Hey! Long time no see! Sometimes, life gets a little nuts (for example, I kinda had a baby during this un-scheduled break) and sometimes your mojo just goes on vacation. I've been struggling a bit (okay, a lot) with post-natal depression and this is helping to distract me. As always, read and review if you would like to. I'm sorry about the big break, but I'm feeling a bit more inspired to keep working on this. Let me know if you'd like me to continue, because I really feel this has a few more chapters in it at least! Thanks for your time :)

"Janie, wake up sweetheart."

Jane was cold. Stiff and cold. She blinked her eyes several times, daylight pouring in the window. She looked at the slightly unfamiliar ceiling and realized she had fallen asleep on Maura's kitchen floor. With a wince, she remembered she had fallen asleep talking to Bass, promising him she would bring Maura home if it killed her. Without warning, a very large green object moved in front of her face. With a yelp, Jane scooted backwards, banging her head on a kitchen cabinet in the process.

"Honey, it was just Bass." said Angela with a hint of a smile.

"Stupid turtle!" exclaimed Jane, glaring at him.

"Tortoise." came three voices in unison. Angela, Sean and Frankie looked at each other and laughed for a moment, but it never reached their eyes. Months of having Maura around correcting Jane had rubbed off. Jane's heart sank.

"No word?"

Sean shook his head sadly. "Not yet. Suzie called and said for you to get into the station as soon as possible, but -"

Jane was on her feet before he could finish the sentence. "Where are my keys?" she asked frantically, moving around the counter to check the couch.

"Hidden. I'll give them back to you once you've eaten breakfast." said Angela firmly.

"MA! I'm not fifteen anymore!" yelled Jane. "No, you aren't, which means you need a decent breakfast or you'll be asleep on your desk by lunchtime!" yelled back Angela. "Fine! I'll walk to work!" snapped Jane.

Sean sighed from his seat at the counter. "Don't make me call the desk guys and keep you out Jane. Please just eat something. Korsak is on his way in, but he promised he wouldn't talk to Suzie without you."

Jane pouted and sat down next to her brother. Angela set about making breakfast, and everyone tried everything they could think of to ignore the empty chair at the end of the counter.

Across town, birds were chirping in the freshly fallen snow. A woman set her small son down, rugged up against the chill of the morning. He raced haphazardly away from her, moving in the jerking manner of a child new to walking. The woman smiled as he stumbled up to the play equipment and followed him. Reaching the climbing wall he turned and demanded she put him up the top. As she walked towards him, movement in her peripheral vision made her pause. In the childrens tunnel there was a bundle of blankets, with hair and one booted foot sticking out. "It's so cold out this time of year." she sighed to herself, her heart wrenching for the homeless person she assumed was inside. She walked towards the bundle, intent on sending the person off with enough money in their pocket for a warm breakfast.

The woman screamed as an unconscious Maura fell out of the tunnel. Her young son, who had come over out of curiosity, began to cry. A man running past stopped and ran towards them, shouting out to ask if they were okay. A few minutes later, ambulance and police sirens filled the park.

Maura didn't stir.

Jane didn't make it to the station before the call came in. Korsak's shaky voice was still ringing in her ears. "Jane, we found her, in the park, she was cold, the doctors aren't sure..." Siren blaring, Jane put her foot down and raced to Boston General in record time. She stumbled through the emergency department doors. Slipping and sliding on the melting snow tracked in from outside, she slammed into the desk a little harder than she meant to. "Maura Isles, where is she?" panted Jane. She had run from her car across the parking lot to the doors. Her heart was pounding and she felt physically sick. She wished it had just been from her mad dash across the asphalt.

"Are you family?" asked a stern nurse, glancing at Jane's semi-brushed hair and rumpled blazer.

Jane threw her badge at the desk. "I need to see her, NOW." spat Jane, her heart pounding harder with every moment.

The nurse hurriedly gave a room number and Jane took off running. She skipped the elevator and instead ran up all five flights of stairs. Her legs burning, she stumbled onto the fifth floor. Every breath was agony, but all she could think of was Maura lying alone in one of these sterile beds. With her chest aching she skidded to a halt in front of Mauras door and threw it open.

Maura's eyes were still closed. Her chest moved as she breathed, slowly but surely. Jane walked slowly towards the bed with tears pricking at her eyes. Maura was covered with a foil blanket, a desperate bid to bring her body temperature up. The uniformed police officer who stood stoically at the end of Maura's bed quietly slipped his gun back into it's holster and nodded to Jane. He silently left the room.

They were alone.

There was no blue tinge to Maura's lips. That gave Jane hope. She pulled the blanket away for a moment and checked Maura's long, pale fingers. Again, no sign of frostbite. They were cool to the touch and the veins were showing, starkly blue under paper thin white skin. Jane knew enough to know that there was no danger to her hands as long as she was kept warm now. She breathed a sigh of relief. She checked the time. The nervous nurse downstairs had stammered something about rounds at ten. That was ten minutes away.

Jane reached to the end of the bed and scooped up Maura's chart with one hand, sliding her other hand under the blanket to hold Maura's. She scanned the first page, feeling butterflies flare up in her stomach when she realized Maura had listed her as next of kin. Seeing her name written in Maura's neat handwriting made Jane feel warm. She ran the fingers of her free hand over the photocopy, knowing that Maura had filled this out when she had tried, in her words, to steal third while playing baseball with the Rizzoli's last Fourth Of July. One broken ankle later, Maura preferred to stay in the stands and cheer everyone else on.

Jane glanced over the page. Presented unconscious, identity confirmed by police, low body temp, surgical consult...

Jane's heart leapt to her throat. Surgical consult?

Surgeon recommends amputation of left foot as soon as stable

Jane knew immediately that she shouldn't look. Despite her instincts she reached for the foil blanket and pulled it upward, revealing Maura's feet.

Jane crumpled to her knees. The blackened, dead tissue on Maura's foot extended from her toes to just above her ankle. Jane found it hard to breathe. She curled her knees to her chest and sobbed, her shoulders shaking from the effort to stay quiet and not wake her friend. She didn't know if it was a few moments or a few minutes later, she shook her head decisively and stood. Maura needed her to be better than this. She wiped her eyes on her jacket sleeve and took a few deep breaths. She could do this.

She turned to face Maura again. She wasn't prepared to see Maura awake, her golden brown eyes filled with tears, staring at her ruined limb. Jane quickly threw the blanket back over her foot.

Maura slowly lifted her head to look at Jane. "Maur? Maur, honey, you feeling okay? Here, let me get the doctor in here." Jane pushed the call button and sat on the edge of Maura's bed, reaching towards her face to brush her hair from her eyes. "Do you feel okay? Are you warm enough? Thirsty?" Jane babbled on.

Maura coughed slightly, clearing her throat. "I'm fine, thank you." she said, slightly shuffling away from Jane on the bed. Her golden eyes looked up at Jane questioningly. "Maur, what's wrong?" asked Jane, her brow furrowing.

Maura blinked. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" she asked.

Jane's world came crashing down around her ears.