Hi everyone, and welcome back!
I hope you like this chapter; this will be the chapter that sets a clear path for this story.
Any suggestions, comments, and reviews are welcome; I'll love to know if you are enjoying this story. I promise that it won't take too long 'till rizzles.
Please let me know any grammar mistakes.
Thank you for reading
*Chapter revised for grammar and details.
B. M. Adams
Disclaimer: I do not own any of R&I, just Kathy
Jane was driving back to Maura's house, Kathy and she went to have dinner together and watched a movie, something they did once every two weeks or when Jack allowed it. There was one thing that made Jack both so happy and really angry that Kathy spent a good amount of time with Jane. But for Maura, that was a relief; that was the way to keep the girl as far as possible from all the problems, screams, and more than any other reason, the threats from Jack to Maura… and the girls herself, but despite every threat, he had never hit Kathy, or at least he up until that point.
Kathy was on her booster seat, at the back of Jane's car; she was normally a pretty talkative girl, always smiling and hopping around despite everything, but tonight she was quiet and looking sad. Jane looked through the rear mirror and saw the little blonde watching the trees, houses, and lampposts passing by. "Hey! little bug, you've been quiet all night, are you ok?" The girls just nodded "uhhmm" she vaguely muttered.
The detective was worried, the little girl wasn't like this. She looked again through the rear mirror, seen a little tear trickling down her cheek. She pulled off the road and turned back to the back seat where Kathy was sitting. "Honey, is there something wrong" she asked. Placing and rubbing her hand on the girl's left knee. The girl looked down to her knee and then to her godmother; she wiped her cheeks and nodded again. "Would you like to talk about it" the kid simply shook her head and looked away from Jane. The detective sighed deeply and hit the road again, and a few seconds after, the girl said, in an almost no audible voice, "I wanna go to mommy." Jane heard her; she felt a stinging pain in her heart.
Jane turned to Maura's house direction. "Where are we going?" Kathy asked. Jane looked at her through the rear mirror. "We are going home, Sweetie" she said, smiling sadly. The kid just looked at her godmother sadly and nervous. Not saying any more words. They arrived at the Beacon Hill house some minutes later.
Jane knocked with her right hand, holding Kathy with her left. The girl hiding in the crook of Jane's neck, the kid almost asleep in her arm. Maura opened the door, shocked, looking at her, noticing that it was too early for Aunty Janie's movie night's standards. "What are you doing here this early?" she asked, surprised. Jane saw inside, seeing that Jack wasn't in her sight. "Can we speak?" she answered; Maura hesitantly let her in, knowing that her spouse will be drunk as hell by now and sleeping.
"So, where's Jack?" She said, inspecting the room. "At his man cave," Maura explained. "You mean his drinking cave," Jane said. Maura rolled her eyes at her and took Kathy from the arms of her friend; almost mid-stairs, she said, "I'll put her down, give me a sec." Jane's just nodded while she rubbed her hands, something she does when she's nervous.
The blond came by the stair. "Want some tea, coffee perhaps?" shaking her head, Jane sat on a stool from the kitchen, placing her elbows in the granite counter. "Maura, what's going on in here" she said maybe a little too harshly, looking right in the M.E. eyes.
Pouring herself a cup of tea, not even lifting her head, she said, "What do you mean by that" trying not to show her nerves; she knew that Jane knew and what she meant. Since all this started, the doctor was never the same. Jane was too keen not to notice it, but also she knew that Jane wouldn't make her uncomfortable by bringing the only topic she never tolerated. The only thing that never changed was their relation; they always told each other everything, but when it came to her marriage. She always avoided the subject.
Sternly Jane looked at the blonde. "Haven't you noticed that Kathy is suffering by all this?" she said in a strict tone. "I don't understand, Jane" Maura tried to lie, but her urticaria started to appear. "Bullshit, Maura. You know very well what I mean" Jane got angry, almost yelling she continued, "You think I haven't notice that you always use long-sleeves, pants, flat shoes… Is he abusing you? She asked.
Maura leaned against the kitchen island. Looking at her friend, she refused her allegations again by shaking her head. "You have hives, Maura, you are lying" she said in a serious tone; watching her friend not moving a muscle, she started to speak again. "You know that I know, Maura…" she stopped herself, rounding the island; she placed herself in front of the M.E. "Maur, I just want to help you; I can't stand to see you like this anymore." She saw Maura's face; there was no expression. "If you can't make him stop, I'll find a way; let me help you!" Jane desperately said, almost in a pleading tone.
"Jane, there's nothing to help me with. The only reason I've changed my way of dressing it's because I have a demanding four-year-old and a job, a house to maintained…" Jane interrupted her. "A lazy ass, alcoholic husband" the detective inquired. "Don't be like that. This has just being a bad year for him, that's all". She said vaguely and tried to walk across the counter, but Jane held her forearm, making the doctor flinch in pain. Jane looked at her, sadly. The M.E. just released from the brunette's held "I'm ok, we are all ok. This is just a losing streak" she tried to sound convincing.
"Ok, if you say so…" Jane gave up, knowing she was going nowhere with this conversation. "Just know that if you need me, I'm one call away." She said, grabbing the blonde's hands in hers. Maura looked at her with grateful eyes and hugged her detective.
Jane was about to walk by the door when she heard a voice calling from behind. "Jane, wait," she turned. "Let me make this up; soon, all this will be over." The Italian smiled at her friend, "I know, but if you need anything, call me, ok?" Maura nodded and pecked her friend's cheek.
Jane had left, and Maura stood sitting in one of the kitchen stools, thinking of all that just happened. Her friend knew that something was off. Sooner or later, she will know the entire story. But she couldn't help but think was he would do to her if he knows.
What Maura didn't know was that Jack heard the entire conversation behind the door that connected the main house with the now Jack's "Mancave."
He entered the main house shaky and full of rage. His eyes were red and his fists almost white by the force with which he pressed them. Maura saw him and feared for herself and her daughter.
"So, she knows, you told her, FUCKING BITCH!" he started to yell at her, he grabbed her face strongly "You will learn to shut your fucking mouth off" He delivered the first punch, hitting her right in her stomach. She flinched from it but stood still, she tried desperately to calm him down, but it made it worst.
Punch by punch, hit by hit, kick by kick. He used her as a punching dummy. But Maura resisted; she defended herself, punching him right in the jaw; that made him even angrier. They grappled for a few seconds, but Maura lost her balance and fell, hitting her head with the corner of the kitchen counter, causing her to lose consciousness. A trail of blood started to run from her skull. He grinned broadly but then he called her and tried to make her regain her consciousness; nothing worked. He slapped her a few times to make her awake, but yet again, nothing. He became nervous and started to lose his calm. "I killed her" He realized, his eyes went wide, and he grabbed his head with his hands and walked around the house confuse and desperate, he didn't know what to do so started to run as far away as he could, he would not go to jail for the murder of that whore.
Upstairs, little Kathy woke up from the noise; she was confused. Rubbing her eyes with her fingers, she called her mommy various times, but there was no response from Maura. She went downstairs and found her mommy lying on the floor, almost lifeless. "MOMMY! MOMMY!" She screamed and screamed for her mommy's name, but the only move was her faint breathing. The little girl was crying, but she remembered that her mommy, a long time ago, showed her how to use the phone's speed dial. Kathy ran to the phone and called the emergency number. Jane's
Her phone rang a few times before she picked up. "Rizzoli…Honey, what's wrong…Is she ok… Calm down, sweetie; I'm on my way...do me a favor, go and hide in your closet, don't let anybody in, but for me in, ok…I love you, baby girl, everything will be fine" Jane reassured the desperate girl. She ran to her car, breaking every traffic law existent, in the meantime calling Korsak and Frost.
All the way from her apartment to the blonde's house, she prayed for her friend, for her friend to be fine, alive at least, for the little girl that was scared and possibly shaking and crying all alone in her closet.
