Jane stands in autopsy, with Maura. They hover over a dead body. Maura remains quiet. Her mood seems as solemn as her black scrubs. Her hair has been wrestled into a braid. She studies the corpse on the table, very carefully. Jane taps her foot.
"What?" Maura huffs, without looking up.
"Nothing," Jane lies.
"Jane, I can feel you looking at me," Maura responds, with her eyes focused on the body on her table.
"It's nothing, really."
"Do you have a question, about the body?"
"No," Jane admits.
"Then, what?"
"Maura, Allison left weeks ago," Jane begins.
"Please don't remind me."
"And, I haven't heard you talk about her, since."
"Jane, not now. I am in the middle of an autopsy. It can wait."
"You're that angry with her?"
"No," Maura shakes her head.
"Is this the part where you tell me that I'm not a mother, so I can't understand?"
"No."
"Maura, talk to me. You've shut down. You have shut everyone out, and..."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Just let me in. I am your best friend."
"I know."
"What's going on? You've been so quiet lately."
"There is too much on my plate, and I just don't know where to begin," she admits, focusing on her incision.
"It doesn't matter."
"I..."
"Maura, why haven't you told anyone?"
"Told them what?"
"That you're pregnant?"
"I told you, and Allison."
"And Trent. That isn't what I meant."
"What did you mean?"
"You're what, twelve weeks, now?"
"Thirteen," Maura corrects.
"So, why haven't you told anyone. Why haven't you told anyone that we work with, that you're pregnant. It's supposed to be exciting news. You should be happy, and..."
"I am trying, very hard, to be happy," she admits, clenching her jaw, fighting off the tears.
"I understand, it's bittersweet."
"I..."
"And, you haven't told them about Allison, why not?"
"I just can't handle all of the questions, right now. My pregnant daughter, that almost no one knows about, is dying. How am I supposed to explain that?"
"Just be honest."
"How? I am having a hard enough time being honest with myself."
"Have you spoken to your mother, lately?"
She shakes her head, "No. My mother tries to pretend that..."
"Allison doesn't exist."
"And, that's my fault."
"You were only a child."
"But she was mine, and I was supposed to protect her, and I didn't."
"Maura..."
"Jane, I keep asking myself, how am I going to do this. At my age, I am starting all over. I am going to be a single parent. And, not only am I going to be raising my own child, but I will probably be raising hers too. It's not fair."
"Maura, life is hard, and most days, I, myself, wonder, how we are supposed to get through it all. There is so much bad in the world," Jane motions to the bludgeoned teenager on Maura's table, "but there is still hope."
Maura blinks. She takes a look, at the victim's face. She shakes her head.
"She's seventeen. She hasn't even lived yet."
"I know. We're going to catch whoever did this to her."
"That's what I hate about all of this," Maura admits.
"What?"
"You can catch a murderer. You can lock him up, and throw away the key. I can't catch Allison's cancer, and keep it from ever hurting her again."
"Maura I know how hard all of this is, for you. I think, that it's time that you lighten some of your burden."
"What do you mean?"
"It's time to unload it."
"To everyone?"
"Yeah," Jane nods.
Korsak comes into the room, through the double doors. He smiles at the two women, standing over the autopsy table. They are both silent, but wear sullen looks, on their faces.
"We're sending Frankie to get lunch, you want anything?"
"The usual," Jane answers.
"Dr. Isles?"
"No, thank you."
"Ok, then," he turns to leave.
"Wait!" Maura calls after him.
"You changed your mind?"
"About a lot of things," she admits.
"I meant about lunch," he clarifies.
"Can you come in here, for a moment?" she inquires.
He nods, in agreement. "Do you want my expert opinion, on something?" he teases.
"No, I have something that I want to tell you," she admits.
"About the victim?"
"About me," Maura clarifies.
"Ok," he nods.
"I thought that you should be the first to know..."
"Not the first," Jane shakes her head.
"Jane knows."
"That doesn't count," Korsak responds.
"I wanted to tell you, that..." she pauses.
"That what?"
"I'm pregnant."
He smiles at her. "That's great, congratulations."
"Thank you."
"I thought that you were going to tell me about your daughter," he smirks.