Author's Note: Thank you very much for all the reviews and messages, I'm really glad to see you're all still invested in this rather long story.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Maura took advantage of a shift in the conversation to excuse herself and leave the room. She quietly walked down the corridor that led to her office, hearing nothing but the stifled sound of her steps and the brouhaha of the party in the background.
The party that was held in her honor. A baby shower of some sort.
She had left the door open ajar. The morgue was quiet at this hour of the night and everyone had gathered in the other room for the celebrations. As she walked towards her desk, a singular serenity invaded her. She suddenly had the feeling to have been left alone on Earth except it didn't scare her the slightest bit. On the contrary. It felt right, and pleasant.
A tad strange, maybe.
She ran her fingers along the desk - her fingertips brushing the wood with a fragile delicacy – and she bit her lower lip as a wave of bittersweetness rushed through her veins.
"Will you use my office when I'm gone?" Her voice sounded loud and clear in spite of the whirl of emotions that she was currently feeling. She turned around in order to look at Kent who was standing in the door frame. "Will you?"
Her employee shook his head. He was walking up the corridor – heading back to the party – when he had noticed that someone had turned the lights on in Maura's office. Thus he had stopped to check who had entered the room.
"This is your office, Dr. Isles. And it will always be yours."
Maura smiled. She wouldn't go to work the day after. She would start her maternity leave instead and Kent would replace her at the morgue for a few months. It felt right and she was ready for it but she couldn't help feeling a tad emotional before all these temporary changes.
She nonetheless appreciated Kent's answer to her question. Of course, he had the right to use the chief medical examiner office during her absence since it was the role that he would fulfill but her selfish side was glad to know that he wouldn't.
She simply wouldn't admit it out loud.
This place was like a second home to Maura. The furniture were hers. She had bought them in order to bring a piece of herself to a rather neutral and cold room. She loved this office, and every single detail that she had added in it over the years.
Like the photograph of women practicing an autopsy that she had found in London just before getting her nomination in Boston. She would miss looking at it on a daily basis.
"Should I take my bonsai with me?"
She walked to the aforesaid tree before leaning over it in order to carefully observe its leaves. Jane had offered it to her a couple of years earlier, for her birthday. Maura took great care of it. She liked it a lot and the bonsai was doing great in the office.
"It's up to you, of course. Though I can take care of Yu Wang."
The remark caused Maura to frown. Perplexed and extremely amused, she turned around to look at Kent. He hadn't moved an inch. As if he didn't dare to walk in. He simply stood half-way between the door and the corridor.
Respectfully.
"You've named my bonsai Yu Wang?!"
She found the idea to be oddly sweet but she mostly had to admit that it fit. Kent was strange but nice and caring. She shouldn't be surprised to hear that he had named her bonsai because it matched the person he was. As a matter of fact, Maura thought that Kent looked a lot like her. Only with a different background.
Kent blushed. Maura's question obviously embarrassed him a bit even if Maura hadn't judged him. He bowed his head then he shrugged apologetically. Shamefully.
"I made research on the matter and there's actually this trad-..."
Maura interrupted him. She had noticed how her employee had misinterpreted her question. Thus she wanted to reassure him right away. She hadn't taken it badly.
"I know. My grandfather was very fond of the Asian culture. He had a lot of bonsais himself and he used to name each one of them. You doing the same is a sweet reminiscence of something I had almost forgotten. A part of my chidhood."
Her answer seemed to reassure Kent a bit.
"Just because you won't be working anymore doesn't mean that you can't stop by from time to time, you know."
The smile that had been playing on Maura's lips froze. Kent's remark was fair, she simply hadn't seen it come. He was a good observer, just as she was. It was the reason why they were both good at their job. Maura was certain of that.
"I know."
Kent had read through her mind. Perhaps it hadn't turned out to be a very difficult task but at least he had dared to say out loud what others were thinking in her back and Maura appreciated it a lot. She liked his honesty in spite of a latent awkwardness that seemed to embrace it.
"I know the best is waiting for you and I know that you must have other priorities at the moment but... You will be greatly missed, Dr. Isles. The morgue isn't the same when you aren't around."
...
Maura wrinkled her nose. She bit her lips in an effort of concentration then she focused anew on the page she was currently looking at. She checked another page for a furtive second – just to make sure that she had taken the right decision – then she showed it to Jane who was sitting on the couch next to her casually looking at the catalogue too.
"I think I like this one better. The wood is of great quality but its lighter shade is more peaceful, more earthy. What do you think? The other one is really dark. Too dark, maybe. Too... Classic. I don't know."
Jane obliged. She looked at the two models Maura was showing her before giving her partner a nod of approval.
"I like them both but you might be right. This crib will look better in the room, it will contrast a bit less with the white walls."
Jane's answer satisfied Maura. She had spent the day looking at baby furniture online. For a first day of a maternity leave, she had been rather busy. She simply found all these activities to be rather dull compared to forensics. She accepted the shift in her life though because she knew that it was now time to focus on Camille's upcoming arrival.
She was eight-month pregnant: she had to make of her future motherhood a priority.
Besides, she didn't have anything else to do now that she wasn't working anymore. She didn't have any autopsy to practice nor any investigation to work on. Nothing, absolutely nothing.
"Perfect. I will order it tomorrow. Do you think that they can set it up?"
Maura almost regretted her question as soon as she saw the guilt on Jane's face. Jane had wanted them to set up the nursery furniture together but she had just landed an important case that took most of her time whereas Maura was just not in shape anymore to assemble Ikea furniture all by herself. They had missed out the opportunity and it weighed a lot on Jane's heart. She really felt guilty.
"Yes, there must be an option. Isn't it written somewhere on the catalogue?" Jane grabbed said publication. She began to leaf through it feverishly. At least Maura was still okay with them buying Ikea furniture and not some expensive designer crib for their daughter. Jane didn't see the point in spending an obscene amount of money for something that would barely be used for a couple of years. Ikea would do the trick. "Here. Look..."
Maura went to sit closer to Jane but the sudden movement caused Sushi to meow in disapproval. Kent had brought the kitten earlier in the morning before going to work. Thus Maura had spent the whole day at home with the cat and she had to admit that the extra-presence in the house had helped her go through these long hours more easily.
Except now Sushi didn't want to leave her alone. The kitten had settled on top of her stomach and she kept on purring peacefully from there. Maura wondered if Sushi could feel the baby's presence and if it was the reason why the cat did not want to leave.
Jane laughed lightly at the cat's reaction.
"How did it go with the menagerie?" She cast a glance at Jo Friday. Her dog was sleeping by the fireplace and she didn't seem to be much bothered by the feline's presence in the house. "They didn't fight, right?"
Maura shook her head. She and Jane had feared the worst, if only because Sushi and Jo didn't know each other. But the day had turned out to be peaceful. Sushi had walked closer to Jo a couple of times but very carefully. The kitten was very quiet, and very sweet. Even Bass was doing just fine. He had eaten his leaves and had minded his own business as if nothing had changed.
"It went just fine." Maura picked up the catalogue anew as Jane stood up. "A very peaceful day, actually."
Too peaceful.
Jane nodded. She leaned over to plant a light kiss on Maura's lips before walking towards the stairs.
She had just come back home from work. It had been a strange day at the BPD. She had missed Maura, there. The morgue without her partner wasn't the same at all but Jane preferred to not say it out loud for she knew that staying home was just as hard for Maura. Maura was a workaholic. Her place was in an autopsy room, not in a living-room staring blankly at a wall and wondering what kind of crib a baby may need.
"I'm going to have a shower. I'll be right back."
Jane had just reached the first floor when the door bell rang. Maura frowned. She checked the time on her cell phone. It was almost 8pm and they weren't expecting anyone. As a matter of fact, she even hoped to spend the evening helping Jane on her case. She missed investigations. Talking about one of them may help her overcome her dull day.
She stood up and walked towards the door with Sushi in her arms as the kitten had refused to remain on her own on the couch.
"... Surprise!"
Maura barely had time to open the door before freezing. She blinked. Hope was standing in front of her – all smiles – and she was carrying a dozen of bags.