Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that are from the TV series or the books, apart from the characters that I make up.
Operation Isles
Chapter Two
Jane Rizzoli woke up to a wetness on her face and a weight on her chest, she slowly opened her eyes and was face to face with a pair of dog eyes and a wet nose that was prodding her. "Hey Jo Friday, yeah I missed you too." Jo seemed pleased with herself and after licking Jane's face one more time, she ran off to wherever dogs go. Jane sighed and looked at the clock, noting that she had time for a run before it was time to head to work. After getting ready for her run she walked downstairs and was surprised to see her Ma in the kitchen at this time in the morning. "Hey, Ma what ya doing up this early?" Jane said as she reached over and filled her mug with some coffee.
"Oh Janie, you scared me. Well after hearing her daughter scream in her sleep, a mother doesn't tend to get much sleep afterwards." Jane looked down and fiddled with her hoodie string, Angela walked around the kitchen island and placed a warm hand on her daughters arm. "I don't know why you always try and take on all your problems by yourself. God knows how many times we argued when you were younger due to you not telling me what was bothering you. I always thought it was my fault that I wasn't protecting you-" Jane sharply looked up and was about to tell her Ma that she was completely wrong, but was stopped with her Ma holding her hand up. "Let me finish, Janie. I always thought it was me trying to protect you but even when you were younger it was always you who was trying to protect me and when you took the offer to go to the Navy, I wasn't shocked, because protecting people is what you do, and even though I tried to stop you from going out there I knew that this is what you were meant to do." Both Rizzoli women had tears in their eyes and before anymore words could be spoken, Jane grabbed her Ma in a tight hug and they both clung to each other until Angela gently pushed her daughter towards the door, "Go on your run, I know what you're like when you haven't been able to go for one." Jane looked back at her Ma once more before heading out the door.
The morning weather in England was bitterly cold and compared to the weather in Afghanistan it was like Jane had started to jog into a freezer. After running for an hour, Jane found a park bench in which she sat down and took a break as she got her breath under control again. As she sat with her head in her hands, water started to drip down her arms and as Jane looked up at the sky, rain started to fall heavily and Jane only shook her head at her luck.
Jane soon became numb and her shivering began to stop and soon she became drowsy and tired and thought to herself that she was tired due to her restless sleep. Suddenly a light weight landed on her shoulders and the sound of the rain hitting something instead of hitting her came into Jane's senses. She lifted her head from her hands and looked at what caused the change in her surroundings. A woman was standing above her with an umbrella in her hand and was looking straight into Jane's face at eye level. The weight that had landed on her shoulders was a blanket and Jane slowly realised that she was being somewhat examined by this stranger. Jane mumbled something and tried to stand up but slipped and went to fall over but was stopped by surprisingly strong arms around her shoulders. "You're showing symptoms of the condition called hypothermia, and due to your lack of shivering, slurred speech and mumbling and obvious lack of coordination you're in danger of losing consciousness due to your heart slowing down and therefore lack of oxygen travelling to your brain." Jane tried to follow the woman's words but struggled, she stepped out of the woman's grip and started to rid herself of the blanket and her hoodie. Suddenly her actions were stopped by the arms of this stranger, "Confusion and poor decision making, for example, the effort to remove warm clothes, are more examples of the fact that you're leaning towards severe hypothermia. We need to get you to somewhere warm and get you out of these wet clothes." The stranger took Jane's arm and put it over her shoulder, walking while supporting Jane's weight.
"If you want to get me out of my clothes you need to buy me dinner first." Jane slurred, as she started to laugh to herself.
"You're lucky I saw you on that bench and that I only live on the next road." The woman seemed to be struggling with the weight of Jane. After what seemed like hours, Jane was being stripped down by the stranger in what looked like a living room and if it wasn't for the fact that she was becoming warmer, she would of spoken her mind of what this woman was doing. "Don't worry, I'm a doctor." The woman said as she noticed the confused and worried look on Jane's face.
"Yeah that's what they all say." Jane began to become more like herself as the wet clothes were being removed. The woman gasped suddenly and Jane looked down, the woman was looking straight at the entry bullet wounds on her shoulder, stomach and thigh. Nobody had seen those scars apart from Jane herself; she was suddenly very conscious about the fact that this stranger was inspecting her insecurities while Jane stood in her underwear. Jane pushed the woman away and turned to look for something to cover herself up, during that time the stranger shook herself and went to grab a top and some jogging bottoms from her bedroom. When the stranger came back downstairs she was able to see the exit wounds on the raven-haired woman's back, with another shake of her head the stranger cleared her throat and handed the clothes to the woman in her living room. Jane nodded her head in thanks, not looking at the woman, putting the clothes on and sighed at the warmth.
"May I ask about your use of distinguished dialect and accent?" Jane looked at the stranger with a confused look, which the woman took as a sign to continue, "It's just that it's very clear that you are from the city of Boston or from another area in Eastern Massachusetts." Jane shook her head at the strange question from the strange woman. The woman sighed and went to turn around.
"Boston. I was born and raised in Boston but migrated over here." Jane didn't know why she felt the need to answer this woman, but Jane realised that this woman saved her from being seriously ill and she felt like she owed this woman an answer. The woman turned around with a smile, that seemed to warm her whole face. This woman was exceptionally beautiful, thought Jane as the Lieutenant noticed the woman's features for the first time. The woman had hair that was between the colour of golden brown and honey blonde and flowed over the woman's slim shoulders in relaxed curls. Jane noticed the hazel colour of the woman's eyes and was certain that in the sun, flecks of gold would be clear. The woman's skin was much paler than Jane's tanned skin and seemed delicate and smooth. Jane looked down at the woman's attire and was shocked to see that this woman looked like she was about to go to a photo shoot, the woman was wearing a tight purple dress that hugged the woman's curves and Jane looked down and noticed the five inch high heels that were present on the woman's feet and that would no doubt be made by a well known designer that Jane would have no clue about. Jane was shocked out of her examination, by the woman clearing her throat, Jane looked up and noticed an inquiring glint in the strangers eyes and a friendly smile on the woman's face. Jane coughed and awkwardly shifted her throat, "I'm gonna go, because I need to get to work and I need a shower and what not, but thank you for looking after me and I'll uh see you around. My name's Jane, by the way. Erm, in case you were wondering. Well, anyway I'm gonna go." Jane walked backwards towards the door and looked at the still smiling woman. The stranger made no move to say goodbye so Jane just smiled slightly and shut the door behind her and caught one of the many London taxis that roamed the streets.
After many frantic questions and scolding from her Ma, Jane Rizzoli left the house in her blue naval uniform that was meant for work outside of the frontlines; Jane preferred her camouflage uniform however the hospital insisted their employees to wear more formal uniforms, however not as formal as ceremonial uniforms. The woman was on Jane's mind while she drove to her new job and Jane realised that she didn't even know the woman's name. She shook her head at the image of how the dress accentuated the woman's feminine curves and toned stomach. As Jane pulled up in front of the Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital she sat in her car and took deep and calming breaths as she looked up at the breathtaking site of the grand hospital. There was ambulances rushing out and in, reminding Jane that this was a civilian hospital as well as a recovery unit for soldiers from the armed forces. Jane welcomed the familiarity of uniforms and urgency as people rushed around to handle the incoming emergencies. Jane walked up to the front desk to see a red haired man who also wore a blue naval uniform with the private badge on his shoulders, as soon as the man saw Jane he abruptly stood up and gave her a respectful salute, Jane dismissed him with a relaxed salute of her own. "Lieutenant Rizzoli?" The man seemed nervous, and if he was part of the men that formed the security Jane would stamp out that nervousness as soon as possible. Jane nodded and gave him a slight smile. "It's a pleasure Lieutenant, I'll sign you in and call for Private Simmons to take you to your office and to show you a tour around the hospital. After you settle in, Private Simmons will show you to the men that you will command, including myself, ma'am." Jane's suspicions were correct at this man being part of the men that she will train.
"Thank you, Private..." The man took a second before realising that she was asking for his name.
"Private Johnson, ma'am. Private Matthew Johnson." Jane nodded and stood patiently while Pte Johnson called for Pte Simmons. Jane looked around at the scene in the foyer of the hospital; a gurney had just crashed through the front doors and nurses and doctors came rushing over to help travel the injured patient into the trauma centre of the hospital. If Jane would've turned her head a second before she would've missed the sight of the hair colour that had been present in her mind since the morning. Jane stood taller and moved off the wall to get a better view but whoever she saw was gone with the gurney. Jane wanted to chase after that gurney and that woman but she wasn't even sure that what she saw was true. Lots of other women have that hair colour and yet Jane couldn't shake the feeling that she had saw the woman that had overtaken her thoughts. She was interrupted by someone calling her name.
"Lieutenant Rizzoli?" Jane looked up and saw a man of colour walking up to her who must be Pte Simmons. He stopped in front of her and gave her a salute, palm facing down and she did the same. "This way, Lieutenant." Simmons gestured.
After the tour, Jane was lead into a her new office, it wasn't too big and it was enough space for what Jane needed, the desk was a dark polished brown and the chair was comfy looking that Jane was grateful for; the walls were painted white and there was a large window overlooking the outside of the hospital, allowing light to shine through. "You were expected to meet with the Chief Medical Officer for the trauma centre who you would report to, however the CMO is busy in surgery at this point in time so I will let you settle in and then come get you to meet with the security members. I'm very thankful for your time, Lieutenant Rizzoli and if you have any questions please see me or the CMO's assistant, we will be happy to help." With another salute, Simmons left Jane to accommodate herself with her new office.
Two hours later she had finished the meeting with the 50 men and woman that made up the security unit in the hospital. Jane was given the job of handing out the 9mm pistols to all privates and to receive her own. Once the members all got familiar with their weapon they were dismissed after receiving instructions as to what to do in the case of an emergency and what posts everyone were given. The instructions were accepted with nods of approval and Jane noticed the signs of relief on the privates' faces as they were given instructions that were lacking before Jane had arrived. Having an experienced Lieutenant present and leading them evoked a boost in morale as the security seemed more alert and more able to take action and that was only after one meeting. Jane made it clear that in the case of an emergency she would be contacted immediately before any further action would take place and, with that, the meeting had ended on high notes.
Jane sat at her desk and decided to take a walk around the hospital and familiarise herself with the area, she grabbed her pistol and slotted it in the holster on her belt and opened the door, she was met with a woman of an Asian background. "Lieutenant Rizzoli, I was going to knock. I'm Miss Susie Chang, the assistant to the Chief Medical Officer for this hospital and I have been told that you have a meeting to attend and to report to the CMO." Jane politely smiled and turned around to close her door before following Miss Chang down the corridor. They ended up in front of what was obviously Miss Chang's desk that was next to an office door. "If you would like to wait a second, Lieutenant. I will just notify the CMO of your presence." Jane nodded and looked around idly. Miss Chang came back and told Jane that the CMO was ready for her. Jane exclaimed her thanks and entered the office.
Jane's words got caught in her throat and she stopped dead in her tracks, as the door shut behind her. The woman. That woman. The stranger. She was sitting in her chair behind her huge desk, with elegant reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose as she read some notes on her desk. Her hair was up and Jane suspected she had put it up due to her surgery earlier. She was wearing a lab coat over the purple dress that Jane had seen her in that morning. The women's eyes were still focused on the notes in front of her and as she was writing her she said, "You must be Lieutenant Rizzoli, let me finish these notes and I'll give you my attention." Her voice wasn't as relaxed and soft as that morning, instead it was cold and empty of any emotion. Jane still hadn't made any sound of movement and the woman had obviously realised the fact. "Are you going to sit-" The woman finally looked up and to say she was speechless was an understatement. However, compared to Jane's reaction, the woman quickly rid herself of any emotion in her facial expression and gracefully stood up, taking off her glasses in the process."I see you're vitals are back to normal." Jane could only nod slowly. "Good, now let me properly introduce myself. I'm Doctor Isles, the Chief Medical Officer for the trauma centre here and you will be working for me and will report to me, is that clear, Lieutenant?" Jane was shocked at Dr Isles' cold demeanour and eventually took the doctor's outstretched hand in a firm shake. Jane shook herself and stood up straighter, ridding herself of shock and put on her calm and collective face.
"Affirmative Doctor Isles, I have already debriefed my team of security and they have all received their artillery, which includes a 9mm pistol and a stun gun that was already on hand before the attack. The 9mm pistol is the same as this one-" Jane motioned to the one on her waist, "- and my team have been given direct instructions to only use their arms in the state of emergency and only after it has been cleared by myself. All emergencies that affect the safety of this hospital will be notified by me and I will choose the correct course of action to eliminate the risk and keep the patients and staff at minimal danger. I hope you understand that I will do my upmost best to make sure that an attack like the last one will not happen again." Jane's professional voice seemed to shock the doctor, however was quickly hidden by a sharp nod.
"I am sure the staff and patients will be grateful of your presence and experience. However, I am not akin to the wishes of my colleagues to have guns on the premises. This is a place of safety and care and bringing killing machines into this hospital contradicts everything that myself and this hospital stands for. Yet my wishes were overruled and so I am forced to withhold my opinion. However, I wish for you to realise that I am against the use of violence to prevent violence. Please sit, I need to go through your records." Dr Isles motioned to the chair in front of her desk and as Jane remained standing, she couldn't believe the audacity of this doctor who came across as somewhat kind that morning to be so disrespectful. The blonde sat in her own chair, grabbing a folder from the corner of her desk.
"Excuse me, Doctor Isles, but you do realise that people have died in this hospital that you called safe, due to lack of skill from the security unit. I have been given the job to command the unit so such a thing cannot happen again and I believe that the presence of armed soldiers will work as a deterrent against future attackers." Jane forced her voice to stay calm yet her agitation and anger was clear to the blonde doctor. Doctor Isles blatantly ignored the Lieutenant and took a moment to read through Jane's records as the Lieutenant rubbed at her scars in both palms of her hands in frustration and shock and the doctor's cold manner. Eventually the doctor closed the report and folded her hands on top of the folder.
"May I ask why the majority of your report is blacked out? There only seems to be the obvious details present." Doctor Isles' eyes were trained on Jane's in a cold sense completely opposite to the woman she had met that morning.
"I found the details of what I did in the field irrelevant for this job and therefore was not needed to be in my folder." Jane was offended at the doctor's harsh and cold tone and made it clear in her answer. Dr Isles didn't seem as affected with the Lieutenant's tone as Jane did with hers which only provoked Jane further. "If we're done here, I would prefer to patrol the hospital before my shift is over." Jane stood up and without looking back, left the doctor's office.