Author's Note: Short and sweet, I'd call this one. Things are getting brighter... Enjoy!
Detective Frost had called the raven haired detective as they were on the way to the prenatal centre, and the detective had put him on loudspeaker. He had explained what had happened at the Charles house and with great effort reassured her that everyone was okay. Begrudgingly, Jane had realised that in the worrying sense, she had started to resemble her mother. It was a cringe-worthy thought in which she immediately voiced to the woman beside her- the doctor had laughed sweetly in response.
Of course, Jane had rung her brother personally to get the final level or reassurance she needed. She couldn't believe that he'd almost been hurt. It was hard to imagine how her family had felt during the whole Nathan ordeal.
"Maura Isles." The speaker in the prenatal centre called out. Jane and Maura rose from their seats and went into the same room that they'd been consulted in last time. Holly, the nurse from before was inside the room.
"Maura Isles." She greeted. "And..Jane?" She asked with a gentle smile, hoping she'd gotten it right.
Jane nodded and shook her hand. "Hi."
Holly stepped back to properly survey the pair in her room. Maura had yellowish-green bruises on her neck and still a slightly swollen jaw. She looked across at Jane who had a sizable cut on her forehead and a cast enclosing her lower leg. She looked at them exasperatedly. What didn't they understand about staying safe?
"It wasn't me," Jane clarified quickly, noting her expression.
"I didn't think it was," Holly repeated. She smiled a little, recalling their last exchange of those exact words. Her smile faltered though, as she realised they'd reached the extent of any humour of the situation. It was alarming that Maura had been harmed again in such a short space of time. "Do you two always get injured like this or is this another one off?"
"A one off," Maura replied. "Well, this particular incident definitely won't happen again."
"Are you sure of that? Because you said that last time," Holly asked with concern. "We need to make sure that this baby is going to be in a safe environment, Dr. Isles."
Maura nodded. "I know, I can assure you that none of this will effect the baby once it is born. It's over now anyway," she added.
Holly looked at her a little unconvincingly. She'd certainly heard that before... "Can I ask what happened?"
The medical examiner glanced to the floor for a moment. "Uh, yes, I suppose. The father of the baby was generally rather violent and things escalated recently. I can assure you that he won't be bothering either of us again," Maura said to the nurse nervously.
"Why not?" The nurse asked while picking up Maura's file.
Jane watched as Maura opened and closed her mouth, hesitating. She decided to speak for her instead. "He, um, died in the struggle."
Holly widened her eyes. "I guess there's no messing with you two." She smiled softly and looked back at Maura. "Was he the reason you had those awful bruises on your wrists?" She asked.
"Yes. But trouble should not be coming our way anytime soon." Maura nodded.
Jane nodded in agreement. She actually sighed with relief that is was all over. No more Hoyt. No more Nathan. No more men trying to kill them. Maybe they really were going to be safe now.
Holly nodded at the expectant mother a little doubtfully before clearing her thoughts and shaking her head. "Okay. Have you had any other problems during your pregnancy?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary except for the night that this all happened. After we fought Nathan, I was pretty convinced that this baby wasn't going to make it and I, um, I also collapsed at the scene," Maura responded apprehensively. She wished she could have taken care of her fetus a little better, so much so that she almost felt embarrassed. She knew it was wrong to feel that way, however -it wasn't her choice that she'd come into harm's way yet again.
Holly raised her eyebrows and looked at her with concern. "Did you collapse from the trauma or for another reason?"
"I think the trauma just got to me," Maura responded while looking at the floor. She still found the topic hard to talk about and hated it when it was brought up. She'd never be able to talk about that night with ease. She felt Jane's hand squeeze her shoulder. She didn't remember the detective even putting it there.
"Did you check the baby's well-being after the incident?"
"Of course," Maura looked up defensively. "At Boston General. I had an emergency ultrasound scan. They said that the baby had a slightly increased heart rate but was otherwise fine. I've also felt the baby move every single day since."
"That's great; shall we do your scan then? If you just hop onto this bed again." Holly seemed to relax a little.
Maura nodded and lay down on the clinical bed-seat. Jane walked alongside her with her crutches and stopped next to her head. She gave Maura an enthusiastic smile. The detective could see how grating the conversation had just been on the doctor. It was obviously Holly's duty to ask but she wondered when Maura would ever get a brake from the questions that clearly pained her so. Hopefully soon they could put it all past them once and for all.
"If you just lift your dress up or down. Whichever way is easier for you," the nurse said while bringing over the blue gel. Maura laughed to herself. She had forgotten to wear a shirt instead of a dress and now she was flashing her black briefs to her girlfriend and the nurse. Oh well, she thought while pulling her dress right up so that her stomach and legs were revealed.
Jane looked at Maura's pants and laughed. Maura smiled at her and gave her a friendly shove.
The nurse watched their actions before speaking. "Don't worry, I've seen it all before," she reassured her. She was met with both women's amused smiles.
"I'm going to just place some of this gel on your stomach like before. It's simply a lubricator for the ultrasound to run more smoothly," Holly explained as she squirted some of the gel onto Maura's stomach from a large bottle.
Maura shivered a little. Partly because of the gel's temperature and partly because she was nearly half naked. The nurse looked down at all of the little goose bumps on Maura legs and hips. "I'm sorry but there's not much I can really do about that," she said while gesturing at the little bumps. The detective looked around the room for something she could put over Maura. She herself was only wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts so she couldn't exactly give any of her own clothing away.
"It's okay," Maura smiled. "It's worth it."
The nurse smiled. "I'm just going to put the transducer on your stomach now."
Maura nodded, she looked at Jane who met her eye warmly. The brunette picked up her hand and held it in between her own two hands. Maura smiled at her lovingly.
There was a silence in the room again for a few seconds whilst Holly, Jane and Maura all stared at the screen. They listened as the silence was pierced by the soft steady beat from the monitor. Maura watched as a clear ultrasound image of the baby came up on the screen. It had much more of a distinguishable body shape now than before. Tiny arms and legs were clear in the dark picture on the screen. The baby was curled up into a tight little ball nurse smiled back at them. Both Jane and Maura were in a trance of staring at the screen lovingly.
"I know that you said no before, but do you want to know the gender?" She asked them.
Jane looked at Maura and smiled. "We already know," the brunette said assuredly. She was met with a grin from the doctor. Maura was glad that Jane had finally stopped teasing her and taken her seriously.
Holly picked up Maura's file and stared at it with confusion. "You already know? It says here that I didn't tell you. Did I?" she asked.
"No, I just have a strong feeling about it," Maura replied. "I'm certain that I know."
"You're one of the lucky ones," the nurse smiled, putting the folder back with her free hand. "Only a few mothers have that level of intuition, you know?" Jane looked at the doctor lovingly for a moment and then glanced back to the screen. Holly continued moving the transducer she was still holding gently across the gel. "I believe you, but would you like me to check?" she asked.
Maura shook her head.
"Okay," she nodded. "I'll leave you two alone for a little while. There's a buzz button if you need me but I'll be back in five minutes anyway. I presume you'll want time alone with your baby," she said brightly.
"Thank you," Maura said as the kind woman left the room.
Jane smiled gratefully before staring at the woman she loved with utter awe. "She's amazing, Maura," she grinned again. "You did that."
Maura looked at her lovingly. "I did." She nodded proudly, eyes darting from the screen to Jane.
"I want to kiss you and hug you so tight right now, but I think I'll get covered in the icky stuff," Jane said while gesturing towards the gel that was still on Maura's stomach.
"The icky stuff is actually a type of conductive medium that is used in ultrasound diagnostic techniques as well as treatment therapies. It is highly useful and-"
"Maura."
"Yes?"
"Not the time," Jane smiled.
"Oh," Maura said while looking back at the screen. She looked at Jane a little uncertainly for a moment. "Is it alright that i'm a little scared?"
Jane's featured softened as she ran her fingers gently through her hair. "I hope so, because I sure am."
"You are?"
The detective nodded. "Don't worry, though. Excited scared," she smiled.
The blonde shifted slightly on the bed and nodded. "Me too. I just can't believe that i'm going to be a parent. That we're going to be parents. I could never have predicted this," she raised her arms, gesturing to their surroundings, "a year ago. It's mad, Jane. Completely mad."
Jane chuckled softly at her bluntness. It was very uncharacteristic of her. "It is," she observed the room full of counters and machines too. "It's pretty damn special though, Maur."
Unable to suppress her own grin, Maura put her hand on Jane's cheek and pulled her closer. She met her lips and kissed her deeply. The detective slinked her arm around the back of her neck and held her too. They pulled away smiling, a look of understanding gracing both of their eyes. They were actually going to be mothers.
The pair were chatting softly when Holly returned. She glanced to the still present gel on Maura's stomach and shook her head softly. "I apologize," she said while walking over to the other side of the room and picking up a tissue. "I forgot to give you one of these," she handed Maura the tissue to wipe away the gel.
Maura smiled and used the tissue before dropping it down into the bin beside her. "It's no problem. Thank you." She smiled. The nurse nodded. Jane helped Maura pull her dress back down properly, get up, and then they stood by the door.
"I thought you'd want a picture of the ultrasound?" Holly handed them the small image.
"Thank you so much," Maura replied, Jane thanking her with a smile also.
"Take care- and I mean it. You two need to try especially hard," she prayed to herself, honestly prayed that these women wouldn't find themselves in any more trouble. It seemed ridiculous what they'd been through already.
Jane smiled. "Thanks." And they walked out of the door.
A bright sunlight woke them up the following morning. Maura's eyes squeezed shut in frustration of the intruding light. Isn't this what curtains were for? "Jane," she groaned, splaying her arm out to lightly swat the figure beside her. "We need to get up."
They were both naked under a large white duvet. Jane was laying with her back to Maura. "Maura," she whined after a few more slaps. "It's so early." The doctor's consistent prods finally forced her to relent and roll over. The sleepy smile that Maura gave her was worth it.
"What time is it?" Jane asked, placing her forearm across her eyes in an attempt to block the brightness.
Maura leaned over and switched on her mobile. "It's twenty-past-eight."
Jane forced her eyes to open fully as she retrieved her own phone and read the updates from Korsak on their triple homicide case. "Hey, do you remember where exactly Jacob Charles was shot? I know it was his shoulder but there hasn't been an update of his condition yet and ..."
"By what Korsak and Frankie said to us, it sounds as if the bullet entered his left deltopectoral triangle and then exited through the upper deltoid muscle in his back. Though I can't really be sure. Unless there was significant blood loss, or unpredictable internal damage, I suspect he will pull through."
Jane nodded, a little relieved. "Thanks." This man deserved to serve his sentence. It wasn't fair for him to get off so easily. Even if that meant dying. "I wonder how Frost is," she considered aloud.
"I'm sure he's fine," Maura responded, finally easing herself out of the bed and getting up. She knew their kind friend was alright. He always was. "Shall we finally face the precinct, detective?" she smiled.
Jane nodded, looking at her fondly. "Let's do it."
"Rizzoli!" Her partner grinned the moment he saw her. "How kind of you to join us! We thought you'd just died under a rock somewhere," he teased.
"Oh, aren't you hilarious?" Jane replied dryly, but couldn't help but smile towards the end. "But i'm glad to be back. It's good to see you, Frost."
"You too, Rizzoli." He gave her a quick hug.
"So I heard you had a pretty spectacular arrest...?"
"It was quite dramatic, yes," he put his hand on his chest in false modesty. "Frankie owes me around a thousand beers, I'd say..."
Jane smirked. "I'm sure he owes you those anyway." She sat down at her desk opposite the detective. Although not medically needing one, the brunette had a plaster on her forehead. She wanted to limit the comments received of her injuries to as few as possible. She didn't need the uniforms' (mostly condescending) sympathy. Besides, despite the crutches and the black-sock-covered cast creeping out from her slacks, she looked relatively well. "Any update on Jacob Charles' condition? Has he made it from a ward to a cell yet?" She smiled.
Frost nodded and crossed his arms. "Around half an hour ago actually. He's in custody as we speak. They're holding him there until the paperwork has been arranged to formally charge him."
Jane nodded, content with that result.
"Is Dr. Isles here?" Frost asked curiously.
"She sure is," the brunette nodded again. "She's downstairs clearing up the mess that Pike left for her. I offered to help but she said that she may take her frustration towards Pike out on me and advised me to leave. I thought it would be best," she laughed softly. Maura's expression had told her to run instantly; it was only politeness that had made her stay in the first place.
"Ah," Frost said amusedly, looking down at his desk. He opened up the folder of paperwork he needed to complete for the shooting and sighed. He boredly glanced back up to his computer before eventually meeting his partner's eyes above it. "So what's it like living with a pregnant woman?" He asked curiously.
Jane adjusted to the random question for a second before speaking."It's not so bad. I suppose she had some morning sickness at the beginning but that's gone now and I don't actually think her mood has changed very much. Then again, we've just had such big things going on that I don't think I would've noticed if it had... And well, we have some nice baby moments too," Jane smiled.
Frost nodded. "I'm glad she's happy." He knew he had a mountain of work to do but he really wanted to catch up with the detective. It had been quite a long time since they'd properly spoken. "I think I might have kids someday," he said insightfully.
"You do? You've never mentioned that before."
"Maybe all your maternal stuff is rubbing off on me," Frost teased.
"Jane!" Korsak whooped, making her jump, as he came into the bullpen holding a file. "You never were good at taking enough time off," he smiled, patting her on the shoulder.
"Hey, Korsak," she smiled. "How's the lady friend?" She raised her eyebrows.
"How are you, Vince? I'm fine, Jane. How are you? You're good too? That's great..." He mocked. At Jane's pointed glare, he rolled his eyes with a smile. "You mean Carolyn?" She nodded. "She's good, she was asking about you actually."
Jane looked at him with a confused expression. "Why?" She asked.
"I don't know, she was pretty vague."
"Oh," Jane shrugged. "Maybe I have a fan."
"Yeah, like that would ever happen," Frost smirked. Jane picked up a screwed up piece of paper and threw it him. The detective dodged it, grinning widely.
She'd really missed this.