Cold Summer Heat Chapter 10
I don't own R & I.
Jane wasn't sure what time it was when she awoke, but her mother was sleeping quietly in the chair next to her bed. She considered waking her, hoping for some news on Maura, but didn't want to wake her mother. She looked exhausted as she was sure Angela was spent worrying about two of her children.
Jane gave it a few more minutes, but realized she was losing her battle with control. She had to know something about Maura, Frost, Frankie. She couldn't help but feel she was being kept in the dark.
"Ma." Jane didn't want to startle her mother so she kept her voice low and even. Jane smiled when Angela shifted but didn't wake. "Ma!" She increases the volume.
Angela jumped up, moving quickly to Jane's side. "Are you okay? What do you need?"
Jane smiled at her mother assuring her she would be okay. "I'm fine, Ma. What about Frankie?"
"He's going to be okay. You know Frankie, strong boy." Angela's smile didn't reach her eyes and this didn't go unnoticed by Jane.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Jane tried to push herself up into a sitting position and finally succeeded despite the pain she felt everywhere.
"Maura's in bad shape, Jane. Still not awake from surgery." Angela watched as Jane's whole body slumped at the news. "Doctor's can't even say if she'll make it. They say we have to wait."
"Ma, I have to go to her. I have to." Jane fought the tears that were forming, trying to remain strong.
"You can't Jane. You're hurt and weak. You can't help her right now, only she can." Angela knew Jane was ignoring her. She watched her daughter remove her own I.V.
"Where's my clothes, Ma?" Angela was already reaching for the bag as she knew she wouldn't be able to talk her daughter out of going to see Maura. She pulled the t-shirt from the bag, answering Jane's unasked question.
"Your shirt had too much blood on it. I'll never be able to get it all out, so I just got this for you from down in the gift shop." Angela held up the red Boston Red Sox shirt.
"Pants?" Jane reached for the shirt.
"There some blood on them too, but not too much." Angela answered.
"Where are they?" Jane tried not to get frustrated with her mother.
Angela handed them to Jane. "Let me help you."
"I got it, Ma." Jane blew out a long breath seeing the defeat in her mother's face. "Sorry, I'm just worried about Maura. Jane quickly realized she would need help getting the gown off and her shirt on. She looked to her mother who was waiting patiently for the injured detective to figure out she was not exactly capable of the basics just yet.
"Oh my God!" Angela exclaimed as the gown exposed Jane's upper body. There were bruises up and down Jane's sides and of course all around where she was shot.
"It's not that bad, I promise." Jane worked as quickly as she could to pull the t-shirt on. Her jeans were a bit easier as she was on her feet in no time. Angela helped her with her shoes and offered to get a wheelchair for her. Jane gave her the look and she slowly moved out of the way, so she could exit her hospital room.
"What if the doctor comes?" Angela knew Jane didn't really care.
"Tell him I checked out AMA." Jane was off towards ICU, determined to see her friend.
The incessant beeping of the heart monitors was enough to put anybody on edge. Jane felt herself scared to death when she entered Maura's darkened room. She surprisingly was met with little resistance from the ICU staff when she announced she needed in to see Maura. Jane barely recognized her own pain as she stared at her friend from a distance. Maura was innocent in all this. She didn't even know why she was abducted or held. She didn't even know Jane was seeing Bradley, or Drayson in Maura's case.
Jane made her way over to Maura, gently stroking the back of her hand with her fingers. "I'm sorry, Maura." The tears fell freely as Jane was powerless to stop them. "I tried, I swear I tried so hard."
Jane watched as there was little movement from Maura, the slight rise and fall of her chest. She gently touched her face just under the bruises Bradley inflicted on her. Jane found herself retracing the final shootout in the train room. Everything happened so fast that she couldn't be sure how and by who Maura was shot. She knew it wasn't her as Benjamin had stripped her of her weapon. The thought was no consolation as Maura's life was hanging in the balance nonetheless. Jane wiped at her tears as she began to speak to her friend. She stopped and started a few times, trying to control her voice as tears insisted on clouding it.
"You would say we couldn't be sure whether or not unconscious people could hear, so here goes. I hope you can hear me, Maura." Jane wiped at her tears again as she worked to compose herself. "I'm sorry. You had no clue who Drayson was or why he took you. I didn't know until the very end. They were always one step ahead of us."
Jane's attention was pulled from Maura to the monitor as she watched it fluctuate from it's somewhat steady rhythm. She wasn't sure if this was good or not, so she waited a bit before continuing. "It was a case I worked early on. I was not a rookie, but only a few years in. First on scene kinda thing. Bradley's mother was a hostage in a bank robbery downtown and I didn't get her out like I had promised."
Jane watched the monitor some more before redirecting her attention back to Maura. She held her hand in her own as she continued. "Bradley was young, twenty or so, his father was angry. I don't blame him. It was a swat communication error that cost us four hostages and the suspect. I was the one who promised to get Benjamin's wife out. I went in unarmed as the suspect demanded, and was nearly shot myself if not for one of our snipers. But not before he had shot the hostages, including Benjamin's wife."
Jane stared at Maura's unconscious form as if she could will her to wake. "Korsak was there, but even he couldn't figure out who was behind all this until the end. I'm so sorry they involved you. They wanted revenge on me and they got it. Please forgive me, Maura." Jane's voice cracked as she begged her friend to forgive her, to live, to respond. Nothing.
Jane slowly lowered herself down into the chair next to Maura's bed. She cried quietly while Maura fought. It wasn't long before Jane could feel herself nodding off. She slouched down in the chair, propping her feet up on the end of Maura's bed. She prayed the nurse's wouldn't make her leave, at least not until Maura woke up. She knew she couldn't help Maura fight this fight, but she would gladly have taken her place if it meant Benjamin wouldn't have gotten the ultimate revenge on her.
Maura opened her eyes slowly, trying to take in her surroundings. It hurt to breath causing her to hold her breath until she couldn't any longer. She glanced to her right seeing Jane sound asleep in the chair next to her bed. Maura lied perfectly still trying to recall how she ended up here. Slowly her memory filled her in and she verified it by glancing back at Jane. Her arm was heavily wrapped and in a sling. The bruises on her face made Maura look away as they were a dangerous purple color. Benjamin had hurt her bad just before the gunfire broke out. Yet she was here, waiting on Maura to come to.
Maura cautiously moved each limb assessing her own condition. She knew she had been shot in the chest, she knew this because it hurt to breathe. She turned back to Jane and tried to call out. She was disheartened when Jane didn't respond to her weakened voice. She noticed Jane's legs weren't fall from her outstretched arm, so she reached to touch her hoping it would be enough to wake her.
"Jane." Maura called out just as she grabbed her friend's calf.
Jane moved quickly causing her to cry out from the pain in her shoulder. She instantly forgot her pain when she saw Maura awake. Jane vacated the chair and carefully sat on the bed by Maura. "Thank God, Maura." Jane didn't try to hide her tears from her closest friend.
"You know you'll catch hell for sleeping in that chair like that." Maura tried to smile but found it nearly impossible.
"Do you want me to get the nurse, or doctor for you?" Jane leaned in close so Maura wouldn't have to put out too much energy to talk.
"Yeah, but wait." Maura grabbed Jane's sleeve. It was very obvious to Jane just how weak Maura was as her grip wasn't enough to hold the thin fabric. Jane stayed in close giving Maura whatever time she needed.
"It's not your fault…Jane." Maura's breathing was forced and this worried Jane. She wanted to get the doctor, but didn't want to leave Maura. "Thank you, you saved me."
Jane stared at Maura as she stared back. She couldn't believe Maura looked at the whole ordeal the way she did. It was Jane's fault. It was all about getting revenge on her and Maura was caught in the middle.
"Maura, I didn't. You were hurt…. I can't…I should've…"
Maura raised her hand up to Jane's face, placing her finger on her lips to silence her. "You did all you could do, I know that. We're not dead, we won, right?"
"Nobody won, Maura. But it's over." Jane held her hand after removing it from her face.
"What about….about Frankie? Detec…Frost?" Jane watched Maura struggle and really wanted to go get help.
"They'll both be okay. So, yeah Maura, we won." Jane smiled a real smile for the first time in two days.
Maura grabbed Jane's sleeve again as she began to stand. Jane leaned in close again. "Drayson didn't hurt me, not too much. He didn't want to hurt you either. His father forced him it seemed."
Jane stared at Maura fighting the guilt that suddenly engulfed her. She recalled ignoring her phone because she was making love to Bradley, or Drayson, not knowing he was involved in hurting her in such a way she had to wonder if she would ever fully recover. It was obvious her recovery depended on Maura's.