Jane requested to be on call the next morning while Amanda still slept. She didn't feel comfortable leaving the little girl behind today. "I don't know what to do Maura."
Jane felt defeated as she talked to her best friend on the phone. "I don't even know why she punched that girl. Or why the two started fighting in the first place."
"Have you asked her?"
"She's giving me that vibe that that's the last thing she wants to talk about with me."
"Well maybe having you home today will help her open up," Maura suggested. The two stayed on the phone for a while longer and Maura told Jane everything she knew about the case. Linda Evans was killed by a knife and as of right now there was no evidence on her clothes.
In the other room Amanda woke up alone in her mother's bed. Her eye throbbed painfully but she ignored it. She could hear her mother's loud voice in the kitchen apparently talking to Maura about their latest case. Jane never gave details to Amanda about any of her cases. All Amanda ever knew was if the dead body was a male or female. She pulled the covers back and made her way to the kitchen.
Her mother's presence gave a warm feeling to Amanda. She came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Jane's waist. Jane was surprised. "Maura, I'll call you back," she said then hung up the phone. Jane lifted Amanda's chin with her finger. "How's the eye kid?"
"It doesn't hurt as much today," she lied keeping her arms around her mother. Jane leaned down and kissed the top of Amanda's head. "Are you staying home today?"
"I'm on call," Jane explained. "What do you want to do today?"
"How did the women die?"
Jane was confused for a second before she realized Amanda was talking about Linda Evans. "Did somebody shoot her?" the girl wondered.
Jane pushed a strand of Amanda's soft brown hair behind her ear. Her hair was something she inherited from her father. "She was stabbed," Jane said leaving it at that.
Amanda unwrapped her arms and grabbed Jane's hand and studied the scar in the middle of her palm. Amanda remembered when Hoyt tried to kill her mother and how afraid she was that he would eventually succeed. Joe, Amanda's father and Jane's ex-husband took her for a long time while Jane recovered both mentally and physically.
Jane squatted down to her daughter's level and stared straight into her big dark brown eyes. She used her finger to gently tilt her head so they were eye to eye. "You know kid, it is killing me to see you like this. I could barely sleep last night knowing your mind was all over the place and I'm going to keep feeling like that until I know why your acting so different."
Emotions just flooded Amanda's chest and she could feel tears pool in her eyes and willed to keep them at bay. Her mother hand her hands tightly gripped in hers and her eyes started into hers. "Please, please, please tell me. What happened yesterday? What made you so upset?"
Amanda opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Jane's eyes lit up at the possibility of an explanation. "Just tell me baby."
"She . . . she said that," Amanda couldn't control her tears anymore which were sliding down her face. She felt herself start to shake from suppressing her cries. She swallowed and tried again. "She said th-that you were going to die because you're a cop and that your job is dangerous and I got angry so I punched her," Amanda was speaking fast now and before she knew it she was struggling to breathe and her face crumpled and she let it all out.
"Oh baby," she sighed. She lifted her sobbing daughter into her arms rubbed her back as Amanda cried into her curls. She carried her over to the couch and sat down shifting her daughter so she was comfortable in her lap. "Don't cry," Jane said kissing her cheeks.
"You know," Jane said. "That is girl is right, my job is dangerous. But I have you to think of and I am always careful. You know that."
Amanda's cries were merely sniffles now. "But your hands," Amanda pointed out. "And when you were in the hospital for a really long time before that." Amanda was talking about the time when Jane shot herself to kill the bad guy.
Jane pulled Amanda closer and hugged her tight. "You shouldn't have to be afraid for me kid," Jane explained. "That's not your job. I'll be around for a really long time," Jane smiled. "So long that you will get sick of me."
Amanda grinned and wiped her tears with her sleeves. Jane kissed Amanda's cheek and once she saw that smile, she knew things would be okay.
So this is the end of this story but the next chapter will be another journey with Jane and Amanda! Suggestions, comments? Let me know!