A/N-This is it ladies and gents. This is the last chapter the girls will be in second grade. The next chapters will take place in either 7th or 8th grade. I am not sure yet. Although I am open to suggestions on what grade you guys would prefer. Now without further ado I give you chapter 4
"Mother!" Constance jumps up from her desk when she hears Maura scream for her. Her normally calm demeanor turns into panic when she is unable to locate her daughter. She sighs in relief when she sees Maura running down the hall to her. That relief is short lived when she sees her in tears. Without thinking Constance scoops her little girl up into her arms and is surprised at how easily she has fallen into the role of attentive mother. She rubs her daughter's back in an attempt to soothe her.
"What's wrong darling?"
"It's Jane." Maura cries. Constance tenses fearing something has happened to the little girl.
"Mr. Rizzoli is sick and no one knows why." Maura takes a deep breath as she struggles to breathe overcome with emotion.
"Jane is afraid she is going to lose her dad and upset she's too little to help with money." Maura begins to cry again in earnest. "Jane cried today." She looks up at Constance with tears streaming down her eyes and it breaks Constance's heart to see her daughter in so much pain. Maura sniffs and buries her face in her mother's chest. "Jane never cries." It's muffled but Constance hears it as she runs her hand through her daughter's hair. She thinks of Jane and her brothers and the thought that a child should worry about money due to such an unfortunate circumstance upsets the older woman. She knows she wants to help but first her daughter.
"Listen to me dear." Maura looks at her mother eyes still full of tears. "Mrs . Rizzoli is a smart and strong woman. I have no doubt she will figure out what to do while Mr. Rizzoli gets better. Do you believe in Mrs. Rizzoli?" Maura nods her head without hesitation. "Good" Constance nods agreeing with her daughter. "You just be there for Jane and be the friend she needs okay?" Maura nods again.
Although the hysterical crying has stopped there are still tears coming down Maura's face. Constance brings her little girl into her lap and runs her hands through Maura's hair. Before long she finds that the little girl has fallen asleep. Gently she carries Maura to the sofa and lays her down. As soon as she is sure Maura is settled she heads for the phone.
Angela hands Jane a glass of water and some aspirin. She watches as her eldest child carries both into the next room where her husband is lying on the couch.
She had overheard Jane tell Maura about her father's headaches and nausea. She listened as her daughter expressed concern about the coming school year and if they would be able to afford school supplies. Jane had been upset that she was not old enough to get a paper route having just turned eight to help out. And then she heard Jane cry.
It was at this point that Angela decided she would interrupt the conversation and comfort her daughter but just as she was about to enter the room she found Maura sitting beside her daughter. She was holding Jane's hand and had her head rested against Jane's. Every instinct Angela had demanded she comfort her child but something stopped. A gut feeling as she watched the two girls. Maura was whispering to Jane words that Angela could not hear. Her daughter was already beginning to clam. Angela fought her instincts because her intuition told her that her daughter was in good hands. The thought made Angela happy and sad at the same time.
Angela is mulling the situation over trying to figure out her ease at putting so much tryst in a seven year old when the phone rings.
"Hello"
"Hello Angela this is Constance. I hope I didn't call you at a bad time." Angela smiles at the irony.
"Not at all."
"I do apologize for calling so late but Maura came to me earlier in hysterics. I hope you don't mind but she told me your husband was sick and unable to work."
"Yes" Angela replies trying to keep her emotions in check. "He has been having severe headaches, nausea, and dizzy spells. He's been to the hospital and had tests but they aren't sure what is going on."
"I truly am very sorry to hear that. Things must be tight I imagine." Angela sighs. There is no point in denying it.
"Yeah but we will manage." Constance clears her throat and takes a deep breathe.
"I hope this isn't too presumptuous of me but I have a colleague looking for a caterer for various events. I remembered you magnificent skill and I really feel you would be perfect for the job." Angela wipes at her eyes as tears of joy overcome her.
"I would love to." Angela whispers overcome by emotion. Her fears over how she would send three young children back to school with little money had weighed on her heavily.
"Fantastic! I'll call him right now and let him know you are interested."
"Thank you Constance." Angela says quietly into the phone.
"Think nothing of it." Constance replies.
It is Angela's third event. She has chased the kids outside to play when she hears the back door slam.
"I told you guys to go out and play. This is a big event and I don't need you guys trying to "taste test" everything." Angela says with a hint of sarcasm.
"Oh come on Ma we are just trying to help the best way we know how." Angela turns to find a smiling Jane sitting on a chair watching her. Angela points a sauce covered spoon at her daughter.
"If you don't go out and play I won't make cannolis for three months." Jane's eyes widen before she puts her hands up.
"I'm here to help Ma." Jane replies innocently. Angela eyes her daughter suspiciously and Jane does her best to look sweet and innocent, she fails. Even so Angela decides to take her daughter up on the offer.
"Okay, go wash your hands." Jane smiles big and runs to the kitchen sink to wash her hands. To Angela's surprise and delight her daughter turns out to be a natural cook and although they seem to butt heads in almost everything else in the kitchen Angela and Jane work together in sync.
There are a few times Angela show Jane how to do something and her little girl dosen't do it quite to her standards that she would step in in spite of Jane's protests and a few eye rolls in frustration. However, those are very few and Angela admires the skill of her eldest child.
When they finish Angela puts an arm around her daughter and gives her squirming daughter a hug.
"Ah come on Ma!" Jane manages to wiggle away after a few seconds. She makes her way to the back door to catch up with her brothers but before she does she looks back and gives her mom a smile before running out the door.
After that Jane helps her mother with every catering event possible and they become quite the team. Angela never tells Jane but it gives her a certain sense of pride to be able to pass down a skill to her only daughter.
Just before the start of school Frank starts to feel better. All his symptoms slowly begin to subside. More tests are done and still the doctors cannot tell them what was wrong. He returns to work and for the first time the Rizzoli household becomes a two income family.
Angela drops her children off on the first day of school. Each child loaded with new supplies. She watches Frankie and Tommy run to the jungle gym but not Jane. She watches the black car carrying Maura pull up to the school. Oliver gets out to open the door but Jane beats him to it. He smiles and watches Jane help Maura out of the car before getting back in himself.
Angela watches her daughter light up at the presence of the smaller girl and notices Maura look at Jane with admiration in her eyes. It warms Angela's heart that Jane has made a friend with the same loyalty that her daughter possesses. Maura grabs her daughter's hand and Angela watches as Jane and Maura start third grade side by side.
A/N-I would like to thank everyone for all the reviews and love that I have received for this story! I am kind of on a roll with writing this story plus I am taking a break from my other story and the love I am getting from this fic is gearing me up to return to my other one.
Shout out to Sora Yagami for leaving me a review that quite honestly left me all warm and fuzzy!