AN: Here's the last chapter. I hope you guys liked it. Let me know if you guys would like an epilogue chapter, I do have one in mind. If not, but you have a prompt bouncing around in your head, you can head over to Tumblr and let me know and I'd be more than happy to work on it for you! Once again, thank you all for the support. I appreciate it so very much!
Record of The Truth
My mind is only set on one thing as I race through the city. Jane. I keep my eyes trained on the flashing blue lights ahead of me. When the call about Jane came in my heart stopped and even with the police escort Vince and Frost are giving me I can't seem to get there fast enough. I don't know what I'm walking into. I don't even know if she's alive at this point. Tears spring to my eyes at that though but I push them away. She's Jane. She's tough. After what feels like forever we get to the hospital. I climb out of my car so fast I almost forget to put my car in park. Led by Vince and Frost we storm into the hospital. Breathlessly I make it to the patient information counter.
"Jane Rizzoli. We're here for Jane Rizolli. Doctor Langley called. Where is she? Where's Jane?" The nurse that sits at the desk looks at me with annoyance and at this point I don't care. I just have to see Jane. It seems to take an eternity but she gives me Jane's room number and we're off in another sprint. I don't know if Vince and Frost are still behind me at this point but I know I'm close to Jane when Martinez comes to view. My worry and hurt forms into anger and I can feel myself dig deeper starting to sprint faster.
"Rafael!" His name comes out of my mouth with the power of thunder cracking. It echoes off of the walls and he stops where he is pacing and faces me. His face shows worry but fear replaces it in his eyes as I come barreling at him. I slow just enough to shove him in the shoulders. "You lied to me!" Martinez stumbles backwards and holds his hands up defensively.
"Maura…! Calm down!" I take offense at his words and shove him again.
"Calm down? You just told me to calm down! That's about as good as walking outside and telling a category five hurricane to calm down." I can see Martinez getting scared from never seeing me like this and that's exactly what I want. He should be scared. "You said you would protect her! Now look at where we are. Nice job you did there." Martinez grabs hold of my writs to keep from shoving him.
"Maura. I'm sorry." I manage to break his grip and shove again.
"I told you I was worried about who was going to protect her. You promised that she would be safe. You made me believe you. I told you I love her… I love her" My voice breaks and so does the dam that had been holding back my tears. "...and I didn't even get to tell her I love her too…" The sentence comes out broken from harsh breaths. "Oh god…" I can feel my body getting ready to give out and Martinez notices. He steps in and holds me in a tight hug. I collapse into his arms as my body becomes wracked with sobs.
"I'm so sorry Maura. I was there. I just wasn't fast enough." His words are spoken to the top of my head and his hand rubs circles across my back but none of it helps. I manage to pull myself together and I wipe my face. I fall into my habits as a doctor to be able to be here for Jane.
"What happened? Where's the doctor?" Once Martinez deems me steady on my feet he slowly releases me.
"He had to take a call and he'll be back soon. She has a severe concussion from trauma to the head, sprained wrist and well, I think you should let the doc tell you the rest." I nod my head and Vince and Frost finally make an appearance the same time the doctor does.
"Doctor Maura Isles. Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth. Are you Dr. Langley?" An older gentleman steps around the corner and I extend a hand he takes.
"Yes, I am. Are you here for Detective Rizzoli?" I nod my head and pull my hand back to my side. "She's a fighter. She's got a severe concussion due to trauma. There's minor lacerations on the back of her head for the impact of the ground. She has some bruising around her orbital socket that's common with a blow to the face. Swelling of right wrist and after some x-rays we found there was no major trauma there. Minor sprain." As he talks we slowly make our way to Jane's door that's closed. "Her body did sustain some shock from being thrown in the harbor but she will be okay. She is under light sedation and warming IV's. She was lucky. Had she been in the harbor any longer she might've gone into cardiac arrest." I nod my head as the doctor speaks, taking in the information he's offering.
"Can I go see her?" Dr. Langley looks at myself, Detective Frost, Vince and Martinez.
"One at a time… But yes. She needs rest though." I turn around and look at the guys. Sadness is written across their faces.
"Go… Take all the time you want." Detective Frost speaks up. "We can wait." The guys turn and head in the direction of the waiting room and I turn to face Jane's door. Placing my hand on the door it takes everything in me to turn the handle. With a deep breath I push the door open and head inside. My heart shatters at the sight of Jane. She lays in the bed covered by blankets, a compress on her forehead and two IV drips that hang beside the monitors. She looks so small covered up by all the blankets. The bruising around her eye has set in leaving the side of her face swollen. Slowly I step forward till I'm beside the bed.
"Oh, Jane." I reach over to brush my hand across her cheek but I stop as the fear sets in that I might hurt her more. "Oh sweetheart…" My voice cracks and I sit on the corner of the bed. I take a second to study her face. I know things could be worse for Jane but this is bad enough for me. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." Slowly, I reach forward and brush my thumb across her cheek. Jane slightly stirs at the touch but doesn't wake up. Her normally tan skin has gained an ashy appearance from being in the cold water for so long. My eyes drop and I look at the rest of Jane. Not much is visible from the blankets but her hand is exposed. With all the delicateness I possess I take her hand in mine. Deeming the chair beside the bed too far away from Jane, I kick off my heels and climb into bed beside her. Nestling my head into her shoulder chills hit my body from the coolness that is still present on Jane's skin. I know this probably isn't the best idea since Jane and I haven't really talked since before she left but a part of me just wants and needs to be near her. I rest my arm across her stomach and pull her closer softly. A lone tear falls from the stress of the situation and the rollercoaster of emotions I've had in the last few hours. My eyes fall closed at some point and sleep takes over.
Not sure of how much time has passed or where I am for a brief second but the sounds of groaning breaks through my subconscious. I nestle further into the warmth beside my body but my memory slowly joggs back to reality when fingers intertwined with mine flex and pull away slightly. My eyes snap open and I sit up looking at Jane. A look of pain is on her face and it breaks my heart.
"Shit… why is it so bright…" Jane's voice is hoarse. Her eyes are tightly closed and she pulls the compress that was on her forehead down over her eyes.
"Hey, relax. Don't strain your eyes by keeping them closed. It'll only make it worse." Jane's eyes crack open and she looks over at me. "There she is." I can't stop the smile that I give Jane.
"Maur…" Jane tries to push herself up but hisses from the pain that comes from her sprained wrist.
"Take it easy. You're a little banged up." Jane slouches back into the bed and tightly closes her eyes again. When I notice the pain on her face again I look around for a light switch to at least dim the lights. When I finally find one I attempt to get off of the bed to go turn it off but my fingers are still intertwined with Janes. As I start to pull away her fingers hold mine tighter. "I'm just turning off the lights. Promise." My heart swells at Jane's action to keep me close but she slowly lets me go. I go and turn off the lights and crack the door so I can see out and the nurses can see in. I then come to sit back on the bed beside Jane. "Jane. I'm going to ask you a few questions. Can you answer them for me? I just want to check your cognitive skills. Your doctor says you have a pretty bad concussion." Jane groans but I take it as a 'yes'. "Okay, What is the date of today?" I study Jane's face looking for any giveaways.
"Uhm, October twenty-third, twenty-forth if it's after midnight." Despite the pain evident in her tone her snarkiness is still intact.
"Good. Where are we?" Jane cracks an eye open and a small smile falls onto her lips.
"I feel like I've heard these questions before." A smile that matches Jane's fall to my lip.
"Jane…" I raise an eyebrow and my smile turns into a slight smirk.
"We're at the hospital Maura. My name is Jane Rizzoli and you're Maura Isles. Please don't make me tell you who the president is because we both know I don't have a politically correct name for him." I can't stop the laugh that comes out from Jane's snarkiness. My eyes search her face and I can't help but let my heart swell as I take her in.
She's taken the compress off of her eyes that are bright and happy despite what her body has gone through. Her physical demeanor is still strong. Something has changed since I last saw her. I'm not sure what though. My silence must worry Jane because her eyebrows scrunch together.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Jane raises her non injured hand and rubs it across her face. Instinctively, I reach up and grab her wrist pulling it away from her face.
"No, you look beautiful Jane." My brain comes to a screeching halt when my words register. I see confusion flash across Jane's eyes.
"Well, I don't feel it. I feel like I got hit by a Mack truck." A ping of hurt bounces around my chest at the words and I pull Jane's hand down to rest inbetween mine.
"Do you remember what happened, Jane?" Jane's eyes search left to right like she's trying to dig through her memories.
"Ah… kinda. Some of it is hazy." I watch Jane's face as she keeps thinking. "I was with Niko at the docks, uhm Amato showed up. He and his guys did a number on me. The last thing I remember was free falling then hitting the water. It was cold and dark. Did Martinez get them, did they get the bust?" Jane looks at me expectantly and I don't know the answer to her question.
"I'm not sure. Martinez, he's just outside. I can get him if you'd like?" Jane lacing her fingers with mine causes my eyes to fall down to our hands.
"No, it's okay. I'd rather have your company anyway." I look back up and meet Jane's eyes. They're softer and filled with an emotion I'm not sure of.
"Jane…" I decide to cut myself off before I say something I shouldn't. Jane's eyes search my face and for a brief second I consider throwing caution to the wind and telling her how I feel. How being without her these last couple weeks made me come to terms with and realize my feelings for her.
"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours, Maura?" Jane brushes her thumb across the top of my hand and it makes butterflies erupt in my stomach as I look into her eyes
"Jane, I…" The door to Jane's room causes me to snap my mouth shut. Jane's face goes pale and her eyes widen. With confusion on my face I look back to see who could've possibly walked in to scare Jane.
My eyes fall on a blonde coming through the door. She has on black jeans, a white t-shirt, a burgundy leather jacket and matching suede booties. I mentally commend her sense in fashion. She has long blonde hair and when she turns around her light blue eyes pierce through the dim lighting in the room. There's a scar from her eyebrow to her hairline, there's a pinkness in the scar that reflects just how cold it is outside. She's carrying a black leather jacket and only when she starts walking closer do my ears pick up on the fact Jane's heart monitor is going crazy. My eyes draw away from the woman as Jane quickly pulls her hand away and places it on her hip where her handgun is normally holstered. Instinctively, I stand up to be between Jane and the intruder.
"Who are you? It is evident you are not wanted here so please leave before I have you removed." Icy blues look between Jane and I but they settle on Jane.
"Still a friend Jane. Promise." I watch as the blonde goes to stand at the foot of Jane's bed. She oozes confidence and swagger.
"Yeah, even after we arrested your crew and I outed myself as a detective? Our last interaction wasn't really the nicest." The pieces line up and fall into place.
"You're Niko?" Her eyes snap over to me and a small smile forms on her lips.
"She told you about me?" Niko's words make a pit in my stomach being that line. That is a line someone uses when your current someone's ex someone shows up when you're at the bar. I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Her eyes search my face then look me up and down before they fall back to Jane. "This is her?" I don't hear Jane give an audible answer but Niko extends her hand and I'm apprehensive to take it. "I don't bite. Unless you ask me to." A small smirk falls to her lips. I slowly take Niko's hand and she gives it a shake.
"Maura…" Niko nods her head then drops my hand.
"I know who you are. Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." I look back at Jane who looks just as stunned as I feel.
"How?" Jane speaks up then I look back at Niko waiting for her explanation.
"You know I have contacts. But mainly because I googled you Jane. I had to make sure you were who you said you were. I couldn't find a single article about you without a mention of the Doc here." Niko motions to me but still looks at Jane.
"What are you doing here Niko?" She raises the leather jacket and rests it over the footboard of the bed.
"You let me borrow it and I wanted to make sure you got it back." The fact Jane gave Niko a jacket to borrow makes the pit in my stomach grow just a little bigger.
"That's it? Just returning a jacket?" I look over at Jane who has skepticism on her face.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay too. I heard about what happened. Word travels fast. You are okay though, right?" I look at Niko who's looking at me already like she's expecting me to answer.
"She's okay." I look over at Jane and she nods her head letting me know it's okay to tell her more. I meet Niko's eyes and I stand a little taller. "She has a pretty serious concussion, minor lacerations to the back of her head, a sprained wrist and a little orbital bruising. She could be in a lot worse shape." Niko nods her head then looks over at Jane.
"Do you remember what happened? Anything?" I look at Jane too and wait for her answer.
"Not a lot. Amato's guy threw me into the Harbor. That's the last I remember."
"Has anyone told you anything else?" Jane nods her head no.
"Okay… If you think of anything let me know. I'm sorry this happened." Theres a sincerity in her eyes and voice that is unexpected.
"Thanks…" Jane offers then Niko looks over at me.
"She's a good one, Doc. I might not know her like you do but the parts of Jane I do know. She's a rare one. Don't lose her." I'm taken back by her words but I offer a smile.
"I know she's a good one. I'm going to do my best to not lose her." With a simple nod Niko heads back to the door.
"Jane, if you need anything you know where to find me." With her last words Niko leaves Jane's room and I look back at Jane. Her eyes are glued to where Niko was standing.
"So, that was her? The big boss?" Jane looks over at me and nods her head.
"Yeah, the brains of the operation." Jane lets out a sigh then looks down at her hands.
"The beauty too. She's pretty. Really pretty." I take my seat back down beside Jane on the bed. "I thought the big bosses were only really pretty in the movies." A wave of tension rolls off of Jane and I can feel that she's hiding something. "Are you okay?" Jane nods her head in response. "Jane, don't shut me out. I feel the tension rolling off of you. Something is wrong." Jane looks up at me as she chews on her lip.
"She tried to kiss me Maura." Jane's words cut through my chest like a knife and I can feel the air leave my lungs.
"Oh." I try swallowing the lump in my throat but it doesn't go away.
"And some part of me wanted her to." I stand at Jane's words feeling the need for some space between us. I clear my throat.
"Okay, I can go get her and I can leave." My voice drips with hurt and I can't help but be angry with myself for letting my emotions come out. "I'll go find her…" As I turn to move away from the bed Jane grabs my wrist pulling me back towards her.
"I don't want her Maura. I want you. She tried to kiss me and I told her that it would feel like I was cheating on you if I let her kiss me." Jane's words catch me by surprise.
"Oh." I mentally facepalm myself for only being able to give that response. Jane drops my hand and slowly pulls it back to her side. I can see Jane starting to build her walls again and I can't help but panic.
"I'm getting kind of tired. I'm going to go back to sleep. You should go." My heart that had been soaring seconds ago comes crashing down. With a deep breath I sit down beside Jane and place a hand on her cheek causing her eyes to meet mine. The sheen of tears in her eyes make my chest ache.
"You'd think after three weeks without you I'd be able to be up front with you about how I feel." Jane blinks in confusion and a tear streams down her face. Slowly, I brush it away as my eyes search her face. "For what it's worth, I'm glad she didn't kiss you." A hopefulness fills Jane's eyes.
"You are?" I nod my head and Jane leans into my hand.
"I am. Because…" I let out a sigh as I move a little bit closer to Jane. "I love you, Jane. I love you so much." A smile appears on Jane's face and I match it.
"You do?" I nod my head yes.
"I don't know when or how it happened but I do. I think I finally registered my feelings for you when I found out you transferred back to DCU. Knowing that I wouldn't see you everyday anymore. No more morning coffee dates. No more working cases with you. Then I found out you were going undercover and my world stopped spinning because that meant no more you period. I didn't know if it was going to be a short stint or long stint. Because Lyons, he's been undercover for almost a year now and I couldn't bear the thought of not seeing you. Not having my best friend. Not having my partner in crime. You are my better half Jane. I want you to be a permanent thing in my life. I want to spend Sunday mornings sipping coffee with you. You'll be reading the paper and I'll be reading some new medical article. I want to cheer on the Red Sox with you even though I'm still not sure of the whole baseball thing." I take a deep breath and study Jane's face. "I don't want someone else. Detective. Best friend. Anything. I want you Jane. I want our coffee dates in the morning. I want to have our movie and wine nights. I want the sleepovers. I want to have you by my side for as long as you'll have me. I love you Jane." Jane's eyes are glued to mine and she opens her mouth to say something but closes it. She tilts her head and smiles.
"Maura…" My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Come here." I lean closer towards Jane. "Closer." I inch a bit closer. "Just a bit more." When I lean in one last time, Jane reaches up and places her hand on the side of my neck. Her eyes drop to my lips then meet my eyes again. "I love you too." Jane leans up just enough so her nose brushes against mine and my eyes flutter closed at the soft touch. I can't help but lean in a touch more in hopes to find purchase on Jane's lips. "Maura." A grovely tone has mixed in with Jane's voice and it makes my stomach do somersaults. I can feel her breath against my cheek and it sends chills down my spine. I open my eyes, meeting Jane's. Her eyes are a darker shade of brown than what I'm used to. Beautiful nonetheless.
"Hm?" Once again brown eyes flick down to my lips but linger just a second longer this time.
"You're the one I want to kiss. Not Niko." Brown eyes come back up and meet mine. A light blush spreads across Jane's cheeks and once again I lean in brushing my nose along Jane's cheek.
"Then, kiss me, Jane" My voice is a whisper and I know Jane heard me as she leans in and plants her lips against mine. Soft and delicate, much like butterfly wings. My eyes close on their own accord at the barely there touch. Moving in closer I deepen the kiss. Jane's breath hitches and she moves the hand that was resting on my neck to fist my hair on the back of my head. I start feeling light headed, as Jane kisses me back with fever. We fall into a bubble where time and space are limitless. I can't help but relish in the favorable difference between kissing Jane and any other men I have kissed before her. The soft lips and skin verses the rough or chapped lips and the stubble covered skin. All of my senses are heightened. The feel of her skin under my fingers. The smell of her shampoo and conditioner when I breathe in through my nose. The sound of the small moans coming from Jane. The almost nonexistent taste of her chapstick. It's all intoxicating.
Jane pulls away and I can't help but chase after her lips. With her forehead resting against mine I look at Jane finally. Her shoulders rising and falling as she tries to level her breathing. Her eyes are still closed but there's the slightest smile on her lips. Jane opens her eyes and her smile widens.
"I love you too, Maura."