Chapter 14

Two days later Jane was discharged from the hospital. After a short discussion Jane agreed to go home with Maura; at least she didn't have to go home with her mother hovering over her, she thought.

Jane was a little uncomfortable with being a guest in Maura's home. After all, despite their kisses she didn't know what she was to Maura. A friend? Lover? (Jane felt a delicious shiver roll down her spine when she thought of that word in relation to the gorgeous Dr. Isles). Jane knew they needed to talk about their relationship status sometime soon.

Maura watched Jane out of the corner of her eye. She knew the detective was nervous about something by the way Jane kept shifting in her seat. She reached over and patted Jane's knee.

"Maura! Keep your eye on the road!" Jane cried out. Maura's touch to her knee left her feeling…well, amorous, to be blunt. Jane wasn't sure she liked that feeling especially since she didn't know how Maura really felt about her.

"I always keep two eyes on the road, Jane, I have to. They're a pair. I don't have the ability to have one go to the right and one to the left at the same time," Maura replied matter-of-factly. She tucked that thought away in her mind to bring up to Laura next time she had an exam at the institute. Having two eyes work independently of the other seemed like a good idea. At the very least it could unnerve a potential suspect and catch them off guard. Maura liked the idea.

"Hey why were you dressed like a hooker at the hospital?" Jane asked. Maura hesitated.

"I'll answer that when we get you home."

"Why not answer it now?"

"It's complicated, Jane."

"I fail to see how you dressing up as a hooker is complicated, Maura. Were you assisting Frost in a sting?" Jane asked although she hoped not. If Maura answered in the affirmative she was planning on reaming Frost for using a civilian police employee in the wrong arena.

"No, but it is complicated Jane and is best addressed at home."

Twenty minutes later Maura parked the car and Jane stepped gingerly into Maura's house. It was as she remembered it. Maura carried Jane's bag inside and hesitated before setting it inside the guest room. Jane plopped herself down on the sofa and kicked off her shoes.

"We're here," Jane said.

"Yes we are. Care for a drink?" Maura asked. A little nervous she wanted everything just so when she sat with Jane for this conversation.

"No, I'm fine." Jane patted the sofa next to her. "Come sit next to me."

Maura perched lightly on the edge of the sofa. She refused to meet Jane's eyes. After a moment Jane reached out and touched Maura's arm.

"We need to talk," Jane said softly.

"I know."

"Where do we start?" Jane asked. Maura remained silent.

"Maura, this is difficult for me to say so I'll just say it right out. I have feelings for you."

"I have feelings for you too, Jane. You're my best friend."

Jane hesitated then said, "My feelings for you go beyond friendship, Maura."

"How do you mean?"

"I'm falling in love with you, Maura. I want to know how you feel about me and if these feelings of mine are the same for you."

"How does being in love make you feel, Jane?"

"Maura, I'm not a damn experiment or a psych case. For crying out loud I just told you I'm in love with you." Maura was confused. How did romantic love differ from friendship? The she remembered accessing her emotions module.

"Oh. You want to have intercourse with me," Maura stated.

"Wow. We went from feelings to friendship to sex in record time, Maura."

"Shall I turn down my bed? I put your bag in the guest room but you are more than welcome to join me in my room, Jane."

Jane took a deep breath. "I think we need to take a breather, Maura. I've changed my mind, I'll have a drink."

Maura started taking deep breaths. She watched Jane get up and go into the kitchen and heard her rummaging around in the refrigerator. Letting out a particularly long breath she stood to join Jane in the kitchen.

"Here, the beer is behind the milk, on the top shelf, Jane. I'll pour myself some wine." Maura continued taking deep breaths.

"Maur, are you okay? You're on the verge of hyperventilating."

"I'm taking a breather, Jane, like you said."

Jane spit beer out over the kitchen. "Maura, you don't have to take everything I said so literally. I wanted a break in our conversation so I could get something to drink. You assumed I want to sleep with you and I wanted to change the subject."

"So you don't want to sleep with me, Jane?" Maura was confused. Wasn't sexual relations one of the cornerstones of a romantic relationship?

"Let's start over, Maura. Come on, sit back down." Jane reclaimed her seat on the sofa and pulled Maura down to sit next to her.

"I asked you earlier why you were dressed as a prostitute at the hospital. Were you assisting Frost in a sting?"

"No, we used it as a disguise to get me back in the hospital."

"Why, are you their number one enemy?"

"Maybe, I don't know, although I think being classified as the number one enemy of a hospital is a bit harsh, Jane."

"Stop, Google. Why couldn't you walk in the hospital as Dr. Isles?"

Maura hesitated. She sipped her wine and contemplated what to say next.

"Can I get back to you on that one, Jane? I want to answer your other comment first."

"Why?"

"I want to tell you how you make me feel, Jane. Then I'll answer the other question." Jane watched Maura's facial expressions for a minute then relaxed against the back of the sofa.

"Go ahead."

Here goes nothing, Maura thought. "I love you too, Jane and not just as a friend."

Finally, Jane thought.

"But you may change your mind about me."

"I doubt that, Maura."

"Did you ever have a friend in school, Jane, that was so different from the others that no one could possibly foresee a friendship with him or her?"

"No. Where are you going with this, Maura?"

"You know I'm socially awkward."

"Yes." Jane drew out the word.

"There's a good reason for that, Jane."

"I know. You were adopted by parents that were older and set in their own lifestyle. You know they love you but they weren't active in your life. Being wealthy they chose to have you raised by a succession of nannies."

"Not exactly."

"What? You're the offspring of a crime boss, Maura?" Jane chuckled.

"No. I don't know any crime bosses, Jane."

"Maura, out with it. Quit beating around the bush. I told you I love you, am in love with you. I don't see any reason why we can't be together."

"I don't have a lot of experience with emotions, sex, romance, whatever you want to call it, Jane."

Jane observed Maura for a moment. Maura was tugging on the ring she wore on her right hand, twisting it around her finger. Jane reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I don't sleep around either, Maura. I've never been good at long-term relationships so if that's what you're worried about, we'll get through this together." Jane's words were lost on Maura. She continued to sit and twist her ring around her finger. Jane watched her for a moment then thought of something else that may be the root of Maura's unease.

"Maura, you're not a…" Jane broke off the sentence.

"A what, Jane?" Maura practically held her breath. Had the detective figured her out already?

"You're not a virgin, are you Maura?" Maura let out her breath.

"No, Jane, well, yes actually I am but only because I'm a cyborg."

"You're a cyborg. Well that answers a lot of questions," Jane deadpanned. She shifted in her seat.

"Let me get another beer. I think I need more fortification for this conversation." Jane came back quickly.

"Look, Maura, there's obviously something bothering you and you don't want to discuss it with me. That's fine. You can tell me everything when you're ready. But what does this have to do with why you were dressed as a hooker at the hospital?"

"But I did tell you what was bothering me, Jane. I love you, too, but Laura told me when she created me that I might have difficulty fitting in with humans because I'm not like you."

"Are you from Mars, Maura?"

"No, Jane, the institute."

"If I didn't know any better, Maura, I would swear that someone changed my meds on me. Are we actually having a conversation about you being a cyborg or am I in bed dreaming all of this?"

Maura took Jane's hand in hers. "Does this feel real, Jane?"

"Yes. But how do I know you didn't take my hand while lying next to me in bed and I incorporated it into my dream?" Jane asked.

Maura pinched Jane's arm. "Feel that?"

"Yes, so we really are sitting on your sofa talking about you being a cyborg."

"Yes, that's what I wanted to tell you, Jane. I love you. I think you're an exquisite creature and I want to experience all that a physical relationship can offer. With you."

Jane sat there listening to Maura's words. On one level her body reacted on its own accord to Maura's comment; her mind was stuck on the word 'cyborg.'

"I'm afraid I'm scaring you." Maura spoke softly. She glanced down at their hands entwined and noticed how strong the detective really was.

"What exactly is a cyborg, Maura?"

"I'm a machine in a human body, Jane. I was created in a lab at the Cyborg Insitute. Dr Laura Ross is a genius. There are a lot of us around. We do a lot of police work, lab work in hospitals, a lot of service work for humanity."

"How did you get the job as chief medical examiner?"

"Lt. Cavanaugh put in an order. I was programmed specifically for this job, Jane."

"You're a machine in a human body." Jane knew what Alice in Wonderland felt like after falling down the rabbit hole.

"Yes. That's why I was dressed the way I was when we found you in the bathroom. I couldn't just walk back in as myself."

"Why not?" Jane couldn't get a grasp on the conversation yet couldn't help herself.

"Because of the gunshot wound. Korsak and Frost took me to the institute to get my arm patched up. Here, see?" Maura lifted her sleeve and Jane saw the gauze bandage.

"So Korsak and Frost know?"

"Yes but they found out solely by accident, Jane. Korsak knew first. He watched me levitate at the warehouse and of course I didn't have an answer for that."

"Of course," Jane repeated. She reached for her beer then thought better of it.

"Frost found out today. His reaction is similar to yours by the way."

"Uh huh."

"The nurse at the hospital wanted to take a chest x-ray before taking me up to surgery to remove the bullet. The machine kept showing wires, of course, since I'm a machine and she thought it was malfunctioning. I snuck out of the hospital and Korsak and Frost helped me."

"Because a patient with an unexplained GSW must wait for the police to take a report before they're allowed to leave."

"Exactly. See, Jane, you're following the conversation quite nicely."

"As long as any six foot rabbits don't suddenly show up, Maura, we're fine." Jane rubbed her face. She held up her hand as Maura opened her mouth. "Uh uh I can't explain it. Just go on."

"Very well. Laura patched me up and I wanted to see you, Jane. I was so worried." Maura reached over and stroked Jane's arm.

"You were unconscious, hanging from a long chain attached to a beam. Dehydrated, beaten, I was so afraid we weren't going to find you in time. I wanted to get back to the hospital and see how you were." Maura's eyes filled with tears.

"Frost said he'd help me with a disguise." Maura sat back triumphantly. She thought that went well.

"Am I all caught up?"

"Of course, Jane."

"I'm tired and my ribs are starting to ache. I think I'll turn in, Maura. We can continue this conversation in the morning." Maybe I'll be thinking rationally, she thought.

"Sweet dreams," Maura said brightly. She stood to clean up the beer bottles and her glass of wine.

Jane hoped hers didn't include martians, spaceships and Alice in Wonderland's tea party.

TBC