Characters aren't mine.
Jane awoke to the sound of her door opening. She jumped up and reached for her sidearm, which wasn't there. The sudden movements made a searing pain shoot through her. "Ow! Shit! Ma, you scared me," she yelled when she saw Angela. "Ever heard of knocking?"
"Watch your mouth," Angela replied. "And I did knock. You didn't answer and I was worried so I used my key."
"Oh…sorry. I didn't hear you. I guess I fell asleep."
"Are you okay? Did you just hurt yourself?" Angela asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. Just got up too fast," Jane replied.
"Where's Maura? I thought she was going to stay here with you."
"She is staying with me, Ma," Jane answered, irritation in her voice. "She just got called in to work for a few hours."
"How is that staying with you? What if you needed something? What if you hurt yourself?"
"I'm not an invalid Ma. I can take care of myself," Jane said, her irritation growing.
"I wouldn't have left is all I'm saying," Angela replied. "Maura was so adamant that she be the one to stay with you and she just leaves…"
"Ma!" Now Jane was pissed. "Don't talk shit about Maura," she glared at her mother. "I told her to go. She mentioned the phone call, said she wasn't going to go. I told her to. I'm not helpless. See," she proceeded to walk around the room, "I can get around just fine."
"Alright," Angela threw her hands up in defeat. "Sorry. I'm your mother. I can't help it that I worry."
"Sorry I snapped at you," Jane said. "I just don't want anyone to think that I'm helpless. I'm not." I also don't like people talking shit about my Maura, she added mentally, my Maura…wow. Jane retrieved her phone and sent a quick text message to Maura: I miss u :)
"You know," Angela started, "if you had a husband, he'd be here to take care of you."
"Ugh…Ma. Don't start on this…please?" Jane groaned.
"I'm just saying, you wouldn't need your mother or a friend to take care of you if you were married," Angela continued.
Jane received a text back from Maura: I miss you, too. :) I shouldn't be too much longer.
"There's this man at church that has been asking about you," Angela kept talking not noticing Jane's attention was diverted. "He sent you flowers while you were in the hospital."
Jane caught the end of her mother's sentence. "What?"
"His name is Steven."
At that Jane sent another text to Maura: do U mind if i tell my mother abt us? I'll explain y l8r.
Maura responded quickly: I wouldn't mind in the least bit. I love you.
Thank U. I luv U 2. 3, Jane sent back.
Angela was still talking about Steven, unaware of the fact Jane hadn't heard a word she said. "He's a nice man. And wouldn't it be nice to have a man who loves you taking care of you? To make you happy?"
"I don't need a man to be happy Ma," Jane started nervously. "And I do have someone that loves me taking care of me. She makes me very happy." Jane eyes were fixed on the floor unable to meet her mother's gaze. Her voice barely above a whisper.
"Janie?" Angela looked at her daughter quizzically. "What are you trying to tell me?"
"Maura and I are dating," Jane answered, her eyes still focused on the floor.
Angela could see how nervous her daughter was at admitting this to her. "She makes you happy?" she asked reassuringly.
Jane finally looked up at her mother. "Very happy."
"How long have you two been seeing each other?" Angela asked smiling.
"Officially, since I woke up in the hospital," Jane answered. "But the feelings have been there a long time. I was just too much of a coward to say anything to her about it. I guess she was too." She saw the smile on her mother's face and sighed in relief. "So…you're okay with this?"
"Of course I am Janie," her mother said capturing her in a tight embrace. "It's not as though I didn't kinda see this coming. You two have always been really close. And don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at her. I just wish you would have said something sooner. I wouldn't have wasted my time with all those men. I could have been looking for a nice girl for you."
"Ma!" Jane spat out. "That still would have been a waste of time." Jane could contain her smile at the thought of her Maura. "Honestly, I've never felt this way about anyone."
"Well, either way, I'm glad you've found someone that makes you happy," Angela replied. "And judging by that smile on your face just at the mention of her name, she must make you very happy. That's all I want for my children, to be happy."
"I know Ma," Jane smiled. "Thanks."
After a moment, Angela said, "let me fix you something for lunch. What would you like?"
"Whatever you feel like making. I'm not picky," Jane replied. "What time is it?"
"2:30. Why?"
"Crap. I was supposed to take my meds at 2."
"Well, let's get some food in your stomach and then you can take 'em. It's okay if you're a little late," Angela said.
"Maura would be upset if she knew I had forgotten," Jane sighed.
"It's not your fault, you fell asleep."
"I know, she just likes to keep me on schedule," Jane replied. "She's worried that I'm gonna get an infection."
"It's sweet that she worries about you like that," Angela mused.
"Ma," Jane said blushing.
"This all makes her behavior at the hospital make more sense."
"What do you mean?"
"She looked awful, and almost became hysterical when the doctor said she couldn't go see you," Angela answered. "Then she just sat in the waiting room crying. I finally sent your father to get her," she continued. "Then she said she couldn't leave until you woke up. Even though she looked like a train wreck and was obviously exhausted. It took me forever to talk her into changing into the clean scrubs a nurse had given her. She was so worried about you she refused to leave your room."
"I can't thank you enough for letting her come back and stay with me," Jane replied hugging her mother.
"If I had known about you two I wouldn't have waited so long to let her see you."
"I know Ma. Maura gets it, too."
By then Angela had finished making Jane's lunch. They sat at the table together to eat. "I was thinking we could have our Sunday family meal here this week," Angela said.
"You don't gotta do that Ma," Jane replied. "I can make it over to your house."
"That's nonsense Janie," Angela responded. "You'd be much more comfortable here. And I'm sure Maura would agree with me that just because you can get around doesn't mean you should push it."
"I'm sure she would," Jane smiled. "She probably would use some medical jargon that I wouldn't understand though."
"She do that a lot?"
"Yeah," Jane replied, her smile even bigger now. "She doesn't do it to make me feel stupid or anything. She's just so damn smart she can't help herself."
"Doesn't it get irritating after a while?" Angela asked.
"Not at all. I think it's cute." Angela chuckled at that. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing Janie," her mother quickly responded. "I've just never heard you refer to anyone as cute before." Seeing her daughter blush she added, "I've also never seen you smile this much, especially while we're discussing someone that you're dating."
"I love her Ma," Jane confessed. "And the amazing part is...she loves me too."
"Of course she does honey. What's not to love?"
"I'm just terrified that I'm gonna do something to screw this up," Jane continued. "You know I'm not the best at relationships."
"I think you'll be fine Janie," her mother assured her. "When you want something bad enough, you don't give up on it. You're stubborn like that."
"Thanks…I think," Jane chuckled.
Angela cleared that table when they were finished and grabbed Jane's prescription. "Don't forget to take this."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome honey," Angela replied. "Well, I'm gonna get going so you can get some more rest. You need anything else before I leave?"
"No, I'm good."
"Then I'll see you Sunday," Angela said as she kissed the top of Jane's head. "Love you."
"Love you too, Ma," Jane said as she got up to follow her mother to the door. "See you Sunday."
"Don't think this gets you out of giving me grandchildren," Angela called over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway.
Characters aren't mine.
Characters aren't mine.