So there are quite a few episodes that I really feel like need to be included in this story. They're big moments that affect Jane and Maura and I want to explore them because I enjoy including Amelia in these moments. This Chapter is one of those episodes, though I have changed some of the details. AND because I assume you all know these episodes I'm not including a lot of the details, more so the after of these events! I hope you all will enjoy this one! –J
Disclaimer: I do not own Rizzoli and Isles, and some of the details of this chapter come from the episode "Gone Daddy Gone".
Chapter 19- Gone Daddy Gone
It was the ice pick through the chest that left Maura's mind reeling. Finding Melissa Black tied to the post of the docks, with an ice pick through her chest, Maura felt like ice was running through her veins, immediately knowing what this could mean. Paddy Doyle killed his victims with an ice pick through the chest; it was his signature and Maura had to take a deep breath, trying her best to keep herself together, feeling Jane's hand on the small of her back, offering the only comfort she could.
"Maur?" Jane practically whispered, seeing the panic stricken look in the Doctor's eyes.
"It's Paddy," Maura replied, taking a step back from the body, resisting the urge to simply run away, not wanting to go down the biological father path again. "Ice pick to the chest it has to be…it's…I can't…I can't be a part of this case," she realized, knowing that if someone found out about her connection to Paddy it could ruin any chance they have at putting him away. "I have to call Pike. I can't be a part of this. I'm sorry," she said, walking away, needing to create some distance between her and Melissa Black's body; needing a moment to calm herself down, heading for the car.
Knowing she had work to do, Jane resisted the urge to immediately follow Maura, sticking around and talking things over with Korsak, before the older man finally told her to go find Maura, insisting that he would wait for Pike. Not needing to be told twice, Jane walked as fast as she could without running, heading for the car where she knew Maura would be waiting for her.
Seeing the blonde sitting in the car with her head in her hands, Jane felt her heart breaking, hating the fact that Maura was having to go through this again, knowing how difficult finding out about her biological father had been for the M.E. Rushing into the driver's side of the car, Jane immediately let herself in, startling Maura who hadn't noticed the Detective approaching.
"Oh…Jane," Maura jumped, placing her hand over her heart. "You startled me."
"I'm sorry Maur," Jane said, not caring who was watching as she pulled her girlfriend towards her over the centre console, needing to offer the blonde some form of comfort; needing her in her arms. "I am so sorry. Are you okay?"
Knowing Jane wasn't talking about the fact that she had scared her, Maura took a deep breath, not wanting to completely fall apart, feeling like her emotions were hanging on by a very thin thread. "I'm…" Maura began, the lie at the tip of her tongue, knowing she was likely going to get hives if she said she was fine. "I don't know how to do this," she said instead, shaking her head. "I just…I wish I could just forget about him. I wish I could go back to not knowing who my father was…who I was."
"Maura who your biological father is has nothing to do with who you are," Jane said, brushing blonde curls out of her girlfriend's face. "That man is nothing more than a sperm donor and you are nothing like him. I know this is hard. I really have no idea how difficult this must be for you, but you cannot let Paddy Doyle get to you like this. You can't start questioning who you are because of that man."
Feeling tears stinging her eyes, Maura attempted a small smile, placing her hand on Jane's cheek, before leaning forward, giving her a chaste kiss. "I love you. And thank you," she said, a single tear escaping down her cheek. "He killed that girl didn't he? The ice pick…it has to be him right?"
"It looks that way, but you know we can't be sure without some sort of proof," Jane told her. "We don't know anything for sure Maur, but we're going to figure this out. We're gonna get him. We'll figure it out."
"I know you will Jane," Maura nodded, knowing that if anyone could bring Paddy Doyle down it was Jane. "I know you will."
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"How's Maura?" Frost asked Jane later that day, his voice low, the pair standing in the autopsy room waiting for Pike to tell them something worthwhile.
"Pretty shaken up," Jane replied. "She really didn't want to go home but she can't be here right now. I'm pretty sure she'll go crazy trying to stay away from this case and you know how Pike gets on her nerves. She's taking the day to get her head on straight but I doubt I'll be able to convince her to take much more than that."
"Yeah well Doctor Isles isn't one to sit out on a case. Reminds me of someone else I know," Frost said with a smirk as Jane simply rolled her eyes in reply. "This all must be hard for her though. I mean finding out you're related to someone like Doyle…that could mess with a person."
"You don't have to tell me," Jane sighed, running her hand through her hair in frustration, suddenly wishing she could be at home with her girlfriend. "You know I knew the last time Paddy was around wouldn't be the last time we ran into him during a case…I mean he's Paddy Doyle, obviously he's going to intersect with our work every now and then, but I didn't think it would be this soon. Maura's been having such a hard time lately and this whole biological father thing really isn't helping things. I just…I don't even know what to do for her."
"Aw come on Jane I'm pretty sure you're already doing everything Maura needs you to," Frost replied, receiving a confused look from Jane, who obviously didn't understand what he meant. "You're there for her Jane. You're there for her all the time. Anyone can see how much you love her and Mia and I'm pretty sure that's all she needs from you," he explained, not missing the fact that his partner looked rather emotional. "You've just gotta keep being there for her like you've been doing. That's what she needs."
"Thanks Frost," Jane replied, pretending to turn around to check the time in order to take a deep breath and get her emotions back under control. "You know I don't know what I ever did without her," she then said, shaking her head, having a hard time even remembering life before Maura and Amelia were in it. "Seriously I…I have no idea what I would do without those two in my life. I mean life is just…it's so much better with Maura and Amelia."
"Well you've definitely been happier since they've come around…I mean the mood swings are a hell of a lot less," Frost grinned, earning a punch in the shoulder from the brunette. "You think this guy's ever going to have something for us?" He then asked, raising his voice as he nodded his head towards Pike. "I'm pretty sure Dr. Isles would have had something for us a long time ago!"
"Yes well unlike Dr. Isles I like to be exact, rushing only leads to mistakes, which ruins evidence," Dr. Pike replied, Jane rolling her eyes behind the older man's back, resisting the urge to simply slug him. "You'll get your answers in time Detectives. Science cannot be rushed."
"We better solve this one soon Jane because we need to get Dr. Isles back here," Frost said, once again lowering his voice.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Jane replied, glaring at the back of Pike's head. "I'm pretty sure if we don't solve this case soon we're gonna need Maura anyways because I don't think Pike can perform his own autopsy."
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"Mommy I am so happy you picked me up today!" Amelia said for what must have been the 5th time as she and her Mother made their way into the house after school that day. "I love when you pick me up from school! It's so much fun! I wish Janie was here too!"
"I know honey, but Janie had to stay at work," Maura said, leading the small blonde into the house and towards the kitchen. "Would you like a snack sweetheart?"
"Okay!" Amelia replied enthusiastically, climbing up on to one of the island stools as Maura wend to grab some fruit out of the refrigerator. "How come you're not at work still Mommy?"
"Well because I decided to let one of the other Doctors work this case instead of me," Maura told the five year old, knowing she was stretching the truth a little, but having no way to explain the actual situation to such a young child. "And I'm very glad that I did because I get to spend extra time with you," she added with a smile, handing her daughter a bowl of strawberries. "What would you like to do this afternoon? Do you have any work from school?"
"No," Amelia shook her head, then placing a finger on her chin as she thought about what she would like to do with her afternoon. "Is Tommy here?"
"He might be in the guesthouse," Maura replied sounding amused, knowing how much Amelia enjoyed Tommy's company, suspecting that the little girl might have a bit of a crush. "Why?"
" Tommy was gonna teach me Chess. Can we all play Mommy?" Amelia asked, giving her mother her best puppy dog eyes.
"Well I think I would enjoy that very much," Maura nodded with a smile. "Why don't you go out and see if he's here."
Excited, Amelia practically jumped from the stool, running for the side door and out into the courtyard in order to see if the youngest Rizzoli was out in the guesthouse. Listening carefully, Maura heard Amelia knocking, Tommy eventually answering with an enthusiastic greeting. Maura continued to listen as Amelia asked Tommy to come play chess, the pair eventually making their way towards the house.
"Mommy Tommy says we can play!" Amelia practically yelled, coming back into the house jumping up and down in excitement, running around the island and grabbing Maura's hand before pulling her towards the dinning room table where Maura had left her chess set for Tommy to use if she was away.
"That's wonderful honey," Maura smiled, allowing Amelia to pull her all the way to the table, sitting down and pulling the little blonde up onto her lap. "It's been a while since I've played a good game of chess. Thanks for joining us Tommy. Amelia has really been looking forward to this."
"So have I," Tommy grinned, giving Amelia a wink. "I haven't played in a while though so try not to hold it against me if I'm a little rusty. Janie and I used to play all the time," he explained, making the first move.
Taking a moment to explain what she was doing to Amelia, Maura made her move before turning her attention back to Tommy. "I didn't know Jane played."
"She taught me when I was a kid," Tommy nodded. "She's pretty good too. I'm surprised she never asked you to play. It used to be one of her favourite things to do."
"Well I guess I will just have to ask her about that," Maura smiled, before allowing herself to get into the game.
Taking their time to explain things to Amelia, Tommy and Maura really got into their game. Though she didn't entirely understand what was going on, Amelia did her best to follow along, enjoying watching the two playing, as they were both becoming rather competitive.
It was over an hour later, into their second game, when all of a sudden the front door to Maura's house burst open, startling both Tommy and Maura, Amelia screaming as she threw her arms around her mother's neck. Standing with Amelia in her arms, Maura watched as Tommy moved in front of her protectively, Maura feeling her stomach drop as she recognized Paddy Doyle standing in the doorway, another man supporting his weight, helping him into the house.
"What the hell man," Tommy exclaimed, Maura practically frozen behind him, feeling herself beginning to panic as she held Amelia tightly. "What's going on? What is this?"
"He needs help," the other man is the one to answer, his attention focused solely on Maura, a gun in his hand. "He needs a doctor."
Noticing blood on Paddy's shoulder, Maura realized that she was expected to treat the man, feeling Amelia shaking against her. "He needs a hospital," Maura replied, keeping her voice calm. "I'm not that kind of doctor. He needs to go to the hospital."
"Nope, no hospital," Paddy's henchman shook his head, pointing his gun towards Maura, who immediately moved Amelia to her hip, keeping the little girl's head down, not wanting her to see what was going on. "You need to do it. Come on," he said, gesturing for Maura to come over as he moved Paddy towards the couch. "Let's go," he shouted when Maura remained frozen to the spot.
"Amelia I need you to go to Tommy," Maura said, Amelia shaking her head as she clung to her Mother, tears now streaming down her face. "It's okay sweetie. Just go to Tommy. It's going to be okay," sharing a look with Tommy, silently begging him to help, Maura handed Amelia over, doing her best to ignore her daughter's cries as she moved to the couch. "How did this happen?" She asked, examining Paddy's wound.
"He got shot over some business," Paddy's guy was the one to reply, his attention on Tommy who was trying to console Amelia, Paddy moaning in pain as Maura continued her examination.
"Does this business have anything to do with Melissa Black?" Maura asked quietly, looking down at the man who was technically her father, feeling nothing but dislike.
"I don't kill women," Paddy replied weakly, closing his eyes in pain. "I didn't kill that girl."
The bullet seems to have broken your clavicle," Maura changed the subject, not really knowing what to believe. "I can bandage you up, but you really need to go to a hospital," she explained, leaning over and lowering her voice. "You're scaring my daughter. Please. You need to go."
"You look so much like your Mother," Paddy replied, sounding slightly out of it, staring up at her with eyes that looked much like her own. "She…she would like you."
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As soon as Pike showed up to their latest crime scene; the crime scene where Paddy Doyle's right hand man had been found dead, stating that Dr. Isles had been unreachable, Jane knew that something was wrong. Without a word, Jane raced from the room; not stopping until she made it to her car, using her lights in order to get to Maura's as fast as she could. Running on pure adrenaline, Jane refused to allow herself to panic, even when she reached Maura's house to find the front door open, the sound of Amelia's cries reaching her ears as soon as she approached.
Drawing her gun, Jane was quiet as she made her way inside, sweeping the room with her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief as they landed on Tommy, Maura and Amelia, all three tied to the dining room chairs.
"Jane! Oh thank goodness," Maura exclaimed, tears in her eyes. "They're gone it's okay. Please just get Amelia, please Jane hurry," she begged, the five year old tied up behind her Mother, crying hard, Maura unable to calm her down from where she was sitting.
"Okay it's okay," Jane holstered her gun, kneeling down in front of Amelia, immediately setting to work on her ties. "It's okay baby, you're okay," she tried to soothe the young blonde, getting her hands loose, Amelia immediately launching herself into the Detective's arms.
"Janie…Janie…" Amelia cried, obviously traumatized by the night's events, clinging to Jane tightly.
"It's okay Baby, you're okay now, I'm here, it's okay," Jane continued to tell the little blonde, ignoring the fact that the five year old had obviously wet herself as she lifted her onto her hip so she could untie Maura. "Maura what the hell happened?"
"It was Paddy," Maura replied, unable to look at Tommy, having yet to explain her relation to the Mob boss. "One of his goons brought him in. He had been shot."
"He made Maura take care of him," Tommy cut in. "Guy had a gun and everything. He refused to leave Mia untied even though she was completely freaking out," he explained. "Why would they come here anyways? What's going on?"
Seeing Maura's panic, Jane knew the blonde didn't want to explain her birth father in front of her daughter. "It's the case we're working on," Jane replied, saving Maura from having to lie as she handed Amelia over to her girlfriend, continuing to rub the little girl's back, trying to calm her down. "Mia honey you need to breathe sweetie. Everything's okay now; just try and calm down honey."
"M-m-mommy," Amelia continued to cry, her arms completely wrapped around Maura's neck, her legs around the older blonde's middle.
"Deep breath baby, you're okay," Maura nodded, running her hands through the little girl's hair, tears stinging her own eyes, hating that Paddy had wormed his way into her home life, completely terrifying her daughter. "Those men are gone now Baby. It's okay. Mommy and Janie are here. You're okay."
"Are you alright?" Jane asked, leaning closer to Maura, not wanting her brother to overhear, feeling his eyes on them, watching closely.
"I'm…." Maura began, knowing lying would only cause her to break out in hives. "No Jane," she shook her head, her eyes stinging with tears as Amelia's tears continued to soak the shoulder of her shirt, her sobs loud and heartbreaking. "Nothing about this is okay."
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"He didn't kill that girl," Jane says, later, the case over, the pair sitting up in bed, Amelia fast asleep between them, the only place the little girl will settle the past few nights.
"He doesn't kill women or children," Maura states, her voice monotone, her hand running through her daughter's hair. "He also doesn't kill people who don't deserve it," she states, thinking only of the people who had apparently deserved it, wondering why Paddy Doyle got to be the one to be the judge.
Watching her girlfriend's face Jane could see the struggle there; could almost read the blonde's mind as she continued to absentmindedly run her hand over Amelia's head. "You're nothing like him," she eventually says, her voice quiet, but firm, repeating her words from the day they had found Melissa Black. "That man has nothing to do with you."
"I…" Maura pauses, her voice breaking, obviously emotional. "I hate that he was here. I hate that he came into my home life this way. I hate that he's hurt Amelia like this."
"Mia's gonna be okay Maur," Jane said, looking down at the sleeping girl, knowing she would eventually move on from the incident from the other night; would eventually return to her own bed. "She's a kid and she's strong. Sure she's scared right now, but she'll be okay. She'll get past it."
"She shouldn't have had to get past anything," Maura sighed, frustrated, angry, and upset. "She should never have even met Paddy Doyle. That man goes around just…doing what he does, ruining people's lives and he just gets away with it. It isn't fair. He shouldn't be able to run free the way he does. He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near my daughter."
"We'll get him eventually Maur," Jane replied, reaching out and taking the blonde's hand in hers, giving it a firm, reassuring squeeze. "It'll all catch up with him and we'll make something stick. We'll make sure he doesn't come anywhere near Mia ever again. I promise."
Giving her girlfriend a small smile, Maura began rubbing circles on the back of Jane's hand, leaning back against the headboard of the bed as she tried her best to allow her girlfriend's words to reassure her, knowing she needed to get past what had happened. "He said I look like my Mother," she eventually revealed, having not yet spoken to Jane about what Paddy had said to her when he was groggy from blood loss. "He said she would have like me."
"Of course she would have," Jane nodded, smiling. "Everyone likes you Maur. It's impossible not to like you."
"I wish…" Maura began, cutting herself off, not sure how to articulate what she was currently feeling about her birth mother. "I wonder about her a lot you know," she said instead, her eyes on her daughter, having a difficult time meeting Jane's eyes. "Knowing Paddy, I can't imagine what she must be like. I mean what kind of woman could love…I don't understand."
"I'm sure it's more complicated than that," Jane replied, knowing Maura didn't want to believe that her birth Mother could be anything like Paddy. "I'm sure she's not…I don't think…You're so good Maur. You're the most amazing person that I know, in spite of Paddy…in spite of your parents…it…maybe that…maybe it's because of your mother…your birth mother," she said, watching Maura's face; watching as she continued to struggle. "It's okay to wonder Maura. It's okay to want to know about her."
"But I may never know," Maura shook her head. "He's never going to tell me," she said, referring to Paddy. "He won't tell me anything and he's the only person who knows. I could spend the rest of my life wondering and I'll probably never know."
"That might not be true," Jane replied, releasing Maura's hand in order to thread her fingers through blonde hair. "I know Paddy is…well whatever he is…but he cares about you Maur. I mean he had all those pictures. He's kept up with your life…with Mia…maybe he'll tell you."
"He could have told me already," Maura sighed, leaning her head towards Jane's fingers, allowing her eyes to close, feeling relaxed for the first time since they found Melissa Black's body. "He says it's safer for her. He's not going to tell me anything. He obviously cares about her still," she said, opening her eyes as she tilted her head towards the ceiling. "When did my life become like this?" She asked, shaking her head in frustration. "Birth parents that turn out to be Mob bosses. Kidnappings and being tied up in my own home. When did my life become such a soap opera?"
"I don't know Maur," Jane shook her head, hand still massaging blonde hair. "I don't know...but I'm here," she said, hoping Maura could hear how much she meant that in her voice; willing her to understand. "Whatever you need. I'm here. Always."