Oops, I Did It Again – Chapter 40
Angela was stunned. Seeing Maura walk out and then seeing Maura's engagement ring on the table, surprised her. She didn't know what to do. She thought for a minute, then picked up the phone and called the one person she knew could help her, Constance Isles. It was Friday afternoon and not thinking about the time difference between Boston and Paris she listened as the phone rang. If it went to voicemail, she told herself she would just continue calling until Constance picked up the phone.
Constance answered in a sleepy voice. "Angela, why are you calling me so late in the evening?"
"Constance, Jane was in a car accident Tuesday afternoon and is still unconscious, Maura just put her engagement ring on the table by Jane's bedside and walked out." Angela informed Constance.
"Angela, I will call you right back, give me about fifteen minutes." Constance said as she disconnected the call. Constance called Karen, her Foundation pilot. "Karen, sorry for calling you so late in the evening, how soon can the jet be ready to go to Boston?"
Karen replied, "I can file a flight plan and we could leave in half an hour."
"Great, file the flight plan. I will meet you at the jet in half an hour." Constance said as Arthur woke up.
"Constance, sweetie what is going on?" Arthur inquired.
"Jane was in a car accident and is unconscious and Maura broke off the engagement. I am going to Boston to talk to our daughter." Constance quickly replied as she got up and grabbed a suitcase and started packing.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Arthur asked, knowing that she probably didn't want him to go but he figured he would offer to go.
"No, sweetheart. I will go and talk with her and I am positive the engagement will be back on by the time I return to Paris." Constance replied as she called Angela back and put the phone on speaker.
"Hello, Constance." Angela answered relieved that Constance had in fact called her back so quickly.
"Angela, I will be leaving Paris in about half an hour. I will be there by morning. I will talk to Maura and find out what is going on. I am pretty sure I have an idea what she is thinking right now. Please, keep me a breast of Jane's condition. I will call you when I land in Boston tomorrow." Constance didn't wait for an answer as she disconnected the call.
Constance called for a driver and changed into something a little more appropriate. She didn't want to fly in her pajamas. The driver arrived within ten minutes and took her to the private airport. As soon as she boarded the jet it took off. She didn't attempt to call Maura. She didn't want to discuss this over the phone. She knew what state of mind Maura was probably in and she was thankful that Angela had called her.
Angela called Frankie and told him what happened and that she would be staying with Jane, as she didn't want Jane to wake up and not have anyone with her. Frankie asked if he should go talk to Maura. "No Frankie, Constance will be here in the morning and she will handle Maura. Our main concern is Janie. If she wakes up and Maura is not here, I don't know what I am going to tell her."
"Well, I think you should tell her the truth." Frankie stated. He believed the truth to always be the best thing to tell someone.
"That is the plan. I have placed the engagement ring in my purse. I don't want to leave it laying around. I truly hope and pray that it will be back on Maura's hand soon. That woman loves Janie so much. I think she is just lost in her memories right now. Constance will help her. They have become quite close. Thank you, Frankie, I just needed to talk to someone." Angela admitted.
"You're welcome Ma. I will come by later and visit with you and Janie." Frankie told his mother.
"Okay Frankie," Angela said as she hung up the phone. She sat there and read one of the magazines that the nurses had brought in for Maura. Jane had been a patient at the hospital more than Angela would like so they knew her and Jane. They knew they wouldn't be able to get her to leave the room so they just let her stay.
Frankie came by half an hour later and spent an hour visiting. He had brought some of her cannoli with him and a little bit of lasagna. He knew it would be a long night for his Ma.
Jane hadn't woken up by the time Constance called to say she was in Boston. Constance wanted to see Jane before she saw Maura so she came straight to the hospital. Angela gave her a big hug when she entered Jane's room. Constance walked over and gave Jane a kiss on the forehead and told her to please wake up soon. She held Jane's hand the entire time she talked to Angela.
After fifteen minutes Constance left as she needed to go find out what was going on with her daughter. Before she left she left instructions for Jane to transferred to a private room as soon as she was able to leave the ICU. She knew Maura loved Jane with all of her heart. Twenty minutes later she was knocking at Maura's front door. It was Saturday morning and Maura wasn't expecting anybody. She answered the door, "Mother, what are you doing here?"
Constance walked right past her and went to the living room to sit down. The driver brought her suitcase to the door and Maura politely thanked him and then closed and locked the door. Maura went to the living room to retrieve the answer to her question.
"Maura, what the hell is going on?" Constance said as Maura looked shocked at her mother. She had never heard her cuss like that.
"What are you talking about, mother?" Maura politely asked.
"Why did you leave Jane's room and place the engagement ring on the table?" Constance said as she pulled the engagement ring out of her pocket and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. Maura was shocked that her mother had the ring. She must have seen Angela or been to Jane's room. Maura started crying. Constance reached over and pulled Maura into a hug. "Talk to me Maura. What is going on in that big mind of yours. I know you love Jane."
In between spurts of cries, Maura said, "I can't go through this again mother. This is what happened to Mel and I almost didn't survive that."
"Sweetheart, Jane is alive. She didn't parish in that car accident. She is in the hospital. Her body is healing from her injuries. I have faith that she will wake up soon and when she does, she will wonder where you are. She loves you so much, darling."
"Mother, it is so hard for me right now. I just need time. Can we talk about something else?" Maura pleaded with her mother. She needed a break from her thoughts.
"Sure darling, but I will come back to this subject. Jane is part of our family already and she deserves better than this." Constance said as she let Maura snuggle into her.
Angela called Constance half an hour later to check in. "How is Maura?" Angela asked.
"She is fine, just living through the past. Do you know her background with the death of her wife, Mel?"
"Yes, she must be reliving that tragic day." Angela stated.
"Yes, she is. She is asleep in my arms right now. She needs time Angela. How is Jane?"
"No change, she is still unconscious." Angela replied. "The doctors came in. They have no idea when she will wake up. One of us will stay with her until she wakes up. I don't want her alone."
"I will try to come by again tomorrow. I love Jane and I want to make sure she is okay also. Right now, I need to take care of Maura and get her through this difficult time. If it wasn't for Mel dying in a car accident leaving a crime scene, Maura might not have reacted this way. She does need time to deal with this. Once she is in a better frame of mind, I will talk to her. Please keep me updated on Jane's status."
"I will Constance, thank you for the update on Maura. I will talk with you soon." Angela stated as they mutually ended the phone call.
Constance sat there with Maura sleeping snuggled up to her for about an hour before she needed to move so she could go to the restroom. She very carefully leaned Maura up against the back of the couch and then got up. When she came back into the room, she heard Maura saying, "Jane, I love you, wake up. Wake up Jane, I need you."
She walked over and noticed that Maura was still asleep. Maura had laid down on the couch and was tossing and turning. Constance was afraid that she would fall off of the couch. She sat back down so that Maura's head was resting on her lap. Although Constance hated that Maura was having a nightmare, she was glad that she was stating her love for Jane.
A few hours later Maura woke up. She looked a little out of sorts at first but then remembered what had happened. "Mother, I am so happy you are here. What am I to do?" Maura was concerned. She loved Jane but she couldn't deal with the current situation. Jane being in a car accident as she left a crime scene and then being in the hospital room unconscious was just too much for her. She had spent some time at the hospital waiting for news on Mel before the doctors came out and stated that she had died, she that she had never regained consciousness.
Three days of sitting and waiting for Jane to wake up had taken its toll on Maura. Constance knew that if Jane would wake up it might make a difference to Maura. But then Jane waking up without Maura there would be hard on Jane. It was a no-win situation.
It was Sunday afternoon before Jane woke up. Jane was disoriented. Angela and Frost were there with her when she woke up. Angela pushed the button for the nurse who immediately came in. She smiled when she saw that Jane was awake. She went out and called for the doctor.
The first thing Jane said after looking around the room was, "Where is Maura?"
Angela cringed, she wasn't looking forward to this moment. She had to tell Jane the truth. "She is at home Jane. She left Friday. She had been here every minute until then. It was too much for her. She loves you but she couldn't handle you being unconscious in the hospital.
After the doctor completed his examination of Jane and discovered that Jane seemed to be in relatively good health considering what had happened to her, he had her moved to a private room per Constance's request.
Jane immediately noticed a difference in the bed, it was bigger. Instead of the small twin bed she was now in a full-size bed and there was a sitting area as well a recliner and a private bathroom. There was also a small kitchenette. She wondered how she rated such treatment.
When she talked with Constance later, she had asked her how she liked her new room and then she knew that Constance had arranged this for her and her family. She was grateful for Constance's thoughtfulness.
It was Tuesday morning before Maura had the courage to face Jane again. She had spent the last few days crying and talking with her mother. She didn't get that much sleep. Maura and Constance had talked through everything.
Constance thought that Maura might go as soon as Jane woke up but she wasn't ready. Constance didn't push her because she knew that Maura had to work through this once and for all. She had a feeling that Maura hadn't worked through her feelings regarding Mel's death when she left San Francisco and this just proved that to her.
Maura was strong but Mel's death was very traumatic for her and she needed to process it. That couldn't be rushed. Constance just hoped that Jane was a forgiving person and could forgive Maura for her insecurities.
Constance realized that this was hurting Jane. She talked with Jane several times on the phone when she had called Angela to check in on her and Angela handed the phone to Jane. They made sure they didn't talk about Maura except to say she was okay and was still processing everything.
After that they talked about how Jane was doing and what the latest news was from the doctors. Constance told Jane, "I wish I could come visit you again but I don't want to leave Maura alone right now. She needs me and I want to be here for her so she can get strong enough to come back to you. I hope that makes sense to you."
"It does Constance and I am happy that you are there with her. I hope that she will come back but I don't want to push the issue, as you have said she needs to work through this. I just miss her like heck." Jane explained.
"I know and I hope it will be soon. Take care Jane." Constance told Jane. She really wanted to visit with Jane.
"Thank you, Constance, talk to you later. Bye!" Jane was feeling drowsy, her pain meds were kicking in and she needed to go back to sleep.
"Bye Jane." Constance said as she hung up the phone and prayed that her daughter would come to her senses soon.
When Maura walked into Jane's hospital room Tuesday morning, Jane smiled, she didn't say anything as she was waiting for Maura to speak. "Jane, you are awake." Angela left as soon as she saw Maura walk in. She squeezed Maura's arm as she walked out of the room. She knew they needed tp talk and she wanted to give them their privacy.
Angela went down to the cafeteria and called Constance.
"Yes, I am." Jane said as she continued to smile at Maura.
Jane looked at Maura's left hand and didn't see the engagement ring on her finger. Her smile weakened a bit. Maura noticed where Jane had looked and her reaction. "Jane, we need to talk."
"Okay, I'm not going anywhere." Jane said in a laughing tone as she motioned with her hands to the length of the bed. She had a cast on her right leg and her left arm. And her head was stilled wrapped from where they had to alleviate the pressure.
"Jane, please don't joke, this is serious." Maura stated as she approached the left side of Jane's bed. She pulled up the chair so she could sit close to Jane.
"I need to apologize to you." Maura said after sitting down.
"What for Maur? You didn't do anything." Jane questioned. She knew briefly what had happened but she wanted Maura to tell her. She needed Maura to tell her so she would understand. Communication at this point in time was very important. Their relationship depended on it.
"Yes, I did Jane, I left you. I took my engagement ring off and walked out of this room last Friday." Maura admitted.
"I know my Ma told me. I was heartbroken when she told me. I didn't know why you left me. I thought you loved me and wanted to marry me." Jane said as she played with her scars on her hands. She was nervous. She wanted her fiancée back. She wanted to see Maura put that ring back on her finger. She closed her eyes and only opened them when Maura began to speak again.
"I do Jane. I want to marry you very much." Maura stated with such love in her voice. Jane knew it was true but she needed to let Maura finish saying what she needed to say.
"Then, why did you take off the engagement ring I gave you and leave me unconscious in my hospital room?" Jane said wanting to help the conversation along. She knew Maura wanted to tell her.
"I waited three days for you to wake up and then my mind started recalling when Mel was in her car accident leaving a crime scene and I felt like it was happening all over again. I needed time to think. I wasn't sure you would still want to marry me if I couldn't even handle you being in a car accident. What would happen if you were ever shot on the job? I just needed to think and I couldn't talk to you. Well, I could talk to you but you couldn't talk back to me and reassure me."
Maura paused, she took a drink of water from the water bottle in her purse. "I realized I shouldn't have taken my ring off and left. I should have told your mom that I needed time to think and let her know that I would be back. Can you ever forgive me? I missed you and I need you in my life so much. Do you still want to marry me?" Maura took her engagement ring out of her purse and put it back on the table.
Jane wondered why Maura put it on the table instead of back on her finger. Then it hit her. Maura wouldn't put the ring back on until Jane reassured her that she still wanted to marry her.
"Maura, I understand the turmoil you must have been going through. I remember you telling me about Mel's car accident and how much it upset you that Mel had died." Jane paused as Maura was crying. She reached over and tugged at Maura's arm so that she could hold her hand.
"I didn't plan on getting in an accident. The guy ran a red light and hit me and my car spun around and put me in the path of another car that couldn't stop and also hit me. Frost had his in-dash camera recording and quite a bit of it was caught on tape. He showed me the video. I could have been in a car accident leaving our subdivision or leaving the grocery store. Accidents happen, we never know when something like that will happen. Yes, I still want to marry you. We still have our marriage license that still has some time left on it. Now, what will it take for you to put that gorgeous engagement ring back on your finger? If you want me to put it back on for you, I will, because I want to marry you. I love you Maura Isles and that will never change."
Maura handed the ring to Jane and then presented her left hand to Jane. Jane put the ring back on her finger and told her, "Now, can you find a way to climb up on this bed with me. I want to hold you and fall asleep in your arms."
Maura did as she was instructed and climbed up on the bed and snuggled into Jane's right side. She had to be careful of wires and of the cast on her right foot but they manage to make it work. They laid there talking for a while before they both fell asleep and that is how Angela and Constance found them later that day.
Maura's left hand laid on top of her right arm and they could see that the engagement ring was back on her hand. Both women seemed to have a smile on their faces. Angela and Constance just walked out of the room as not to disturbed the engaged couple.