A/N Here's the second part. Enjoy!
Jane awoke to the feel of someone's tiny frame pressed against his side, a small weight on his chest. Charlie must be having nightmares again. She's been having those more frequently as of late. Jane thought to himself, eyes still closed. This is nice, not that Jane wanted his daughter plagued with nightmares but it was rare that the three of them got any quality time alone these days with him working two jobs and all. Jane reached his left arm over to the far side of the bed, his hand searching for its third occupant but froze when it came in contact with cold fabric.
Confused, he opened his eyes only to find that the sleeping figure on his chest had a thick head of brown curls, not blonde. The confusion cleared as reality came flying back to him in the form of a dull yet familiar ache in his chest. Jane glanced down at Emma and sighed. He was, however, fairly surprised to see the first traces of light streaming in through the windows of Lisbon's guest room. Jane never slept through the night, not these days anyway.
Carefully, as to not wake the child, Jane peeled himself out of the bed and then traipsed out of the room. He didn't remember much after finishing the Dr Seuss book, wondering when exactly he managed to fall asleep.
The house was silent as Jane made his way into the kitchen. He poured water into the tea kettle Lisbon had left on the stove and then familiarized himself with the contents of her cabinets, searching for teabags and sugar. It wasn't until the water was boiling and Jane went to the fridge for milk that Jane saw the note attached to the door with a magnet.
Went to the grocery store. Figured one egg and a bottle of mustard wouldn't suffice for breakfast. Will be back soon. My cell is on if you think of anything you or Emma want.
Lisbon
"Trick?" Jane heard the small voice call from down the hall.
"In the Kitchen Emma." He heard the pitter patter of little feet as Emma trotted into the kitchen. Jane picked her up as she ran to him. "Morning kiddo. I was just making myself some tea. I think I may have seen a packet of hot cocoa in Lisbon's cupboard. Would you like some?"
"Yes please." Emma said politely.
Jane fixed his tea and then the cocoa, filling Emma's cup halfway with milk first so it wouldn't be too hot to drink. Then, they both sat down at Lisbon's small kitchen table. Jane watched as Emma slowly maneuvered the cup in her small hands. He was thankful he didn't fill it all the way to the top or she would have surely spilled it by now.
"That good Em?"
"Mmm." She replied with a chocolate mustache.
Out of his peripheral vision, Jane saw movement outside through the right-hand kitchen window. He looked out the left window, thinking Lisbon was home from shopping but one quick glance told him it wasn't her. There was no car outside.
"Emma." Jane whispered, kneeling in front of her chair so he could look directly at her. "We're going to play a little game ok? Hide and go seek."
"I'm good at…"
Jane shushed her with a finger to her lips. "I know, that's why we're going to play. I need you to to go into the bedroom where we slept. Close the door and find a really good hiding spot. Don't hide under the bed again. Somewhere new. Don't come out until either me or Lisbon finds you ok?"
Emma nodded and hopped off the kitchen chair and scurried down the hall.
Jane listened from the kitchen as the Lisbon's back door rattled. Normally, it would be Jane on the other side trying to force the lock to give under his delicate handling but not this time. He hoped Lisbon would be back soon. He was useless when it came to these kind of personal encounters. Sure, if Jane was alone he could possibly talk his way out of the situation but he had Emma to think about. He wished he had remembered to grab his phone off the nightstand.
The door opened three minutes later. Very Slow, Jane thought to himself. He was sitting calmly at the table, no other choice so Billy noticed him immediately.
"Where is she?" He demanded, waving the dark pistol wildly in front of him.
"Agent Lisbon?" Jane asked innocently. "She went to pick up the rest of the team to join us for breakfast. We have this case we're working on you know."
"Don't give me that crap." Billy spat. "I know she's here somewhere. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice."
Jane stood as the armed man came towards the hallway. "Why don't you sit down and tell me who you need to see and why and then we'll see if I can help you."
"No. I don't want to sit down." He stepped towards Jane who backed himself up against the table. "I need to find Emma."
Jane waited, expecting Billy to back off but he didn't move.
"You know, if Amy and Mike had just gone out when they were supposed to, no one needed to get hurt."
Jane's mind spun. Billy was talking and he needed to keep up the conversation. "What's the money for Billy? Drugs? Gambling debts?"
"No!" Billy sneered. He backed off, walking toward the opposite wall which he smacked with his palm. The kitchen shook. "They could have helped. They knew she was sick."
"Who?" Jane asked, as he slowly moved toward the hallway, putting himself between Billy and Lisbon's guest bedroom.
"My wife, you idiot." As if Jane was supposed to read his mind. "We kept seeing doctor after doctor. None of them helped and yet the bills still kept coming in. Amy and Mike, they watched and not once did they offer to help."
"Well, did you ever ask for their help?" Jane countered.
"No but we shouldn't need to. We're family."
Jane nodded understandingly. "So you were going to rob the place?"
"I figured there was enough in the house to steal."
"And when you broke in, you were surprised to find Mr. and Mrs. Gables still home even though they told you of their evening plans at dinner the previous night." Jane paused, trying to draw out the time. He knew they were getting to the end of their conversation. "There's one thing I don't understand Billy. Why come after Emma now?"
Jane felt a bit relieved when he saw Billy's face soften if only slightly. "Don't you see? It's the only way. I'm out of options. If I do nothing, we go bankrupt and my wife dies. As it stands now, all of the Gable's money goes to Emma."
"But with her out of the way, you're next in line for the fortune." Jane finished, understanding.
"I'm sorry." Billy said, raising the gun again with a new determination clear on his features. "It's just the way things are."
The statement reminded Jane of something he had said to Lisbon a few years ago. You needn't be angry. It's just the way of the world.
Jane heard a car door slam but he couldn't look to see if it was Lisbon. If it was and they were to have any chance at making it out of this situation alive, she needed to be alerted before entering the house. Jane had two options and neither of them would end particularly well for Jane, he knew, but one of them would surely get Lisbon's attention if it was indeed her outside.
With only a moment to ponder his options, Jane took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs. "LISBON!"
Jane didn't remember hearing the gun fire but he knew it must have as he was involuntarily swung backwards into the wall next to Lisbon's bathroom. In fact, he registered no sound at all, only that something had hit him and his legs were no longer working properly. Jane instinctively grabbed the frame of the bathroom door and eased himself down the wall. It was then he felt the warm heat radiating somewhere in his lower abdomen. Jane lowered his eyes in horror to see his slightly wrinkled suit turning a dark crimson, fast.
Lisbon heard Jane's shout followed by the loud bang of gunfire as she jumbled through her purse looking for her keys. At the sound, Lisbon dropped her packages and purse. She grabbed her weapon with one hand and her cell with the other. She quickly dialed dispatch requesting backup and paramedics before stashing her phone back in her jeans pocket and running around to the back of her townhouse. There, she found the door leading into her kitchen ajar. In a simultaneous motion, Lisbon aimed her weapon and kicked open the door, giving her full access to the room. She spotted the man, Billy, first hovering over a figure, slumped against the wall just inside the hallway near her bathroom. The man had his gun aimed, but turned when Lisbon took him out with three quick blasts from her own weapon.
Jane saw Billy raise his gun a second time and in a sickening realization, Jane knew he had failed yet again. Billy would finish him off and the go after Emma. At least this time, Jane wouldn't be around to witness the carnage his failures had cost. He closed his eyes, waiting for the darkness when instead, the room got suddenly brighter. Jane looked up to see the kitchen door fly open and the silhouette of Lisbon strolling into the room like some celestial Charlie's Angel. Billy turned to look at the intruder. Big mistake.
Lisbon ran inside the dimly lit kitchen compared to the morning sun and identified the slumped figure as Jane for the first time, barely managing to sit upright. He was desperately trying to hold himself in a sitting position by grasping on to the door frame with his right arm and trying to stem the flow of the gunshot wound with this other. Lisbon hurried over to him, managing to kick Billy's gun away in the process. She knelt down in front her friend.
"Jane, paramedics are on their way."
He looked at her, trying to focus enough to speak. "Emma." He managed breathlessly.
She moved down the hall, desperate to find Emma quickly so she could focus on giving Jane first aid. Lisbon knew for a fact Jane would refuse any kind of help until he knew the girl was safe.
"Closet." She heard Jane rasp. "Be… Behind the vacuum."
Sure enough, Emma was right were Jane said she would be, thankfully.
"Tree!" Emma screamed as Lisbon opened the closet door. The girl was crying, horrified no doubt. "It's ok Emma. No one's going to hurt you. I promise."
Lisbon carried Emma down the hallway. She didn't really want to expose the girl to anymore trauma than she had already been through but had no choice.
Emma wailed when Lisbon knelt down next to Jane. "Trick!" She screamed.
Jane attempted a slight grin as to not frighten the child.
"Trick I did what you said. I hid real well though Tree found me right away." Then she noticed Jane was bleeding. "Trick, you have a boo-boo."
Lisbon put the girl down on the floor. "Emma. I need you to listen to me. Jane is hurt and I need you to be a big girl for me can you do that?"
Emma nodded.
"Good. Can you do me a favor and grab as many towels as you can hold from inside the bathroom?"
Without a word, Emma sprinted inside and returned moments later with a handful of towels.
"Very good Emma." Lisbon said as she took one of the towels and pressed it against Jane's wound.
"Is that uncle Billy?" Emma asked pointing to the prone form on the floor.
Lisbon looked at Jane who nodded in confirmation.
"Yes." Lisbon answered honestly. "He was the man who hurt your mom and dad. He also hurt Jane."
Thankfully, Emma asked no further questions.
"Why don't you go wait over there by the window. You can be my lookout. I need to know when the ambulance is coming." Lisbon suggested.
Emma obeyed, standing away from the carnage but still within Lisbon's sight.
"Jane, I need you to stay with me here. Help should be here any minute."
"Kay." He managed shaking. "C…cold Lisbon."
"I know. It's from shock Jane. Pretty soon you'll have all the nice warm blankets you want but only if you stay awake for me."
"Trying."
Despite Lisbon's efforts, Jane was turning whiter by the second. "Jane, I need to get a look at your back. I'm going to move you a little but it's going to hurt."
He nodded, a cold sweat was starting to mat down his wispy curls darkening them about five shades.
With one hand, Lisbon kept the pressure on the towel and with the other she grabbed Jane's shoulder, turning him slightly away from the wall.
Lisbon swore. "It went right through. Jane, you've got another wound back here. We couldn't see it because you were up against the wall."
"…ull of holes." He whispered.
Lisbon racked her left hand through her hair unconsciously in frustration and grabbed another towel. She pressed that towel against where she assumed the exit wound was, near the edge of Jane's back. In an awkward bear hug, she grabbed Jane from behind with as much strength as she could muster. She had both arms wrapped around to press against the towel in front. She hoped the pressure from the strange embrace would be enough to hold both the front and back dressings securely in place.
"M'tired Lisbon."
"I know Jane but you're not allowed to sleep yet."
From her intimately close proximity, Lisbon could feel Jane's heartbeat pounding wildly in his chest. She wanted to tell herself it was racing due to fear and pain but more than likely, it was the consultant's heart trying to compensate for the blood loss.
"You promised Emma you would teach her that coin trick last night in the car." Lisbon knew she was acting desperate, using Emma to keep Jane awake but she was desperate after all.
"Tell Emma M'Sorry."
Lisbon was going to tell Jane he could tell her himself when she felt the man go slack in her grasp. His head lolled back and came to rest on her chest. Where is that damn ambulance? She hadn't seen Emma move but suddenly the girl was standing in front of Lisbon, a blanket nearly overtaking her small frame.
"Trick said he was cold." Emma explained innocently.
Lisbon nodded silently as little hands did their best to drape the blanket over her and Jane.
"Tree, is Trick going to leave like mommy and daddy?"
Lisbon swallowed the lump that instantly formed in her throat. "No, I don't think so honey. Jane and I hunt bad guys every day. It'll take more than one guy with a gun to scare him away." She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince; Emma or herself.
Emma seemed satisfied with her answer because she went back to the window. Lisbon wished for Emma's ignorance. "You better not leave Jane." Lisbon whispered as she pressed her chin to the top of his head and sighed.
Moments later, a siren could be heard in the distance. Emma shouted its arrival soon after.
"Emma sweetie, please open the front door for the doctors."
She stretched on her tip toes to grasp the door handle and twist it. Three paramedics stormed in as Emma held open the door. They located their patent and quickly got to work. Lisbon hardly noticed. One moment she was clinging to Jane for dear life and the next, she was separated from him, the blanket in her hands. In no time, they had the blonde loaded up on a stretcher and back out the door. Lisbon knew time was critical when it came to gunshot wounds. She snapped out of her trance when the sirens started again and an officer came into the house. Lisbon wrapped the blanket tightly around herself and went over to Emma who had watched Jane leave in the ambulance through the window.
Emma jumped into Lisbon's arms, the tears returning now that the chaos was over.
"Shh." Lisbon cooed, not knowing what else to do. Jane was much better with this stuff. She didn't know the officer was talking to her until he touched her shoulder.
"Agent Lisbon." She jumped and turned toward the officer. "I'm sorry but I need a statement from you. Would you like to sit down?"
Lisbon nodded and carried Emma over to her sofa.
The team arrived just as the officer was wrapping up his questions. He stood as the door opened and her three remaining team members came in.
Van Pelt sighed when she spotted Lisbon and Emma on the couch. "Are you guys alright? We heard there was an officer down and…" It was then Van Pelt spotted the trail of blood on the wall too far away from the body of Uncle Billy. She looked back at Lisbon, blood stains now clear on her hands.
"Jane's on his way to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen. The bullet went clean through but there was a lot of blood and…" Lisbon stopped herself, remembering Emma. "I need to et Emma back to the office to meet her grandparents and then go to the hospital. I…"
Van Pelt stepped towards Lisbon and the guys followed. "Boss, take a few minutes. Get yourself cleaned up. We'll watch Emma for you."
Lisbon nodded as Van Pelt lifted her arms in an offering to take the child who still clung to Lisbon's neck fiercely.
"Emma, do you still have that box of crayons? Why don't you color a picture with me while the guys fix something for us to eat." Van Pelt said, trying to coax the girl away from Lisbon.
Emma loosened her grip on Lisbon but didn't let go completely. She looked down at her hands shyly before quietly asking: "Do you think if I make Trick another picture, then maybe he won't want to go away?"
Van Pelt looked confusingly at Lisbon. She hadn't heard Jane's butterfly spiel but the look in Lisbon's eyes told her all she needed to know.
"Oh honey." Van Pelt said, taking the girl in her arms. "Jane would never leave you on purpose but I'm sure he would love another picture from you." She was about to take Emma to the guest room when the girl called out to Lisbon again.
"Tree?"
"Yes Emma?"
"What's Trick's favorite animal?"
Lisbon thought about the simple question for a moment. There was really so much she didn't know about Jane. Then, a thought occurred to her. It wasn't exactly the answer Emma was looking for but it would do. She whispered something into the girl's ear.
"Really?" Emma asked.
Lisbon nodded.
"That's so cool. I've never drawn one of those before." Emma chatted mindlessly to herself as Van Pelt finally walked her out of the living room.
Lisbon sighed, and forced herself toward the bathroom. She paused just before the door where Jane's blood stained the wall and Lisbon's tan carpet. The sight acted like an invisible barrier and Lisbon couldn't get her feet to move anymore. She turned, momentarily startled when a hand touched her shoulder. Cho was suddenly standing to her right.
"This is Jane we're talking about. He'll be fine."
Lisbon swallowed, nodded and slowly stepped into the bathroom. She turned the water on as hot as it could go and then noticed her reflection in the mirror. Like the walls and floor, her clothes were heavily stained, ruined. Lisbon reacted autonomously. As if her very clothes were aflame, Lisbon quickly pried them off and threw the lot of them in the trash. She managed to maintain control of her emotions until she was standing under the steaming spray. It was the single glance downward, at the swirling water, a stream of red instead of clear that finally broke Lisbon's last resolve.
With no one to see her and no reason to maintain the strong façade, the first silent sob tore through Lisbon's body. She slowly slid down the shower wall. The spray continued to pelt her as the floodgates opened and her tears joined the sea of red flowing down the drain. Lisbon remained like that until at last, the water ran clear as if it nothing ever happened. Unfortunately, all the water in the world wouldn't wash away the truth.
Emotionally exhausted, Lisbon forced herself to stand. She then shampooed her hair and turned off the water. Twenty minutes later, she was again ready to face the world. Dressed in a new change of clothes, Lisbon found the team and Emma in the kitchen. She sat down at the table and Rigsby placed a plate full of food down in front of her.
"Thank you but I don't think I could eat."
"You need to try and eat something." Van Pelt insisted.
"Emma helped with the pancakes." Rigsby said.
"I stirred them with a….a…"
"Whisk." Rigsby offered.
"Yeah, that." Emma agreed. "Try them Tree."
Lisbon at the pancake for Emma's sake and even managed a bite of bacon but she left the eggs. There was no way she was going to stomach those.
This time, when Lisbon finally made it to the hospital, she asked for the doctor first. The receptionist told Lisbon to have a seat. Knowing arguing wouldn't do any good at this point, Lisbon headed for the cold, unwelcoming chairs, Emma's hand firmly in her grasp. When the girl's grandparents had heard about what happened, they insisted Lisbon meet them at the hospital instead. Not only did they not want to keep Lisbon from her injured teammate but they also wanted to personally thank the man who had saved their granddaughter. Jane would hate that.
A middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat found them nearly a half an hour later. He strolled over to Lisbon and held out his hand. Lisbon stood and picked up Emma. She balanced the girl on her hip with one arm and shook the doctor's hand with the other.
"Agent Lisbon I presume? My name is Doctor Langley. I'm the surgeon who worked on your agent, Mr. Jane."
"Consultant," Lisbon corrected. "How is he doctor?"
"We were able to stabilize Mr. Jane a little over an hour ago. The bullet managed to nick an artery and perforate one of his kidneys before exiting the body. Luckily, the path of the bullet missed the liver by mere centimeters. We're in the process of replacing the blood Mr. Jane lost and we also have him on antibiotics to prevent sepsis. It was a battle Agent Lisbon. I know you agents don't like us to water anything down. If he had arrived a few minutes later, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Thankfully, Mr. Jane got to us just in time. Barring no further complications, I believe your agent should make a full recovery."
Lisbon chose not to correct the doctor for a second time. Instead, she let the relief flood through her veins like cold water on a hot day.
"Thank you doctor."
He nodded. "I'll inform a nurse to take you to Mr. Jane's room. He should be waking right about now. Contact me if you have any further questions or concerns." Doctor Langley headed out from the direction he came but stopped at the front desk to instruct the nurse to take Lisbon to Jane's room.
During the short walk through the hospital corridors, Lisbon explained to Emma that Jane would be sleeping and that they would have to be quiet until he woke up.
Emma practiced being quiet for Lisbon. "Is this quiet enough?" She whispered.
"That's perfect." Lisbon whispered in return.
Jane had a private room, one of the few perks for working for law enforcement. The lighting in the room was dim when Lisbon walked in, still carrying Emma on her hip.
"I'll be right out here if you need me." The nurse told them.
Lisbon didn't remember if she answered the woman or not as she walked further into the room and deposited the bag she was carrying in the first chair she came to. Then, she turned to take a good look at Jane. She couldn't believe he was back in the hospital, nearly dying for the second time in only a few months.
"Does Trick still have a boo-boo?" Emma asked quietly.
"Yes sweetie. That's why he's still sleeping. Sleeping helps the boo-boos heal."
Emma began to squirm so Lisbon put her down on the ground. She walked right over to the chair with Lisbon's bag on it. Reaching inside, Emma pulled out Lucky, her stuffed dog and then scampered over to the bed. She reached up, just managing to grab the metal rail between her fingers and forced the stuffed dog underneath, next to Jane's arm.
"Lucky helps me when I get a boo-boo." Emma said by way of explanation.
Lisbon smiled at Emma but movement from the bed quickly caught her attention.
"Jane?" Lisbon asked as his breathing changed and head began to move slightly.
"Trick?" Emma Jumped trying to see.
Lisbon picked her up again as Jane's eyes fluttered open. They waited patiently for him to focus. "Jane, you're in the hospital. Everything is going to be ok." Lisbon reassured.
He was silent for a moment and then: "Do… do I know you?"
Lisbon's mouth hung open, agape. Not again.
Jane smiled. "Just kidding." He took a deep breath, wincing at the pain it caused. "Though the look on your face was so worth it."
"I would hit you right now if I didn't care about damaging you further."
"Very thoughtful of you Lisbon. Thank you."
Jane looked now at Emma. "How are you doing kiddo?"
"Okay. I made pancakes with Grace and Be."
Rigsby, Lisbon mouthed but Jane already understood.
"You were sleeping a long time. Longer than I do when momma makes me take a nap." Emma suddenly remembered something. "Tree, where's the picture I drew for Trick?"
Lisbon pulled the folded image out of the bag and handed it to Jane. He studied the picture for a moment.
"Lisbon, what kind of stories have you been telling her?"
Lisbon shrugged. "She asked me what your favorite animal was."
"Did you really have a pet elephant when you were little like me Trick?" Emma asked.
Jane chuckled but only slightly, not wanting to pull on his stitches. "I guess you could say that though she wasn't really mine."
"I wanted a puppy but daddy said I was too young and couldn't take care of it. I tried to tell him that I took good care of Lucky but he said it wasn't the same."
Jane looked to his right. "Speaking of which, why is Lucky with me instead of with you Emma?"
"I thought Lucky could help your boo-boo. Tree said I acted very grown up today. I don't think I need Lucky so much anymore."
Lisbon explained how Emma had helped her by fetching the towels, keeping Jane warm with the blanket and keeping a lookout for the paramedics.
"I can't take Lucky from you Emma." Jane insisted.
"I have a whole bunch of animals in my room at home. You don't have any Trick and Lucky likes you. He told me."
How could he argue with that? "Thank you Emma."
"Welcome."
A knock on the door ended the conversation. Lisbon figured it was the nurse but then two elderly people entered.
"Nanna, Grampa!" Emma exclaimed excitedly.
The couple looked weary, Lisbon noted, for good reason she figured, but they smiled at Emma just the same.
"Hello Mr. Mrs. Brooks I presume. My name is Teresa Lisbon, Agent Teresa Lisbon and our patient here is Mr. Patrick Jane. Jane, these are Emma's grandparents."
Jane gave a half-wave.
Lisbon put Emma down. "Nanna, Trick has a pet elephant. I want one of those someday."
Mr. Brooks raised her eyebrows in response.
"It's a long story." Lisbon assured.
Emma went to her grandmothers welcoming arms. Mrs. Brooks hugged her and picked her up.
"Boy you've grown since the last time we saw you." She said and then turned to Jane. "I don't know how to thank you for protecting Emma. You saved her life."
"Trick told me to hide but then got a boo-boo so Tree had to find me. She's good at hide and go seek though."
"She's one special little girl." Jane said as a response.
Mrs. Brooks fumbled with something in her pocket. "There's no way we could possibly repay you for your sacrifice but we wanted you to have this." She handed Jane an envelope.
Trying not to be rude, Jane took the envelope and glanced at its contents. "I can't possibly accept this. I was just doing what was necessary, nothing more."
"Nonsense." Mr. Brooks said, speaking for the first time.
Jane glanced at the envelope again before making his decision. "Do me a favor." He said.
"Anything." Mrs. Brooks insisted.
"Give this to Billy's wife."
Both Mr. and Mrs. Brooks were about to protest.
"Just hear me out." Jane said before they could voice their objections. "She's sick. I don't know to what extent. What Billy did was a terrible, horrible thing but he was a desperate man. Sometimes desperate men do outrageous things without thinking." He glanced quickly at Lisbon before continuing. "Besides, his wife played no part in the crimes committed these past few days."
The Brooks' didn't say anything but Jane could tell he had got through to them.
"So… Are you heading back to Connecticut with Emma?" Jane was almost afraid to ask.
Mrs. Brooks shook her head. "We figured she's already been through enough. We're going to rent a place out here for now so Emma can finish out preschool. We're both retired and winter's on its way back east. What better excuse to spend those normally cold months in sunny California. Besides, it seems as if Emma has made a few new friends in law enforcement. Who would have thought…"
Jane and Lisbon smiled.
"We've certainly enjoyed her company." Lisbon said honestly. "Sure beats working with criminals every day."
"We have your office number. Either me or my husband will get in touch with you once we're settled. You're welcome to see Emma anytime you'd like. I'm sure it'll do her good considering."
"Whaddya say Em?" Mr. Brooks said. "I think It's time to let Mr. Jane here get some rest."
"But he's been sleeping all day!"
Everyone laughed.
"We'll come back another day to visit." Emma's grandmother promised.
"He'll be bored out of his mind by tomorrow." Lisbon said.
"He is laying over here." Jane complained jokingly. "Emma, can Trick have a goodbye hug?"
Mrs. Brooks gently placed Emma on the side of the bed. The girl immediately embraced Jane.
"Thank you for helping me Em." He pulled back and kissed her on the cheek.
"I love you Trick."
Jane's eyes glistened and he couldn't resist pulling Emma in for another hug. "Love you too peanut."
The moment was over too soon and in no time, grandparents and child were out of the hospital room, blanketing the space in silence.
Jane laid back, closed his eyes, and sighed. He was suddenly very tired. He picked up the small stuffed dog still lying on the bed, gently fingering the floppy ears. "We did good today didn't we Tree?" He quietly asked Lisbon, using her new nickname.
Lisbon reached over and gave Jane's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Very good Trick."
"Trick and Tree, saving the world one lonely caterpillar at a time."
"Get some rest Jane." Lisbon said with no intention of leaving any time soon.
A/N So, I've decided that I shall continue this. I have a few ideas in mind. The next one should be on the humorous side and will feature the whole team. I'm labeling this complete for now since the "Butterflies" portion is done but when I finish the next part, I'm going to rename the fic as a whole. Thinking of calling it "The Adventures of Trick and Tree" but if anyone has a better suggestion, i'm open for it. I'm loving Emma and Jane way too much. I hope you are too xD