Author's Note: My goodness, thank you all so much for these comments and words of encouragement! I'm so glad this story is being well received and I hope to not disappoint as I continue on through these chapters. I have been doing rough edits on these to get them to you a little quicker. I've been an avid reader on here for many, many years, and just can't wait until a story has been updated. I look forward to it, I pick the best time to read it, I think about it on and off until that point. Sometimes I get so excited when I'm writing this story, the words just won't manipulate the screen fast enough but I keep going. I'm also just used to writing shorthand for work, hopefully that explains some of it too. Anyway, it's time to read.
Chapter Twelve
Seven. That's how many outfits I have tried on so far. Anxiety was creasing each item I put on and it was all becoming too overwhelming. Cassidy was dressed and waiting almost an hour ago. She picked out her own outfit – black leggings, a denim button up shirt, and purple Converse shoes, with her auburn hair pulled into a pony tail at the base of her neck. Cassidy always looked adorable, she had a cute, somewhat tom-boyish style which could not suit her more.
"You don't have to look so fancy, Aunt Maura," she was lingering in the doorway, catching a glimpse of clothes thrown everywhere.
I pouted, dropped my shoulders, and let out a defeated whimper. "What should I wear?"
She crossed her arms and came to stand in front of me. "When I act like this, what do you tell me?"
Straightening up, I gathered my response. "I tell you calm down, leave the room for a moment, and I'll pick something out for you."
Cassidy had a tight grin on her face, arms still crossed. "Well?" She twisted a hand free and pointed to the door with it.
My mouth agape, I backed out of the room just staring at her. Not only just what she said, but the delivery of it, the sarcasm – it was as if I just watched her grow up a little bit more.
I re-entered my room after touching up my hair and make up, several times. I was nervous to see what kind of outfit she would pick out for me and would hate to set a bad example by not wearing it.
She seemed pleased with her suggestion as she had just finished laying it out on the foot of my bed. "Now you would tell me to change quickly and we have to leave in nine minutes." And like that she was out of the room.
Trying to shake the dumbfounded expression from my face as I turned to see what she had picked out, I too, was then very pleased. Dark denim jeans and a simple green v-neck shirt – I topped it off with a heather grey sweater that I left unbuttoned and swaying at my sides along with some black flats.
The two of us fled the house in a hurry, grabbing the floral arrangement we picked out for Angela this morning as well as a bottle of wine. I punched in the Revere, MA address in my GPS while Cassidy let out one excited clap while backing out of the driveway.
We arrived and I saw Jane's cruiser parked right in front. My body fell into a tremble and my nerves prohibited me from removing my seatbelt after I pulled up to the curb across the street.
A series of clicking from Cassidy's booster seat broke me from my trance and I let us out of the car and grabbed her hand while we each wrestled a hostess gift across the street and up to the front door.
Angela was quick to greet us at the door with warm and welcoming embraces, thanking us for the wine and flowers while she gave us a brief tour of her cozy home. She only showed us the first floor and made mention of the four bedrooms being upstairs. I knew one was Jane's. Her childhood bedroom. I couldn't wait to see it.
We ended up in the kitchen with some of the most amazing and mouth watering smells I have ever experienced. Cassidy and I looked excitedly at each other then each glanced around for brunette swinging, our interlocked hands with impatience.
"Janie and Frankie are playing basketball outside," her voice was now at a whisper, "they can't possibly know you're here yet." She took a quick peek outside to see them still playing, "dinner is just about ready, I'm going to call them in. You two go hide out in the living room and wait for my signal."
"What's the signal?"
"You'll know when you hear it." Angela assured us.
We shrugged at each other and ventured to the living room – both of us headed right to a wall of photos. Before we could even begin to look at all of them, the sound of the back door flying open caught our attention.
"Aah! What happened?" Angela shrieked. Cassidy and I froze in place. "God! How do you always manage to turn Sunday dinner into a circus every week?"
"Me?" Jane shouted. "It's his fault!"
"Oh, I know you didn't mean to do it." The matriarch cooed her son, Frankie.
"So this is my fault?" The detective bit back.
"Look, I tell you all the time… Don't roughhouse with him." I heard the hint of Jane's mimicking voice going right along with her mother's which caused Cassidy and I to silently giggle at the whole exchange.
"Whatever, Ma. Do you think it's broken?"
"Well probably. But I'm not a doctor..." Her thick and aged Boston accent emphasized the word doctor.
Cassidy shot a look at me and started nodding her head up and down, as if this was our "signal."
We entered the kitchen, where all the commotion was coming from, Jane was backed against the counter with her head tilted back and a towel over her face.
"Whoa! When did you guys get here?" Frankie beamed at us.
The brunette's head snapped in our direction, pulling the bloodied rag from her nose, mouth open, but no words.
I saw the cause of the ruckus all over the detective's face. "Hairline fracture of the nasal bone above the lateral nasal cartilage." I paused with the feeling of eyes on me as I inspected the damaged. "It's not disfiguring."
She eyed me up and down, followed by Cassidy, almost as if she was ensuring that it was in fact us and not due to the blow to the face. Her chocolate eyes began to focus when I caught them while darting around and held her gaze. "Can you pop this out for me?"
I let out a deep breath I had discovered I was holding, ending it with a little smirk only she could see. "Can't you do something safe, like yoga?" I held her chin between my index finger and thumb while shifted her head in several positions. "Might hurt a little."
A confident nod from my patient and I cracked it back into position without warning. "Ow! A little!?" The casually dressed detective whined at me.
"Put some ice on it for the next twenty-four hours so you don't look like Mike Tyson."
"Well that was impressive, Dr. Isles." Angela was back at the stovetop as if this was an every day occurrence. "Cassidy, do you want to watch me make some gnocchi?"
"Sure!" Her eyes widened while Frankie slid a chair over for her to stand on, giving her a hand up, followed by high five.
"Maura, Janie, why don't you two go set the table while the three of us roll out this dough."
As we crossed into the living room, Jane became a fountain of questions. "Did my ma invite you? It was at the last practice, wasn't? Her and her big mouth… Is Cassidy okay in there?"
We were shuffling out plates, napkins, and silverware while I garnered my responses. "Yes, she did invite us at the last practice. She said she wanted it to be a surprise. And yes, I'm sure Cassidy is just fine in there."
She stopped to gaze at me from across the table, "well them I'm glad you guys were able to come. She doesn't invite just anybody to these Sunday dinners."
All I could do was grin at her.
"Ma, amazing meal, as always," Frankie stretched his arms above his head after clearing his plate. When he brought them back down, he and Jane had some sort of silent battle of eye contact. From where I was sitting next to her, I was only able to see her younger sibling's reactions. "Whenever you're ready, Janie." He held out one hand, palm up, and the other in a fist while clapping them together. The detective did the same next to me. "Rock. Paper. Scissors."
Frankie chose rock. Jane chose paper, and I felt the surprise in her lift her shoulders.
"No way! You haven't won in weeks. She must be your lucky charm," her brother motioned to me.
She twisted her head around quickly to look at the blush creeping up my cheeks. "Huh, must be. You know what that means little brother."
"What did Coach Frankie lose?" Cassidy chimed, happily watching the interaction between the two.
Angela tossed her hands at them, "those kids. They do this every Sunday. Whoever loses has to do dishes."
Cassidy and began rolling with laughter, "can I play someone?"
Frankie jumped at the chance, "you know how it goes?"
"Yes, I just watched you guys do it."
I puffed out a laugh while everyone stared at me. "I'm sorry," I continued to explain through a widening smile, "I find her very direct and literal responses quite humorous." I cleared my throat while they got back to their competition.
"Okay, ready?" A dramatic pause filled the room. "Rock. Paper. Scissors."
Frankie threw paper. Cassidy threw scissors.
He threw his arms up in defeat. "Can't catch a break," he mumbled. "Okay Cass, you gotta play Janie now."
The detective rolled her eyes at her brother and pivoted her chair behind me, so she could face Cassidy.
"Ready?" She asked, her dimpled smile making my heart proud.
Jane chuckled a yes in response.
"Rock. Paper. Scissors."
Jane threw rock. Cassidy threw scissors.
"Well it looks like it's you and me with the dishes kid," Frankie gave my seven year old a lopsided smile.
"Oh honey, you don't have to do the dishes."
"But I lost. I can help. I'm a good helper."
The matriarch seemed surprised, then rather pleased, with her retort. "Alright you two, I'll help bring them in then." She joined Frankie and Cassidy on their way to the kitchen, everyone had full hands.
I felt like an awful guest at the Rizzoli home and stood with a reach to the middle of table, reaching for a few items to bring to the sink. "Well, I can help then too."
Jane gently placed her hand on my extended arm, "fair is fair, Doctor. They lost."
A small mischievous grin tickled her features as she pulled her hand away.
"Girls!" Angela hollered from the kitchen. "We were just talking, you know, the clean up crew, and we decided we are going to play a game after we finish all these dishes. See who the real winning loser is. Why don't you two take a walk."
"Take a walk?" Jane's face puzzled with questions.
"Yeah, take a walk. Show Maura where you broke your nose the first time. You know, over by the McKinney's yard. Be back in two hours."
"Two hours?"
"Bye girls, have fun!"
Jane and stared at each other with quizzical expressions and a lot of shrugging of the shoulders.
"Well…" she ran a hand through her raven, and wavy locks, "let's get the hell out of here then." She jumped up from the table and her body pleaded for mine to follow behind.
"Just a moment," I shuffled my way to the kitchen just as Cassidy was exiting. Sleeves pulled up, water droplets all over her arms.
"I will see you in two hours Auntie Maura." We shared a damp hug and I planted a row of kisses across her forehead.
"Bye Ma!" Jane hollered back at her while she hustled us across the threshold and down the stairs, taking in a deep breath.
"Two hours, huh?" She casted a brief glimpse to her watch, "let's go this way."
She had her long fingers curled around the handle attached to a door that had seen its better days - scarred by weather and age. We walked in a peaceful silence for most of the way until we were one block from our destination. She had told, in elaborate detail, the events of her twenty-first birthday party which took place right inside these walls. When we arrived after a twenty minute or so stroll, I thought the building was a run down convenience store. One long window ran the width of the top, which was too cloudy to even allow in the full amount of sunlight, brick was crumbling away from the wall as if trying to flee this place, and the smell surrounding the whole façade had me holding my breath for fear of gagging.
Jane gave the door a tug, a smirk perched upon her lips as she watched me addressing the building we were about to enter. "This way, Dr. Isles."
She pulled the door open and I released the breath I was saving. I was flabbergasted. An elegant round bar rested in the middle of this dimly lit establishment, surrounded by two seat cabaret style tables, L-shaped booths in each corner, and leather high-back bar stools. The place was immaculate. And it was a full house. But with as many people there were and the mix of clientele, only a soft hum of conversation filled the air and I was still able to hear the light blues playing in the background.
The detective lead us to a pair of seats on the opposite side of the circular bar, then politely excused herself while she hurried off to the ladies room. I slid into the high-back bar stool like a glove and the bartender tossed a black napkin in front of me as if to mark my place, mentioning he'd be with me shortly.
I straightened my posture as I began taking in the environment around me. This place was a secret. With as many patrons were here, I didn't see more than a few cars parked outside. Deciding it was best to mind my business I took stock of the illuminated rows of alcohol. Every spirit was top shelf. As my eyes danced across the whisky selection I felt the chair next to me wiggle out of place.
"This place is amazing, Ja—" My body went into shock immediately, paralyzing my reactions. "Mr… Mr Doyle?"
"Hello, Maura." He slowly turned his head to face me.
"What… uh... wha… What are you doing here?" I stammered uncontrollably.
"I could ask you the same thing." His voice was low as he took a quick glance of his surroundings. "I'm not…" he began, then paused with a huff. "I didn't know you would be here." The statement calmed my nerves. Almost as if saying that he hadn't been following me over the last year and had honored the conditions I had laid out after all this time. "I come here, from time to time, with old friends." I noticed a break in his demeanor as he softened, almost in a shy manor. "How is she?"
I felt a protective barrier fall over me, tightening my muscles and stiffening my rigid limbs, as if I was in a suit of armor. "Don't." I warned with a sharp tone.
He nodded, respectfully.
The empty stool next to me began sliding back and a hard thud rapped the bar top as a brass badge landed face up in front of us. Paddy didn't seem concerned whereas my heart was my hammering through my chest.
"Detective Rizzoli." The old Irish mobster addressed Jane then brought his attention back to me. "You came here with her?"
"She did." Jane answered for me.
"I was just leaving, Detective. Good to see you again." He stood to leave and turned to me one more time. "Maura… I…" he took a few steps away. "Thank you." Then he was gone.
I sunk back into my stool and deflated as I let the gravity of the situation come over me.
"Maur…" Jane's gravelly voice soothed my edges, "we can go…"
"No." I managed. Then sat up with new found strength. "Let's order a drink. We still have a little over an hour left."
Jane complied with a smile as she turned her stare toward the bartender and ordered us each an old fashioned.
"He said 'good to see you again'…" I questioned the brunette detective.
"Paddy used to be an informant for my Lieutenant back in the day. And I've personally interrogated him over an incident that happened on the docks a while back. He was framed. I was the one to figure it out."
The bartender slid our drinks at us while we each pounded them down in one gulp.
"I'm sorry I never mentioned it, Maura. I wasn't trying to keep this from you… I… I'm so sorry." Her strong detective armor peeled away with sorrow.
"Jane," I lay a hand on her arm, "I'm not upset with you." My fingers had been molded to her skin, "it was just like seeing a ghost. I'm still trying to deal with the initial shock."
"Let's get out of here," the detective threw some cash down on the bar and grabbed my hand, leading us away from this place.
Cassidy had been going a mile a minute about her intense game of Uno with the other two Rizzoli's on the way home. The sound of her young animated voice kept me from going to dark place in my mind. I promised myself I would never bring His name up in front of her ever again.
As soon as we pulled into the driveway, her chatter ceased and exhaustion took her over. We tiredly got ourselves inside and ready for bed. Cassidy was out as soon as I flipped the switch in her room. And I, instead of heading right to my bedroom, decided I would indulge in a glass of wine to help silence some of the prattling echoing in my head.
I was now slowing swaying back and forth in a soothing pattern outside on the glider, glass half full with a crimson liquid that I took deliberate sips from. Deep sighs and longing looks into the sky consumed me.
Until the sound of tires rolling on the concrete of my driveway followed with a soft shut of door startled my concentration. I remained still for a moment while I allowed the trembling in my hands to calm themselves.
Minutes of silence passed by until I gathered to a standing position with the few sips of wine left in my glass. I quietly approached the gate and opened it. I saw Jane nervously pacing by the front stoop staring at her phone and occasionally bringing it to her ear. She'd rotate this action with running her free hand through those beautifully messy locks. My phone was on the kitchen counter inside.
"Please Maura… Please.. please…" she kept repeating with a broken whisper.
I gradually approached her, my heart aching at the sight of the frazzled detective.
"Maura?" She called to me.
"It's me." I crept around the side of my house and took in the sight of her weary expression and stressed stance.
"Hi…"
We stood with electricity building between us. I drained the rest of glass and set it down on the top stair. "Jane…" my voice shook.
"I…" she began.
I cut her off with a firm hand in the air, "please."
She nodded in response while eagerly rubbing her hands together as if to warm herself on this seventy degree night. I felt it too, cold and hot temperatures flooding my body, my skin wild with quaking nerves.
"Jane." I finally exhaled and took several steps in her direction. My voice raw.
"I'm so sorry I showed up like this… I just couldn't, I couldn't bear the thought of you being upset with me… or any negative air between us… You are… you're… I'm… I am so…" The detective hesitated, looking for more, searching for the right words.
"Jane," I repeated, quieting her. "I just need to do this." I closed the distance between us, losing my hands in her hair as I brought her lips directly to mine.