Chapter 3

"Are you sure?" the lieutenant asked. Just by looking at her he know the answer was 'No' but he doubted she was going to admit that.

"Yes Sir," Jane replied swallowing hard before she could even get that out.

The lieutenant leaned back in his chair and took stock of the detective in front of him. She'd surprised him since joining the Homicide division. He was now reluctant to admit he wasn't sure how a woman would do in a squad full of men. But she'd become one of his better detectives. Her instincts were good and she had a relentless drive to solve her cases.

He thought he'd found the perfect match for her when she partnered her up with Vince Korsak. He had expected them to complement each other and on that front he was absolutely correct. They'd bonded as partners relatively quickly and he was certain that Korsak's acceptance of her as his equal helped the rest of the squad accept her as well. Or at least everyone except Crowe but he was just an ass.

He wondered what her injuries would ultimately do to that partnership. He was aware that Korsak was blaming himself for what happened to Jane. He also knew Jane blamed herself for it as well. He just thought they'd work through it together when she was back to work.

Apparently he was wrong.

"It's going to take a little time," he finally conceded.

"That's why I'm here and asking you now," Jane said. "I figured the sooner I asked the sooner you'd be able to work it out."

"When do you think you will be back at least on a desk?" he asked.

"About a month," Jane answered as she looked down at her hands. "My physical therapist thinks I can start driving again in a week and the doctor said he'd consider a release to the desk as soon as I can hold a pen and write without complications." She shook her head at the sound of that. She'd taken so many little things for granted until this injury.

"I'll work it out," he said after a few moments of silence. "I may pull from another division which could mean you'd have to deal with a rookie." Maybe that would get her to change her mind.

"I understand," Jane said. She knew if it wasn't another homicide detective the lieutenant would pull in another detective so whoever her potential new partner would be wouldn't be a complete rookie.

"Do you want to tell him?" he asked. "Or should I?"

Jane swallowed hard once again. "I will," she said. Korsak deserved to hear it from her. She knew that. She had no idea how she was going to tell him but she wouldn't allow anyone else to do it.

"Alright," he said. "For the record I think you are making a mistake. I think you and Korsak make a great team. But I understand and I'll do what I can to find you a different partner."

Jane half nodded as she heard his comments. She didn't like having to do this but she was convinced it was for the best. She stood up to leave but spoke once more before she went to walk out. "Thank you for understanding."

"Don't thank me yet," he said. "You know Korsak is going to be pissed."

Jane could only nod.

"We've missed you around here," he added before she could leave. "So just make sure you get yourself back here as quickly as possible."

"Yes Sir," Jane said as she left his office.

She pulled out her cellphone and struggled to highlight her mother's number. This had gotten easier for her lately but she still had some issues with things as simple as using her phone.

"You done already?" came Angela's voice after not even a full ring.

"Yeah," Jane said. She hadn't had any idea on how long her conversation with the lieutenant was going to last and she'd also planned on talking to Korsak as well. So she'd asked her mother to just drop her off at the station. But the conversation with her lieutenant had worn her out. She wasn't up to telling Korsak about her decision. Not today at least. She was just ready to go home.

"Alright," Angela said. "It'll probably be about 30 minutes. I'm just about finished at the store."

"I'll grab a cup of coffee from the café and wait for you," Jane said. "Thanks Ma." She really hoped she could start driving herself next week.

XXXXX

As Jane made her way to the Division One café she let her conversation with the lieutenant play in her head. A part of her couldn't believe she'd just asked for a new partner. She'd had amazing chemistry with Korsak and he had been the first detective to accept her as an equal. But in her mind, that was also the problem.

She'd screwed up in handling the tip that lead her to Hoyt and her injuries. She went into that house without backup and managed to endanger herself. She should have insisted he join her and when he didn't and she was certain her tip was something she should have waited for him before entering the house. But sometimes she was stubborn and impulsive and she almost paid the highest price for it.

As it was, she'd let Hoyt get the upper hand and she went from being a detective trying to save a missing person to a victim. Korsak had saved her life and she would be forever grateful for that. But he'd also seen her as a victim. Pinned to the floor and at the mercy of others. No matter how she tried to make that right in her mind, she just couldn't. He'd never be able to fully trust her again. Never be able to shake the images of what her impulsive behavior had caused. Never be able to fully believe in her ability to have his back.

She didn't want a new partner. She had to have one. But she'd never, ever like it.

As she entered the café she was surprised to see the new ME standing in line. Again she was completely taken with the woman's beauty which certainly was undeniable. As upset her conversation with the lieutenant had made her, she couldn't help the smile that emerged as she recalled their previous encounter. As she made her way towards the counter she got an idea.

She approached just as Dr. Isles was placing her order. She'd requested a cup of tea and Jane was a little surprised she wasn't ordering coffee. She just assumed everyone at the station got through their days with the help of coffee.

Before Maura could pay for her order Jane interceded, "I'll get that Stanley," she said to the man behind the counter. "And add a cup of coffee for me."

Maura turned around to see the detective standing behind her. She immediately smiled. She hadn't expected to see the detective again on the day but she certainly wasn't going to complain. Having Jane Rizzoli run her over wasn't anything she had planned on but it hadn't been without a benefit for her.

She had been aware of who Jane Rizzoli was simply from all the press surrounding her encounter with Hoyt. But she'd not yet had the pleasure of meeting the detective in person. She overheard bits and pieces about the detective in the halls of the station and while she never put any stock in rumors some of what she'd heard had at least piqued her interest.

Then she meet the woman. As she'd walked away after their first encounter she tried to remember if she'd paid any attention to how stunningly beautiful the detective was during any of the news reports. She didn't remember being taken by any of the photos. But then again she rationalized she'd focused her attention on the detective's injuries more than her looks.

Until she was face to face with the tall brunette. She doubted any single photo could do justice to the natural beauty the woman possessed. So when she turned around to see who was offering to pay for her tea, not one part of her was disappointed to see the detective with the deep brown eyes standing behind her.

"That's not necessary," Maura started to protest.

"Actually," Jane replied. "I never got to properly apologize for earlier today. So I insist. It is the least I can do."

There was just something about the smile Jane was giving her that had Maura conceding without any fight. "Then I will thank you," she replied and stepped aside to let Jane pay for their drinks.

"And you wanted what?" the man behind the counter asked.

"Seriously Stanley?" Jane asked in annoyance. She'd gotten coffee from him every single day, usually a couple of times a day. How could he not know her order?

"What?" he sniped back. "Your tastes could have changed. How am I supposed to know?"

"Coffee," Jane just uttered in disgust.

"Just one cup or are you getting a cup for Korsak too?" he added as if now remembering her 'usual' order.

Maura, who had found some entertainment in watching the two interact couldn't help notice a flash of something across Jane's eyes at the mention of Detective Korsak.

"Just a cup for me and the tea Dr. Isles ordered," Jane said without hiding her annoyance. Stanley just grunted and rang up the sale.

"You did apologize," Maura said to Jane when they both stepped aside waiting for Stanley to get their drinks. "Three times as a matter of fact."

"Did I?" Jane asked. She didn't remember a thing she said during her encounter with the ME. All she really remembered was feeling as if the English language had suddenly become a foreign one to her.

They both took their drinks and Jane tried not to feel self-conscious about the fact that she had to use both her hands to hold onto her cup. Not knowing if the doctor was in a hurry to return back to work Jane looked a little uncertain as her eyes shifted from Maura to an empty table and back to Maura again. Before she was made to ask, Maura led them over to the empty table.

"You did," she replied. "The first was interrupted when you experienced pain when you tried to keep me from falling, the second came when you realized I had fallen and the third came before we separated."

The sequence vaguely rang a bell with Jane. "Well, I still wouldn't call that a proper apology so I do hope this will count as one."

They took their seats and both didn't say anything for a moment.

"How…"

"Has…"

Both ladies tried to ask questions at the same time. It elicited a smile from each of them.

"Go ahead," Jane ceded to Maura.

"How has the recovery gone?" Maura asked and indicated to Jane's hands. She was impressed by the strength Jane had demonstrated in her attempt to grab her earlier.

"I'm progressing," Jane answered. "I think I'll even be allowed to drive starting next week." The answer came quickly but naturally and it surprised Jane. Normally she didn't like to talk about her rehab with anyone outside her family and she didn't really even like to do that. But she hadn't thought twice about answering Maura's question.

"From what I reviewed it seems likely that your injuries were contained to the Oppenens and Abductor Pollicis muscles and the Ulna and Median nerves. Based on your recovery rate in the short amount of time I would surmise that neither nerve was severed. Has your doctor given you a prognosis?"

"If you mean has my doctor told me I should make a full recovery," Jane tried to recap what the doctor was asking, "then that answer would now be yes."

"Now?" Maura asked.

Jane nodded. "He wouldn't really commit to anything for the first month." Jane tried to hide her bitterness about that. "But he has since led me to believe that a full recovery is likely."

"It has been my experience that doctors tend to reserve opinions about recovery until they have had a chance to see how a patient responds to the initial rehabilitation efforts," Maura replied.

Jane simply needed still a little surprised she didn't mind discussing this with the ME. "That's what he told me. Apparently everyone seems to respond differently to rehab and he wanted to see how things progressed before assessing my chances."

"From what I felt you seem to be responding quite well," Maura replied. "Now, you were going to ask me something."

"I was just curious if your time here has been what you expected," Jane said. From everything she'd heard from Vince the ME was specifically brought in by the Governor, who was also her uncle, for the Hoyt case. It was also no secret to any Homicide detective that the ME's office was not very efficient or effective. It hadn't surprised Jane at all that forensic evidence for Hoyt was overlooked or that she'd dismissed multiple staff members.

"I can't say that I walked in with any expectations," Maura replied. "I have found it is preferable to enter into a new situation with an open mind."

Jane looked at the ME and tried to assess if that was a standard, politically correct answer or how the ME really felt. She seemed earnest enough so Jane let the answer stand.

"Do you think you will stay?" she asked. Again, the rumor was that she would be returning back to San Francisco as soon as the Hoyt case was stabilized.

"I can't say at this point," Maura replied. She wasn't trying to be coy. She just honestly hadn't decided if a move to Boston was in her best interest.

They both took a moment to take sips of their drinks. Both women seemed to have very similar thoughts. There seemed to be a level of comfort between the two that neither usually experienced with a new person.

Before either could ask another question, Jane heard her name.

"Janie," Angela called out her greeting.

Jane had to force herself not to groan aloud. She looked at Maura to explain. "My ride," she said as she looked back down at her hands.

Maura seemed to nod in understanding as Angela approached the table. "Hi honey," she said. "Are you ready to go?" As she asked she turned and smiled at the woman her daughter was apparently having coffee with.

"Ma," Jane knew she would have to do an introduction, "this is our acting Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles." She nodded towards Maura. "Dr. Isles, this is my mother Angela Rizzoli."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Angela said with a level of sincerity Maura hadn't expected from a complete stranger.

"Likewise," Maura replied.

"Oh," Angela uttered as she suddenly made the connection to what she'd seen on the news. "You're the Governor's niece. The one who found all the evidence against that psychopath."

"I'm not a psychiatrist so I cannot attest to the mental capacity of the suspect," Maura replied. "I merely handled the forensic exams."

"That piece of…." Angela started.

"Ma," Jane warned as she knew exactly how her mother felt about Charles Hoyt.

Angela seemed to realize she was about to use very colorful language and stopped. There was a bit of irony that it was usually her job to warn Jane about the appropriateness or more often the inappropriateness of language. "Sorry," she conceded. "But that bastard hurt my baby," she added as an attempt to justify her near outburst to the ME.

"And on that note," Jane said trying to contain her embarrassment and hopefully cut her losses with the ME, "we need to get going and Dr. Isles needs to get back to work." She stood up to make sure her mother understood that she meant right that moment.

For Maura the detective had been a source of intrigue since their encounter earlier in the day and watching her interactions with her mother had only increased the intrigue. Sensing an end of their conversation, Maura stood up and looked at Jane. "I hope your rehab continues to go well. And thank you for the beverage."

"Thank you," Jane said with a smile. "And one last time I apologize for earlier today."

"Earlier today?" Angela asked. "What did you do?" she looked at her daughter was pure accusation.

"Why did I have to do anything?" Jane asked not real happy her mother assumed it was her.

"Well for starters you just apologized to Dr. Isles," Angela pointed out. "And let's not forget that I know you." Angela warned.

Maura almost let out a laugh at the huff that came from Jane. She couldn't remember seeing this kind of mother-daughter interaction before.

"Whatever," Jane dismissed and started to push her mother towards the exit. "Goodbye Dr. Isles," she said as they were exiting.

"Goodbye Detective Rizzoli," Maura replied almost to herself as the two were already out the café door.

Intrigued indeed.