A.N: This is the final chapter of Can You Hear Me Now! Thank you all so much for your support, I know I haven't been the best at updating this story. Hopefully you enjoyed it. I'd love to hear your final reviews for this fic, so please post them below! x
"I can't clear her for active duty until she talks! You know this, Maura so stop asking me!" Cavanaugh's voice boomed through the thin walls of his office and rang all the way down to Detective Frost's desk. "She is walking, she is reading, she is thinking independently for herself! Coming back here may be what she needs to encourage her to talk again!" Maura's voice fought back. The whole homicide department sat in silence, listening intently to the not-so-private conversation. Korsak strained his ears when the two finally had the sense to lower their voices.
"You get her talking again, and she can come back. I'm sorry Maura but that's the best I can do. It's a struggle enough convincing the board to keep her job open. We're all rooting for her though."
"Rooting for her isn't enough," Maura said coldly, and turned on her black heels and walked out the office. She stepped in front of everyone's desks and paused for a moment, waiting for them all to hurriedly pretend to busy themselves with work before continuing down to the elevator. Her hand rose to her forehead as the doors shut and she gently massaged it, taking in some deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.
The rhythmic sound of her heels clipping on the ground as she walked to her car helped Maura focus on the important things on her mind, and not on how angry she felt towards Cavanaugh right now. She didn't know why his answer had surprised her or angered her so much; it was pretty inevitable what the lieutenant was going to say. As she drove through the streets, her anger eventually evolved into determination and she parked her car abruptly outside her house. She pulled out her phone and walked straight into the guesthouse, sighing with relief when her friend answered. "Hello, Doctor Millworth," she began, "I was wondering if you had a free slot today to help me out with a friend of mine?"
Jane looked up curiously from the baseball game she was watching and watched Maura as she nodded and muttered a few non-descript words before saying down the phone, "That's great, thank you." The blonde looked over at Jane and examined her grey sweats and black vest top then instructed, "Get changed, we're going out." Jane gave her an inquisitive stare before eventually standing up and dragging her feet into the bedroom. She pulled on a clean shirt and some jeans, trying not to feel too disheartened like she did every time she saw her work clothes hanging solemnly in her wardrobe.
Just as Maura was in the middle of thinking how smoothly things were going, Jane froze in the doorway and refused to go any further before she was told what was going on. She didn't say anything, but she didn't need too. Maura could tell by the way she was clenching her jaw and slightly raising her left eyebrow that she wasn't amused by the lack of information. "We're going to speak to a colleague of mine," she said plainly, and then the shock on Jane's face made her realise her mistake. "I mean a fellow doctor! Not a pathologist. She's going to help you get back to work."
Jane glared at her best friend dubiously. Getting back to work was exactly what she wanted, but if it meant seeing some psycho-shrink then she'd much rather work from a desk at home. Maura sensed the hesitation and explained, "It's not Jill, the psychiatrist. I promise you – Cavanaugh told me this morning if you make progress with this person then he'll let you back." After a few seconds Jane cautiously stepped outside and walked over to Maura's car, running through the possibilities in her mind as to who this person could be.
It was a long drive spent with Maura's Google mouth filling the silence, until eventually they arrived outside a red brick building with a gold plaque out front. They approached it and Jane managed to make out the words Dr. Charlotte Millworth PhD, Speech and Language Therapist. She rolled her eyes and somehow found the willpower to follow Maura up to the front step. After all, if this place could get her back to work then it couldn't be all bad.
The first hour was tedious, but it didn't take long for Dr Millworth to figure out that Jane wasn't about to sit and placidly be talked down to. By the end of the second hour, she had even managed to convince the brunette to come back the next day for another session.
Maura sat in the waiting room flipping through a magazine, not actually reading many words as her mind was so focused on what was happening on the other side of the office door. She practically leapt out of her seat when the door opened, and she greeted Jane with an anxious smile. "Everything's fine," Charlotte reassured her friend before turning back to Jane. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jane."
They walked down to the car and Maura said inquisitively, "So things must have gone well if you're seeing her tomorrow." A nonchalant nod from Jane was enough of a response, and she started the engine before heading home. On the way they picked up some takeout, enjoying the thought of a lazy evening. When they reached the guest house, Jo Friday was barking like mad so Maura put the food on a plate and into the oven to stay warm, despite knowing how Jane hated takeout on a plate. "It's supposed to be eaten from the carton!" she used to moan.
"We won't be long, I promise. We'll just take Jo around the block a couple of times and then come straight back," Maura said, knowing her friend would be complaining internally. They left the house with the little dog on a leash and proceeded to walk down the street. They had only just turned the corner when a car nearby backfired, and Jane's hand flew to Maura's and she dug her nails into her skin. "It's okay, Jane," Maura soothed. "I promise you're okay, it was just a car – see?" Jane didn't move. Her feet were frozen to the spot and her eyes were fixed on where the car was, until Maura took the decision to stand directly in front of her.
"It's me, Jane. I'm here – it's Maura." A sense of recognition flickered across Jane's face, and Maura could have sworn she heard a slight humming noise as if she were trying to form the 'm' sound. The moment passed as quickly as it arrived and eventually they were walking along the road again, Jane's hand gradually releasing her grip. "You're going to beat this," Maura said, subconsciously linking their hands together. "I know you, and you're going to beat the crap out of every single obstacle in your way until you are back behind that desk. I know you're going to do it."
Jane knew that Maura spoke in definite terms about future events almost as rarely as she guessed during an autopsy, so hearing those words from her best friend gave her all the courage that she needed to drag her ass back to Dr Millworth the next day.
Two months later
Maura had been back at work for a while now, and she was crouching next to a dead body at a crime scene when her phone began to ring. Unable to reach it as her hands were occupied with a dismembered limb, she let it go to voicemail. "It's peculiar; the incision seems to be almost medically precise but the impression of the weapon is telling me that a blunt blade was used."
"So a retired surgeon maybe? Couldn't get his hands on a sharp instrument?" Detective Frost suggested.
"At what point did I presume that the perpetrator was of retirement age; a surgeon; or a male?" Maura asked as her phone began ringing again. She put the severed arm into a small body bag and pulled off her blue gloves, anxious to answer her phone with thoughts of Jane running through her mind. "Dr Isles."
"It's Dr Milworth. You better come over here quickly."
Without a moment's hesitation she hanged up the phone and turned to Frost: "Something's come up. I'll meet you back at the morgue."
"Look forward to it…" the detective replied unenthusiastically. Maura hurried to her car and pressed the ignition, speeding off as fast as the law would allow until she arrived outside Dr Milworth's office. She jogged up to the door in her beige heels, not entirely sure if she locked the car or not.
Her hand was less than an inch away from the door, poised to knock when it opened in front of her. "Come in, quickly," Charlotte said and ushered Maura inside. Her heart was pounding in her chest and a million thoughts were running through her mind. "Was it a loud noise? She's a lot better with them now but sometimes they still throw her off. Please don't tell me that a man manhandled her because she's been working on that but if it was a complete stranger then-"
"It's none of that," the speech therapist interrupted, "Just please follow me."
Maura followed her into a room, obediently keeping her mouth shut and was surprised to see Jane sitting in a chair; not cowering in a corner or shouting nondescript noises like when something usually triggered her. She looked determined and forceful at the same time, and Dr Milworth sat down opposite her patient. "I'm sorry to have taken you away from work but you needed to see this."
Maura sat in the spare chair cautiously, curious as to what was so important that she was taken away from a crime scene. "Come on, that's it," Charlotte coaxed, gently resting an encouraging hand on Jane's arm. A faint humming noise resonated from the brunettes mouth and Maura edged forward slightly on her seat, her attention fully captured by Jane. "That's it," Charlotte said again with a smile, and Maura strained her ears to hear what Jane was trying to say.
Through all the determination evident on her face, beneath it was a faint smile and sense of relief when she uttered the word. Maura's eyes filled with tears and a smile broke out on her face; for the first time in months Jane looked completely like herself again as the name slowly slipped out of her mouth.
"Maura…"
THE END