Hey guys! I'm sad to report that this will be the last chapter of "When The Rain Falls". I appreciate all of the love that this story has gotten so far, and I hope that ya'll will keep a look out for any one-shots that I publish in this 'verse in the future.
Thank you: LOCISVU, fergz1, JUJUChick16, witchbladejar1, and Iron America for the reviews last chapter!
When The Rain Falls- Chapter Ten: Epilogue
Jane wasn't particularly proud of her actions as of the last few hours. Loraine, hers and Maura's surrogate of sorts, would be giving labor in just a matter of time. She had been hospitalized due to frequent abdominal cramps that kept her from doing the simple task of getting up from a chair. And where was Jane? Currently, she was getting drunk at the Dirty Robber with her brothers.
Earlier that day, Maura and Jane got into an argument, once again, about their unborn child. The detective had been irrational, and she knew it. But, instead of admitting that she was wrong, she went to her local hangout with Tommy and Frankie, hoping that they could distract her from impending motherhood, even for just a little bit.
Jane couldn't wait to hold her little girl in her arms, but that thought just scared her. She would be responsible of a precious child for the rest of herlife. The dark-haired woman knew that it would be several shades different from what she dealt with at work. Most of the time, the poor kids couldn't be helped anymore, or she couldn't pin a crime against their ill-fit parents. This child, though, this innocent baby girl was all hers. What Jane and Maura taught her could give her either the best childhood ever, or the worst. The detective was worried and probably always would be.
"How do you do it, Tommy?" Jane asked, gaining her brother's attention once more. Due to his clueless look, she had to elaborate, "How do you not worry about screwing your kid up?"
The youngest Rizzoli just shrugged. "You don't. But," he added with a grin, "I don't have to worry 'cause I know that I'm an awesome dad. Just ask Lydia."
Jane groaned and began to bang her head against the bar. "Remind me to yell at ma for giving you such optimism…"
Frankie just stared between his older sister and their younger brother. "Well, Janie, I'm not really inclined to say anything, 'cause I don't really have a kid, but…" He gained her attention once more. Jane picked her head up and looked over at Frankie, "snap outta it!" The younger Rizzoli practically spat back at her.
"What? Frankie… I—I just can't snap out of it! This is my kid we're talkin' about," the elder detective ran a hand over her tired face, "I only want the best for her, and for Maur."
"What makes you think that you're not going to give them the best?" Frankie went to take a swig of his beer, his eyes still on his sister. "Besides, if Tommy can be a dad, I'm sure you'll make a kickass mom."
Tommy glanced over at his older brother, obviously offended. "What do you mean, if Tommy can be a dad? Huh? I'm doing just fine, thanks."
The middle Rizzoli just sighed. "Man, chill. That was a compliment," he punched his brother in the arm, making Frankie wince back in shock, "now, c'mon, we're supposed to be making Jane feel better here."
"I would, but I think my arm's broken," the youngest Rizzoli gawked at Frankie. Jane couldn't help but laugh at the two of them. All in all, those two did tend to lighten the mood.
o—o—o
Maura glanced down at her phone worriedly. She had been trying to get in touch with Jane for the past hour, but she hadn't heard a peep back from her wife. The doctor knew that she had insecurities about being a mother, but that didn't mean that she had to storm off and leave her to deal with a bed-ridden Loraine all by herself. Maura had her insecurities, too! As a matter of fact, she had more reasons to freak out than her wife did. At least Jane had a mother that was there for her, and watched her grow up. Constance rarely ever saw her daughter growing up, something she had come to regret later on in life.
The medical examiner sighed and pocketed her phone once more. She couldn't be outside for much longer. Loraine was in the maternity ward, with only her mother and Maura to help her along. Jane would come around… eventually, she supposed.
As Maura entered the hospital room, she heard Loraine let out a sharp cry. The honey blonde rushed over to the young woman's side and soothed her through the painful contraction.
"It'll be all over soon, sweetie," she whispered, rubbing circular motions into the future mother's back. "Just keep your breathing even."
Loraine wrinkled her nose back at Maura, "Pfft. I go through all of this, and for what? Just so you can take my baby away from me?"
The medical examiner took a deep breath, trying to keep a cool façade. "I know this is difficult for you. You are just a living, breathing hormone at this point." When the younger blonde just gawked at Maura, she hurriedly added, "but I promise that I'll try to make you as comfortable as possible through this."
The bed-ridden patient just gawked at her once again. "Maura, I'd love to say that you're anything but crazy," she clenched her eyes shut as another contraction hit her, "but you're crazy!"
Maura just flinched at the younger blonde's words. "Well, I'm only trying to help. I apologize if it just doesn't come out right. I'm—" the medical examiner struggled for the right words herself, "I really am not any good with words."
Suddenly, Loraine's face fell. She really was only trying to help comfort her… "Oh, Maura, I'm sorry. You're right, I'm just being overly hormonal."
The older blonde just nodded and took her surrogate's hand, squeezing it just a tad. "There is no need to worry, I promise," she added, glancing down at her lap. There was still no word from Jane, and Maura was really starting to worry.
Loraine glanced around the room. Her mother was watching her from a far, which made her very uneasy. Everyone else in the room was just hospital staff that was helping with the birth. "Is Jane really not coming?"
Maura took a deep breath, mostly for her own piece of mind, and nodded slightly. "She will be here." I hope, the doctor thought to herself.
As another contraction hit, the atmosphere in the room grew much more intense. The other doctors and nurses came around to the bed to check how dilated Loraine was. When they came to realize that she was starting to crown, the medical examiner swore that her heart seeped through the floor.
o—o—o
Jane groaned heavily as the insistent calls from her wife continued. It wasn't like the detective was ignoring her on purpose, (well, according to her logic she wasn't), she just didn't know how to approach this situation. Jane had screwed up—royally, in fact, by storming out of the house like she did. Most of the time, Rizzoli was quick to apologize to her wife, and everything would be good again. However, this time, it seemed like everything was different. A certain part of her would always be unsure about parenting.
"Janie," Frankie began, giving her sister a look. "You really don't have to blow Maura off like this. What if something's really wrong? I know you hate admitting that you were being well… Jane," he yelped as his older sister jabbed him in the gut with her elbow. "Seriously… ow! I'm only trying to help."
"Does helping me and insulting me in the same sentence really count as helping?" Jane asked incredulously. "On second thought," she sighed again, running a hand through her thick curls, "don't answer that."
"If you're really so worried about being a mom, then why don't ya just talk to ma about it?" Tommy suggested, being completely serious. Both of his older siblings just stared back at him blankly. "Okay, so maybe that was a stupid suggestion…"
"Ya think?" The elder Rizzoli griped, banging her head against the bar counter as hard as she could. "I just, I dunno. I'm scared, I guess. And, whenever I'm scared, I tend to push everyone that I care most about away, just so that I can process everything."
Jane knew that this would never work. She was trying to break out of this habit, and had been doing a fine job of it… Until recently, that was. The detective was going to be a mother soon. While she was delighted, she was also scared out of her mind about leading her kid astray. She wasn't exactly the best role model in the world, either. Jane tried to talk it through with her wife but, in the end, it ended with the darker-haired woman storming out for no damn reason.
Rizzoli eventually admitted defeat and went to check her phone. It hadn't rang recently, but she did have a new text message. When Jane read it to herself, her brown eyes grew the size of saucers.
"What is it?" Frankie asked. He did not like the look on his older sister's face.
"Loraine's in labor, like full blown labor. I—I gotta go," Jane pocketed her phone and shook her head idly. "God, why was I such an ass? Maur's probably freakin' out being there all by herself!"
"You'll find a way to make it up to her," the middle Rizzoli convinced her as she got up from the barstool. Jane quickly embraced both of her brothers before leaving money for her tab on the counter.
"I sure hope so," she murmured, "bye guys."
As the eldest Rizzoli child rushed back to her car, she only had that message on her mind.
Jane, I know we had that fight earlier, but I need you here now. Loraine is in labor. Please. Get here as soon as you can. You know the place. I love you.
Jane rammed a fist into her steering wheel at the idiot that had tried to pull out in front of her when she was backing out of her parking space. "C'mon, grandma, gimme a chance to get out of the damn parking space first!"
It was going to be a long drive to the hospital…
o—o—o
Jane couldn't keep that stupid grin off of her face when she first held Kimberly in her arms. She was so soft, and she had the ability to wrap you around her little finger, even without realizing it. Even though, biologically, she wasn't hers or Maura's, she might as well have been. Jane would treat her all the same, teaching her all of the street knowledge she learned over the years. Angela would just spoil the little girl rotten, and Maura would teach her everything she knew about science and medicine.
Maura cooed at the newborn, which was staring up at Jane, but not really seeing everything that was around her. "Look at her, Jane. There is nothing more miraculous and fascinating as the birth of another human being."
"Yeah," the detective whispered, sharing a quick kiss with her wife. "What you said, babe."
The medical examiner smiled and took the baby back into her arms. She cradled her in her arms for a few short moments before turning to Loraine again. "Here. The real mother needs to bond with her child, don't you think?"
Loraine shook her head, eyes brimming with tears. "I can't. If I hold her, chances are that I won't want to give her up." She shrugged her shoulders gently, "hormones, right doc?"
"Oh," Maura breathed, glancing back down at the baby. She was rocking her as gently as she could, without even realizing it. "Yes, that is true. But, I know that I would want the choice to hold my baby if the tables were turned in this situation."
"You're a sweet woman, Doctor Isles. I know that you and your wife will take good care of my baby," the young mother began.
The medical examiner nodded, very close to tears herself. When the nurse came back in with a clipboard in hand, everyone looked towards her.
"Hi, don't mean to interrupt, but we need to know what you're going to name the baby," the nurse looked between the women in the room as she asked this.
Loraine glanced over at Maura, who in turn just grew wide-eyed. Was she asking her to name her too?
"You want us to name her?" Maura asked, under the complete impression that she had misunderstood.
"Yes. I want no part of my daughter's life, and I mean it. She deserves so much better than what I am able to give her right now," Loraine told the older blonde whole-heartedly.
The medical examiner felt tears trickling down her face, and quickly tried to wipe them away with one hand. She thought about Hope and how hurt she was when she realized that her mother hadn't wanted to be found. This baby would be heartbroken, and there wouldn't be anything that their Maura or Jane could do about it.
Jane went to her wife's side, knowing that this was a touchy subject for her. "Maur, babe, it's okay. It's her choice."
The honey blonde just nodded and leaned into her wife's touch. "I know—" she then added after another breath, "I know."
"How about Kimberly?" Jane asked, glancing down at the dozing child.
Maura smiled through her tears. "Kimberly sounds fine, Jane."
"What about her middle name?"
The medical examiner nodded towards the bed-ridden young woman. "How about Loraine?"
Jane just grinned. "Kimberly Loraine Rizzoli-Isles. Has a nice touch," she then shook the infant's foot, "whatdoya think, Kimmy?"
Maura laughed as their baby gurgled slightly in her sleep. "I think we'll work on the nicknames."
Well, was the ending fluffy enough? Hope ya'll enjoyed! Reviews are always loved!