Chapter Twelve
Jane had managed to avoid the entire Rizzoli clan during the three days since her discovery of her father's affair. She still couldn't decide what she was going to do or say about what she had seen and it was better for her not to talk to anyone in the family until she could figure it all out.
The only person who knew what seemed to be bothering the detective was Maura. Korsak knew immediately upon Jane's return to work the next day that something was wrong but Jane told him it wasn't anything she wanted to talk about. He always respected Jane's personal space and privacy so he let it drop. But not until he made sure she knew he was there for her if she needed anything.
Maura was an excellent support for Jane. She listened during the times when Jane went on venting tangents about the sanctity of marriage and fidelity. She offered up her opinion only when Jane asked for it. And she let Jane have time alone when it was apparent that she needed to try to sort through everything.
Both women knew Jane was going to have to decide on some course of action before the next set Rizzoli family dinner. She had confirmed her attendance to her mother before the incident in the store with her father. As far as Angela was concerned Jane was coming to Sunday dinner. Jane had avoided all calls from Angela to that point but she hadn't exactly cancelled on dinner. She thought she'd figure out how to handle Frank by the time dinner rolled around.
But somehow it was Sunday morning and Jane still hadn't made a decision about what she was going to do. When she woke up that morning all she wanted to do was skip dinner and hide away from the world. She couldn't see how she could possibly handle seeing her father at dinner. Not with what she knew. But she also didn't know exactly what she would tell her mother if she cancelled. Angela was fully aware of the fact that Jane was not on-call that weekend and that she didn't have a current case she was working. Work was Jane's usual go-to excuse.
As she lay in bed letting her indecision torment her she wished the world would simply just go away and leave her alone. The constant buzzing of her phone was her first hint that her wish wouldn't be possible.
The messages started rolling in by 10 am.
10:01 am- Can you stop and get butter on your way here? A
10:16 am- And milk? A
10:23 am- You haven't answered any calls all week. Ma wants confirmation that you are coming to dinner. F
11:01 am- Confirmation and she needs pepper now too. F
11:07 am- Did Frankie tell you I need pepper too? Butter. milk and pepper. A
11:23 am- Ma says to make sure you know pepper the spice not peppers the vegetable- F
11:25 am- Seriously Jane- why does Ma text me to tell you something? Why can't she just text you? F
12:05 pm- Janie- why aren't you replying back? You can't still be asleep! A
12:30 pm- Janie, now Ma thinks you are sick. I've tried to tell her you are sleeping. Text her back. F
12:45 pm- Ma- I'll stop at the store. J
12:46 pm- I have no control over Ma- I'll see you at dinner. J
Jane hoped that finally answering Frankie and Angela's texts finally would get them to stop blasting her with messages.
She hadn't wanted to go to dinner but outside of lying about a case she couldn't think of how to not go without worrying her mother or making her brother get even more suspicious about her behavior than he already was. Lying in bed she tried to convince herself that she could get through one dinner without tipping anyone off that there was something wrong.
That had been her master plan. Go to dinner and act like everything was fine. She still didn't know what she was going to do about her father but she knew she wasn't about to do anything in front of her entire family. She knew how dinners went. She felt strongly that she could stay in the kitchen with her mother and avoid interactions with her father for most of the night. Plus, with Frankie there she could easily divert attentions if needed.
2:11 pm- Come over early and watch the Sox game with me and Pop. F
That was so not going to happen.
2:13 pm- Can't. But I will see you at dinner. J
Dinner started at 6 pm at their house. Jane was now doing the commute time math to figure out when she needed to leave her apartment to arrive no sooner than 5:45 pm. She wasn't planning on being late but she certainly wasn't going to be early either.
By 3 pm she was bouncing off the walls. The nervousness she was feeling had manifested itself into the first deep cleaning of her apartment in almost six months. Jane was an organized person and liked a clean apartment. But when she was anxious about something she found she would often deep clean. But her place wasn't that large so it didn't take as long as she had hoped.
Floors scrubbed, carpets vacuumed, oven cleaned, windows washed, shower scrubbed and pillows fluffed. The place was now emmaculate. But it was only 3:15. And that's when she knew. She picked up her phone and dialed.
"Hi," was the soft, welcoming answer.
"Ok, I need help. I can't face them all alone. Can I reconsider? Will you come with me?" Jane quietly asked admitting defeat.
To her credit, Maura never took on even a hint of an 'I told you so' tone with Jane. She had offered repeatedly to join Jane for Sunday dinner. She wanted to be by Jane's side for moral support. But Jane kept insisting that Maura didn't need to get drawn into the Rizzoli family drama. Jane was still upset with herself for how Tommy had acted the last time Maura came over for dinner. She certainly didn't want her second time to be filled with more possible angst. She had wanted Maura to actually like her family.
"Of course I'll come with you," she replied sweetly. If Jane wasn't so upset by all of this Maura would have been smiling at her concession. But as it was, she was just too worried about Jane to register anything else. "I've told you I will be here for you whatever you need."
Jane looked around her spotless apartment and could feel the walls starting to close in on her. She needed to get out of there. "Can I come over now?" she asked hoping to hear a yes.
"I'll be waiting," was Maura's answer and they disconnected the call.
Truth be told, Maura had spent all morning with her phone in her hand. She had a feeling Jane was going to call. It was why she made no other plans for the day. Jane needed her and she was going to be there.
R&I
3:25 pm- Maura is coming too. J
3:26 pm- Wonderful! I'll set another place. See you girls soon. Don't forget: butter, milk and pepper. A
R&I
Charles looked across the glass as his visitor was entering the room. Unlike his meetings with the lawyer that were in a room where he was allowed access to documents and papers, regular visitors were not allowed contact with him. They had to stay on one side of a thick glass partition and they would have to speak with each other using phones. The antiquated nature of this setup offended Hoyt.
He was fully aware that the conversation he was having through the phone he was about to pick up was being monitored and recorded by the jail. That, too, offended him. He had not yet been convicted of anything and yet he had already had several of his rights stripped away. He sighed in frustration. But, for the moment, there wasn't anything he could do about it. He was just glad to be receiving this visitor. And he was thankful that his visitor was well aware that their conversation was not going to be private and he would conduct himself accordingly.
The man took a seat and smiled at Hoyt. It was a genuine smile. It was clear he was happy to be seeing the man on the other side of the glass. Hoyt returned the smile but there could be room to argue about the genuineness of Hoyt's smile. But the visitor did not seem to register anything but sincerity. Both men picked up their handsets to start their conversation.
"Hi," the visitor got out eagerly.
Charles again sighed. He had to wonder a bit about his visitor. So young. So naive. Oh to be so young and carefree, thought Hoyt.
Theirs would not be a typical jailhouse conversation. No talk of family or friends. No talk about the case. Nothing mentioned about guilt or innocence. The visitor was there for that. He was there to convey information about several projects that Hoyt needed an update and that was all.
"So," Hoyt started. "Did you get your final grades?"
The fact that he had to speak in code irritated him. All of this was beneath him. But he knew others were listening and would listen so he had to continue down the path he had started.
"Not yet," the visitor answered. "Looks like I will get those next week."
Answer number one was obtained. Next week. That would work for his timeline.
"It's a shame that you don't have them now. I'm curious to see how you did," he said. "But I guess next week will do sufficiently."
"I'm sure I passed everything so I'm not worried about seeing them," the visitor said.
Answer number two was obtained. His visitor was confident that he would be able to fulfill his required part in Hoyt's scheme.
"Thanks good to hear," said Hoyt. Two answers down. Two more to go. "Will you be registering for summer classes?"
The visitor dropped his eyes and seemed nervous for the first time during the conversation. Hoyt already knew there was a problem with answer number three. The visitor made eye contact with Hoyt before answering. "I'm trying but it appears that my registration may be blocked," he said.
Damn it! Hoyt thought. A portion of his plan seemed to be running into issues. He didn't have time for issues. "What seems to be the issue?" he asked.
"Part of my account is past due and I don't have the funds to settle the account. Until I can I can't register for the summer session."
Hoyt shook his head. The last thing he was going to let stop him from carrying out his plans was money. He looked at the visitor and didn't hide the fact that he was pissed. The visitor was taken aback by the cold, dead stare he was receiving and he swallowed hard suddenly wondering how his mouth got as dry as it had.
But in a flash Hoyt's eyes softened and he let the moment pass. "Contact your Uncle. He will help you settle the account. It is vital that you get registered for the summer session. There can't be a disruption in your education."
The visitor nodded indicating that he fully understood what his orders now were. He seemed to react better when Hoyt calmed down. "I'll get a hold of him as soon as we are done here today."
One last question to ask. "Are you still planning on taking that vacation you planned before the summer session starts?"
This question elicited a smile from the visitor. "Yes," he answered. "I've got the location picked out and everything. I can't wait to get away from everything for a little while."
Answer number four was a yes. His getaway location had been secured. Finally Hoyt gave the first genuine smile of the day.
R&I
Increasing square footage did not seem to help with Jane's overall feelings of nervousness or claustrophobia. She found she just had more rooms to pace around in when she arrived at Maura's Beacon Hill home. After 10 minutes of being unable to stand still she looked at Maura who to that point had just watched a cagey Jane pace back and forth.
"This is a mistake. I should just skip dinner altogether," she said.
"Ok, don't go," Maura answered calmly.
Jane looked at her surprised she had agreed with her so quickly. "So, we won't go then," she answered not completely convinced it was going to be that easy.
"If you don't want to go then we won't go. But you need to tell your mother something as to why you aren't coming," she pointed out.
"I can say I have a case," Jane said.
"You're not on call and that would be a lie. Do you really want to lie to her Jane?"
For someone who claimed not to be good with emotions Maura sure seemed to have mastered guilt fairly quickly. It hurt Jane fast. "No, I don't want to lie to her." Neither missed the emphasis Jane put on the word 'I'. "You could..." but she stopped before she finished the thought. She looked at Maura. "Sorry. I would never ask or want you to lie for me," she said.
"Jane face it. Even if you do skip out on dinner tonight, this isn't going away. You will have to explain yourself to her and the more you pull away the more she is going to dig to find out what's really wrong. You can't just keep avoiding them all. That's not the answer here either."
Jane knew Maura was right. Frankie already knew something was wrong. Her mother was suspicious. If she skipped out on dinner now Angela would mount a campaign until she got the truth out of her daughter.
"Let's go to dinner. I'll be by your side the entire time. We'll stay in the kitchen with Angela and you can focus in on her tonight. We'll get through this together."
Maura got up from the couch and walked over to Jane who finally stopped pacing. She took Jane's hand in hers and leaned in for a sweet, lingering kiss. She pulled back and looked at Jane. "Together."
They shared another kiss letting this one take on a life of its own. Jane could easily let herself get lost in Maura's kisses. And lost was where she wanted to be in that moment. It was Maura who finally pulled back. "Dinner?" she asked.
Jane simply nodded. Leaning forward and resting her forehead against Maura's she spoke. "Promise me one thing," she requested.
"Anything."
"No matter what, don't let me start anything in front of Ma." Deep down Jane was afraid she would say something to her father in front of her mother and she couldn't let that happen.
"I promise," Maura answered pulling Jane into a last embrace before they made their way out the front door.
R&I
They stopped at the store to get the items Angela requested and then headed over to the house. Jane was quiet for most of the drive and Maura didn't try to push the conversation. Pulling up to the house Jane parked the car but didn't make a move to release her seatbelt or get out of the car. She needed a minute to steel herself for the evening ahead.
She took a deep breath while reaching over to take Maura's hand. She slowly released the breath and turned to look at Maura. "Remember your promise."
Maura merely nodded and waited for Jane to release her seatbelt before she opened her car door. They walked together to the house and just like the first time to Jane's parent's house, they skipped using the front door and walked towards the backyard. This time Maura fully understood why Jane wasn't going to walk in through the front door.
They made their way into the kitchen and Jane hesitated for a moment but then called out her usual greeting. "Ma!"
Maura entered into the kitchen and placed the items from the store on one of the counters. She moved a bit out of the way but she was determined to stay as close to Jane as she could throughout the night. She wanted to be there for Jane and she was absolutely determined to make good on the promise she made Jane. The closer she was to Jane the better she felt she would be able to assist if an assist was needed.
Jane didn't even look towards the living room. She kept herself busy in the kitchen waiting for her mother to enter and join them. She went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water handing one to Maura. She wasn't planning on going within ten feet of alcohol that night. She wasn't even going to risk a loose tongue. She was just starting to lift lids off pots when she heard her mother.
"Janie!" Angela exclaimed and unlike last time she went straight to her daughter hugging her.
"Hi Ma," Jane acknowledged. "I got those things you wanted."
Angela pulled away from Jane and stared at her. She was quiet as she did this which immediately unnerved Jane. It was clear to Jane that Angela was scrutinizing her. She was sure her week long avoidance had sent warning signals to Angela's 'Mom' radar that Angela was trying to assess.
When Angela still hadn't released Jane from the embrace or the scrutiny Maura thought she needed to try to intervene. "Angela, do you need any of these items right now or can they be put away?"
Angela turned her attention to the as yet to be greeted Maura. She missed Jane's small smile knowing what Maura had just managed to do for her. "Maura," Angela greeted releasing Jane and turning her attention to the medical examiner. "I was so glad to hear that you would be joining us again." She had Maura in a hug in seconds and Maura felt more at ease for this one than the first time Angela had done that. "I'll need the pepper soon but the rest can get put away. Jane knows where everything goes."
Jane grabbed the milk and butter and put them both in the refrigerator. She thought about Maura's last family dinner and turned to Angela. "Is Tommy coming tonight?" She suddenly felt bad for being so wrapped up in her own problems that she had completely forgotten to consider if there could an issue with Maura and Tommy.
Angela shook her head. "No. He's working tonight."
This surprised Jane. She wasn't aware that Tommy had found a job. "Working? Since when?"
"If you would ever return my phone calls Jane you would know that he got hired at that convenience store that's a few blocks from his apartment. It's not much but it's something and it's close so he can walk to and from work."
Tommy had been furious with Jane for impounding his car. She refused to release it from the pound and since Tommy's license was suspended there really wasn't too much he could do about it. He should be thanking her since she was able to have the car stored at the police impound lot for no charge for the duration of Tommy's revocation. Jane promised him the day he was legal again and had proof of insurance she would personally free his car.
"It's a start anyway. I'm happy for him," Jane said hopeful that maybe things would improve for him in the near future.
"Dinner won't be ready for at least 30 minutes. Why don't you two go into the living room. Your brother has been looking for you Jane and I think there's a Sox game on," Angela said casually.
Jane flinched but recovered quickly. "Getting rid of me already Ma?" she tried to joke.
"No, but it's the Sox game," Angela said unsure why Jane hadn't immediately run from the kitchen like normal.
Before Jane could think of something to say Maura again stepped in. "Don't worry Jane. I'll stay and keep your mother company. There can't be too many embarrassing stories she can tell me about you as a child." She hoped that would accomplish two goals. One, she hoped Angela would turn her attention to Maura instead of Jane. And two, it would give Jane a plausible reason for not leaving the kitchen.
Angela fell for it. "Stories? Oh do I have stories," she said chuckling. Both Jane and Maura sat down and Jane nodded a quick nod of appreciation to Maura for what she had just managed. Given the alternative she could live with Maura knowing about a few regrettable childhood moments.
"If that's the agenda," Jane replied to her mother, "I think I need to hear all of this too. I'll need to defend myself I'm sure."
Angela looked back to Maura now not questioning why Jane was lingering in the kitchen. "Maura, Janie was just such a cute baby," Angela started and took a seat.
R&I
Twenty minutes later everyone in the kitchen was in hysterics except Jane. Frankie had joined the 'Jane stories' conversation halfway into the first story. Frank knew them all and had been content to pop his head in the kitchen to say a quick hello but then return to the game on TV.
"Jane," Maura said in between chuckles, "you really tried to go to school in just your underwear?"
"Underoos! Not underwear. There was a difference!" Jane feebly was trying to defend herself.
Frankie was vehemently shaking his head as he was cracking up. "No difference. Totally underwear!"
"You're one to talk! You had SpiderMan Underoos!" Jane again tried to make it all sound harmless.
"I did. But I never tried to wear mine to school," Frankie said still laughing.
"Maura, you have to understand. They were Wonder Woman Underoos. They were special," Jane said pleading for Maura to take her side.
"Maura, I'm positive I have a picture of all the kids in their Underoos somewhere up in the attic. Since you're not familiar with what they were I'm sure the picture will show you anything you would need to know to decide for yourself." Angela was giggling as they all chatted.
"No pictures!" Jane became insistent and the three just started to laugh again.
Angela calmed down first and looked at the time. "Alright, you three out of the kitchen. I need to get dinner on the table. Five minutes," she said to them all. Frankie retreated into the living room to rejoin his father but Jane took Maura and headed out to the back porch. Thankfully, no one seemed to question that.
Jane sat down on one of the steps and Maura quickly joined her. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder and Jane instinctively leaned into her weaving her arm through Maura's. Maura didn't object to the contact. They hadn't told Jane's family they were dating yet and with everything that happened with Frank that was the last thing on either woman's mind. But she liked the physical contact with Jane.
"Thank you," Jane said quietly but the meaning behind that thanks was not lost on Maura.
"Does it make me a bad person if I admit I had an ulterior motive?" Maura asked quietly.
"That depends on what that motive was," Jane answered.
"I just wanted to hear some stories about you as a child. I'm trying to picture a young Jane Rizzoli," Maura admitted.
Jane smiled. It was a genuine smile. The magic of the woman sitting next to her was unreal. She had managed to distract Jane, her mother and her brother enough to miss that there was something bothering Jane at the same time she was able to get Jane to forget her troubles and laugh a real, honest laugh for the first time in a week. Jane couldn't get passed the fact that Maura was just good for her soul.
"I was then a lot like I am now. Just a little shorter. Slightly scrawny. Very tomboyish," Jane listed.
"And I bet absolutely adorable," Maura added. She turned to make sure Angela was not watching before she leaned in and gave Jane a very quick kiss. She just couldn't help it.
She pulled away just as Angela hollered. "Dinner!"
R&I
Much to Jane's surprise, dinner was more relaxed than she thought. She let herself stay visually blocked from her father as best she could using Maura as a human shield as often as she could manage. The humor from the 'Jane stories' followed everyone to the table so the chatter flowed freely and the mood of the room was light and jovial. If anyone had suspected Jane had an issue specifically with a family member they wouldn't have gotten any evidence of it during dinner.
Until.
They were almost to dessert before it happened. Almost finished.
"Oh Jane, I forgot to tell you the best news," Angela said as the last few bites of dinner were disappearing from people's plates.
Jane gave her mother her full attention. "What news?"
"Your father is taking me to Italy for our 35th wedding anniversary!" There was no hiding Angela's excitement about this.
Jane froze. She tried to remember that she needed to recover and remain calm but there seemed to be a disconnect between her brain, her heart and her body. For the first time since she had walked through the door that day Jane looked directly at her father.
He was grinning from ear to ear. Proud of himself for arranging such a special gift for his wife of 35 years.
Jane's heart was suddenly breaking for her mother. Jane's anger was quickly rising. Maura was the first to notice the change in Jane. Distress was written all over her face. Maura was caught off guard by it all and in that moment couldn't think of a single thing to do or say that would allow for Jane's recovery.
All of the Rizzolis now seemed to pick up on the change to Jane's demeanor. It didn't help the situation that Jane and Frank's eyes were now locked onto each other. Before anyone could react Jane suddenly pushed back her chair and was virtually running out of the room. Angela thought she heard a stuttered "Not feeling good" but things had happened so fast she just wasn't sure.
Maura moved first to follow after Jane leaving the three remaining Rizzolis to just stare at each other and wonder what on Earth had just happened.
