okay, okay, it's the chapter you've all been waiting for! isn't it much more satisfying knowing that you've earned it?

life has sucked majorly this week, so thanks to la lisboa for being a friend. also, we own nothing you recognize.

Jane rushed into Mount Desert Island Hospital, Frankie hot on her heels. It had taken her longer than expected to get there, and Frankie driving like their ninety-year old grandmother hadn't helped matters (it also hadn't helped that she'd read the map wrong, but semantics). If she'd had it her way, Frankie wouldn't have come at all, but Ma had been insistent. To be fair, she did have a point: as desperate as she was to make it up to Maine, Jane knew it probably wasn't the best decision to do so when she hadn't slept in 36 hours.

The hospital was eerily silent at six in the morning as Jane and Frankie made their way down the hall. Jane stopped at the first reception desk she saw.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" the woman at the desk asked Jane.

Jane grimaced at the title. "Yes, hi," Jane greeted tiredly. "My daughter's counselor brought her in last night with a broken wrist? Becca Rizzoli."

"She's right down the hall in the pediatric wing," the nurse smiled kindly. "Room 137." The nurse glanced at her and then added, "And there's coffee in the cafeteria."

Jane ignored Frankie's snicker. "Thanks," she said instead, mustering a smile. "C'mon, Frankie," she beckoned to her little brother.

They reached Bex's room a few minutes later. Jane was about to push the door open when Frankie raised his arm and knocked.

"What are you doing?" Jane hissed, grabbing his hand. "You'll wake them up!"

"You can't enter without knocking, it's rude," he argued back. "Besides, don't you plan on waking them up when you go in anyway?"

"That is not the point-"

Jane suddenly fell silent when the door opened and a young woman with brown braids and glasses stepped out. She offered them a tired smile. "You must be Mrs. Rizzoli."

"Um, it's Detective," Jane corrected awkwardly. "Are you Molly?"

"I'm sorry, Detective," Molly amended. "And yes, Molly Barnes, Bex and Phoebe's head counselor. Thanks for coming up on such short notice."

Jane nodded. "Of course. How's she doing?"

"Okay, I think," Molly replied. "She's still sleeping. And she's got a friend in there with her."

"Scruffles," Jane said, nodding knowingly.

"No." Molly frowned. "I meant a human friend."

Jane raised her eyebrows. "Oh."

"We normally don't allow that," Molly assured her. "But she made a very compelling case."

Jane smiled; she could just imagine. "I'm sure she did."

"Would you like some coffee?" Molly asked. "Bex is still asleep-"

"No, I'm not!" Bex's voice came from inside the room.

"I'd love some coffee," Frankie told Molly, rubbing a hand across his stubbly chin. "Shall we?"

Molly smiled at him, bidding Jane goodbye. Jane was grateful that her brother left her alone to talk to Bex – she wasn't great at the mushy stuff to begin with, but it was even worse with an audience.

"Hey, baby," Jane rasped as she walked into the room. "Did we wake you?"

"Nah, I was up," Bex shrugged. "My arm hurts, and like, this bed is not very comfy."

Jane frowned. "Do you want me to get a nurse?"

Bex shook her head, which made Jane smile. She knew if the roles were reversed, she would have refused the pain medication, too. As Jane pulled up a chair, she caught sight of the sleeping girl beside her daughter. "Who's this, Becca?"

Bex glared at her mother, pressing the index finger of her good hand to her lips dramatically. "Shh, Mama! She's still sleeping! Her name is Phoebe and she's my best friend."

Jane stifled a laugh at Bex's theatrics. "Sorry, sorry. So she's a best friend, huh? That's different."

"Yeah, well," Bex fiddled with one of Scruffles' paws. "So is she."

Jane smiled. Sometimes Bex reminded her so much of herself. Even though Bex was outgoing, making friends didn't come easily to her.

"You gonna introduce me to this best friend?"

"Not while she's sleeping!" Bex hissed.

Jane grinned. "Fine. Want to tell me what happened instead?"

Bex looked down at the sheets, twisting a knot in them with her fingers. "I fell off my bed."

Jane sighed, smoothing an errant curl off her daughter's forehead. "You fell off your bed, huh?" she repeated. "How many times do I have to tell you to be careful?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," Bex protested. "And I didn't fall so much as…was pushed."

"Someone pushed you off your bed?" Jane's eyes widened. "C'mon, Bug," Jane prodded when Bex didn't elaborate. She knew Bex thought she was too old for baby nicknames, but Jane loved this one too much to let it go. It reminded her of her snuggly lovebug toddler – not to mention the fact that Bex had liked to bring caterpillars home from kindergarten in her backpack. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Right," Bex whispered, still not meeting Jane's eyes. "But I also know you don't like fighting."

"You're right about that," Jane said. "You know what I always say, Becca."

"Words not actions," Bex supplied. "And I tried that but – I just…those girls are so awful, Mama," Bex whined softly. "It's okay when they're mean to me, because I'm tough."

Jane smiled fondly.

"But they were teasing Bee, just 'cause she's smarter than they are, and it isn't fair!"

"No, you're right," Jane said. "It's never fair when someone's being teased, especially for something they can't help. But that still doesn't give you the right to fight."

"I tried not to!" Bex insisted. "I mean, I remembered to relax, and I told them that Molly would be back soon and that she'd handle it," Bex explained.

"That was very good," Jane praised.

"And then it was just words, you know? I said they were just jealous, and they wanted to know why they should be jealous of me. Whatever," Bex said, rolling her eyes. "But then…then this girl Gabby came up to my bunk, and she was pulling on Bee's hair and she wouldn't stop so I – I slapped her," Bex said shamefacedly.

"Phoebe never said anything about pulling hair," Molly said suddenly, entering the room with a steaming styrofoam cup of coffee in her hand. Frankie trailed after her, handing one of the two cups in his hands to Jane. Jane accepted the coffee with a grateful smile. Her brother knew her too well.

"Is that really what happened, Bex?" Molly asked. "Phoebe didn't tell me that part of the story."

Bex nodded. "Yes. I wouldn't have touched Gabby if she hadn't hurt Phoebe first. I was going to wait for you. But I just got so mad and she wouldn't let go, and I just – it was an accident. And I apologized right away! But Gabby was mad at me, and she and her friends came up to the top bunk and…"

"…and they pushed you off the bed?" Jane finished. She hadn't even met these girls, but she was ready to throw her badge at them. Get them charged with assault. Stick them in juvenile detention until they turned 25.

"Yeah," Bex finished quietly.

Jane turned around to look at Molly. She was heartened to see the head counselor looked just as outraged as Jane felt.

"I want you to know we take these accusations very seriously, Detective Rizzoli," Molly said when she noticed Jane looking at her. "We don't tolerate this kind of behavior, ever. If you'll excuse me, I need to call my superior. She'll help me decide what should be done with these campers."

Jane nodded and Molly left. Jane sighed as she turned back to Bex. "That was very brave of you to stand up for your friend, Bug," Jane said. "I'm proud of you."

Bex smiled broadly. "That's what Bee told me last night."

"Who's Bee?" Frankie wanted to know.

"I am," came another girl's voice.

Bex's friend was awake and slowly sitting up. Jane turned around and her breath caught in her throat.

The girl had Maura's eyes.