Chapter 11

Jane and Maura had told Emma the news of their unofficial marriage a week ago. Life had been peaceful and even kind of happy. Emma's ankle was getting better; she was walking again and helped around the house wherever she could.

In spite of the happiness and warmth she felt for Maura and Emma, Jane couldn't stop thinking about her family. She missed them terribly and she worried about them, but she didn't want to put Maura and Emma in danger by going to Atlanta. She kept delaying a decision. She liked things the way they were now, but she still couldn't let her family go. It was an endless struggle.

It had been a quiet day. Jane had heated yet another can of beans and was preparing three plates at the kitchen table.

"Dinner's ready!" Jane called to Maura and Emma.

She loved their domesticated life at the farm, but she tried not to get used to it. Usually, when things started to feel safe in this world, it was just a sign for everything to break down again. So Jane was always alert, always keeping an eye out for danger.

They ate quietly, simply enjoying each other's company. Jane noticed Emma was just moving food around on her plate, not eating anything.

"You okay Em?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're not eating."

"I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something Emma. At least finish half of it." Maura said, pointing at Emma's full plate.

"Jeez, it's just like you've got a real mom isn't it?" Jane said with a smirk. Emma laughed but stopped when she saw Maura giving Jane an angry look.

"She's right though, you have to eat." Jane added quickly.

Emma sighed and looked at her plate.

"Are you feeling alright?" Maura placed her hand on Emma's forehead, checking for a fever.

"I don't know… My stomach hurts a little and I've had a headache all day."

"You feel warm." Maura looked worried. "Have you experienced irregular or unusual bowel movement?"

Emma looked confused.

"She's asking if you're poop's been weird lately." Jane explained.

"Gross. I don't know. I don't study my poop." Emma said with a disgusted face.

"I'm glad to hear that." Jane joked. "It would be a little weird if you did."

Jane saw that her wife was not amused by her clearly awesome comedy skills. Maura was still studying the girl, looking worried. "Just try to eat something, even if it's just a little bit." She said. "And make sure you get a lot of sleep tonight, okay?"

Emma nodded, slowly scooping some beans on her spoon.

"Good girl." Jane placed a kiss on the girl's temple.

Jane and Maura were asleep in the master bedroom, snuggled up closely when they a small voice wake them. "Jane? Maura?"

Jane slowly opened her eyes, seeing Emma standing in front of their bed, her hands on her stomach. Jane softly shook her wife's shoulder to wake her up. "What's wrong sweetie?" She asked Emma.

"I don't feel good." Emma answered. She looked very pale, she was shaking but Jane saw her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

"Come here." Maura patted on the bed, inviting Emma to in between them. Emma crawled on the bed as Maura put her hand against her forehead. She took it back too quickly. "You have a fever."

Jane brushed Emma's hair back and felt the heat radiating of the girl. "And not a small one. Baby, you're burning up."

"Emma, what are you feeling? Are you in pain?" Maura said sweetly but professionally.

"My stomach hurts very bad, the headache got worse... And my chest hurts."

"That could all be coming from the fever…" Maura was thinking out loud. "But not the stomach pain. Where exactly does your stomach hurt?"

Emma clutched her knees to her chest, her face grimacing with pain. "Everywhere. Especially the lower part."

"Can you lower your legs sweetie? I need to examine your stomach."

Jane helped Emma to lie down, stroking her hot forehead. Maura looked at her stomach; pressing different parts that made Emma flinch, mumbling medical terminology.

"What is it Maura?" Jane asked concerned.

"I'm not sure. It could be regular seasonal influenza." Maura said, lost in thought.

"What's that?" Emma asked softly.

"It could be just some kind of stomach flu." Maura put her hand on Emma's arm, trying to soothe her. "You need some painkillers or aspirin. Jane, will you go with me to look for medicine please?" Jane looked at her wife and saw the serious look in her eyes. It wasn't just the flu.

"We'll be right back." She kissed Emma's head and walked with Maura to the bathroom.

Maura started searching through all the cabinets, trying to find anything that would make the pain go away and the fever drop.

"Talk to me Maur. What are you thinking?" Jane said, standing in the doorway.

Maura sighed and looked at her wife. "Her fever is way too high. I can tell the stomach pains are very bad and she said her chest hurts. That's not a good sign, Jane. It could be a bacterial infection, which could be cured with antibiotics, but we don't have antibiotics. It could also be a viral infection. In that case there's a good chance you and I are both infected by now and even if we somehow got antibiotics, it won't help."

"Is there any way of knowing which one it is?"

Maura continued her search through the cabinets. "Not yet. Her fever has to come down first." She grabbed a box of aspirin and looked at her wife. "The fever is too high, Jane." She said softly.

Jane saw the concern in her eyes. That was not a good sign. If doctor Maura Isles was concerned, it was serious.

"Should we stay away from her to avoid infection?" Jane asked.

"I'm afraid that won't help anymore. If it is indeed a viral infection, we're already infected. We breathed her air and we're close to her everyday." Maura walked over to Jane and pulled her in for a hug. "And I don't want to force ourselves to create a distance. She needs us now."

Jane held Maura close to her chest. She heard her wife sigh deeply. "It'll be okay Maur." She said softly.

"I hope so." Jane heard sadness in her wife's voice. The kind of sadness that made her even more concerned.

They walked back to their bedroom where they saw Emma laying down, clutching her stomach in the fetal position.

"Emma, honey," Maura carefully caressed the girl's back. "You need to take these aspirins. It'll help to relieve some of the pain and hopefully take down the fever a little bit."

Emma growled when she got up. She took the aspirins with a glass of water Jane had offered her.

"C'mere." Jane opened her arms for the young girl. Emma let herself fall down in them, squeezing Jane's side with one arm as her other arm still clutched her stomach. "You'll be okay." Jane said while she stroked Emma's back.

Jane started to sweat immediately, feeling the heat coming from the girl that clung to her. She felt the rapid heartbeat and heard Emma's breath coming in short gasps. She worried.

She prayed it was just the flu, but she knew better. She saw the concern in the eyes of her wife lying next to her. Emma needed help. The fever needed to drop.

Jane hated the helplessness she felt. She hated seeing Emma in so much pain. The only thing she could do was holding her girl and hope. Hope and pray that the pain would stop and the fever would drop. Hope and prayer was all she had.