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Jane, though incredibly impatient, was in a much better mood the following day.
"Ma! What time is it? I'm hungry!" Jane was in a sitting position on her bed, impatiently waiting for lunchtime to arrive. Angela was having none of it.
"Really Jane; the clock is right in front of you. Did you forget how to tell time?" Angela looked at her daughter in a teasing tone. "Do you want me to get you something to eat, sweetheart? You hardly touched your breakfast…"
"No ma, I'm fine. I'll wait for lunch." She looked up at the clock to see that lunch was less than an hour away. "Ma, I was wondering… do you know when I get to go home yet?" she asked, trying to make conversation to make time pass quicker.
"You know that the doctor will tell you that before they tell me Jane... is everything alright?" Angela asked as she began getting suspicious.
"What? Yeah, of course everything is alright," she said as she put on her most convincing face. Thinking quickly, she continued. "Actually ma, you know what? All this hunger is making me have a real bad craving…"
"What can I get for you, baby?" Angela asked, perking up instantly.
"I really want some cannoli ma. You know, just like the ones you make for Sunday night dinner. That sounds SO GOOD right now!"
"Jane, that's going to take a while to make, honey. I'd have to go to the store and buy the ingredients, make them and then come back. You're going to be alone for too long." Angela tried to reason.
"Please ma? I really, really want some right now! I'll wait, it's alright. I have my phone on me. I'll watch some tv or something until you get back. I'll be alright, really. It's just, I've been craving them for days and this hospital food is making me want to eat real food, the best food, just the way you make it."
"Alright Jane, if that's what you want, alright. I'll go home and make you some cannoli. How about I make you some pasta for dinner too? Would you like that?" Angela looked at her daughter with a hopeful smile.
"That sounds great ma, thank you," Jane said as she put on her best smile for her mother.
Angela went about gathering her things and was out the door a few minutes later with a promise to be back as soon as possible. Once the door was shut, Jane laid her head back on the pillow and raised her arms in triumph; she would have lunchtime completely free to enjoy with Dr. Isles without Angela being around.
Twenty minutes later brought a knock to her door. Jane made an effort to sit up straight and greet her guest with a smile. Maura came in with a large takeout bag and a couple of soft drinks.
"Someone seems to be in a good mood today," Maura stated as soon as she laid eyes on Jane's smile. "How are you feeling?" She let the door close behind her and went to set the bag and soft drinks down.
"I'm great doc, feeling a lot better today," Jane said with her smile still shining bright. "Man that smells great!" She closed her eyes and inhaled the familiar scent of her favorite cheeseburger.
"Ah yes, one cheddar burger with extra pickles and a side of fries," Maura stated as she took out the items out of the bag.
"Thank you so much!" Jane said as she looked at the food in front of her. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble."
"No, it wasn't a problem at all. In all honesty, I'd never heard of the Dirty Robber before but there isn't much Google can't help with," Maura said with a wink. "I can see why you like it so, it smells delicious!" Maura stated as she unwrapped the burger and began to cut it in pieces.
"You want to try it?" Jane asked as she waited patiently for a bite.
"Ah… too many calories and grease for me," Maura stated. "I had my salad earlier… but I may just take a small bite."
"You should doc, it will rock your world," Jane said with a smile.
"What did we agree on, Jane?"
"What? Oh, right. Sorry Maura." Jane gave the blonde a sheepish look.
Maura got a piece of burger ready and brought it to Jane's lips. Jane's moan as she savored the small bite was loud enough to be heard outside her door.
"Maura, you must try this! It is to die for! Can I have a fry please?"
"Yes, you may," Maura corrected lightly as she took a couple of fries and put them to the brunette's mouth. She took a small piece of the burger and tried it after giving Jane another piece. "Wow, I think you're right Jane. This is truly something else," Maura said as she nodded her head.
"I told you," Jane said back.
The doctor got comfortable as she continued feeding her patient her meal. She took a sip of her drink and allowed Jane to do the same before she continued conversation.
"So Jane, is it alright if I ask you a personal question?" Maura asked her patient.
To her credit, Jane didn't look uncomfortable but nodded instead.
"You don't have to answer it if you don't want to. I'm curious… why homicide?" Maura asked, intrigued.
Jane thought the question over while she continued eating pieces of her burger. "I knew I wanted to be in law enforcement ever since I was a kid. I decided I wanted to be a homicide detective when I was a teenager, and worked towards that from the moment I entered the police academy. I thrive when it comes to solving crime. I love my job. I want to be able to help those that can no longer help themselves. I want to get answers for victims' families and bring those murderers to justice. I want to help make this a better, safer place to live."
"Your mother seems to be very proud of you," Maura continued.
Jane smiled. "Yeah, ma is proud. She doesn't agree with my line of work though; she's always said it is too dangerous. Still, she has been supportive in everything I've done my whole life, even if she doesn't like it."
"That sounds like a wonderful mother," Maura commented, looking down at her hands slightly. Jane noticed the change in Maura immediately, but decided not to bring it up.
"What about you? Why medicine? Why surgery?"
Maura too thought of her answer before voicing it. "I have been fascinated with science since a very young age. I always wanted to know how things worked, why they worked the way they did and how to repair them when they broke. In essence, that's what surgery is, fixing what is broken. The human body is a constantly changing organism; no two bodies are ever the same. Though I've done countless knee and hip replacements, no two patients are ever identical. I want to be able to help people too. I want to be a part in helping put them back together again. I'm not always successful, but I do give it my all, always."
Jane looked down at her hands as Maura said this. "Maura?"
Maura looked into Jane's eyes.
"Do you really think you can put me back together again?" Jane spoke with an air of hesitation in her voice, unsure of the answer she was going to receive.
Maura put the utensils down and set them aside. As tenderly as she could, she grabbed a hold of Jane's bandaged hands and held them in her own. "I truly believe I can get you back to whom you used to be Jane, I really do. You may need additional surgery, and a lot of physical therapy, but you will get back to who you used to be."
"How can you be so sure?" Jane stared into hazel eyes and tried to look at the big picture.
"Doctors, surgery, physical therapy, that's only part of the work. It's a process you have to follow. We doctors and medicine can only get you so far Jane. You have to want to do this for yourself. That's more than half the battle. I see it in your eyes. You are a fighter, and you don't give up. You want to recover; you are yearning to get back to the job that much is clear. I can see the drive in your very eyes. I can see the love and the anger, the passion that drives you. I seldom see that in a patient. When I do though, I've witnessed miracles when everything seems to have been lost. That isn't your case, so that is already a big help for you. I'm a surgeon. I never play with a patient's hope and feelings and I never make promises because of the field I'm but I promise you, no matter how long it takes or how much work I have to put into it, I will do everything that is needed from me to get you back to being you. Work with me Jane, and we'll make it happen. All you have to do is meet me halfway. Do you think you can do that?" Maura continued holding onto Jane's bandaged hands as she looked deep into chocolate eyes.
Jane took a deep breath and slowly released it, nodding enthusiastically at Maura. "I can do that Maura. I can and will do that."
Maura's megawatt smile shone through and made Jane mirror it as they went back to the meal. A new air of hope filled the room.