"I'm not leaving you," Jane responded stubbornly; her hands fixed onto her slim hips. "You can trash every damn room in this house and you still won't be able to get rid of me."
Maura glanced at her in surprise.
"I'm sorry you're going through whatever you're going through. I don't understand why you won't just talk to me so I can help fix this. I'll be here when you're ready to do so. Until then, try to keep from breaking anything else if you can help it."
She offered Maura a sad smile and squeezed her shoulder before painfully shuffling out of the kitchen.
Secure in her solitude, Maura sat motionless. For an unknown amount of time her mind was a convoluted jumble of both still pictures of what she had done intertwined with video clips; some of her and Jane laughing, making love, cooking, holding hands, watching television, and working and others were of things she knew she had yet to experience. It was overwhelming and after countless tries she was finally able to clear her thoughts and focus only on her present surroundings.
Quiet. The entire house was quiet. She knew Jane was still there; her presence, even when she wasn't in the room could easily be felt. After a few seconds of stillness she heard a drip; the kitchen faucet was in need of being tightened. Jane had said she would do it today. The gentle hum of the refrigerator cycling on made the cool tile of the kitchen floor rumble. Her feet were cold against the surface so she rested her toes delicately on the rung of her chair.
Her palms itched, her muscles ached, and her head was throbbing. Still, she sat frozen, her mind blank.
Finally a soft scuff alerted her to the fact that she was no longer alone in the kitchen. She turned, seeing the small terrier lurking in the doorway nervously. She was a sensitive little dog who was clearly upset by the earlier events of this morning and the tension that lingered.
"Come here," Maura said softly, extending one bandaged palm toward her. Tentatively, Jo crept forward, her nails clicking slowly on the floor. She stretched her neck to sniff Maura's bandages suspiciously before fixing the Medical Examiner with a wary look.
"I know," Maura croaked; her throat dry. "I'm sorry for scaring everyone and for acting so crazy." Jo seemed to accept the apology and promptly jumped in her mistresses' lap. Maura stroked her coat reverently; her small shoulders beginning to shake with emotion. "I'm so sorry."
"Apology accepted." Jane's voice; as warm as molasses, melted the chill that had overtaken her body. "Unless you were just apologize to Jo for ruining her chances of sleeping in this morning. I think only her favorite liver treats will do."
Maura couldn't help but crack a small smile.
Seeing it as an opening, Jane crossed and kneeled next to Maura and clasped her hand. Assuaged that everything was now fine, Jo jumped down and proceeded to daintily eat her breakfast.
"She hates it when we fight," Maura remarked quietly.
"We weren't really fighting;" Jane responded with an arched eyebrow. "But I know what you mean. Anyway, like I said before, if you want to talk you know I'm here. I'll always be here. And I know you're obviously going through some things that I can't understand but I still want to listen to anything you have to say, okay?"
Nodding slowly, Maura felt a small amount of normalcy start to return. "Thank you."
"Are we okay?" The lanky Detective asked and Maura hated the glimmer of fear lurking in those dark eyes she loved so much.
"We're okay." Maura responded confidently. "I'm not sure yet about myself but I'm hopeful I can start to explore my extremely unconventional emotional response to the disappointment I felt after taking the early test."
"Well," Jane smirked as she playfully dabbed at Maura's nose, "that answer leads me to believe that you'll be back to normal in no time, Doctor."