Author's note: Apologies for the cliff hanger, people, but it needed to be done. I am here to put you all out of your misery now though. All your reviews are awesome and a handful of you predicted who the person with the gun is. Enjoy!

Chapter 21

It was as if the world came to a sudden stop. There was no sound. Her eyes had rolled up towards the ceiling and she could see the bedroom light. It blinded her. Blood was rushing in her ears and all she could taste was bile in the back of her throat. The pain had come without warning and now it washed over her like a tsunami wave. She didn't even realise the tears were trickling down her face until she felt a hand against her cheek. She managed to turn her head. The rest of her body failed to move.

"Jane?"

Maura's voice was soft and frightened hazel eyes searched the detective's face. They then darted across her body and Maura's instincts took over. She placed her hands on either side of the ripped dress and tore it open, revealing the injury beneath. In her head she played out the human anatomy she knew so well. The stab wound on Jane's stomach sat maybe an inch above her belly button, slightly towards the left. It bled profusely and Maura immediately applied pressure in an attempt to stop the bleeding. The warm burgundy liquid spilled through her fingers as she pressed down on Jane's stomach. She sat on her knees, blood already staining her clothes. The gun lay at her side.

She finally managed to speak. Her voice was broken and it hurt to talk. "Maur?"

"I's going to be fine, Jane," Maura reassured her with a soft, comforting voice and looked at the dark haired detective. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on Jane's forehead as her body struggled to cope with the pain. "You're going to be fine." She tried to smile but it didn't erase the fear in her eyes. "The wound's doesn't seem to be very deep. You're going to be just fine, Jane."

"How did you…" Jane began but she couldn't finish the sentence. With every word she spoke her breath hitched. She gasped for air as another wave of pain spread through her body.

"Don't talk now," Maura interrupted her. "I'll explain everything once you're in the hospital." She heard the sirens wailing in the distance and relief settled in her chest. Her eyes lingered on the lifeless body lying half a foot away from Jane. Dan lay face down on the carpet. A large pool of blood had formed underneath him, the burgundy a sharp and unsettling contrast against the cream carpet. The knife had fallen from his hand and lay not far from Jane's head. The blade was covered in blood.

"Doctor Isles?!"

Korsak's booming voice echoed through the penthouse and Maura's head whipped up. "In the bedroom!"

Footsteps came running and a couple of seconds later both Korsak and Frost appeared in the bedroom doorway, their guns drawn. They lowered them when they realised the situation was clear and Frost rushed over to Maura's side. His eyes were wide with fear and he and Maura looked at each other. For a brief moment they both remembered what had happened on the steps of Boston PD's Headquarters several years ago when Jane shot herself. Maura had been at her side first, her hands pressing down at the bleeding abdominal wound just like she was now. Frost had been next and he'd placed Jane's head in his lap until the paramedics arrived. It was what partners did. They had each other's back.

Korsak pushed against Dan's body with his foot to make sure he wasn't going to get up and turned to Maura. He'd seen the exit wound on the back and arched an eyebrow in surprise. "That's one hell of a shot, Doc."

"We had to learn to protect ourselves from insurgents in Africa," Maura explained and underneath her hands Jane stirred. She looked down at the dark haired woman's face and smiled in adoration. She wasn't going to let Jane slip away from her. She'd experienced that feeling once before and she had no intention of letting it happen again. "I never thought I'd actually be putting it into practice."

The sound of voices followed by footsteps flooded into the penthouse and Korsak called for the paramedics to come into the bedroom. They were followed by Cavanaugh. He looked worried until he laid eyes on Jane and noticed she was awake. He released the breath he'd been holding and looked down at her as the paramedics went about preparing Jane for transport. "You always have to do things a little different, don't you, Rizzoli?"

Jane flinched as the paramedics moved her onto the spinal board and instinctively reached for Maura's hand. "At least I get it done."

"That you did," Cavanaugh agreed. "We'll fill you in when you're ready, Rizzoli."

"Maur?"

"I'm right here, Jane," Maura whispered. Her hands safely enclosed Jane. They were covered in blood and so were her clothes. There was even a smudge of blood across her cheek but Maura didn't care. "I'm here."

Tired dark eyes found bright hazel brown. "Don't leave me?"

"I won't," Maura promised and swallowed back the sudden the tears that had welled up in her eyes. "I'll never leave you again."

"Your mother and brothers will meet you at the hospital," Korsak said. "You just try to relax, Jane. We've got this." He rested a hand on her shoulder like a father would comfort his daughter and squeezed it. "You've done good, Jane, but it's over now. All you need to do is get better and let the doctors take care of you."

Jane managed a chuckle. "I have my own doctor now."

Maura just smiled and waited for the paramedics to finish preparing Jane for transport. As Korsak, Frost and Cavanaugh began canvassing the room Maura briefly left Jane's side and stepped into the walk-in wardrobe. She found a sweater, a pair of sweats, some socks and a tank top and crammed them in one of the designer handbags. By the time she joined Jane again she found the detective smiling. A single glance at the syringe in the paramedics' hand told her Jane had been given morphine. She'd be smiling for a while.

"We're ready to rock and roll," the youngest of the paramedics said and they started wheeling the stretcher across the bedroom. Jane waved goodbye to Korsak and Frost with a lopsided grin and Mayra followed, shaking her head. Before she stepped out of the room she glanced over her shoulder one last time and her eyes lingered on the pool of blood on the carpet. It was Jane's blood. She swallowed her tears and tore her eyes away before following the paramedics and Jane out of the penthouse.

When Jane was wheeled out of the apartment building, another car pulled up. Maura, who was about to climb into the ambulance, paused and watched how a red haired woman got out of the car. It was an unmarked police vehicle and in her head the pieces fell into place. This had to be Rita, the detective responsible for Jane's undercover operation. Anger flared up in Maura's stomach but she composed herself. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms in front of her chest as she watched the other woman approach.

"How is she?" Rita asked. Her gaze dropped to Maura's blood stained clothes and hands and the colour instantly drained from the detective's face.

"Single thoracoabdominal stab wound," Maura replied. Her features hardened as she took in the other woman's appearance. Rita looked dishevelled. Her hair was messy and her jeans were ripped and stained with what looked like oil and paint. She wore a simple black hooded top. Her gun was strapped to her hip and her badge hung around her neck. She knew it was illogical, somewhere deep down, but she held Rita responsible for what had happened to Jane. "They'll have to do a chest X-ray to see the full extent of the damage."

"I came as soon as I heard it on the scanner," Rita said and her eyes flashed briefly towards the ambulance. When she looked back at Maura she saw the anger in her eyes. "You must be Doctor Isles."

"I am," Maura answered coolly. "How could you let this happen?!"

Rita blinked. "What?!"

"You knew there was a chance they could find out Jane's a cop," Maura insisted. "Why did Narcotics and Vice wait so long to take the operation down? Detective Frost told me he called Lieutenant Copperfield before he called me. He sent him the picture of the suspect. Why didn't anyone inform Jane?!"

"There wasn't time." Rita ran her fingers through her hair. "When Detective Frost called, we were about to take down the shipment of drugs that was intended for Madeleine. We had to make a choice."

Maura's eyes darkened. "The drugs over Jane?"

"You don't understand," Rita tried but she realised Maura's anger made it impossible for her to listen to what she had to say. She shook her head and raised her hands in defeat. "Go with Jane. Make sure she's going to be allright. Tell her I'll be at the hospital soon. There's something she needs to know." Her eyes found Maura's and she held her gaze. "You may want to hear it too."

Maura didn't answer. She turned on her heel and climbed into the ambulance. The younger paramedic sat next to Jane. He had applied a basic band aid that was already saturated with blood. He'd managed to get an IV going and he had just finished taping Jane's hand to make sure the needle didn't come out. Jane, who until that moment had been looking on in fascination, smiled when she noticed Maura climbing into the ambulance.

"Look what I got, Maur!" she said and showed her hand. Her eyes were the size of dinner plates and Maura couldn't suppress a grin. Jane on morphine was almost adorable and although she'd been scared when she first laid eyes on Jane with Dan still on top of her, that fear slowly subsided now. Jane's face was glowing. "They even put a plaster on!"

"How long till this wears off?" Maura asked the paramedic.

"Couple of hours."

"You're lucky you won't be there then," Maura grinned and he gave her sympathetic smile. "All hell's going to break loose."

"Hey, do you know who that is?" Jane asked the paramedic and pointed at Maura. She had this cheesy grin on her face and her eyes were wide open. Maura couldn't help but smile but it was replaced by a blush when the next set of words rolled from Jane's tongue. "That's my girlfriend."

"How did we go from you almost getting stabbed to death to you acting like this?" she grinned but her hand covered Jane's anyway and the paramedic looked on with a confused grin. "You won't be talking like this once the morphine wears off, Jane."

Jane turned her head so she could look at the honey blonde doctor. "Do you think I'll need surgery, Maura?"

"That depends on the extent of your injury, Jane," Maura answered patiently.

"Will it leave a scar?"

"Most likely, yes."

"Great!"

Maura furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why would that be great?"

"Because I already have a scar on the other side. Now at least they match!"

Maura shook her head and decided that perhaps it was best to ignore Jane's drug enhanced mood. The drive to the hospital wasn't long and she noticed Jane's grip on her hand slacking as the minutes began to pass. The soft, monotone beeping of the heart machine told her that Jane was stable and she realised she had just drifted off into a morphine induced sleep. She smiled as she brushed a strand of hair out of Jane's eyes. Her face felt soft and warm under her fingers. For a single second her eyes lingered on her bloodied hands. Jane's blood. She then looked at Jane sleeping. She seemed so peaceful.

After another ten minutes the ambulance came to a stop and the paramedic opened the door. His partner joined him and together they wheeled Jane out of the van. Maura followed them into the ER and was directed to the desk to fill in the paperwork. She knew she wouldn't be allowed to stay with Jane for the initial assessment of her injuries, no matter how badly she wanted to. So instead she picked up a pen and began filling out the paperwork one of the nurses gave her. As she was writing she noticed some of the people in the waiting room staring at her and she realised it was because of the blood on her clothing.

"Maura?!"

She turned around when she heard Angela's voice and before she could answer the older Rizzoli had wrapped her up in a warm, loving embrace and hugged her. Maura rested her head on Angela's shoulder, happy to feel that someone else was here with her now, and when they parted Angela looked Maura up and down. She covered her mouth with both hands and gasped at the sight of the blood.

"She's fine," Maura quickly said. "She lost some blood but not much. They're going to do a chest x-ray to make sure everything's fine inside but with a little luck Jane will only need a handful of stitches."

"And a good ass kicking," Frankie added. He had appeared behind his mother and unbuttoned his coat. He gave it to Maura so she could cover up some of the blood stains and she smiled in appreciation. "She always seems to get herself into trouble, our Janie."

"So you think she's going to be fine?" Angela asked. There was fear in her eyes.

"Yes," Maura answered. "She was talking on the way here. The knife didn't hit any of her organs."

"Frost says you shot the guy who attacked her," Frankie said and Maura nodded. Suddenly she realised her hands were shaking and she folded her arms across her chest. Although she had received training on how to use a gun, until today she had never actually fired one. Now she had. She had fired a bullet at a man and she killed him.

"I did." It came out like a whisper and she swallowed as the emotions suddenly washed over her. The tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to fight them off but it was too late. Angela's arm slipped around her shoulders and she helped Maura towards a couple of chairs. They sat down and Maura cried softly as Angela's hand drew circles on her lower back in comfort. She rested her head against Maura's. As much as she had seen the hurt in Jane's eyes after Maura left, she had never stopped caring about the medical examiner. Maura was as much her daughter as Jane was.

"We made up," Maura said softly. She gave Angela a sideways glance and saw that the older woman smiled. "Jane and I. We talked about it and we've made up. I don't really know where we're going after this but…"

"It'll work out," Angela said soothingly. "Things like this always do."

It was as if time passed a lot slower when sitting in a waiting room. Maura's eyes were constantly drawn to the large clock on the wall to find only a couple more minutes had gone by since the last time she looked. She'd washed the blood off her hands and face in the ladies room and splashed some cold water just to freshen herself up a little. Frankie's jacket covered most of the blood on her clothes and people had stopped staring at her. Several empty cups of cheap and mechanical tasting coffee stood on the small table beside them and Frankie had just finished a bag of potato chips.

After about half an hour of waiting Maura saw Rita Wilcox walk into the ER waiting room and stood up. The red haired detective turned around when she heard Maura walk towards her. Relief filled her face when Maura said that Jane was doing allright and they were waiting for her to come back from the chest x-ray.

"Do you think she'll be alert enough to hear what went down?" Rita asked.

"They gave her morphine not long before we got here," Maura answered and checked her watch. "That was an hour ago. This is Jane. If she's awake, chances are she'll want to know what happened." Maura chewed her bottom lip. "Did you get the result you wanted?"

"Both Madeleine and Lindsey are currently in custody and both are creating hell in their respective holding cells," Rita said with a smile. "We intercepted the drugs and busted the prostitution and call girl ring. Dan's confession will be on Jane's tape." A hint of triumph laced her words. "The evidence will all be sent to the DA's office tomorrow morning. Case closed."

A nurse walked into the waiting room and called, "Rizzoli?!"

Maura's head whipped around and she quickly walked back to Angela and Frankie. Angela wrapped an arm around Maura's shoulders and pulled her closer in a way only a mother could. Maura felt the tension slowly subside from her body and when she looked at Angela she found Angela looking back at her, a smile on her lips. Whatever was going to happen, they were going to get through it as a family.

"Jane's fine," the nurse said. "They did the chest x-ray and it showed no internal bleeding or damage. She got lucky because the blade almost pierced her diaphragm. She's going to need some stitches but after that she should be good to go home." Her eyes singled out Maura. "You're her doctor?"

"I'm her partner," Maura corrected her and she felt pride well up in her chest for saying those words. Angela squeezed her hand. "And I'm a doctor too."

"The wound will need redressing tonight and then again tomorrow morning. After that it can be changed once day. We'll prescribe her some pain medication for the next forty-eight hours but after that Jane should be able to manage on ibuprofen. Make sure she doesn't overexert herself or the stitches might burst. When redressing the wound, check the edges are clean," the nurse said and smiled when Maura nodded. "I'm probably giving you all the information you already know."

"How is she doing?" Angela asked.

"She's talking," the nurse answered. "The morphine has started to wear off so she is in a little discomfort."

Maura nodded. "Have you stitched her yet?"

"They're just doing it now."

"Can we see her?" Maura wanted to know.

The nurse nodded. "She's asking for you."

"You go see her with that detective," Angela said and her eyes flashed towards Rita who was inspecting leaflets on pregnancy and STD's. Maura was about to shake her head and interject that she and Frankie should see Jane first but Angela silenced her with just one look. "I know Jane will want to know what happened."

Maura nodded and broke away from the two Rizzoli's. When she reached Rita the detective turned around and she blinked in surprise to see Maura standing behind her. Maura put a hand on Rita's arm as if to silently end the worries she knew the other woman was experiencing right now. Kind hazel eyes found green and she smiled encouragingly.

"They say we can see her now."

"You sure you want me in there?" Rita asked.

Maura nodded. "I know Jane does."

They followed the nurse into the A&E department and she led them to a unit towards the end of the room. She pulled the curtain aside and revealed a standard issue hospital bed. Jane lay on her back, propped up against several pillows. She wore a hospital gown but it was pulled up to just below her chest, exposing her tanned and well-toned abdomen. The scar from the shooting sat like a silver line across her skin. The other side of her stomach was covered with a green sheet and the doctor just finished off stitching her wound. Maura looked on, counting at least fifteen stitches. When she let her eyes trail up to find Jane's, the detective was looking back at her.

"Hey," Maura smiled as she circled the bed and took Jane's hand into her own. "How are you feeling?"

"Could be worse," Jane answered and her eyes flashed from Maura to Rita. "What happened?"

"We busted Lindsey and Madeleine," Rita said and Jane sighed in relief. "We confiscated the drugs that were intended for distribution and we've taken all the girls and boys that work for Lindsey into custody as well. Dan's confession will be on your wire and we'll prove that either Madeleine or Lindsey instructed him to kill Steve and attack you."

"What will happen to the girls?" Maura asked quietly. "Many of them didn't want to do the things they were made to do."

"Most of them will probably be released without charge. A few are here illegally. We'll have to work out whether we can find some way for them to stay in the US or whether they'll be deported. Their testimonies are vital so that could be one of the reasons they could be granted a visa to stay," Rita said. "There are a handful of girls who have already refused to testify. None of them are illegal so they'll face prostitution and blackmail charges."

"How did Lindsey become suspicious?" Jane asked. She pushed herself up into a more seated position and pulled the gown down her body now that the stitching was finished. The burning pain spread through her abdomen but she bit her tongue and didn't flinch. Her grip on Maura's hand tightened and Maura returned the squeeze, silently telling Jane that she knew she was in pain.

Rita ran a hand through her hair. "Lindsey found out that Katie and Leila were arrested and didn't just run away."

Jane cocked her head. "How did she know?"

"We suspect it may have been somebody inside BPD. We're still going through the client list. A lot of people will be waking up to a whole different world tomorrow morning," Rita said and her eyes darkened. "We've counted four lawyers, two judges, three prosecutors, two doctors and a university professor and the list still goes on. Looks like Lindsey and Madeleine had some dirt on just about anyone in high profile positions."

"How about Sarah?" Jane asked and looked past Rita as if she expected the young woman to walk into the ER any second now. "Where is she?"

Rita chewed the inside of her cheek and fumbled with her hands. "We're still looking for her."

"What do you mean; you're still looking for her?"

"Jane, we think she may have been in on the whole thing."

Jane's eyes widened. "You think she knew about this?!"

"I don't know how much she knew exactly but I think she knew enough to figure out what she needed to do to get away with it," Rita said quietly. "When we raided the office, Sarah wasn't there. We busted her apartment but it was empty. Nobody's seen her for a day or two. We managed to break open the safe in Madeleine's office. According to her, there should have been close to two hundred thousand dollars in there but it was gone. Security footage shows Sarah was the last to leave the building."

Jane sank back into the pillows and shook her head. "She played us all."

"From the beginning, most likely," Rita said and through her eyelids she looked at Jane. Jane appeared gutted to hear that Sarah had lied to her and Rita felt her pain. She herself had been lied to as well. Sarah hadn't fooled just one cop, she had fooled two. "There was one thing Lindsey did say when I spoke to her. Sarah's the one who sold you out, Jane. When she found out Katie and Leila got arrested, Lindsey asked Sarah how it was possible Boston PD knew about them. Sarah told Lindsey you were a cop and that you'd been sent in undercover to investigate Steve's murder. That same night the took the money from Madeleine's office and vanished."

"She's got two hundred grand," Jane sighed and rolled her eyes in disbelief. "We're never going to see her again."

Rita's phone vibrated and she unclipped it from her belt. "It's Copperfield."

"Tell him I said he can go to hell," Jane groaned when Rita disappeared through the curtain. She looked back at Maura and found the honey blonde looking back at her.

"You OK?" Maura whispered.

"I think so," Jane sighed and her dark eyes reflected her hurt. "I just can't believe Sarah betrayed me."

Maura leant in and kissed Jane on her forehead. "I'm sorry, Jane." She perched herself on the side of the bed and placed Jane's hand in her lap. She looked at their fingers linked together and smiled. "I heard what you said, you know."

"What?" Jane whispered.

Maura looked at Jane. Her hazel eyes were full of love. "I heard you say you loved me right before the gun went off."

"Oh," Jane said quietly and a dark red blush crept across her cheek. "It wasn't very romantic but I do, you know." She looked back up at Maura. "Love you, I mean."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Maura breathed.

"I was scared and I've never ever said that, because people always think I'm strong. If they don't think I'm strong, they'll think I can't do my job," Jane said and stared down at her hand inside Maura's. "I guess I just didn't want to seem weak."

"You're not weak, Jane. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met," Maura answered softly and leant in. She brushed her lips against Jane's and smiled into the soft and tender kiss. "And I love you too."