AN: The characters do not belong to us.

Chapter Three

Maura's mind was elsewhere, on Kaylee and Sasha, as the nurse connected her to the IV and set up the PICC line. Before she knew it, they were done. Hope reentered the room with more optimism than she had felt since Sasha had gone into respiratory arrest and required intubation. She sat down at the foot of Maura's bed.

"Well, honey, now all we can do is wait, but you're doing all you can for your sister. That's a big relief."

"I'll do whatever I can," Maura replied. "I meant what I said about sleeping for a week if I needed to."

"I know, honey," Hope answered. "Let's just see how it goes, ok?"

Maura looked over at Sasha, tears filling her eyes. "Her oxygen levels are looking better and her heart rate is improving." She closed her eyes and opened them again. "Can you wake her up?"

"Give it a few hours, sweetie. But you're right, she is improving. And so are you. You need to have fluids as soon-"

"I know. I'm a doctor." Maura regretted her harsh words the moment they left her mouth. "Sorry. I'm just scared and feel like a bad mom. Kaylee has seen more of Sasha and Jane than me this week."

"Oh, honey, I know how you feel." Hope remembered the years she thought Maura was dead and had blamed herself for the events of her eighteenth year. "But it's not true. You have a lot of important roles to juggle in your life right now, but that makes you an even better mother because you have so much caring in your heart."

"I guess," Maura said with tears. "It just feels wrong."

"But it's not at all," Hope reassured her daughter. "Now just rest. What you are doing for your sister is also taking a tremendous strain on your body and you can't be negligent of that. Not because you're a doctor and not because you're worried about your sister or your daughter or your friends. You might need to be here more often than not for your own good until we cure Sasha and I think the more quickly you accept that, the better. I know it's hard, but I'm here for you every step of the way."

Maura sighed and closed her eyes. Hope was right. She did need to take care of herself. With one last look at Sasha, she let sleep claim her.

Back at Maura's house, Jane tried to calm a screaming Kaylee. For the last hour, nothing Jane did seemed to calm her. "I know, sweet girl. I know you miss your mommy." Jane held Kaylee close and with one hand grabbed her keys. Putting the baby in the carseat, she went to the car and strapped it in. If Kaylee wanted Maura, she'd have her.

The drive seemed to calm the baby, as if she knew where they were headed. Fifteen minutes later, she parked and headed inside to Maura and Sasha's room. Hope met her at the door.

"Maura finally fell asleep about an hour ago," Hope said. "But I think who you have there is better than any medicine. Just keep your visit no more than ten minutes because she needs her sleep."

Jane nodded and took Kaylee over to Maura's bedside. By instinct, Maura immediately awakened. "Oh, thank you, Jane. I needed to see her so badly." She took Kaylee in her arms and held her close. Kaylee remained calm and happy through the visit with her mother.

As Maura regretfully handed Kaylee back to her best friend, Jane took delight in telling Maura something she knew would calm her worries. "I've called Constance, who is coming to stay as long as you need. Between her and my mother, your baby will be well taken care of."

Maura sighed in relief. "You have no idea how much that means to me. There are no words, Jane."

Jane smiled at her friend as she left and Maura finally listened to her body and its need for rest. She was not prepared, however, when her eyes opened again to learn that she had slept for a solid four days.

Hope was ever present, ready to calm her oldest daughter when she realized the lapse of time. "It's ok," she said. "After all, you keep telling me you'll sleep for a week if it helps Sasha. I think it is. It's hard to tell." Her voice broke a little as she said the last sentence.

"How is she?" Maura was terrified to ask.

"Well," Hope sighed with weariness, "We brought her out of the sedation, but she is unable to breathe without the ventilator, so she's in a state of mild sedation to tolerate the tube. She's hanging in there, due to your blood. More tests will most likely reveal what it might take to cure her." Hope looked sad.

"Whatever you need from me," Maura sighed. "I just want my sister to come back to us."

"So does Barry," Hope said. "He's not left her side since she took a turn for the worse."

Maura sighed again as she looked at her sister and Barry across the room. He was holding her hand and begging her to hold on and come back to him, but thus far, nothing changed.

"Sleeping beauty awakes." Jane came quietly into the room."Thought you were going to sleep forever." She regarded Sasha with a sad sigh. "Your daughter is a bundle of energy and is cutting her first tooth. Cried all night."

"I thought I was going to sleep forever," Maura replied. Her face saddened at the thought of missing her daughter's first tooth and whatever else she would not witness. Would she be out of this bed by the time Kaylee took her first steps? Right now, saving her sister mattered above all else, but her small daughter was a reminder that life went on whether one wanted it to continue at its usual pace or not. Freezing time was not an option. But, it was her fondest wish nonetheless.

Hope greeted Jane with a warm, friendly hug and then let the two friends talk as she busied herself checking Sasha's vitals. Barry still sat at her side, her hand clasped in his, refusing to give up. "Is she any better, Hope?"

Hope shook her head. "No, but she's not any worse, either. Keep talking to her because I think she can hear you."

Barry's eyes misted over because he could not imagine someone so lifeless hearing or feeling any part of the world, but he could not help wondering if Sasha was dreaming, thinking or what was going on inside her mind.

Sasha felt as if she were a million miles away when she had first had sensation after the sedation had been lightened, but little by little a different place began to overtake her senses. As images came into her view, she noticed that she was standing on a footbridge in a forest with snow capped trees, yet she didn't feel cold. It was so serene and beautiful. Then her attention was drawn to what looked like a cloud over the horizon and she could see the face of the man she loved, Barry Frost. He was crying, though, and it puzzled her. Why was he sad?

Maura ate soup and jello for dinner and stretched, walking around the room with Jane's help. They ventured into the hall and were met by Constance, who was proudly carrying Kaylee. Maura nearly fell in her haste to get to them.

"Darling. How is Sasha?" Constance handed Kaylee to Maura.

"She's the same." Maura sat in the nearest chair. "Hi, sweet girl. Can Mommy see your tooth, sweet girl?" Kaylee squirmed in her arms, patting her cheeks.

Maura watched in astonishment as little Kaylee opened her mouth to proudly show her new tooth. "Wow, my girl is getting so big! Kaylee, that's wonderful." Maura turned toJane and Constance. "Thank you both for letting her come. Kaylee takes my mind off of things just for a minute."

She fought off a wave of dizziness more intense than the one she experienced several days before. As things began to spin and twirl around her, Maura grabbed hold of Jane's hand and gripped it tight. However, as soon as it had come, the vertigo passed.

"You OK?" Jane asked. Maura nodded and remained quiet. She didn't want to alarm anyone, especially Kaylee.

Constance stood up and took Kaylee in her arms. "I hate to leave, but I'd better get her home and down for her nap. Jane, I cannot express now much of a help Angela has been this week. She is as devoted to this little one as if she were one of her own. She is marvelous with babies!"

Jane giggled upon remembering the time when her mother volunteered in the neonatal unit when she and Maura were investigating the death of a young Canadian woman who was a surrogate mother. It was undeniable that Angela loved babies. And they loved her equally.

Maura laughed as well, because the whole experience had been simultaneously funny and endearing.

Kaylee whined in Constance's arms, reaching her little arms toward her mother.

Maura stood with Jane's help and kissed her daughter. "I love you, baby girl. Mommy hopes to be home soon."

"Maura, you should rest." Hope stepped over to her. "I'm concerned about your dizziness."

"I'm fine. I don't need any more rest." She winced at her abrupt tone. "How's Sasha?" She leaned against Jane, fighting tears at leaving her daughter again.

"Her levels are improving. I'm going to start weaning her off the sedative," Hope explained and Maura released a breath.

"I just want her back. I want to hear her voice." A knock at the door forced her attention away from Sasha. Angie stepped into the room. "Angie!"

Angie ran across the room and enveloped Maura in a big hug. "How are you feeling?" She asked the woman who was saving her cousin. "How is Sasha?"

Hope gave a small smile. "She's doing a little better and I was just telling about my idea to wean her from the sedative soon. She is getting stronger, despite how things look."

"How's Anna?" Jane was curious about the teenager that has befriended her after the BPD school visit.

"She's good. Worried about Maura and Sasha. I recorded her latest glee club performance. She begged me to come and show it to you. She had a solo." She touched a few buttons and handed the phone to Maura.

"It's beautiful," Maura remarked as she watched.

Jane was also astounded. "She's such a talented girl!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Angie said. "She's my little star. We call her Rachel Berry around the house because she's just as good as the character on the tv show."

"I'm sure she loves that," Jane smiled. "And it's every bit true, too."

Maura tried to focus on the conversation happening around her, but the dizziness became too much. She quickly succumbed to the darkness, the muffled voices fading to nothingness. But the void did not last long as she soon felt a hand rested on her shoulder. The dizziness had stopped and she opened her eyes to find a blurry figure staring down at her. Her twin. "Sasha," she choked out.

"Hi Maura," Sasha said. "I was wondering when you would join me here."

"Where are we?" Maura asked, slightly frightened. It was a strange place and she could not really see anything but Sasha's face.

"I'm not sure what to call it but I'll show you where I've been," Sasha gestured toward the footbridge. "I watch Barry from over there. Why is he crying all the time?"

Maura closed her eyes. She could go into medical speak or flat out tell her. Both would freak her out. "Help me up." When she was on her feet, she looked her sister in the eye, not letting go of her hand. "You're in a coma, Sasha, and apparently now, so am I. You took a turn for the worse and-" The words died in her throat and a tear ran down her cheek. A strangled sob escaped.

"Wow, that is incredible." Sasha had a hard time taking it all in. "We're not, um..."

"No, I don't think so," Maura responded. "Because you were alive when I collapsed. If you've been here a while, that's not the case."

A voice, familiar yet unknown, called out both of their names and the sisters turned in time to see a woman running toward them. She was the mirror image of both Maura and Sasha.

"I'm Gina," she said. "Pleased to meet you."

Maura and Sasha exchanged a puzzled glance.

"I was wondering when I was going to meet you," she said with a smile.

"Our clone," Maura blurted. "No wonder Jane thought me dead." She nudged Sasha. "Maura Isles and this is my...our sister, Sasha."

"That medical examiner...Pike something is really an airhead," Gina blurted. "It's really unsettling to have your grave say another name. Come on, I'll take you back to the lodge."

"Where are we?" Sasha finally blurted. "Maura just said we're not dead."

"We're at the lodge," Gina told them. "That's all I know. Don't freak out, it's fun."

Maura and Sasha exchanged another glance. "Are you sure we are not dead? This is getting strange."

"I didn't think so," Maura replied. "I'm not so sure."

Back in the hospital room, their mother wasn't so sure, either. Now both of her daughters were barely clinging to life and she still had no idea how to keep them going. Maura, too, had stopped breathing and was on a ventilator, like her sister. Hope didn't know if either one was going to survive.

"You call this fun?" Sasha fired back. "This isn't a vacation. You-" she stopped. "I'm never going to leave here, will I, Maura? This is Heaven, isn't it? How can it not be? Gina's here and she's dead."

"I don't know," she reiterated. "You weren't dead before. If you are, it's been since I..."

Her statement did nothing to calm Sasha. "I just want to go home because I miss it so much, and I only want to go back..."

Gina ignored both of them and kept walking to the lodge. "Come on, you're going to miss the fun."

"Is that all you think about?" Maura lashed out, frustrated by this girl's lack of tolerance. "We're not dead. You are." She grabbed Sasha's arm. "Let's go, Sasha."

"I'm not staying here any longer," agreed Sasha. "I want to go home and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Maura nodded. "So go have your fun or whatever. But not with us."

Gina's eyes welled up. "You mean you would leave your sister here and not even get to know her? Dad was wrong about you. He said you were nice. He always went on about how great you were."

Maura paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, Gina. I'm not trying to be rude to you. Sasha and I just need to go home. That's all, but I feel badly to have hurt your feelings. I apologize."

"I do, too," Sasha said. "I'm sorry, Gina."

"Oh, you girls are too sweet," Gina impulsively hugged both of them. She stared at the ground. "I guess I'll meet you for real, but let's not rush that. But I've got to go with my friends. We live here and it's cool." She narrowed her eyes in thought. "I wonder if you know someone named Kate... She might just be the fourth, you know."

"Clone?" Maura wondered. "Don't tell me there are more."

"She looks like us, except her hair is brown," Gina said, "and she's my best friend."

"Yeah, a best friend who's going to steal all your clothes if you don't hurry it up." The woman Gina described appeared before them. "Gina, how many times do I have to tell you not to come out here?"

"I was meeting my clones. Chill, Kate. You gonna arrest me for breaking one measly rule?"

"I might do that," Kate said with an ornery grin that was reminiscent of Jane. "But I will let you off this time." Then she glanced at the other two women and was aghast. "Whoa, did you say clones or what?" Kate stared. "They look just like us. And I thought we were just sisters."

"No," Gina said, "there may be more to it than that. But we can find out later. Maura and Sasha won't come inside with us at all."

Kate got a soft expression in her eyes. "No, I don't blame them, either." She sighed deeply. Kate knew all too well that if she'd had a chance to go back to the living, she would have taken the opportunity immediately. But sniper bullets don't afford a second chance, and she was finally settled with it by now. Kate knew she would reunite with the man of her dreams one day, the man whose ocean colored eyes she could still see upon the thought of him.

"Go back," she whispered. "Please. It's best for everyone."

Maura had only to look into Kate's eyes to see the sadness there. While Kate's chance for life was long over, her own was not. Hopefully, Sasha was in the same situation.

"I'm not going in," Maura said with finality. She was going back.

Squeezing Sasha's hand, she blinked back tears. "Come with me, please?"

Sasha squeezed back. "Of course. Let's return to the footbridge. I think we can get home from there."

In a moment, they were back at the place where Sasha watched Barry cry over her prone form lying comatose in the hospital bed. But this time Sasha recognized instinctively that they both could not go if they both wanted to live. Well aware of Maura's generosity, Sasha remained quiet as she led Maura to the exit of the woods.

"Take my hands," she said. Maura did as she was told. "Now squeeze each one and in a minute we will be back home."

Sasha hated lying to Maura, but she knew it was the only way to give her sister the best chance possible. Maura had Kaylee to raise. Sasha couldn't stand the idea of Maura not getting to do that, of missing everything in her daughter's life.

"Here we go," Sasha made her voice steady as Maura squeezed each of her hands one after the other. "Going home!" She watched as Maura's image vaporized and dissolved into nothing before her eyes. Only when her sister was gone did Sasha allow herself to cry. She looked into the cloud where she usually saw Barry, but this time saw nothing.