As Maura came down the stairs the next morning she was greeted with an excited Jo Friday who leapt up and down enthusiastically at Maura's feet.
"Good morning Jo" she smiled bending down to give the small dog a quick pat. Jane had bought over Jo when Maura had been unwell as something more interactive then Bass to keep her company while the detective was at work, after that since Jane had never really left Maura's place neither had Jo Friday. Maura liked having the small dog around although sometimes she would forget and receive a large shock when she arrived home to an overexcited little dog ready to be let outside. Maura hadn't had the pleasure of owning pets growing up, her parents seemed to look down upon having animals in the home despite Maura begging them for several years when she was about 7 years old to let her have a cat, which she argued mainly take care of themselves and are far less messy. But they still told her no and eventually she went to boarding school in France and the idea of having a pet was forgotten.
Maura went into the kitchen with Jo Friday still bouncing along at her ankles, she was eager for a hot cup of coffee and to see Jane who hadn't been in bed when Maura's alarm had woken her up for work. She had begun to realise that Jane always seemed to rise earlier than her no matter what.
Jane sat crossed legged on the island counter with a extra large orange juice carton between her legs and a block of chocolate in her hand, Maura immediately came to a halt as she saw the detective noticing straight away that Jane was in fact wearing her silk dressing gown. Her eyebrows shot up as she looked at the brunette who munched on the chocolate unaware that someone had even entered the room.
"Hi…" Maura said not patient enough to wait for Jane to notice her.
Jane looked up at Maura with wide eyes like a deer that had been caught in the headlights, she finished her mouthful before glancing at the chocolate bar and then back at Maura.
"Breakfast?" Maura asked moving closer to Jane the sound of her high heels on the wooden floor echoing through the house.
"Not exactly" Jane replied pointing at the cereal bowl and plate behind her. Again Maura lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
"You went back to sleep, and I decided it was breakfast time" Jane shrugged using two hands to lift the orange juice up and take a long sip straight from the bottle.
"You had breakfast in the middle of the night?" Maura asked shocked, as she started to prepare her espresso machine.
"I couldn't go back to sleep Maur" Jane told the doctor after she had put the juice down.
"Wait, you've been awake since two o'clock in the morning?" Maura asked stopping what she was doing and looking up at Jane concerned, suddenly seeing the dark rings under Jane's eyes. Jane didn't reply to Maura's question, she just quietly looked away unsure of whether Maura was mad at her for not going to sleep or upset that Jane hadn't woken her when she couldn't return to sleep.
"Have you been eating since then?" Maura asked beginning to clear Jane's dishes away into the dishwasher, a hint of humour in her voice.
"I'm gonna get fat" Jane announced.
"That's optimistic" Maura replied.
"Well now that I don't have to be eating all that health crap…"
Maura immediately glanced over at Jane to try and read her expression, she knew the detective masked her pain with sarcasm and humour as often as she could and she wanted to know if this was one of those times, because she didn't have to do that around Maura she didn't need to keep up her walls.
"Jane" Maura said softly and Jane just looked at her almost rolling her eyes.
"Maur…"
Maura continued looking at the detective trying to make absolute certain that Jane was going to be okay, it was only when Jane tapped her wrist indicating Maura to check the time that she diverted her eyes.
"I assume you're not going to work today?" Maura asked as she poured her coffee quickly and realising she was going to be a few minutes late.
"No" Jane said looking down and playing with one of her fingers "I'm just not ready to face anyone, that look everyone will have on their face"
"Which look is that?" Maura asked sipping her coffee.
"The look you had on your face about twenty seconds ago"
Maura frowned.
"Do they all…know?" she asked.
"Well I assume so because my mother works in the building" Jane sighed.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home today?" Maura asked knowing she was probably showing too much of Angela's concern and coddling towards Jane, but she couldn't help feel protective she needed Jane to be okay.
"Maura" Jane groaned "Go to work, please, I fear that if you don't go back soon you'll do an autopsy on me in my sleep"
"That would never happen" Maura pouted "I don't have a scalpel in my bedroom"
"Well that's reassuring doctor thank you" Jane smirked slightly "You're still going to work though"
"Fine" Maura said a smile playing on her face at the familiar tone of the conversation the two of them were having, it almost made everything feel normal.
"But call me- "
"If I need anything, I know" Jane said as Maura gathered her coat and purse before leaning over and placing a kiss on Jane's cheek with a little grin before disappearing out the front door.
As Maura got into the car she couldn't help but let the little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth stretch across her face. Normal was a term that hadn't been applicable to her life for a very long time now, but this morning she could almost agree with the idea that her conversation with Jane had been relatively normal. Their banter and cheeky looks they had given each other was almost exactly what everything used to be like between them before all the complication.
As she started the car her radio came on and the familiar voice of the weather man filled her car warning the listeners of the storm that was heading towards Boston. Maura hoped that it wouldn't hit until she had gotten home from work, she was already nervous enough driving her car these days after the crash. She wished she could have stayed home with Jane today but she knew the detective was right in sending her to work, they had barely in over the past month with everything that had been happening in their lives, Maura feared that she was going to be out of touch with her professional self if she didn't return soon.
Yet as soon as Maura was in the morgue and a body was put on her table everything came to her easily, the way it always did. The feel of the cool metal of the scalpel through her latex gloves, the smell of her black scrubs, the harsh neon light above the body. Everything was the way it should be and finally everything in Maura's life felt like it was in order.
Her mind only began wandering to Jane once she had begun stitching the Y incision back up after the autopsy, she started to wonder what the detective might be doing, she imagined her on the couch watching some kind of sport yelling at the players like they would be able to hear her and take her advice. She found herself smiling at the thought of the brunette and quickly wiped the look from her face strictly reminding herself that she was at work.
She started clearing up after the autopsy when Frost unexpectedly entered the morgue making Maura jump with fright at the sound of the door banging shut.
"Hey Doctor Isles" he said and she spun around with a scalpel in hand and Frost took a step back putting his hands up in surrender.
"Whoa"
"Sorry" Maura frowned putting the scalpel back down "I was just…I'm sorry"
Frost smiled warmly at her, but remained hovering by the door as he had never been too fond of being in the morgue. although he had gotten better at handling the sight of death there was something eery about it down there that he could never quite get used to.
"Is everything okay?" Maura asked continuing to put away her medical equipment.
"Yeah, I was just wondering how Jane was" he said and Maura immediately looked up at him.
"She's… she's been better" the doctor replied honestly and Frost just nodded shifting in his place, Maura lifted an eyebrow knowing there was something else that was on his mind.
"Is that all?" Maura asked watching him carefully as he looked up at her biting his lip nervously.
"It's just I never realised she was…"
"Pregnant?" Maura finished for him.
"Yeah" Frost said his brow furrowing "She never told me and she's my partner"
"It was nothing personal Barry" Maura said kindly "It was a difficult situation and she wasn't ready to tell anyone"
"I'm sorry" Frost said shaking his head.
"It's okay"
"No I mean I'm sorry about what happened, it's horrible" he said looking up at her with his chocolate brown eyes full of sympathy, Maura opened her mouth to reply but closed it again when no words came out.
"Thank you" she said finally, her voice was quiet and she looked away afraid she might tear up.
"Doctor Isles…" Frost said and Maura could feel his eyes still on her.
"Yes?"
"How have you been holding up?" he said and Maura immediately looked up at him, obviously the expression on her face startled him as he quickly added.
"I don't mean to pry, you don't have to answer that I was just wondering…"
"I'm fine" Maura said quietly.
"Are you sure?" he asked and Maura could hear the genuine concern in his voice.
"I know it must have been hard for you because of the baby being- "
"Casey's" Maura said trying not to flinch at the name. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, they had never shared such personal details about their lives with each other before, it was strictly professional but now Frost seemed to be trying to get Maura to let her guard down, he was there as a friend not a colleague.
"You know" Maura said simply when he didn't say anything else.
"About?" he asked tilting his head to the side.
"Jane… and I" Maura said slowly and a brilliant smile stretched across his face revealing his pearl white teeth.
"Of course I know" he chuckled "It's kinda really obvious"
Maura lifted an eyebrow "Does everyone know?" she asked suddenly feeling nervous.
"If they have half a brain then probably…but I mean, didn't we all see it coming?" he said giving her a cheeky look and Maura's mouth fell open.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean Doc" Frost smirked and Maura just stared at him, had it really been that obvious the entire time?
"But Jane"
"Jane is a badass detective, but so am I, and I see the way she looks at you and it's like her entire world stops spinning" Frost said giving a nonchalant shrug then beginning to turn towards the door leaving Maura standing there speechless.
"And if you ever need to talk, I'm happy to listen" he added before slipping out the door.
At 3.18pm Maura went up to the Brick to deliver the first of the results from the autopsy, but when she stepped out of the elevator she was greeted with a strange silence. Walking into the main office it was empty, all the desks were deserted and everything was still. The only person that was still there was Sargent Korsak who was packing up papers at his desk.
"What's going on?" Maura asked confused.
"Everyone's gone home before the storm really sets in" Korsak said gesturing at the rain whipping at the windows outside.
"Wouldn't want to be stuck here in a snowstorm that's for sure, you should get going too Doc, this case ain't going nowhere for the meantime"
"Oh" Maura said and nodded an excited feeling creeping up in her chest at the thought of getting to go home early and see Jane.
"Are you sure?"
"Do you want to get stuck here while there's a storm out?" Korsak asked her and she immediately shook her head.
"I'll my things then" she said turning on her heel to go back down to the morgue.
"Do you need a lift?" Korsak called out after her.
"No thank you Sargent" she replied "I have my car"
"Alright" he said "Keep safe Doc, it's only getting worse"
As Maura stepped outside the BPD icy rain lashed against her coat and face, fresh snow had already fallen in the time that she had been at work. It was slushy and crunchy underfoot as she walked towards her car fumbling with her keys as her fingers began to feel numb from the cold air. She was grateful when she was finally in her car out of the teeth-chattering weather, but as she slipped her key into the ignition to start the car an unwelcome spluttering noise emitted itself from the car.
"No" Maura muttered trying to start the engine again but hearing the same puttering sound.
"Fuck" she groaned leaning back in her seat and shutting her eyes. After a few minutes had passed she opened her eyes again and retried one more time and when the car didn't start for the third time she pulled out her phone ready to call Jane but something stopped her. She didn't want the detective to come and get her, it was already dangerous on the roads with the icy conditions and heavy rain and she couldn't bare the thought of something else happening to the woman she loved.
Taking a deep breath and wrapping her coat tightly around her she opened the door of the car and stepped outside into the rain and bitingly cold wind. The ice cold raindrops that hit her face sent shivers down her spine as she trekked across the car park onto the sidewalk, she tucked her hands deep into her coat pockets and kept her head down as she braved the weather figuring it couldn't be that far to her house from BPD.
After 10 minutes of walking she was filled with deep regret of her decision not to call Jane, as selfish as she felt she didn't know how much further she could even make it. She was freezing to core, her teeth chattered in the cold, her hair was drenched and plastered to her face and every inch of her was dripping wet, snowflakes landing on her shoulders and in her hair. The roads were practically deserted, everyone already safely in their houses tucked up beside the fire with hot cups of tea. The thought made Maura want to cry, she just wanted to be home this was too much for her. She couldn't understand why everything in her life had suddenly gotten so difficult. What had she ever done to deserve this?
Jane glanced over at the time for the third time within the past 5 minutes. The weather outside was deteriorating at rapid speed into the storm that was supposed to hit later that night. Last time there had been a severe storm warning BPD sent all their officers and detectives home early to be safe, all precautions were being taken and it was lucky too as the storm had been brutal and people hadn't been able to leave their houses for days. She had tried calling Maura but the doctor wasn't answering her phone which was very unlike her, and Jane was starting to get worried. She had been trying to distract herself by watching ESPN but it wasn't working anymore, she just wanted the doctor home and safe. Getting off the couch she wandered over to the fridge and pulled out a beer, it wasn't the smartest choice of drink but she was just hoping it would help take the edge off until Maura was home.
She sat at the counter sipping her beer and staring at the clock watching the minute hand tick around until she had memorised it's beat and rhythm, she could have sworn it was getting slower and slower.
Rain lashed against the windows while clouds rumbled overhead, come on Maura Jane thought please come home. A small rattle outside the front door jolted Jane from her thoughts and she leapt to her feet dashing over to the door and yanking it open.
"Oh my god" were the first words that tumbled from her mouth as she saw the medical examiner standing on the doorstep shivering violently and dripping wet, her keys lying in a puddle in front of her.
"What happened?" Jane asked grabbing the woman by both her shoulders and pulling her inside, quickly picking up the dripping wet keys and then shutting the door.
"T-the c-car b-b-broke" Maura stuttered her lips practically blue from the cold.
"Babe why didn't you just call me?" Jane frowned pulling Maura's coat off her before wrapping her arms tightly around the soaking wet woman and rubbing her back frantically trying to warm her up.
"D-dangerous" Maura mumbled pressing herself into Jane's embrace and shutting her eyes feeling the other woman's warmth through her drenched clothes.
"Maur, you walking home was probably more dangerous, you're ice cold" Jane frowned still rubbing Maura's back trying to generate heat.
"I'm s-sorry" the doctor mumbled.
"I was worried about you" Jane said softly and kissed Maura's head lightly.
"I w-won't do it a-again d-don't wo-worry" Maura said her voice still shaking as she still felt chilled to the bone.
"You're the dumbest genius I know" Jane said with a slight laugh as relief flooded through her that the doctor was safely home and in her arms.
Sorry this update took awhile! Enjoy :)