Chapter 16: New Year's Eve

A/N: Just a short chapter to bridge to the final chapters. We're almost to the end.

Monday, December 30

"Achoo!" Jane sneezed into Maura's hair. "Sorry," Jane muttered, and Maura giggled in response. Maura's head was still resting on Jane's chest, where she had slept all night, and they both still had their arms wrapped around each other.

Maura lifted her head too look at Jane, taking in her flushed cheeks and red nose. "I told you you'd get sick," she teased, but Jane could still hear the sympathy in her voice.

Jane snuggled Maura closer. "Does that mean we can spend the day together in bed?" she asked.

"That may be a possibility," Maura replied, returning her head to its place on Jane's chest, unwilling to remove her arms from around Jane. "I'm sorry I got you sick," she added.

"It's okay," Jane said quietly. "I don't think I got it as bad as you. Achoo!"

Maura laughed again. "You sure about that?" she teased.

Jane laughed, but her laughter quickly turned into a cough.

Maura quickly sat up in concern, pulling Jane with her. "It'll be easier to breathe if you expand your lungs," she said gently as she rubbed comforting circles on Jane's back. She reached over and placed the back of her hand against Jane's forehead. "I think you likely only have a low-grade fever."

"I'm okay," Jane said as her coughing subsided. She slumped back against the pillows, but Maura was still looking at her with concern. "Really, I'm okay; I just need a lazy day today."

"O…k…Achoo!" Maura tried. "I think I do too," she added as she leaned against the headboard next to Jane. She rested her head against Jane's shoulder until she started sneezing again.

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!" Jane reached over to grab some Kleenex for herself, passing a few to Maura as well. "We're kinda gross."

Maura chuckled. "Mmmm, yes, a bit," she admitted. She leaned over to give Jane a soft kiss on the cheek. "I am sorry that I got you sick, but I loved having you take care of me."

"Always," Jane said. "Do you think someone will bring us coffee?" she asked after a while.

"Yes, I do," Maura said. "We can call William or my mother."

"We should call your mother," Jane said. "She can always send someone else, but I think she wants to take care of you."

"Okay," Maura whispered, a soft smile on her lips. Maura leaned over, picking up her phone from her nightstand and dialing her mother's number.

"Good morning, darling," Constance answered. "Is everything okay?"

"Jane caught my cold," Maura explained. "We were wondering if…"

"Say no more," Constance cut her off, "I'll bring tea, coffee, everything you'll need."

"Thank you, mother," Maura replied.

"That was quick," Jane said with a laugh.

"She said she'd bring everything we needed. She didn't even let me finish asking, nor did she wait for me to say goodbye before she hung up."

"Mmm, come here," Jane grumbled as she pulled Maura back against her. "I wanna hold you 'til she gets here."

"I suppose I can allow that," Maura hummed, smiling into Jane's embrace.

They laid together, wrapped up in each other, until there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Maura said, extracting herself from Jane's arms.

"I have to use the bathroom," Jane said, following her out of bed.

By the time Jane returned from the bathroom, she was freezing, so she started a fire while Constance and Maura unloaded the cart Constance had brought. Jane pulled on her sweatshirt before joining them on the couch, where Maura threw a blanket over both of their laps.

Constance handed Maura a cup of tea before asking Jane, "Would you like tea or coffee?"

"Coffee, please."

"Jane, tea would be better than coffee with your cold," Maura suggested, and Constance had to stifle her laughter.

Constance stood up and – still trying to hide her laughter – said, "I'm going to draw you a bath while the two of you figure this out."

"One cup of coffee, then I'll switch to tea," Jane negotiated.

"Fine," Maura conceded with a warm smile. "One!"

Jane helped herself to a cup of coffee with a satisfied smirk on her face. Maura rolled her eyes with a little shake of her head, hiding her smile behind her mug of tea.

Constance returned. "A bath will help you both feel better," she said. "I'll come back around lunchtime with fresh tea and something light for lunch."

"Thank you, mother," Maura replied, offering her mother a genuine smile. "We really appreciate it."

"Of course, darling," Constance replied. She leaned over Maura to kiss her forehead and reached to give Jane's hand a squeeze before she let herself out of the room.

When the door closed, Jane turned to Maura, "Did your mother just suggest we bathe together?"

Maura laughed. "Are you saying you don't want to take a bath with me?" she teased.

"Oh, I definitely do," Jane said. "I just wasn't expecting your mother to suggest it."

Maura rolled her eyes and stood up. Holding her hand out to Jane, "Come on."

Jane took it and followed Maura to the bathroom. When Maura reached out and pulled Jane's top over her head, all Jane wanted to do was pull Maura to her and kiss her, but they were both too congested and sick to make that practical. They finished undressing and pulled their hair up. Jane climbed into the bath first, sitting against the back of the tub before Maura stepped in and sat in front of her.

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura and rested her chin on Maura's shoulder. Maura hummed in contentment as she leaned into Jane, resting her arms over Jane's and linking their fingers together.

Jane sniffed loudly in Maura's ear causing them both to laugh. "Sorry," Jane grumbled. "How do we manage to make this both sexy and disgusting at the same time?"

Maura giggled. "I like it," Maura said quietly, her voice full of vulnerability. "I don't like that we're sick," she clarified quickly. "I just like…I like…um…"

Jane laughed but squeezed Maura tighter to her. "I know what you're trying to say," she saved Maura.

Maura huffed in frustration with herself, but her breath hitched when Jane's fingers started grazing her stomach.

"This is helping with my congestion," Jane said.

Maura reached up to Jane's forehead. "You feel less feverish, as well,"

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked.

"Much better than yesterday," Maura told her. "I'll be fine in a day or two."

A while later they were both back on the couch in front of a roaring fire. Jane was lying on her side with her head in Maura's lap. Maura was running her fingers through Jane's hair, playing idly with her curls.

"Maybe your mom wants to watch a movie with us after lunch?" Jane suggested. "She's already been in the same room with us, so if she doesn't sit too close, it'd be okay, right?"

"As long as she sits in the chair while we're on the couch, she should be fine, but I think she likely has plans today," Maura said.

"We can always ask," Jane said. "If she's busy, she'll tell us."

Maura nodded but didn't respond. They relaxed in silence for a while longer until there was a knock on the door.

Constance stuck her head in the door. "Is it okay if I come in?" she asked. "I don't want either of you to get up."

"Yes, please come in," Maura said. Despite her mother's comments, she started to shift Jane, who had fallen asleep, off of her so that she could stand, but Constance noticed.

"No, please don't get up," Constance said. "I'll bring everything over to you."

"Thank you," Maura told her mother before turning back to Jane. Running her fingers through Jane's hair a few more times, she tried to rouse her. "Jane, lunch is here," she said softly. "Jane."

Jane started to stir, eventually lifting herself off of Maura's lap. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep," she mumbled.

"It's okay, honey," Constance answered first, surprising both Maura and Jane with the use of the pet name. "You both need rest to get better. I brought soup and macaroni and cheese for lunch."

"Thank you, Constance," Jane said as she chose some macaroni and cheese. Maura opted for the vegetable soup.

They ate quietly for a while, Constance sharing stories about her and Arthur's past few days and plans for New Year's.

"Oh, I should let everyone know that we're ill," Maura said suddenly. "Let me text Margaret." Just as she started to put down her phone, she received a reply. "Margaret asked if we could reschedule. They'd like to still get together before we leave," she told Jane.

"That's fine with me," Jane said. "We don't fly home until Sunday."

"Mother, we also want to spend time with you and father before we leave," Maura said. "What are your plans over the next few days?"

"We're planning to go out tomorrow night with John, Catherine, Flo, and Bill, but if you aren't feeling well, maybe we should stay home," Constance said worriedly.

"No, mother, we will be fine," Maura said. "Please don't cancel your New Year's Eve plans."

"Okay, other than that, we don't have any specific plans," Constance said. "I was hoping that the three of us could spend a day in town, and we would like to have dinner together Saturday evening before you leave. Maybe you could suggest Thursday or Friday to have your cousins over?"

"Thank you," Maura replied to her mother as she sent a text back to Margaret. A few minutes later, Margaret responded letting Maura know that Friday worked for the most people, so they finalized plans.

As they finished lunch, Maura asked, "Mother, Jane and I are planning to watch a movie after lunch, we were wondering if you would like to join us. Only if you're not busy," she added quickly.

"I would like that," Constance replied.

They ended up selecting "Love, Actually." Constance sat on the armchair, while Maura snuggled into the corner of the couch closest to her mother. When Jane sat down, Maura guided her back to lying down with her head on her lap. Jane quickly fell asleep to the feeling of Maura's fingers in her hair.

Maura got lost in thought as she only half paid attention to the movie playing. She thought back to all the times she wished her mother had sat with her when she was sick as a child. Even though she was a healthy child and rarely got sick, she still had a couple of distinct memories of lying in bed alone while William stopped by every couple of hours to check on her. She never expected she would eventually spend a few days in one of her childhood homes with the love of her life and her mother both taking care of her while she was sick. She had never felt so loved, and she knew that she owed that in large part to Jane.

Maura barely noticed when Constance excused herself to use the bathroom. On her way back, Constance noticed that Jane's blanket had started to fall off of her, so she stopped to pull it back over her. Maura couldn't help but notice the way her mother made sure to carefully place the blanket over Jane without waking her so that it wouldn't fall off again. She also noticed the gentle brush of Constance's hand on Jane's shoulder. She chose not to comment but it warmed her heart to see her mother direct such a caring, loving gesture towards her girlfriend.

They spent the rest of the day much the same way with Constance fussing over both of them, constantly make sure they had plenty of fluids and any medications they needed. Jane and Maura ended up going to bed relatively early, hoping to feel better the next day.

Tuesday, December 31

Maura and Jane were both feeling significantly better when they woke up on New Year's Eve, but they were still glad they had rescheduled their plans since their energy hadn't fully returned yet. They both took showers and got dressed for the day – albeit in comfortable clothes – before meeting Maura's parents for a late brunch in the family dining room.

"Are you feeling better, sweetheart?" Arthur asked Maura as she leaned towards him to leave a polite kiss on each cheek in way of greeting.

"Yes, thank you," Maura replied. "We're both feeling much better."

"I'm glad," Arthur replied. Turning to Jane, he added, "I'm sorry you fell ill on your vacation."

Jane smiled, recognizing that what appeared to be a relatively benign comment was actually a big step for Arthur in his ability to show his affection. "It's okay," she told him. "I'm having a wonderful time. I cannot thank you and Constance enough for inviting me."

"We're so glad you came," Constance added, joining the conversation as she sat down at the table next to Arthur and across from Maura.

After enjoying a pleasant brunch together, Maura and Jane retired to the theater room, intending to spend the day cuddled together watching movies on the big screen TV. Constance and Arthur stopped by before they went out for the night. They wouldn't be back until morning, so they wished both Maura and Jane a good night and a happy new year.

Since they still weren't feeling 100%, they decided not even to try to stay up until midnight. They shared a chaste kiss before quickly falling asleep before 10pm.

Wednesday, January 1

RING! RING! RING!

Jane woke up abruptly at the sound of her phone ringing. She groaned and blindly reached for her phone.

"Watsgoinon?" Maura mumbled, still half asleep.

"It's Ma," Jane whined as she answered her phone.

"Maaaa," she whined into the phone, hoping to convey her annoyance at the early morning call.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" she heard screams come through the phone. Jane pulled the phone away from her ear, and Maura giggled from her place in Jane's arms. Jane quickly switched her phone to speaker phone.

"It's 6am here," Jane complained.

"Happy New Year, Angela!" Maura added, separating slightly from Jane to be heard.

"Happy New Year, sweetie," Angela said to Maura.

"Happy New Year, Ma," Jane grumbled.

"Happy New Year, baby. I love you both so much! I'll let you get back to sleep."

Jane hung up, and Maura couldn't help laughing at Jane's annoyance.

"Come here, my love," Maura said, pulling Jane into her arms. "Go back to sleep."

"Happy New Year, Maura. I love you."

"Happy New Year, Jane. I love you, too – so, so much!"