A/N: I'm excited to bring this story to its rightful and well-deserved conclusion. But at the same time, I'll be sad when I no longer am adding chapters. You've all been so great. Please continue to read, review, and enjoy! We are headed down the home stretch!
P.S. I sincerely apologize for the quagmire of html that was dumped on you from my previous upload of this chapter. I have no idea what caused that, but here's hoping that this time is a success! Thank you to everyone who messaged me or wrote in the reviews that this chapter was wonky.
Jane's heart pounded. Her chest heaved and her ears rang. Her gut was in knots. Maura gripped her arms firmly but gently.
Her ribs on her right side screamed in protest, punishing her for her outburst just moments ago.
The door to the interrogation room thudded shut behind her, putting a barrier between herself and that monster Ruiz.
Maura released her slowly, and Jane fell forward, bracing her hands on the tabletop. "I let him bait me," she said quietly. "I let another monster get to me." She shook her head. "Fuck," she whispered. She shoved away from the table, clutching her side. "Thanks for having my back, Maura," she murmured, and pushed through the door.
Maura gave her a minute to retreat. Quid pro quo, she thought. Jane had been making a concerted effort to respect the boundaries Maura had been trying to enforce, so Maura would do the same for Jane.
She went into the observation room and picked up her crime lab test files where she'd left them. She still needed to tell Jane the good news.
Jane leaned over a sink in the restroom, eyes shut, shoulders hunched, thinking only about breathing.
And Maura's arms around her.
Another wave of pain swept across her ribs, and she shuddered.
The bathroom door swished open.
Heels clacked on tile. Jane heard the steps come to a halt a few feet away, as Maura stopped to observe her. She opened her eyes and looked at her friend.
"Hey."
"Jane," Maura said softly, and edged closer. "Are you okay?"
The detective angled her shoulder just a little, opening her stance to let Maura know it was okay to approach. She tried to relax her body, but the pain in her side would not allow it.
Maura set her case files down and squeezed her shoulder.
Jane began to shiver. The aftermath of her rage left her cold and drained. Then Maura's voice was in Jane's ear, soft and low. "Jane. Listen to me. It's over. You caught him. We're going to put him away."
Jane leaned ever so slightly into Maura. Shook her head. Tried to focus on slowing her breathing. "I lied about the syringe. I was bluffing," she choked out.
"I know you were bluffing. But you didn't lie."
Jane startled violently and turned her head to look at Maura out of the corner of her eye. "What do you mean?"
Maura's fingertips brushed the small of her back. "One the last officers to leave the scene did a final sweep of the dumpster. He found a syringe, bagged it, and brought it straight to the lab. I put a rush on DNA testing."
"And?" Jane's voice sounded strained.
"Positive. Kendra's blood on the needlepoint, Ruiz's fingerprints on the syringe. Trace elements of the same cocktail that killed the others." She felt Jane relax ever so slightly, and she moved her hands up to grip Jane's shoulders. The detective's knees buckled slightly, and she released a gust of pent-up breath.
A tidal wave of relief cascaded over her, leaving her gasping and fighting tears. "It's over," was all she could say. "It's finally over." She couldn't believe it. She could barely breathe.
"Deep breaths Jane." Maura stroked her back. "It's over. Just take a deep breath for me."
Jane made a concerted effort to fill her lungs. She stopped at only half capacity, ribs wracked with excruciating pain. She doubled over, leaning against the sink and shaking her head.
"Jane! You're hurt...what happened?"
Jane shook her head again. "Nothing. Just an elbow to the ribs from Ruiz. I'll be fine." She swiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye.
Maura's heart melted at the sight of tears from her fiercely stubborn best friend. She realized with startling clarity that she was done separating herself from this woman. "May I...hug you now?"
Jane's head swiveled in surprise. Her facial expression said quite clearly that she wanted nothing more. She stepped away from the counter to face Maura and opened her arms slightly.
The moment she felt the medical examiner's arms come around her waist, she thought, Acceptance. I've reached acceptance. Frost was gone, and she had finally accepted that. Her heart had always belonged to Maura. She accepted that too.
She gave her best friend a gentle squeeze. "Forgive me for being an ass for so long?"
"We've both said and done some very foolish things."
Jane pulled away to look at her face. She took Maura's hands. "I hurt you." God, this was hard to say without crying. "I hurt you when we were both already in so much pain. Nothing can excuse that. But I'm asking you to forgive me anyway. I sound like a broken record, I know, but I'm so so sorry, Maura."
Maura gave her a soft smile. "I forgave you a long time ago, Jane." She drew her friend back into her arms.
Jane released a single sob. "I do love you, Maura." She wanted to explain that she meant she was in love with Maura, that she wanted Maura to be her other half for the rest of their lives, that she had never been so sure of anything ever. But her voice betrayed her. It would have to wait. She would have to hope that Maura understood and would continue to be patient with her.
Maura nodded against her shoulder. "I know you do. I love you, too."
She felt Maura's hands move to her waist and gently rest there. She couldn't help but smile through her tears. Oh yeah. I think she gets it. She's always understood you.
Maura gave her best friend one final squeeze before releasing her. She gave a start when the detective flinched and hissed a sharp intake of breath through her teeth. She pulled away from Jane to look her square in the eye. "You can't take a full breath, and hugging hurts. Don't tell me this was just an elbow to the ribs. You've taken on worse than that and not been in this much pain."
"Maura, I'm fine. I just-"
"Bruised it?" Her hard, hazel gaze froze Jane into silence. "Jane, you were limping when you left the interrogation room. You are not fine." She reached slowly for Jane's side again. Jane trembled, but held her ground.
The ME's fingers were feather light, at first - gliding over each of her ribs. Jane could hardly stand it. Half of her brain was going wild with instinctive alarm signals to avoid pain. The other half was going wild with excitement at Maura's touch. She clenched her jaw. Tried to hold it together. Tried not to lose her mind to the schism of her conflicting desires.
Maura honed in on the area that appeared to be the epicenter of the pain. She slowly, gingerly pressed the tips of her fingers against Jane's ribcage. Her instinct was rewarded with another flinch and an expletive from the detective.
"Jesus, Doctor Isles!" Tears of pain sprang unbidden to Jane's eyes and she angrily swiped them away, taking a step back from Maura. She clutched her side with both hands and looked at Maura like she had been betrayed.
"Take off your shirt."
The detective's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "We're in the bathroom. I love you, but I'm not sure I'm ready to - yes, Doctor Isles." Maura's no-nonsense stare once again elicited Jane's compliance. She shrugged off the blazer she wore and laid it on the counter between sinks. Shaking fingers rose to the buttons of her shirt and started plucking them through their holes. Soon, the shirt was off and laying on the counter atop the blazer.
"Now let's see. Roll up your tank top."
Jane obeyed, but slowly. She seemed uncharacteristically timid.
Maura stepped closer, her fingers now working in tandem with Jane's to lift the hem of the tank top. She leaned down to peer at Jane's side. She gasped once Jane's ribs were exposed. A brutal storm of contusions colored her side, dark and angry. Maura's hand hovered over the injuries, fingers trembling almost imperceptibly.
Rising to her full height, she looked into Jane's dark eyes, so full of apprehension. "Do you want to tell me the truth, or shall I ask Korsak what really happened out there?"
The detective shook her head. "It was stupid. I -"
"I need to know what happened so I can determine what proper treatment will entail."
Jane had never seen her look so stern. She bit her lower lip and dropped her gaze. "I ran after Ruiz into traffic. Some asshole didn't stop in time. Practically made a hood ornament out of me in the middle of the intersection."
Maura's hand came up to cover her mouth, her brow deeply furrowed in concern.
"I didn't really feel much until after we caught him." She shrugged. "Guess it was the adrenaline."
Maura nodded. "It has that effect." She huffed an anxious sigh. "We need to get this looked at."
"You just did...Doctor."
"No. I'm taking you to the hospital. At the very least you have a fractured rib or two. But bruising like that could indicate much more serious damage to your internal organs. Blunt force trauma of this magnitude could cause ruptures...a punctured lung...and without an x-ray, I'm unable to say with any certainty how severe your injuries are!"
Jane gestured vaguely in the direction of the door. "Maura, you have and x-ray in the morgue! I see you use it all the time!"
Maura couldn't deny that. But neither could she deny Jane trying to discreetly lean against the counter to take some weight off her injured side. She felt sick with worry. "Damn your tough facade." She stepped forward and gathered Jane's blazer and the lab results.
"What did you say?"
"Put your shirt back on. You're going to the hospital, whether you like it or not." Her voice quavered precariously.
"You know how much I hate hospitals." She peered at Maura's face. "Oh God...are you crying? Maura, honey..."
"No! Don't." She pulled away as Jane started to reach for her. Seeing the hurt in her gorgeous, exasperating friend's face, however, she relented. "I would just feel much more comfortable if I knew you'd been examined by a doctor at the hospital. Would you grant me that, please?"
Shoulders slackened in defeat, expression softened. When Jane spoke next, her voice was subdued. "Yes." She sighed. "Okay, let's go." She pushed away from the counter, only to grab her side again.
Maura took her arm, holding her up and walking her to the door. She kissed Jane's cheek, unable to resist. "Thank you."
Jane stopped in her tracks just as Maura opened the door. Maura turned in the doorway to see Jane's fingertips were on her cheek where Maura's lips had just touched.
"Oh, Jane I'm sorry. I -"
Jane grabbed her arm and pulled her back in.
"Jane, what -?"
"I need you to understand something before we go any further." And she took Maura's sweet, lovely face in both her trembling hands and kissed her.