By dawn Aarna knows that something is very wrong. Noemi had not answered a single message since her last 'drive safe.' Aarna plays out the conversation with Jane on repeat, Noie had gone to the hospital with Cailin. Noie had not reached out. Aarna was clinging to the hope that something had happened to Noemi's phone but the gnawing feeling in her gut told Aarna otherwise. Something was wrong, something bad enough that Jane didn't want to tell them on the phone. Something bad enough that Noie had not been able to reach out and tell Aarna she was safe.

When they had hit the outskirts of Boston, Maura had woken and taken over. She'd driven them first to her Boston home to drop off the dogs. Their FBI tail had trailed them the whole night long, leaving a bitter taste in Aarna's mouth. They hadn't even pretended to be discrete. Then Maura had driven them to the hospital. Aarna counted her breaths as they drove. She wasn't sure how much Maura had figured out. Maura was brilliant and she had the advantage of knowing Jane better but on the off chance she hadn't realised, Aarna didn't want to be the one to tell her. Not when Aarna didn't actually know anything. Not when the idea of speaking the words made Aarna nauseous.

Aarna followed Maura, feeling like some cross between a bodyguard and a puppy. She had promised Jane she'd stay by Maura's side, watch over her, even if Jane hadn't lived up to her side. Maura stopped on the second floor. Aarna followed down the length of the hallway, her heart racing. The closer they got, the more Aarna didn't want to know. Maura paused, briefly peeking in to a darkened room. Aarna saw a rush of emotions play out over the stoic woman's face. If Aarna had to guess, she would say it was relief that won out. The woman's eyes crinkled, her mouth turning up slightly, her hand touching her heart softly.

'Everything okay?' Aarna asks, her voice barely a whisper.

'They're asleep,' Maura whispers back, seeming reluctant to look away.

'Jane?' Aarna asks confused, knowing the agent had texted Maura the room number a few minutes ago.

'My mother and sister,' Maura responds, finally tearing her gaze away, 'we'll let them sleep. Let's go find Jane.'

Maura leads her back to the elevator. She presses the 'up' button like she knows where she's going and Aarna has to remember to breath. Maura hits the number 6, labeled 'surgery' and Aarna wants to vomit. Maura puts a hand on Aarna's arm and Aarna gulps in another pained breath of air. 'Surgery is better than the morgue,' Aarna manages to get out. If Maura has thoughts on that she doesn't share them with Aarna.

Aarna doesn't know what propels her from the elevator. Desperation perhaps. Aarna walks the linoleum floor, towards the waiting lounge where she can see Jane Rizzoli sitting. Aarna's eyes sweep the room, boring in to every chair and corner, searching desperately. She has to be there. Noie has to be there. She can't, not be there. Aarna won't, can't believe her eyes. Jane stands to greet them. She offers a sad smile to Maura before her attention turns to Aarna. Her posture is defeated, lined in grief.

'Aarna,' Jane starts, her voice brimming with emotions hastily shoved away. Aarna's ear roar, her vision blurring as her anger swells. This wasn't the deal. Aarna had done her job. She'd been Maura's good obedient guard dog. Jane hadn't done fucking hers. Rage unlike anything Aarna had ever felt doused Aarna from head to toe. 'I'm so sorr-' Jane begins. Aarna stops her with a slap. Her palm connecting with the agents cheek.

From the periphery Aarna sees the waiting around her explode with movement, a dark haired man who looked a lot like Jane leaping to his feet as a black skinned woman grabbed his wrist. Maura is stepping between them, pushing Aarna and Jane apart. Jane permits the space but doesn't move otherwise. She doesn't look Aarna in the eyes, she doesn't raise her hands in defence, she doesn't even twitch. Aarna whirls on her heel, walking away as quickly as her feet could carry her. She needed to be some place else, any where else. A door to a stairwell was enough. Aarna found herself in a chilly corridor, slamming her fists against the wall as the first sobs began to fall. And then strong arms are there, pulling her in to a hug both familiar and foreign, smelling vaguely of honeysuckle, coffee and antiseptic. Maura. And Aarna falls apart.


Jane was having a fucking morning.

They'd sent Russo to the local sheriffs to be held until he could be booked in Boston while Frankie, the suits, and the locals jockeyed for jurisdictional claims of the crime scene. Jane borrows a deputy's first aid kit and treats her wounds as best as she can, sitting side by side with Korsack. The locals take her statement first and Jane tries to be diplomatic, praising their response time and helpfulness. Frankie and Nina go next, asking a million questions for their case files. Korsack had barely even protested when they bagged his guns for evidence. The suits came last, lead by none other than Gabriel Fucking Dean. At least he had fewer questions that needed answering and went more for a yelling rant about her actions. Jane mostly tuned him out. She had nothing to do with Paddy. Not really.

When the interrogations had finished, Jane realised that no one had called Noemi's next of kin. Worse, Jane realised that she'd have to call the academy director for that information. Which meant waking her boss before dawn, walking him through the situation, informing him that a recruit had been shot on her watch and then waiting for him to get her the information. Jane supposed her time at the academy was over, though her boss had been surprisingly sparse in his response.

Then Jane had to call Noemi's grandmother. Jane had never been good at notifying the victim's family. Noemi's grandmother had answered the phone with 'this better be good,' which had reminded Jane so strongly of Noemi she wanted to cry. Jane had helped the older woman with the details, going so far as to book her a ticket on the first flight from DC. She figured it was barely scratching the surface for the debt that Jane and Maura owed Noemi.

Then she and Korsack finally got to make the drive to the hospital. Dawn was just beginning to break when they arrived. A search for 'Doctor Martin' lead Jane to a room on the second floor where Hope lay sleeping holding Cailin in her arms. A gut feeling and a charming conversation with a nurse, brought Jane to the surgical ward where Noemi was an hour and a half in to an emergency surgery. Jane had all but flopped in to a seat in the waiting room. Korsack, who had been by her side through it all, settled next to her. He patted her leg in solidarity but said nothing.

At some point Frankie and Nina joined them, offering gifts of coffee and food. Jane didn't have the stomach to eat them, giving hers to Korsack instead. Minutes seemed to stretch in to hours. Kiki and her mother had shown up and ushered the detectives in to fresh, dry clothes. A nurse came to look at Jane's wounds, probably at her mother's insistence. Fresh bandages and a tetanus shot later and Jane returned to her silent vigil. Her mother tried to offer Jane comfort but Jane shook her off. She didn't deserve the comfort.

It was her fault Noemi had been hurt. She'd allowed Noemi to come to Boston. She'd allowed Noemi to leave the precinct. She'd allowed Noemi to take the lead in the woods. Jane should have stopped her. Should have made her stay behind. Should have kept her from that clearing.

Around the 3 hour mark, the elevator doors open to reveal Maura and Aarna. Jane stands, knowing what she owes her recruit. Jane watches the younger woman approach. Jane swallows as much emotion as she can, 'Aarna, I'm so sorr-.' Jane sees it coming. She sees the woman's face harden in rage, sees her muscles shift, and Jane lets her have it. She lets Aarna slap her. Jane allows Maura to push them apart. Jane keeps her eyes cast down, keeps her hands still. She sees only Aarna's feet as they about face and run away.

'Are you alright?' Maura asks her, soft fingers on her face.

'Yeah,' Jane responds, 'you should follow her, make sure she knows Noemi is alive.'

'Jane?' Maura says, concern written all over her face.

Jane shakes her head, sitting back down in to the waiting room chair. She watched as Maura walked away, disappearing in to the stair well.

Korsack pats her shoulder, 'that was almost as good as the one Angela gave me after Hoyt got you that first time.'

Angela laughed, 'I forgot about that.'

Korsack chuckled, 'I didn't. I couldn't sneeze without it hurting for a week.'

Jane just shook her head, running a shaking hand through her hair. What a fucking morning.