it was Jane's idea in the first place, to have oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast instead of Lucky Charms. Or whatever. Maura just had a way of looking at Jane that tricked her into agreeing to whatever Maura wanted. Jane wondered how her best friend could be allergic to lying, and still be so sneaky. She stole a sideways look at Maura as she opened the door and ushered her through.
Maura just grinned back, like a kid in a candy store. It was also kind of nice not having to worry about the details of things like this. Maura had done the legwork of finding 'the best OB in Boston' and making the appointment. All Jane had to do was show up and follow that embroidered skirt up the stairs to the office on the second floor. Yep, Jane didn't mind following Maura anywhere.
Inside the office, Maura checked them in and filled out the forms to the best of her ability, consulting Jane only when needed. Jane just sat, foot tapping with nerves, flipping through a magazine she wasn't even looking at. Jane had always hated doctors, the way they poked and prodded, and asked all sorts of personal questions. She never went often enough to build a trusting relationship with any doctor, and in the last few years, she had gotten in the habit of consulting Maura for any medical need that came up. Jane hoped that having Maura in the room would ease some of the discomfort of being draped in paper with a stranger looking up her privates.
The inside door opened. "Jane?" She swallowed and looked at Maura. Here we go.
Dr. Filer was tall and thin, with a dark chocolate complexion and cheekbones like a supermodel. Maura liked her at once; Jane could tell by the way she leaned in when the doctor was speaking. They exchanged a few words; they had obviously spoken before, but never met in person, and Jane was a little P.O'd to find she had been left out up to this point.
"Hi, I'm Jane," she interrupted, shoving her hand toward the doctor for a handshake. "I'm the one with the fetus." She pointed to her belly and raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, it's still an embryo at this stage," Maura interjected. "It's not considered a fetus until about the 11th week of gestation."
Dr. Filer laughed and took her hand, "Of course, Jane. Let's get started." She skimmed the medical records in front of her.
"Yes, let's," Jane mocked and crossed her arms, eliciting a look of admonishment from Maura. She uncrossed her arms.
"Maura has told me that the two of you will be co-parenting, is that right?"
"Yes."
"Okay. As your doctor, I am obligated to keep your medical records and any test results between the two of us. Is it your wish to grant Maura access to this information as well, and to have her present for your examination today?"
Jane glanced at Maura, and smiled. "Yeah, of course."
Once Jane was the center of attention, she warmed to Dr. Filer. She was professional but friendly, and patiently answered Maura's many questions. She asked Jane a battery of questions about her medical history and her family history, and ordered a series of tests just to check that everything was ok.
Maura had somehow arranged to have Casey's medical file sent over to complete the baby's family history. Jane wondered if she had done anything illegal or unethical to get the file, but Maura just smiled and said, "It's important for the baby's health." Jane let it go. She didn't want to know.
Finally, Dr. Filer asked Jane to lay back for her pelvic exam and ultrasound. This was the worst. And, she realized, from where Maura was sitting, she would have a clear view up the runway. Gross.
"Maura, can you... NOT sit right there?"
"This is the only chair in the room."
"C'mon, Maur, work with me here." Jane was faced with a blank stare. "Alright, here's a new rule: when Dr. Filer is taking care of business on that end," she waved her hands in the general vicinity below her waist, "your job is to take care of business on this end," pointing to her face.
Maura still looked confused.
Jane tried again. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."
"But Jane, there's no man-"
"Maura! Just, please, get up and come over here?" Finally, the woman did as requested.
Somehow, Dr. Filer kept a straight face through all of this. Jane didn't know what Maura had told her about their relationship. Did she think they were a couple? Or just a couple of weirdos? Either way, it didn't seem to matter to the doctor. She just went about her business of-Jane's thoughts were interrupted by discomfort in her nether regions. Her face and hands scrunched up tightly, waiting for it to be over.
Before it was, though, she felt the warmth of Maura's hand over her own. Jane took a big breath and let it out slowly as the pain subsided. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. She slowly turned her hand over so she could clasp Maura's. Maura's thumb made the slightest movement over Jane's, a motion of comfort and reassurance that Jane often made toward Maura. It was peaceful and it drew Jane's eyes up to see the gentle smile on her best friend's face. It was like a magnet.
The only thing that could break the magnetic pull was the fuzzy pulse that came out of the fetal monitor. Jane's head snapped toward the speaker and her eyes grew wide as her grip on Maura's hand tightened. "What is that?!"
"That," said Dr. Filer, "is your baby's heartbeat." All the oxygen seemed to have left the room.
"It's really in there," Jane murmured, looking at her belly. She was reminded of that scene from Alien.
"You're about 9 weeks along." The doctor made a note in her chart, then shifted the doppler to get a clearer sound.
"Why is it going so fast? Is there something wrong?" Jane looked to Maura for assurance, but Dr. Filer answered first.
"That's normal. They have a fast metabolism at this stage. It has a lot of growing to do."
Jane listened a little while longer, then heard a sniffle from Maura. She was crying and smiling and looking incredibly goofy. Jane's thumb moved over Maura's fingers. And before she had to admit to feeling a little goofy herself, Jane brought their clasped hands to her face, pressing her lips to the back of Maura's hand.
