The suburban stops at the bottom of a path, and Agent Martin tells us we will be escorted to the top by another set of Agents who are standing nearby. We thank them and get out of the car. Maura has to help me somewhat because of the pain from my gunshot wound, but I'm soon standing straight up with my arm around her waist as we set off for the cabin.
Maura's first question for the Agents is totally predictable as we trudge up the hill. "Will I get to wear any of my former clothes?"
Agent Barker is the one to reply to this, since she is the first woman agent we've seen. "You can tell me what it is you'd like, and I'll make sure it is delivered here. You too, Detective Rizzoli." Maura is elated, to say the least.
We get to the top of the hill, and the word "extraordinary" doesn't describe the cabin adequately. Maura is gasping beside me, reaching for my hand and squeezing it tightly.
"Oh Jane...We get to live here a whole month?" I nod and smile at her enthusiasm. She's always able to let great things make her happy no matter what the circumstances are.
The Cabin is set up on a hill right above a waterfall which connects to a large pond. The cabin extends around the majority of the pond with screened porches and spare bedrooms. Once we cross the threshold inside, I cannot help but gasp too. In the center of the open-concept first floor is a pool and hot tub area, inside given that it is winter. The kitchen is huge with dark cabinets and granite counter tops, connecting to the living room that has a large, red sectional couch and a 70 inch screen TV. A pool table is on the far side of the swimming area, along with a dining room, bathroom, and stairs to the next floor. Maura gently takes my hand and leads me upstairs, leaving the Agents behind. We see many different bedrooms around us, but Maura's eyes are set on the Master. She opens the door to see a California-king sized bed and TV along with a Jacuzzi bathtub connected to a Bay window overlooking the entire property. In the actual bathroom, there is another tub and a shower built for two and vanity with double sinks. All in all: It's heaven.
"Oh Jane." Maura finally stops gawking at the Jacuzzi tub-window combo and looks back at me, walking towards me slowly. "We get this place all to ourselves for an entire month?" She's right in front of me now, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling closer to me. I wrap mine around her hips and press my lips firmly to her forehead, temple, and then the top of her head.
"Sure do, sweetie." Maura giggles.
"Sweetie, huh?" Now she just bursts out laughing.
"What? I thought you'd like terms of endearment or whatever." I feel completely embarrassed, so I push away from her, going over to the bedroom door to leave.
"Jane! No wait, don't leave!" She runs over to the door and presses it close, pulling herself back into my arms. "I love hearing you call me anything: Maura, sweetie, whatever...But more importantly, I'm loving the fact that I can call you mine." She stands on her tip toes so that we are looking each other in the eye and kisses my lips softly for the second time today. I knot one of my hands in her hair and push her closer to me gently, not wanting anything to come between us. Still, I know I have to break to respond:
"So, Poindexter it is, then." I duck just as the slap I expected comes down on my arm. I cannot help but laugh, though, and Maura does the same.
"Well, I know exactly what I'm going to call you..." Maura trails off as she heads toward the door, looking adorable as always.
"And what would that be?" I ask out of sheer curiosity, praying it's not 'Roley-Poley-Rizzoli.'
"My love." And with that, she walks out, going downstairs to get some food and leaving me speechless at the wonderful woman whom I can simply call mine.
Though the cabin is spectacular, Jane is worried that we won't have enough to do in the month that we have to spend here. Anytime doing anything with Jane is amazing for me since just yesterday I thought her to be dead, so I am fine with simply being in her presence, honestly.
I wake up in the master bed expecting to reach over and find Jane just a few feet away from me, and when that isn't the case, I cannot help but get disappointed. She must not have been gone for long or else I would have woken up. I crawl out of the bed, changing from my night gown into a brown button-up blouse, jeans, and boots and heading down stairs to find Jane. For some reason that I cannot place, I get a little anxious, feeling my body temperature drop and my body starting to shake. My medical background leads me to think these to be the precursors of a panic attack, similar to the one I had after the shooting. Maura, pull yourself together. She probably just got up to get water or something. I rush down the stairs and onto the main floor, checking every room but finding no sign of her. My pulse quickens, and I break out in a cold sweat. My breath seems harder to harder to catch, and I cannot help the scream that comes out of me as I collapse onto the floor.
"JANE!"
"Maura, Maura, sweetheart...Wake up...It's just a bad dream...Sweetie..." I immediately jerk away, hearing the voice of the one I had been long searching for.
"Jane!" She is sitting beside where I'm laying on the bed, so I sit up and crawl into her lap without hesitation. I feel tears that had been coming down my face before I awoke that I didn't notice, and more continue to flow.
She leans back against the headboard so that I can be more fully in her lap as I continue to shake and sob hysterically. That was basically the same nightmare I've had every time I've tried to sleep for the past two weeks...Jane being gone and not being able to find her. Jane's hand strokes my hair lovingly, her lips resting on the top of my head. "Maura...It's alright...Whatever the dream was, it's not real. It can't hurt you anymore."
"But you're wrong." I sob out and hiccup slightly, burying my face into her chest before continuing. "Ever since I thought you died, I've kept having this same nightmare. No matter where it's set, it's always the same: I cannot find you no matter how hard I look." Another sob. "No matter what therapeutic methods I try, I still can't fix whatever is wrong with me." Before even thinking about it, the words that I've been thinking this entire time finally come forward. "I'm broken, Jane, and I cannot be fixed." I pull away from her and immediately stand up, still sobbing as I head over to the outfits that had been purchased for me, shoving them one by one into a duffel bag that rests on a nearby chair.
"Woahwoahwoah!" Jane gets up instantly and dashes over to me, trying to make me turn to her. "What's going on?" Her voice is broken on the second question. "You're leaving me?!" My heart aches when she says this, but I know this must be done.
"I shouldn't make you try to fix my problems when you have your own to deal with...I'll just go back home and try to salvage myself." I wipe my tears away, pulling out a pair of dark jeans, a teal tank top, and a black leather coat with matching boots and changing in the bathroom.
When I come back out, roughly ten minutes have passed. Jane is just sitting on the bed, looking straight at me. She's dressed in her jeans, a white v-neck, and her black trench coat. She stands up, pulling her hair into a ponytail while looking at the ground. "You're not going anywhere without me." She has packed up her things as well and put both of our bags by the door. She walks slowly towards me until she's standing right in front of me, face to face. She whispers softly, trying to calm me down even more. "There's no way that I'm letting you go this soon after getting you back...You're mine, remember?" She cracks a grin at the end to cheer me up, and it does. I smile, nod, and laugh sadly, realizing this declaration of love won't fix all of our problems, but it is definitely fixing some of my insecurities. I was silly to think that she would let me leave.
Jane takes my hand with one hand and picks up our luggage with the other. "Then let's go."