So I got my most recent issue of ToxTalk and Journal of Forensic Toxicology so I think this chapter will be interesting for those of you who like the science of what Maura does. Turns out there was a great article involving our cause of death here and something else… coincidence? Hmmmm

Nope, still don't own anything or anyone from R&I

Chapter 10

The two women lay on the bed for several minutes as their heart rates and breathing returned to normal, perfectly content to cuddle and enjoy the presence of the other. It wasn't until Jane heard her phone chime, indicating a new text message that she even dared move. She would have been perfectly content to spend the rest of the day with the beautiful medical examiner's head laying on her chest, blonde curls splayed across her stomach, and nimble fingers tracing along tight abs, but duty called—or texted at least.

Blindly reaching over the edge of the bed for her discarded pants, Jane finally managed to pull her phone out to discover a text from Frost:

So how's your lunch going with the doc? Are we ever going to see our coffee? ;)

Jane rolled her eyes and let out a slight groan as she read the text, causing Maura to lift her head and look at the detective with confusion written across her face.

"What's wrong Jane?"

"I think our absence is starting to be noticed. Frost just texted me wondering how my "lunch break" was going… I think he might know."

"Know what? That I prefer having a certain Italian detective for lunch?" Maura smirked up at Jane who could only smile back at the doctor before leaning down to capture soft pink lips in a gentle, but passionate kiss.

"Mmm… something like that. I think we better head back though before other people start to get curious about my new favorite lunch special."

"Oh fine." The doctor let out a very un-Maura-like huff then rolled off of the detective to start gathering her clothes. "I guess the toxicology reports should be back soon anyway, and as much as I trust Senior Criminalist Chang, the other technicians tend to get a little rambunctious when I'm gone for too long."

Ten minutes later, the pair were on their way back to the precinct, making a quick stop at Geri's to grab some coffee and muffins that would have to take the place of real lunch food. As they began walking through the lobby of BPD and towards the elevators, Maura looked towards the Division One Café and noticed Angela cleaning up after the lunchtime rush. She felt slightly guilty for not fulfilling her promise to come down and see the Rizzoli matriarch for lunch, so as Jane reached out to press the down button, Maura's hand reached out to stop the detective.

"Jane, why don't you go on up and deliver Frost's coffee. I'm going to go grab a fruit bowl to go with this muffin. Would you meet me in my office in about fifteen minutes?"

Jane followed the blonde's gaze back to the café and noticed her mother absent-mindedly wiping down tables. The brunette internally cringed, knowing that Maura was going to talk to her, but hoping that she wouldn't share the details of their new relationship, if that's what I can call this, to her nosy mother.

"Sure thing Maur, but can I ask a favor?" The blonde looked back at Jane expectantly. "Could you maybe not mention what we've been up to? I'm still adjusting to…whatever this is, and I kind of want you all to myself for now."

Maura offered a soft smile and a gentle squeeze to the detective's arm, knowing what was going through Jane's mind and understanding that they still had some things to figure out between them.

"Of course. I'll see you in a little while."

With that, Maura headed back towards the café, adding a little extra sway to her hips solely for the benefit of her detective. Jane could only watch with a smile before shaking her head and stepping into the elevator to go see Frost.

"Maura! I thought you'd forgotten about little ol' me." Angela dropped her cleaning cloth and walked over to the doctor, enveloping her in a strong hug. Maura would never tell Jane this but she loved Angela's hugs. They were so warm and loving, nothing like the ones she had received as a child, normally from her nannies. Jane might complain about her mother's propensity for hugs, but Maura was more than happy to accept any and all of them.

"I could never forget about you Angela! Jane just surprised me for lunch and we ended up going out for lunch." Technically, it wasn't a lie. They did go out of the building for lunch.

"Oh well that's lovely. Where did you girls go? Did Janie treat you nicely?" Angela leaned back against the counter, her eyes watching the doctor intensely.

"Well, we actually ended up going back to my house to eat. And yes, Jane treated me very nicely." Maura chest and neck began to flush as she recalled just how well Jane had treated her, and how she had treated Jane.

Angela's eyebrow quirked as she saw the blush forming across, but before she could say anything Maura quickly continued.

"I was actually just coming to apologize for not coming to see you for lunch, but I was also wondering if I could trouble you for a fruit bowl before I went back to the lab." The blonde hoped that giving the elder Rizzoli a task would help distract her from Maura's obvious reaction to their conversation.

With a slightly questioning look, Angela continued to stare at Maura for a moment before turning back to the kitchen. Maura let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. When Angela returned with a bowl of fresh strawberries, melon, and pineapple, the doctor eagerly accepted the fruit and thanked her before hustling off to the lab, relieved that she had gotten out of that situation without having to outright lie.

Exactly twelve minutes later, Maura entered her office to find the raven-haired detective already sprawled out on her designer couch.

"I was wondering when you'd get here." Jane stood up and sauntered over to the doctor, her usual swagger in full swing. Stepping within inches of Maura, the brunette removed the fruit and coffee from her hands and placed them on the desk. Turning her attention back to the honey blonde, Jane's eyes locked onto hazel ones as she slid her hands over the doctor's slender hips. With a slight grin, Jane stepped closer and began to lean down towards Maura's lips. "I've missed you."

"Already?" Maura replied as she slipped her hands up the detective's torso, lightly grasping the lapels of her blazer and pulling her closer.

"What? Isn't it acceptable for me to miss my girlfriend after the lunch we just had?" Jane's grin grew as she moved to press her lips to Maura's, but the doctor froze her eyes shifting to look over Jane's shoulder.

Shit. Girlfriend? Where did that come from? We haven't even discussed what…this… is yet. Way to go, Rizzoli.

"Uh, I'm sorry Maura… That's not what I… I mean…" Jane stammered as her brain tried to work out an explanation. "What I meant was…"

"Senior Criminalist Chang!" The detective spun around to notice Susie Chang standing in the doorway of Maura's office, a slightly confused look on her face and a file in her hand.

"Oh, hey Susie, I didn't um… notice you there." Jane's eyes shifted between a very embarrassed looking Maura and an equally embarrassed criminalist, hoping that she hadn't realized what had been going on between the two.

"Do you have something for me?" Maura stepped towards Susie, attempting to smooth out the invisible wrinkles on her skirt.

"Uh, yes Dr. Isles. I have the preliminary toxicology reports for you. The victim had a BAC of roughly 0.10, but with the possibility of post-mortem redistribution, it was probably lower at time of death given the fact that she did not have much alcohol in her stomach. However, I did find that her blood was heavily saturated with carboxyhemoglobin."

"Well that would certainly explain the coloration of her skin when she was found, and seems to confirm my suspicions that she died from carbon monoxide poisoning." Maura traced her finger over the rest of the report, mumbling softly to herself as she read. Jane continued to stand there in the room, not quite understanding everything she was hearing, but she did know that at least now they had a cause of death. Suddenly, Maura's finger stopped on the paper and her brow furrowed, as she read and reread a particular section.

"Senior Criminalist Chang…"

"Please Dr. Isles, call me Susie."

"Oh, alright. Susie… what is this part here about fentanyl?"

"Well we used an ELISA immunoassay to screen for any drugs that might have been in her system and one came back extremely positive for fentanyl. However, when we went to confirm it using the mass spec, there was no presence of fentanyl or norfentanyl. I was quite confused, but I figured I should include it in the report anyway." Susie started to rub her hands together, nervously awaiting if her boss would find some fault with her work, although she was quite sure she did everything correctly.

"Interesting. I'll take a further look at this, but good work Senior Criminalist Chang."

"Susie," the criminalist answered.

"Of course." Maura looked up from the file and smiled at the scientist. "Thank you Susie."

The woman's face lit up as she nodded back to the doctor, and then to Jane, who still stood with a puzzled look on her face, before making her way quickly back to the lab.

"Um… Maur?"

"Yes, Jane?" replied the doctor as she made her way around her desk and set the file down in front of her. She leaned over the reports, her teeth worrying her bottom lip in concentration.

"So I get that our victim died from carbon monoxide poisoning, but what was all that other stuff about carboxinghemoblobin and fentahh… whatever that other thing was?" Jane leaned onto the side of the doctor's desk, looking down at the file as if it would all suddenly make sense.

"Carboxyhemoglobin is what caused Jessie to appear pink, almost red. Carbon monoxide has an affinity for hemoglobin, the cells which carry oxygen throughout the body, which is nearly 240 times greater than oxygen. When carbon monoxide is introduced to the body, it binds with the hemoglobin in your blood and forms carboxyhemoglobin which has a bright red appearance, hence the victim's skin color. The carbon monoxide prevents oxygen from binding to the hemoglobin in blood, which causes hypoxia. The victim basically suffocated from the inside out. Her organs did not get the oxygen they needed from the hemoglobin in the blood. With this information, I can confirm that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, but I cannot say whether the manner of death was homicide, suicide, or accidental. I can say it is a suspicious death, however, and given the fact that she was found in an open field with no source or carbon monoxide around her, suicide or accidental death is unlikely."

In all honesty, Jane had lost the medical examiner about halfway through her explanation, but at least she knew now that she had a solid cause of death, and clearance to continue her investigation.

"But what about that other thing?" The detective was still curious as to what had confused Susie, and since it had caught Maura's attention, it could be very important to the case.

"Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate which is nearly 1000 times more potent than morphine. It's mainly used in hospitals or used as a prescription painkiller, but it should have shown up in the confirmation testing, and so should its metabolite norfentanyl. I'll have to do some research, but this doesn't seem to be your average fentanyl, and I'm not sure why a young, healthy woman would have it in her system, unless…"

"She was abusing it." Jane finished Maura's thought for her as she brought her thumb up to her mouth and began to chew at the pad. "I think Jessie was a user."

I hope I did an okay job of explaining the tox reports! Please let me know if I need to clarify, or if you have any questions.