Maura is starting to get worried.
She believes that Jane is smart enough to figure out where she is, but as the seconds tick on by, she begins to lose any semblance of hope. Her mind and body are exhausted and the taste of blood has been in her mouth for the last few days. The tears don't come as easily as they did before since she is so dehydrated. As a reward, the two women brought her a ham and cheese sandwich and a small water bottle to have yesterday. The sandwich was hard to swallow and every bite burned as it went down her esophagus.
Maura has since learned that the other woman's name is Sarah. The two seem to be romantically involved to some extent, as she has seen the way the two women touch and speak to each other.
When Maura closes her eyes, she thinks about Jane. The way Jane held her on their worst nights. The way Jane's dimples appeared whenever she was teasing Maura. The way Jane smelled, of clean laundry and a hint of lavender. The sharp edges of Jane's facial structure and how it matched her big, soft eyes. She loved those thick eyebrows and the small divot in the middle of Jane's chin. How Jane towered over her but leaned down to speak to Maura so Maura wouldn't have to strain while looking up. The way Jane kept a protective hand on Maura's lower back while they moved through crowds. The way Jane's thick curls settled after spending a night together sleeping in the same bed. These thoughts kept her going, as Maura hoped that she would get the chance to see her detective again. Hopefully sometime soon.
Jane and Korsak had cleared the house in record time.
As they get back to the car, Jane yells out, "Fuck!" as she hits the roof of the cruiser. She leaves a dent and as if she were dissatisfied with how small the dent was, she hits the same spot again, leaving a bigger one. Jane slams the car door shut as she drives them towards the office building, calling dispatch for an update. Dispatch tells her that uniforms have surrounded the building, but they are waiting for SWAT to arrive to storm it. Korsak isn't surprised when Jane lets out a string of expletives, calling the uniforms names of all sorts as she questions their sanity. He knows that as soon as they arrive, Jane will enter the building, with or without backup. He hopes, for her sake, that there is backup.
The drive is short, only 10 minutes away from the house as Jane guns it, pushing the old car to its limits. Korsak shakes his head, feeling too old these days for the drama that comes with this position. The cruiser barely comes to a resting stop before Jane is already out, stalking towards the commander's tent. He watches as she speaks, with her arms flailing and pointing toward the building. The commander knows better than to argue with the hot-headed, elder Rizzoli. Jane slips on a bulletproof vest and Korsak is thankful that she at least chose to respect that rule. He jogs after her, turning off the safety on his police standard Glock. A team of SWAT follows them and a SWAT medic trails the end of their formation. Korsak hopes that the medic won't be needed. As they break down the door, Jane clears corners with a precision and efficiency that put the SWAT team to shame. As they move up each floor, he begins to worry that they may never find Dr. Isles.
"Korsak!" Jane screams as he is brought out of his thoughts.
She nods towards a closed door, saying "I can smell the freshly shaved grass again. It's coming from this door"."
One of the men raises his leg to kick the door in, but Jane beats him to it. She slams all of her force against the door, barely feeling the pain in her shoulder as it connects with solid metal. The door bursts open and Jane falls through, stumbling a few steps before finding her balance. Jane runs towards a figure on the ground as Korsak clears the rest of the room. He hears Jane repeating Maura's name and breathes a sigh of relief. However, he knows they are far from being in the clear. He leads the crew through the rest of the building, calling up the paramedics to take a look at Maura. He hopes that she is alive.
Maura is laying on her side, at least as much as she can, with her arms held up by a chain. She whimpers at the loud sounds of the door frame splitting and forces herself awake, unable to tell if she is dreaming or not. Jane enters her vision and before she knows it, she is being held as the taller woman examines her all over for injuries.
"Bring me a chain cutter, damn it", Jane shouts as the paramedics rush into the room. Soon after, a firefighter frees her arms from where they hung and Maura cries in relief. Although she can't feel her fingers, she is grateful. Jane brushes Maura's hair from her eyes as tears fall freely down her face. She strokes Maura's cheek with her hands, framing the woman's delicate face as she searches Maura's eyes.
"Jane. You came." Maura's voice is a hoarse whisper and Jane's heart shatters at how timid it sounds.
"Of course I did. I'm so sorry, baby. I am so so sorry. It took me so long to find you," Jane says as she apologizes profusely into the honey blonde's hair.
Maura manages a smile, her lips cracking as they spread. "It's alright. You found me."
The paramedics take over and Jane watches closely, promising herself that she would never let Maura be taken again. She scrutinizes the way the paramedics dress Maura's wounds, anxious to be able to touch her again. As Maura gets placed into the ambulance, Jane watches sadly as the doors close on her. She makes it to the hospital before the ambulance does, already worried that she lost sight of Maura. The doctors seem to take forever to evaluate her, but she is finally cleared for visitors.
She knocks on the door, smiling softly at Maura laying in the hospital bed. "We have really got to stop meeting like this," Jane jokes.
Maura barely reacts, instead looking at a spot in the wall. "Jane, I need to tell you something," Maura says, waiting for Jane to acknowledge her before she continues. "Something happened. I'm okay now, but I need you to prepare yourself," Maura says as she watches Jane clench her jaw. "They filmed me, Jane. She had Olivia do things to me and they filmed it. I think they wanted you to see it. I'm so sorry."
Jane's jaw clenches and she looks as if she is about to lose her composure. "Did they-what did they do, Maura?"
Maura realizes that Jane has jumped to the worst conclusion. "They originally wanted to make Olivia and I do things together on camera but I fought and fought until they changed their mind. It's just a video of me asking for forgiveness for my sins. But they beat me up pretty badly so it might be hard to watch."
Anger courses through Jane's veins and she is blinded by rage. The only thing stopping her from slamming the wall behind her is the look on Maura's face. She pushes her anger aside, going to Maura's side instead and holding her hands. "Maur, I am so sorry. I will find them and I will make their lives living hell. And if that tape shows up, it won't change how I look or feel about you. You have to know that."
Maura barely looks up as she says "I know. Thank you."
Jane feels at a loss for words suddenly and just sits down on the side of Maura's bed. Holding her hands and plotting her revenge. Her thoughts are interrupted as Maura speaks again. "They're discharging me in a few hours. Stay with me?"
"Of course, Maura. I won't leave your side again," Jane whispers.
Maura is pushed out in a wheelchair and Jane guides her to the passenger side, closing the door gently after she gets in. The drive back to Maura's home is quiet. As they walk into Maura's, Jane is glad that Angela is nowhere in sight. She was sure that Maura would be over-stimulated by her overbearing mother right now. Maura climbs into bed without a word and pulls the sheets over her head. Her body seems tiny in the California king bed.
Jane barely hears Maura when she asks, "Will you hold me?"
The next second, Jane is by Maura's side as she holds the woman in her arms. They stay like that for the next hour, with Jane kissing the top of Maura's head as her arms surround the shorter woman. Maura's breathing pattern changes and Jane knows that she has fallen asleep. With that, Jane relaxes and begins to give in to the pull of sleep herself. For the first time in several days, both of the women sleep soundly and without a care in the world.