Author's Note: Ok, so for this part of the story (next few chapters), timelines and story lines will fall differently from the show. I hope that's ok, but it all adds up to good Rizzles so I hope you can all forgive me!
Chapter 11Jane got into the station a little after eight carrying three cups of steaming hot coffee. Her mother had just started working there a few days a week and so had pressed the point home that she should no longer be supporting the chain across the road.
"Hey." Jane said, placing the cups down in front of Korsak and Frost. "Thanks for looking after Joe for me."
"Ah, she's such a sweet dog. You have a good break away?" He asked, taking the lid of his coffee.
"Actually I did." She replied, with a soft smile.
"Go anywhere nice?" Frost added, looking up from his work.
"The Cape."
"Nice." He grinned. "Better than our weekend then." He shrugged, looking over at Korsak.
"What gives?" Jane asked, perching on the edge of the desk.
"Murder suicide down on Tremont Street. Pretty messy. Clear cut case though at least."
"Then we got called in early this morning. Dog walker found an old man in Post Office Square Park. The new M.E. is down there doing the autopsy now." Frost added.
"We got cause of death yet?" She asked.
"No, but the scene didn't indicate anything that looked like a struggle. Guess we'll have to see what the Doc says. Frost's got a driving license for an I.D, but no wallet. When we get the results we can head out and visit the vic's family." Korsak continued, sipping his coffee.
"So let's head to the morgue and see what we got and meet the new medical examiner." Jane said, standing before dropping her jacket off over her chair.
"Oh you're gonna wanna check out the new M.E. alright." Frost said with a chuckle.
"Really? Why? Is he gonna be a bigger prick than the last one?" She added, finishing the last of her drink.
"Let's just say that 'she' looks nothing like the last one." He continued, before Korsak elbowed him in the ribs.
"What Frost is so eloquently trying to say Jane is that the new M.E. is a she. Think he might have a little crush on her too." He grinned.
"Well you're gonna have to stop puking for long enough at crime scenes if you wanna get the girl Frost." Jane said, with a smirk. "Vomit's not a good look."
"I never said I liked her, liked her." He said, suddenly embarrassed. "I just said she was hot. I mean she is. You'd have to be blind not to notice, right?" He said looking over at Vince.
"He's right. She is. But she's a proper lady; well dressed, smart too. Just your type Janie." He said, whispering the last part as he brushed past her to the elevator.
"Not going there Korsak, ok?" She replied, giving him a look.
"Sure, sure. I know." He said, softly. "But no harm in looking right?" He added, with a soft smile.
Jane looked away. It frustrated her how well Vince knew her, and how much of her vulnerability he'd witnessed. But she also felt relieved that he knew not to push her. Not about this. Not after everything.
The elevator pinged, and the metal doors slid open, the three detectives entering before hitting the button for the morgue.
"So you all met at the crime scene then I guess?" She asked.
"Yeah. She was there already." Frost said. "Wouldn't give anything anyway either. No clues, no estimates, nothing."
"Guess she works on facts." Korsak added, with a grunt.
"Nothing like gut, hey Vince?" Jane said with grin, slapping his belly.
"Hey!" He said. "I'll have you know I've been working out."
"From where? McDonald's?" Frost said laughing.
Korsak glared at him as the elevator opened in the corridor leading to their destination.
"Come on children. Play nice." Jane husked, striding towards the autopsy suite.
She pushed through the doors, a chuckle still in her throat as she was met with the body of a gentleman under a white sheet, his chest open, skin peeled back, ribs cracked; a few organs already on weighing scales on a nearby table.
"Oh, shit. Think I'm gonna…" Frost said, before hurrying back out of the morgue and heading to the closest toilet.
"That kid needs to toughen up." Korsak said.
"Give him time."
It was only then that she noticed the new M.E; whose back was turned, dressed in black scrubs, her blondish hair tied up in a loose ponytail. She had still not acknowledged their arrival. Jane coughed before addressing her.
"I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli. I'm here with Detective Korsak who you met earlier. I'm wondering if you have anything for us yet?" She asked, hoping her voice hadn't sounded too pushy or bossy. She had a tendency to alienate the women she worked with and she didn't want another difficult relationship with a medical examiner.
She noticed the doctor's hands grip the sides of the desk in front of her, before sliding off the blue surgical gloves she'd been wearing. Jane was beginning to get frustrated by how long this woman was taking to actually make conversation. They had a possible homicide to solve.
When she did turn round however, time seemed to slow down for the detective as she became aware that this woman was deeply familiar to her. Her breath caught in her mouth and her heart pounded in her ears as she came face to face with Maura. She staggered back, the truth of the situation finally hitting her squarely in the chest.
"You ok Rizzoli?" Korsak asked, as he saw Jane stumble slightly.
"I…yes." She said, quickly, her eyes never leaving Maura's.
Sensing the need to ally Jane's fears about them meeting, she took a few steps forward, past the body and extended her hand.
"I'm Doctor Maura Isles." She said, her voice professional, her eyes full of fear and anxiety.
Jane took the hand offered and shook it briefly before looking away; her gaze returning to the job at hand.
"You finished here?" She asked, curtly, her blood starting to boil in her veins.
"Almost." Maura replied, moving away and slipping into a fresh pair of gloves.
"Is it murder doc?" Korsak asked, wondering why his old partner suddenly looked so uncomfortable.
"It could be but I may need more time." She replied, smiling over at him.
"Is it or isn't it?" Jane asked abruptly. "I'm not one for playing guessing games." She spat.
Vince stared at her as he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back towards the door.
"What's going on?" He hissed, trying to keep their conversation private.
"Nothing ok? Nothing is going on."
"The hell it is." She said, his face firm. " I know you. This isn't like you Jane. It's her first day. Why are you trying so hard to piss her off?"
"I'm not trying to piss her off." She said, grinding her teeth.
"Hurt her then. Geez. What she ever do to you? Just get over there and make it right." He barked, giving her one last glance before making his way back over to the doctor.
Jane closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. 'This can't be happening!'
Following in Vince's footsteps she returned to the table, her gaze resting on the heart in Maura's hand. 'That feels like mine.' She mused, trying to push down her anger.
"Sorry. You were saying?" She said, trying to keep her voice even and business like.
"Yes…I…er…I." Maura swallowed, suddenly wishing she could rewind time to their first evening together so she could explain who she was. "I can confirm that the victim had a myocardial infarction. There is also some contusion to both wrists."
"So someone was with him when he died then?" Jane stated, her gaze finally meeting Maura's.
"There is no way for me to know that for sure." She replied, finding it hard to function under the cold look of the detective's usually warm eyes.
"Seriously? He has bruises. You saying he did that to himself?" She shot back.
"Of course not, I'm just pointing out that I have no forensic way of knowing if his potential attacker was there when this gentleman's heart gave out." She replied, her jaw clenching.
"Right, ok. I get that, but from your findings 'doctor', you would have probable cause to say that someone attacked our victim causing him to have a heart attack." She countered, the frustration rising in her chest.
"I'm not in the habit of guessing." Maura replied, easing the organ in her hands back into the metal basin before looking across at Korsak and continuing to address him. "That part of the process is up to you, is it not?"
Vince glanced over at Jane quickly before answering the M.E's question. "There was no wallet found on the body, there are signs of a struggle. I would suggest that he died after trying to fight off his attacker." He said, giving the doctor a warm smile.
Maura relaxed a little following Korsak's words and simple gesture, and returned her eyes to Jane's.
"My findings would indeed suggest that detective. I'll check for any skin under the fingernails or teeth that might help with a DNA match."
"Thank you." Jane replied
"You're welcome." The doctor said, maintaining her focus.
"Let us know if you find anything. We'll head out, interview the family." Korsak said, before heading to the door. "You coming?" He added to the brunette, realising she hadn't moved.
"Give me five minutes." Jane said, looking into Maura's eyes.
"Ok." He said, before the sound of the door closing behind him plunged them both into silence.
They looked at one another for over a minute before the M.E. found herself unable to continue this way.
"Jane." She said softly.
"Don't! Just don't. How could you…how could you lie to me?" She hissed, pain flashing across her dark brown eyes as she gripped the autopsy table with both hands.
"I wanted to…really I did, I…" She tried.
"Yeah, I see that. How could I forget all the times you tried to tell me we'd be working together? Sorry. My mistake." She grunted.
"Will you let me explain?" Maura asked gently. "Please?"
Jane sighed, her gaze faltering as she saw the look of panic and hurt in the honey-blonde's eyes. Even now, even here, with all this mess, she couldn't walk away. Not yet.
"Thank you." Maura breathed, realising that the silence was Jane's way of agreeing to hear her out. "It all happened so fast, when we met. You told me you were a detective, but I didn't know hat kind until after I'd said I was a doctor. People don't like to hear about what I do. I didn't want you to think of me as some sort of ghoul. I just…I just wanted you to know me, not the work me. I think you wanted that too Jane. Wanted to keep me separate."
"Look how well that's going." She spat, looking down at the table to the scars bulging on the backs of her hands.
"It was. It was going so well, and then I hoped…I just hoped and prayed we'd be working at different precincts, that I could then tell you about my job before our paths crossed on a case. I'm so sorry. If things could be different somehow I would make them that way."
"You lied to me Maura."
"No I can't lie." She replied, her breath hitching in her chest.
"I think you lied about that too." She spat.
"No…no…I didn't, I just didn't tell you the whole truth. I am a doctor. I just didn't tell you what type."
"And that makes it ok then, huh? That makes it all alright between us?" Jane said, her eyes finding Maura's once more, as the pain of what they had shared tugged at her heart.
"Of course not. I know I have played this all wrong." She sighed.
"Played? You make me sound like a game."
"God, I don't know what I'm supposed to say to make this better. I'm no good at…at this. I can't seem to find the right words to tell you. You were never a game. Never. Everything I have told you, shared with you is the truth Jane, please believe me, please." She found herself begging as a stray tear crept down her cheek.
"I can't do this right now. I just can't." Jane said, pushing her hands in her pockets and stepping away from the table and the beautiful woman crying in front of her. "I'm sorry." She said, before pulling her eyes away and heading towards the door.
"Don't be. This is my fault. I really am so sorry."
The detective stopped, one hand on the door, as she heard those words fall from the honey-blonde's lips, before she exited out of the morgue and out of harms way.
Maura watched her leave before silently making her way over to her new office and shutting the door behind her. She peeled off her gloves, dropping them into the bin before sitting at her desk, her head in her hands. 'What have I done? How could I have been so stupid?' She sat and cried, grateful for the isolation her job allowed her, feeling how easy it would be to stay down in the morgue forever, lost to her job and lost to Jane.
