Gosh...sorry it took so long for this update. Lucky for you it's a long one! Happy reading!
Jane pushed back from the desk and rubbed her bleary eyes. She had been studying nonstop for the past two hours, and she was just about ready to throw in the towel. It was the night before she was planning on taking the detective's exam, and she was trying to cram in as much studying as she could. Jane had spent the past four weeks gleaning as much information from Martinez, Korsak, and other detectives around BPD, and she was feeling ready for the exam. That didn't mean she still wasn't nervous though. The results from the exam could make or break her career, and there definitely wasn't a backup plan in case Jane failed.
She was just about to turn the page and start reviewing her last section of notes when Jane heard the pitter-patter of small footsteps coming down the hall. The door creaked open, and Jane turned to find Jack peering through the small opening he had created by pushing the door open slightly. She put her pencil in the notebook to mark her spot and shut it, grinning and gesturing for Jack to come in. With a wide smile, he immediately opened the door the rest of the way and bounded towards her. He was already in his pajamas, which mean that Maura was likely ready to put him to bed.
Jane opened her arms and Jack climbed up in her lap. "Hey buddy." Jane wrapped him up tightly in a hug and kissed his cheek.
"Hi Mama!" Jack replied enthusiastically. He looked at the desk full of notes. "You doing school? Mommy said you were doing school."
"Mommy also said you shouldn't bother Mama." Jane and Jack looked up at the sound of Maura's voice. Maura was leaning against the doorframe, one hand on her hip, and the other resting on her stomach.
Jack dropped his head and pouted, his bottom lip quivering. Jane had to stifle a grin, and looked at Maura and shrugged.
"It's fine Maura. I needed a break anyway." She tickled Jack's ribs and kissed his cheek again. "It's fine Jack…you don't need to pout. You should have listened to Mommy, but I'm thinking you wanted to say goodnight before you went to bed, right?" She grinned and exchanged a knowing glance with her wife.
Jack looked over at Maura, then back up at Jane. "Yeah. I wanted to see you before bed."
Maura and Jane couldn't argue with that, and Maura crossed the room to lean against the desk. "Okay then Jack, say goodnight to Mama and wish her good luck on her exam. It's already past your bedtime." As Maura bent to look at Jack, Jane could see the exhaustion on her heavily pregnant wife's face. She looked like she was ready for bed too.
Jack wrapped his arms around Jane's neck tightly, holding on for dear life. He had been especially clingy lately, which Jane and Maura had attributed to him realizing he was no longer going to be the only child. Jane chuckled and tried to peel him off of her.
"Jeeze little man…You're getting pretty strong!" She was able to pry him off enough to kiss his forehead. "Sweet dreams Jack. Have a good day at school tomorrow, okay?"
He nodded and climbed off her lap. "Night Mama. Do good on your test." He looked at Jane seriously before taking Maura's hand and starting to exit the room.
Jane grinned. "I will, bud. I'll do my best." She swiveled her chair back to face the desk and reopened her notebook.
Maura turned around as they were almost out of the room. "Jane?"
"Yeah?" She looked back up at her wife.
"Don't stay up too late." Maura smiled. "You have to be up early and you need to make sure you get enough rest."
"Yes mother." Jane replied sarcastically. "You should take your own advice there Maur. You look like you are going to fall asleep standing up. Looks like you and Tessa should head to bed too."
"That was my plan." Maura said quietly. "I am feeling quite tired this evening." She admitted, with a nervous smile. "Come on Jack…let's get you to bed." Maura led their yawning son down the hallway towards his bedroom.
"Night Mama!" Jack's voice echoed down the hallway, causing Jane to chuckle.
"Night little man! Love you!" Jane was still grinning as she turned back to her last section of notes and started to dig in.
Jane's alarm pierced the silence the following morning. She groaned and rolled over to shut it off, immediately noticing Maura's absence in the bed as she did. As Maura's due date approached, she was having a harder time sleeping, so it wasn't unusual for her to give up and head down to the couch the past few weeks. Jane rolled onto her back once again, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to muster up the strength to get out of bed. She had slept fitfully for most of the night, obviously too nervous about the exam to truly let herself relax and fall asleep. After a few moments, Jane finally got out of bed and headed for the shower, hoping that the warm water would wake her up.
Unfortunately, the longer-than-normal shower did nothing to help Jane wake up, and by the time she was dressed and headed downstairs, she was fast approaching the time she would need to leave in order to get to her exam on time. Jane took the steps two at a time, almost bumping into a pacing Maura as she reached the bottom.
"Shit! Sorry Maura!" Jane sidestepped her wife, narrowly avoiding a collision as gracefully as possible. "Goddammit…I can't be late!"
Jane headed straight for the coffee maker, which thankfully was nearly full, as Maura had anticipated Jane needing coffee. As she poured herself a mug of the steaming beverage, she looked up at Maura, who was still pacing between the kitchen and the living room.
"Everything okay? Did you sleep down here?" Jane asked as she stirred just the right amount of sugar and cream into her coffee.
Maura didn't respond immediately, causing Jane to look up.
"Maura…you know…you aren't helping my nerves right now."
Maura paused and rubbed her stomach. She exhaled slowly and smiled at the brunette who was currently chugging her coffee the best she could while trying not to burn her tongue. "Sorry Jane. It was a bit of a rough night." She smiled again, and Jane couldn't help but notice the smile seemed a little forced.
Jane put down her cup momentarily. "Baby girl kept you awake, huh?" She crossed the room to pull Maura in for a hug.
"Um…yes, she certainly did." Maura replied, her voice muffled as she rested her face against Jane's shoulder.
They hugged for a few minutes, Jane breathing in Maura's familiar scent, which was strangely comforting and helped calm her nerves. When they finally separated, Maura rubbed her stomach again. "Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"
Jane glanced up at the clock and grimaced. "No time." She took another swig of her coffee and dumped the rest into a travel mug. "Looks like this coffee is breakfast."
Maura frowned. "Jane…you can't go into the detective's exam on an empty stomach!"
Jane picked up her keys and the mug of coffee. "I'll try and grab something at the café once I get to the station." She noted Maura's frown. "I promise Maura…I'll try and eat before the exam."
Maura's frown eased and she crossed the room to open the door for her wife. She grabbed Jane's arm as she started to leave, causing Jane to turn back around. Maura leaned in and kissed Jane firmly on the lips. "Good luck Jane. You will do fine…you are ready for this."
"Thanks." Jane smiled. "I'll come down to your office and find you after I finish, okay?" Jane leaned in for another kiss before heading for her car.
Once Jane was in the car and headed down the driveway, Maura shut the door, her hand flying immediately to her stomach. She waited for the contraction to pass and then walked over to pick up the phone. Maura dialed her mother-in-law's number, chewing on her thumb distractedly as the phone rang several times. Just before the phone went to voicemail, Angela answered, causing Maura to exhale in relief.
"Angela…it's Maura. My water broke two hours ago, and I'm in labor."
Jane tapped her pencil in a random rhythm as she flipped through her exam and re-checked her answers for what felt like the millionth time. Exhaling deeply, she flipped back to the front page and put her pencil down. The exam had been harder than she anticipated, but overall, she felt like it had gone well. Mentally and physically fatigued, Jane stood up slowly from the desk and handed her exam to the woman who had proctored the small group of officers that were taking the exam. Jane exchanged a smile with the woman as she offered her ID badge to verify her identity. The woman nodded and motioned toward the door, and Jane gladly took her leave.
Jane closed the door to the examination room behind her and briefly rested her back against the door as she rubbed her eyes. She desperately needed to see Maura, and after gathering herself, Jane headed in the direction of her wife's office. Just as she was opening the door to the stairs, she heard Frankie calling out to her.
"Janie! Wait up!" Frankie jogged toward her, dressed in his patrol uniform.
Jane paused and turned around, the door to the stairs still halfway open. "What is it Frankie? I promised I would find Maura first thing after my exam." She said tiredly.
"Maura's in labor." Frankie said breathlessly. "Ma told me to bring you to the hospital as soon as you were finished with your exam. They didn't want to distract you during your exam, but we need to hurry."
Jane's eyes widened as she processed what Frankie was saying. Maura couldn't be in labor…she still had six weeks to go. Jane clenched her jaw and looked at her younger brother. "Frankie…if this is a joke, you are one sick bastard."
"I'm serious Janie…are you gonna stand there, or let me take you to your wife, who is having your baby?"
Jane's heart started to race. "Oh God…Maura's in labor!" She said in disbelief. Suddenly, realization washed over her and she started to run towards the main exit.
"This way Janie!" Frankie called. "My cruiser is parked out back!"
As if on auto-pilot, Jane followed her brother out to his cruiser, yanking out her phone from the holster on her belt and dialing her mother. "Come on…pick up…pick up…pick up…" Jane muttered as she hopped into the passenger's seat. Angela picked up after just a couple rings. "Ma! We're on our way…tell me Maura is fine!"
After a surprisingly fast drive to the hospital that utilized Frankie's lights and sirens, as well as some "creative" driving maneuvers, Jane found herself jogging down the corridor of the maternity ward in search of Maura's room.
"459…460…461…" Jane skidded to a stop outside room 462, which was the room the nurse had directed her to. Taking a moment to compose herself, she knocked lightly on the closed door and opened it slowly. As she looked into the room, her heart caught in her throat. Maura looked so small in the hospital bed, and was hooked up to several monitors as well as an IV. There was a steady beeping noise, which Jane assumed was either Maura's or the baby's heartbeat, and Maura already looked exhausted and like she was in a fair amount of pain.
Even though she was in pain, Maura's eyes lit up as soon as she noticed Jane in the doorway. Luckily, she was between contractions, and waved Jane over to the bed. "I'm glad you made it." She exchanged a tired smile with her wife as Jane took Angela's place next to the head of the bed and gripped her hand tightly. "I'm already at eight centimeters. Looks like Tessa's in a hurry to meet us."
Maura's smile faded as another contraction started, and she gripped Jane's hand tighter as the pain intensified. Jane wasn't sure how to help her wife, so she leaned closer and brushed a few sweaty strands of blonde hair from Maura's brow. Jane pressed her lips to Maura's forehead as they waited the rest of the contraction out. Jane finally heard Maura exhale slowly, and the grip on her hand eased, signaling the contraction was over.
"How did your exam go?" Maura looked up at Jane with eyes hazy and unfocused with pain.
Jane looked at her wife incredulously. "Seriously? You are in the middle of having a baby and you are concerned about my stupid exam? God Maura…sometimes I wonder about you." She couldn't help but chuckle as she leaned down to kiss her wife. "Let's focus on having this baby…okay?"
Maura smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you're here Jane. I was afraid she was going to come before you got here. The doctors are surprised at how fast my labor is progressing given this is my first baby."
Jane was going to reply when she heard a sharp intake of breath from Maura and the grip on her hand intensified once again. Jane tried to coach Maura through the contraction the best she could, and after a minute, the pain eased and Maura collapsed back into the pillows, panting breathlessly.
"Is she okay? The baby? Isn't it too early?" Jane looked up at the nurse who was currently checking both Maura and the baby's vital signs. The nurse paused and looked at the screen with the fetal heart monitor.
"Her heartbeat seems to be steady and strong. Of course we would like to see a delivery after thirty-six weeks, but at thirty-four weeks, the baby's lungs should be fully developed. She may be a little small and need to stay in the NICU for a couple days, but so far, everything seems normal." The nurse smiled reassuringly at Maura and Jane and returned to documenting the vital signs in Maura's chart. When she was finished, she looked over at them again. "I'm going to have Dr. Keith come in and check you again Maura. Your contractions are coming very close together and I have a suspicion that you may be fully dilated."
Maura could only nod as another contraction took hold. She panted through it, and when it was over, she looked up to find Jane looking at her with a very concerned look in her eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me you were in labor this morning." Jane asked quietly.
Maura bit her lip. "I didn't want to distract you for your exam. I figured you would be done with your exam in plenty of time to come home and drive me to the hospital. I certainly didn't expect Little One to be in such a hurry." Maura looked up at Jane as she rubbed slow circles on her stomach.
"I should have been here with you." Jane whispered, resting her hand against Maura's flushed cheek. "I could have rescheduled the exam."
Maura smiled at Jane's concern. "It doesn't matter now Jane. All that matters is you are here, and we are going to meet our little girl soon." Tears burned in Maura's eyes as she realized that they were going to be holding their baby girl in the very near future, and she blinked them back. She reached out and pulled Jane in for a kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too Maura. I can't believe how strong you are. You amaze me." Tears were glistening in Jane's eyes as she admired her laboring wife.
The door opened again, and Dr. Keith entered.
"Glad you could make it to the party, Jane." Dr. Keith said with a grin. "It seems like we have an impatient little girl on our hands." She slipped on a pair of exam gloves and positioned herself at the foot of the bed. "I'm just gonna check you again Maura. Just relax." Dr. Keith was quiet as she examined Maura for several seconds. With a surprised look and a nod to the nurse who was waiting by the door, she replaced the sheet over Maura's legs and smiled.
"Looks like it's go-time ladies. How about we meet your little girl?"
From the moment Maura started pushing, everything became a blur to Jane. Her sole focus was on Maura, and it wasn't until a baby's cry pierced the air of the delivery room that Jane realized what had happened. Maura let out something that sounded like a cross between a sob and a laugh and slumped back against the bed in utter exhaustion. Jane was torn between getting her first glance at her baby girl and remaining with Maura, and remained glued to her spot by Maura's bed.
"Well…she's a little small, but otherwise you've got yourselves a healthy baby girl." Dr. Keith announced, holding up their wailing daughter. "Let me just get her cleaned up, and then she's all yours."
Even though she was red, squishy-looking, and covered in goo, she was the most beautiful thing Jane had ever seen. One of the nurses motioned for Jane to cut the cord, and Jane remained rooted to the spot as she stared at her newborn daughter.
"Jane, honey…go meet our girl. Go meet Tessa." Maura urged, as tears streamed down her face.
Her wife's voice seemed to bring Jane out of her daze, and Jane started toward the foot of the bed. She stopped halfway and turned back to Maura. Bending down, she kissed Maura firmly on the lips as tears streamed down both their faces. Jane pulled back and cupped Maura's face in both her hands. "I love you so much Maura. I'm so proud of you." She placed another lingering kiss on her exhausted wife's lips and took a deep breath before moving to the foot of the bed to cut the cord.
With shaking hands, Jane cut the cord, and the nurses took Tessa for one last set of Apgar scores. When she passed with flying colors, they gave Jane the all-clear and she walked slowly to the warmer to get her first real look at her daughter. At their daughter. Jane wiped the tears from her face and reached down to pick Tessa up, bringing her up and cradling her to her chest. She couldn't help but be surprised by how tiny Tessa was, and how light she felt in her arms. Jane brought her hand up to cup the back of Tessa's head and made her way slowly to Maura, who had been watching everything with shimmering hazel eyes. Jane pulled Tessa away from her body slightly, pressing a kiss to the baby's forehead before placing her gently on Maura's chest.
Maura's eyes widened as she took in the sight of her daughter resting on her bare chest. Another sob broke loose and a fresh wave of tears started to stream down her face. "Oh…she's so beautiful Jane." Maura wrapped her arms around Tessa, who immediately started to calm down. After a few moments, Tessa stopped crying altogether, sleepily opening her eyes and giving her mothers a glimpse of her beautiful blue eyes. "Hey there Tessa." Maura cooed, craning her neck and placing a gentle kiss on the patch of downy hair at the top of Tessa's head. "I can't believe you're here." Maura whispered.
Jane perched herself on the edge of the bed and gazed down at her little girl, still in disbelief that she was actually here. Jane lifted her hand to rest on Tessa's back, feeling the rise and fall of each breath that her daughter took. "You certainly know how to make an entrance Miss Tessa Noelle." Jane grinned and chuckled, brushing the tears from her eyes with her free hand. "You just had to be early, huh? Definitely your Mommy's girl." She looked down at Maura affectionately, and Maura returned the sentiment with a very tired smile.
"Sorry to break up the most adorable family I have ever seen, but it's time for Maura to deliver the placenta." Dr. Keith said quietly. "I think we are going to have to take your daughter to the NICU just as a precaution, given that she was born at thirty-four weeks gestation." She could see Jane's look of fear and immediately reassured them. "It's simply protocol, Jane. She seems to be perfectly healthy. You can come with her if you want."
Jane wasn't sure whether to stay with Maura or to go with her daughter and looked down at Maura.
"Go with her Jane." Maura hugged Tessa for a few more seconds before kissing her pink cheek and allowing Jane to take her.
Jane carried Tessa over to the nurse who was waiting with a portable incubator. She kissed Tessa's forehead and placed her in the incubator. The nurse wrapped Tessa up tightly in a pink blanket and looked at Jane. "You ready to roll?" She asked.
Jane looked back at Maura, who nodded to make sure Jane knew she was okay. "I'll be back as soon as I can Maur." Jane said. "If I run into Ma I will send her in so you aren't alone."
Maura nodded again as a small wave of contractions that signaled the imminent delivery of the placenta started. "I'll be fine Jane. Go."
Reluctantly, Jane followed the nurse out of the room, her eyes never leaving her tiny daughter as they headed down the hall towards the NICU.