Sorry for taking a while to update! Life is busy but I'm trying to keep the chapters flowing. Hope you enjoy this one. Warning: Riley is in it ;p
CHAPTER 7: Flashbacks & Girlfriends
…. "taeqid laha , wahi fi hajat 'iilaa 'an yakun mukhaddiraan!" (Hold her down, we need to sedate her) Holding a syringe, the Yemeni ER doctor yelled to one of the nurses that was trying desperately to figure out how to help the curly haired woman thrashing about on the gurney.
"'ana la asttye! 'annaha qawiat jiddaan!" (I can't! She's too strong!) The young man anxiously replied as he attempted to grasp Jane's arms without inflicting further damage to her bruised body and pierced hands but her movements were too violent to control.
After several long minutes, the doctor, and three more nurses, finally had her strapped to the hospital gurney by her forearms and thighs.
"Mmmm, nooooo— huuurts!" The marine moaned, trying to pull free of the restraints that were now binding her. "Mauuur, help me… Pleeease Mauuraa?" In complete distress, she didn't even notice her pants pulled halfway down her thighs nor did she feel the pinprick to her backside. One moment she was in terror, trying to break free, then a disillusioned feeling followed by darkness….
"Jay?" Maura woke up suddenly to her lover's erratic movements. She sat up and turned the bedside lamp on low. Pulling the sheet up over her bare chest, she moved closer to Jane and frowned at the look of anguish on her love's face. Reaching her hand out to smooth over a worried brow, as soon as the blonde made contact, her wrist was grasped in a vice-like grip. "Jane?!" Maura exclaimed in surprise and concern but before she could say anymore, she found herself flat on her back with 160 pounds on top of her and a forearm against her throat.
Taking a moment to wake up but allowing her body's natural response to danger take over, Jane reacted to the incoming appendage and rolled onto her attacker to gain an advantage. When she looked down, she was shocked to find hazel and not sinister blue. Recoiling instantly, the marine released the doctor's wrist and removed the other arm that was restraining her.
"Oh God, Maura!" She moved to climb off but the blonde grabbed her tightly and wrapped her arms around broad shoulders.
"Shhh sweetheart, it's ok." The neurosurgeon held her tightly until she relaxed enough to hold her in return and the two lay quietly together until Jane broke the silence.
With her face nuzzled into a delicate neck, the brunette whispered, "I'm sorry, baby." She realised that she had been dreaming and that Maura was on the receiving end of what her psychiatrist had labelled a 'Post-Traumatic Stress Response'. They usually happened whilst she was awake and weren't ridiculously difficult to manage nor were they very frequent but after her session with Dr Simons, she had been having the flashbacks more during the day and now it seemed, she was having them in her sleep. "I'm so sorry." She kept repeating over and over again, beginning to weep softly.
"Shh, it's ok Jane. I'm ok. You're going to be ok, honey. I love you." Maura kept whispering words of encouragement as she let her hands rub over a muscular back and shoulders, and down strong arms. "It's ok, I love you. I'm here. You're safe."
She felt soft lips on her neck and long fingers began to rub her hips and stomach gently. "Maur?"
"Yes, baby?"
"I— I need you." The brunette's kisses became more frantic, running up and down the column of the blonde's neck as her hand roamed the curves that she knew better than her own.
"Mmm, I need you too sweetheart." Maura lifted the brunette's chin and pressed their lips together. They lost themselves to each other for the next hour.
Laying tangled together after their passionate exchange, they faced one another. Jane had her arm under the blonde's neck and wrapped around her back, her other hand lazily traced patterns on the curve of a silky thigh. Maura ran her hand across the marine's collarbone and down a tanned arm. Reaching her lover's wrist, she looked into deep brown eyes silently asking to continue.
Jane understood what was happening. They hadn't spoken about her injuries yet and she knew the doctor couldn't leave it for long. As she gazed into loving hazel, she gave a slight nod. Without breaking eye contact, Maura moved her hand further down to the back of her lover's which was resting patiently on her hip. She gently traced over the scar tissue with her fingers and ran her thumb over the inside of Jane's palm. As a medical doctor, she understood just by feeling, the extent of the damage that must have been inflicted, and tears pooled in her eyes.
The marine closed her eyes at the sight of the blonde's tears. She's not going to be able to handle me telling her what happened…
"What happened, Jay?" Maura whispered as fresh tears tracked down her face. She wasn't convinced that she was ready to hear everything but she needed to know something. The new scars on the strong body, had her more concerned than ever before for her soldier's wellbeing.
Moving her hand out of the doctor's grasp, Jane wiped the wet marks on her love's face. "Maur, I don't—" She stopped herself when Maura's brow creased in frustration. "Ok… Just— Just give me a minute." Rolling onto her back and pulling the smaller woman to tuck into her side, Jane began to give a brief account of her last mission. She explained with minimal detail, the purpose of the team's time in Ethiopia; she told the blonde of her abduction but didn't give her any details of how she was tortured. The doctor had seen the new scars that littered her body, including the horrific scar tissue on both hands. She finished her tale with the team's rescue of her in Yemen and their final escape by helicopter. She couldn't remember much of her hospital stay. She was sedated for most of it. She just knew that her team had stuck by her and kept a look out for any signs of their new enemy.
Jane felt the wetness on her shoulder and the shaking of the petite frame in her arms. She rubbed the blonde's back gently, letting her release her emotion. After a while she felt soft lips press against her collarbone as the blonde shifted in her arms. Leaning up on one arm, Maura gazed down at Jane and ran her other hand back and forth across the marine's firm abdomen. "I can't believe that happened to you… I can't believe I thought you had broken your promise to come back sooner… I—" The doctor collapsed back into strong arms and sobbed.
"Shhh, it's ok babe. I'm ok now. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere for a while." The Australian stroked the soft blonde head. Shifting their positions again, strong arms guided the smaller woman to lay on top of her and lifted her lips to meet the soft pink ones of her girlfriend. "I love you." She said against the mouth of the woman above her. "I'm so in love with you." They both smiled gently at each other and moved their lips against each other's again.
Breaking away momentarily, Maura replied, "I love you too… so much, Jay" she deepened the kiss and hands began exploring each other again.
They were so caught up in each other that they failed to hear the knock at the front door and then it opening, downstairs. "Maura?" Angela Forbes' voice rung out, seeking the neurosurgeon. Still not getting a response, the older woman began to ascend the stairs calling, "Maura?!"
Breaking apart, the two grinned at each other as Maura called back, "Just a minute, Angela!" She knew the older woman knew about them now but she didn't want her coming into her room and having her privacy intruded upon. Rolling off her marine, Maura sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her face. There was so much to process and to talk about with Jane. She wanted to go away together and just be with her but she couldn't just drop everything and do that. Not yet anyway.
"Alright! You have a visitor!" Angela yelled out again and went back to the kitchen to make Riley Cooper a cup of tea.
Frowning at the new information, she tried to figure out who could possibly be here to visit her. She rarely had visitors and when she did, she knew about them coming first. It can't be mother, she's in Switzerland right now. Father? No. He would call first…
"I'm gonna jump in the shower, babe." The husky voice snapped her out of her musings. She felt a kiss to the top of her head and 30 seconds later, heard the shower start.
Quickly dressing in her yoga pants and a loose knit sweater, the doctor applied some light makeup and made her way downstairs. Her stomach dropped when she saw who her visitor was. "Oh, hi Riley." She tried to be a little bit happy to see the South American but her face didn't quite match her tone.
Riley looked up from her seat at the bench, surprised at the neurosurgeon's casual appearance. "Hi Maura! Sorry to drop by unannounced." She got up from her seat and walked over to embrace the blonde. "I just wanted to see you and make sure you were ok. You weren't quite yourself" Picking up on the slight discomfort in her girlfriend's body language, she pulled away to look into the face she had come to adore. "Are you ok?" She asked worried.
Taking a step back from the concerned woman and looking into light brown eyes, she shook her head. Glancing over to Angela, she addressed Riley quietly, "Can we go outside for a moment?"
"Sure"
Maura led the way to the side door and the two sat at the small cast iron table and chair set, in the warm sun. She turned to the resident with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm really sorry, Riley. I've been pretty off balance for a few days."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I should've come over sooner—"
"No, it's— I'm fine. I really am." She kept going at the confused look on the dark haired woman's face. "I— I… It's just that… We can't see each other anymore. I should never have started—"
"What? I'm sorry, I don't understand! What happened?"
"Riley, please? I'm so sorry. We shouldn't have started this. I shouldn't have started this." The doctor passionately exclaimed. It was evident that she really believed this. Maura took one look at Riley's dejected expression and felt terrible for even considering dating the resident and colleague. "I really am sorry."
"I don't understand, Maura. Did I do someth—"
"No! Not at all. It really isn't you. You're wonderful but I haven't been honest with you and I feel terrible." Her gaze stayed on the light brown in front of her. "I'm seeing someone else."
"Oh!? But we've had such a great time together. How could you—" Dr Cooper was becoming flustered. "Why did you even start anything with me?" She stood up, unable to sit looking at the woman she cared deeply for and hear how she had been wronged. "You cheated. You cheated on them and you cheated on me!"
"I understand that you feel that way and I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have— I mean, Jane and I, it's—"
"Jane?! As in your 'friend' Jane?! I can't believe it." The South American woman wasn't really angry, she was just so hurt by Maura's callous actions. She was a pretty simple kind of woman and had never really had much relationship experience. The neurosurgeon was the first woman she had felt was worthy of pursuing and she had pursued so determinedly. She sat back down, completely disheartened. "I think I remember Dr Forbes teasing you once about a 'Jane'. I guess I should have put two and two together." She stared down at the table.
Maura reached across to grab the darker woman's hands and was surprised by the receptivity. Hazel made contact with light brown. "I really am sorry, Riley. There was a reason I asked to go so slow. Jane and I, it's complicated. We have been seeing each other since we were teenagers. I've known her for such a long time; since we were children. I have been in love with her for years but— Well, we only just admitted how we felt. I never thought she would feel the same and so I decided to try and move on. That was why I agreed to date you. That was why I said no all of those other times. I should have been honest with you but I just wasn't able to talk about it. Not even with Adrianne until recently. Can you forgive me?" A tear slipped down her cheek.
Riley frowned slightly. She understood what Maura was saying, it just still hurt too much. "I'm sure I will." She gently pulled her hands free from the older woman's grasp. "I just need some time." She stood up and moved back to the side door, leaving Maura still seated. "I'll see you at work, Dr Isles."
Reentering the house, she rounded the corner to the kitchen and slammed into a solid body. "Whoa there! Where's the fire?" The Australian grasped Riley's upper arms to steady her but was shrugged off.
"Sorry. I'm just leaving." Was the curt reply.
"Alright then. Hooroo." The brunette gave an Australian farewell, understanding the conversation that must have just transpired. She wandered out the side door and found her lover sitting with her head in her hands, crying. Kneeling in front of her, she pulled the hands away from, what she believed to be, the most beautiful face in existence. "Shhhh baby, it's alright." She moved closer, between the blonde's legs as arms wrapped around her neck and the doctor's face buried into her neck.
"God, I feel like I'm premenstrual. All of this crying today." Maura tried to excuse her second display of emotion in such a short period of time.
The soldier gave a small laugh, "I fucking hope not! C'mon love, let's go inside. I'll make you a cuppa and we can watch a movie. Sound good?" At the nod to her shoulder, she stood up and picked the petite blonde up, bridal style, and carried her inside.
Let me know what you think. I'm open to some suggestions :)