A/N: The ending of the chapter is a little intense. It's a lot more emotional than I thought it would be so maybe have a tissue or two handy just in case. All may seem lost my lovely readers but the entities ruling this AU dimension work in mysterious ways!
Despite Maura's best attempts to be in the present and enjoy her European honeymoon with her wife Maria, the blonde medical examiner couldn't help part of her mind being devoted to Jane and how she had been acting the night of the wedding. She knew that something was wrong with her best friend, that was supremely clear after she had spent a good deal of time alone in Milan just thinking while Maria browsed the high end boutiques, but she was no closer to figuring out what it was that plagued the detective.
Jane had lost a tidy bit of weight, she had noticed that her Maid of Honor dress had been looser than it had at the final fitting. Her eyes had dark rings under her eyes suggesting a lack of sleep, quite a lot of sleep given the darkness of said bags. Jane's usually vibrant and warm eyes had lost most of their sparkle as if the life had been sapped out of her somehow.
"You'll get frown lines if you keep that up."
Maura was brought out of her worried musing as Maria returned with an armful of bags. She was far from concerned how much it all must have cost, for once she was consciously thankful of how individually wealthy she was and her family was collectively, as she shook her head. "Sorry, I was just thinking" she apologized but didn't allude to what, or who, she was thinking of. Maria wasn't exactly a fan of Jane's, not because of how her friend was a person but how close they were and Maura knew that. She knew it from the moment she had announced her engagement in person to her parents and the Rizzoli clan at a private dinner in Boston's most expensive restaurant. She had seen the momentary glint of malicious jealousy rise when Jane had embraced her and held her for a moment while congratulating her.
"It must be something pretty serious for you to look so grim when we're on our honeymoon and supposed to be enjoying ourselves. What's on your mind?" Maria asked while setting the bags down before traipsing over to her lover and taking a seat beside her and grasping her hands comfortingly. She hated to see Maura distraught and that was precisely what was written across her wife's face- distress. "Maybe I can help."
"Nothing important, just someone I know was acting weird before we left Boston. It's a radical departure from their normal behavior that it's more than a touch worrisome. I know we're supposed to be enjoying ourselves and I promise you that I am, I'm concerned for them as well" Maura said being purposefully vague enough to hint that Maria would not be getting that particular answer from her. She loved her wife but some things were more personal and required an inside touch from a trusted person, not an outside stranger. "I made reservations at the restaurant by the art museum. We'll need to be ready and out of here by six thirty to make the seven o'clock reservation."
Maria nodded her head while not saying a word. She suspected that she knew who Maura was talking about but didn't want to start a fight. She appreciated that Jane Rizzoli, who else could her wife be so concerned for, was close to her Maura and had done so much for the blonde but it was moments like this she hated the dark haired detective. Here they were in Milan, Italy, halfway through their two month honeymoon and something had stolen her wife's attention to a person not even on the same continent as them.
By the time that Maura and Maria returned from their European honeymoon, the blonde medical examiner was half out of her mind with worry about Jane. Despite the texts to the Rizzoli family group text chat, not to mention Vincent and Barry, Jane was the one to respond least. A text here, an emoji or two there- it was like talking to a wall. A very stubborn Italian wall.
"Maura! How was the honeymoon? Did you two enjoy Europe?"
It wasn't the first time that Maura had heard or answered the question but it was the first time since she and Maria had touched down that it was asked by a Rizzoli in person. "It was great Frankie, Europe was beautiful. Have you seen Jane around lately? I tried calling her several times and it's gone to voicemail every time. We both know how Jane can be when she's working but she's never been this quiet when I call or text her" she said briefly embracing the middle Rizzoli sibling.
Frankie frowned as he returned the hug before pulling back after a minute. "No, I haven't now that you mention it. She hasn't been around the precinct either and she missed the last couple of weeks worth of Sunday dinners. I'm pretty sure that Korsak is taking care of Jo Friday and that turtle you gave her" he said slowly.
"It is a tortoise and what do you mean she hasn't been around the precinct? Jane lives and breathes being a cop. It doesn't make sense for her to just up and vanish without at least telling you or your mother" Maura said as her eyebrows furrowed.
"Cavanaugh said Jane put in to use a couple of months of vacation time a few weeks after the wedding between you two." Frankie briefly wagged a finger between Maura and Maria. "I don't buy it though, neither does Frost or Korsak. Janie doesn't do sick days, let alone forced sick time after getting herself injured on the job and having you tell her that she has to get better before her next hospital trip. The idea that she would just up and use vacation time is-"
Maura held up a finger as her cell phone rang. "Dr. Isles" she said after noticing the number was one she didn't know.
"This is the charge nurse at the Boston General Hospital Emergency Room, I'm looking for Maura Isles."
Maura couldn't see it but she could feel the color draining from her face. "This is she" she said , repeatedly making a motion for Frankie to stay silent.
"I have a patient who was brought into the ER with critical wounds by the name of Jane Rizzoli. You are listed as her emergency contact. We need to know if-"
If it wasn't for the fact she stumbled against Frankie's car, she doubted that she would be able to remain standing. It made sense now. Jane didn't go on vacation, she was sent undercover for one reason or another. "I- I'll be there as fast as I can. Do whatever is necessary to get her stable" she said, an audible tremor in her voice.
Frankie was nearly as pale at Maura's last statement. The only reason Maura would ever say something like that was if Jane was hurt extremely badly. "I'll-"
Maura was already hopping into the driver side of her own car, she was glad that she had the foresight to park it at the airport, before starting the engine and gunning it out into the evening traffic. It was going to probably lead to an argument with Maria later but she wasn't in the right mind to care at that second. Jane was in critical condition and needed her right then.
"I'll get the bags and we can chase after her. Someone has to keep her out of jail for reckless endangerment."
Maria was broken from her shock and merely nodded a little dumbly. She'd never seen Maura so frantic or anxiety ridden, not even when she spaced out during their honeymoon.
By the time Frankie, Maria and Angela got to the hospital, the italian matriarch had a radar about her children being injured, Maura was pacing the waiting room while writing away on a clipboard at a mile a minute. As Jane's emergency medical contact, she knew everything to do with her best friend medically speaking making it ideal for situations like this. The tenseness in her stride suggested that she knew part of the situation and it wasn't very good even if the doctors were hopeful were always hopeful no matter the severity and it made the medical examiner sick. A little hope was fine, nothing was absolutely certain death from most wounds, but the way some doctors tossed it around like candy made her detest living people doctors and appreciate just a bit more that she was a medical examiner who eased the grief of the families of the deceased through her work.
"Don't… touch me."
Angela was caught off guard by the guarded coldness of Maura's words. She had meant to embrace the blonde to welcome her home and to tell her that they all knew the doctors would do everything in their ability to make sure that Jane would be ok no matter what wounds she was rushed in with. "Maura, honey, what's wrong with Janie?" she asked softly, like she was speaking to a scared and wounded animal. It wasn't too far from the truth, Maura was scared for Jane and it was abundantly clear in her hazel eyes.
"She.. She was shot four times in the chest… I… I don't.."
Angela was quick to get in close and embrace Maura as she saw the cracks begin to rapidly appear in the blonde womans exterior. "Boston has the best medical professionals in the world, Jane's going to be ok sweetheart" she whispered as she felt the first tremor and tears fall onto her shoulder.
Frankie helped Maria to a seat before carefully extracting the clipboard from Maura's grip as the blonde broke down. He wasn't a stranger to how much Maura and Jane cared about each other, they were best friends after all, but this reaction wasn't one of a best friend worried about the very real possibility of the other dying. No, this was the reaction of two people being together and that same possibility of losing the other was threatening to kill off a part of their soul if the other partner died.
Angela was conflicted as she found a two person couch near Maura's wife and sat them down. Her religious upbringing said that she should be letting Maria comfort Maura, they were married and in the eyes of God it was on Maria to comfort the hysterical woman. The part of her that had seen Maura flourish under her daughters care and become part of the family though, that rebelled against letting Maria trying to calm the blonde; it was also the side the won out as she practically cradled Maura to her side and kept her pressed to her as her hands smoothed golden locks as more tears soaked her shirt. She wasn't lost on the fact that she should be more worried about her actual child, every day that Jane went to work worried her sick hence her nagging for her eldest child to do something else so nights like this never happened again, but she knew the quality and caliber of the doctors in Boston would keep her daughter alive no matter what. Shuddering breaths were swallowed as she tried to not cry herself, seeing Maura like this killed her since the blonde was family to her and the others.
No one seemed to keep track of time as people came and went but the Rizzoli's, now complete with Tommy getting there an hour after the news had been told to Angela, and Maria waited anxiously for any update on Jane's condition. Maura had sobbed herself to an uneasy slumber against the Rizzoli matriarch, Frankie and Tommy were pacing the length of the waiting room like expectant fathers and Maria, well Maria was stone faced as she fiddled with her skirt. None of the conscious Rizzoli's bothered to ask but they suspected a lot of resentment was being aimed towards Jane for being hurt so badly and thus upsetting Maura like this.
All eyes turned towards Maura who yelped and jolted awake gripping her left wrist as a burning sensation tore threw her veins. Words lost meaning and became little more than white noise as it felt like lava encapsulated her entire being. Muscle spasms locked her in place for what felt like an eternity before they and the burning sensation disappeared in an instant leaving her panting.
Maria ran over to Maura, distress painted across her face as she gently pried her wife's hand off her wrist. It took a moment for her to wish she hadn't. Instead of pale skin she had kissed and nipped during their nights of passion across Europe, there was now the likeness of a detectives shield. A Boston Police Department detectives shield branded with the name Rizzoli across the center, the number 825 under a bar declaring the rank DETECTIVE and a background that looked like a silhouette of the Boston skyline viewed from a distance. Her heart stopped as she swallowed a mouthful of bile.
It wasn't unheard of for a 'Special' person like Maura to develop a soulmate mark if they spent long enough time with a person or had strong enough positive emotions for them but she had hoped that Maura wouldn't. She had selfishly hoped that Maura would be hers forever. Now.. Now she had to let her go. There were laws in place for situations like this and their marriage would be annulled by the government. Still, she had had the beautiful blonde to herself for a time and she would cherish the memories. "Go, she needs you" she said in a soft voice as she kissed Maura's cheek. A moment of hesitation overtook her before the wedding and engagement rings the other woman had bought for her, beautiful rings by all standards, were gently placed in the palm of Maura's hand. "I'll treasure the time I had with you Maura Isles."
Maura watched stunned as Maria went over to Frankie and had some words before the pair left out to where she assumed his car was. She felt guilty and stupid at the same time, how else would they have gotten to the hospital after she'd sped off?
Angela gasped spotting the mark on Maura's wrist. Despite her religious upbringing and the way she raised her own children the almost exact same way, she knew for a long time that Maura was Jane's soulmate. The mark had been there since her daughter had been four and, ironicall, bit by a tortoise at a petting zoo. When she first met the blonde medical examiner and saw how Jane reacted around her, she had been suspicious. When she had learned Maura's full name and thought back to the mark on Jane's wrist, her daughter had taken to wearing water-proof concealer to hide it when she entered her freshman year in high school, she had been guarded. Maura was good to Jane and the rest of her family and her kids loved Maura. Hell, Maura was the only one capable of getting Jane to do healthy things like eat a salad once in a while.
Maura turned and unconsciously clamped her hand around her wrist hiding the mark despite the futility. Angela had already seen it and would clearly connect the dots.
"Do you love her Maura?"
The blonde medical examiner didn't answer for a long moment. It would be a lie for her to say she didn't love Jane. The dark haired detective was her best friend so of course she loved her. Jane never judged her for being herself, teased her yes but taking a little good natured teasing in stride came with the territory of being in the vicinity of any Rizzoli child. She would also be lying if she said she didn't think Jane was attractive. Her best friend was like the statue of a Greek Goddess come to life with her trim and athletic frame accommodating proportionate hips and modest but beautiful breasts topped by the most entrancing olive toned skin she had ever seen on any person- alive or dead.
Angela took Maura's shrinking in on herself and wrapping her arms around her body as all the answer she needed. "Honey, she has always loved you" the older woman said gently brushing silent tears from the blonde womans face. "She's hid the fact that she's your soulmate out of foolish fear that she could never give you the life you deserve with the job she's chosen to marry."
Despite worry racing through her veins, Maura laughed at the attempt at a joke mixed with a truth she knew to be true. She had more than once written off Jane's attempt to indulge the nicer and more indulgent things but struggled to afford it, all for the sake of seeing her smile. How had it not been clear to her before? "I.. I think I always knew my heart loved her Angela" she said, offering a hesitant response. "But my parents' upbringing.."
"I know." Angela embraced Maura and held her tight. "Close your eyes and say a prayer, Janie is a fighter but a little divine intervention to save the woman you love never hurt anyone."
Despite the subconscious desire to correct Angela on what was wrong with that statement, Maura buried her face in the italian matriarch's neck to absorb the freely offered love and warmth as she offered a prayer to a deity she didn't believe in that Jane would make it through the surgery. That she could admit to Jane that she loved her idiot detective despite every difference between them. That she wanted to spend her life with Jane at her side, her equal.