Chapter 4 :
The will :
The next morning after only a few hours of sleep Jane woke about 8 am and decided to gently wake Maura up as well, the best way she knew how.
"Hey sweetheart. It's time to wake up." Jane was lying on her left side and slowly started to kiss her wife while caressing her belly with her right hand hoping to wake her up very gently.
"I don't want to go. Can't you go with the children and your mother?" Maura who was a morning person was usually the one dragging Jane out of bed early but ever since her mother died a week ago she had started to drawn slowly into a massive depression and did have the desire of physical strength to get out of bed.
"I wish I could but she was your mother and you need to be present for the lecture of her will. I promise you that I will drive you home afterwards so you can rest but we really need to get up now. The kids are already up." Over the past thirty years the two women had been trough a lot and Jane had found herself comforting Maura on many occasions but she had never seen her wife so depressed and for the first time did not know how to make her feel better and was grateful to have her children and mother around her to help her.
"Would you mind if we stayed here at the mansion for a little while?"
"Of course not, we can stay as long as you need, but don't you think it might be too painful for you to be here surrounded by pictures of your parents and all their stuff?" Truth be told Jane hated sleeping over at the mansion. Despite being generally a welcoming place, it was too big for her taste. The three children other hand all had their own bedroom and favorite room and had enjoyed many vacations here with their grand parents but Jane could barely bare the thought of having to stay overnight for Christmas or thanksgiving but was willing to do an effort for her wife's sake.
"To the contrary, I need to be surrounded by my mother's painting or my father's book and I have to admit that I feel a certain comfort sleeping in my childhood bed. But I know that you never felt comfortable here so I would understand if you didn't want to stay."
"I can't say that I got used to the place over the years but I'm not leaving you Maura, not now, not ever and if what you need is staying here then we will stay as long as you want, alright?" Kissing her wife's head Jane was actually relieved that Maura after remaining almost mute for the past week was able to ask for what she needed.
"You always put my and our children needs and desires before yours and I don't think I have thanked you." Losing her parents Maura started to reflect on her own like and realised that she could lose Jane or her children at any moment and that she should not take them for granted but instead embrace her family and be grateful for what they brought to her life.
" So did you. I think we both made compromises and sacrifices when they needed to be made. I love you Maura and you and the kids will always come first." Jane replied kissing her forehead.
"I love you too." As empty and alone she felt right now Maura knew that she was not alone and that once she'd be ready her family would be there for her, to comfort her and help her get through this difficult time.
About an hour later Jane, Maura and their children and Angela where sitting in the Isles' lawyer's office for the lecture of their will.
Sitting in a large velvet chair surrounded by Jane on her left and Louis on her right Maura was eager to sort her parents' estate out so she could start mourning her loss as soon as possible.
Unfortunately being the sole heir of such a vast fortune she knew that this would not be an easy task but knew she could count on Jane and her lawyer's help and on the unconditional support of her beloved children.
"Good morning all. Before we start I would like to express my sincere condolences. As you know I have known your parents for almost thirty years and considered them as dear friends." Sitting behind his desk was the family's lawyer, a man in his sixties who was working for one of the oldest law firm in the states of Massachusetts that has had the privilege to look after the family's legal matters since Constance grand father had started his first business over a century ago.
"Thank you Georges. I know both my parents held you in high esteem and trusted you with their estate." Having dealt with the man on several occasions Maura knew that she could trust his honestly and loyalty and that apart from being extremely competent he was also patient with his clients who did not possess any legal experience or knowledge.
"You're welcome Maura. As we already went through your fathers' will upon his death I am now ready to read your mother's will and last wishes. Please note that this will has been updated on the fifteenth of this month upon your father's death to include any assets and possessions he left her in his will."
"Yes I know, Thank you." Being the sole heir of her family's fortune Maura knew exactly what she was about to inherit and knew what her parents wanted to leave to Angela, Jane and their three grand children but the thought of having her parents' assets dissected like that almost made her want to regurgitate.
"To our Grand children I leave the sum of one million dollar each that will be held in a trust fund until each of you reach the age of thirty. Until then the funds will be taken care off by a trustee that will be appointed by your mother and a monthly allowance will be given to you by the chosen trustee.
Louis, Elizabeth, Victoria. Being parents was probably one of the greatest adventure of our lives but being grand parents, being close to you, witnessing you becoming the outstanding young adults you are today was an experience we both consider as an absolute privilege.
As you know your grand father and I were there when you were born, we saw you take your first steps and say you first words and we held you to comfort you when you needed it. I think it's fair to say that we learn as much as we tried to teach you, if not more. We sincerely hope that the little we managed to teach you will help you achieve your goals and your dreams. Never forget that we will always be there for you, where ever you go or what ever you do, we will always be in your heart.
To Angela I leave our house in Cambridge.
Angela, for the past thirty years you have been the most devoted friend I have ever had and also a surrogate mother for Maura. Thanks to your rather direct approach I was finally able to acknowledge my flaws a mother and thanks to your precious advise and guidance I was able to get slowly rebuild my relationship with my daughter and I will always be grateful for that. Thank you for the countless afternoons we spent cooking and painting and for the memories we shared during our holidays in Europe, you are truly one of a kind and my life was better for having you in it. Please take care of our daughters and grand children.
To Jane, I leave my husband's gun and car collection as I'm sure he would have wanted you to have them but most importantly I leave you the task to take care of what Charles and I held most precious in our lives : our daughter and grand children.
Over the past thirty years you took care of Maura, you supported her through thick and thin and loved her unconditionally. You also gave us the most incredible first grand child we ever could have dreamed of and you raised our grand daughters to be as caring, honest and hard working as yourself. We could have not hoped for a better person for our daughter. We love you as our own daughter and we're counting on you to keep the family together in this difficult time.
To Maura our beloved daughter I leave the totally of my assets which includes the control of the family trust, all my liquidities held on my currents and savings accounts and also my various investments and stock options and our homes in Boston, our Penthouse in Manhattan, the summer house in the Hamptons and our house in Marseille, France. But most importantly I leave you in charge of the family foundation. As you know I have been the chairman of the board since your grand father passed away almost thirty five years ago. Please do trust the member of the board to guide and advice you. I have been working with them ever since I took over my father's seat and I know you can trust them. But most importantly make sure you trust your instincts. You have had your seat on the board for years and you have enough experience to make your own decisions. Most importantly do not put too much pressure on yourself. You are the smartest and most capable person your father and I have ever had the pleasure to know and you have the biggest heart any human being could have and your father and I know that you will carry on our legacy and honour our name. There are no words to describe how much we love you and how proud we are of the woman you became Maura. We will be waiting for the day we're reunited but in the mean time be happy with that beautiful family yours.
"She's leaving me the foundation?" Turning her head towards Jane in disbelief Maura was in shock. Despite being introduced to the charitable work when she was very young her parents never mentioned giving her that responsibility and she always assumed that either them or the board would name someone to replace her mother but had no idea that Constance would chose her specifically..
"Yes. Your parents talked to the board a few months ago because your mother they felt that her health was declining and that she might not have that many years left. As you know your mother had every intention of assuming her responsibilities until her last breath but she was waiting for you to retire from your position at the Medical Examiner's office to slowly pass the torch on to you. I'm sorry she did not have the chance to share her intentions and projects with you but as she mentioned in her will you can trust the members of the board to support you through this transition."
"The board did not object to my mother's decision?" Swallowing hard Maura could not believe that her mother had being planning this with her father without telling her and that the board of directors would agree with their decision.
"Absolutely. As you know the Isles foundation is one of the oldest in our state and the members of the board have been working with your mother for decades and a couple of them even had the privilege to work with your grand parents. Their loyalty to your family is flawless and they always respected what ever choice your mother made Maura."
"I suppose I should set up a meeting then." Letting go of Jane's hand Maura suddenly realised the immensity of the task that her mother had trusted her with and knew that her plans to enjoy her retirement would have to be posponed, that continuing her parents' legacy and making sure the transition was done as smoothly as possible had to be her absolute priority.
"Yes. Before you leave your mother asked me to give you this." Standing up the family lawyer reached from under his desk and grabbed a large box that the handed to Maura."
"What is it?" Welcoming the heavy box in her arms Maura also fell backwards under its impressive weight.
"This box contains your mother's journals. She started writing them when she lost her son and never stopped. When she updated her will upon your father's death she brought me that box to make sure that you received it. She also told me that you would find her present journal in the first drawer of her night stand. Your mother really loved you Maura and she felt that because of her inability to be close to you the two of you wasted so many years. Despite spending years trying to make amends she also felt that there was still so many things you didn't know about her. She thought that reading her journals would help you mourn her death but also would also bring you the closure you needed to forgive her for good."
"Take this to the car will you?" Handing the box to Jane Maura suddenly ran off the room. Overwhelmed by the informations she had just received Maura was unable to contain her emotion and found herself in need for some fresh air.
Half an hour later after the most silent ride back of their life the Rizzoli-Isles family arrived to the mansion. Also surprised by Constance's decision to give that much responsibilities to Maura Jane for the first time since they were married could not find the words that would comfort her wife.
"Looks like we have a visitor." Stepping out of the car Louis immediately noticed a car parked in front of the mansion and knew that his mother was not in the mood to receive one of her parents' friend coming to pay their respect.
"I have no idea, probably a friend of the family coming to pay their respect. Send them to hell please." Her arms around Maura's shoulder Jane also knew that she was not in the mood for a visitor and decided to bring her to the mansion and put her to bed.
To his big surprise the person that came out of that car wasn't one of her grand parents' friend but a very familiar face :
"Louis..." Standing a few feet away was a young woman in her mid twenties, about 5.6 " with long dark hair and beautiful blue eyes that Louis could recognise among a million.
"Emily what are you doing here?" Right there in the middle of his sisters and mothers Louis almost dropped on his knees when he saw that woman he had not seen in many years but whom he had never managed to forget.
So guys, do you remember who Emily is? If you read Unconditional Support you must remember who she is and how important she was for Louis when he was 4 or 5….
So Maura is in charge of the family's foundation now.
Let's see how Maura is gonna deal with her new responsibilities. Is she going to use it as a way of coping with her parents death? Is she going to give herself to the task to a point where it causes trouble in her marriage?
I know this chapter was rather boring but I needed to write it to introduce Maura's new responsibilities. Next chapter will focus on Louis and Emily and after that ... drama is coming!
Thanks for the support.