Chapter 2

Lunch didn't happen later in the day. Both Jane and Maura got wrapped up in their own cases and paperwork. Jane really didn't think too much about lunch, her earlier concern about Maura or Maura's late night at work. It wasn't completely unusual for both ladies to find themselves in the same building but with limited or no interaction with each other. It would always depend of what was going on for the day.

Jane, unable to break away from her desk, grabbed her phone to send a text to Maura.

Sorry about lunch. Slammed. Robber later?

Jane hit send on her phone, half expecting an instant response from Maura. None was coming across. She must still be in the lab thought Jane. No big deal. Jane was sure Maura would respond later. She put her phone done and went back to working on her reports.

About an hour later, Jane got a text answer.

Can't. We can catch up some other time.

Jane was disappointed but understanding. Maura was busy. She'd have other chances to see her friend for lunch or a drink. She did find Maura's "some other time" comment a bit off their normal dialogue pattern. But, her friend was tired and clearly busy. Jane sent an "OK" to acknowledge the text and went to go find Frost to break down a suspect interview transcript.

Jane didn't see Maura for the remainder of the week. It was just one of those weeks for both ladies. There weren't any new homicides for them to be at a crime scene together. Jane and Frost were bogged down in reports and an Assistant District Attorney's witness prep for an upcoming trial. Jane assumed Maura was working other cases or grinding out that journal article she had been working on. Jane, needing a different set of walls to look at, offered to make a coffee run for Korsak and Frost.

Jane entered the Café downstairs and could hear her mother before she could see her.

"Ma- coffee times 3 please." Jane hollered out as Angela looked up to greet her daughter.

"Is that how I raised you to say Hello to your Mother?" Angela pushed although grinning.

"Sorry Ma. Hi. 3 coffees. Please." Jane said with a childish grin. She had at first been worried about her mother working at the police station. Her mother was not known for subtle, quiet nurturing. No, Angela was Hurricane Angela when it came to her children. But, despite her reluctance, Jane had grown accustomed to being able to drop in on her mother to say hi. She also knew that Angela felt better knowing any police scoop about either Frankie or her. Jane had a theory that Angela actually worried less than when she had spent time at home and had no idea what Jane- or Frankie- was getting into while at work.

"Is one for Maura?"

"No, Frost, Korsak and me."

"Oh. OK. It's just that I know Maura likes the coffee with the special beans so I was going to make that for her if one of these was hers." Angela turned to start working on the coffees.

"You are going to spoil her worse than you do Frankie, Ma." Jane said chuckling.

"Hey, she's like a daughter to me so I look out for her."

"What about me? Don't I merit the "special" beans?" Jane suddenly found it a little ridiculous that she had actually made the quotation marks motion with her hands when she uttered the word special. Stop being childish Jane told herself.

"Don't be a baby Jane," scolded Angela. "I take care of you too. I know exactly how you take your coffee, and how Frost and Korsak take theirs too. So relax."

"Sorry Ma," was all Jane could manage.

"Where is Maura these days, anyway?" Angela asked.

Jane stopped for a second and looked at her. Even Ma hasn't seen her? It was one thing for Jane not to see Maura from time to time, but she was surprised that Angela hadn't seen her. After all, Angela lived in Maura's guesthouse and usually had coffee with her every morning. "Why? When did you see her last?"

Angela thought for a minute. She also saw a flash of concern on Jane's face. "Hmmm, probably not since last Saturday afternoon." Angela was again surprised at Jane's expression when hearing that she hadn't seen Maura in over a week.

"That was a week ago. I thought you two had coffee every morning."

"We usually do. But Maura's been up and out of the house before 6 am all week. I love coffee, but not enough to be up at 5 just to have some with her."

Jane started to absentmindedly twist on her hair. Think Jane, when did you last speak with Maura. Thinking back, the last conversation she had with Maura was when she found her sleeping on her couch at the beginning of the week. The rest of her communication with Maura had all been text messages or voicemails. Had it really been a week since anyone spoke-spoke to Maura? That can't be right.

"Something wrong?" asked Angela as she noticed Jane's distraction. "You two aren't fighting or anything again, are you?"

"No, Ma!" Jane didn't even like a reference to Maura and Jane's last fight. It took months for the two ladies to start speaking to each other again after the incident Jane now dubbed "Daddy Gone Bad" and had involved Jane having to perform MacGyver-like emergency surgery on Maura's leg. Jane shuttered a bit just thinking about that night in the woods.

"Then what?"

"I just realized it had been awhile since I spoke with her. I always assume she gets to talk to you every morning. But if you haven't seen her then I think I need to seek her out and see how she is. She's been very busy lately." Jane took the coffees from Angela intent on delivering to Frost and Korsak before heading down to find out if Maura was ok.

Jane delivered the coffee and told Korsak she needed to check something with Maura. Happy to have caffeine, Korsak just nodded and Jane headed down to the morgue. It's not like Maura to go a week without reaching out to me, or Ma for that matter, Jane fretted.

Jane worried about Maura's social interactions with people. Maura was Jane's best friend and they had a very special relationship. But Maura around other people was sometimes an adventure. Maura's genius- or Goggle-mouth as Jane liked to call it- rubbed some people the wrong way and Maura didn't always have successful people interactions. Some people just didn't know how to look past Maura's quirks to see the amazing person she truly was. Jane had taken on the challenge of re-socializing Maura over the years. She felt very responsible for that part of Maura's life.

Jane stepped off the elevator and headed towards Maura's office. Maura, however, wasn't there. Jane started to look around but didn't immediately see her. One of the lab techs looked up and smiled at Jane. "Do you need something, Detective?"

"Have you seen Dr. Isles?" she asked.

"Dr. Isles left for the day. Can I help you with something?"

Jane looked down at her watch. It was only 2:30 pm and Maura was gone? Then she immediately felt guilty. Maura doesn't report to her and if she wanted to leave at 2:30 she had every right to. Jane knew how busy Maura had been and finally was happy that she had gone home to relax. "No, I will catch up to Dr. Isles later. Thank you." Jane turned and left while at the same time pulling her phone off her hip. She highlighted Maura's name and hit send on the phone.

The call went straight to voicemail. Not even a ring so Maura had turned off her phone. Jane patiently waited for the beep noise intending on leaving a message.

"Hey Maura. Haven't seen you in a week and you are gone for today already. Call me." Jane hit end on her phone. She couldn't shake the growing feeling that there was something going on with Maura and she was starting to get worried.

About 2 hours later, Jane's phone vibrated a message alert. Jane pulled her phone out and read the text.

Stop worrying. Monumentally busy. I'll see you for Sunday dinner.

Rizzoli family dinner night was always on Sunday. Jane felt immediately better about Maura, knowing she would see her there. Short of storming over to her place, which Jane decided would be a huge over-reaction, dinner would have to do.