Please see Ch 1, 5 & 9 for disclaimers… enough disclaimers that they almost need their own chapter…
Double shot tonight 12 & 13 because 13 is short...This installment brought to you by the lovely reviews and a few of you even seem to want more of this thing ;) Thank you all, I never thought posting this story would be as fun as it has turned out to be. I even have a few story ideas from a couple of readers. I may take a writing break from Run to turn one of them into a one-shot this weekend. (But don't worry, several chapters are written and marinating so I'll have fresh eyes to analyze with)
Maura carefully pulled the aliquots out of incubator. Despite the number of people in the space there was a stillness present. The anticipation only broken by the occasional clearing of a throat, the rattle of a table as someone shifted and the sound of cardboard as Ian flipped an empty kit box in a perpetual spin between his hands.
Ian listened to her gentle hum as she rapidly pipetted the acetic acid and flipped on the agitator briefly. She was the epitome of confidence, completely tranquil and serene. Glancing around the room he could see the effect on everyone. This was a Maura he was seeing for the first time, the embodiment of a professional top in her field. Here, in this moment, this was who she was. What she was meant to do.
Each sample was analyzed in rapid succession, pen jotting down numbers. Walking back across the space she patted his hands and stole the box back. "I need that for a second." She sat down where her laptop was running and pulled the remaining box contents out, tossing the MSDS sheet to the side before skimming the assay protocol again.
A few people crowded a bit closer as she dropped numbers into MedCalc and the standard curve popped up. Maura's hand flew over her paper, murmuring for the onlookers benefit, "I just have to use this." She pointed her pen at the laptop screen "to correct the absorption."
She turned in her chair to face them all, her eyes seeking Ian's. "The plasma samples were quite good so I don't anticipate that there was interference and the read is accurate. Our readings are between 7-10mmol/L" His eyes bore in to hers for a minute, the moment theirs alone for just a second, "indicative of lactic acidosis. Under the circumstances I am willing to speculate the outbreak is cyanide poisoning. "
Pandemonium broke out. His eyes never left hers. People were clapping her on the back, others tossing balls of paper at each other or applauding. She was looking at him and all he could see was the girl he always knew, eyes sparkling. "Maura girl, you're a genius." And she was laughing and in his arms kissing him. She broke the kiss and stepped back, patting his chest and looking at him with her bottom lip caught, eyes promising later as she turned back to the group.
The entire staff hovered around her, helping decide which patient was best suited to what type antidote kit, consulting her and peppering her with questions. In the midst of the commotion Maura kept catching herself looking for Jane, wanting to celebrate the victory with her, to thank her for helping figure it out.
Back in Boston they would call her their genius and drag her out to celebrate. Then the story would get retold at the bar and Jane would find a way to distract her every time she'd want to talk about the method in which cyanide worked.
Maura could just imagine Jane pushing her glass of burgundy at her, maybe even grabbing her hand and putting it on the glass. The classic Jane Rizzoli smirk as she gestured for Maura to drink up, the tone teasing. "You, fill your mouth with this. Drink up. I'm clicking the Google window closed, search complete. 500 million hits for cyanide is poison, poison kills people, case closed. The drinking window however is open."