Maura had scheduled manicures, pedicures and massages for everyone on the second and third day at sea (Tuesday and Wednesday) so that took care of several hours on those days. They all had some free time to enjoy Bingo, movies, trivia and the pool. Maura was very organized and she knew that the spa appointments went fast so she had booked those when she made the cruise reservations five weeks ago. If they had waited until they were on-board the ship, they may not have had any appointments available. She wanted to make sure everyone was pampered. She knew Jane would put up a fuss, but she also knew deep down Jane would enjoy the spa activities. She was not one for pampering herself but when Maura 'made her do it' she was okay with it. It never ceased to amaze Maura had much Jane whined sometimes at things and then ended up enjoying the activity. She just learned to listen to the fussing and made the appointments anyways. It was one of the many things she loved about her detective.
Jane had a plan also. At breakfast she told everyone about the details of her plan and she said, "Okay, the six of us are on this cruise and I thought it would be great for us to get to know each other better. We are all family in a sense and our lives are intertwined with each other. I would like for each of us to pair off and spend an hour together in an effort to get to know each other better. I realize you know your roommate already so they should be the last person you spend time with." At the look of puzzled faces Jane continued, "Okay let me explain this better, we will start today. I will spend an hour with Constance before lunch and an hour with Hope after lunch. We can use the ship's communication system to coordinate where and when we will meet or we can discuss right now while we are together." Everyone laughed at that. She continued, "tomorrow I will do the same with my ma and then Cailin. The third day I will spend an hour with Maura. Does that make sense?" She watched as everyone nodded their head and then said, "so while I meet with Constance, Maura can meet with Hope, and ma you can meet with Cailin. To make this easier. I set the order of who you are to meet with so we won't try to meet with the same person at the same time:
Tuesday AM Jane – Constance Maura – Hope Angela – Cailin
Tuesday PM
Jane – Hope
Maura – Cailin Angela – Constance
Wednesday AM Jane – Cailin Maura – Angela Hope – Constance
Wednesday PM Jane – Angela Maura – Constance Hope - Cailin
Thursday AM Jane – Maura
Angela – Hope Constance – Cailin
"Right now, while we are talking about it, I will send you an email. I guess I could have printed it out, but this will work also. There are a few things that you can't do. You can't go to a movie because you would not be talking. Don't plan on an event where others are talking or giving instructions. This is designed to get you to talk together. You can play a game in the library, have a meal together or a snack at the International Café etc. Just do something so the two of you are getting to know each other better. We are family after all and we should attempt to get to know each other. Cailin, I know you know your mom, Maura and me but are you okay with spending alone time with Angela and Constance? I do not want to weird you out." Cailin nodded and said, "Of course Jane, I am actually looking forward to it. I mean I see Angela but I have not had the pleasure of spending quality time with either of them so ya I am fine with it."
"Okay, looks like we have meetings to plan, oh our breakfast has arrived perfect timing I am starving." Jane said as everyone chuckled at her. They all knew that Jane is always hungry. Jane was sitting next to Constance so she simply leaned over and asked if she wanted to grab a coffee at the International Café after breakfast. Constance nodded and said, "that will be fine darling." During breakfast everyone planned their meetings. Remembering to factor in their spa appointments if they had them on Tuesday.
Jane walked with Constance to the International Café after giving Maura a quick kiss and hug goodbye. After they got their coffees and sat down by the window Jane asked Constance, "so is everything arranged?" Constance nodded and said, "yes, I have taken care of all the details." Jane smiled and then they proceeded to spend the next 55 minutes discussing what Constance thought of the cruise so far, her upcoming art installations and the current case that Jane had just closed. Jane seemed to be in better spirits after her talk with Constance.
She arrived for her massage appointment a few minutes after Maura. Maura had booked them a hot stone couples massage. "Maura this is awesome I am so looking forward to this massage," Jane stated as she pulled Maura in for a hug from behind. Maura closed her eyes and leaned back into Jane, resting her head on her shoulder. Maura was already in her robe and ready for the massage. "I knew you would fuss if I told you ahead of time that I was planning spa time for us. This massage will do wonders for your body." Maura told Jane with her eyes still closed. "Maura, you give the best massages but the hot stones will be different. If I like it, can you do that at home?" Jane asked as she turned Maura to face her while still holding her in a hug. "mmm, yes." Maura said in a low hum as she reached up to kiss Jane.
Jane quickly ran in to get changed into her robe and came back out and resumed her hug with Maura as they looked out at the ocean before they were escorted to their room to begin their massage. Maura had been reciting the history and benefits of a hot stone massage, "the stones are volcanic basalt and are about 140 degrees. The different sizes are for different parts of the body. Larger stones are used on the legs where medium sized stones are for the arms. Some parts of the body require more pressure than others and the therapist will apply more pressure to help relieve tension that has been built up in the muscles."
As Maura had predicted Jane loved the hot stone massage. She already had booked a certification class for herself so she could be certified to give hot stone massages. All the required items were already on order and should arrive shortly after they return home from the cruise. Her training session is scheduled for the week after they return. Maura always wanted to make sure she was up- to-date on current techniques. She truly loved her detective and didn't think twice about doing things like this to prove her love.
Maura was a little tense going into the massage. She had just met with Hope. Hope wanted to discuss Paddy and that made Maura uncomfortable. She wished Jane was there with her but she just kept telling herself that she could do this and maybe it was better that they get this conversation behind them so they could have a positive mother-daughter relationship. As the conversation progressed tensions died down a little and at the close of the hour they hugged and Hope promised not to bring up the subject of Paddy again. Maura smiled at this.
Although in her own way she loved Paddy she was trying very hard to distance herself from him and she did not want anything to do with his mob style life. She and Jane had already been through so much because of him and she just wanted to be done with him. Maura asked Hope not to discuss Paddy with Jane. Since Jane had shot Paddy, she was very self-conscious of the strain she had caused to her relationship with Maura. Now that Paddy was behind bars and Maura had forgiven her, she did not want to discuss the matter with anyone. Maura did not want Hope to stir up any feelings of resentment or guilt in Jane. It was very hard on Jane and it took Jane awhile to forgive herself for almost losing Maura's chance at finding out anything about her biological mother.
At one point during their massage Maura was feeling a little anxious and reached over and grabbed Jane's hand that was dangling off the side of the table. Jane did not move because she did not want the stones to shift on her back so she just squeezed Maura's hand. They continued to hold each other's hand until the therapists needed to move between them causing them to break the hold. Maura did not want to share with Jane anything about the conversation she had just had with Hope. She knew the remainder of her hour-long sessions would not be as stressful as the one she had just had.
Angela had never really had a chance to talk with Cailin except for the quick hellos and 'how are you' questions. She was looking forward to talking with the teenager. She knew that Cailin was a premed student at BCU and that she was Maura's half-sister but that was about it. She didn't know if she had a boyfriend (or girlfriend). She knew that Jane was spending quality time with Cailin and that they would do things without Maura when she had previous engagements. So, she was looking forward to getting to know a little bit about this young lady that had recently entered her daughter's life.
Angela and Cailin had decided to meet at the Library. Angela was not sure what they would do but she was willing to do whatever the young soon-to-be doctor wanted. When Angela arrived Cailin was sitting with a book and reading glasses on. Angela almost didn't recognize her, she looked so much older with the glasses. She knew it was Cailin though because she was in the same clothes as when she had seen her an hour a go at breakfast. They quickly engaged in conversation. Angela telling stories about when Jane was little and about when Jane first met Maura. Cailin talked about her travels with her mother and the different countries they visited. Neither mentioned the kidney transplant and strange beginnings of her introduction to Maura. The conversation was very positive. Cailin said how she wanted to be a doctor like her mother and sister and how she was leaning towards being a pediatrician. She loved children so much and she shared how she hoped that maybe one day she would get married and have a family. When their hour was up, they hugged each other and said they should really do something together when they get back to Boston. Angela was happy she felt like she just gained another daughter, and a soon-to-be doctor at that.
The six women met for lunch and laughed and had a great time while they ate. They set up times and locations for their next meetings and soon it was time to get their afternoons started. Jane was a little nervous about meeting with Hope. So far things had not gone well when they had met. Jane was trying to be positive. They decided to meet on one of the upper decks and sit outside and chat. Jane wanting to get the meeting over with and not having anything to do for the next hour and a half decided to meet with Hope right after lunch. Then she would meet with Maura to get her
manicure and pedicure.
When Hope arrived at the meeting location Jane was already there. They greeted each other and Jane started with "I will tell you right now that I am not comfortable with this meeting but I feel it is important for us to clear the air. In the short time that I have known you, you have caused Maura a great deal of pain. Maura is my best friend and she means the world to me and I do not want anybody to cause her pain. I know that things did not start off great between the two of you and I have tried to help ease that situation but from this day forward I want you to know that if you ever hurt her again you will be cut out of her life in a heartbeat. She is a wonderful, loving, and generous individual and she deserves to be loved and appreciated. When you told her that she was a mistake that hurt her so deeply and then to deny that she is your daughter and to say that she was making it up, you just deepen the wound. This whole situation with Paddy and you has caused a great deal of stress for her and don't get me started on the kidney issue with Cailin. I love Cailin and she is no way responsible for any of the things that have transpired between you and Maura. No matter what happens between you and Maura Cailin is Maura's sister and will always be allowed to see Maura." Jane took a deep breath and paused.
Hope then said, "look Jane, I know I have made mistakes when it came to how I reacted when I found out Maura was alive. All these years I thought she was dead and I mourned the loss of my baby. It never crossed my mind that Paddy had lied to me. I loved him so much and was heartbroken thinking that my baby girl did not make it. So, thirty plus years later when someone tells me they are my biological daughter that I thought was dead, I was shocked." Tears are rolling down Hope's face and Jane looked at her with a sad face, "Look Hope I did not mean to come off so brash and make you cry. I just love Maura so much I don't want to see her hurt. You have got to find a way to be happy with Maura and either love her like a daughter or leave her alone and not have anything to do with her, it is really that simple you are either all in or totally out of her life. I will not have it any other way. I am very protective of her. She has not had the happiest life so far and I plan to make sure that she is happy for the remainder of her life. I hope you can agree to that. I know she would love to have a normal mother-daughter relationship with you. She has wanted to find out about her biological parents for quite some time now. She and Constance have been working hard on their relationship and she could use another parent, one that is loving and caring and will look out for her as a mother should."
Hope looked at the seriousness of Jane's features and said, "I promise you Jane I want to be that loving and caring mother. I want to have a fresh start with Maura. I know we got off on the wrong foot but I will do my part to change that." They smiled at each other and then Jane said, "so we are supposed to be getting to know each other better so what do you say we change the subject and get to know each other?" "I think that would be a great idea, so what would you like to know about me that you probably do not know from your extensive background check that I know you probably ran on me?" Hope said as she glanced at Jane. Jane smirked and said, "well I did run a background check on you, sorry, I am a detective and it is in my nature to be curious."
"It is fine Jane, I could tell from the first time I met you that you were protective of Maura and that you had probably ran a background check on me," Hope said as she smiled at Jane. "I actually like your protectiveness. As a mother even though I did not raise her I still want to make sure she is protected and loved. You are good for her and she loves you so much that is evident whenever I see the two of you together, or when she talks about you."
Hope continued, "so, you know then that I went to Harvard and had Maura when I was 18. After Paddy told me that Maura had died, we pretty much stopped seeing each other a few months later. I still loved him but we no longer dated. We were just friends. I finished medical school. Years later I met my husband and had Cailin. I run the MEND clinics and that is pretty much my life now that I am divorced. I do research and travel to different countries where I can be of great help. I
came back to Boston because Cailin got sick. I plan on staying put. When I almost lost my second daughter it took a toll on me and made me prioritize my life. I have two daughters not just one and I do not intend to lose either one. I hope someday you will come to believe what I say. Until then I will continue to prove it to you and Maura everyday." Hope finished and looked at Jane. After a moment of silence Hope said, "why don't you tell me why you wanted to work in Homicide?" Jane explained her background and why she wanted to be a detective and work in Homicide and they continued asking and answering questions about each other for the remainder of the hour and then said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Jane hoped and prayed that Hope was being truthful and that she would work to be a better mother to Maura.
The six ladies met for dinner that night and planned their activities for Wednesday. Everyone seemed to be having a great time so far. The meetings with Hope seemed to have been the only times of stress for Jane and Maura, otherwise it was great. There were spa appointments for Wednesday and more one-hour talks to mix in with the ship's activities.
Thursday saw most of the ladies relaxing by the pool. Jane and Maura had gone to the gym every morning before breakfast to work out. They found the ship's gym to be small but by going early it was not crowded. When it came time for dinner Thursday night everyone seemed excited about arriving in Honolulu this next morning.
After dinner Jane, Maura and Cailin went to the dance club for a little while before going to bed. They did not want to stay up too late as they wanted to be well rested for their busy day in Honolulu in the morning.