A/N: Please forgive me for not updating this in a long time. I had two more deaths in the family happen within two months of each other. Seems like just when I was coming to terms with losing one, I lost another… Enjoy the chapter.

Jane's POV:

"Aww. What a sweet little brother." Frost teased Frankie after he'd seen him feed me the ice chips. Frankie rolled his eyes.

"Leave him alone Frost, he's a good brother." I didn't look at Frankie when I said it, but out of the corner of my eye I saw him blush. Frost laughed and sat in the plastic chair Frankie had been using before.

"It's good to see you with your eyes open kid." Korsak squeezed my shoulder a little.

"Thanks Vince." I smiled up at him a little before looking for my best friend. Maura was still standing in the doorway, she was looking at the ground. Frankie, Frost, and Korsak caught me looking over there and looked at each other.

"Frankie, let's go down to the food court." Frost suggested, giving me a knowing look. I nodded slightly, thanking him.

"I don't know… I don't want to leave Jane alone."

"Maura will stay here with her…" Frost said it in a way that made Frankie understand they were trying to give me a few minutes to talk to Maura alone. He looked over to me.

"Jane… if you need me…" My little brother started, getting up slowly.

"I know where to find you. Thanks." I hugged my brother close, being careful not to disturb my stitches. He hugged me back for a minute before reluctantly going with Frost and Korsak to get food. As soon as they left I looked over to Maura, she hadn't moved an inch.

"Maura?" I tried. She didn't acknowledge me. "Maur, if you don't get your butt over here, I'm getting up and going over there." This got her attention. She slowly walked over to the chair beside my bed and sat down. "What's wrong?" I asked gently.

"Jane…" My friend looked up at me, blinking tears out of her eyes. "The last time I saw you, we were fighting. I know that we spoke over the phone after and you aren't mad at me anymore, but that's all I could think about." I watched as my friend silently broke down, burying her head in her hands. I tried to pat her back, but it was hard with my hands wrapped up.

"Please don't be upset… me and my brothers fight all the time. We never really mean the things we say in an argument."

"I… I know that Jane, but without you I have no one!" Maura looked up at me with mascara running down her cheeks. "Korsak and Frost are nice to me, but they never want to hang out with me after work. My father is a murderer and my mother doesn't want anything to do with me. Jane, you're the only friend I have and I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Oh…" I was shocked to see the Chief Medical Examiner acting like this, but I understood what she meant. I shook my head and laughed. "Come here." I opened my arms for her and hugged her close.

"I'm sorry we fought."

"I'm sorry too. Don't worry about it though... It wasn't our first, it definitely won't be our last." She smiled slightly, letting me go.

"I'm sorry…" She wiped at her eyes. "I must be a mess."

"I'm not gonna lie to you, you do look a little bit like a raccoon. I'd help you but…" I held up my two gauzed hands.

"That's okay." She got up and walked the three feet over to my bathroom and worked on cleaning up her face.

"How bad are they?" She asked when she sat back down on the foot of the bed. I felt my cheeks get hot. Talking about bandages I could do, talking about the scars… well, that was another thing.

"I don't know. I think I heard the doctor telling Frankie they were taking the bandages off today. I'm sure they've been changing the dressings and all that, but I haven't seen them. I don't think I want too."

"That's understandable. How's your stomach? You seem to be guarding it." She frowned slightly when she watched me roll my eyes and lay back. "What are you doing?"

"Lift it up… see for yourself Dr. Isles." I stared up at the ceiling. I didn't want to see the criss-crossing, red lines running along my abdomen. Paired with the scar from when I'd shot through myself to kill a murderer I looked like I could be Frankenstein's daughter.

"Jane…" Maura's voice was full of suspicion. "If you don't want me to just say so."

"No. It's okay." I was quiet while she lifted my paper gown up and looked at the sutures.

"So, what do you think Doctor? Will I make it?"

"I certainly hope so." Maura laughed, putting my nightgown back. The guys walked back in then. Frankie hurried over to me, resting his good hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He looked worried.

"Yes. Thank you." I smiled at him. Maura started to get up so Frankie could sit down, but he stopped her.

"You stay there. I'm going to go see where the doctor is. Jane's supposed to have another dose of antibiotics soon. I think he wants to take her bandages off too." He avoided making eye contact with me. He was saved when Frost's and Korsak's phones went off, taking advantage of the moment to go get the doctor.

"Frost… of course… I'll be right there." Frost looked up at me sadly. "Duty calls."

"We'll come back later Jane." Korsak smiled at me awkwardly and left with Frost.

"Jane… you look upset." Maura frowned, confused. Frankie walked back in then.

"The doctor will be in to see you in a second." My brother sat down beside me in the chair and I tried to lean over to get him, pulling on my stitches. Frankie understood what I wanted and climbed back in the bed beside me hugging me close.

"I don't want to see them." I buried my head in my brother's chest, answering Maura's question.

"Jane there's nothing to be afraid of. You've gotten through this before, you can do it again." Maura squeezed my leg gently and Frankie rubbed my back gently. I was so embarrassed that I was acting like this but I couldn't help it, I was absolutely terrified.

"Shh… it's okay. I won't let them hurt you." Frankie whispered. "I'm going to stay right here with you the whole time." The doctor walked in then and smiled at me.

"Let's get those bandages off." The doctor wheeled in his cart and left it next to my bed. While he hung my antibiotics for my IV, I looked over to Maura.

"It's going to be okay." She patted my leg gently and the doctor turned to us.

"Can I ask for your visitors to step outside Ms. Rizzoli?" I broke down, crying hysterically into my brother's chest.

"Please! Please let them stay!" I choked on my breath. "Frankie saved my life! I don't want him to leave! Maura's my best friend, and she's a doctor! Please let them stay!" I clung to my brother, I couldn't do this by myself.

"Dr. Jordan, I think it might be better if you make an exception for her… she's been through a lot of trauma. I don't think leaving her alone in a room with a man holding a scalpel is the best choice." Maura's tone didn't leave any room for argument. Dr. Jordan nodded.

"As long as you don't get in the way I don't see why you can't stay."

"Thank you." Frankie whispered, rubbing my back gently. "Janie… you gotta let the doctor do his job. I need you to get better."

"If he's not doing his job right, I'll make him stop." Maura pulled the chair down to the foot of my bed and sat down.

"Okay…" I took a deep breath and looked over to Dr. Jordan, holding out one hand. Slowly he cut away the tape and layers of gauze.

"Alright, I'm going to go slow. If it pulls to hard, let me know and I'll stop." I nodded and looked away from him.

"Just look at me." Frankie squeezed my shoulder while Maura rubbed my leg gently. I felt Dr. Jordan taking the dressings off, it was sore, but then again I knew it would be. Soon he'd finished working on that hand and gently placed it on my lap. I made a point not to look down at it while he took my other hand and repeated the process.

"There. Why don't you take a look?" Dr. Jordan smiled at me but I could tell he was getting tired of my shenanigans. I took a deep breath, squeezing my eyes shut. I brought my hands up to my face and opened them slowly. I saw my scars. Old white ones crossed by new pink ones. My hands started shaking. The new scars made an 'X' on my left hand but ran almost parallel on my right, one above the other. My breathing sped up, and I was crying again.

"Jane!" Maura was in front of me, her hands on my forearms, lowering my hands from my view. "Jane… take deep breaths. In… Out…" She breathed with me. "You have to calm down. Please." Dr. Jordan pressed lightly on my stomach and pulled my gown up, exposing my stomach. Frankie looked down at the angry scars and clenched his teeth.

"Jane, you need to calm down. You're abdomen is very swollen. Stress won't help you to heal."

"With all due respect Dr. Jordan, I did almost die. Could you maybe cut me some slack?"

"Ms. Rizzoli… you're a grown women. You need to grow up a little bit. Yes, you've been through something I wouldn't wish on my worst nightmare, but you're not doing anything to help yourself."

"Don't you dare!" Frankie started yelling. "If you saw her like I saw her you'd have a little more respect for her! You didn't see her pinned to the ground with scalpels through her hands! You didn't see a psychopathic killer slice through her stomach again and again until she passed out! You didn't see the tears rolling down her face when she said goodbye to me thinking she was going to die!" Frankie was the one shaking now. "You didn't see how pale she looked! You didn't see the blood or the knives or the cage she was trapped in so don't you dare come in here and yell at my sister for not being 'grown up enough' to sit here while you poke and pick over her!"

"I…"

"Dr. Jordan… I think it would be best if you leave." Maura got up and guided him to the door. "Come back when you're ready to treat my friend with the respect she deserves." With that she shut the door and walked back over to us.

"Thank you Maura." Frankie nodded at her. "You're a good friend."

"You're a good brother." Maura turned to look at me. "Don't be embarrassed. Fear is a perfectly normal response to everything you've been going through. I know I don't think any less of you, and I'm such Frankie doesn't either." Maura and I both turned to my brother.

"Jane… you shouldn't even have to ask. You remember what we talked about on the couch before you were taken?" I did. He'd told me that he thought I was brave and how he wished to be like me. I nodded.

"Yeah. I remember."

"Good. I love you Jane." He kissed the side of my head.

"I love you too Frankie. I pulled him close. "Thank you for saving me."

"Hey, you'd do the same for me right?" Frankie laughed.

"Of course I would. You're my favorite brother."

"You two are sweet." Maura smiled. "I like that you two are close."

"I do too." I smiled. "Frankie? Do you think you could at least tell me how you broke your hand?"

"Oh that? I smashed it with a wrench until I could slide it through the handcuffs. It didn't hurt until I killed Hoyt though… nothing really registered with me at all until I knew you were safe." I shook my head, my brother thought I was brave, but really he was the one who deserved all the credit. He'd gone through hell just to save me. He thought he owed me, but it was me who owed him. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him.

"Jane, you should try to get some sleep."

"Yes, Dr. Isles." I rolled my eyes and laid down beside my brother, I kept my hands under the sheets with me even though the material was scratchy and hurt a little. I didn't think I would get any sleep at all, but knowing that Frankie and Maura were there made me feel safe enough that I fell asleep in my brother's arms not long after I laid down.

A/N: I promise there will be a new chapter up soon. Most likely by the end of the week. Please R&R… I would really appreciate it.