Chapter 4
Jane was hovered over the body that had been found inside a trunk. "Wow, 90 degree weather, a trunk, and a dead body. That makes for the start of a nice day." Jane said as she snarled her nose at the smell.
Maura never looked up from the body. She continued to examine it as she spoke. "Approximately a 30 year old Hispanic male. He has been dead several days, maybe a week. He has a lateral cut to his throat."
"Again, great start."
"Yeah." Maura raised up and began removing her gloves. "Well, I'm sure that they will have him ready for me in about an hour, so I am going to pick up some lunch before they get there."
Jane stood almost in shock as Maura turned to leave. "Just like that? You're just leaving."
"My portion is done." Maura looked curiously. She was keeping her contact with Jane limited. She knew that if Mandy had seen it so quickly, who else had?
"Done? Your portion?" Jane walked slowly toward Maura. Did she always walk that sexy? "When have you ever had a portion?"
"There is nothing that I can do here. I need him back in the lab and I'm hungry, so I thought I wou…."
"You know what, just go." Jane said as she turned to walk away.
"You two fighting?" Frost asked.
"No." Jane answered in her oh-so-Jane, childish and annoyed way.
"Seems that way."
Jane looked into the trunk. "Then it just seems that way. Maura can leave any time she likes."
"So what was the fight about?" He asked ignoring her previous answer.
Jane raised up. "Frost, you got those buddies that you play basketball with once a month."
"Right."
"What if you knew that one of them had something they should tell you and they wouldn't?"
"I think we may play different basketball then you. We don't talk, just play"
"Just say that one of your buddies had a new girlfriend. A friend that he wouldn't tell you about…."
"Again, wrong game. We don't talk girls and relationships, we play."
"Good God."
"Now if we are talking girls and wives, we go to the club. Where a lot of drinking can be done."
"Damn it, Frost! Ok, say that you are at the damn club, drinking like frat boys, and you find out one of them has a girlfriend that he won't tell anyone about."
"Look, there are two times that a guy won't tell another guy when he is hitting some chick."
"Hitting some chick? Really?"
"That's the way guys talk, not me. Anyway, there are two times. One, it's the girl your with or two, your little sister."
"Are you sure that's the only times?"
"Yeah."
Jane looked around the crime scene. "What the hell?" She said as she quickly walked over to a dumpster and looked underneath at a shinning object. "No freaking way?"
"What? We aren't talking about my buddies anymore, are we?"
Jane pulled out the knife that was under the dumpster. "Nope. Now we are talking murder weapons."
Jane had just checked the knife into evidence and sat back in her chair. "Janie!"
She turned to see her brother smiling. "Hey, Frankie."
He walked over and sat on the desk. "Doctors say that I am doing better than expected. They said that I could come back to work on Monday."
Jane smiled the best fake smile she could. "Good. Welcome back."
Frankie looked down, away from his sister's eyes. "You're worried, right?"
"A little, yeah."
"Don't be that person, Jane. Don't be my person that I love that hates my job."
She looked up at him and smiled. "Alright." It came out more of a whisper.
"I gotta run. I gotta tell Ma and Pop. Wish me luck."
"Yeah, good luck with that."
As Frankie started to leave the room something hit Jane. One, it's the girl your with or two, your little sister." She quickly turned to see Frankie leaving the room. "Oooohhhh," She laughed, "Doctor death has the hots for Frankie." She jumped up and headed to the morgue.
Maura was looking under the microscope when Jane walked in "Hey." She said smiling like a school girl that just learned her best friends crush.
Maura looked up and then back through the lenses. "The cut indicates that he was stabbed by someone that is left handed."
"Hey, after you left I found a knife on the scene."
"Really." Maura finally looked up.
Jane looked at her and started to feel bad. She hated that Maura felt she couldn't tell her. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Maura never looked up.
"For giving you a hard time about this crush…"
"Jane.."
"That you have on no one. I'm sorry. It's none of my business."
"Thank you. I just…."
"No need in explaining." She gestured her hand between the two. "We good?"
"We're good, Jane."
"Good. I gotta run. I have a million things to do. Dinner at my place?"
"Umm, sure."
"Good."
Maura took a deep breath as she watched Jane walk out of the room. "Yeah, good." Maura sat down with a huff.
Jane grabbed her phone and dialed the number. "Hey….yeah, yeah whatever. You busy tonight?"
Jane made sure the food was done and set the plates for dinner. When she heard a knock at the door, she smiled to herself. She was so proud of herself. She knew that Maura would be happy about this. She opened the door and smiled widely. "Hey."
Maura handed her a bottle of wine. "Thought I would bring something, even though you said not to." Maura said as she passed Jane in the door.
"Thanks. Who knows when we might need it."
"You have no idea." Maura said under her voice.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"So, how's Bass. Haven't seen him in a while."
"He's fine. Just sitting around being a tortoise."
Jane smiled at Maura. "I've missed you. I've missed this, us."
"Me too." Maura smiled the best she could.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Jane started around Maura to the door and just before opening it she spoke. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Frankie."
"No, no I don't mind." She said relived. Which Jane took as excitement.
Jane opened the door excited and very proud of herself for playing match maker. "Hey."
"Hey." Frankie said as he noticed Maura sitting at the bar in Jane's kitchen. "Maura."
"Hey, Frankie. How are you feeling?"
"Good thanks to you."
Jane couldn't help but smile. She was completely proud of herself right now.
Dinner went smooth. The three talked about things that were going on at work. What Frankie had missed and the new case they were working on. Jane's phone rang and she quickly grabbed it. "Rizzoli."
"Ok, Jane." Frost said. "This is your wake up call."
"Thanks. I'll be right there." Jane said hanging up the phone. She had Frost call at 9:00 exactly giving Jane an out and leaving Frankie and Maura to talk. "I gotta run." Jane looked between her guests. "I have to check on a case. I'm sorry. You two stay and finish up here." She patted Maura's back as she went around the table.
"Do you need me?"
"Um, no. It's just some evidence Frost got. I just need to run down and check it over." Jane smiled as she put her jacket on and quickly went out the door.
Maura watched until the door was closed. She turned around and sighed as she took a sip of wine. Frankie watched the woman in front of him. "I haven't had a chance to thank you."
"It's nothing really." She smiled a dimpled smile.
"It was."
"No really. I was just doing my job. I think of you as family and was glad to help." She said taking another sip of wine.
Frankie smiled and lowered his head. "And I'm her brother."
"What?" Maura said shocked and a little worried.
He reached across the table and placed his hand on Maura's. "How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long have you known you were in love with my sister?"
"I don't know….."
"You know she thinks it's me, right?"
"What?" Maura couldn't seem to get anything else to come out of her mouth.
"She thinks that you have the hots for me."
Maura chuckled. "No she doesn't."
"Did you realize that she didn't touch her wine. We have been sitting here for an hour and she hasn't touched it. She drank water. She knew she was leaving. And Frost? Frost left the station two hours ago on a date with some girl from booking. Korsak is handling everything tonight for him. So if he really did just call her, it was to get her out."
Maura lowered her head. "Frankie, please….."
"Dr. Isles what you tell me is between us, but if you want to talk to someone, I'll listen."
Maura wiped the tear that ran down her check. "I just….I don't…..understand what is happening."
"What ever it is, I think that Janie needs to know."
"I can't, Frankie. Promise me."
"Ok. I won't say anything, but please, talk to her."
Frankie and Maura finished the dinner and cleaned up with little more talk of Maura feelings for Jane.
