End:

Jane wished she could tell Maura not to worry, that she would send help, but she was afraid any sound of her voice through the phone's speaker would blow the doctor's seemingly fragile cover. 'What the hell was she thinking? Breaking and entering?'

Her first instinct was to jump out of bed, her thoughts only of Maura. 'I have to get to her.' A stabbing pain in her side, however, reminded her of her confined state, and she slammed her head into the pillow, a frustrated growl leaving her throat. Her fingers fumbled over the keypad of her phone, and she held her breath until her call finally went through.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

"Dispatch? Detective Jane Rizzoli..." It took Jane a moment to remember her badge number because images of Maura with a broken, bloody face, her slender body lying still on the floor somewhere, kept flashing before her eyes. "We've got a 10-29 at... at..." Jane panicked as she tried to search her memory for Weaver's address. Maura had told her... Maura, lying motionless on the carpet... Maura's face, broken and bleeding..."4004 Crestwood Drive. I'm not at the scene, but I heard the assault take place over the phone, and believe the victim is in immediate physical danger." It was a little long and rambling for a dispatch call, but Jane couldn't concentrate.

"Sending over a squad car and an ambulance." Jane couldn't help being relieved that she hadn't had to mention the ambulance. They might sound like cyborgs sometime, but the dispatch operators knew how to do their job.

Once the car and ambulance were on route, the next call Jane made was to Korsak. He may not have believed her earlier, but he had to support her now, if only for Maura's sake. "Korsak!" she shouted as soon as he picked up, not even waiting for him to speak, "Maura's at Weaver's house and I think he's going to kill her."

"Wait, slow down. What -?"

"I called dispatch, but you need to send someone over there! If they have to take Maura in to custody to protect her from him, have them do it."

To her immense relief, Korsak didn't demand any further explanation or berate her. He simply said, "I'll take care of it," and hung up the phone without a goodbye. For some reason, his abruptness comforted Jane, because she knew he would do everything he could to get someone there in time. Jane suspected Korsak wasn't doing this just for her benefit, but she was grateful that her ex-partner still had her back. Despite her occasional awkward moments, Maura's coworkers were very fond of her.

Once the urgent conversations were over, all Jane could do was stare helplessly at her cell phone and wait for someone to call her back with an update. Suddenly, she understood that she was getting a taste of what Maura must have felt in the emergency waiting room after she had been shot. According to her mother, the medical examiner had spent the entire night in an uncomfortable hospital chair waiting to hear whether she was going to live or not.

If Maura got out of this alive, Jane decided, she was going to kill her, and then probably tell her that she loved her. The least she could do after Maura had (stupidly) risked her life to try and find evidence for her was be honest about her feelings. They had been through too much together now to worry about danger or hurt feelings. Love didn't stop for those things.

Jane glanced at her cell phone again, willing it to ring, but her impatience was rewarded only with silence. She tried to take comfort in the fact that no news was better than bad news, but her mind was still racing with all of the possible things that might have gone wrong. What if she was already dead, and the police hadn't gotten there in time? What if Weaver was hurting Maura right now, and there was nothing she could do about it? The questions made her eyes sting, but she rubbed a fist over them and sat up, her fingers darting towards the nurse call button. There was no way she would lay back idly while Maura was in danger.

A soft but unexpected sound came from somewhere to her right, and she pulled her fingers back from the button, turning onto her side, ignoring the pain in her abdomen as she looked at the figure standing in her doorway. For a moment, she could only see a silhouette framed by the fluorescent lighting of the hallway. As he turned the light finally illuminated the side of the intruder's face, reflecting briefly off of his glasses.

'Heismann.'

. . .

Maura still felt Weaver's hand on her arm, but she shrugged violently away from him, taking a step towards the waiting police officers. One of them eyed her carefully, but the other spoke first. "Mr. Weaver, if you don't mind, I'll take your statement while my colleague here takes care of the little lady." Maura rolled her eyes, but she didn't have the time to deal with the uni's chauvinism, not while Jane was in danger. She went willingly towards the second officer as Weaver led the first into his home, giving her a smug smile. As soon as he was out of earshot, Maura turned towards the second officer, eyeing the name on his uniform.

"Officer Harper," she said quickly, her words stumbling from her lips, "I'm not a criminal - I'm Chief Medical Examiner of -"

"I know who you are."

"You do?" she asked, somewhat bewildered. She shook her head. "That's beside the point. Detective Jane Rizzoli -"

"I know. She called this in, said to bring you to the station."

"No, we have to get to Mass. General right away! I heard that man - Mr. Weaver - I heard him talking to someone while I was inside. Jane - Detective Rizzoli - is in danger."

A faint siren echoed around them, its piercing whine growing louder as a black squad car pummeled its way down the street, barely coming to a full stop before the driver ambled out of it. "Dr. Isles," Korsak said. His face was flushed, but there was a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Maura rushed towards him, placing a set of trembling hands on his chest, the pitch of her voice rising with her own fear. "We have to go. Jane's in danger."

Korsak looked towards the house, but Maura shook her head. "Weaver's inside, but his stepfather -" she didn't have time to finish her thought before Korsak was once again heading toward his vehicle, his tone serious as he directed his words towards the officer.

"Take Dr. Isles down to the precinct," he directed.

Maura shook her head. "No, no, I'm coming with you," she said, running towards the passenger's side of Korsak's car. The gray-haired detective looked down at her, unconvinced, but he knew any time wasted trying to convince the adamant doctor to stay put would only harm Jane. He looked back at the officer. "Send backup to Massachusetts General Hospital. Now."

Maura watched out of the passenger window as the lone police officer followed the command, speaking quickly into the walkie talkie clip on his shoulder. Her hands twisted nervously in her lap, her heart beating wildly, as she closed her eyes and prayed that someone would get to Jane in time.

. . .

"Didn't anyone ever tell you to keep your nose out of other people's business?"

There was a long, eerie pause. Jane couldn't find any words. She tried to reach for the call button, but her arm wouldn't move. She was completely frozen. Although he was more than two decades older than Jane, Heissman had a stocky, heavy-set build, and she was still confined to her hospital bed. Her only chance would be to stall him until she could alert a nurse or someone noticed what was happening.

"All you needed to do was ask your friend to find the cause of death. You dropped her right in my lap after Rose died."

The detective didn't speak. Seconds ticked by in the dark

"Say something."

"You won't get away with this," Jane croaked, her body finally obeying the commands firing from her brain. "They know what you've done. The police are on their way now." She didn't know that for sure, but it couldn't hurt to bluff.

"That doesn't matter. It's already too late for you."

. . .

"Can't you drive any faster?" Maura pleaded, willing Korsak's foot to press harder on to the gas.

"Not if I don't want a bunch of injured citizens following us to the hospital," he replied, keeping his attention on the road as he slowed down to pass through another red light. "Isles, you want to tell me what's going on?"

"I heard Weaver on the phone with someone. They knew Jane was investigating Mrs. Heissman's death, and I heard him say 'to take care of her'." She hung her head, wishing she could do something more than just merely sit idly by while Jane's life hung in the balance. "I can't do this again," she said, rocking forward in her seat, her eyes suddenly wet.

Korsak didn't have to chance a look at the medical examiner to know how incredibly worried she was about the detective. He'd seen that worry etch new lines into her face the night of the shooting, and how they had only grown deeper as Jane's condition worsened. "Maura, everything will be fine," he said, his voice as soothing as his deep tenor would allow it to be. "Backup is en route, and we'll be there in less than a minute. Just hang with me, okay?"

He heard her mumble, he flashed a quick glance towards her, and saw her hunched forward in her seat, her knuckles white on the dashboard. He had trouble deciphering her words, but upon understanding them, he felt his foot floor the gas.

"Please be okay," she repeated over and over, a mantra that permeated his own thoughts.

. . .

Jane's hand moved back towards the call button, but Heissman was on her in a flash, placing one hand over her mouth and pressing on her injured stomach with the other, causing her to grunt in muffled pain and curl into a tight ball. She couldn't do anything to fight him off, barely able to ride out the pain. Ugly streaks of orange and red flashed behind her eyes.

He removed his hand from her abdomen and flipped on the television with the remote that sat near Jane's bed, turning it up to the loudest possible volume before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small syringe. Jane's eyes widened, and she struggled against him, flailing her arms out to him, but the pain in her side was overwhelming. She screamed into his palm, which was like a vice over her mouth, but the television drowned out her pleas. Jane only managed to scream out one muffled word.

"Maura!"

. . .

Korsak squealed up to the entrance of the hospital, the squad car barely coming to a halt before Maura bolted out of the vehicle and almost lost one of her shoes in an all-out sprint to the double doors.

"Maura!" he called, checking the parking lot for backup, which didn't seem like it had arrived yet. "Wait!" She disappeared into the hospital, leaving Korsak to wonder how the hell she managed to run so fast in heels that high.

The medical examiner didn't register the detective's calls, the hospital's white interior merely a tunneled flash in front of her as she retraced the path she had made many times before to Jane's room. She forewent the elevator, opting for the stairs, which were closest to her, her feet complimenting the thumping beat of her heart as she made her way up the first three flights.

. . .

Even as her body started to give out and the syringe moved closer to her throat, Jane fought off Heissman as best she could, ignoring the pain in her abdomen as she tried to get her feet and nails to connect with any vulnerable spot. She managed to wedge one knee in between their struggling bodies, still gasping for air as she pushed forward, jabbing her assailant in the kidney. He grunted in pain, but didn't let up, and it was all she could do to keep his hands and the needle away from her throat.

All at once, Jane felt a sudden sense vertigo and fell backwards, shouting in pain as her shoulder hit the floor. Heissman had pushed her upper body off of the bed during the struggle, and for a moment, the syringe wasn't near her neck. Fighting dizziness and intense pain, she brought up the heel of her hand, aiming for her attacker's nose.

The blow connected slightly off-center, but it was enough to push Heissman back. Jane's free hand scrambled beside her, searching for the TV remote, her cell phone, a section of the monitoring machines next to her bed - anything that could be used as a weapon. She grasped only air, and tried kicking out with her feet, but to no avail.

. . .

Maura heard her name being called by several perplexed nurses as she ran full speed down the hallway, her chest heaving. 'Please don't let me be too late.' Her brain would only allow her to call out one word in explanation: "Jane!"

She heard a commotion behind her, puzzled voices, but she continued running, hurtling herself towards Jane's room. Although the fear of what she might find behind the closed door sent an ache through her chest, she swung it open, the detective's name once again falling from her lips. "Jane."

She didn't bother to register the full scene in front of her, all she processed was Jane's pained moans coming from the floor beside her bed and the syringe that she was desperately trying to keep at bay. Her unannounced entry had clearly startled Heissman, who looked quickly behind him, but she charged forward, throwing her entire body weight into him. Her breath was knocked out her with the force of her blow, and she sailed forward with him, her eyes on the syringe, which fell from his fingers and slid across the tiled floor.

Jane squinted in pain as she tried to calm her own breathing, which was only making the pain in her stomach worse, but she kept an eye fixed on the gamble of limbs that were scrambling in front of her. "Maura - ?" she choked out, trying to raise herself onto a pair of worthless legs as she watched the tiny medical examiner scramble to her knees.

Heissman didn't look as if he was attempting to fight her, but Maura's fist connected with his jaw in one swift, impressive movement that left even Jane impressed. "Maura?" she said again, but the blonde's attention seemed solely focused on the criminal beneath her. Her fist raised again, this time connecting with Heissman's nose, and Jane saw the fury that shook the doctor's shoulders.

She leaned forward, flinching, but her fingers brushed the silk of the blonde's shirt. "Maura. I think you got him," she wheezed.

The subtle touch seemed to bring the smaller woman out of her fit of rage, her shoulders slumping as she turned towards the brunette, leaving Heissman in a daze on the floor, a small stream of blood inching from his nose. She looked at Jane with a new horror, noticing the detective's pale face and labored breathing.

"Jane," she said, moving towards her, locking onto the dark brown eyes before immediately letting her gaze assess any damage that Heissman had done.

"I'm all right," the brunette insisted, preempting her question. "He didn't get me."

Heavy footsteps sounded from the hallway, followed by Korsak's flushed face as he rushed into the room, followed by two more uniformed officers. "Maura, what - Oh my God, Jane..." The older detective wasted no time kneeling on the floor beside his partner. Like Maura, his immediate response was to check and see if she was all right. Unlike Maura's touches, which Jane was tolerating out of love, she batted Korsak's hands away despite being incredibly glad to see him.

"Stop it, Korsak, I'm fine."

The unis, not quite sure what to do with themselves, went over to examine Heissman. His nose was bleeding profusely, and his face would be bruised for the next several weeks from Maura's blows. He tried to speak, probably to tell the officers to get away, but they hauled him up. "We'll take him to get cleaned up, you go ahead and bag that syringe," one of them said to Korsak, who almost felt like he was intruding as he waited while Maura insisted on checking Jane's vitals.

"My heart is working. I'm breathing fine. I just need painkillers for my damn stomach," Jane protested, instantly regretting the sharpness of her words when she saw the frown on Maura's face. The medical examiner's brow was creased with worry lines and there was pain in her eyes. She gave the honey blonde a small smile and reached out to hold her hand. "Maur, you saved my life. Thank you." There was so much more she wanted to say, but now was not the time, not while Korsak was still present.

"We're going to have to block this room off. It's a crime scene now," he said to the unis as they headed out the door with their surprisingly submissive prisoner in tow. "Once you deal with him, get a nurse up here to find a new room for Jane."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Jane said, noticing the rather large crowd of hospital personnel who were gathered in the hallway to watch Heissman being taken away.

Maura didn't bother looking towards the threshold, as she was more than certain the ruckus the past few minutes had caused on the floor. "Let's get her back into the chair," she said to Korsak.

"Hey, 'she's' sitting right here," Jane said, moving to raise herself up from the floor, but hissing at stab of pain that shot through her stomach.

One of the nurses moved into action, wheeling the chair over from the corner and helping Maura ease the detective into it. "Why don't we move you down to the end of the hallway?" she suggested. "There's a free room, and I want you out of this circus as soon as possible."

Jane sighed. "Thanks, Sarah." She looked up at Korsak. "Think you can handle it from here?" she asked. "Or at least until I get some meds in me?"

Korsak nodded. "I'm pretty sure I can."

The nurse wheeled Jane towards the doorway, where most of the observers had dispersed, pretending to read charts or engage in conversation, but still gazing at them out of the corners of their eyes. Maura stepped aside, suddenly unclear of her role. Jane looked back over her shoulder, giving her a comforting smile, but a look that she was otherwise unable to read.

Korsak noticed her uncertainty. "Isles, you see a dead body in here?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"No," she said immediately, but still gazing around her as if a corpse might have slipped into the room without her noticing.

"Then there's no reason for you to be here. Go be with Jane," he replied with a wave of his hand and a small smile.

Maura didn't need to be told twice.

. . .