"Jane?" Maura called out softly from the doorway. "Are you awake?" She glanced down at the tray of food in her hands. "We brought you some food."
There was slight movement under the blankets, and Jane stretched before sliding the blankets off her head and revealing herself. She rolled over and rubbed her eyes sleepily before focusing her eyes on Maura and the little boy standing next to her.
"Hey." She mumbled, sitting up in the bed. "How long did I sleep for?"
"It's a little past ten, so about eleven hours." Maura held up the tray in her hands. "We made some breakfast and someone wants to meet you. Can we come in?"
Jane smiled broadly. "Of course." She patted the bed next to her and Maura entered, placing the tray next to Jane before carefully joining her wife on the bed. "Good morning." Jane kissed Maura's cheek as Maura settled next to her. "The food looks delicious." Both women looked up to see Jack still standing in the doorway.
"Jack, honey, why don't you come say hi to Jane. She's very excited to meet you." Maura motioned for the little boy, who took only a couple steps into the room before stopping.
Jane looked at Jack, who looked so small in the pajamas that hung off his thin frame. Now that it was light, she couldn't help but notice that Jack looked her brother Frankie when he was little. Except for his light eyes. He was a looker with those light eyes that stood out in contrast to his dark hair and olive skin. Much like Maura had, Jane noticed the bruising on his cheek, which at this point was very faint. Something about this little boy was special, and Jane couldn't wait to get to know him.
"Well Maur, there seems to be an awful lot of food here. Can you think of anyone who could help us eat it?" Jane winked at her wife and gave her a small nudge to play along.
"Hmmm, I'm not sure Jane. Let me think."
Jane had to stifle a laugh as Maura scrunched up her face like she was thinking hard. Out of the corner of her eye, Jane noticed Jack take another few steps in the direction of the bed.
"I know Maura!" Jane said excitedly. "How about Jack?" She leaned over Maura to look at Jack. "What do you say Jack? Do you think you can help us eat some of these pancakes?"
That seemed to do the trick, and Jack took the last few steps to the bed. Maura pulled him up onto the bed and he crawled to the middle and sat cross-legged across from Jane and Maura.
"Well…hello there little man." Jane extended her hand. "I'm Jane, and I'm very happy to finally meet you."
Both women held their breath, watching and waiting for some type of response from Jack. They didn't have to wait long, as Jack gave Jane a shy grin and reached out to grab her hand. Jane gave it a little shake and handed Jack a fork. "You hungry?"
Jack nodded and Maura's eyebrows rose in surprise. "How can you be hungry? You just had two bowls of cereal three hours ago!" Maura turned to Jane. "He's turned into something of a bottomless pit in the past couple days." She whispered.
Jane barked out a laugh and picked up her own fork and started cutting pieces of the pancakes that Maura had prepared. She drizzled the small container of syrup over them and dug in. A few seconds later, Jack had followed suit, reaching over and taking a big bite of pancake. The bite was so big he had a hard time stuffing it in his mouth, and Jane and Maura laughed as they watched him struggle.
"Take smaller bites Jack." Maura said quietly. "There's plenty of food, so there's no need to rush." As she looked up, Jane was also taking a large bite of scrambled eggs and Maura gave her a pointed look. "You're setting a bad example for him Jane.
Jane rolled her eyes. "He's four Maura. And we are eating in our bed. I'm pretty sure rules and etiquette and whatever go out the window when you eat in bed." She took a sip of orange juice then held out the glass for Jack, who shook his head.
Between Jack and Jane, they ate the majority of the breakfast in record time. Maura stole a few bites as well, but was mostly content to watch Jane interact with the little boy. She had been curious to see how he would respond to another stranger, but so far he seemed to be handling it well. As he took the last bite of scrambled eggs, Maura picked up the tray and set it aside.
"So…" Jane looked at her expectantly. "What's on the agenda for today?"
Maura bit her lip. "Well, I have to go in to work for a bit this afternoon." Maura had tried to arrange for the whole day off when she learned that Jane was coming home, but Dr. Benton's 3pm tee time at the country club apparently trumped whatever plans Maura had. "But we could maybe head to the park down the street for a little bit before I have to leave. Jack and I went there yesterday and he seemed to like it."
"Yeah, that sounds like fun." Jane nodded, grateful that Martinez had given her the day off to recuperate before picking up the investigation tomorrow. "How does the park sound Jack?"
He nodded furiously, obviously in favor of heading to the park. Jane laughed and got out of bed. She walked around to the other side and held out her hands. "Well then, let's get you dressed and we can head to the park." There was a brief moment of hesitation from Jack, but he held his arms up in return and let Jane pick him up. Jane shifted so he was against her hip and turned back to Maura, immediately noticing the tears shimmering in Maura's eyes. "What's the matter?"
Maura blushed and shook her head, brushing away the tears and laughing. "It's nothing Jane. Really. This the first time he has let anyone hold him." Her eyes moved back and forth between Jane and Jack, for the first time noticing how they looked like they could be related. It was almost too much for Maura to handle, and she choked back a happy sob and smiled. "How about we leave for the park in half an hour?"
"Sounds good to me. Come on Jack…let's find something for you to wear." Jane turned and headed out of the room. Maura watched the two of them go with a foolish grin on her face, then shook her head to steady her emotions and got up to get ready herself.
Jane, Maura, and Jack walked to the park, both women holding one of Jack's hands as he walked in between them. As Jane glanced over at Maura, she couldn't help but notice how content she looked. The mid-August sunshine shone down on them, bringing out the highlights in Maura's hair and emphasizing the freckles on her face. Jane looked down at Jack and couldn't help but wonder if this was a picture of their future. She desperately hoped it was.
The park was only a handful of blocks away, so before they knew it, Jack was running around the playground while Jane and Maura sat on a bench nearby to keep a close watch on him. Jane leaned in close to Maura and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Maura gave a small sigh and turned her head to kiss Jane on the cheek.
"Did Maureen say how long he would be staying with us?" Jane asked.
"No. She didn't specify a timeframe but she said they were looking for some sort of next-of-kin to see if they would be willing to take him. Maureen didn't sound hopeful that they would find anyone though."
"Yeah. If his parents died over a year ago and they didn't locate next-of-kin then, they probably won't now." Jane watched Jack climb up some fake rocks before jumping off into the wood chips. "You asked me about the case last night. I didn't want to talk about it then, but I think I'm ready now. I wanna get this out before we both head back to work and get busy with Jack and stuff." Jane turned to look at Maura.
"Of course. I'm always willing to listen to you Jane." Maura reached out and picked up Jane's hand.
Jane paused, trying to build up the confidence to talk about things that were difficult for her. "You know how I said they arrested a suspect and how my cover was blown?" She waited for a head nod from Maura in response. "My cover was blown because the suspect was Tommy." Jane clenched her jaw and Maura could feel her tense up beside her.
"Oh…Jane. I'm sorry."
"It all happened so fast. One minute I was being brought into this house to meet with one of the leaders from the drug ring, and the next I was trying not to slug Tommy when he appeared from around the corner. He claimed he hasn't been using, but I know he's full of shit. You don't get to be in a position of leadership in a drug ring and not be using." Jane said angrily, speaking from her experience in the drug unit. "I turned tail and ran when the guys who brought me to him realized who I was, and then all hell broke loose behind me. I was lucky to make it out without any major problems."
"So what happens now?" Maura glanced back out over the playground to make sure Jack was okay before turning back to Jane.
Jane exhaled loudly. "Well, Martinez put out a warrant for Tommy's arrest last night, so I'm hoping they will have picked him up before I head into work tomorrow. I'm going to try and get him to give up more information about the leaders of the drug ring to lessen his jail time." Jane hung her head. "This is going to kill Ma."
Maura squeezed Jane's hand. "You are not the bad guy here Jane. Tommy made these decisions and he is going to have to deal with the consequences."
"I know. But locking up your baby brother ain't easy, no matter how pissed off I am at him."
"No, I can't imagine it is." Maura replied. "Is there anything I can do?"
Jane shook her head. "The only thing you can do right now is what you're already doing. Just be there for me."
"You know I will Jane." Maura reached up to tip Jane's face toward her and pressed a sweet kiss to Jane's lips. They sat in silence for a while, basking in the sunshine and watching Jack run around. Eventually Maura checked her watch and noticed she had to be at work in approximately an hour. "Jane, we need to head back so I can get ready for work."
Jane nodded and stood up to collect Jack. When she returned, Maura laughed at the sight of Jack riding piggyback on Jane. "I see you found a ride home Jack." He nodded and gave her a quick smile as he tightened his grip around Jane's neck. "Come on you two. Let's head home." She threaded her arm around Jane's and they made their way home.
Maura arrived home after her half day to find Jane slouched on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table and a beer in her hand. This was not out of the ordinary, but the small boy curled up next to her certainly was. Jane raised a finger to her lips as Maura entered, warning her to be quiet so she wouldn't wake Jack. Maura walked over to the couch and peered at Jack, who was definitely sound asleep. Jane clicked off the TV and drained the rest of her beer.
"He just fell asleep." Jane whispered. "Do you want to put him to bed?"
Maura nodded, then frowned. "Don't you want to?"
Jane flushed and looked a little embarrassed. "I'm not sure that putting him to bed is in my skill-set just yet." She placed her empty beer bottle in the recycling and turned back to Maura. "Maybe I'll just watch you and in a few days I will feel comfortable."
Maura was a little puzzled by Jane's response, but nodded and headed over to where Jack was and picked him up. He stirred a little, but settled right in against Maura's chest. She headed upstairs with Jane on her heels and set Jack down on his bed.
"Pajamas." Maura whispered, pointing at the dresser across the room. Jane nodded in understanding and picked out a pair of pajamas while Maura gently undressed Jack, hoping that he wouldn't wake up. Somehow they managed to get him changed into his pajamas and tuck him into bed. Jane tucked his blanket in next to him and straightened up. Jane backed away and watched Maura lean down to kiss Jack's forehead as she flipped off the light. They exited the room together and headed into their bedroom.
"It looks like you did okay with him while I was gone." Maura slipped off her heels and began to unbutton her blouse. "What did you end up doing?"
Jane gave her a cheeky grin. "Oh…the usual. I taught him how to play blackjack, we egged the neighbor's house, and then we ate three cartons of ice cream."
"Haha…very funny Jane." Maura rolled her eyes. "Although, I wouldn't put it past you to do all three of those things…" She shrieked with laughter as Jane gave her a dirty look before crossing the room and tickling Maura's bare stomach.
"Gee Maur…I'm glad you're so confident in my parenting abilities." Jane nipped playfully along Maura's neck and then gave her a quick kiss before getting changed herself. "Really though…he was good. We played for a while after you left, ate some chicken nuggets and rice pilaf for dinner, and then we watched a movie." She shrugged. "It was fun."
Maura emerged from the closet in yoga pants and a tank top. "I'm glad you two had some time together. It must have been strange for you to come home and be thrown right into parenthood."
"It's no big deal. Jack's a pretty good kid. It's a little weird sometimes since he is so quiet, but hopefully that will change soon."
"He is already leaps and bounds from where he was when I picked him up last week. He seems much more comfortable." Maura sat down on the end of the bed. "We need to discuss arrangements for when the both of us head back to work."
Jane joined her on the bed. "Yeah, I was thinking about that after you left."
"Your mother has agreed to watch him for the time being, until we can find a daycare for him. I just worry that sending him to a daycare might be too much for him." Maura frowned. "He has been through a lot in the past weeks and months and I don't want to make anything worse."
"Yeah…it's definitely something to think about." Jane picked at a callous on her hand and Maura noticed she was wearing her ring again.
"I see you found your ring."
Jane smiled. "Yes I did. It feels good to have it on again." She reached over and picked up Maura's left hand, twisting her ring around on her finger. "We wouldn't want people hitting on me and thinking I'm single…right?" She kissed Maura and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling slightly so the two of them were now lying next to each other on the bed.
"No…we definitely wouldn't want that." Maura whispered seductively in Jane's ear.
"You know…I'm not entirely sure why you and I both changed clothes when we both knew the clothes would be coming off as soon as we got in bed." Jane growled and nipped at Maura's earlobe.
"Obviously…"-Maura kissed Jane hungrily- "We were not thinking logically." Maura sat up and stripped her tank top off, tossing it onto the floor beside the bed. She returned to her position beside Jane and slipped a hand under Jane's shirt, reveling in the feel of Jane's taut abdomen and she trailed her fingertips along heated skin.
"Obviously…" Jane replied with another kiss. "I seem to recall making a promise to ravish my wife. I'd like to make good on that promise." She rolled on top of Maura and stripped her own top off. Bending over, she tangled her hands into Maura's soft blonde hair and kissed her way down an elegant neck.
Maura's hands immediately grabbed Jane around the waist, her fingers digging in as Jane hit a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. "By all means…" Maura gasped. "Ravish away."