A/N: Thank you all for jumping back into this story with me and for the wonderful, kind reviews. Also, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to any new readers.
"I think we should pray." Angela spoke up without hesitation.
"Really, Ma? Because I think we should be nice and quiet. It's too early for any of this." Jane pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.
The past week was nothing but days of nesting and nights of fitful sleep. Jane Rizzoli had officially reached her capacity for anticipation, discomfort, and fear of the unknown. So when Angela insisted she drive both her and Maura to the hospital that Monday morning, she hardly thought to protest the kind gesture. Now she saw how her pregnancy was truly affecting her brain.
"Any prayers you say will be appreciated, Angela." Maura gave Jane a warning glance, silently chastising her for brushing off her mother like that.
"Would you like to join me, Maura?"
"Oh," Maura's eyes grew wide. "No, thank you. I'll rely on the science." She could see Jane's small smile in the dimly lit cabin of the car. The brunette was enjoying her discomfort for sure. "But like I said, any prayer you say will be appreciated beyond words. Right, Jane?" Maura poked the woman that occupied most of the backseat.
"Ow! Yeah!" Jane rubbed at the assaulted spot of her thigh. "Thanks."
"Fine." Angela made the sign of the cross before gripping the steering wheel tighter.
When they arrived at the hospital, Jane's phone had already received a plethora of messages, all ranging from update requests from Frankie to odd advice from Lydia. Maura had confiscated Jane's phone the moment they stepped through the large automatic doors. The icy, seemingly refrigerated air seemed out of place in January and it reminded Jane of the morgue. A deep shiver ran down her spine.
"Are you nervous?" Maura gripped Jane's hand, lacing their fingers together. Jane drew from the blonde's natural warmth.
"A little."
"There's nothing to be nervous about. You have wonderful doctors in charge," Maura leaned in to whisper, "I've done a very extensive background check." Jane chuckled warmly.
"I bet you did." They arrived at the elevators hand in hand. Jane looked back to her mother who was more than a few steps behind. Angela was chatting loudly to someone on the phone. It was most likely some distant relative Jane hasn't seen in years, but everyone would know about the twins, that much was obvious. "Why did we agree to this?" Jane tilted her head towards Angela subtly.
"Because she's your mother and she offered." The elevator doors opened.
"Come on, Ma!" Jane barked out and exaggerated her already animated eyeroll.
Once they arrived on the maternity floor, Maura took the lead in talking to reception nurses and getting the admitting process moving along. Not before long, they were set up in a bright, private room, listening to their doctor talk about the rapidly approaching procedure.
"And Maura will be in the room with me, right?"
"Absolutely. She'll be right beside your head, keeping you updated on the procedure if you'd like or she could just talk to you about the Sox if you'd prefer. You are a Sox fan, right?" The doctor asked teasingly. Dr. Renee Halstead was one of the few female high risk obstetricians in the Boston area. She also happened to be one of the best in the country.
"Of course!" Jane looked absolutely appalled by the idea of being mistaken as anything other than a Sox fan.
"Good. You get special treatment then." The doctor placed her hand gently on Jane's shin as she regarded the other two women in the room with a warm smile. With her years of experience, it was easy to calculate her age to be early to mid-forties, but her bright eyes and smooth complexion allowed her to rival the most unblemished thirty year olds in magazines. Dr. Halstead was blond, naturally beautiful, and wholly charming. "Any other questions?"
Jane was blushing too furiously to manage a response, so Maura stepped forward. "No, Dr. Halstead, I believe you covered everything very thoroughly. Thank you." Maura smiled and nodded.
"A nurse will be in shortly to take you up. I'll see you both soon." Dr. Halstead turned and left the room swiftly.
"Let me call Frankie and give him an update!" Angela hustled from the room, leaving Jane and Maura completely alone for the first time that morning.
"I thought I was special all along, but clearly you have a type." Maura teased as she removed her cashmere cardigan in preparation for a dressing gown and scrubs.
"What?" Jane looked at Maura, clearly befuddled.
"Blonde doctors." She said matter-of-factly. "I'm just glad I got to you first because I'm not quite sure whether I'd be able to compete with Renee Halstead."
"Are you serious?" Jane tilted her head, trying to discern whether Maura was simply teasing or not. She saw the playful glint in hazel eyes, but she was also sure there was a hint of insecurity hidden in there as well.
"She delivers babies in high risk situations. She may as well be Wondrous Woman-"
"Wonder Woman." Jane corrected. "It's just Wonder Woman." Maura waved her off.
"I'm the weirdo that 'speaks' for dead people." Maura smiled lopsidedly, almost sadly.
"You're the outrageously brilliant woman that helps bring peace to the families of those dead people." Jane reached for Maura's hand and pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed beside her. "Your brain astounds me even more than your beauty does." Jane looked deeply into Maura's eyes and her heart had finally calmed for the first time since arriving at the hospital. "You're the selfless woman who didn't hesitate to take this on with me," Jane rubbed her large belly, "simply because you love me. So, I don't care what Dr. Renee 'baby-saving' Halstead has to offer, she's no match for Dr. Maura 'soon-to-be-my-wife' Isles." The brunette's short speech was ended by Maura placing a searing kiss on her smiling lips. "Plus," she quickly added once they parted. "You're hair isn't really blond, except in the summer. But really it's reddish sometimes and almost butterscotch and copper at other times. It's quite a marvel, Dr. Isles." Jane ran her fingers through the silky strands in question.
"I have my stylist add different hues of highlights and lowlights in an effort to match the natural progression-" The rambling woman was silenced by another eager kiss. Jane wanted to savor these last moments of peace.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Jane."
"Ladies?" A meek voice spoke from the doorway. Both Jane and Maura turned to the interruption. Their faces reddened at the sight of an uncomfortable, young male nurse. "It's time to, uh," he scratched the back of his neck. "Ready to get started?" He gave the two women a stiff, but pleasant smile.
xxx
"Baby boy was eagerly awaiting this moment." Dr. Halstead's gentle laugh filled the room. Maura watched as a gooey mess was handed off to a nurse. "Now it's time for baby girl to join her brother."
"Samuel is being cleaned up," Maura glanced over to their son, "he's quiet but he's moving around so that's good. Olivia is next!" The excitement that lit up her face made Jane smile weakly.
Jane, for the most part had kept her eyes on the bright ceiling, only glancing to her fiancée periodically. She was too afraid to see anything other than excitement and glee in those hazel eyes. As it was, Jane felt completely detached from the experience. From the moment her epidural had started working she hadn't felt much of anything except apprehension. Odd tugging sensations coming from where she assumed her children were could be felt from time to time, but everything else was numb and cold. Very, very cold.
"And we have a girl!" The doctor announced triumphantly. Just then Samuel spoke up, crying out as if he were letting Olivia know he was waiting for her to be at his side again. In an ear-splitting rebuttal, Olivia answered her brother.
"Jane, they're beautiful." Maura said in awe. Tears were brimming and her smile was unsteady as her chin quivered happily. Jane was unable to answer.
"Her blood pressure is low and dropping." A cool, professional voice announced from somewhere near the doctor.
"Dr. Isles," it was the first time Dr. Halstead referred to Maura professionally. "If you'd like to go with the babies while we finish up in here-"
"What's going on?" Maura would not be shuffled away from Jane.
"There's more bleeding than expected, a lot more, and I need to get it under control. I'm not sure how long it'll take."
"I'm not going anywhere." Maura gripped Jane's shoulder and looked down into dazed mahogany eyes. "Jane…" The blonde's breathing grew heavy along with her heart as what little color was left in Jane's face drained away. The detective's eyes grew heavy, her lids bobbed up and down.
Jane could hear her name being called. She recognized Maura's voice and as much as she wanted to answer her, to reassure her that she was fine, she couldn't. She was just so very tired all of a sudden.
"Jane, please, stay with me." Maura swallowed her fear, her panic, and she spoke again. She nearly pleaded with Jane. "Stay with me! It's time to meet our babies." A single tear slid down her cheek when Jane's eyes closed fully and didn't reopen.
Maura stared at Jane's motionless face, oblivious to the flurry of activity taking place behind the curtain that partitioned off Jane's lower half. Though the Medical Examiner understood statistics and science and anatomy- her rational mind fell apart and the only thought that remained was: Maybe I should have prayed.