"Lunch?" Jane asked as she strolled into the chief medical examiner's office.
"Oh!" Maura bolted from her chair, hand going to steady herself on her desktop as she tried to even out her breathing. "Jane, you startled me."
"Clearly," at the doctor's apprehensive look, the tall brunette flinched, showing a slight hint of guilt. "Sorry," she shrugged, walking over to give the doctor a hug.
It was readily accepted, Maura's arms enfolding Jane's lithe form. "It's okay. I seem to be jumpier than normal today." Her hands wrapped into the material of Jane's blazer.
"That tends to happen after you've been attacked." Jane could feel Maura's hands clutching at her, and she stood still to let her friend cling for as long as she needed. "You'll calm down in a few days. I always do." She gave a chuckle.
"That's not funny, Jane." Maura pulled back, anger suddenly in her eyes. "You can't know how much I hate it when you're injured. When you shot yourself, and we thought you weren't going to make it, I almost told you," the doctor stopped short, face gone hard. "You scared me, you know."
"I know, and I'm sorry." Leaning against the doctor's desk, Jane wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't like scaring you like that, or anyone else for that matter. You know, Ma chewed me out pretty good about the whole thing, but, if it'll make you feel better, you can yell at me, too. You never have."
"I don't yell." At Jane's disbelieving expression, Maura added, "When I'm angry with my friends, I don't yell at them. I may give them my reasons for being angry with them, but I don't yell. Very little gets accomplished by being violent when one is in an argument with a loved one."
"Okay," the brunette gave a shrug, "you never gave me your reasons for being angry with me. I always thought you would, but it's been almost five months, and the most you've ever said about it, besides not to tear my stitches, was what you just said now."
"I'm not certain there's much to say outside of the fact that you scared me." With a heavy sigh, Maura sat down in her chair, looking up at Jane. "You keep saving my life, and the only things I can think to do are thank for you doing it and chastisement for putting yourself in danger."
"It was just one time," the lanky brunette shrugged nonchalantly. "Everyone gets one."
"I've gotten three," Maura stated matter-of-factly. "You helped save me when Detective Kenny Leahy held me at gunpoint. You saved me by being the one Marino took as a hostage. You literally saved my life yesterday." She cleared her throat. "I've had three."
"Hey, you're my best friend, you get as many as you need," Jane smiled, the look not quite reaching her eyes. "I've got your back, remember?"
"I remember watching you hooked up to life support in the hospital." The doctor's voice was tired, worn. "It was a rather vivid memory last night when we were, again, in the same emergency room being treated for our new injuries. At least this time you were awake and aware."
"Maura…"
"Your heart stopped, Jane, and there was nothing I could do but watch from a distance as they shocked you back to life. You very nearly wound up on my table."
"But I didn't. I'm here. I'm fine."
"You have stitches in your forehead from head butting someone to prevent Hoyt from… from…"
"No." Jane's fingers covered Maura's lips, preventing them from finishing the sentence. "It didn't happen, and you don't deal in 'what ifs'. No, Maura. You're here. You're safe, and everything is going to fine. Look," keeping her fingers on Maura's lips, Jane squatted to be eye level with her friend. "We're okay, and we're going to get better. I promise, but you can't dwell. If there's one thing I've learned from my life, it's that, if you dwell on the bad stuff, you miss the good stuff. Life's too short for that, okay?" She moved her hand until it rested against her friend's cheek. "Let's go get some lunch, something really bad for us. Maybe a burger with chili cheese fries. I'll even split a milkshake with you."
Maura sniffled, leaning into Jane's touch. "You're lactose intolerant."
"I'll take a pill."
"You are a pill."
"Sometimes." This time, Jane's smile reached her eyes. "You want to go with me?" She leaned further in, voice dropping as if she was about to relay some sort of conspiratorial suggestion. "Please say yes," she whispered.
"Yes, let's go." Maura nodded. "I want a chocolate and strawberry shake."
"Fine, but I get to eat the last bit of the chili cheese fries." Jane stood, offering the doctor her hand.
"I can agree to that," Maura smiled, pulling her purse from her desk drawer before taking Jane's hand and allowing herself to be led away.
I don't feel like putting warnings throughout my chapters, so I changed the rating. I won't go smutty in this one, though. Sorry, folks... maybe the next one?