During their ride Jane's phone buzzed several times, but the detective didn't attempt to check the text messages. After the fourth time Maura asked: "Don't you want to check who wrote you, Jane?"
"Nah, it's most probably Casey. He likes to stay in contact while I'm at work." She carefully glanced at Maura and caught her rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I know it's a bit annoying."
Maura sighed. There was the Casey topic again, unfortunately. They had nice small talk until now, and she didn't want to talk about Casey or their relationship but considering Jane's comment about how friends should react she managed to ask: "How is it working with you and him?"
Jane smiled softly. "I appreciate that you are asking. But I know that you really don't want to talk about him and right now I don't want either, so let's drop it."
By the time they arrived at the campus the rain had already stopped without any temperature drop. Maura and Jane parked and started on their way to the department of physics. "Damn, Maura. Have I ever called you a geek? Because, compared to these guys you are definitely not."
"Jane! You are mean!" Maura chuckled.
They had stopped at a information board to orientate. Maura studied the position plan, while Jane observed their surroundings. "Hurry up, Maura. One of them comes in our direction." she whispered through the corner of her mouth in played panic.
Maura laughed. She was happy that she and Jane could act like usual with each other again although there were still things to talk about.
"Hey. You two need help?"
Jane eyed the person suspiciously. Female, in her early thirties, blond, shorter than shoulder length hair, unruly. There is a name for this kind of hair cut but I can't remember. Two cups of coffee in hand. Green, simple t-shirt and worn-out jeans and sneakers. How on earth can a person in their thirties run around like a teenage boy? Quite likely still student with rich parents who pay the fees for the never ending studies of her daughter. She's strangely ogling Maura. I don't like her.
Meanwhile Maura had turned around and smiled. Politely as always she said: "Actually, yes. We are searching for the office of Dr. McMorrow..."
"Maur. We will find the way." Jane interrupted without turning her eyes off the woman, "so thank you, but no, we do not need help."
The woman, who had looked at Jane with a bemused smile on her lips turned back to Maura giving her a questioning look. The medical examiner just shrugged.
"Okay. See you later then." the woman said and left entering the building in front of them.
"'See you later'?" Maura asked Jane.
This time Jane shrugged: "Don't know what she meant."
Nearly 20 minutes later Jane and Maura finally found Dr. McMorrows office.
"You know, Jane, we could have been here earlier if you would have let me ask for help."
"Yeah I know and now you are going to tell me, that it is a very male attribute to not ask for the direction." Jane rolled her eyes and knocked on the door. "But she was … I dunno...strange." Jane opened the door to let Maura in as she caught sight of the very same woman sitting on the secretary's desk drinking her coffee.
"What the..." Jane exclaimed and stepped in front of her best friend. "Maura says five words to you and you already stalking her?"
"Nine. Or eleven. I am not sure how to count title and name." the woman said.
"What?"
"Nine words. She said nine or eleven words." the stranger said. She jumped down off the desk, tossed her cup into the bin, and took a stack of books. "Sarah," she said to the secretary, "No calls, no visitors. You know." The woman made her way into the adjacent office and dropped the books on the desk. She indicated the medical examiner and detective to follow. "Maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Dr. Sam McMorrow."
Jane stared had Dr. McMorrow unbelievingly for a few moments. She then turned to Maura and said: "Maura, you said 'he'!" Surely Jane had misjudged the person, too, but it was easier to hide her own embarrassment when focusing on Maura's embarrassment. Maura had blushed and stuttered: "Yes, I … uh, I guessed ... ehm ..."
"You guessed, Maura? You don't guess."
"I hypothesized maybe, but I am actually not sure what let me to the conclusion, that Dr. McMorrow is male."
Dr McMorrow laughed while she said down behind her desk. She indicated them to sit down too.
"Never mind! It wasn't the first time this happened. I guess you are Dr. Isles and you are...?"
"Detective Rizzoli."
"Okay. Let's come to business, since it's way to warm to stay in here longer than necessary. In the email you wrote something about a sample you would like to have analyzed, Dr. Isles."
"Yes, right." Maura answered happy to get back to science. "We found a piece of metal at a victim's cloth. We were not able to find out were this piece comes from and were hoping that you could help us."
"I'll try my best. What do you have by now?"
The next 10 minutes Dr. Maura Isles and Dr. Sam McMorrow talked about Mauras results and the methods she had used and what could be done next. Maura was right, Jane thought, this is boring. But Maura seems to enjoy the conversation, which is hardly surprising. Maura rarely gets the chance to talk to somebody who is as enthusiastic about science as she. Most of the time we interrupt her as soon as she uses a foreign word. Seeing Maura's shining eyes as she showed the other doctor something in her report, Jane suddenly felt bad. Maura and Dr. McMorrow laughed about something and Jane felt even worse. Watching this strange Dr. McMorrow thrill Maura with this scientific stuff Jane got the feeling that she was witnessing a part of Mauras life, that she would never participate in and that made her jealous. She tried to focus on the conversation again.
"We are very thankful for your assistance, Dr. McMorrow." Maura said.
"No problem. But, like I said, I can't promise anything. Nevertheless I will call you as soon as the measurements are finished."
"I'm looking forward to it. Please feel free to call at any time, these results are quite relevant to us."
The other doctor raised an eyebrow. "Anytime?" she smirked.
"Anytime!" Maura smiled back.
As Jane and Maura left the building the heat hit them. "Damn, it's hot!" Jane cursed. "I don't think I will get much sleep tonight. Hey. Would you like to have dinner and a few cool beers with me tonight? Preferably at your place since you have an aircon. We could, you know, talk about stuff." Jane still felt strangely excluded from her friend's life and she wanted to clear things up as soon as possible.
"I would like that." Maura answered and gave Jane a great smile.
"You know, I don't like this Dr Sam."
"Oh, really? I have the feeling that she is very competent."
"Competent? Really, Maura? She dresses like a twelve year old."
"Jane. Her way to dress does not give any indication of her scientific work."
They had made their way back to the station and since their were no other leads in the case, the two women had decided to call it a day and leave to Maura's. After gathering her things Jane was on her way down to the morgue as her phone rang.
"Rizzoli."
"Hey sweetheart. It's Casey. I missed you today, you haven't answered any of my messages."
"Oh hey Casey. Yeah sorry about that, but I was busy, you know."
"Jane, you were too busy to write a text message to me? That only takes a few seconds. I know you love your job, but you love me too. So you could at least stay in touch with me."
"Casey, listen. I was at work. I can't stop what ever I am doing just to write you a message. You should know that."
"Sooner or later you have to reduce your working hours. It might be a good start you check your phone from time to time."
"What the... why should I reduce anything?"
"Darling, you know what I mean but I don't want to argue here. When will you be finished for today?"
"I'm actually heading out now."
"Oh great! What do you want to do tonight? Watching a movie or so?"
"Maura and I want to..."
"Maura and you? This is the first evening in days that you call it a day at a normal time and you have a date with Dr. Isles? I try to arrange my whole day so that we have the most possible time together and you want to do a girls night instead of being with me? I can't believe it. I had a really tough day today with rehab and stuff and need my girlfriend right now. And all you think of is Maura Isles. Do you have any idea how I feel right now? Any other day I would just accept this, I would try to give you this freedom without even mention it, because I do care about you and our relationship, but today I had a really tough meeting with the psychologist and I..."
"Casey, listen, if you really need me tonight I will come to see you, but you can't be angry with me because I want to spend time with my best friend!"
"I am your best friend now that we are a couple. And yes I need you tonight!"
Jane sighed and rubbed her neck. "Okay I will be there in 20." she said and hang up.
Meanwhile she had reached Dr Maura Isles' office door. She knocked tentatively. The door swung open and a cheerful Maura grinned at her, purse and car keys in her hand.
"Hey Jane. I'm ready. Do you want to order something for dinner or shall we cook? Or we could stop at the new..."
"Maura," Jane interrupted, "listen. I have to cancel." Jane saw Maura's face fell. "Oh Maura, you know, Casey has trouble to deal with … stuff today. And he wants me to be there for him. I know we wanted to talk and I am so sorry, you have to believe me. Really. But … rain check?" Jane had placed her hand on Maura's shoulder to reassure her that she meant it. Maura nodded.
"Okay great Maura, you are the best. See you tomorrow." Jane kissed her on the cheek. She jogged back to the elevator and left a defeated medical examiner standing in the doorway.
Slowly Maura turned around to step back into her office and closed the door silently behind her. She put down her purse and keys on her desk, sat down and started sobbing.