"Jane!" Maura said laughing. "I told you not to make me laugh!"

Jane just shrugged her shoulders and looked at Maura. Again, this feeling crept its way into her stomach. Butterflies. Like she was 15 again. Oh shi...

...

As if Angela knew that Jane needed help, she returned with two steaming plates of gnocchi. The perfect distraction. The aroma of the sauce quickly filled the room. Jane thought she was going to black out she was so hungry.

Angela placed one plate on the tray by Maura's bed and rolled it over to her while handing the other plate to Jane. The starving Detective threw her crutches down and practically fell onto the chair she had moved by Maura's bed and fell asleep in earlier. Jane began to wolf her food down earning disgusted looks from her mother and best friend.

Jane didn't care. She just kept eating, only stopping to release moans of appreciation for how good it was.

Angela was about to sit down when she noticed Maura struggling. She stood back up and was right back over to Maura's side.

"Here honey, let me help," she said, picking up the fork and gathering two gnocchi's on its prongs.

"That's quite alright Angela, I can manage."

"Maura, if you don't let me help you, I'm going to die an old woman who never got to take care of her children! These two don't let me do anything for them anymore and well, with Tommy being in jail, I have no one to take care of."

Angela looked at Maura with such sadness in her eyes. She knew that Angela was trying to be lighthearted about the situation to ease the embarrassment she felt about not being able to feed herself properly but there was a hint of truth to what she was saying.

"She's right, you know?" Jane said, stuffing a few more gnocchi in her mouth.

"If she doesn't have someone to baby, she will probably explode."

"I wouldn't have to explode if someone gave me grandchildren already," Angela said under her breath, not even bothering to look back at her daughter.

Jane and Maura looked at each other. They didn't know why they did but as quickly as their eyes met, they looked away.

What the hell was that?

Just then, Dr. Parker knocked softly on the door frame. He walked in and stood next to Jane.

"Good morning ladies, it smells fantastic in here!"

"That's Ma's famous gnocchi that I was telling you about," Jane said with a mouthful of them.

By this time, Angela was already around the other side of the bed, positioning herself between the Doctor and Jane.

"Angela Rizzoli," she said shaking his hand. "And you are...?"

"He's clearly hungry," Jane said under her breath.

Her mother kicked her foot back, luckily hitting Jane's uninjured leg

"Ow, Ma," she growled.

"My apologies, I'm Dr. Parker. I've had the pleasure of taking care of your daughter and Dr. Isles."

He smiled at Angela and you would swear she just about melted.

"I'm sorry Dr. Parker but your staff cleaned me out. I only had enough saved for my girls here."

"Well that's too bad...I've heard really good things."

He looked over Angela's shoulder and winked at Jane. This did not go unnoticed by Angela or Maura.

Jane gave him an awkward straight-lipped smile before continuing to eat her food.

"Well then, you'll just have to come over some time and have some," Angela said.

Realizing that it sounded like she was hitting on him herself, she rebounded.

"Jane would be happy to have you over, isn't that right, Janie?"

"Ma, I swear to Go..."

She was cut off by Angela's foot to her shin again.

"Ma, knock it off," Jane warned through gritted teeth.

"As lovely as that sounds, I wouldn't want to impose," Dr. Parker said, realizing that Jane was clearly uncomfortable and trying to give her an out. Little did he know how relentless Angela Rizzoli could be.

"It's no imposition at all! Are you free on Sunday?"

Jane couldn't believe what was happening. Her best friend, who she just realized she may have feelings for, is in the hospital injured and her mother is playing matchmaker.

"As long as that's ok with Jane, then I'd be delighted."

They both looked at Jane who now had a sauce stain on her shirt.

"I-uh. I..."

She looked over at Maura who was looking down. She was fidgeting with her fingers. Maura never fidgets.

Nurse Rachel appeared with a tray of what looked like 2 day old eggs, burnt toast and a rubbery pancake for Maura.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to drop off some breakfast for Dr. Isles but it looks like you got a better offer though," she said motioning to the still steaming plate of gnocchi on her tray.

"It smells heavenly!"

"We missed out on the famous Angela Rizzoli gnocchi everyone's been raving about. Dr. Isles got the last of it," Dr. Parker joked, "but Angela here just so graciously invited me over to have some."

Rachel could sense what was going on here. The tension in the room was so strong, you could cut with even one of the crappy, plastic knives from the cafeteria.

"You could come too, Rachel. You've been nothing but helpful to us and I'd like to repay your kindness," Jane said, finding any excuse to let Dr. Parker know that this would not be the date that her mother was intending it to be.

"Oh, yes! The more the merrier!" Angela exclaimed, although confused.

Maura's stare snapped to Jane. She wasn't sure what was going on but she knew she didn't like it. She felt an ugly emotion that she had become all too familiar with since becoming friends with Jane. Jealousy. Maura believed that jealousy was for weak people who could not control their emotions but around Jane, she couldn't help it. The Detective brought out the best in her but anyone other than her showing Jane affection, surely brought out the worst.

Maura had accepted that she was in love with Jane a long time ago. The feeling was completely organic. When she thought back to who she loved in her past, none of them were as easy as Jane. She didn't fall in love with Ian until they were forced to spend all of their time together on a relief mission in Ethiopia. At first, it was a casual fling that turned to friendship that grew to love. But Jane was different. When Maura looked back on it, she realized she had loved Jane from the moment she met her. The first moment she met her as "Jane" and not a hooker undercover, that is. She just couldn't accept it. She couldn't shake her feelings for Jane, no matter how hard she tried.

Jane challenged her. Jane brought her out of her shell and helped her grow. Jane gave her the family she's never had. Jane protected her. Jane took care of her. Jane loved her...this she knew but what she didn't know was if it was strictly platonic love, that you normally felt for your best friend, or if it was something more. Maura never had a best friend so the line was very blurred for her. Jane was also straight. She had relationships with men, there's no way she could reciprocate her feelings, right?

There were times where Maura could swear that Jane felt the same, that she was attracted to her too but she could never bring herself to act on it because she didn't want to scare Jane off. Her friendship with Jane was too damn important to risk. It was the only thing that Maura had to live for and if she lost Jane, she didn't know what she would do.

"I appreciate that very much, Jane, but Dr. Parker and I would never want to impose. My mother always taught me to help people with no expectations in return. I guess we will just have to dream about that gnocchi," she said with a nervous chuckle. Dr. Parker looked at her angrily. She just dismissed him and looked over at Jane, who was sighing with relief.

"Thank you," Jane mouthed to her. Rachel gave her an understanding nod and reminded Dr. Parker why he came into the room in the first place.

"Right, Dr. Isles, I'm sure you might have guessed but you have a Grade 3 concussion on top of that laceration on the back of your head. We want to keep you for a few days to monitor your progress and then we can get you out of here. Sound good?"

"Yes, thank you, Doctor," Maura said. Her tone was flat and her arms were folded across her chest.

Jane looked over at her when she noticed that her demeanor had changed.

"You ok?" Jane mounted to her. She didn't respond. Typically Maura would be asking to see test results or her chart or speaking some type of medical gibberish with the Doctor but not this time. She even looked...angry? Jane couldn't figure out what was going on but she knew she needed to get all of these people out of here, including her mother. Especially her mother.

"Well, I'll leave you all to visit but please keep it brief as Dr. Isles is going to need plenty of rest."

Dr. Parker excused himself politely as he always did but before he could leave, Angela told him that she would bring him and the Nurses another pan of gnocchi, especially for them. He thanked her, shot another dirty look at Nurse Rachel and then left.

"I assume you don't want this anymore so I'll just bring it back to the kitchen for you, Dr. Isles," Rachel said, trying to ease the tension.

"Thank you, Rachel."

Maura's normal tone returned and she seemed to be more at ease with just Rachel in the room. Jane took note of this. Was Dr. Parker making her uncomfortable? Did she think he was unprofessional for wanting to take Angela up on her offer? Was she...jealous?

"I'll leave you all be, please buzz if you need anything."

Rachel went to leave but Jane caught her attention before she got out the door.

"Yes, Detective Rizzoli?"

"I think you can call me Jane now, you know? That's what my friends call me and I think we are close enough for that now," she joked as she stood up, leaving the crutches on the ground.

"Ok, Detective...Jane," she said, smiling at her. Jane hobbled out the door and Rachel followed her.

They got a few feet away from the room, out of earshot of Maura and her mother.

"What was that back there?" Jane asked, gesturing back to the room.

"Just...helping out a friend," Rachel smirked as she turned Jane's words from earlier around on her.

"Well, I really owe you one," Jane said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Rachel just smiled and disappeared with the unwanted breakfast tray.