Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews, they are much appreciated.

December

Chapter Thirty-One: Fragile Life

"It's not that it was bad but it kind of lacked action."

As they stepped out of the movie theatre, Maura shook her head at Jane's comment and buttoned up her brand new coat. The wind was icy and the air humid. It had rained all day long. At least the night didn't have a chance to emphasize the gray clouds of the sky. It was dark. Dark and cold.

Holding tightly her wife's arm, she took a deep breath and began to walk down the avenue. "Of course it had little action. It was a movie about the Italian educative system. What were you expecting?"

Jane shrugged and kicked in an empty bottle abandoned on the ground. "I don't know. It was interesting and all but it was more of a documentary than a movie."

"At least you didn't find it boring. Thank you for accompanying me to see it. I know this isn't the kind of movies you usually go for... I appreciate it." Forcing Jane to an halt, she grabbed a one dollar bill – gave it to the street seller – then grabbed a full bag of roasted chestnuts. "Next time, I will let you choose the movie you want."

The Italian scoffed and mumbled some inaudible remark stifled by a forced cough. Burning the tip of her fingers with a chestnut, she brought it to her lips and happily chewed on it. She had always enjoyed Boston in the winter. Its low temperatures, the chilly wind. And the snow.

The first snow drops.

As they resumed their walking, a thin layer of white began to fall in the darkness of the night bringing this imperceptible – untouchable – magic to the scene. Looking up at the sky, Jane passed her tongue over her lips and took a deep breath. "It's snowing... There's something I've always wanted to do..."

"What is it?" Focused on the chestnuts, Maura almost let go of them as a pair of strong arms grabbed her by the waist and made her stop walking. A light laugh escaped from her lips as she looked up at a delighted Jane. "What are you doing?"

The detective tightened the embrace before bending over to capture the honey blonde's lips in a chaste kiss; the icy snow drops melting against the heat of their respective faces, running in a transparent path to their mouths. It didn't last long, just the time for Jane to feel a veil of warmth cover her heart.

"Some people want to be kissed in the rain... Personally, I've always preferred the snow."

Still slightly taken aback by the gesture – Jane usually didn't give into affection in public – Maura bit her lip but the strength of her smile won over it and lit up her features. "Glad I could help to fulfill one of your fantasies." She was about to kiss her back – already missing the taste of her wife's lips – when her cell phone interrupted her. She grabbed the device and frowned at the number. "It's the hospital."

Stomping, Jane rolled her eyes and crossed her arms against her chest. "I thought you were not on call, tonight?"

"I am not... Hold on." Politely – yet as bothered as her wife by the interruption – Maura took the call and politely began to talk. Jane grabbed the chestnuts and turned around to look at the window stores. She had stopped by one of the oldest toystores of the city. A renown one.

Chewing on her snack, she focused on an old electric train that kept on turning in the window, never stopping by the station on the right where little passengers were waiting on the platform; suitcases in hand.

"Jane?"

The first thing she noticed turned out to be the tone. Maura sounded worried. Her voice was shaking. Sadly as she turned around and looked at the scientist, Jane realized that she had been right. Her wife was standing there – on the sidewalk – her cell phone in hand while her complexion was adopting an impressive shade of lividity.

"What's going on?"

Maura swallowed hard. She looked shocked, unable to properly react. Even when Jane approached to grab her hand and press it tight. "It's Guadalupe... She's in the hospital. Something's wrong with... The baby."

…

The artificial light of the neon was aggressive and the air too hot compared to the outside. Sat on one of the plastic chairs of the corridor, Jane kept on staring straight in front of her; abandoned to the constant noises polluting the background. They hadn't gone back home. When Lisa had called Maura, they had jumped into the first available taxi and rushed to the hospital.

And now the wait. In an over-crowded tiny space. Overheated as well.

"Here's your coffee... It is tea. They were running out of coffee."

Jane rolled her eyes but nonetheless accepted the plastic cup Maura held out to her before grabbing the blonde by the waist to make her sit on her lap. All the other seats were taken and she was not going to let her very own four-month-pregnant Maura up on her feet. It was late, they were both tired.

The medical examiner gladly accepted the invitation and began to sip on her tea in silence. She had talked to Lisa just as they had arrived but now all she wanted was to have a professional opinion.

The art dealer had left them as soon as Guadalupe's OB/GYN had asked her to come for further and hopefully reassuring information. It had been twenty minutes now since she had disappeared behind one of the doors of the endless corridor.

"What is a pre-eclampsia, exactly?"

Jane's question hit the air timidly. A hand on her prominent stomach, Maura sighed loudly and settled better on the brunette's lap. "It is a disorder of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure and... Large amounts of protein in the urine. The cause has yet to be definitely uncovered but an abnormal placentation and placental function are a strong predisposing..."

"And what does it do? What happens next? All Lisa said was that Guadalupe hadn't felt well and had passed out in the middle of the living-room, convulsing and such."

Maura looked down at her hands. She felt uncomfortable. Jane's curiosity was fair but didn't help that latent fear she had started feeling as soon as she had heard Lisa talk about the symptoms the painter had suffered from. "It can lead to eclampsia... It is a very serious complication and results in high rates of perinatal and maternal morbidity."

Perhaps she should have chosen a different kind of vocabulary but the truth was that these medical terms reassured her. They sounded impersonal, very theorical. Far from Guadalupe.

And far from herself.

There was no way she was going to say to Jane that a multiple pregnancy was a high factor of risk. Not now. Never, actually. Her last checkup was good. There was no need to scare the brunette.

"Do you mean she could..."

This time, Maura turned around and locked her eyes with her wife's before nodding in silence. Words were not needed. Her gaze said it all, from her obvious pain to her deepest fears. Jane frowned – stared at her feet – and swallowed hard. Unable to speak.

Everything had gone fine so far for Guadalupe. A perfect, peaceful pregnancy. But all of a sudden, the Italian was realizing that it wasn't nothing. There were risks. Very serious ones.

And if it happened to anyone then Maura was on the list.

"Why don't people warn us about all this? It's bullshit... Since we're little kids they tell us how magic it is to have a baby, how beautiful the whole thing is. Bunch of lies. Why do they make it all pink when it is serious? When a whole series of events can occur and darken the story? Why do they keep us in that bubble if it's to throw us outside of it so violently when it's our turn?"

The words were sliding on her lips without her controlling them; hitting the air of a neutral tone quite as blank as her gaze. It wasn't a cold shower but a comeback to reality. A pregnancy wasn't easy. Not the slightest bit.

Feeling the deafening anger of her wife, Maura passed a hand around Jane's nape to drag her closer to her own body. With all the care in the world – still unable to speak – she bent over and let her lips land on top of her wife's head in a quiet kiss. Had they taken it too lightly?

"Maura? What are you doing here? Has one of our patients took the wrong road after our treatment?"

Jane looked up only to face one of these creatures she had always hated. Long legs – a killer smile – and gorgeous emerald eyes. Perfect hair. Wait. Why did she call Maura by her name? Jealousy alert: activated.

"Manuella..." The honey blonde stood up and went to hug – for way too long to Jane's taste - the woman in a white coat. "One of our friends is showing signs of pre-eclampsia. We are waiting for the results... Jane?"

The Italian stood up at the sound of her name and – ridiculously enough – passed a protective arm on Maura's waist before offering a forceful smile at the stunning doctor.

"Manuella is a colleague... We went to med school together, just went opposite ways when choosing our specialties. Manuella... This is Jane, my wife."

Enthusiastically, the physician held her hand out to Jane and smiled brightly. "Finally I meet you. I have heard so many things about you..."

Yeah? How strange. I didn't even know that you existed. Jane smiled back, forcefully. "Same for me." Liar.