Chapter 8
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Maura screamed and tried to sink into the hospital bed.
Ever since her and Frankie made it to the hospital the doctors wouldn't stop running test or trying to fix her wounds. Maura was going into a full panic attack. "I-I just wanna *sniffle* go *another sniffle* home." She choked through her sobs. Frankie sat in the chair by the right side of her bed.
His heart was breaking just watching his girlfriend go through all this pain. "Dr. Isles, we need to set you nose back into place and stitch you up." Dr. Meredith Grey said as she raised up her hands in surrender.
"Maur, everything okay. The doctor just wants to help. The faster the doctor gets to work, the faster we can go home." Frankie said as he rubbed her hand.
Maura turned to look at him as nodded. "This may hurt a bit. Would you like anything to numb the area?" Dr. Grey asked. "No... J-just hurr-rry please." Maura said wincing.
"Okay on three... One... Two..." *crack, pop* "ehhherhhugggg"
Maura cried grabbing the bed sheets until her knuckles turned white and Frankie had to pry them off. "Shhhh baby it's okay," Frankie cooed, "you're okay". "Let me go get the stitches and an ice pack for you nose then you can leave." Dr. Grey turned and left the room. She returned after a few minutes with a huge cart. Once she finished stitching Maura up she motioned for Frankie to follow her outside the room.
"Frankie... Don't leave me here alone.. Please don't leave me." Maura looked at Frankie with unshed tears in her eyes. "I'll be back in a minute. I promise" Frankie turned and headed into the hallway with Meredith.
"I'm not sure how to put this," Meredith started,"Dr. Isles has some vaginal tearing which is contestant with violent rape cases. I stitched up the open and deep wounds. Would you like me to do a rape-kit?".
"I don't think that it's necessary. We have the man responsible in custody." Frankie said calmly, trying to hide his anger towards Ian. What he didn't tell her was that 'in custody' now meant a residence in the morgue at the precinct awaiting an autopsy. "Okay. Understandable. I'll get the discharge papers and you can take Dr. Isles home. Does she have anyone who will stay with her? She twisted her ankle pretty bad so I would recommend that she doesn't walk around. I want that ankle to heal properly." Dr. Grey questioned.
"Yes. I will be staying with her. I'll make sure she is taken care of. Now if you please excuse me, Maura needs me." Frankie turned and went back into the room.
"Ready to go Maura?" Frankie asked. He grabbed the bag of her clothes that Jane brought over earlier and placed them on the bed. "Umm yeah," Maura breathed, "Can you, can you help me change?".
"Of course. Here turn," he helped her to the side of the bed, "arms up," she raised her arms as far as her shoulders would let her wincing while she tried. He tried not to stare at all the black and blue bruises that covered Maura's torso. 'This bastard...fucking bastard...he better be glad that I didn't get to lay a hand on him.' Frankie thought. All through this Maura looked away, she couldn't stand what Ian did to her and its effect on Frankie.
"Okay Maur, Jane brought your favorite pair of yoga pants and my sweatshirt for you". "O-okay. Can we hurry. I just wa-wanna go ho-home." Maura stuttered.
"Yes we can sweetie." Frankie helped her put the pants and her one flat on while the other one was wrapped but the nurse. He helped her up and into the wheelchair. "Hang on. I'll be right back" Frankie said as he walked out of the room and went towards the nurses station. He got all the information that will help them take care of Maura and called Jane.
"Hey Jane... We're just leaving her room... She's pretty shaken up. Janie... Janie she won't even look at me. She hasn't said more than a sentence or two to me...Doctor said that she should have someone take care of her...yeah the ankle is sprained so that will be tough on her...what do you want to do?...okay. I'll see you in a few." He finished and went into the room. "Ready to go?" Maura only nodded and closed her eyes and took a deep painful breath. "Okay" Frankie said.
Outside, Jane was in full panic mode. She brought the car up front to the hospital entrance and sat waiting for Frankie. All the while she couldn't stop thinking about that Frankie told her note phone.
'What if Maura just gives up? What if she shuts down? Why couldn't I have protected her correctly. Oh God, Frankie must be feeling terrible, he's probably kickin' himself more than her was before. Everything is goin' to be just fine Rizzoli. Calm down' Jane thought to herself. Frankie emerged from the hospital doors pushing a fearful, upset, spaced out Maura. Jane's heart sank.
"Hey Maur. How's it going?" Jane asked as Frankie opened the car door. Maura just looked at her for a second, her eyes looked dead. There was no sparkle or glint of happiness. "Home" she said in a monotone voice and Frankie helped her into the backseat. The wince of pain and the gasp of breath that Maura let out didn't go unnoticed by either sibling.
Frankie shut Mauras door and turned to Jane tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "See what I mean? She-she doesn't look like herself. I thinks she's shutting down. We need to fix this. I want my baby back!" Frankie sobbed, Jane pulled him in for a hug and stroked his hair. "Shhhh...it's going to be okay...We are going to fix this. Trust me Frankie. Promise me that you won't give up faith. Frankie look at me... Look at me," she grabbed his chin with her thumb and finger. He looked down at her, his gazed fixed to her eyes. "WE. WILL. FIX. ThIS. Don't lose hope". "*sniffle* okay. Where are *sniffle* gonna take her? She needed someone *sniffle* to stay with her." Frankie said above a whisper. "Let's take her home to her house. She said that that's where she wants to go. She will probably feel safe if you and I stay there. I'll ask Ma to go stay in my apartment. We will take care of her. Ian's dead so we don't have to prosecute him. Lets get her home." Jane opened the passenger side door and got in as Frankie walked around to the driver's seat.
The drive to Maura's house was quiet. It felt like hours until they pulled into Maura's drive way. Frankie got out of the car and went to help Maura out while Jane went to ask her mother to spend sometime at her apartment. After about 20-30 minutes of arguing with Angela, Jane finally made it into the house. Frankie was trying helping Maura down the hallway to the master bedroom but Maura was acting skittish. She had the 'deer in the headlights' look and it upset both Jane and Frankie.
"I'm... umm just... going to take a shower", Maura breathed.
"Okay. Just call if you need anything. I'm so happy your safe. I love you so much Maur.". Frankie went to kiss the top of her head but she backed up from him, with fear in her eyes, and walked as fast as she could to the bathroom. Jane saw the very hurt look in Frankie's eyes.
'All in time Frankie. Just keep the faith', Jane's words playing over and over in his head. He needed to let Maura fix this. He would be happy to help as much as Maura would let him but a lot of it was up to her.
Maura hobbled into the bathroom and started to disrobe. First the sweatshirt, which was by far the hardest thing to take off because it, of course, was a hoodie and Maura was having a hard time raising her arms above eye level. Wincing in pain every time she tried to raise her arms more she finally managed to take the article of clothing off. Next can her shirt, which thank god was a button down, or Maura would have never managed to get that off with the current pain she was in. She carefully let it fall off her shoulders and folded it and put it on the counter. Facing the mirror, chest bare, she could see all of her 'battle scars', as she heard it once referred to. There were hand prints on her arms from Ian grabbing her, there were black and blue welts all over her chest and sides, there was even a hand print right across her once delicate, soft, porcelain skinned neck. She disgusted with her self. She turned away and took off her pants and immediately turned the hottest setting of water, knowing full well that it was too much but she needed to feel clean again and if burning herself with practically boiling hot water so be it. She stepped into the shower and grabbed the soap and her luffa and scrubbed. She scrubbed as if her life depended on it. She couldn't get what Ian had done to her out of her head. She literally hated herself for letting him do this. She hated herself... Period.
"You're so ugly! Why the hell did you live though it all?! Why are you still alive?! You're a worthless piece of crap! You deserve to die!" she said to herself.
She was rubbing her skin raw and she couldn't stop. She couldn't get clean. Suddenly she heard a noise and her mind went right back to the nights with Ian and backed into the corner. She fell into fetal position screaming and sobbing, water hitting her now deep red skin.
All that was running through her mind was how could Frankie love her. She was ugly and worthless and broken, so freaking broken. She was ruined. Ian ruined her emotionally, physically, and mentally. While still sobbing she didn't hear the knocks on the door or the door opening.
Jane and Frankie rushed into the bathroom to see a crying/screaming/fearful Maura laying on the floor of the shower beat read from the water. Frankie instinctively turned the hot water to a cooler setting, while Jane grabbed a big fluffy white towel and helped Maura get up, wrapping her in it and pulling her to lean against her. Maura couldn't stop crying or screaming. She couldn't get over everything that happened. Jane stood there holding and soothing her best friend. Jane motioned for Frankie to come get Maura while she was going to make a call to a doctor that she knew could help Maura overcome her problems. Frankie took Maura and held her close. When she started to squirm he held her tighter.
After about 30 minutes Maura calmed down enough to have help getting changed and ready for bed while Jane finished her call.
Jane opened Maura's bedroom door to find Maura passed out in Frankie's arms with a death grip on his shirt. "Hey. I called Korsak and told him that I'm taking off a few weeks and you're going to be out for two-three months and that Maura is not coming back for a while. I know that in a few weeks she will protest about not being able to work but she needs more time to heal." Jane whispered. "Okay. I'm gonna stay with her for a the night than I'll leave in the morning to get clothes and anything else you guys need." Frankie said, pulling a sleeping Maura closer to him. "
Okay. Night." Jane walked to the door but turned around before she walked out, "and remember Frankie. Just give it time, and Maura will be back to her quirky, fun, loving self. I promise." And with that being said Jane shut the door behind her. Frankie placed a gentle kiss on Maura's tear-stained cheek and tried to sleep hoping that Maura would sleep through the night without a nightmare.
Sorry for not updating this. Ive had really bad writers block lately. Since school is starting tomorrow I wont have a lot of time to update. Also anyone with any ideas on what should happen next, please let me know!