The Boxer and The Doctor
Chapter 7, Academy Graduation
"Jane what do you mean, I'm not pinning your badge on you?" Angela yelled at Jane as she tried to explain to her ma that her girlfriend, Maura would be pinning her badge on her at the graduation ceremony. Angela threw down the wooden spoon she had in her hand and turned off the burner on the stove. She was far too upset to worry about the sauce she was making. She needed to concentrate on what Jane had just told her.
"Ma, as I was trying to explain to you, Maura and I are living together now and she is my girlfriend. I have been spending all of my time with her and she is my person that I want to spend all of my free time with. She has been helping prepare for all of my exams and going for runs with me and generally supporting me through all of my time at the academy." Jane said as she had a great big smile thinking about Maura and how their relationship had been developing over the past few months.
"Young lady your father and I have supported you for the last 22 years. I think one of us should be pinning your badge on you." Angela said with a little bit of hurt showing in the expression on her face. Jane's decision hurt her and she was not hiding it at all.
"And how do you expect me to pick between the two of you. if I pick you, pop will be disappointed. If I pick pop, then you will be disappointed. I want Maura to pin my badge on me. It is my choice ma, please understand that." Jane said a little upset at her ma's reaction.
"Just give me time Jane. I am still getting use to the fact that you are dating a woman. Granted a highly successful woman. I like her don't get me wrong, I just thought your pop or I would be the one pinning your badge on you for the first time." Some of Angela's initial anger had dissipated but it was still present.
"I'm sorry ma. I really want Maura to pin my badge on me and I hope that you will understand how important she is to me and abide by my wishes and not make a fuss." Jane smiled at her mother and started to walk out of the kitchen. She had come home to talk to her mother and have dinner with her family it was not going as well as she thought it would. She was hoping her ma would understand and not fight her on this. Jane walked out to the living room and said goodbye to her pop and brothers. She was no longer in the mood to hang out and have dinner with her family. Maura was at work but she would rather be home with Jo Friday than here arguing with her ma. Jane left without saying another word to her ma.
Jane picked up some take out and went home to spend time with Jo Friday. Maura wouldn't be home until after 10 PM so she reviewed her textbooks and made sure she was ready for her final days of the academy. The graduation ceremony was less than a week away and she was so ready for it. She wanted to be on the police force and not just an academy cadet. She knew she would have crappy hours being new on the force but she was looking forward to it.
Maura walked in the house and found Jane asleep at the kitchen island with her books all spread out in front of her. She had her arm outstretched and her head resting on her arm. She looked so peaceful but Maura knew she had to wake her up as that position wouldn't be good for her back.
Maura carefully walked over and kissed her on the cheek and said, "Hello love, I am home." Jane stirred a little and kept her eyes closed. Maura kissed her again except this time she kissed her on the lips. Jane hummed in response. Maura backed away a little bit and Jane stirred again but still didn't open her eyes. Maura went to the cupboard to get a glass so she could pour herself a glass of wine and Jane opened her eyes and saw Maura at the cabinet and quietly moved so she was right behind her and wrapped her arms around Maura as she reached for the glass. She peppered her neck with kisses and Maura grabbed the glass and turned around in the embrace and kissed Jane. She put the glass down so she could concentrate on kissing Jane.
Jane told Maura about her conversation with her ma. Maura said, "If it's a problem, you can have your mother pin your badge on you. I don't want to cause problems with your family."
Jane replied, "Maur, you are part of my family and I want you to pin my badge on me, she will have to get use to sharing me with you. She cannot and will not monopolize my time, that is your job." Jane smirked and pulled Maura in for a very passionate kiss.
"Okay, Jane, if you are sure." Maura said when the need for air arose and she had to stop kissing Jane.
"I'm sure Maur. I want you to pin my badge on me. I also want you to do a lot of other things to me, but those are to be done and not necessarily said." Jane winked at her. Maura just gave her a huge smile in return.
"I have the weekend off after your graduation and you don't start work until Monday. Would you like to go away with me for the weekend?" Maura asked hoping that Jane would say yes.
"I would love that Maur, where would you like to go?" Jane replied, she would go anywhere with Maura.
"Martha's Vineyard, I haven't been there in a few years. I love it there." Maura replied.
"Sounds great. This will be our first vacation together. I love having 'firsts' with you." Jane exclaimed.
"Me too." Maura said as she smiled at Jane. "Martha's Vineyard is beautiful and we can have a lot of fun there."
"I can have fun anywhere as long as you are with me." Jane said knowing how corny that sounded.
"I feel the same way. I love spending time with you Jane. I will make the reservations for our weekend getaway." Maura said as she poured herself a glass of wine. "Would you like a beer or is it too late?"
"No, I will just have a water. It is too late for a beer for me." Jane said as she hugged Maura. Maura took a sip of her wine and reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water for Jane. "Let's sit on the couch and visit for a few minutes."
"Sounds great Jane, let me step out of my heels and I will be right there." Maura said as she walked back towards the front door and removed her heels and placed them by her purse at the entry way. She would take them upstairs later.
When she got to the couch she sat down beside Jane and said, "So do you think your ma will settle down before your graduation ceremony or will she be giving me funny looks all evening?"
"I think she will be fine by then. She is not use to me having a significant other, so she hasn't learned how to share yet." Jane laughed thinking of her ma like a little child who doesn't play well with others.
"Okay. It will be nice to see your family again. I wish we could have gone out more with Arianna and Angelo. I really like your cousin and her husband." Maura said.
"They like you also. They think you are perfect for me." Jane responded.
The sat for about half an hour and talked and then went to bed. They both had to be up and out of the house by 8 AM. Jane had her last few exams and then the graduation ceremony. Maura was working 12-hour days until Thursday and would only work a half day on Friday so she could attend Jane's graduation ceremony at 2 PM.
Maura had ordered a special dress for the graduation ceremony and bought a new pair of shoes to match. They arrived Wednesday at work. She was so excited. She didn't want Jane to see her dress until she arrived at the ceremony. She left her dress in her locker at work. After all she would be getting ready at work and practically leaving straight from work. She would do her hair and makeup before she left for work Friday morning so all she would have to do is touch it up. She was so looking forward to pinning Jane's badge on her.
Arianna had called Maura. Maura couldn't take the call when it came in but called her back half an hour later when she was on a break. Arianna said, "Hello Maura. I just want to make sure you are still pinning Jane's badge on her."
"Yes, Arianna I am. I know your Aunt is not happy about it but it is what Jane wants."
"Aunt Angela can be a handful sometimes. Yes, Jane does want you to pin her badge on her. I don't think Aunt Angela realizes that if it wasn't you, I was Jane's next choice. She is like a child sometimes when it comes to stuff like this. I am so happy that Jane has you. I have never seen her so happy. I have met some of the people she was gone out with and you are by far the best person she has ever met let alone go out with. You are the only one she has introduced to her parents so that should tell you something."
"Yes, she mentioned that. Don't take this the wrong way but I am so happy she broke her nose that night or I never would have met her. I have never dated a woman before and I am glad I didn't let that stop me from saying yes when she asked me out."
"I know she was a little nervous with you being a doctor and all but she was just so taken with you. You made her day when you said yes to coffee and then a date."
"I was surprised I did. I normally brush off patients that ask me out but there is just something about her that drew me in."
"Ya, she said the same thing about you. So, the reason I am calling is because Jane said you guys are going out of town after the ceremony. Aunt Angela is planning a party at the house to surprise Jane and I wanted to see when you guys are leaving."
"We were going to leave after the ceremony but I guess we can wait until Saturday morning to leave, or after the party depending what time it ends or Jane's mood. I know how she is if she spends too much time around her ma sometimes."
"Ya, the whole family knows that one." They both laughed.
"Thank you for giving me a heads up about the party. I will make sure everything is set for either way, staying here Friday night or going ahead and leaving Friday night. Thank you!" Maura said.
"You are welcome and I am looking forward to seeing you at the ceremony." Arianna said as they hung up the phone.
Maura arrived at the ceremony at 1:30 PM. Arianna had said she would save a seat for her so she could sit next to her. They weren't sure how Angela would be so Arianna wanted to make sure Maura had a seat with the family. Arianna knew Jane would be pissed if she found out that her ma was treating Maura badly. Luckily Angela gave Maura a great big hug and asked for her to sit next to her. Arianna just smiled and nodded her head at Maura. Maura sat with Angela and Frank.
It was over an hour and a half before it was time to pin on Jane's badge. They had to have all the speeches first. It was all part of the pomp and circumstance that went along with a ceremony of this nature. As each officer walked up, they and the individual pinning their badge on them were introduced. The narrator announced, "Officer Jane Rizzoli will be pinned by her best friend Doctor Maura Isles." The Rizzoli family hooped and hollered. They were so excited. Jane was a little embarrassed her family could be so loud and obnoxious at times. Maura had the biggest smile on her face as did Jane when she looked at Maura.
Jane and Maura had talked about how Maura would be introduced, as far as what verbiage would be used. They both knew Jane was entering a male dominated career. It was 1998 and same sex relationships were not widely accepted and they felt it would be better for Maura to be introduced as her 'best friend' instead of 'girlfriend.' They both hated that but understood so for the ceremony they would not flaunt their relationship.
Without Maura even in the picture Jane knew she would be called a lesbian, dyke or a number of other names because she was a woman in a man's job according to a lot of people but she didn't care. She was who she was and she was going to be a police officer. When she was off duty she would walk hand-in-hand with Maura. She wouldn't let society tell her who she could love. She figured if enough people felt that way things would eventually change and society would be more accepting of same sex relationships.
Jane was announced as the top academic and fitness student for this graduation class. She went up to accept her awards. Only a few times in the history of the academy had the same cadet received both awards. Jane had studied and sought out top marks on all of her examinations. Jane knew she had to be physically fit for the academy so she worked hard at making sure she performed well above what was expected of her. She knew she would have a tough road ahead being a woman on the police force and she wanted to prove to everyone that she could handle it. She had her goal of becoming a homicide detective and she was determined to do just that. She wasn't going to let anybody or anything stand in her way.
After the ceremony they went back to Jane's parent's house and had a graduation party. Jane and Maura stayed for a little over an hour and then went to Martha's Vineyard. They were going to celebrate Jane's graduation in private, just the two of them. Jane was excited this was the first time she would be alone with Maura out of town. She now had her first big job and a great girlfriend to share it with. Things were looking up for her and she was excited about it.
It took them over three hours to get to the house at Martha's Vineyard. Jane was impressed with the house. She thought Maura had rented it. She had no idea that Maura owned it. When Maura was showing Jane around, she noticed pictures of Maura and what looked like it would be her parents. Jane asked her, "Maur, do you own this house?"
"Yes, Jane. This was my parent's vacation house. I spent quite a few summers here and loved it so I kept it. I pay a service to maintain it and I try to come here whenever I can." Maura said as Jane was still looking at her with raised eyebrows.
"Really Maur, you own this place." Jane was still in shock. She knew nothing about Maura's financial dealings.
"Yes Jane, my parents had some money and lived a comfortable life. They had vacation houses and loved to travel. I was left a trust fund and their properties have a fund set up to maintain them. I normally don't discuss my finances with anyone and nobody knows about my wealth at my job. I make pretty good money as a doctor so nobody questions my trips."
"And I am not questioning anything, I am just surprised. This is a beautiful house. I can see why you loved coming here as a young child. Hell, I would've loved coming here, too." Jane said.
"Well, we can come here together now, anytime you want. Well, I guess now that you have a job it might be a little harder to get time off but we can coordinate our vacations." Maura said as she winked at Jane.
"Well, shall we unpack and then enjoy the nice chairs on the porch before we call it a night?" Jane suggested. She just wanted to sit down for a little while and just enjoy Maura's company. Her life was going to be crazy when they get back to Boston, so a weekend getaway was the perfect solution. She has been studying hard at the academy and now it is time to veg for a few days with Maura.