Maura's eyes widen as Jane rises from her seat. The t-shirt she's wearing does nothing to hide the rounded edges of her abdomen. Her hand instinctively lands against the burgeoning bump. As the walls come crashing down around her she is enveloped in vulnerability. Her heart races as she abruptly begins to realize Maura is examining her like a piece of evidence. She freezes in fear. Her dark eyes are rendered incapable of meeting Maura's gaze. Alarm bells begin sounding as a pair of arms snake around her.
Jane's rigid posture begins to relax as the safety of Maura's embrace radiates in her direction. With a deep breath the former detective's heart rate begins to slow. Soon the pair of arms releases her.
"This puzzle makes a lot more sense with all of the pieces."
"I should have told you before, but I couldn't. It is all that I can do to wrap my head around it every morning when I wake up."
"This is why you've been avoiding your mother?"
Jane nods, chewing on her cuticle. Maura exhales.
"You can show me around if that is a more comfortable topic."
Jane nods subtly, and begins to lead Maura around the house. Soon they are at the end of the hallway and Jane stops outside the last door. As the door opens she hits the lights. Maura's eyes light up as she sees the nursery. Jane takes a seat on the glider in the corner of the room. The nursery is warm and inviting with neutral colors, and sweet woodland creature bedding.
"It's beautiful," Maura smiles.
"It's empty," Jane answers meeting Maura's glance.
"Not for long."
"Two weeks and four days. It might as well be an eternity. I feel so conflicted all of the time. I desperately want to be happy about it, but I am so mistrusting of it. Every part of the entire experience is painful in some way. I never even considered the idea of getting pregnant again. I guess part of me thought that it was a chapter that was closed to me forever. So when I found out I was completely caught off guard. We were assigned an undercover case too long after I found out. I didn't even tell Cameron for nearly a month after I found out. I assumed that it wouldn't amount to anything. I suppose the brain can convince you of a lot of things when a life expected only turns into gut-wrenching loss. We were undercover, so we didn't tell anyone. The operation had several hiccups, and took far longer than expected. We were there for months, instead of weeks. I was starting to move past a stage of acceptance into whatever comes next when everything went to Hell in a hand-basket."
"I'm so sorry."
"I started feeling excited about the idea. We were planning on coming back to Boston after our assignment to tell everyone. Now it is all so bleak. The partner I had planned on bringing another human being into the world with is suddenly gone. All I can think about is being in the delivery room, alone, and coming home with a brand new baby, alone. I have no idea what I am doing, and it certainly isn't fair to someone so completely helpless, and innocent."
"If you think for a single second that I am going to let you go into a delivery room alone I think you have another thing coming. You are not alone," Maura insists.
"Promise me you won't tell Ma."
"Why wouldn't you want to tell her? She will be over the moon."
Jane cocks an eyebrow, "She is completely incorrigible."
Maura shakes her head, "The real reason."
"She doesn't need any more disappointment in her life."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't plan on telling anyone until I have a baby safe in my arms."
"The odds…" Maura begins.
"I don't care about the odds. I only care about harsh reality. I am considered geriatric in the pregnancy world. Everything about me is high risk."
"How has your blood pressure been?"
Jane furrows her brow, "Fine."
"Your ankles are quite swollen," Maura continues undeterred.
"I have been threatened with induction if my blood pressure doesn't improve by my next appointment."
"What about proteinuria?"
"Maura stop diagnosing me!"
Maura smiles and shifts gears, "You are having a baby. It's a joyous occasion. Have you picked out a name?"
"Nope."
"Do you know the gender?"
"Nope."
"How long were you planning on stewing in fear, and ignoring every single one of the people that cares about you?"
Jane reaches beneath the cushion of the glider. She pulls out a black and white image. She offers it to Maura.
"Until I get my trophy."
Maura pulls Jane into a tight hug. She gently whispers into her ear, "I've got you." Maura embraces her best friend close enough to feel how tight her abdomen is.
