A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter. If I see there's interest I'll post sooner. Thank you for all the reviews, favs and follows. They really do make my day. Try to have patience as the plot develops. Enjoy!

P.S. Anything in italics is the show.

Chapter 6

Mass General E.R. Waiting Room – Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

Maura has been in the trauma bay for over an hour with no news. I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin. I keep rubbing my hands, and I can't stay still. I just got a text from Nina telling me that she faxed Maura's power of attorney to the hospital and that a uniform is on his way with the original. I hope he hurries because I might need that document soon. I'm so busy worrying that I don't notice Dr. Hope Martin running into the waiting room until she says, "Jane, how is she?'

"Not good. The bastard almost beat the life out of her. She has internal bleeding, a possible cheek and eye fracture, and a ton of bruises. There's also the possibility that she's been sexually assaulted," I explain.

Hope gasps, and as she begins to weep, she whispers, "My God, how could you let this happen?"

"Excuse me?!" I answer loudly.

"Maura has been hurt again because of you. First, Charles Hoyt attacks her in that prison infirmary, intending to kill her. Then, Alice Sands arranges her kidnapping, and her accomplice beats her until you found her. Now another sociopath that wants to hurt you kidnaps her and almost kills her again.When is it going to be enough for you? When are you going to let Maura go so that this stops happening to her?" Hope tearfully argues.

I can feel the blood rushing to my face as I angrily respond, "I can't control what a fucking sociopath does. I can only control what I do, and it's not my fault these people have tried to hurt me by taking Maura. I left everybody and everything I love in a futile attempt to stop this from happening again, and it didn't work. I should never have left. I should have been here to protect her, and I'll never forgive myself for that."

"You're not good for my daughter. I don't know what happened in Paris, but she wasn't the same when she returned. It's obvious that you hurt her deeply, and I've had the agony of seeing her suffer," Hope retorts angrily.

"What happened in Paris is something that is none of your business and something I'm going to resolve with Maura at the right moment. Constance Isles is her mother, not you. My biggest regret is leaving her, and I'm never going to make the same mistake again. If you could see she was in pain, why didn't you pick up your phone and call me? Did it ever dawn on you that maybe I would have been in a position to help?" I spat. If she weren't related to Maura by blood, I would have already thrown this woman out.

"As far as I'm concerned, the best thing you can do for Maura is to go back to Virginia and distance yourself. It's the best thing for both of you," Hope retorts angrily.

This woman is starting to make me see red. As I'm about to respond, I hear behind me, "Janie, maybe you should go back to Virginia. You found her. You did what you came here to do. We'll take it from here. We'll take good care of her, and we'll keep her safe."

Hearing that is like a stab in the heart. I turn back to my mother to say, "How could you say that? I left her thinking you guys could take care of her for me, but not one of you had the decency to call me when she was obviously in pain. If you had been taking care of her, one of you would have called me to tell me what was going on. And it wouldn't have taken 72 hours for you all to notice that she was missing. The bottom line is that if I would have been here, maybe this wouldn't have happened. It's my fault. Get it through you thick head Ma; I'm never leaving her again."

"But Jane, there's someone out there that wants to kill you. Staying here is too dangerous," Ma argues.

"Being in Virginia isn't going to keep me safe, Ma. The bastard had photographs of me outside my Virginia apartment. So, shipping me off isn't going to keep me any safer than staying here," I angrily argue.

As my mother was about to reply, a doctor comes in and calls "Isles."

Both Hope and I quickly walk over to him. Immediately ask, "How is she?"

"I'm Dr. Darren James. We are green-lighting her to the O.R. It's a miracle she didn't bleed out. Whoever inserted the chest tube probably saved her life. There's internal bleeding, and we won't know how bad until we operate. She's already had two units of whole blood, and we're preparing more. Dr. Isles did make us aware that she only has one kidney,and we're crossing our fingers that that organ is hopefully not the cause of the internal bleeding. She also informed us that she's allergic to Ibuprofen.They should be wheeling her into the O.R. as we speak. After we assess the damage, a nurse will come out and explain the situation. But we're confident that we can repair the damage," Doctor James explains.

"I want to see her lab results and all her scans," Hope orders. I can't help but roll my eyes. She doesn't have an idea of what's coming.

"And you are?" Dr. James asks.

"I'm Dr. Hope Martin. I'm her mother."

"I'm sorry, but I can only release that information to Detective Jane Rizzoli. I assume that is you, correct?" Dr. James says as he smiles at me.

"That's correct. How long is the surgery?" I quickly ask.

"Wait, I'm her mother. I should be the one making all medical decisions for her," Hope passionately argues.

I've had enough. I glare at Hope and growl, "You've been around for three years max, and I've been with her for more than eight. And as I recall at the beginning, you wanted nothing to do with her. Her mother is Constance Isles, not you. I have a signed power of attorney, giving me the authority to make medical decisions for her. So, I suggest you back off if you want me to keep you informed on her condition. But I've had enough of you. My next step is to have you physically escorted out."

Hope doesn't say another word and walks away. I see my mother following her out. I guess that answers the question of how Hope found out Maura was here. I turn back to the doctor and ask, "Is there something I need to sign?

The doctor nods and hands me his clipboard. After I sign it, he says, "Somebody will be out soon to give you an update. We're going to do everything we can for her."

I nod, and he walks out. I find the nearest chair and collapse into it. I know I need food, and I need rest, but all that takes a back seat until I know Maura is okay and protected. And I have to remember to take Kent out of my annoying people file and add him to my friend file. He'll probably continue to get on my nerves, but I will never be able to repay him for saving Maura. I don't know how much time passes before I feel my Ma's hand on mine, and I hear her ask, "Janie, are you okay?"

I can't help but glare at her for asking such a stupid question. I sarcastically answer, "Yeah, Ma, I'm just great. Not a worry in the world."

"I'm going to let that go because you're upset," Ma says.

I shake my head in disbelief and ask, "Then why ask me such a dumb question if you already know the answer. Why are you making this harder?"

Ma says, "Jane, I'm on your side, but maybe Hope is right. Maybe it would be best for both of you if you weren't so close anymore."

I don't understand what's happening. For once in my life, my mother has left me speechless. I look at her in disbelief and say, "Since when do we disown family members for any reason? Tommy almost killed a priest, and when he got out of prison, you took him back with open arms. Maura is more than family. She's been the most amazing friend I've ever had. Maura has tolerated all of our Rizzoli family drama, she gave you a free place to live when Pop put you out on the street,and you want me to walk away from her?"

"Jane, we'll take good care of her. Her mom is a doctor. She'll be fine," Ma pleads.

"Enough! Maura is a target because of some sociopath who wants to hurt me. Me, Ma, me! Hope is not Maura's mother; Constance Isles is her mother. Get this through your head; I'm not walking away from Maura unless she tells me to. Am I clear?" I angrily state.

"I'm just looking out for both of you," Ma says.

I can't do this. I can only handle one disaster at a time, and right now, I need to focus on sociopath #1, the Surgeon 2.0. And close behind comes psychopath #2, Paddy Doyle. I don't have the time or energy to deal with my Ma.

I turn to her and look at her in the eyes as I say, "I need you to leave me alone. I don't have the time or energy to deal with you. I have more important things to worry about, like hunting down the animal who kidnapped Maura. I'm only going to say this one more time; I'm not leaving Maura unless she tells me she wants nothing else to do with me. I'm going to stay and take care of her and protect her. And more importantly, I'm going to find who did this and make them regret they were ever born."

"Jane, you're not even a police officer anymore. You can't investigate a crime anyone," Ma points out.

"I'm surprised you didn't know. The Chief of Police of this great city has reinstated me. He wants me to be the next Detective Sergeant of the Homicide Unit. So, you can stop trying to ship me off to Virginia because I'm only going back to pack up my apartment and come back home," I explain.

"He what?! He can't do that. What about the F.B.I.?" Ma shrieks in disbelief.

I roll my eyes and continue, "He's the Chief of B.P.D., and he can hire and fire whomever he damn well pleases. The Chief is going to smooth things over with the F.B.I. for me. Now that you know, please stop trying to ship me off because that's no longer an option. Instead, why don't you help me instead? Ask your friend Hope over there if she'll do you the favor of asking the love of her life, Paddy Doyle, to cancel the one million dollar hit he put out on my life. Now that would be incredibly helpful."

Ma didn't see this coming. For the first time in my life I've made, my mother, Angela Rizzoli, entirely speechless. I should mark the day in a calendar because this probably won't ever happen again. In a minute, she stutters, "Paddy Doyle…wants you…dead."

"Yes, he's upset I wasn't here to protect Maura," I add.

"A hit," Is all Ma can say, and I'm out of patience. I get up and say, "Please leave me alone."

As I walk away, I can see she's coming out of her stupor. I see her zero in on Hope, and she makes a beeline to her. I'm hoping maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I just gave Ma something else to focus on and maybe get a break from her. I glance back at them, and I can see they're having a heated conversation. Who knows? Perhaps she can convince Hope to help get Paddy off my back. If there's anyone who can persuade him, it's Hope. If there's someone who can persuade Hope to help me, it's my Ma Angela Rizzoli.

Mass General E.R. Waiting Room – Tuesday at 7 p.m.

"Janie, how is she?" Frankie asks as he runs into the E.R. waiting room.

It's 7 p.m. and still no news. I stop my pacing to answer, "Maura's still in surgery. It turns out she has a punctured kidney. She also has severe bruising to her liver and spleen. The doctor might have to remove her spleen to stop the bleeding. Frankie, her one functioning kidney, has been punctured."

"But she's going to be okay, right?"

"I don't know, Frankie. If they can't repair the damage, she could die. God, you have no idea how much I regret encouraging Maura to pursue a relationship with Hope. In the beginning, she treated her like trash, but then she realized that she needed a kidney for her real daughter. I tried to discourage her from donating the organ, but you know Maura," I whimper as fresh tears run down my face. Just the thought of Maura dying make the tears appear. I never thought it was possible to cry this much.

"Janie, look at me," Frankie orders, and when I meet his gaze, he continues, "Maura is strong and healthy. Hope doesn't deserve to have Maura as a daughter, but let's not dwell on the past. In the present, Maura is alive and receiving the best care available. And Jane, don't forget, Maura is a fighter; she'll make it."

I try to cling to his words as if they were the only possible ending to this mess and say, "I hope you're right, Frankie. Because I don't know what I'll do if something happens to her, in all honesty, you're going to have to arrest me on two counts of murder."

"Come on, Jane. It's going to be okay. What else can you tell me about her condition?" Frankie asks, trying to distract me from planning the perfect murder. But he's not naïve either. If Maura doesn't make it, he will have to protect Dr. Hope Martin from me.

"The bastard didn't break her cheekbone. He just bruised it. That's the only good news I've gotten. She needs an eye X-ray to see if the bastard didn't break or fracture her orbital socket. It's going to take weeks, if not months, for her to heal completely," I explain as I try to wipe my tears away. I can't help but wonder if a person can run out of tears. I haven't stopped crying for almost 18 hours.

I've been here for almost seven hours just waiting, and my patience is running thin. I'm going to give them one more hour before raising hell. Somebody is going to tell me what's going on with Maura. Frankie looks around and nods at my two new shadows. He looks back at me and states, "I see your bodyguards found you."

I roll my eyes and say, "Yeah, I got to give Korsak credit. They were waiting for me when I came into the waiting room. Thankfully they're giving me my space and are not hovering over me. I sent the other two upstairs to Maura. I know they can't be in the operating room, but they sure as hell can be right outside the doors. And I'm assuming that that's where they are because they didn't call me or come back."

Frankie begins to rub the back of his neck (another wonderful Rizzoli trait) as he nervously says, "I heard Ma came to see you."

"Frankie, you have to help me; I don't have the time or energy to deal with her," I plead.

"She's mad at me. Ma is very upset with me because I didn't tell her about your reinstatement or tell her that Paddy Doyle put a hit on you," Frankie says as he catches a glimpse of Hope on the other side of the waiting room.

"Did she get Hope to help get Paddy off my back?" I ask, hopefully.

"She refused to get involved," Frankie says.

I roll my eyes and say, "Well, there's a shock."

Frankie looks over at Hope, and he's met with a glare. He turns back to me and states the obvious, "That lady doesn't like Rizzoli's, huh?"

"No, but she didn't mind our mother until she asked her to help get Paddy off my back," I say as I glare back at Hope.

"Look, Jane, Korsak is arranging for Paddy to FaceTime with Maura when she's well enough to see for himself that she's okay. Korsak already sent word to Paddy, but the bastard won't cancel the hit until he sees Maura for himself," Frankie explains.

I shake my head as I reply, "Frankie, he's going to want to kill me when he sees what that monster did to her. Doyle will know that his daughter is a target because of me. He's going to want my head on a stake."

Frankie puts his hands on my shoulders and calmly says, "Even if Paddy doesn't cancel the hit he put out on you, we're going to protect you. Nothing is going to happen to Maura or you. I promise Janie."

I try to take solace in his words. I hug him and whisper, "Thank you, Frankie. I'm so proud of you."

He kisses the side of my head and replies as he pulls back, "I learned from the best. Now, how can I help?"

"What about 2.0? Do we have anything on him? Did Nina pull any video of him dumping Maura? And what about the envelope full of photographs? Have they been processed yet? Is Maura in any of the photographs? Was he stalking her too? Has Dean shared all the information they have on 2.0?" I ask in rapid succession.

Frankie smiles and says, "Slow down, Janie."

He pulls out a badge and says, "Compliments from Cavanaugh. He took it out of evidence, and Kent cleaned it up for you. Cavanaugh said, and I quote, 'This is the last badge you're ever getting from B.P.D., so I suggest you guard it with your life.'"

I can't help but smirk as I clip it onto my belt. Three hours ago, I went into the E.R. and found Maura's belongings, and I was relieved to see my badge in the bag. If I had lost it, I don't know how I would have told Cavanaugh that I lost my 2-hour old badge. I look back at Frankie and say, "Answer my questions, Frankie."

"Cavanaugh, Dean, and Korsak had a very, very loud meeting. I mean, Janie, we could hear them out in the bullpen. We blindsided Dean with the photographs we found. According to Korsak, Dean went speechless for a minute or two. Then Cavanaugh and Korsak read him the riot act. After they finished yelling at him, he contacted the F.B.I. and their Boston Field Office and arranged for them to send us everything they have on 2.0," Frankie says.

"Well, that's something. What about the photographs?"

From the look on Frankie's face, I'm not going to like what he's about to say. When he hesitates, I say, "Just say it, Frankie."

"2.0 was also stalking Maura. He was stalking both of you for months. I don't know how, but he even has photographs of the interior of Maura's house," Frankie blurts out.

Frankie just knocked the wind out of me. I can feel the color drain from my face, and I barely notice that I sat down before I hear Frankie say, "The F.B.I. is sweeping Maura's house as we speak. We think he might have broken in and put up hidden cameras around her house. Or simply broke in when Ma and Maura were at work. We don't know."

"Home is where you're supposed to feel safe. How the fuck am I going to tell her that this sociopath got into her home? All of this is happening because this bastard wants to hurt me." I whisper. If I were positive that disappearing would stop this from happening, I would run now.

Frankie grabs my hand and passionately says, "This is not your fault, Jane. It's not your fault that there's a nut job out there that has decided to focus his attention on you. Neither you nor Maura did anything to deserve this. Maura isn't going to be happy with this new information, but she knows that this isn't your fault."

I decide to continue. I'll wrestle with my guilt later. "What about Nina? Do we have any video? Tell me she found something."

Frankie sighs and braces himself for my reaction once again, "Janie, he blacked out the cameras and hacked into some of the security systems in the area."

"How the hell is that possible? We're the fucking Boston Police Department, and we can't buy cameras that a laser pointer can disable? We're the fucking police, and you're telling me anyone can compromise our security system? Come on!" I yell. I can't fucking believe this. A 5-dollar laser pointer can blackout a police surveillance camera, and our security system isn't secured.

"Jane, calm down," Frankie pleads.

"No, you calm down! This is unbelievable!" I yell. I'm so angry right now. I feel hot, and I want to break something. I close my eyes, and as I try to remember the breathing exercises Maura taught me, I hear a voice say, "Hi."

My day keeps getting better and better. I turn around and growl, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you were."

"Why me? I'm not the one having emergency surgery. I'm not the one that he beat within an inch of her life, Dean." I reply angrily.

"Oh, right, Maura, how is she?" Dean asks, absent mindlessly.

"Oh, right, Maura," I mimic and then angrily answer, "Maura isn't unimportant. She's not a second or third thought. Maura is a person, the most amazing person I've ever met. And if you're not going to show her the proper respect, you can leave."

"Look, I didn't mean to be so insensitive. I know that Maura is your best friend. I'm sorry," Dean says.

"She's a lot more than that. The best thing you can do for me is to leave me the hell alone. I don't want you anywhere near me," I spat.

"Whether you like it or not, you do need me, Jane. There are multiple people out there that want to kill you. You're a walking lottery ticket," Dean angrily retorts.

Thank God, Frankie steps in and loudly answers, "Screw you! My sister doesn't need your protection. We've got her covered. So, if you want to be of use, go back to your field office and catch 2.0 before he kills any more innocent women."

In typical male behavior, Dean puffs out his chest, and as he takes a step towards Frankie, he smirks, "You can't tell me what to do. But you can tell me how it feels to live in your sister's shadow."

Frankie pushes Dean and yells, "At least I don't put people in danger! How didn't you know 2.0 was stalking Jane and Maura right under your fucking nose?! Huh, smart ass?! Is that how you have things under control? It seems to me that 2.0 was the one that was entirely in control!"

That last comment makes Dean push Frankie hard, and now they're acting like complete idiots. I get in the middle, and as I shove them away from each other, I loudly say, "You two either behave like law enforcement officers, or I'm going to have both of you escorted out! Am I clear!"

Both of them nod, back away from each other, but continue to glare at each other like two five-year-olds. Great, just great. Like I need more drama. After getting both their attention, I say, "Dean, stay the hell away from me. I can't order you to leave the hospital, but I sure as hell can order you away from me. I have the right to accept or reject your protection, and I reject it! Is that understood!"

Dean nods but doesn't leave. He joins Hope at the other end of the waiting room. Damn it, there's nothing more I can do about him, so I turn to my brother and say, "You go back to the station and work the case. Go, Frankie. I'll be fine."

I feel his brain working. He keeps glaring at Dean as he mumbles, "Are you sure, Jane?"

"Yes, I'm sure. The best way you can help me is to find this monster and to keep our mother away from me. After you have something new to report, send Korsak, okay?" I say.

"Why can't I come back?" Frankie pouts.

"Because I need someone here that isn't going to punch an F.B.I. agent."

Frankie smirks and says, "Then, you shouldn't be here, either."

I playfully shove him and say, "True, but I'm here for Maura. I won't do anything that will prevent me from being here, from seeing her. That fact alone will help keep my temper in check."

Frankie nods and kisses the side of my head and says as he leaves, "I'll have Korsak bring you something to eat and the backpack you brought from Virginia. I'm assuming you're not leaving the hospital until she does, correct?"

"Who says you're not a great detective?" I smile. Aww, I made my little brother blush.

He kisses the side of my head, and I go back to waiting for word.