Title: Where Do We Go From Here

Author: Politicalthry88

Summary: Maura and Jane's lives are thrown into upheaval as everything they once knew is changed in an instant.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

Author's Note: This is a continuation of the Rizzoli and Isles season finale, "When the Gun Goes Bang, Bang, Bang."

Hope you all are continuing to enjoy the updates. I'm sorry that all I have for you is another short chapter, but it's difficult to churn out more between work and research. I have a bit of a break tomorrow, so I will try to either give you one long chapter or another multi-chapter update. Enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to let me know what you think. I accept all critiques, whether good or bad. =)

Chapter Seven

Maura went straight from Nicole's office to the ICU. Upon entering the area, Maura was very conscious of the many possibilities that she and her friend had discussed. Would Jane ever be the same woman that she once knew? And, what did this mean for their friendship? She knew that she was responsible for Jane's reaction… would Jane hold that against her?

"Maura," Angela Rizzoli said quietly, trying not to startle the M.E. from her thoughts. "Are you all right, sweetie?"

"I… I guess I'm afraid to go in there and see her like this." Maura said honestly. "I know what to expect medically speaking, but… I've never really been close enough to anyone to feel so affected by a situation."

Angela took Maura's arm and led her toward Jane's room. "I know it's hard, it is hard for me to see her like this, but she needs all of us right now… I have a feeling that Janie is going to need you more than any of us." She said sadly, "She's never been one to ask for help, and she would never ask us, so you're going to have to let her know that you're there and you won't let her be her stubborn old-self."

Maura smiled at the thought that Jane would need her. "I will do whatever I can to get her through this. I will even ask you for help if necessary."

Angela gave Maura a teasing wink. "That's all that I ask… Why don't you go on in, I was just headed back to Frankie's room to get Frank so we can get some breakfast."

"How is Frankie?"

"He's doing all right. He was eating breakfast when I left and came to look in on Jane. The doctor said that he should be able to leave in two days. They just want to keep an eye on him a little longer."

"Is he going to be staying with you?" Maura asked.

"Ya, Frank's going to set-up a bed in the living room later today so Frankie doesn't have to worry about trying to go up and down stairs." Angela looked Maura straight in the eye. "She's going to pull through this, right?"

Maura wasn't sure whether she should tell Angela what Nicole had told her earlier or not. "She will recover from this… it's just a matter of how much time it will take for her to be on her own again." Maura decided to make her answer as vague as possible, not wanting to distress Angela any further. "I was thinking that maybe I would ask her to move in with me. Make her feel as though she actually has a choice at a time when many decisions will have to be made for her."

"I think that's a good idea sweetheart. She'll feel like she has some control over her situation. You know Jane, if she feels like she's trapped, she'll be a bear to deal with." Angela said.

"Did her doctor say when he expected her to regain consciousness?" Maura asked.

"He said it might be anywhere from some time today to three days from now, it just depends."

Maura sighed, "That sounds about right. Do you know if they have started her on morphine yet or are they waiting for her to wake up? That could also affect whether she remains unconscious or not."

"I don't know sweetie. I'm sure that you could read the stuff on her clip board better than I could."

Maura straightened her shoulders. "I guess that means I should probably go in there, huh?"

Angela patted Maura's arm. "Let her know that you're there. I know you probably don't believe it, but she'll know you're there."

"Actually, there are studies that have shown that there are different levels of unconsciousness, and that in certain levels, there have been improvements based on whether a patient has had physical and emotionally significant contact with visitors." Maura saw Angela's confused look. "I'll talk to her."

"Good. I'll see you in a little while." Angela said, turning to head the few doors down to Frankie's room.

Maura took a deep breath to ready herself for what she was about to see. She had seen her friend in the hospital before, but never for something so serious.

Maura was shocked by what she saw as she entered the very plain ICU room. Jane was surrounded by monitors and wires, her face pale in the dim light of the room.

Not able to stand the dismal state that her friend was in, Maura quickly crossed the small room in order to open the blinds to the sole window. The change was not much, but it did bring a little sun light to a space that badly needed some brightening.

Her heart ached as she sat down next to her friend. It was difficult to see Jane as anything but her usually unrelenting self. How had she let it get to this point?

Maura's lip quivered as she reached for Jane's hand and laced their fingers together. Jane's hand felt small and cold, different than they had felt on the many occasions that they had consoled or teased her. Her face looked unnatural, devoid of any emotion or depth. This wasn't her Jane, but it was. It's what she had made her become.

"I'm so sorry, Jane. I'm so… so very sorry that I let this happen to you." She said as tears silently fell from her eyes. "I should have listened. I should have waited in the morgue with your brother… but I didn't. I ran after you to make sure you were all right, and ended up being the reason why you're here."

Maura let the tears take over, her shoulders shuddering as she let go. She had never felt as lost as she did right then. Everything she had dreamed of, everything that she had ever hoped for was lying in that bed.

She placed her head beside their linked hands, knowing that her entire world was going to change along with Jane's. While she knew that she could handle whatever was thrown at her, she was worried about how Jane would react. How was she going to get Jane to allow her-self to be taken care of when she prided herself on being self-sufficient? Better yet, how was she going to tell Jane that she might not be able to go back to work?