Everybody met at the hospital around 1pm. It was almost 2 when a nurse informed them, that Maura was being brought into a normal room where 3 people could visit her in about 10 minutes.
"Oh, thank god." Constance and Jane exclaimed at the same time. Maybe we aren't so different after all the brunette thought and smiled. At least we are united by the love for Maura. The small group waited patiently until they could go and see her. Frost, Amber and Kathie stayed in front of the window, waving at Maura, who was giving them a weak but happy smile. Jane went into the room with her adoptive parents.
"How are you darling?" Constance asked immediately placing a peck on each cheek of her daughter. Shy of kissing her onto the mouth the brunette did the same. Arthur nudged her softly. "She's your wife." He whispered with a wink. "Don't tell me you usually greet her like this." Jane blushed, glancing at Constance who was focused on her daughter. Despite feeling awkward to kiss Maura in front of her parents she finally bent down to catch the blondes lips for a shy kiss.
With the door to the room open, the three friends could also listen and talk with Maura. The nurse passed by after a few minutes, rolling her eyes and ordered them to go inside already, mumbling something of them being too loud and waking up other patients.
Jane noticed that Maura was still pale and looking small. But she was very much alive and reaching for Janes hand who had kept herself in the background so far. They smiled at each other, communicating by their looks. Jane exhaled deeply, when the warm hazel eyes locked with hers.
She finally got to explain Maura what had happened, filling up some gaps the trauma had left in her brain. The blonde listened in silence, an expression of horror on her face before letting go of Janes hand to touch the plasters. Jane smiled sweetly when Maura told them that she had already studied her chart and that she was going to be fine.
"Of course, you are. You are a strong woman!" Constance patted the hand which rested on some plasters on her belly now. Jane caught a secret questioning glance from her wife and shrugged. It wasn't unheard of that people change their mind when one of their loved ones was facing death.
After almost an hour the nurse appeared to rush everybody out of the room and Janes heart sank. She wasn't ready to leave Maura now. "Can't she stay?" Constance asked to everybody's surprise, pointing at Jane. "They are married after all and after the shock they certainly want to spend some time together." The nurse shook her head vehemently and the brunette was about to pack up her stuff, when she saw how a 50 Dollar bill travelled out of Constance's fancy handbag into the nurse's pocket.
She almost gasped at how quick this little gesture had changed the nurses mind who now suddenly asked in a much more friendly way: "Do you want me to ask for a guest bed?" It had advantages to be rich Jane thought before nodding gratefully at Constance.
"Yes, I think that would be good." The older woman replied with a wink towards Jane. The couple watched everybody leave, waving them goodbye. "I'm gonna stay a bit more. Then I'm going to drive home to take a shower and fetch some stuff. I bet you don't want to wear this hospital gown all the time." She told Maura and wiggled her eyebrows.
"Why? Isn't it fashionable? And it has ventilation on my back." Maura asked in a serious way which convinced Jane that the blonde had lost her mind. But then she realized that she had been teased by her wife when Maura suddenly started to laugh. "God, Maur. You are really getting good at this." Jane said rolling her eyes.
"What can I say? I had a good teacher." The blonde replied while pulling Jane closer to the bed.
"You almost gave me a heart attack, Maur. I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am that you.. uhm… you didn't… " Jane changed the subject.
"I know, honey." The blonde quickly said, grabbing Janes hand. "I felt the same when your mother called me to say that you were badly injured."
Silence filled the room and Jane noticed that it was a good silence because it didn't bore any beeps or breathing machine noises. A soft smile played around her mouth as Maura scooted to one side of the bed, padding the vacated spot as an invitation.
"The nurse is not going to like this." Jane chuckled as she climbed into the spot without hesitation. "I think the nurse won't mind so much after getting her little bonus." Maura replied with a grin. "Shouldn't I be annoyed as a future police officer?" Jane cracked a joke. "Who cares?" was Maura's reply which was accompanied by a vague waving motion.
Yeah right, who cared? Jane thought while helping Maura move her head onto her chest. Her arms wrapped around the back, making sure that the gap in the back of the gown was covered with a blanket. Besides, it wasn't as if they were committing a crime.
The only thing that counted right now was this incredibly good feeling of holding her wife who was alive and breathing on her own.
Maura fell quickly into a deep sleep and Jane had to fight hard not to follow suite. She woke up when the nurses brought in her bed for the night. They seemed to ignore the fact that she was laying with Maura which was likely due to the bonus as Maura had called it. When dinner arrived, Jane thought that it would be a good time to leave the blonde for a quick drive home.
When she returned almost an hour later, the blonde was staring dizzily onto the TV screen, which was hanging on the wall. "They already gave me my painkillers." She mumbled in between yawns. "So, if you want you can go home and sleep in a proper bed..." Maura offered, her voice trailing off.
Jane shook her head. She helped Maura to get into her own pj's and then they snuggled into each other's arms to watch the latest episode of their true crime series. The brunette found Maura snoring before the opening credits had finished their way down the screen.
She smiled softly to herself watching part of it, until she was too tired herself. Then she silently turned off the TV and pulled Maura a bit closer with a sigh.
R&I
It was on the 4th day after the operation, when Jane took the golden wedding band off the necklace where she had kept it over the last days to slide it back where it belonged: onto Maura's ring finger. Maura in return did the same with hers. They sealed their doings with a sweet kiss.
"The nurse told me that you had left yours here." The blonde explained with a sweet and grateful smile. "This means a lot to me."
"Yeah, I thought that this way a part of me was always with you." Jane said with a soft smile. She didn't tell Maura though how she had been twice to the church to pray and light a candle for her.
R&I
They spent almost the entire week together. Jane kept bringing her food and fresh clothes, watching TV and helping her with duties like washing.
She started to go back to school on the 5th day after Maura's operation. Reluctantly but knowing that her wife was going to be fine she began to engage in her classes again.
After almost a week, Maura was finally allowed to get out of bed. She was sitting excited at the edge of the bed, waiting for Janes assistance. The brunette had found out, that Maura was especially fond of wearing her t-shirts and glanced at the sox shirt which she had brought her wife the previous day. She found that Maura looked just adorable in it and kissed her forehead.
"Do you really think that a shower is reasonable at your state? Shouldn't we walk around a bit first and see how its going?" she asked Maura who waved all concerns aside. "I really want a shower. Its been too long." She insisted.
Jane nodded, giving in. How did the saying go? Doctors are the worst patients. "All right." She said with a smile. "Then let's get you to the shower."
She helped Maura to get out of bed and steadied her when she started wobbling. "I might shower with you. Just to make sure." Jane mumbled as the slowly walked towards the bathroom. "Oh, I would love that." The sultriness of the words made Jane chuckle. "That's not what I meant Maur."
"Shame." Was the only respond she got. "Yeah, first we get you out of here and then we'll see." Jane said with a grin. Maura sat down to a chair next to the sink, so that Jane could undress her first. Then she undressed herself and they stepped cautiously into the shower.
Maura sighed deeply as soon as the warm water touched her skin. Jane washed her literally from head to toe, being especially cautious and gentle around the waterproof plasters which they had gotten from the nurse.
"I'm feeling like a new person now." Maura exclaimed while Jane pulled a fresh shirt over her head. "You know, you would make a great mother." The blonde suddenly said, and Jane glanced up from the crouching position she had taken on to slide some socks over Maura's feet.
"Uh oh. I don't know, Maur. Sometimes I can barely dress myself properly." The brunette replied. "Oh, come on! Stop downplaying yourself. You might be a bit chaotic. So what? That's who you are, and that's how I love you." Jane hitched a breath.
"What is it? Did I say something wrong?" Maura asked clueless when she saw Janes face turn pale.
"No, you didn't. It just reminded me the night you got stabbed. I fell over the books next to the bed. I promised you that if you .. you know… I wouldn't be less chaotic." Silence fell over them. "Do you think that you heard what I said?" Jane finally dared to ask looking Maura into the eyes.
"I don't know. There are scientific studies which seem to proof that someone who is in a coma, can hear what's being said to them or feel someone's presence in the room. My memories are blurred to be honest. I had so many dreams from which I don't even know if they were dreams or real people talking to me. But really Jane, I don't mind if you are being chaotic as you are. Its fine. I'm the total opposite. If I'd ask you to be less chaotic, I would have to be less meticulous. And honestly I don't see that happening."
Both burst out into laughter. "Me either Maur." Jane said with a grin. She made Maura stand up one more time to pull up the pj pants before helping her wife into bed. Just like every night Maura's head came to rest on Janes chest and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
From the day of the shower on the healing rate increased remarkably. Maura had still to spend one more week in hospital. Constance and Angela visited her every day while Jane was at the academy. The afternoons were very often shared with Amber, Katie and Frost. The evenings were for Jane and Maura alone. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they played and when Maura was tired Jane read her whatever article she was interested in from a medical journal.
After two weeks in hospital Maura was ready to go home. Jane packed up their stuff into two duffle bags, wondering how much clothes and items could be smuggled into a hospital in the course of only 12 days. She hung one of the bags around her shoulder and cautiously placed one in Maura's lap as she wheeled her wife out into the sunshine.
"I can't wait to finally go home." Maura smiled at Jane who threw the duffle bags into the trunk of her Mustang. She smiled back at her wife. Who wouldn't she thought? After two weeks everybody was more than ready to go home. "Ah my own bed…" Maura kept on dreaming, groaning though when she tried to find a comfortable position in the sports car.
The doctors had warned her that it would probably take at least one more month until she was fit for work. One month in which Jane would pamper her because Maura was special, and she deserved it. A month which would also bear some doctor's appointments.
Despite never losing a word over it, Jane knew that Maura was seeing someone for therapy. She was glad though that holding Maura was enough to keep her from having nightmares. The blonde had also asked for her laptop where she could write a diary.
Yeah, she would pamper the hell out of this beautiful woman who glanced in amazement at the surroundings while they were driving through the streets Jane thought. Just because Maura Isles deserved it and because she loved her so much.