Susie Chang sat in her car, watching the front door of Dr. Isles' Beacon Hill residence, demarcated by pink and yellow balloons. She had a habit of being early, but she knew it was impolite to be this early, and she certainly didn't want to be the first guest to arrive. Susie had always felt somewhat awkward in social situations, being more quiet and studious than most people. She wanted to be more gregarious, to be someone who enjoys parties and was comfortable in social situations, she just didn't know how.
She was saved by a young blonde woman struggling to hold onto a gift box and a large bag while also holding the hand of an enthusiastic toddler. Rather than sit idly by and watch the woman risk losing hold of the child and allowing him to run into the street, Susie got out of her car and offered to help.
"Oh! Thank you! Are you here for the baby shower? Tommy's usually here to help carry all the baby stuff, but Angela told me no boys over five allowed." The woman was flustered and the box teetered precariously on her arm while she nudged the car door shut.
Susie recognized her when she mentioned Detective Rizzoli's other brother. "You must be Lydia? Tommy Rizzoli's… wife?" She glanced at the woman's left hand. No ring. "I'm Susie. I work with Dr. Isles. And Detective Rizzoli." She stuck her hand out to shake, but took it back when she remembered that Lydia's hands were full.
"Ohh," Lydia said knowingly, "You must be really smart."
Susie got that a lot, and never knew how to respond. To deny it would be a lie, to concede would be arrogant. She just smiled and repeated her offer, "Let me help you with that." She took the gift box and started toward the front door. Lydia pulled the boy along and opened the door without knocking.
There was a flurry of activity when they entered, mostly surrounding the toddler. A few other guests were there, including a woman with a thick New York accent who introduced herself as Carla, and an elegant woman with some sort of European accent Susie couldn't place. She introduced herself as Constance Isles, Maura's mother. Mrs. Rizzoli was there, too, and after handing the baby over to Carla, she showed Susie around briefly and invited her to make up a plate of appetizers. Mrs. Rizzoli always had a way of making Susie feel welcome.
Susie slowly drifted toward the food and soon other guests arrived. One of them she recognized as Dr. Hope Martin, who had come to the BPD to consult on a case involving a victim whose fingertips had been severely burned to obscure her prints. Before Susie could approach Dr. Martin to express her professional admiration, the room fell silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch as Dr. Isles stepped forward and greeted Dr. Martin.
"Hope, thank you for coming on such short notice." Her posture was stiff and formal. Behind her, Detective Rizzoli had her chin raised and was looking down her nose at Dr. Martin. It was the kind of posture Susie suspected the detective used in interrogation.
Dr. Martin glanced over at Detective Rizzoli and kind of smirked, her eyes flitting down to her protruding middle, then back to Dr. Isles. "It's my pleasure, Maura, thank you for inviting us. I wanted to give you my personal thanks for everything you've done for Cailin and me," Dr. Martin said, gesturing to the young woman who came in with her.
Dr. Isles nodded and then said to Cailin, "I hope you're in good health?"
The girl nodded sheepishly and mumbled, "Thank you."
Dr. Isles stepped to the side and extended her arm out toward the kitchen. "Please come in, help yourself to some refreshments. Hope, I look forward to speaking privately with you before you leave."
"Of course." Dr. Isles had moved aside to let them pass, but Detective Rizzoli held her position a little longer than was polite. When she finally did move out of the way, Susie noticed most of the eyes in the room following Dr. Martin. Constance, especially, was staring daggers.
With Dr. Martin approaching the food table, it was the perfect time for Susie to strike up a conversation, but after the showdown she just witnessed, she thought twice about it. In short order, Susie knew where her loyalties lay, and she high-tailed it across the room and pretended to gush over Lydia's baby.
Abandoned by Cailin, Hope attempted to make conversation with Angela, one of the few people she had met previously. "It's nice to see you again, Angela."
"Yeah, it's nice to see you too, Dr. Martin." The nervousness in Angela's voice implied otherwise. "Maura didn't tell me you were coming. Have you been in touch with her lately?" She seemed hopeful.
"No, I must admit, the invitation came out of the blue just this week. I understand Maura would like to speak with me."
"Oh." Angela's usual chatty demeanor faded and Hope felt a presence approach behind her.
Hope turned slowly, finding the most piercing green eyes she'd ever seen. After a moment, a practiced smile appeared and the woman said, "Good afternoon, Hope. My name is Constance Isles. I am Maura's mother."
Hope breathed for what felt like the first time and held out her hand politely. Constance made no movement to shake it. Hope smiled tentatively and said, "I've only known Maura a short time, but—" Hope had intended a compliment, but Constance interrupted.
"And yet you felt comfortable asking her to undergo major surgery."
Oh. That. Hope was getting tired of defending her actions, especially now that the whole ordeal was in the past. "My daughter was dying. I had to do everything I could to save her life."
"So you'll understand why I am defensive. Maura is my daughter, and she was under no obligation to help you or your daughter. She did it because she is generous and compassionate, and she is a better woman than you or I will ever be."
"I am truly grateful."
The sound Constance made was too decorous to be considered a snort, but her distrust was clear. "You will not misuse her." Before Hope could deny that she ever had, Constance turned and walked away.
Cailin didn't want to be at this stupid baby shower. Her life was finally becoming something resembling normal. She was still taking immunosuppressive drugs and would be for the rest of her life, making her susceptible to all sorts of fun infections, but she was also back in school, this time at BCU. Isn't that what her mom wanted? To get back to normal? She should be making friends her own age and going to house parties, not middle-aged pregnant woman parties.
There were at least three or four people pretending not to stare at them as they browsed the food table. They were all whispering to each other, probably saying things like, "That's Maura's birth mother and half-sister. Maura saved her life. Maura is a saint." Is that why Maura invited them there? To point and stare, and completely humiliate them, to get back at them for being so horrible when they first realized who she really was?
Cailin was embarrassed to think back to that night she barged in on Maura and yelled at her. The drawing she'd found hidden in the bathroom was so rudimentary she thought it could be a coincidence that it looked like her mother. But it kept lingering, itching at her, and the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She was the right age and she looked even more like Hope than Cailin did. Then on top of everything else, a sudden anonymous kidney donor was a perfect match? Cailin wasn't even at the top of the transplant list. It had to be her. So she Googled her name and found the confirmation she was looking for: an article about Dr. Maura Isles, State Medical Examiner and daughter of captured mob boss Patrick Doyle.
She knew her mother loved Paddy Doyle. Cailin's parents divorced when she was four, and then instead of staying home with her father, Cailin went where her mother did, around the world to clean up war-torn countries, always dusty, always devastated. Always isolated. And yet wherever they were Paddy would show up, stay for a week or so, and then disappear again. Cailin didn't know who he was, other than her mother's friend and (she realized as she grew older) lover. A rich man with nothing better to do than to appear out of nowhere and then take off, leaving her mother miserable and unreachable.
One lonely night after Paddy left, Hope told her about the baby she'd lost. Don't do what I did, Cailin. Don't fall in love with a powerful man. He'll hold you hostage for the rest of your life. She'd started rambling, about the freedom of college and not being under her father's thumb anymore, and how when she first met Paddy he was so sweet and thoughtful. How she thought they could be a family. But the baby died. And he left. And I went back to school. She said the whole thing was a terrible mistake, that she was lucky the baby died. But the way she said it made Cailin think it wasn't just luck that took that baby from her. There was regret in her voice and Cailin understood: she was the consolation child.
So when Cailin found out that baby had not only lived, but had become this beautiful, rich, generous doctor, everything Hope could ever want in a daughter, Cailin knew she couldn't live up to that. And she wouldn't. She'd deny the kidney and let her mother have the daughter she'd really wanted. She just didn't expect Hope to react the way she did. She was furious and cruel and so deep in denial. Cailin immediately felt guilty about precipitating the altercation, but the damage was already done.
She didn't understand why, after all that, Maura still wanted to give Cailin her kidney, or now, why she wanted them at her baby shower. They were clearly outsiders and anyone they knew hated them for what had happened. Thankfully, guests continued arriving and all the attention shifted from Cailin and her mother to Jane and Maura.
Cailin kept to herself for most of the party. While her mother socialized politely with those who would talk to her, Cailin sat in the corner and entertained herself with her phone. She shooed away a blonde bimbo who definitely didn't belong there, but when Maura came up and held out a blank Bingo card and a pen, Cailin held her breath.
"We're going to open presents soon." Maura smiled disarmingly. "This game is supposed to make it more interesting. You write your predictions of what the gifts will be in these squares, then cross them off as they're unwrapped. If you're the first to make a line in any direction, you win. The prizes are candles."
"Oh, um." Did Maura really think she needed to explain how to play Bingo? "I'm not allowed to have candles in my dorm."
"It's ok, you don't have to play." She turned around but before she walked away she paused, as if there were something she wanted to say.
Cailin took the moment as opportunity and blurted out to Maura's back what she'd been meaning to say for over a year now, "I'm sorry. For the last time I was here."
Maura turned around, her mouth was hanging open in a state of shock.
Cailin froze. She didn't want to cause another scene, especially in the middle of the party. "I, um. I'm sorry, that's all." She took the blank Bingo card from Maura's hand and repeated, "I'm sorry."
Maura cleared her throat and breathed out, "Thank you." Her fingers fidgeted with the pen still in her hands. "That means a lot."