Chapter 6
Maura and Jane walked into the adoption center and saw Riley sitting on a bench, her head in her hands, and her bag next to her. Maura hurried towards her and wrapped Riley in her arms.
"What were you thinking going out there alone at night? We were so worried about you." When Riley didn't answer she just clutched the girl tightly to her chest for a while before she moved to allow Jane to do the same.
"I'm so sorry." Jane whispered as she hugged Riley close.
Riley's eyes filled with tears and Maura saw that she was trying to speak but failed. "It's alright, sweetheart." She softly stroked her smooth, brown hair. She heard heels clicking and saw Lauren walking into the room.
"Can we take her home?" Jane asked immediately.
"Yes, you can but I'd like to know what happened." Lauren answered in a professional tone. "Riley won't tell me."
Jane gave Maura a quick look, signaling to get Riley out of the room. Maura softly led Riley to the car while Jane talked to Lauren.
"Why's Jane not coming?" Riley asked, starting to panic. "Oh no you're sending me away aren't you? You're kicking me out. I knew it." The girl was sobbing, her arms wrapped around herself to try and stop herself from shaking.
"No, no! We're not sending you away." Maura tried to grab Riley's arms but the girl moved away.
"Jane is in there telling Lauren you want to get rid of me isn't she?" She sobbed, totally panicking, not listening to what Maura was saying.
Maura grabbed Riley's upper arms and tried to look into her eyes. "Riley Fisher, you listen to me very carefully." She said in a surprisingly strict tone. "We are not sending you away. We're not! We don't support what you did today but that doesn't mean you have to go. We want you in our house, Riley. We want you in our family."
Maura felt Riley shaking and saw tears streaming down her cheeks. "We're not sending you away, sweetheart." She whispered. Riley collapsed into Maura's arms. Maura held the girl close, stroking her back, soothing her pain.
She felt a strong hand on her lower back and turned to see her wife looking at the two of them. Maura knew Jane was insecure. She knew Jane saw how Riley opened up to the doctor and she knew Jane saw that Riley wasn't doing the same with her. Jane was passionate; she often spoke from the heart and followed her instincts. That made Riley more hesitant to open up.
But Maura also saw that Riley adored Jane. Just because she hadn't opened up to her yet didn't mean she wasn't going to. Maura had tried to tell Jane that but the insecurities were still there. But when Riley switched the embrace from Maura to Jane and clung tightly to the detective, Maura saw tears in her wife's eyes and she could see the insecurities starting to fade away.
"I'm so sorry, Jane." Riley whispered as Jane gratefully hugged Riley tight.
"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I keep pushing you away. I'm sorry I'm so bad at controlling the things I say." Jane sniffled and wiped her tears as she carefully pulled back, her hands still resting on Riley's upper arms. "I'm doing the best I can." She said with an apologetic smile.
"I am too." Riley whispered.
Jane placed a sweet kiss on the girl's forehead. "Boy aren't we a mess." She said with a chuckle, referring to the three of them openly crying on the sidewalk.
Riley laughed and wiped her tears with her sleeve. "I really am sorry." Riley repeated softly.
Jane wiped a tear from Riley's cheek. "Your apologies are already accepted. Do you still want to come home with us?"
Riley nodded and looked down at her feet. "If you still want me to." She said softly.
Jane smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind the girl's ear. "Of course we do. I can't even imagine life without you."
"Really…?" Riley said sarcastically. "I've only been with you for two weeks and you're already this desperate?"
Maura laughed and put an arm around Riley's shoulder to guide her to the car. "She's been spending too much time with you, Jane."
"Great. My master plan to create a teenage Rizzoli is working." Jane mocked, causing Riley to laugh out loud; a sound that made Maura's heart swell. Riley sat down in the backseat while Maura placed a quick kiss on Jane's lips before getting in the driver's seat.
Maura didn't know why Riley walked away to go back to the adoption center and that made her worry. But she was endlessly glad to have the girl safely back in her arms. She was grateful to see her opening up to Jane. She saw how happy that made the detective and Maura needed nothing more than for her wife to be happy.
They picked up some take out food on the way home and Jane made them have dinner on the couch. Maura protested at first but Riley and Jane convinced her and honestly, she was happy to be convinced by the two of them.
Dinner was finished and Jane and Maura sat on the couch while Riley sat on the floor with her back against the couch, the fifth Harry Potter book in her lap. Jane was watching a baseball game and Maura was just enjoying the company of her little family. Maura knew they had to talk to Riley about her running away but a part of her didn't want to interrupt this blissful evening.
Suddenly Riley sighed deeply and closed her book. "Did you finish it?" Maura asked.
Riley nodded. "Yeah. It was really sad. But also very cool."
Maura smiled. "Those are usually the best books." She reached out to stroke Riley's hair and was happily surprised to see the girl didn't even respond and just accepted the gesture silently. "Riley, you know you have to talk to us eventually right?" She said softy. "About the fight, and why you left and went back to the adoption center."
Riley rested her head against the side of Maura's knee and sighed deeply. "I know." She whispered.
Maura continued her loving strokes on Riley's brown hair. "We just worry about you, sweetheart, that's all."
"I know." Riley fumbled with the spine of the book. "I'm not used to people worrying about me."
Jane averted her gaze from the television screen to her wife and foster daughter next to her. "You better get used to it." She said with a smile. "Worry comes with love, honey."
Riley looked away, not knowing how to deal with this kind of affection. Maura laughed and kissed Riley's head. "You should go to bed, you're exhausted." She said.
Riley sighed a complaining sigh. "Can I watch the game?"
"You don't even like sports." Maura said with a smile, glad to hear the girl wanted to stay with them.
"I might if I watch the game."
"She has a good point, Maur." Jane said with a smirk.
Maura tilted her head and tried to look angry but ended up looking amused. "Riley, go to bed." She patted Riley's shoulder. "I'll bring you some arnica ointment for your face. It will reduce the swelling."
As Riley walked upstairs, Maura let herself fall into Jane's side, wrapping her arms around the detective's slim waist. She placed an open-mouthed kiss on Jane's neck. "She's staying, isn't she?" She asked, referring to the evaluation meeting they had to be at tomorrow.
"Of course she is." Jane said with determination.
Maura smiled and hid her face in the crook of Jane's neck as she felt strong arms wrapping around her. She continued kissing Jane's neck; something she knew drove her wife crazy with arousal. Jane moaned slightly and let her hands roam over Maura's back and sides. Before things went too far, Maura pulled back and got up from the couch.
Jane grunted. "What are you doing?" She pulled Maura's arm. "You're getting me worked up and not doing anything about it?" She said, pouting.
Maura laughed and softly kissed Jane's lips. "I might do something about it later." She said seductively. "But right now I need to treat Riley's face."
"Alright." The brunette sighed. "You know, she has to know that she's not getting away with this. She has to talk to us at some point."
Maura sighed. "I know. Let's just give her a little more time."
Jane nodded and Maura quickly kissed her forehead before she walked upstairs to get a tube out of the cabinet to treat Riley's eye. She softly knocked on Riley's door and opened it to see Riley brushing her teeth. Riley waved and went to her bathroom to spit and clean up.
"Come here, let me see your eye." Maura said softly, guiding Riley to sit down on the bed. She carefully applied the cream on the bruising around her left eye. "Riley, you know we don't approve of what you did, don't you?"
Riley nodded and looked at her hands in her lap.
"We really want to make this work. But for this to work, you have to talk to us. I know you need time and I know it's difficult. But you scared us today, Riley. I don't know why you left and I'm sure you'll tell us once you're ready, but you have to promise me you won't walk away again." Maura tried to look into Riley's eyes but the girl focused on her fumbling hands. "Can you do that?"
Riley nodded, still avoiding eye contact. Maura cupped Riley's face. "Honey, look at me." Riley slowly lifted her gaze to meet with loving hazel eyes. "We're not mad at you. We're just concerned." She smiled sweetly as she saw gratefulness and surprise in clear, blue eyes. "We're concerned because we care about you. A lot."
"Thank you." Riley whispered. "I like it here. That's not why I ran away. I didn't leave because I don't want to be with you guys."
"I'm glad to hear that." Maura waited for the girl to continue, but she didn't. She told herself she'd ask about it tomorrow. "Go to sleep." She kissed Riley's forehead. "Remember you can wake us anytime if something is wrong, okay?"
Riley nodded and moved to slide under the covers. "Good night."
"Good night, sweetheart." Maura closed the door and went back downstairs to her wife's waiting arms to finish what she started earlier. The doctor felt butterflies in her stomach when she thought about it.
She wasn't sure if she was being a good mother. Maybe they should have been stricter with Riley; maybe they had to be mad at her for running away. Maybe they should have insisted on Riley talking to them. She had a lot of unanswered questions, but the answer to the question if she wanted to keep Riley in her family was perfectly clear. She didn't even have to think about. Riley was finally getting the home and the family she deserved, even if it wasn't perfect. It was perfect in its own imperfect way.