Ok. Thanks to a number of reviews in a row that thought the last chapter was rushed and not at all like my previous writing style, not to mention a significant number of grammatical errors I have gone back and made changes, reviewed everything and also agree. I have split the old chapter up into 2-3 chapters instead and made some additions in the hopes that it will be less rushed. While no author like criticisms such as the ones I received I am glad that you did so in a professional manner. I think I have gotten to the point where I am so excited to get to the really good stuff it just explodes out of my head without rhyme or reason leading to the disaster of the last chapter. Hopefully, since a large portion of the next couple chapters are already written I should be able to get another out this week. Anyway, I want to thank those that had the guts to tell me the last chapter sucked, and considering that is the first time I have gotten reviews such as those for this story, I took heed of what was being said. I hope this is better. This chapter becomes mostly filler.
She was almost off the property when she heard it. With the sound of the Toro in her ears she couldn't be sure so she stopped and turned the machine off to hear the sound better.
There it was again. It sounded like the bark of a dog. She turned in her seat and looked around trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. To her right she caught movement in the tall grass that was against the fence line on the road. A small scruffy dog appeared, all dirty and disheveled it came around to the driver's side of the work cart.
Jo Friday. It was the small dog that used to follow her all over the ranch, even when the whip man tried to keep her away. She stepped out of the cart and bent down to pick the dog up. Once in her arms Jo Friday immediately washed her face with her tongue and Jane stood there and bore it. She was happy to see the little dog too. Looking around she wondered where the whip man could have been. He was always around, but she hadn't see him in any of the wreckage after finding Maura. She quit worrying about him when Jo Friday wiggled in her arms. Gently she placed the dog in the bed of the cart with Maura. It didn't take long for Jo Friday to curl against Maura as she lay unmoving. Before she got going again Jane put her hand over Maura's face and still felt her breathing. She quickly got back into the driver's seat, and resumed their journey back to the city.
The ride back to the city was taking longer than Jane had anticipated and with every second lost she worried about the woman she was trying to help. Maura might not want her around anymore but Jane could at least take care of her now, like she had been taken care of when she had first arrived to the ranch.
The cart was slowing down and the engine started producing a weird sound. She didn't know what was happening until it was too late. Gas. The machine was out of gas and they still have a few miles to go before they could get to Jane's apartment. She didn't trust anybody else to stop and help them, she only trusted herself to do what had to be done.
She was lucky she had been well fed living with Maura, and that while on her own now she was still well fed and strong. She whistled for Jo Friday to hop out of the cart and she picked Maura up as gently as she could. Causing Maura more harm was not what she wanted but she didn't think she had any other alternative to get them into the safety of her own place. Leaving the Toro where it was, somewhat in the middle of the road, she started the long walk with the little dog trotting at her heals. At least Jo Friday seemed to be doing a bit better with the rest she had gotten during the initial drive. Not she just had to get them home.
She was exhausted when she got into the apartment but she knew she couldn't stop. She had to keep going, Maura's breathing had become more erratic and uneven and Jane was worried that something was more wrong than she could see on the surface. She knew from fighting that sometimes there could be internal injuries that one can't see from the outside and that in those instances the person usually died without help. No! She wouldn't let Maura die, not now. She still had to repay the woman for helping her get some of herself back.
With long strides she made it into the bedroom and set Maura on the mattress that was on the floor. Straightening her body out she now realized that the injuries were worse than she had thought. The large gash on Maura's forehead was bleeding profusely and seemed to have been for some time. One of her eyes was swollen shut and she had a split lip, plus other various bruises along her face, neck and arms. One of Maura's ankles was swollen, but the rest of her legs she couldn't see since Maura was wearing jeans.
When she heard the pattering of nails on the hard floor she remembered that Jo Friday had come along. With one more glance to Maura she quickly went into the kitchen getting a bowl of water and in another bowl broke apart some leftover turkey from dinner a few days prior. Once the bowls were placed on the floor the little dog was on the turkey in a heartbeat and then drank almost the whole bowl of water. Jane refilled it before going into the bedroom. She didn't think Jo Friday was hurt, she didn't seem to be limping or whimpering and though her fur looked a little singed on one side she didn't appear to be burned.
Once in the bedroom she immediately turned back around and returned to the kitchen to get the largest bowl she could find. This time she went straight to the bathroom which was attached to the bedroom and ran some hot water into the bowl, grabbing a small towel while she waited for the bowl to fill. When she returned to the bedroom she had to stop for a moment and think about what she had to do. She needed to get Maura out of her clothes, clean her up a little and into something clean and warm.
She went about her task with efficiency making sure to clean every cut and scrape as well as she could. Maneuvering a body that was unresponsive was harder than she had though it would have been, but she did what needed to be done and after a couple of hours Maura looked slightly better, cleaner at least, and she was wearing a pair of Jane's loose pants and a simple t-shirt.
Maura still hadn't woken up yet. She hadn't made a sound, not a whimper or a sigh. She didn't know what would happen when Maura woke up. The woman didn't trust her, not really, so maybe it was better to take her somewhere else. Somewhere that could take care of her better. Maura might not trust her but in turn she didn't trust anyone else, she had to take care of her herself. With her decision made to help Maura get better on her own she stood up and went out into the living room to look out the window.
She couldn't help but think of Than. He would be okay with the authority for a couple of months at least. It took some time before they actually started any kind of training on the new children they collect. Gaining a child's trust and then shattering it in a second usually made good results when creating a Raven. For now all Jane could do was take care of Maura and then maybe Maura would let Jane help her find Than. He could be in any number of facilities that the authority had stashed around the country. He could be anywhere. It was going to take some digging and some time but knew she could find the clues and out them together to bring Than back to Maura.
Whistling for Jo Friday again she turned away from the window and settled on the couch to take a much needed nap. After she got up she would need to check on Maura and maybe set some things in motion to see if she could any kind of trace on Than's location. With the dog curled into a ball at her side Jane settled into a restless sleep, one perturbed by nightmares of screaming children, of fire and of hazel eyes that looked at her in terror and fear.
She didn't know what to do anymore. She had found Maura three days ago and she had yet to wake up. Jane wasn't a doctor; she didn't know what was wrong with Maura. Since she was unconscious she wasn't eating and drinking like she needed to be, and the little bit of water she could get into Maura's mouth usually dribbled out. The large gash on Maura's forehead wouldn't stop bleeding and reopened every time she wiped the still body down with a damp cloth; there was a large lump on the back of her head that she had found the day before as well. She was worried about a small fever that had started but if Maura wasn't awake to take anything then how was she supposed to take care of her? Maura looked so pale and drawn lying on the mattress that was on Jane's floor. So lifeless compared to the bright smiles she normally wore. Jane just didn't know what to do.
So here she was. Hiding in plain sight in front of the hospital.
Looking.
Waiting.
Watching the doctors and nurses go in and out and the sick people doing the same. She knew what a hospital was. What she needed was a doctor; she had to find a doctor for Maura. She couldn't let her die, not yet.
She couldn't stop fidgeting. She needed to find a doctor soon or just go home, go back to Maura and make sure she was still alive. Her eyes shifted to all the people out and about. This was her second day watching and she was getting impatient and anxious.
There!
A woman with short cropped hair had just walked out of the building Jane was looking at intently. She had seen this same woman going into the hospital yesterday, and based on what the woman was wearing Jane was sure she was a doctor of some sort. She had the weird clothes on that were the same color on the top and on the bottom and she had seen numerous other people wearing. She had to be. She followed the woman with her eyes as she crossed the parking lot and came to a car that she couldn't quite see. She had to move now, since she didn't have a car she would have to take the woman and drive the woman's car to her apartment. It was too far too far too walk and she could contain the woman better in a smaller space than on the open street. She didn't want to do this, after living with Maura doing something like this felt wrong when it wasn't in a fighting ring but she had to.
She pulled the hood of her jacket up over her head to partially hide her face and the Alpha tattoo while she crossed the open ground to reach the woman. Jane knew the only way to get the woman to comply was to scare her. She had seen how people reacted to her tattoo and she was going to use it to her advantage.
Before she reached the woman a second woman and a child exited the same car the doctor was standing at. Jane stumbled a bit in her step, having not expected to deal with more than one person. It was too late now though, she was set on her course and she would follow through. She lost her stride again when she saw the doctor reach out to the second woman to hug her, and then kiss her on the lips. The two women smiled at each other with affection and Jane's stomach twisted in unfamiliar knots. She saw their lips moving and then the child hugged the doctor now, and as they all turned to get back into the car she was upon them.