A/N: Sorry for the delay. I was having difficulties with my computer. I would like to thank all of you for last chapter's reviews!
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 12: Black & White
Teresa gently stretched her arm, smiling softly. It was her first day without a sling, and she was loving it. She was also without that damn wheelchair, which made her extremely happy. Now, all she had to put up with was this uncomfortable walking cast and the torturous curiosity constantly running through her mind.
She sat back in her kitchen chair and glanced at Grace's bags, which were sitting by the door. Today would be the day Van Pelt left for Boston. Lisbon closed her eyes and suppressed a groan. Five straight days with Patrick Jane. Five. How the hell was she supposed to survive this whole new kind of torture?
Despite their heated discussion at Matthew's funeral, Jane had still come to visit her every day. He seemed to have brushed off the incident and pretended as if everything were fine. Lisbon hadn't even worked up the nerve to ask him for the note, fearing she might throw him over the edge.
"Alright, boss," Grace's voice chirped from behind her, pulling her from her reverie. She turned around in the chair to see Grace with her car keys in hand. "I'm heading out. Jane should be here soon."
"Fantastic."
Van Pelt smiled. "It'll be fine," she insisted. When she noticed her boss' doubtful expression, her smile faltered. "He's just here to keep you company while you get back on your feet. Literally."
After a few days of arguing with Grace, it became clear to Lisbon that she had lost this particular battle, so there was really no point in picking a fight now. "I know," was all she said.
"Who knows?" Grace went on. "Maybe it will be nice having him here."
"Let's not get carried away."
Grace grinned and gave her boss a brief hug. "I'll see you in a few days." She pulled back, gathered up her bags, and left.
X
It wasn't long after Grace left when Jane arrived. When Lisbon answered the door, he was wearing a smile with a Starbucks cup in his hand. "For you," he announced, handing it to her.
She stepped aside to let him in. "Thank you." When she shut the door, she turned to him. "Regardless of what Grace says, I truly do not need a babysitter," she said, getting right to the point.
He smirked. "I know."
Lisbon blinked. She had expected some smartass comment and a long, detailed list of why he disagreed with her. "You do?"
Jane nodded. "Of course."
"Then why did you agree to this?"
He shrugged. "Grace asked me to. What kind of person would I be if I refused to take care of an injured colleague?" Catching a mistake, he quickly backtracked. "Sorry. Not take care of. I meant to say, keep company." He flashed a charming grin.
"So, what you're saying is, you agreed to stay with here for purely selfish reasons?"
His smile widened. "Exactly."
"Well, that makes me feel better," she replied in a teasing tone.
"I thought it might." He winked. "So, what would you like to do today? Go out in public and show off your newly-healed arm?"
"Absolutely." She grabbed her keys from the counter and tossed them to him. "Break the speed limit and I will have you slapped with a fine," she threatened.
"That's very intimidating. Where are we going?"
She shrugged. "I'm starving."
X
They ended up stopping at a cute little diner a few blocks from the local high school, sliding into a booth in the corner. Jane scanned the diner. Photos of Elvis Presley and other legends were all over the walls. The booths were red and shiny, and the jukebox was playing some Johnny Cash song.
"Interesting choice, Lisbon," he commented.
"My mother and I used to come to a diner just like this one in Chicago," she explained, smiling. "We sat in the same booth every time, and she used to gawk over a picture of James Dean that hung right above our table."
Jane fell quiet, glancing out the window with a small smile. It was the most personal thing she had ever mentioned about her past, and it caught him slightly off guard.
"Sorry," she murmured. "Those damned pills make me act funny."
"Don't apologize!" he said quickly. "It's always refreshing to hear about your past, Lisbon." He took a sip of his water, smiling at her over the rim of his glass. "You don't speak of it often."
She smirked, picking up a menu. "Look who's talking."
He dropped his eyes. He couldn't argue with that.
A teenage waitress stumbled toward their table and flashed each of them a grin. "Hello," she said as she pushed a strand of wavy blond hair behind her ear. "I'm Maddie, and I'll be your server today. Anything I can get you to drink?"
"Coffee, please," Lisbon requested.
The girl looked at Jane.
"Water's just fine for me, thank you," he said.
With another smile, the waitress turned and went behind the counter to fetch their drinks.
"So," Jane said. "What's on the agenda for the next few days?"
"Physical therapy," she replied in a flat tone without looking up from her menu.
"What else?"
Her eyes flicked to his. "I didn't have plans to go sight-seeing, if that's what you mean."
"What did you and Grace do? Just sit in separate rooms in your apartment?"
"No," she replied. "Sometimes we would play board games, or watch movies, or work on a suspect's background check." Lisbon shrugged, taking a drink of the steaming cup of coffee the waitress had just set in front of her. "But we didn't leave the apartment much. The wheelchair made it somewhat difficult."
He nodded thoughtfully, sipping his water again. "Maybe we will have to stop by the video store on the way home."
"And the grocery store," she added. When he gave her a strange look, she explained, "I have no food in the apartment."
"Sounds good. So, what are you ordering?"
X
As she was wandering through the thriller genre aisle of the video store, she caught sight of blond curls out of the corner of her eye. When she turned, she burst out laughing. Jane was desperately trying to hold onto a huge stack of DVD's. There were at least fifteen in his arms.
"I already hit this aisle," he told her, smug.
"No kidding," she said sarcastically. "Why do you have so many?"
"Why don't you have any?" he retorted with a goofy grin.
She rolled her eyes. "Jane, we don't need a thousand movies."
"Sure we do. It'll be fun."
Lisbon sighed. "Fine. Go for it. I'll be in the car."
She turned and headed for the door, taking one last glance behind her to see if he was joking. Evidently, he wasn't. He placed all of the movies onto the counter and smiled at the stunned clerk. She turned back around and laughed, fearing what this week would bring her.
X
It happened that first night.
They had just finished cleaning the dishes after dinner. Jane had insisted they watch one of the seventeen movies he had picked out at the video store. Lisbon had claimed to be tired, but he gave her that frustrating look with the irresistible puppy dog eyes, and she reluctantly agreed. He had chosen a suspenseful thriller, and was now in the process of popping popcorn.
"I'm going to change," she told him. When he gave her a look, she added, "I'll be back."
It had taken her a little while to climb the staircase. The cast on her leg made it extremely difficult, but she managed. She hobbled to her bedroom and fished a pair of her favorite sweats from her dresser. Once she finally had them on, she made her way toward her nightstand to fetch a hair tie. On her way, her walking boot caught on the corner of her bed and suddenly, she was falling. She let out a screech as her forehead slammed into the corner of her nightstand with a sickening crack.
She lay flat on her back and let her eyes flutter closed. She felt blood ooze from her new wound and she moaned.
"Lisbon? Lisbon!" came Jane's panic-stricken voice.
Her eyes snapped open and the pain temporarily subsided. She pushed herself up to her elbow. Her vision flashed from color to black and white as déjà vu overcame her. Miss Lisbon? Are you there?
Lisbon? Lisbon!
Jane! she had shrieked.
Jane hurried across her bedroom and dropped to his knees next to her. She reached out and grasped his forearm tightly. "Jane, are you okay?" she demanded.
He raised a brow. "Me? What about you? What happened?"
She blinked, and then touched the sore spot on her head as she remembered. When she brought her hand down, blood covered her fingertips. "Oh," she breathed.
"What happened?" he repeated.
"I fell."
Jane slid an arm around her and took one of her hands in his, gently helping her to her feet. "Are you dizzy?"
"No."
"Can you walk?"
"Yes."
He kept one arm behind her back anyway, just in case. "Okay, let's get you cleaned up."