Friendly Fire Chapter 20

I don't own Rizzoli and Isles or any of the characters from Rizzoli and Isles.

"It's a shot to leg. When I was your age, they would've wrap the wound and I'd be back out on the streets that day." Korsak poked through the get well flowers and cards that sat by the window in Frost's hospital room.

"When you were my age..." Frost was cut off by Jane's impatient sigh. "Okay, okay. Melinda is suspended from her duties pending further investigation of the complaints filed against her."

"We already know that much." Jane was purely aggravated but she forced herself to settle down. "Sorry, Frost. I'm just...frustrated."

"I know. This wasn't the first time she has been suspended for her behavior toward other female officers. She is likely to be fired and she knows this." Frost turned his laptop to show Jane a picture of a young Melinda McDaniels.

"Anything on Ryan Pearson that isn't already in the files?" Jane's voice was raw causing Korsak to look up at her. "He hasn't been by to see Jeff's wife or kids since the funeral. I think that's odd considering how close Cindy said he was to all of them."

"Nothing stands out. He and Jeff were partnered since Ryan was transferred to Homicide. They've been partnered longer than Korsak's been married...collectively." Frost quickly lost the grin when Jane grabbed her head in frustration. "Jane, Ryan is clean."

"Where the hell is she!" Jane growled her question prompting Korsak to approach her.

"I think I need to get you back to Dr. Isles' place and we'll continue on this. Jane, you're injured, exhausted and worried." Korsak had a hold of Jane's arms, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"I can handle this, Korsak." Jane refused to blink as she forced her words. "I will handle this."

"Jane, you're going to get yourself killed." Korsak's voice was full of authority. "Please don't make me pull rank."

Jane shrugged out of Korsak's hold. She pulled her hair up into her no nonsense ponytail if for nothing else something to do with her hands. "Please, Vince. Don't do this to me. Don't pull me."

"I know how important finding McDaniels is to you, but Jane, physically you're ready to fall." Korsak glared at Jane as she pleaded with him through her eyes.

"Vince..." Jane's voice was no more than a whisper. "I saw how bad Maura was hurt last night. I have to find her. I have to."

Frost watched the exchange before interrupting. "Charles Hoyt's childhood home was not far from Margaret Hollins' childhood home." Frost waited until Jane and Korsak both looked at him. "Margaret McDaniels."

"Okay, so they knew each other growing up. Hoyt gave his child to the McDaniels to raise." Jane knew she wasn't thinking straight. "Already figured that much out, doesn't tell us where she is."

"The homes in that neighborhood are pretty pricey, Melinda's financials show she has more money than any detective makes during his career." Frost talked slowly knowing it was important for Jane to process what he was saying. "Cavenaugh already pulled the warrant for access to her financial records as well as for Charles Hoyt's childhood home."

"Which Melinda owns." Jane closed her eyes. "What's the address?"

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"No sirens." Jane sat in the passenger seat needing Korsak to drive faster. She had demanded to drive only to back down at Korsak's threat to make her sit this out. "Korsak, she's not going to be there. She's always one step ahead of us. She's playing us backwards because she knows how we think. She's a fucking homicide detective."

"We keep going forward, eventually we'll meet somewhere in the middle." Korsak seemed to be concentrating on the road, intentionally ignoring Jane's look of disgust.

Jane pulled her phone from her pocket, quickly glancing at the I.D. "Rizzoli."

Korsak glanced over at Jane as she hung up with a quiet thank you to whoever had called. "What is it?"

"Turn around. My place has been hit." Jane spoke with no emotion at all. Her tone was flat and this made Korsak spin the car around, this time hitting the siren. It was just short of ten minutes when they pulled up outside of Jane's apartment building. Korsak didn't bother to hand out orders, he knew Jane wouldn't have heard or listened to them.

Jane flashed her badge to the uniforms that surrounded the building as well as blocked the entrance into her home. She kept her head low as she entered, only to slowly raise it to look around at the damage. Every picture was smashed, glass littering the entire living room. Her furniture was sliced up, damaged beyond repair. Jane carefully made her way around the apartment, mindful not to touch anything despite the fact there was no doubt who had been there. Jane made her way towards her bedroom when she stopped, looking for Korsak. He was quickly beside her and entered her room first.

"Jane..." Korsak realized he had no words to warn Jane of what she would find. He stepped aside, giving her the go ahead with a quick nod of his head.

Jane's eyes immediately fell to her bed where she took in the sight. The scalpels pinning the separated picture of herself and Maura. The blood that stained her sheets and covered her picture. She forced herself to look away as she turned her body to take in the rest of the damage. Her photo albums were all destroyed and her clothes as well. Jane's graduation picture from the police academy was tacked to the wall, covered in blood. Jane took in the amount of blood on the bed and the walls and the carpet around the room. She felt dizzy and the sweat that was forming on her face was enough to make her look for a clear wall to use for balance. "Korsak!"

"Jane, come on. Get out of there." Korsak stood in the doorway, studying the damage himself. He watched as Jane let her body slide down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. She leaned her head against the wall and used her hands to cover her face. Korsak noticed the scars on her hands seemed so much more visible to him as he knelt down before her. "Talk to me, Jane."

"You're right, Vince. I can't do this anymore." Jane pulled her hands away so that Korsak could see just how defeated she was. "She wins."

"This..." Korsak used his arm to include Jane's material belongings. "...can all be replaced. You cannot nor can Dr. Isles. I will take you back to Dr. Isles home, but I'm not done. She is not going to win."

Korsak tried to crowd Jane so that she wouldn't look around too much. He wanted to get her out of the apartment but knew it would have to be when she was ready. When Jane let a few tears fall, Korsak wasn't sure if he was worried or relieved.

"I killed him. I killed him and I am sure he was dead." Jane looked up at her former partner and the man that had saved her life from Hoyt's hands. "There's no way to know how many people he has trained. How many times I will have to do this."

"Jane..."

"No, Korsak. There's too much blood." Jane suddenly had a realization as she let her eyes scan the walls again. "There's too much blood." Jane reached for gun and the sudden action caused Korsak to do the same.

Korsak got the attention of the crime scene techs as well as the officers present to halt their investigation. He looked back at Jane who carefully got to her feet. Her closet door was open, revealing her ruined wardrobe. Her bathroom door was open and the tech inside watched her movements. Jane looked to her bed, carefully kneeling down to look under it. She held her gun in front of her and tried to ignore the pain that her position was causing. She could feel her stitches tear again as she quickly jumped back. "Son of a bitch...he's alive!"

Jane crawled out of the way of the frantic officers who pulled Jane's box spring and mattress away to reveal a severely wounded Ryan Pearson. His hands held his throat and the blood that seeped out between his fingers told all that were present that he was literally down to his last seconds. Jane grabbed her side to stop her own blood as she quickly made her way to her colleague. She couldn't form the words she needed to say to the dying detective.

Ryan stared at Jane, the time in between each blink becoming longer and longer. Jane used her left hand to touch him, anything to try to comfort him. Jane watched as Ryan slowly moved his hands away from his throat, exposing the deep gash that produced all the blood. He held his hands up as if surrendering, but in reality he was showing Jane what she already knew. His hands were full of blood from his neck wound as well as from where he had something driven through the palms. Melinda had done to him what Hoyt had done to her. It was a message and Jane got it. Ryan's eyes stopped moving, but his stare burned deep into Jane's eyes. She used her hand to gently close Detective Ryan Pearson's eyes as he lied there on her bedroom floor.

Jane got to her feet, looking up at the ceiling in her efforts to look away from Ryan. "Detective, we need to look at you." Jane glanced at the paramedic who had reached for her as her own blood began to soak her shirt.

"I'm fine." Jane jerked away, only to lose her balance when the room began to spin. She felt her body hit the floor and she felt several hands on her. "Korsak, take me back to Maura's."

Korsak motioned for Jane to be taken to the hospital. She would be pissed when she came to, but right now the hospital was where she needed to be. Korsak watched as Ryan Pearson was also taken out but without the sense of urgency that Jane was removed with.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Maura tried to fight the sleep that continued to pull her under each time she awoke. The pain pills she took were strong enough to keep her out of it most of the morning and each time she woke she wanted to call Jane. Jane had been right when she said she would be hurting so much more today. Every time she moved, she was reminded of how Melinda's rage tore through her. She tried but couldn't get up, and within seconds she was out again.

She could hear Jane in the other room, her voice causing her to want to wake up, to get up. She had never felt this out of it and she was beginning to get worried. She held her breath hoping she would hear Jane again, hoping she would come to her. Maura tried to open her eyes, but her body was refusing to obey her commands. Jane was closer, she could hear her, feel her near. She was calling her name and Maura could hear she was worried.

Maura wanted to see Jane, to reassure her she was fine and that they would be fine. She couldn't open her eyes, but she could feel Jane as she joined her on the bed. She fought with herself to please let her open her eyes so that she could see Jane as she felt her lean over her. Maura refused to close her eyes the night before as Jane was kissing her, touching her, loving her. Now she would give anything to be able to see Jane as she touched her now.

Maura's eyes snapped open and the silence that surrounded her was both comforting and disappointing. Jane was not in the room with her, nor was she even in the house. Maura glanced at her clock, realizing she had been in and out of it for the better part of the day. She glanced at her phone and was instantly worried. Jane had not even tried to call. Maura sat up, but her body fought her. The pain was bad and she wished Jane were here with her. She lied back down to wait until the dizziness passed. She could tell she was about to pass out again as the silence suddenly became too loud to where she prayed she would pass out to relieve the pressure if nothing else.

Then she heard it. Two gunshots or did she for the silence that followed was just as loud. Maura tried to sit up again, but found it was easier to just let herself be taken under again. She thought she had heard Jane earlier as well but she had been wrong. The loud silence in her ears was enough to cause her to once again pass out.

Maura began to come to not knowing how long she had been asleep this time when she was sure Jane had returned. "Jane?"

"Shhh."

"I've been so worried about you." Maura tried to open her eyes, but she just couldn't seem to shake the haze that clouded her vision. She jumped at the touch against her skin as she felt Jane's fingers trace her lips. Maura didn't try to open her eyes now as just knowing Jane was with her was enough. She felt her lift her shirt, exposing her bruised body. Then she felt Jane's lips as they kissed a trail from her ribs downward. She flinched when the kisses became heavier causing her pain. "I'm sorry, Jane. Hurts still."

Maura could feel the shift in weight as Jane moved her way up across her chest, to her neck and finally to her lips. The kiss was hard and demanding, nothing like the gentle passion from the night before.

"Jane?" Maura forced her eyes open and when she could see clearly it was Melinda staring back at her.

"I told you to keep Rizzoli out of the bed with us." Melinda placed her fingers on Maura's abdomen, pushing down until Maura reacted from the pain. "You just couldn't do it, could you?"

"Where's Jane?" Maura's voice was full of fear as she tried not to cry out at the pressure Melinda was putting on her broken ribs.

"Heard she was taken to the hospital." Melinda smiled and shook her head. "She's so careless."

"No, Melinda, please." Maura couldn't stop the tears then.

"I need you to get up, get dressed and come with me. We have less than five minutes to get out of here." Melinda pulled Maura by her arms, so that she was sitting upright. "I'm sorry I hurt you. You've got to believe me when I say I didn't want to."

Maura cried out as she got to her feet. She moved under the watchful eye of Melinda McDaniels. "What happened to Jane?"

"Not really sure." Melinda eyed Maura as she changed her clothes. "We'll see her soon, I'm sure."

"Where are we going?" Maura tried to stall despite knowing it was too late.

"Jane either has figured out or will soon figure out where we will be going." Melinda guided Maura out of the bedroom. "Don't look down too much. Things got a little messy out here."

Maura sucked in her breath at the sight of the two dead officers lying on her living room floor. Neither were the officers assigned to her earlier.