Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews. I do hope you're all enjoying this story.
Maura is washing her hands after the autopsy. She finds that scrubbing them until they're a bright red certifies their cleanliness. Her eyes cut to Pike beside her. She wants to make a comment on her chair but knows better. The blonde's to be on her best behavior until she's the chief medical examiner again.
"You've done well for being away for so long, Dr. Isles," Pike comments. It hasn't been that long… has it? Her attention is drawn away from him and back to Africa, but before she can dwell on it, she speaks up.
"Thank you, Dr. Pike. I appreciate you taking me under your wing." She says it with such ease though she has to mentally force herself through the words. Pike is caught off-guard and nods ever so faintly.
"You're quite welcome." She finishes cleaning up and starts to walk home. Constance has told her that her car was available anytime, but a part of the doctor finds walking to be a better way to clear her head. Her mind is drifting to Africa, to her adventures with Ian. Her hands are in her jean's pockets, a jacket over her shoulders.
Once inside, she realizes that Angela must have left. She's probably with Jane. She sighs, and a nerve is struck. Regrets start to fill her body. Maura's appetite is lost – has been for a while now – and she heads straight to bed. Exhaustion sweeps over her. She changes into some sleeping clothes her mother had gotten for her; silk pants and shirt. The covers are warm, drawing her lids more to a close.
The smell of smoke rages in her nostrils. She is running, from what, she isn't entirely certain. Her legs are moving wildly, grass dry underneath her bare feet. Fear is causing her limbs to tremble as she presses on. Orange hues are breaking into her peripheral, loud noises a blur behind her, beside her. They start to clarify, and she can hear the screams that curdle her blood. Maura's chest is heaving, lungs burning wildly. Where is Ian? She needs to find Ian. She has to find him. Her feet halt their movement, and she turns around, a blaze on the village they were just sleeping at. Many seem to be trying to get their children out alive, unscathed. She doesn't see her companion, and the fear already in her body nearly cripples her. What if he is in one of those huts that's already burnt down? This seems to be a raid that Ian talks of some times. They normally had just left or were about to arrive when they happened. Now it was happening while they were there.
A tall white man appears from a hut, bringing out a child to a family. He barely dodges the falling structure, running towards Isles. Seeing him gives her a bit of courage until a vehicle starts after him. Maura isn't sure whether to wait or to run. Her body takes the flight response before she can waste any more time on the decision. The loud roaring of the vehicle is catching up to her; Maura can feel the ground rumbling beneath her feet as she dashes, putting her all into the muscles in her legs. She has to keep running. She has to. As the vehicle approaches, she closes her eyes tightly, a sense of hopelessness settling under her flesh.
Maura's eyes snap open as she lunges forward from the bed, nearly jumping out of it. Her lungs are burning, the smell of smoke encasing her. A thin layer of sweat coats her body, the fabric sticking to her, as well as the sheets. She fights the materials, getting caught in the sheets before finally breaking free. Standing from her bed, her feet greet the cool flooring with apprehension. She heads to the kitchen for a glass of cold water.
Lifting the glass to her lips, she takes a sip before pressing it to her forehead. Her fingers grip it tightly as the bottom of it reacquaints itself with the counter. This isn't the first nightmare, and she's sure it won't be the last. Her lids are heavy but refuse to close. She can feel the mostly sleepless nights catching up to her. The doctor moves from the bar and sits on her couch, setting the glass on the table. There is light coming from behind the curtains, and as if on cue, Maura's new phone starts to vibrate.