(PART 2)
…
As the video keeps on playing, Frost explains, "I've checked the security logs. Nobody signed in at the front desk that night. Doesn't look like he came down with the elevator…"
"The back entrance…," Maura murmurs, her voice trembling at the final confirmation that this truly isn't a drill or a joke.
"Frost, check if they brought in a body on Sunday," Jane orders.
The computer-savvy detective lets his fingers fly over the keyboard, opens the respective log file, squints as he studies its contents. "Huh…"
"What is it?" Jane and Maura ask in unison.
"Someone from the Crime Lab came in at a quarter to midnight… Julie Owens," Frost reads from the file, then glances at the surveillance video's time code — 00:21 a.m.
"Julie? No, she… she wouldn't be involved in this," Maura objects. "And clearly, this is a man in the footage…"
Trying to remember the face matching the woman's name, Jane attempts to understand what is going on. "Can you find out if Julie has checked in today?"
"Give me a second," Frost mumbles and checks another file. "No, she's not supposed to come in today. She's got a day off."
Jane worriedly studies Maura's face. "You sure about her?"
"Yes," Maura sighs, confused about Julie's name popping up in this context. "She's a kind young woman, Jane… She just graduated…"
"Maybe someone stole her ID," Korsak chimes in.
"Maybe…," Jane nods, and they all focus on the video as the man re-emerges from Maura's office and carefully closes the door. When he swings his backpack over his shoulder, the sleeve of his Tyvek suit accidentally rides up.
"Stop!" Maura orders in Frost's direction. "Can you go back a second?"
"Sure," he nods and rewinds the footage. "You recognize the guy?"
When the freeze frame fills the screen, Maura points at a tattoo visible on the man's wrist. "This tattoo… I've seen it before… It's one of the undertakers…"
"A lot of people have tats like that," Korsak forestalls any hasty conclusions.
"No, no, I remember this one in particular," Maura insists. "He said it was the Japanese kanji for fierce, but it's actually the kanji for fear…"
"I don't think anybody would try to kill you just because you've lectured them on their lacking language skills," Jane objects.
Insecure, Maura glances at the brunette squatted down at her side. "Well, you said my grammar lessons made you trigger-happy…"
"You know I was kidding," Jane smiles apologetically. "I like your etymology fun facts…"
"You do?"
For a moment, the bomb seems rather irrelevant.
"Yeah. Why else would I remember a word like etymology?" Glad to see a sparkle of hope return to Maura's eyes, Jane suddenly remembers their predicament. "Now, do you know the name of that undertaker?"
"Uh… Lance…," Maura decides after some thought. "But I don't remember him telling me his last name."
Jane turns to her partner. "Frost, can you—"
"Already at it," he cuts her off and opens the personnel database. Moments later, he finds someone named Lance and shows Maura the photo on file. "Lance Carter… is that him?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, let me check who that is…" Frost opens the NCIC database and eagerly taps his commands into the keyboard.
Meanwhile, Jane bends down to check on Fisher and Dedo. "How's it going down there?"
Dedo silently shakes his head.
Unable to see the bomb squad leader behind herself, Maura worriedly turns to Jane for an update.
"They're working on it…," the brunette declares unwaveringly, thankful that she doesn't get hives from lying.
But even without Jane's skin turning red, Maura knows that she is not telling the whole truth. However, she also knows exactly what is going on in the detective's mind, and so she decides to play along, and just nods, and pretends to be content for now.
"Doesn't appear to be his real name," Frost announces from behind the computer's screen.
Korsak leans over to take a look himself. "Run him through facial rec…"
While Frost is doing just that, Jane tries to keep Maura's attention away from that ticking bomb. "Did you notice anything else about that guy?"
She shakes her head. "No… He started a few weeks ago… I've only had a brief conversation with him…"
"Got him!" Frost bursts out and turns the monitor towards Maura. It shows a mug shot of the man. "Previously arrested for assault and robbery. His real name is Lance McCollough. Wait… didn't we have—"
"… another McCollough, yes," Jane finishes his sentence as she feels Maura's fingers stiffen in her hand. "Check if he's related to Darren McCollough." She then turns back to the woman at her side. "Looks like our old friend has no intention to let you testify against him…"
"They're cousins," Frost reveals moments later. But while he would normally jump from his seat and unleash the forces of BPD to hunt down their suspect, he hesitates. And so does Korsak.
"What are you waiting for?" Jane wonders impatiently. "Get a BOLO out, and call the prison to make sure Darren is still locked up and doesn't get to talk to anybody until this is over!"
But Korsak recognizes a familiar look on Jane's face — the same look he saw three years ago when she shot herself; the same look that he never wanted to see again. And he is scared to leave his former partner with that look on her face… "We can take care of this after we—"
"Please, go upstairs and make sure we get that sonofabitch," Jane begs. "We'll handle things down here. Don't worry…"
Knowing that they would have to drag Jane out of the room as long as Maura was sitting in that chair, Korsak finally surrenders and nudges Frost's arm. "Come on, let's go."
Worry etched on his face, Frost casts one last glance over his shoulder as the sergeant pushes him to the door and out of the office.
Almost simultaneously, Johnson pops his head in. "The Crime Lab is clear. Everybody is upstairs. Need help in here…?"
"Actually, yes, we need something from the car," Dedo declares and stumbles to his feet.
"Found a way to defuse it?" Jane asks hopefully.
The bomb squad leader shakes his head but then immediately puts on a smile as he steps next to Maura. "You're doing great. Can you sit still for a few more minutes?"
Maura nods silently and watches Dedo, Fisher, and Johnson gather just outside her office door.
Meanwhile, Jane risks another look at the watch, unaware that her face darkens at the sight.
But Maura notices it. "How much time do we have left?"
"All the time in the world."
"Jane…"
Feeling her hopes dwindle with every passing minute, Jane locks eyes with the blonde. "Thirty minutes…"
And even though Maura can already read the answer in the brunette's eyes, she has to ask anyway. "They don't know how to disable it, do they?"
"They'll find a way."
Forced to sit idle once again, Maura uncomfortably leans forward, just ever so slightly, then backwards again, trying to relax her aching back after having spent the last thirty minutes in the same position.
Noticing her discomfort, Jane yearns for a way to provide some relief. "Want me to get you some water or anything else?"
"How about a comfortable bed?" Maura sighs, barely able to stop her lacrimal glands from giving in to the stress.
"Can't you lean back a little?" Jane squints at the chair, searching for a way to allow Maura to shift in her seat. "If you move very slowly…"
Too scared to try, Maura just shakes her head and buries her face in her hands, seeking comfort in another yoga breathing exercise.
But then another idea crosses Jane's mind, and she squats down in front of the chair. "Just lean on me and try to relax your back…" When Maura doesn't show any inclination to move, Jane carefully reaches for her hands, avoids any hectic movements, and pulls the blonde's forearms down to place them on her own shoulders.
Thankful for the physical and emotional support, Maura rests her forehead on Jane's, her voice getting more somber. "You shouldn't be here…"
"Neither should you…," the detective murmurs when she feels both Maura and their dilemma weigh heavily on her shoulders.
And as far too many words are waiting to roll off their lips, they both fall silent instead, drawing strength from their nearness, while the watch is ticking away under the chair and the bomb squad's murmur outside is barely reaching their ears.
"I'm scared…," Maura finally whispers.
And even though Jane's heart also beats to the rhythm of fear, her own worries are way down on her priority list. "Can't believe I'm saying that, but how about some fun facts?"
Very much aware of the detective's strategy, Maura tries her best to engage her brain, but being just inches away from a bomb and even closer to Jane doesn't make it any easier to think straight. When she feels Jane encouragingly nudge her arms again, she finally blurts out the first fact that comes to mind. "Well… did you know that approximately 25,000 atomic bombs have been built, and there are still about 4,000 active nuclear warheads? You could easily wipe out mankind with that…"
"Huh… if that's not a fun fact, then I don't know what is," Jane chuckles, trying to sound as casual as ever. "How about something that isn't related to bombs?"
Just silence from Maura as she tries to gather herself…
"C'mon, give me something from your etymology archives," Jane tries again, unwilling to give up. "What's a fun tongue-twister or a really long word?"
"Etymology isn't the study of long or funny words but of word origin and history," Maura grumbles.
"And how do they call the study of fun words?"
"There is no name for that…"
"Well, there should be," Jane suggests. "There are a lot of fun words after all… like cockamamie… or collywobbles… or doozy…"
"Your vocabulary is quite formidable," Maura murmurs approvingly, a faint smile finding its way onto her lips.
"Isn't it?!" Jane grins. "Your turn… What's the longest word you can think of?"
Finally relaxing at the familiarity of their interaction, Maura lets her thoughts wander. And it doesn't take too long for an answer. "Honorificabilitudinitatibus."
"You just made that up," Jane protests, barely able to remember the word's last syllable.
"I did not," Maura objects. "It's from Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost and considered the longest word used in the English language with alternating consonants and vowels… It means being able to receive honors."
And coincidentally, Jane also considers this word to be the perfect way to distract her companion. "What was the word again?"
"Honorificabilitudinitatibus," Maura repeats effortlessly.
"Almost got it… Say it again?"
"Honorificabilitudinitatibus."
"And now three times in a row without breathing…"
Maura smiles in amusement, subconsciously lets her fingers travel up and down Jane's neck, and finds a moment of peace.
Before either of them becomes fully aware of the intimacy of their moment, the bomb squad men re-enter the office, and Dedo hesitantly clears his throat, waits for the two women to look at him. "We might have to find another way to get you off that chair…"
"Why…?" Jane asks with concern, while Maura instantly tenses up again.
Dedo steps closer, shyly scratches his head. "Part of the wires is inextricably wound around the chair's leg. And we can't really see or access the trigger mechanism. Obviously, we're not gonna take a wild guess and just cut one of those wires…"
"So, what's your plan?" The discontent in Jane's voice matches the animosity in her eyes.
Lacking his previous enthusiasm, Dedo looks around in the office.
"Just spill it out!" Jane's patience has run out long before the bomb's timer.
"Well, we have an idea," Dedo finally admits as he walks to the door to the adjacent autopsy room to check its dimensions. "We've been experimenting with a pneumatic ratchet system. Originally, it's been designed to pull soldiers off of land mines… It's similar to the installations used by stunt coordinators to send their stunt men flying through the air when they're filming explosions 'n shit…"
"But…?" Jane senses the doubt in his voice.
"It's a fairly new system, and so far, we've only tested it in a few simulations…"
"Well, today is your lucky day. You get to test it under real conditions," Jane declares decisively. "Let's do this!"
"It's risky…," Dedo emphasizes again.
But Jane points at Maura instead. "Riskier than her sitting on that bomb when the timer runs out?"
Unable to refute the argument, Dedo lets his eyes wander around, then nods to his men. "Get everything down here!"
Within the blink of an eye, Fisher and Johnson rush to the emergency stairwell and disappear out of sight.
"How exactly are you planning on doing this?" Maura asks quietly, her voice oddly calm in light of her fate, her thoughts already focusing on something else.
Dedo still inspects the door to the autopsy room. "Basically, we're gonna use a wire to pull you off that chair, through this door into the other room, and then we just let that bomb go off in here."
Jane tries to imagine his scenario. "And how do you—"
Before she can finish her sentence, some noise emerges from the stairwell, and an all too familiar voice echoes through the empty halls. "Jane?!" Seconds later, Angela Rizzoli's voice calls out again. "Jane, are you down there?"
The woman of said name frowns and looks at Maura. "How the hell did she get down here?!" Jane jumps to her feet, briefly squeezes Maura's hand, then dashes to the door. "Wait here!" Realizing the pointlessness of her words, she turns around and supportively looks at the blonde still stuck with that bomb. "You know what I mean… I'll be back."
And as Jane rushes out of the door, she almost bumps into the Rizzoli matriarch outside, whose motherly instincts and iron determination made it fairly easy to overcome all obstacles on her way to her daughter.
"What is going on?" Angela asks, out of breath and worry written all over her face.
"Nothing, Ma," Jane tries to calm her down. "Just a little Monday morning exercise…"
"So, it's just a drill? But they said it was real…"
"It is real, but everything will be alright."
"Is Maura in there, too?" Angela tries to catch a glimpse through the lowered blinds of the office windows.
Cursing to herself, Jane holds her back, shoves her towards the stairs. When another bomb squad member emerges from around the corner, Jane quickly signals him to escort her mother upstairs. "You can't be here right now. And I really don't have time to discuss this with you, so could you please go back upstairs like everybody else?"
But Angela's worries cannot be pushed away as easily. "Everybody but you and Maura…?"
"Ma… please," Jane begs, her thoughts already back in the medical examiner's office.
And even though Angela knows all too well about her daughter's occasional recklessness, she also knows that she will not win this argument as long as Maura is still in her office. "Promise you'll stop by for breakfast when you're done here?"
"I promise," Jane nods, fully aware that it's a promise she might not be able to keep.
Angela swallows hard, pulls the younger Rizzoli woman into a brief embrace. "Be careful, Jane. I love you." Reluctantly, she lets the officer lead her away.
"Love you, too, Ma," Jane murmurs as she watches her disappear up the stairs.
Once her mother is out of sight, Jane spins on her heel, ready to rush back into the office — but her plan is thwarted by Dedo blocking her way. "Sorry, you can't go back in there!"
"What the hell?! Of course, I can!" Ready to unleash the full force of her Monday morning mood on the unsuspecting bomb squad leader, Jane steps forward, her eyes shooting one last warning stare his way. But when he still refuses to move, it suddenly dawns on her. "Wait, that was her idea, wasn't it?"
His feet still planted firmly on the ground, Dedo keeps a straight face. "Doctor Isles would like you to go upstairs and wait there until—"
"Forget it, I'm not leaving!"
"She made it very clear that she does not want you back in there!"
"Yeah, well, and I don't want her to sit on that bomb, and yet she does." Instinctively, Jane reaches for her gun, wondering how far she would go. "We don't always get what we want."
But Dedo still hesitates.
"Listen, I'm not going anywhere," Jane hisses between clenched teeth. "So, you can either waste more time standing in my way, or you can get back to doing your job and let me do mine!"
"She's not gonna be happy about that…," Dedo sighs, sensing his defeat. Begrudgingly, he steps aside.
"I know," Jane grumbles. "I'll never hear the end of it."
Without waiting for formal permission, Jane storms back into the office, finds Maura with her head buried in her hands and expecting to spend these last minutes by herself.
As the medical examiner looks up and faces a slightly disgruntled detective, she frowns in protest. "Jane? No—"
"Don't you ever do something like that behind my back again!" Deciding to leave it at that, Jane reclaims her spot next to the chair and peeks at the watch — just twenty minutes to go.
"Sorry, I tried…" Dedo apologetically raises his hands, then quickly escapes into the adjacent autopsy room.
Losing her hopes that at least one of them might get out alive, Maura shakes her head at Jane. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"
"Because I haven't had breakfast yet," Jane groans. "I told you we should go to the café first…"
"You're more than welcome to go upstairs and have your pancakes right now," Maura suggests admonishingly and tries to prevent Jane from taking her hand, afraid that the comforting touch is not destined to last.
"And who's stubborn now, huh?" Jane insists and finally manages to link her fingers with those of the blonde.
Before the winner according to the stubbornness scale is determined, Korsak and Frost step back into the room. "Every cop out there is looking for McCollough," the sergeant announces but then frowns in confusion. "Why aren't they working on the bomb? What's going on?!"
"They're getting more equipment," Jane explains. "Small change of plan…"
Frost anxiously checks his watch. "Shouldn't they… you know… hurry?"
Right on cue, Fisher, Johnson, and three more bomb squad members appear. "Sorry, brotha," one of them politely shoves Frost out of the way as they carry their equipment inside — several wires, pneumatic pumps, and tools that might as well be part of a mountain climber's gear.
"In here," Dedo calls his men into the autopsy room. Moments later, the sounds of drilling and hammering and wires being installed are heard.
Then Dedo pops his head in again, notices Korsak and Frost standing around. "You two, can you get us some blankets, pads, whatever you can find?"
"What the hell are you planning to do?" Korsak frowns.
"You don't wanna know," Jane smirks.
"There are blankets in the Crime Lab… in the room next to the evidence storage," Maura points out quietly.
"I'm going to get some from the drunk tank upstairs — I'll be right back," Frost declares and dashes out of the room.
Korsak follows on his heels but takes a turn into the opposite direction, towards the Crime Lab.
Valuable seconds keep ticking away as Jane and Maura observe in silence how Dedo and his men move racks with autopsy instruments aside and install the wire routing for their ratchet system. And neither of them needs to look under that chair to know that they have only fifteen minutes left to change their fate.
Instinctively, the two women tighten the embrace of their hands, holding on to their bond that not even the threat of a bomb can divide.
When Korsak returns with several blankets under his arm, he casts a worried glance at the chair and its occupant before rushing into the adjacent room where Dedo points at a spot on the floor several feet away from the door. "We need to create a little landing pad, so she won't crash too hard…"
And finally, the plan dawns on Korsak. He lowers his voice so the women next door can't hear him. "You wanna pull her off that chair?"
Dedo nods. "We can't defuse the bomb. And there's not enough time to try anything else…"
The sergeant lets his eyes wander over the preparations. In disbelief. "But that's damn risky, isn't it?"
"Got a better idea?" Challengingly, Dedo raises his eyebrows.
But Korsak shakes his head and instead spreads out the blankets on the floor.
Dedo grabs some of the equipment that looks as if it belonged to a mountain climber's gear and rushes back into Maura's office. "How are we time-wise?"
Jane peeks under the chair again. "About fourteen minutes…"
The bomb squad leader's face darkens when he realizes Maura's restricted freedom of movement. "Uh… we might have another problem…"
"Great!" Jane snorts. "I was beginning to get bored because things were going so well…"
Ignoring the detective's continued doubts in his abilities, Dedo unpacks the equipment — a vest with attached carabiners and safety straps to be fit around the bearer's legs — and points at Maura. "You'd have to put on this vest, so we can pull you off the chair… but since you can't really move…"
"Can't she just pull it over her head?" Jane wonders.
"No, the tractive force would be too strong and uncontrollable," Maura murmurs as she begins to understand how the system is supposed to work.
"Right," Dedo confirms. "The safety straps for the bearer's thighs make it easier to pull the body in a calculated direction…"
For a moment, they all ponder the situation — until Jane looks at Dedo, intentionally avoiding eye contact with Maura. "Is your ratchet thing strong enough to pull two people?"
Dedo considers her question, nods subtly. "You mean…?"
"I put on the vest and then pull her off the chair with me," Jane confirms, feeling Maura's hand stiffen in her own.
"No!" Maura's verbal protest matches her physical reaction. "I'm not going to let you do this, Jane!"
"You heard him, Maura," Jane tries to reason. "It won't work with you alone…"
"I would do it myself," Dedo interjects. "But I'm afraid my weakness for a good steak won't allow that…" A little embarrassed, he pats his belly. Even though he isn't exactly obese, he clearly weighs much more than Jane. "Our system has only been tested with one person, and we have to improvise with the installation here. The less weight to be pulled, the better our odds… And two of you are probably still lighter than any one of us…"
"Alright, then let's do it," Jane decides, gets up, and resolutely takes the vest from Dedo. "There's no time to argue anyway."
Helplessly, Maura watches as Jane puts on the vest. And for the first time in her life, she wishes she had an unhealthy predilection for pancakes as well… or for sleeping in… or for anything else that would have prevented her from sitting down in that chair this morning. Feeling tears well up in her eyes, she buries her face in her hands, tries to forget her surroundings and the possible consequences both for her and for Jane.
Seconds later, Frost returns with several blankets from the sobering-up cells and follows Dedo into the adjacent autopsy room, where he joins Korsak's preparation of the makeshift landing pad, while the bomb squad members are still rigging up the ratchet system.
When Jane has put on the vest, she hesitantly kneels down next to Maura and checks the watch under the chair. Ten minutes to go.
"It'll work," she tries to sound as convincing as possible and gently nudges Maura's arm until the blonde finally looks up, tears in her eyes.
Seeing the determination in the detective's face, Maura shakes her head in despair. "What do I have to do to make you change your mind?"
Jane shrugs. "Turn back time and not sit down on that bomb…?"
"You know I can't do that…"
"Well, then I can't change my mind."
"What if something goes wrong?" Maura asks, her voice cracking at the thought. "Think of your mother, and Frankie, and Tommy… and T.J. … If something happened to you, they'd be devastated."
"You think they wouldn't be devastated if something happened to you?"
"I'm replaceable, but you—"
"You did not just say that?!" Jane shakes her head in disbelief. "You are not replaceable, Maura."
"But they are your family, Jane," Maura argues. "I'm not."
"You still don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?"
"Blood makes you related, but love makes you family." A shy smirk plays on Jane's lips. "So, whether you like it or not, you are family."
Maura hesitates, still searching for a way to keep Jane from risking her life. Now maybe more than ever.
But the detective has no intention to continue this discussion. "How about we focus on getting you out of this chair now?"
Out of options, Maura nods reluctantly and reaches for the brunette's hand. If she can't manage to push Jane away, she might as well pull her closer.
Hoping that Maura won't notice the slight trembling of her fingers, Jane looks around in the office. "What about your stuff? We still have a few minutes, so pick whatever you wanna save, and we'll get it outside…"
"You…," Maura sighs.
Jane smiles warmly but ignores the subtle suggestion. "Anything else…?"
The blonde shakes her head.
"Not even your fancy tribal masks? C'mon, I know you like those…"
"Don't bother…" Maura takes another deep breath, tries to stay calm — until her workplace morale reminds her of something else. "But my computer and these case files on my desk—"
Jane turns to the adjacent room. "Frost?"
"Yeah?" He comes dashing into the office.
"Can you get Maura's computer and the case files on her desk out of here?"
Frost nods and begins to gather said things.
Maura watches absentmindedly, then points at a mug on her desk. "And this mug, please?"
When Jane's eyes land on the coffee mug and she realizes that it's the one with a comic tortoise and dog that she gave Maura for her last birthday, it only strengthens her resolve. And she knows there is no way she will leave this office without Maura. No matter what.
As soon as Frost has gathered all items, he hurries out of the office to deposit them in a secure spot around the corner.
"Time?" Dedo calls from next door.
Jane looks under the chair, her heart beating at least twice as fast as the watch is ticking. "About seven minutes…"
Anxiously, the two women wait for the men in the other room to finish installing the ratchet system and prepare the wire that is supposed to pull them away from the bomb.
And at the sight, Maura frowns. "It's not going to work… We're too heavy…"
"No, we're not," Jane objects, trying to muster a smile. "Remember, I haven't had breakfast yet."
But her attempt to lighten the mood goes unnoticed, and Maura shakes her head. "The required force to pull us beyond the bomb's range is—"
"Stop it, Maura!" Jane insistently squeezes her hands, forces the blonde to look at her. "I don't care what your stupid laws of physics say. This is BPD jurisdiction. My house, my rules!"
Before Maura has any chance to debate the validity of such logics, the noise in the autopsy room stops, and Dedo returns to the office. Everything has been prepared.
"Alright, we've rigged up the wire routing as best as we could. You're ready for take-off?" He looks around, makes sure the door connecting the two rooms is wide open. When he notices the two women's footwear, especially Maura's open heels, he nods to one of his men. "Hey, Fish, gimme your shoes!" Dedo then takes off his own heavy boots and hands them to Jane. "We can't put you in full bomb squad armor, but you should at least protect your feet… they'll be closest to the bomb when it goes off…"
Jane nods and takes off her own boots. Doubtfully, Maura slips out of her heels, trying not to move too much in the process.
And as Jane puts on Dedo's slightly oversized boots, the two bomb squad men quickly help Maura into her new footwear. "Five minutes," Fisher warns after squinting at the watch.
"I bet a pair like this is still missing in your collection, huh?" Jane smirks at Maura, trying to distract her from their impending stunt. With little success. "Just sneak it out afterward and keep it…"
As soon as they're done, Dedo and Fisher grab the wire that will decide the outcome of their plan and fix it to the carabiners in the back of Jane's vest. Meanwhile, the other bomb squad members already clear the area, but Frost and Korsak nervously linger around, unwilling to leave.
"You're not gonna make a scene, are you?" Jane attempts to play it cool, even though she feels her heart thumping like mad.
Realizing the pointlessness of any further protest, Korsak shakes his head and tugs Frost away. "We'll see you in a few…" Their eyes saying their last goodbyes — just in case —, the two men trudge out of the office, away from the glass windows, and wordlessly huddle up behind a wall around the corner.
Inside the office, Dedo nudges Jane and points at Johnson, who has crouched down behind a protective shield in the door frame. "I'll trigger the ratchet from over there as soon as you're ready. You're gonna land in the other room, the bomb will go off in here, and then we're all gonna have some fun cleaning up."
"Sounds like a plan," Jane nods, suddenly rather thankful for the enthusiasm still resonating in the bomb squad leader's voice.
"Less than four minutes," Fisher announces and leaves his spot behind the chair.
Dedo checks his own watch. "Alright, get the wire ready!"
Fisher hurries back into the adjacent autopsy room to make sure the ratchet installation holds.
As Jane feels the wire in her back tighten, she squats down in front of Maura, who is still wordlessly sitting in her chair. "You're ready?"
Barely noticeable, the blonde shakes her head. "No…"
"Great, me neither," Jane admits, tries to push her doubts to the back of her mind, and takes Maura's hands. "So, let's just do it then…"
Dedo nods to Maura. "Try not to stiffen your neck. Since you're gonna be pulled forward, the strain on yours will be stronger…" He then turns to Jane. "And maybe you can give that chair a little kick into the opposite direction when we pull you away… It'll earn you a few extra inches of safety…"
"Will try," Jane murmurs, her voice stifled by the growing realization of the danger she is in. But it's too late for a cop-out.
Dedo hurries to the office's door, kneels down next to his squad member, and checks his watch. "Two minutes… get ready!"
"You heard the man," Jane expectantly looks at Maura. "Get on board…"
"I… I can't…," the blonde whispers. "I can't move…"
"Yes, you can," Jane objects, and carefully pulls Maura closer without lifting her off her seat just yet. "C'mon, just entertain me with another fun word…"
"I don't know any," Maura denies, her mind fixated on the deadly device under the chair.
"You know every word there is, Maura," Jane points out as she wraps her arms around the blonde. "Just pick one."
And when Maura realizes that the only way to save Jane is to save herself, she finally moves forward, slides her arms around the brunette's waist and under her vest, and locks her legs behind Jane's. But she can't stop her body from trembling, can't control her muscles' yearning to escape from that chair.
And Jane knows she needs to distract her. Just for a few seconds more… "What's your favorite word, huh?"
Drawing strength from their embrace, Maura lets her thoughts drift off… remembers their morning together… how they got out of her car just an hour ago… how she wished that every morning would be as perfect as this… how she paused and let the brisk breeze tickle her senses… And she knows her answer to Jane's question. "Petrichor."
"Is that a disease?"
"No…," Maura whispers and buries her head in Jane's shoulder, blinking away a few tears. "It's the scent of rain on dry earth… Caused by a plantal oil that is absorbed by clay-based soils and released during rain. You've never smelled it?"
"I don't know…," Jane murmurs and instead breathes in the scent of the blonde in her arms. "I'm not really a fan of rain…"
"It smells like a promise… like a chance to start anew…" Maura's voice is barely audible, but at least she feels ready for whatever might happen next…
And despite the possible fatality of this moment, Jane wishes that she could somehow make it last forever.
"It's now or never!" Dedo's voice breaks the silence. "That thing will go off any second now."
"Just hold on tight, okay?" Jane whispers and protectively places her hand over Maura's nape.
Tightening her grip, Maura breathes a chaste kiss on Jane's cheek. "Thank you…"
"Do it!" Jane commands the bomb squad leader. "On the count of three…"
Dedo clutches the remote trigger.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three!"
With that, he activates the ratchet.
…
(END PART 2)
