The response to the last chapter was amazing! Thank you all for your kind reviews, they've totally made my day and have continued to inspire me and my writing. Maura's patient was indeed borrowed from Grey's Anatomy's episode of "Invest in Love", which happens to be one of my favorite ones. Callie is my favorite on that show and since she and Maura share their profession for the purposes of this story, I'll probably be borrowing some of her cases or ideas in future chapters=) Here's the next chapter. I hope you continue enjoying the read!
"You seriously paged me in on my night off over broken bones?!" Maura understood the need for her to be in the hospital, but that didn't mean that she had to be happy about the situation. She had been very disappointed at having to leave Jane and their evening behind and someone was going to hear about just how upset she was.
"I'm so sorry Dr. Isles. There was no one else capable of handling this case. I honestly didn't want to call you in, but Dr. Matthews insisted." Susie looked like she was about to cry.
"I guess I don't have an option in the matter, do I? If the chief of surgery demands you page me, then you page. I understand you were just doing your job Susie, I'm just irritated."
Maura was now fully changed and headed towards CT and x-ray. The images and films of one Hillary Boyd came up. Maura winced just looking at what was before her: a total of 52 acute fractures in all.
"How did this girl happen to fall off her roof?" she questioned her resident.
"She refused to give additional information, but her tox screen came back… she was 'shrooming on the roof," Susie supplied.
"Shrooming makes no sense to me whatsoever… is that a colloquialism?" Maura asked the resident.
"Yes Dr. Isles, it is. Psilocybin is the active ingredient in what are colloquially known as magic mushrooms."
"Ah, you should've started there. Psilocybin: quickly converted by the body to psilocin which has mind-altering effects such as euphoria, visual and mental hallucinations, changes in perception, possibly even spiritual experiences. It has some similarities with dimethyltryptamine and lysergic acid diethylamide."
"Precisely, doctor."
Maura shook her head, obviously upset. "I have to put an end to my night off and come in for who knows how long of a surgery just because a teenager decided, wrecklessly so, to get drugged up and break over 50 bones in her body?"
Susie looked like a deer caught in headlights. She didn't know what to tell the usually calm and composed doctor. She'd never seen a reaction like this out of Maura Isles.
"There is a subtrochanteric fracture to the left femur that needs to be stabilized immediately with an ORIF. We can deal with the rest once that is taken care of so that we can stabilize her." She looked at the clock on the wall: 10:28p.m. She sighed. "Go scrub, I'm right behind you." She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Jane before putting her phone aside and going into the scrub room.
Jane was sitting on the soft, comfortable sofa in Maura's living room watching the highlights for the Celtic's game when she felt her phone buzz next to her.
I'm so sorry Jane. I just wanted to send you a quick text to let you know that I'm going to be longer than expected. The surgery I'm about to go into takes anywhere from 3-6 hours, depending on just how severe that break is. From the looks of it, it looks like a longer surgery than not. I'm afraid the movie won't be an option anymore by the time I'm done. I look forward to seeing you in the morning and sharing breakfast. There is a guest bedroom on the second floor. Make yourself at home and help yourself to anything you need. I'll see you soon.
It's alright Maura. Go be the great surgeon I know you are. I'll see you in the morning, and I'm looking forward to it already.
Jane sighed in disappointment. She really was hoping that Maura wouldn't take too long at the hospital and knew she was in for a long night alone. She turned off the television and rose from her spot on the sofa. She looked around, noticing just how perfect everything looked. Everything had its proper place; there was no clutter to be found. There was a full-length bookshelf lining one of the walls, filled to the brim with medical journals and texts and works of literature Jane hadn't even heard of before. She noticed some of the books were also in French and some other language she didn't recognize.
She took a few steps and went into the adjoining dining room, noticing a dining set for 6 people. It made her wonder just how often it got used; Maura didn't seem like the type of person to have company over too often. Looking around the two rooms, she noticed that while there were pieces of art tastefully decorating them such as paintings and tribal masks, sculptures and drawings, there wasn't a single photograph of Maura or of any family or friends. Jane thought that odd, and did a sweep of the rooms with her eyes once more to make sure she hadn't missed one, but there were none to be found. She thought it was quite the contrast in comparison to her mother's house, or even her apartment, where there were photos of her family all over the place. Jane made a mental note on it and moved on.
She got thirsty and decided to get a glass of water. She was making her way to the refrigerator when she nearly tripped and fell over.
"What the fu— Crap! What is that?!"
She looked down at the offending object in her way, only to realize that it was alive. A huge turtle, seemingly scared now, was right in the middle of Maura's kitchen. Jane had apparently startled it and now its head and neck were safely tucked inside its shell.
"Hey buddy, it's alright. I didn't mean to scare you. You did manage to scare me though. I wonder why Maura didn't mention she had a turtle… maybe it didn't come to mind since she rushed out of here and all. It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you." Jane lowered herself and brought her hand to carefully touch the tortoise's shell. She petted it carefully, noticing that the small head was beginning to peek out once more. "Yeah, it's ok. It's safe. Now that I know you're here, I'll be more careful around you buddy. Just don't go sneaking up on me alright?"
She had her drink of water and slowly made her way through Maura's pantry. Disappointment came over here once more when she realized Maura didn't have anything that could possibly count as junk food in her home, not unless she had a secret stash somewhere and Jane wasn't about to go searching for it. She made sure the 'turtle' was alright before turning off the lights and heading upstairs.
The first room she came across was an office. It was medium-sized, and very much alike to Maura's office at the hospital. Jane noticed once more that there no photographs around.
She continued onward. The second door led to a home gym and what appeared to be some kind of yoga room. She continued to the first door on her left and found it to be a bedroom. Before entering, she eyed the rest of the long hallway. There were three more doors. It was clear that the room she'd opened was just a guest bedroom. She knew Maura's room was probably the one at the end of the hall. Curiosity ate at her. She so wanted to know what Maura's bedroom looked like, but also knew that the blonde deserved privacy. There would come a time, she hoped, when Maura would let her see that room. Without another thought, she went into the guest bedroom and closed the door.
The room was fair in size, with a moderately sized walk-in closet and an adjoining bathroom. It too was tastefully decorated, with a couple of very expensive looking paintings on the walls. No photographs in this room either. Jane took a seat on the exquisitely comfortable bed and looked at her surroundings. Everything in her line of sight at Maura's house so far said luxury and comfort, yet it also had a quiet and 'homey' feel, despite the lack of photos. Maura was wealthy, that much was obvious, yet the blonde doctor was humble and down to earth. Though the sheets she was currently sitting on surely cost more than a month's salary, Maura had done nothing to flaunt her wealth during the time they'd spent together.
Why would a successful, well-to-do, obviously rich doctor want to do with her? She was a blue-collar cop from Boston's middle class. What could Jane possibly offer this woman that she didn't already have? Thoughts of their socioeconomic differences began to flood her brain, leaving her with a pounding headache. She wanted to get up and leave. She didn't belong there; she was too out of place. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she couldn't do that to Maura. Even if she were to end things between them before they even really began, the doctor deserved an explanation. She would be coming home at some point expecting Jane to be there, and though something inside Jane's head repeatedly told her this was wrong, she wasn't going to just drop everything and leave Maura wondering what had happened. There was nothing she could do at the moment, so she removed her shoes and laid atop the covers, hoping that sleep would envelop her and help take the pain away.
Maura walked into her house in the early hours of the morning. Complications had risen during surgery and had made it even longer to complete the procedure as a result. She hadn't slept in over 24 hours and she was exhausted. The house was quiet, eerily so. She looked around the bottom floor, only to realize that Jane was nowhere to be seen. She put her purse and keys aside and made her way upstairs.
She entered the first guest bedroom to find Jane fast asleep atop the covers. Maura cursed herself for having made noise, but realized that Jane seemed to not notice anything. A pain-filled expression was on her face. Her hands were on top of one another, but it seemed like she was trying to grab something. I wonder what she's dreaming, Maura questioned. Trying very carefully not to disturb the brunette, she removed her shoes before very slowly and gently laying down on top of the covers on the other side of the bed. She turned on her side, facing Jane. Looking forward to the time when she got to see those chocolate orbs once again, she placed a soft hand on the detective's arm before closing her eyes and welcoming sleep.
I didn't want Jane snooping around Maura's bedroom or going through her things, I thought that would just be a bit much. I hope I handled that alright.
Things are starting to get a little rocky in paradise. How's Jane going to voice her concerns? How will Maura react? I'd love to know your thoughts on this one!