Author's note: thank you very much for the reviews; sorry for the glitch, for the ones who couldn't read/review... No idea what happened!
Chapter Thirty-Eight: It Is Just Like Lego
Frown. Hand on her mouth. Re-frown. For the hundredth time within a minute, Jane observed what she considered as the worst crime scene ever and shook her head. That was bad. Very, very bad. Taking a deep breath, she fought against her inner voice – the wise one she couldn't stand – and finally gave in.
"Maura?" Desperate tone of voice. And boy was she in her right to sound like that.
Focused on a file she wanted to review before enjoying her day off, the honey blonde pursed her lips – restrained a sigh of annoyance – and replied. "I am busy, Jane. What is it?"
"Do you remember the time I bought a new bed?"
What on Earth? Eye roll. "You mean the time when you slept for two months in the middle of your old living-room – on the mattress – because you were too lazy to assemble the bed and move the whole to your bedroom?"
Nod. Jane passed a hand on her nape and made a face. "Well something tells me we're now facing quite the same. Or possibly worse, actually."
Her curiosity piqued, Maura looked up – this time – and squinted her eyes at the brunette. "What is it?" As far she knew, they hadn't bought a new bed yet nor anything that required to be assembled.
"Come and see by yourself."
"Jane, I told you that I was busy. Can't it just wait for..." Reluctantly – and rather intrigued – Maura did stand up and walked to the lobby. "Oh my God! What have you done?"
Scoff. Hands up in the air to claim her innocence. "What?! I haven't done anything! I just opened the damn carboard box and that's how I found the... " Index pointing at the mess. "The whole thing...?"
Maura began to shake. Mumbling: activated. Don't panic now, Isles. Don't do that. "But I thought we had bought it already assembled! This is a nightmare. How many pieces are there? Oh God. Perhaps a scarf will be enough at the beginning, you know. I can also pay Tommy and Frankie to assemble it."
Oddly offended, Jane made a step backwards and pouted. "No! I want us to do it. Isn't it how it happens in movies? It's part of the game. Come on... It's... It's just like Lego."
"But we almost made a bonfire with your bed the last time because it was a nightmare to assemble it... We almost gave up. And this time around, it is impossible to make a bonfire. Most of the pieces aren't made of wood but of metal. It would be highly toxic."
Was that a challenge? Chin up – trying to ignore that annoying voice of wisdom telling her that Maura was right – Jane shook her head and crossed her arms against her chest. Determined. "We will manage to assemble the whole damn thing. We're not stupid. We can do it."
The scientist sighed and mentally said goodbye to the report waiting on her desk, now officially and for an undetermined lapse of time postponed.
"Fine. Wait for me here while I go upstairs and change into something more appropriate."
Chuckles. "Because you have a special assembling-stroller outfit, maybe? Not that I'd be that much surprised..."
Already halfway up the stairs, Maura shook her head and kept on climbing. "No but the pants I am currently wearing cost $500 so there is no way I risk anything with some DIY activity."
…
Sitting on the couch – a mug of tea in hand – Angela raised an impressed eyebrow before nodding as proudly as she could.
"It looks good... Is it light? Because it surely is quite imposing. I mean it is normal for twins but let's face it, it's always... Surprising."
It had taken them four hours but they had managed to assemble it. In a rather joyful atmosphere or at least until Maura had decided to put on some Yo-Yo Ma to help them focus on the whole thing. That was when Jane had started losing her patience. Slightly. Just a tiny bit.
"Nah it's cool. We tried it with Bass and Jo Friday in it and we could easily go around the house, even in the patio in spite of the plants and all. It's a good one, you know."
Silence. Taken aback by her daughter's comment, Angela blinked and tilted her head on a side. She had missed something, obviously. "You put a turtle and a dog in a stroller?"
"Tortoise." Wow, Maura-izing much? "And we tried for the weight, to see how it'd feel like. And don't look at me like that. It was Maura's idea." Now this is low, Riz'.
"Where is she, by the way? I thought you two were on a day off." Angela had walked in a few minutes earlier only to find her daughter watching television in a rather quiet house, the stroller by her side and Coco Loco asleep on top of it.
"It's Wednesday, ma'. She has her sophrology class at 6pm. It's just at the corner. They have cookies – free ones – so she's always super motivated to go there."
Snap on the detective's head. "Jane Clementine Rizzoli! Is this how you see your marriage? Your wife is pregnant, dammit. How do you dare to not accompany her to her class? It's a very delicate moment, she needs you by her side."
Jane shook her head – stood up and walked to the kitchen to pour hersef some more tea – then went to sit back on the couch. "No way. I do the merengue – and don't ask me how she still manages to dance without being really tired nor breathless when I am – and I even accepted to cut down on coffee just to make sure we would be in harmony or whatever when the girls show up. You can't force me to go to a freak class of sophrology. Besides, we all know that I'd be the one falling asleep on the mat."
Angela smiled. She had to recognize that her daughter was right. "How about Lamaze classes? Have you signed up for it already? Although with all the yoga she does, Maura shouldn't have an issue with breathing properly when delivering. She's still delivering naturally, isn't she?"
Nod. What was it with all the questions, suddenly? Until now, her mother had been rather quiet. Calm when it came to the pregnancy. But it seemed like her behavior was slowly but surely heading the road of the typical Rizzoli hysteria. And Jane didn't like it.
"If she can then yes, she will deliver naturally. But it's too early to say, anyway. It depends on plenty of things that can't already be determined. As for the Lamaze classes, we've signed up for February. It will be okay."
"I don't know how you can be so calm. You should be a nervous wreck, like any young parent. You do not have the mere experience regarding this... How do you managed to be so relaxed?"
Jane raised an amused eyebrow but remained quiet. She was not calm at all. Every single day she asked herself a thousand questions that remained unanswered and only managed to feed the whirl of fear that had been haunting her for a couple of months already. But her force lay in the fact she was quite good at pretending the opposite.
The front door opened and Maura came in, still wearing her yoga pants and a shirt that molded her chest rather suggestively. She looked happy, on top form. "Oh hello, Angela. How are you?" With a surge of lightness, she dropped her bag in the lobby – went to kiss Jane – then setted on one of the armchairs to face both women.
"I am fine, how are you? We were talking about Lamaze classes with Janie. And sophrology. I still think she should go with you to this."
"Ma'! I work on Wednesday most of the time..."
Angela snorted. "And so what? I am not saying that you should become a yogi or something. From time to time, it would be nice for you to give into it though."
"I have tried to convince her since the Dominican Republic but I am afraid that it is a lost cause. She won't try it."
Jane waved at Maura then turned around to repeat the gesture with her mother. "Hey! I'm in the room, you know?"
The matriarch smiled – shook her head – but suddenly squinted her eyes as she noticed something on the coffee table. Intrigued, she bent over and grabbed a tiny piece of metal.
"Why do you have a screw, here?"
Embarrassed, Jane and Maura looked at each other – cast a furtive glance at the stroller – and focused intensely on their respective laps.
"Nothing..."
"Might be an extra one..."
Screw #212. They had tried but the truth was that they really were bad at assembling anything.