Hi guys. Thanks for so many reviews. I've decided to keep up with this until Jane has the baby. Everybody seems to like it too much and I don't wanna let anyone down. Thanks for your reviews, so much. I've been quite sick recently and not having any healthcare in Morocco is making me miserable so your reviews are being treated like gold at the moment. I suppose you could say I'm ready to go home. Enjoy!
xoxoxoxoxo
Noise. There was lots of noise. Jane grumbled a quick "Go away," into her pillow, her eyes closing even tighter. The crying kept on and it took Jane a few seconds to realize it was her daughter. Blinking, she looked over to Maura who was a still, neat deadweight in the middle of the bed. She sighed and got up, kicking the covers off before making her way into Ava's bedroom. The little Toy Story 4 nightlight shimmered in the darkness and Jane sat down on the bed watching her daughter to figure out what to do next. Ava was bawling, tears soaking her face as she ran on the spot, waving her arms frantically. Her whole body shook. Her screams were heartbreaking. Jane held in a sob as she watched. The little girl beat her arms against Jane's chest and that's when she held her.
"I'm here, sweetheart." Ava couldn't hear her. She just screamed even harder and choked back infantile sobs, coughing before she started it all over again. "Shhh… Mama's here." Jane whispered gently. Ava's eyes were as wide as they could go and they darted everywhere around the room. Not wanting to hold her too tightly, Jane began to talk. "Nobody is going to hurt you. Mommy's in bed. Jo Friday is right here, at the bottom of your bed." Said dog was actually cowering in the corner of the room but if Ava couldn't even see Jane, she probably wouldn't mind about not seeing the old mutt. "We're all safe. Nobody is going to hurt you," she stressed again.
It took her half an hour but finally, Ava's head was in Jane's lap. The detective sighed and threaded her fingers through the dark, sweaty hair. "I'm here, Ava." Her child woke up.
Ava gave an exhausted sigh and was completely unaware of the terror she'd just had. Or the upset she'd just caused her mother. All she knew was that her mama was here and she was very tired. "Mama, is da baby still in dere?"
Jane chuckled. "Baby's still here, yeah."
"C'n I listen?" Ava whispered and Jane scooted up the bed, lying on her back. Ava settled down and pressed her ear close against her mother's abdomen, her face still drenched with tears. "I can hear it," she said proudly.
Jane smiled, "Really?" Ava nodded. Her mother chuckled slightly, knowing all she could hear was her belly gurgling from hunger. Chilli fries and chocolate sauce in fact.
Jane was nearly sixteen weeks pregnant and they still hadn't had the chance to see the fetus.
Boston Homicide had caught a reopened cold case. Three men who had died in 1999, had, well…died again. The men had been found in an empty house, each with fake paperwork. Each with the names of the men who had died back in 1999. It was confusing, and Jane could feel her levels of stress heighten each time she looked at one of the files. After three weeks of no breaks, constant searching and a distinct lack of coffee on Jane's part, the case was solved quickly, a surprise for the whole team. It turned out, Jacob Gregory, the oldest of the three, was actually one Harold Todd, a shipping salesman. He had been the original killer of the three men back in 1999. He and his two brothers had fraudulently taken an identity from the deceased men. The real Jacob Gregory's widowed wife had found out and in a spur of anger and vengeance, killed Harold and his two brothers. The doctor hadn't been happy that they'd cancelled on the sonogram, either. And after a grumbling phonecall from the old man, Maura promptly switched OBGYNs.
Jane finally released the breath she'd been holding in and looked down at her soundly sleeping daughter. She was becoming worried about her job. Whether they'd still keep her when she was unable to run after the perps. Luckily the wife this time had been a little slow, frail and emotionally broken. She was easy to get to. Maybe she could leave the sprinting to Frost. It wasn't even that she wasn't allowed, or Maura had been nagging, it was that she physically couldn't run, or she could, but she'd be worryingly out of breath when she did. Slipping out of the small bed, she pulled up Ava's duvet up and wrapped it around the girl, watching with a gentle grin as Ava smacked her lips, looking a lot comfier.
She made her way back to her own bed and wrapped her arms around Maura's body. "That was quick," Maura mumbled sleepily.
"Just a little one," the cop smiled and kissed at Maura's neck. "I think they're getting better."
"Me too," the honey blonde rolled onto her back and opened her arms, letting Jane settle in between her legs.
"Oooff..."
"Are you sore?" Maura smiled as Jane fidgeted to get more comfortable.
"No…no… just, hold on…" Jane smiled and lessened the pressure on her bladder by shifting further down her wife's body.
"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Maura stroked her hands over Jane's face delicately. Jane nodded hesitantly. "Nervous?"
Jane warmed her feet up on Maura's legs. "You can say that again." She lay down on Maura's chest. "Mom says she'll take Ava at 11."
Maura ran her fingers up and down her wife's rippled back. "Sound's good to me. God… a day off."
"I know," Jane groaned in pleasure. "My ass is still sore after that damn Mrs. Gregory pushed me against the filing cabinet." Maura's fingers stilled and the brunette looked up in confusion. "Maur?"
It took the doctor a long time to reply. "I don't want you chasing after the bad guys, Jane. Not now."
Jane shifted and sat up. "What, is that some kind of order?" she giggled.
"Yes." Maura nodded, her eyes finally glancing up to her wife's. "Jane…"
The detective realized she wasn't joking. And she didn't like it. "Wait… now you're ordering me? Really…"
"What do you expect?" Maura frowned. "You're carrying my child, Jane. Is it so bad that I don't want either of you to get hurt?"
"No… but I'd like a bit of trust," the detective sighed.
Maura scrubbed at her face. "Let's wait until the morning to finish this conversation. It's late."
Jane shook her head. "No. No, we're having it now."
She heard Maura give a loud, frustrated sigh. "Okay… put yourself in my shoes, Jane. Imagine I'm pregnant, okay? And someone like Bobby came back, and I had no choice but to shoot myself to save your life? Would you like that Jane?" There was silence.
Jane swallowed and suddenly coughed out harsh sobs, burying her face into her own folded arms as she rested on her bent knees. Maura immediately felt guilty and sidled up next to her, wrapping an arm around her back. "I'm not that person an-anymore, M-Maur." She sniffed. "I'm not."
"I know," Maura whispered. "But you are still carrying our child, and you're still in a very dangerous job." She watched Jane cry into her hands. "I promise, you will fight the bad guys again, and wrestle them to the ground or whatever you call it, but not now. Please… just, not now."
Jane pulled her hands away and looked at Maura with sad eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what? The bruise on your tushie?" Maura smiled gently and gathered the emotional woman into her arms.
"Yes, Maur. I'm sorry you had to kiss my ass. I'm sorry you just said 'tushie'," Jane sniffed, rolling her eyes. Maura's nose wrinkled and Jane lay down, nuzzling the pillow behind her head. "Oh just come here," she grumbled and opened her arms wide. Maura giggled and pushed herself further down the woman's body until her head was resting just below Jane's sensitive breasts. "Ava can hear the baby." The detective commented.
Maura sat up hastily. "She can?"
Jane blinked and burst out laughing. "My stomach, honey… she heard my stomach gurgling."
"Oh," Maura felt stupid and lay back down with a self conscious laugh. "Sorry…"
"You're adorable," Jane shrugged and felt slow hands stroke up and down her belly. Closing her eyes, she stretched and let Maura have her way, nimble fingers massaging the taut skin gently. Jane couldn't even count to ten. She fell asleep at 7, and Maura grinned triumphantly. She couldn't sleep though, she was too excited and was content to just lay there, listening to Jane's breathing.
When the sun rose, the women woke up to a prancing little girl on their bed. "MAMAAA!"
"Oh god, just put a gag on her," Jane grumbled and pulled the covers closer. "Tape's in the kitchen drawer."
Maura chuckled and sat up, finding her arms full with a very excitable Ava. "Good morning, sweetheart."
"Mommy, go make breakfast!" Ava's podgy hand poked up from her mother's face towards the direction of the door.
The doctor's mouth widened. "Pardon?"
Ava hopped onto her lap, pointing at the door. "Up!"
Maura heard the guffaw from underneath the bed covers as Jane tried to stop herself from laughing.
"Ava, you say please if you want something," Maura was stern. Doe-like eyes peered back at her in shame.
"Please…" Ava whispered in a conspiring manner, obviously not meaning it.
"Oh christ almighty," Maura huffed and got out of bed as she left the room. Ava squealed and dashed after her mother. Jane peeked out from under her sheet with a grin. She followed her family then stopped and turned back towards the bathroom to relieve her suddenly stinging bladder. Baby Rizzoli, 1 - Jane Rizzoli, 0
oxoxoxoxo
Maura watched Jane pace back and forth in the waiting room. "Jane, come sit…"
The brunette shook her head but her hand was caught and she was pulled over to the seating area. "Wha…what if w`e waited too long? What if we really should have done this months ago?"
Maura chuckled and held her at the shoulder. "Calm. Down."
"I'm scared." Jane whimpered.
"Of what? We see the sonogram and find out it's a canine fetus?" Maura chuckled but realized now wasn't the time to joke. "Hey… it'll be okay."
"Jane Rizzoli?" A woman at the reception stood with a clipboard. "The doctor will see you now."
Jane grinned but it didn't reach her eyes. She still looked terrified. Standing up, she held out her hand and waited for Maura to join her. Their fingers tangled together and they entered the office where a friendly looking woman smiled at them and asked them to sit down.
Doctor Morton was an middle aged, Australian OBGYN who was known for her impeccable bedside manner and her expertise. "Come in! Come in...let's not faff about, Jane, if you just sit your bottom on this chair…right here," she patted the seat and looked at the brunette.
"H…How did you know I was Jane?" the detective stammered.
Morton blinked and pointed to her patient's swollen belly. "It's in the job description to know these things."
Jane looked down. "Oh… oh! Right… right, sorry…" She tittered nervously and sat down on the strange contraption that was half bed, half chair.
"So," Dr. Morton smiled, trying to calm the woman down. "First one, eh?"
"Second," Maura supplied helpfully, "First for her, though."
"Lovely," the older woman nodded and sat at her computer, typing in a few things. "Is this your first consultation?" Jane nodded, swallowing. "No problem. Tell me about yourself then, symptoms…what you're going through at the moment. Any worries, pains."
The detective told her everything, when they had inseminated, when they got it confirmed at the hospital, to the aches and pains Jane was experiencing, mostly in the morning. Dr. Morton put her at ease and told her what to expect. Finally, they came to the big moment. "Alright so if you want to just slip your pants down a little and you'll be able to see your kid."
Jane put her hand out blindly, waiting for Maura to hold it. The medical examiner smiled and wrapped her fingers around Jane's palm. "Breathe honey," she laughed at the tight grip to her hand.
Jane nodded again and lifted up her t-shirt to give the doctor access to her abdomen. Dr. Morton blinked slightly at the large scar running across the right side of her patient's belly. Ohhh… That Jane Rizzoli. She calmly started up the ultrasound machine and warmed the gel before applying liberally with the transducer. Jane was looking at the ceiling, unable to watch. There was silence, then a strange pumping noise, and nobody spoke. Something was wrong, wasn't it? "Jane…" Maura whispered, listening to the sound of her child's heartbeat. "Look at the screen."
Jane winced and tore her eyes away from the panels in the cheap ceiling and blinked at the monitor. There, in black and white was their baby. Perfect little nose. That was the first thing she noticed. Spine, hands…legs. All well formed.
"Say hello to your baby," Morton smiled.
Jane couldn't move. She literally couldn't. She tried to say something but she felt like Maura had just stuck a few cotton wool balls inside her mouth and taped it shut.
"You okay?" Maura asked gently, trying to rouse her wife but Jane's eyes never left the screen. "Honey?"
Jane gave a distracted nod. "That's… a baby."
"Umm, yes," Morton frowned. "It is."
"My baby," Jane babbled. "That's inside me?"
"It is," Maura squeezed her hand, knowing Jane was stuck in a state of shock. She looked at the screen again. Oh! She took a panicked look at Morton who was smiling at her knowingly.
"Jane, would you like to know the gender? The baby's sitting in a perfect position. Usually it's too early to tell but this little one likes to cooperate."
Jane took a look at her wife with a questioning gaze, then smirked. "You already know, don't you?" Maura's eyes twinkled with both tears and mirth and she nodded. "Tell me," she put her hand over her eyes and groaned. "Oh wait no… don't." There was a pause. She peeked through her fingers. "Okay, tell me."
"You sure?" Maura smiled. Jane nodded, her wife's grin too infectious to hold it back. Maura brought her face down to Jane's. "We're having a boy, Jane" she whispered.
"A boy?" Jane looked to the other doctor for confirmation and Morton gave a wide smile and a nod. "Really? A boy?"
"I'd say I was 95% sure," the older woman added. "There," she smiled and pointed to the screen. "A girl would be flatter… this is more at a 40 degree angle. Congratulations, mama."
Maura could see that Jane was fighting back a torrent of tears. She threaded fingers through the dark hair and smiled.
"God… I will not cry again," Jane chuckled, her throat feeling tight.
"It's okay to," Maura smiled.
"Says you. You cried at a hangnail the other day."
"It really hurt!" the medical examiner laughed.
Jane sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "A little boy... Ohhh my god, this is fucking insane!" Morton printed the best screen capture and handed it to the happy couple.
"There you go…"
"Ma's gonna freak." Jane choked, her finger tracing up and down the picture gently.
It was this softer side of Jane that Maura loved to see. She didn't show it to many people, but this was the true Jane. This was the person inside the tough exterior. The person she loved the most. They went through a few more vital things, like weight, and height and Jane then had her blood taken and was given a number to call if she had any problems.
Walking out of the doctor's surgery, Maura had to keep guiding the brunette towards the car, knowing that at any moment, Jane would walk straight into a lamppost and break her nose again. She had been staring at the sonogram for five minutes now. Just…staring. Maura smiled and opened the door for Jane to slide in.
"Earth to Jane."
Jane blinked and looked sheepishly at her wife. "I'm fucking whipped aren't I?"
"Just a little bit," Maura chuckled. "It's rather endearing, however."
"Pfft," Jane slouched in her seat and chuckled. "Wow."
"Mmhmm," the doctor commented wordlessly. "As you call it, 'I'm screwed.'" She wrinkled her nose. "Two tomboys and an actual boy?" She shook her head with a mildly excited smile she couldn't quite contain. "I'm going to have to go to your mother for tips."
"Blend the pasta sauce," Jane chuckled. "That's all she'll tell you."
"I'm sorry?" Maura wasn't quite following as she did up her seatbelt. Jane followed suit.
"Ma used to blend the sauce… it'd be full of veggies. I'm serious. Zucchini would have been falling out of our noses if we knew, but we didn't. What we didn't see, we couldn't taste."
"Aha!" Maura beamed this delicious titbit of news. She was slowly getting fed up of bits of eggplant being thrown across the table in disgust.
"Crap." Jane rolled her eyes, knowing Maura was going to take this piece of information very seriously and start making up batches as soon as they got home. "But…not me, I like my veggies." Maura's eyes quirked. "Now… not when I was 5, eww no. But yeah, now."
"Good," Maura laughed and they left the car-park. "So… what would you like to do?"
"What do you mean?" Jane frowned.
Maura sighed. Jane's brain really was working hard to keep up. Again, the progesterone was to blame. 'Pregnancy-brain' as it was informally called, occurred in pregnant women, causing slow reflexes and at times, complete forgetfulness or confusion. "Honey, we have the day off."
"Ooooh, we do!" Jane perked up and rearranged the seatbelt, finding it a little too tight. "Shopping, I wanna go shopping." Maura blinked and the car swerved. "Maura!" Jane's breath caught and she grabbed the dashboard. "Jesus!"
"Sorry, I'm sorry," Maura panted and kept her eyes on the road. "I'm sorry. I just didn't expect that from you."
"Yeah well… my waistband is biting at me. So damn itchy," she pulled at her pants irritably, unbuttoning her fly. She couldn't help but chuckle. "Well that's the last time I tell you I wanna go shopping." Maura let out a nervous laugh, silently smacking herself in the head. "And Maur? None of this couture maternity stuff. It's not for me," she saw the disappointed look on her wife's face. "Come on, please? I want comfy, plain, pastel colored clothing. Something that doesn't have buttons or zippers."
"Understood." The other woman said simply.
"Really?" Jane's jaw went slack.
Maura laughed. "I've been pregnant before, remember? I know how it feels."
Jane smacked her hands together in delight. "This shit just got so much more fun."
"Oh god," Maura groaned.
"I love days off!" Her jubilant wife chortled. "Wait, pull over."
"What?" the doctor frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothi- Maur, just pull over." Jane sighed and finally the medical examiner saw the sign commonly associated with MacDonald's.
"Jane…"
"Please." Jane shifted in her seat. "I need fries. So bad."
Again, Maura couldn't keep the smirk off her face. She did as Jane asked and pulled over to the drive thru barrier and Jane undid her seatbelt, playfully leaning over the woman until she was practically in her lap. She lowered the window.
"Hey."
"How can I help?" Came the metallic sounding reply.
Jane took a big breath. "I need a double cheeseburger, 12 chicken mcnuggets, supersized fries and an Oreo McFlurry… oh and an apple pie." Jane turned to her wife. "Maur?"
Maura had to try and get her mouth to work. "A sprite… I'll just eat some of your fries."
"A sprite, medium fries, and a coke." Jane grinned, her mouth watering unabashedly. Maura huffed at the extra order and thrummed her fingers against the steering wheel. They'd had a small breakfast and right now, despite the fact that she knew she couldn't be, Jane was starving.
"Will that be all?"
"That's it," Maura said firmly, glaring daggers at her wife. Jane slunk down in her chair and chuckled when her belly growled loudly.
"That was the baby," Jane whispered. "He's angry at you."
Maura snorted but drove up to the collecting bay and got out the money to pay. She grinned. Jane had acknowledged him. The boy. They were having a baby boy.
"Maur…" Jane nudged her, frowning. "The money."
"Oh!" Maura squawked and handed the bills over to the hot and bothered attendant who merely scowled back at her. They drove off to a nearby space and Maura killed the engine. "Could I have a nugget?" Maura asked to the woman who currently had her head in the wrapper of her burger. Jane held up a pointy fry and glared at the woman, threatening her with it.
Maura just chuckled and reached over, popping a whole nugget into her mouth.
"Maura!" Jane's eyes bugged out, slightly impressed.
Maura hadn't thought this bit through. She chomped and chewed awkwardly, then swallowed with a cough. Jane laughed and patted her back. "You okay?"
"That was a distinctly bad idea." Maura giggled and swallowed again with a wince.
"That's what happens when you steal my food." Jane sighed with feigned annoyance. The doctor just rolled her eyes and ate a few of her own fries.
It didn't take long for Maura's head to find Jane's shoulder as they ate in relative silence. She mutely pointed at the sonogram that had been temporarily stuck to the dashboard. She felt Jane nod slowly. Then she heard the sniffle. "God damn!" Jane cursed, having set herself off again and moved her food to one side. Looking up, Maura threaded her non-greasy fingers through the black hair. Glistening eyes looked back at her.
"Is there a pill I can take to stop myself from crying?" Jane rubbed her nose with the back of her hand.
Maura opened her mouth but Jane stopped her. "Don't even bother answering." The doctor chuckled and sat back, closing her eyes. She was relaxed, and this impromptu picnic in an empty car-park strangely felt as romantic as they came. "Hey, Maur?" The low voice spoke after half an hour of silence bar the quiet sound of eating. Jane sat up suddenly when she felt something...strange.
"Yes, Jane?" Maura's eyes were still closed.
"You know uhh… the problem?"
"What problem?" Maura frowned.
"In umm, in the bedroom. The problem we've been having." Jane was embarrassed and it showed from the blush on her face.
"Ohh…" Confusion cleared.
"Yeah," the cop nodded. "I think I'm fixed."
Maura slowly opened one eye. "In what way?"
"Don't make me say it," Jane whined. "Maur…" The scientist's expression was blank. "Really? Just…" She looked around the empty car-park and saw they were covered by a row of trees. She grabbed Maura's hand and slowly drew it inside her pants, past her briefs.
"Oh." Maura sat up, her eyes now wide and very alert.
"Yeah… so uhhh, early night and all?" Jane's eyebrows wagged but she pushed the hand from her crotch to stop anymore sensation that was causing her head to swim.
"Oh you can count on it," Maura resettled herself and cleared her throat. "Goodness me."
Jane widened her legs to get more comfortable and nodded with a nervous laugh. "Yeah."
"Have you finished?" Maura looked at the empty drinks carton and the various empty cartons scattered around the passenger area.
"Absolutely," Jane nodded. "Take me shopping."
"Never thought you'd ask," Maura gave her a flirty smile. They'd never last until tonight. She batted her eyelashes and started the car.
Not a chance.
TBC