Jane woke up earlier the next morning as though she had never slept. Her eyes were dark with fatigue - concern had been the first emotion to appear on her face. She immediately peered at her alarm clock. 7:19 AM it read. It was a Saturday - no work unless crime called, but at the rate at which these murders were occurring it would feel like a miracle to get a day away from the frenzy of the workplace.

Maura, she thought quickly. She should have been transferred upstairs by now. She fidgeted nervously. How would Maura react to Jane after yesterday's appalling set of events?

She rushed to get dressed. Grabbing her keys from the uppermost shelf, she hurried to the hospital, where she asked about four members of staff, one of whom had remembered her from the previous night.

-"Ah yes, Detective Rizzoli. Dr. Isles has been transferred to room M348. You may stay as long as you like, but two visitors at a time please." The transport officer was a healthy, middle aged man - his thick brows gave him a sagacious appearance - it was like he could see right through any individual upon initial encounter.

-"It's just me, and thank you - I appreciate it," Jane had answered, turning her head away prematurely to redirect herself to the patient rooms. M wing was on the east side. The hospital was like a vast sea - always swarming with medical personnel, concerned family members, worried patients. She stopped and read the directional sign with precaution - it was covered with arrows. Straight for waiting area and lobby, right for restrooms, left for PACU. She continued straight and took the first elevator up to the third floor.

She stepped out feeling increasingly nervous with every stride. Maura was somewhere on this floor. Rooms M300-324 to the right. Rooms 326-354 to the left. Employee Services straight ahead. It felt like a labyrinth of rooms, each one with their own temporary story. She wondered how many stories a hospital room could tell of the incoming and outgoing individuals who had been admitted in its history. She took the first left and continued onward, her heart pounding in an anxious flare as she passed each room by an even count...334...336...338. She felt embarrassed. Should she send notice before going in? No, Jane thought rapidly. God, you're best friends. Suck it up, Jane.

348. How quickly had she walked? She took a deep breath and went in.

-"Maura?" Jane asked quietly as she walked in. Maura's eyes opened tiredly - she had woken up at 4:00 AM feeling slightly nauseous, and hadn't been able to rest since. Her bed was reclined enough to see the television without having to adjust her position. Somebody had turned on the news. The sound of the morning report gave a slight twist to the monotone beeps from the monitors above her head.

Maura's head shifted to the left slightly. Her hair was tied up casually. A copy of JAMA was sprawled out on her lap. It had been motionless for about an hour, only stopping to spring back to life with her light movements.

-"You gave us quite a fright there over at the scene. How are you...feeling?" Jane asked nervously, placing her hand on Maura's.

-"I'm feeling much better now, thank you" she replied with a tinge of restraint. Her hands clenched down on the bed sheets.

-"...the hospital should consider changing that visitor policy if they think 'only two visitors a time' is gonna work with the Rizzolis," Jane laughed stiffly. Maura breathed in deeply, hands burrowed slightly into the linen.

She needed so very much to tell Jane. She had to tell Jane about the murderer. But even an utterance would put Jane in danger.. Maura had been using Dean's intrusion on her undercover scheme as an effective facade for the threat that currently placed Jane's life in the heart of danger. As long as Maura could distance herself from Jane, she could keep her safe.

-"You know, according to several studies, displacement is one of the best-implemented defensive strategies in psychological analyses." Maura stated. Any clue. If she could get any clue across that she wasn't angry with Jane about Dean. She was protecting her. She was protecting her by keeping her in the innocence and bliss of oblivion.

Jane stared at Maura. "Look, I know you don't want to talk to me, and I know you probably didn't want to see me. But I'm staying with you, so unless you're going to get a restraining order or call the nurses to kick me out, I'm staying. Just let me just explain. Please, Maura..." Jane continued to speak. Maura was looking at Jane without listening. Her emotions flew wildly as her best friend, tough Jane Rizzoli, begged for her forgiveness.

She longed desperately to tell her the truth. She needed to tell her to find a safe place...to have nothing to do with this investigation. Her life was in danger.

-"Jane..." she interjected quickly. Her mouth opened to tell her the truth. No! Don't do this Maura. Don't you tell her. She was caught in a riptide of adversity. She was swimming against the current. She couldn't tell her.

But Jane ignored her and continued on.

-"No Maura, just...God, you can hide behind your facts and figures all you want. Look...I don't...I don't get scared easily. I was pinned to the ground for hours with Hoyt in that basement, and when I remember him, I'm afraid only of what he was capable of, but I wasn't afraid of him."

Jane never brought Hoyt up without due reason. It was like a nightmare brought to life for her.

-"Fear for me is losing what is dearest to me. I know you don't think so, but I was trying to protect you by telling Dean. Would I ever have let you in such a messy undercover operation if I knew what was going to happen? Hindsight is 20/20, and I can apologize for putting you in that situation. But do I feel sorry that you got away without getting hurt? No. Am I sorry that it was Dean who took the bullet at the end of the day? My trust in him was lost at the same time you told me that I had lost yours..." For the amount Jane was putting in, she was speaking calmly and quietly. Her gentle tone had not wavered since she started speaking. She had taken a seat next to Maura. She looked weary from concern. Maura wondered about the fright she must have caused her with yesterday's collapse.

"Jane, you don't have to do this -" Maura breathed. Her brows furrowed. She was screaming on the inside. She couldn't keep secrets in general, let alone keep anything hidden from Jane.

Maura was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. A tall man with rectangular eyeglasses and a well-groomed beard stood smiling at the room's dainty entrance.

-"Hello, I'm Dr. Miller - I'm the cardio specialist you've probably been waiting for...Ms. Isles?" He said brightly as he walked in to shake Maura's hand in three elegant strides. He had eyes that sparkled. He turned to Jane with an inquisitive look and an outstretched hand.

-"Hi. Jane Rizzoli," she stated surely as she exchanged the greeting.

-"Pleasure to meet you." He smiled as he shifted his gaze to Maura. "So, Dr. LeRoy took care of you when you were admitted into emergency yesterday..."

Maura listened intently as she fiddled with a loose piece of cloth on her blanket, which Jane had readjusted thoughtfully a couple minutes prior. Jane stared at her closely. Maura had an expression of certainty on her face, as though she already knew what the doctor was going to say.

-"The cardiac episode you suffered yesterday was quite serious," he began. "Your heart rate was an average of about 175 when you finally reached the ER. That's quite high considering the normal range is about -"

-"60 to 100, 100 being borderline high for someone at rest..." Maura interjected carefully.

-"She's a doctor. You won't have any trouble explaining to this one," Jane said with a weak smile, keeping an eye on Maura's every reaction.

-"Oh okay. Well great! - we'll cut some corners here then. When you presented, your blood pressure was about 80/60. Combined with your sudden onset of tachycardia and syncope, you experienced severe respiratory distress."

Maura stared at Dr. Miller with intent eyes. She couldn't remember the exact details of yesterday's events - at least not after the unfortunate verbal duel with Jane, although that had probably only lasted about 20 seconds. "I see..." She intertwined her fingers slowly. Jane stared at the doctor as he spoke, massaging the palms of her hands as she listened closely.

-"Luckily, your episode lasted long enough to do an EKG. Your rhythms appear normal. Your medical history also shows an EKG and ultrasound from two months ago. Were you experiencing anything like this at the time? Is that the reason you had these tests performed? He asked, as he pushed his eyeglasses up with his free hand. He gripped Maura's patient forms and two black ink pens in the other. His white coat swung loosely around his body.

-"Yes, I started having these symptoms around that time. I assumed it was related to work..." Maura said quietly as she met Jane's worried eyes. Jane looked at her with the most profound sympathy. A part of it seemed to penetrate Maura. She knew Jane would be upset for keeping something like that hidden.

-"She doesn't complain ...about anything..." Jane remarked absent-mindedly. She stared at her hands for a minute.

-"I began to experience shortness of breath. The episodes began to recur more frequently - they became uncontrolled. I had seven judicial trials to prepare for in a period of five weeks. I lost track of time..." Maura continued. Why had logic failed her? She felt embarrassed. She shouldn't have ever let something like this go so far.

Dr. Miller's eyes narrowed slightly. He clicked his pen twice as he gesticulated. "Doctor Isles, the symptoms you describe and those you presented with yesterday all point to a case of supraventricular tachycardia. Your symptoms quickly evolved into chest pain and shortness of breath after your collapse...When you arrived you were immediately administered effective beta blockers, to which you responded well. Your vitals regressed back to normal fast enough to get you breathing steadily. Your heart is in great shape - your rhythms are completely normal. I will mention though that the onset of these episodes may or may not have a corresponding trigger. For some it may be extreme exercise or physical exertion. From what I can observe, it may very well be stress that exacerbates your condition. For someone who has the episodes on and off, which seems to apply in your case, you are not in harm's way. The episodes may be unpleasant, but they must be controlled and evaluated immediately."

Jane stared at Maura guiltily. All this talk of stressors, when it seemed that Jane had been Maura's trigger all along. Maura ran her hand over her hair for a moment. She had a headache. Jane reached out, grabbed her hand, and gave it a tender squeeze.

-"What about catheter ablation for SVT?" Maura asked tiredly.

-"That is a possible treatment option, but I would strongly advise you to wait on it. With the use of new medications, it may be likely for you to keep your condition controlled if by chance you do experience an episode, rather than having to be on an 'every day, twice-a-day' prescription or undergoing any procedure that may pose a risk, even an infinitesimal one at that," he added convincingly. "If by keeping your treatment episode-dependent, we would save you the hassle of throwing more arrows then there are targets, then by all means, let's wait on it. You may want to alter your life style for stress management. That is easier said than done, but I advocate for preventative care through healthy living and consistency of care."

-"I'm impressed. You carry a quite conservative practice of medicine, Dr. Miller," Maura said with a feeble grin.

-"I do my best to take care of my patients, even the ones who can probably treat themselves," his eyes gave a happy sparkle.

- "Now, we would like to keep you here overnight to monitor your progress, but Susan, your assigned nurse, will be here soon to discuss your medication plan," he added, as he looked at his beeper, which had begun to vibrate loudly. "Let's get you back up and running - well, actually no actual running, but do take it easy for the next couple weeks - so we can follow up on your progress. I'll schedule a follow-up in a week, and we'll see how things are coming along."

-"Thank you Dr. Miller." Maura spoke with a delicate tone.

-"Yes, thank you very much," Jane added quickly, shaking his hand once more.

"My pleasure," he replied, as he walked elegantly out to the nurse's desk.

Maura's heart sank. She knew what she had to do. She had to get out of the hospital. Her symptoms were controlled. As long as she was in there with Jane by her side, she wasn't protecting her from him. He knew her every move. As long as she kept Jane in a close vicinity, Jane's life was in danger.

-"Jane, I would have to be hard of hearing not to realize how many phone calls you just ignored," Maura stated matter-of-factly. "It's best if you don't ignore work - I'll need somebody to update me once I get back..."

-"Okay, okay. But I'll be back in a bit, alright? I'll call into the station now, and see if there are any new leads. Try to get some rest Maur," Jane said, giving Maura's hand one final squeeze.

Jane walked to the waiting area on the same floor. She spoke to her mother, Frankie, Korsak, and Frost. Two more victims, both middle-aged women, had shown up - this time nearer to the station. He's targeting closer to home, Jane thought tensely. Four individuals had been brought in as witnesses at the crime scene. She had promised Korsak and Frost to be in the office within two hours for interviews - Weekend work...how unexpected, she added grimly. Her mother would be in to see Maura in the afternoon. After about three-fourths of an hour of back-and-forth follow-up calls, Jane walked quickly back to Maura's room to give her the filtered update.

Jane walked in, eyes still fixed on her phone's screen.

-"Hey Maur - Ma's coming with Frankie later to-"

She walked in to see Maura fully changed into her clothes, grabbing the last of her things, and packing them swiftly in a plastic bag.

-"Oh my God, Maura what the hell! Are you supposed to be up yet?" Jane was caught by surprise. Maura was lethargic. She needed rest.

-"I'm leaving Jane. I talked to Susan about the medication plan, and I already signed the form. I'm leaving." Maura said in a strained voice. It pained her to do this...physical and emotional pain.

-"What form!? Leaving where? Leaving here?" Jane was caught off-guard. She held the corner of the bed. The plastic was cold - it had a rough feeling on her hand.

-"I can't stay here any longer -" Maura's voice was breaking.

-"He said he wanted to keep you overnight! You're not ready to go anywhere. Honestly Maura?...are you asking for a repeat of yesterday's events? because I know I couldn't be able to process that aga-" Jane was begging.

-"I signed an AMA form. I'll be able to take care of myself, Jane." Maura's eyes were turning red, but she refused to get emotional. Not here. Not now.

-"If you think I'm driving you home after you leave the hospital after pulling a stunt like that, you've got it all wrong Maura. I can't believe - Why are you doing this!? Just stay one day - I'll be with you the entire time, I promise. They have to monitor you. You haven't been taking care of yourself, and I'm not convinced that you will now - especially not now with you pulling something like this on us, C'mon Maura, just -" Jane's eyes were tearing up.

-"I can take care of myself Jane. And I've already called a cab to take me, so don't bother. And that's just the thing Jane..." Maura paused. Her blood rushed to her head. She had calculated what it would take to push Jane away. She swallowed tenderly. Her throat hurt.

"I don't want to stay here, and I don't want to stay here with you. I'll be fine by myself." Maura's last words shattered two hearts at once. They were complete and utter lies. Maura kept a cold demeanor as she swept past her best friend. She released a hoarse cry as she reached the street. She could hardly breathe from the agony. She entered the cab with an emotional terror disproportional to anything she had experienced in the past. A bitter feeling crept underneath her skin.

Remember that this is what's best for Jane. Remember that this is to keep Jane safe.

Jane had frozen in place in the hospital room, incapable of processing what had just occurred. She trembled slightly as she stared down at the form Maura had signed. She read it as the emotions tore through her.

Against Medical Advice (AMA Form)

This is to verify that I, Maura Isles, am refusing at my own insistence and without the authority of and against the advice of my attending physician(s), James Miller, M.D., request to leave against medical advice...