Hi everyone…just wanted to let you all know that I am trying to get somethings done on an original I am working on and have joined the NaNoWriMo with the intention of completing 50k words to complete my first attempt at a novel. Anyway…I have also written ahead a few chapters so I have something to post here through November and don't leave you hanging for too long. When I finish I will try to get more chapters out to you as quickly as I can. Anyway…thanks for reading and supporting me with your reviews. I truly appreciate everyone who takes the time to let me know what they think. Enjoy…
Spring Reflection…
"Okay…what the hell is Spring Reflection?" Jane held up the paint can and studied the small dot of light green paint on top of the silver lid.
"What?" Ryan called out from the kitchen where she was putting the finishing touches on their Bloody Mary's.
"The name of this paint…Spring Reflection…" Jane mused as she ran the flat edge of a screwdriver along the edges of the paint can, carefully prying the top off. When she had pried it off, she carefully turned it over so as not to spill any paint on the yards and yards of plastic sheeting covering the floor and studied the color a little more thoroughly. "It's a nice color, but I don't know about that name…"
"What are you going on about?" Ryan appeared in the doorway holding two pint glasses overflowing with celery stalks and olives. "Here." She handed Jane a glass and raised an eyebrow in question. "So…what are you going on about?"
"The paint." Jane set the top down and took her drink. "Why don't they just call it light green? It is light green, isn't it?" She took a drink, poking herself in the eye with the celery in the process.
"Yes…it's light green but do you know how many different shades of green they have out there?" Ryan winced at Jane's mismanagement of her drink.
Picking up the celery, Jane took a bite and dropped it back into her glass so she was no longer in danger of knocking herself out with it. With a smirk, she used it as a stirrer before taking another drink and sighing in satisfaction. "Nice…thanks."
"Cheers, my friend." Ryan held her glass up in a toast before taking a drink.
"Hey…what gives with all the plastic wrap on the floor. I feel like I just walked into a Tarantino movie." Jane gave the plastic cover a gentle kick with her toe. When Ryan responded with a furrowed brow and a frown she rolled her eyes and tried to explain. "You know…when the mob or whatever takes out a character and then rolls them up in the plastic so they don't leave any blood stains anywhere."
Suddenly Ryan's eyebrows shot up under her bangs. "What?" She choked out in question.
"I had one case like that years ago where the suspect tried to cover up a murder by doing the same thing." Jane shrugged her shoulders.
"Do you think I'm a contract killer?" Ryan gave Jane a quizzical look.
"If you were, I'd hire you to take out Doyle…" Jane muttered under breath. "But no…I was just wondering why you had two layers and so much."
"Cuz we just refinished the hardwood floors and if we got any paint on them, Carly would surely murder us." Ryan wiggled her eyebrows playfully.
"Um…I completely understand." Jane said and then nodded sagely as she peered over the rim of her glass mid-sip. "So, you've decided to go with light green…or as the can says, 'Spring Reflection.'"
"Yep. Wanted something gender neutral since we aren't going to find out the sex of the baby." Ryan set her glass down and started to unwrap her paint roller.
"Gender-neutral? What's that supposed to mean?" Jane followed Ryan's lead and did the same.
"Yeah, instead of pink or blue…we've gone with something in-between." Grabbing a paint tray, she began to pour the paint as she spoke. "I don't believe in that 'pink is for girls…blue is for boys' crap."
"I hear ya on that one. I hate pink…unless it's on Maura." Jane gave a smirk at the thought of Maura's pink and black lacey bra and panties she loved so much.
"Do you think you could trim the ceiling, since your taller than I am?" Ryan glanced up from what she was doing. "I never understood that whole color assignment either. Although I like pink…green is my favorite color so, I'm pretty happy with the paint choice."
"Did you get any input on choosing it?" Jane picked up the edging brush and ran her fingers over the soft pad.
"I did but that's about all the input I've been allowed to contribute." Ryan gave a nonchalant shrug as if it didn't bother her but the stiff set of her shoulders indicated it did.
"Are you telling my Carly won't let you help pick the theme or whatever?" Jane put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Why? What did you want…clowns or something?"
"No…" Ryan sounded slightly defensive. "I wanted Star Wars…" she gave a sheepish grin.
"Oh my God…that would be awesome!" Jane clapped her hands together excitedly then stopped and frowned again. "Are you saying Carly said no?"
"Vetoed." Ryan tried not to pout. "We're going with an animal type theme."
"You mean like lions, tigers, and bears?" Jane couldn't help but tease.
"Exactly." Ryan jumped up and moved to the closed where the new linens were stored. "Here…" she said as she reached in to grab a small blanket covered in smiling, cartoon animals.
"Well…" Jane ran her hand over the soft blanket. "At least it isn't clowns."
"Star Wars would be better." Ryan put the blanket back and closed the closet. "More fun and sooo much stuff to choose from."
"I agree with you wholeheartedly." Jane nodded in agreement. Tilting her head, she paused as a thought came to her. "Hey, do you think Carly would get upset if we threw in a little something that…maybe Maura and I bought to contribute."
"Of course not. Why…what are you thinking?" Ryan seemed intrigued.
"Come here." Jane jerked her head towards the door, indicating Ryan should follow. "Get out your lap top…I'm in the mood to spend a little money."
"Care to share your idea with me?" Ryan followed but gently guided Jane towards her office.
"Nah…I need to show you," Jane said. "But I think you're gonna love it."
"Okay." Ryan conceded as she moved to her desk to start up her computer. After logging in, she stepped aside to give Jane room.
"Here…" Jane typed away on the keyboard, bringing up a page to show Ryan.
"Oh, that is so cool." Ryan leaned closer to the computer screen, eyes wide with excitement. "Do you think Carly would let me get it?"
"I'm going to get it for you," Jane smirked as she hit a few more keys on the keyboard. "And she can't say no to a gift."
Ryan's eyes lit up as she studied the lightsaber light fixture. "I guess you're right."
"Now, what color?" Jane waited patiently for Ryan to answer.
"Green…definitely green," Ryan answered quickly. "It's the color of Luke Skywalker's…"
A few clicks later and Jane looked up and smiled. "Anything else while we're here?"
"Um…" Ryan ran her fingers through her shaggy blonde hair. "How about a poster…like one of those small ones maybe. Do you think I could get away with one of those?"
"Absolutely. Which one?" Jane started to type away again.
"Well…I'd like the original but we all know that The Empire Strikes Back is the best of the first trilogy." Ryan looked over Jane's shoulder at the choice.
"How about we get all three?" Jane tried not to smirk as she clicked away. "I'll get them framed and Carly can't argue with it at all."
"If she does…they're going in my office." Ryan grinned at Jane who grinned back mischievously.
"I think it's only fair she gives you a wall to decorate as you wish." Jane made her final purchase and then pushed away from the desk. "I'm gonna make sure Maura lets me decorate Valley's room too. I haven't decided between Red Sox and Star Wars…"
"Why not both?" Ryan gave Jane's shoulder a pat. "And thanks…"
"No problem. We've got to have each other's back on things like these." Jane chuckled as she thought about what Maura would say about a Red Sox/Star Wars themed room for their daughter.
"Absolutely!" Ryan clapped her hands together. "Now I guess we'd better get that room painted before both our women chap our asses."
"Lead the way partner in crime." Jane waved at the doorway indicating that Ryan should lead the way.
After several hours of painting, with Jane on the trim work and Ryan rolling the walls, they were finally able to stand back and admire their handy work. The soft green was the perfect color for the walls giving the room a warm and inviting appearance. But now it was time for the furniture.
"Do you really expect me to do this?" Jane held up a booklet of instructions and raised her eyebrows in question.
"Come on Detective. Between the two of us, we can figure this out." Ryan tried not to mock, but couldn't help but roll her eyes in response. She dropped down on the floor next to Jane and grabbed a screwdriver. "Okay, now…let's start with step one."
Jane peered at the instructions laid out on the floor in front of them and frowned. "It say's we need the board's labeled A and B…" she glanced around at the stack of boards sitting to her left.
Ryan picked up several white boards and set them on the floor in front of them. "Okay…now what?"
"We're supposed to put these little round thingies' in the holes here…" Jane pointed at the large holes on board A. "And then the screws go in these holes." Her finger moved to the smaller holes in board B. "I don't know about this Ryan. I think we may need to call in some backup."
"I suppose you're right." Ryan sounded defeated. "Any ideas?"
"Yeah, I'll call Frankie. He's still on administrative leave for his accident and he's good with stuff like this." Jane pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial.
While Jane was calling Frankie, Ryan took the opportunity to get lunch ready. Carly had left some sandwiches and potato salad in the frig and Ryan couldn't help but smile at the small note taped to the saran wrapped plate she pulled out and set on the counter. The note was a simple heart with the letter U underneath it.
"I didn't realize Carly was such a romantic." Jane plopped down on the bar stool sitting at the high kitchen counter.
"Well, you Rizzoli's are regular Casanova's." Ryan grinned as she pulled the plastic wrap off the sandwiches and handed Jane a plate.
"I didn't realize how domestic Carly's gotten over the years. She used to be a real tomboy when we were kids." Jane took the plate and placed a sandwich on it, followed by a huge spoonful of potato salad.
"Make no mistake…she wears the pants around here." Ryan wiggled her eyebrows. "Frankie coming over?" She asked around a mouthful of food.
"Yeah, said he'd be here in about thirty/forty-five minutes." Jane poked at her food for a second before taking a bite. Frankie told her he was bringing Frost and she wasn't sure how to approach what had happened the night before. Even though she and Maura had moved past it, she had yet to deal with Frost. But it was inevitable and she knew it would have to be dealt with sooner or later. She just hadn't expected it to be this soon.
"Good. How's he doing?" Ryan leaned against the kitchen counter as she continued to eat her sandwich.
"I guess okay. I haven't talked to him much. He's taken over my apartment since Tommy's getting out." Jane shrugged her shoulders and gave a sheepish smile. She suddenly felt guilty about the fact that she hadn't talked to Frankie much since his accident. But then again, she did have a lot on her mind.
"Wow…Tommy's getting out already?" Ryan mused aloud. She had worked hard to get him a reduced sentence but hadn't realized how quickly the time had gone by. "You think he'll make it this time?"
"I sure hope so…with all that's going on with my Ma and Pop and…" Jane hesitated. "Well…everything, I guess."
"Me too." Ryan tried to smile but there was the slightest flicker of doubt in her green eyes. She had seen too many times the effects of drug and alcohol addiction, but she hoped he would stay clean this time…for his and his family's sake. "I guess time will tell."
"Yep…time will tell." Jane took another bite and chewed thoughtfully.
"Hey…I just want you to know how much I appreciate your help today. It means a lot to have you here…ya know…for everything." Ryan turned serious.
"I'm glad I can be here." Jane reached over the counter and put her hand on Ryan's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. "And I can't wait to meet the bundle of joy that gets to have a lightsaber light on their wall. I'm wondering if Maura will let me put one in our bedroom…" she didn't finish her statement because she already knew the answer.
"Well, if you can convince Carly to put it in the nursery…then I'll work on making sure Valley gets the same." Ryan smiled before shoving the last bite of sandwich into her mouth. "It's only fair." She mumbled as she chewed.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Jane laughed and threw her napkin at Ryan.
"So, what do you think our better halves are up to at the moment?"
"Probably up to no good." Jane rolled her eyes.
"I still don't understand what else we could possibly need that she has to do more shopping." Ryan shoved her hands in her pockets and pouted.
"From what I understand, when it comes to babies…you can never have too much." Jane did her best to console.
"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Ryan let out a heavy breath in both anticipation and uncertainty.
"Yep…sooner than later I suppose." Jane said, jumping up from her seat. The excitement was contagious but so was the uncertainty. Taking a deep breath, she did her best to push aside the lingering fears that still plagued her about her new roles as mother and wife and then the thought of Maura being by her side made her smile. "But I can't wait to see what Maura and Carly bring home today."
"I had no idea there were so many different types of cribs and beds." Maura let out a heavy sigh and ran her fingers through her hair.
Carly nodded with a thoughtful expression. "There are a lot of choices out here." She led Maura across the showroom to a black crib with a smooth, shiny finish. "But this is the one we finally decided on." Running her fingers over the smooth wood, she smiled, proud of the choice she and Ryan had made.
"This is beautiful Carly." Maura followed suit and skimmed a hand over the frame of the crib. Peering closely, she read the card that was attached and her eyebrows rose in surprise. "It converts into a toddler bed and then a full-sized bed…" she continued to marvel at the description. "I had no idea such a thing existed. How very practical."
"Yeah, but it took everything in my arsenal to convince Ryan we didn't need a bed in the shape of a spaceship." Carly pushed some dark hair over her shoulder and chuckled.
"Spaceship? They have beds in the shape of a spaceship?" Maura tilted her head to regard the crib again, trying to imagine what it would look like as a spaceship.
Carly laughed again and pointed across the room to a row of beds along the far wall. "Um…yeah…and a whole lot more…" she couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at the memory of Ryan's excitement the first time they had shopped for cribs.
Maura looked in the direction that Carly was pointing and her eye's widened in surprise. "I can't bring Jane here…" she let out a shaky breath and shivered at the thought of the argument that would ensue if Jane saw the race car, tree house, castle, or any the other themed beds that lined the wall.
"Like I said, it was a tough sale for Ryan but I convinced her that we need to let the baby…well…be a baby for a while." Carly gave a sheepish grin. "But her excitement over everything is adorable."
"I can just imagine. I'm sure Jane will be the same way." Maura smiled and then gasped as if something had just suddenly occurred to her. "Valley is three…I don't stand a chance, do I?" The realization caused her to grimace.
"Yeah, probably not." Carly couldn't help but smirk playfully at Maura's exaggerated distress. "I think you're in big trouble."
"I am, aren't I?"
"Big time." Reaching out, Carly put a consoling hand on Maura's shoulder. "But I'm sure you can find a compromise."
"Perhaps…" Maura began to stroke her chin in deep thought. "I do like this bed and the fact that it converts from a toddler bed to a full-sized bed. And the color is very neutral."
"That's why I picked it. I thought it was a good choice for a gender-neutral nursery."
"Gender neutral, huh?" Maura gave a sideways glance at Carly that indicated her interest. "I'd like to hear more about that."
"Well…" Carly waved her hands around the small store. "Pink or blue…I don't get it."
"Okay…so you aren't a believer in the whole pink and blue thing. I understand that. Jane hate's pink…" Maura started to say then blushed a bright pink at the thought of the last time she wore her pink negligée and Jane's newfound admiration for the color. "Um…she mostly hates pink."
Maura's hesitation made Carly laugh as she noticed Maura's cheeks color with a bright blush. "I'm guessing she likes it on you, though." It was a bold statement and somewhat out of character for Carly to be so blunt.
Clearing her throat, Maura rolled her eyes. "You could say that." She pushed her hair over her shoulder and smirked. "But let's get back to the nursery. What color are Jane and Ryan painting it?"
"Spring reflection," Carly said as they started to move towards the linens and clothes.
"I am assuming that is a green of some sort."
"You have assumed correctly. It is a soft, soothing green that I think will last a while." Sifting through some packages of newborn onesies, Carly held up on and pointed to the color that was very similar to what they had picked. "And we've gone with the cartoon animal theme...but we are keeping it to a minimum."
"What…no clowns?" Maura joked, knowing that both Jane and Carly had a strong aversion to clowns.
Carly shivered and shook her head. "Not funny Maura."
"I really don't think I'll ever understand what you have against clowns."
"That's cuz you haven't read Stephen King's 'It'." Carly shivered again at the memory of the first time she had read the classic horror story.
"Well, I suppose you have a point. Perhaps I should read it."
"Nah, just watch the movie." Carly shrugged her shoulders to appear nonchalant. "Here…I think we may need more of these." She held a bag of receiving blankets for Maura to see. It was a thinly veiled attempt to change the subject by Maura got the hint.
"You can never have too many of these." Maura agreed. "Or these…" she held some footie pajamas.
"They're cute, aren't they?" Taking the small pajama's hanging on a tiny hanger, Carly smiled at the little cartoon cats with silly expressions.
"So, I'm guessing you and Ryan haven't found out the sex…"
"No, we want it to be a surprise." Carly dropped the pajamas in the cart and gave Maura sheepish a grin.
"Names?" Maura smiled as she watched the cart slowly filling up.
"If it's a boy, Ryan gets to pick…if it's a girl I get to."
"Sounds reasonable." And to Maura it did. "So, an Irish name for a boy and an Italian name for a girl." She stated as if she knew it to be true.
"Probably…" Carly said but then frowned. "But I'm not sure I'm gonna go with an Italian name, though."
"Really?" Maura sounded genuinely interested. "Any ideas?"
"I'm not as traditional as Ryan is. I kinda like the nontraditional names like…" Carly hesitated briefly before glancing at Maura to make sure she wasn't going to laugh. She only continued when she got an expectant look as Maura waited. "I was thinking about Drew or maybe Levi…but I'm not sold on those yet."
"Those are nice names and definitely not conventional." Maura smiled to show her approval. "What about Ryan? Has she picked any names yet?"
"Yeah, she likes either Aiden or Rory."
"Yes, those are pretty Irish." Maura couldn't help but chuckle at the differences. "But either way…I'm sure you will find the perfect match for your little one." She reached out to place her hand on Carly's belly and gave it a rub.
"I know. My ma keeps telling me the perfect name will come to us the first time we hold him or her in our arms."
"And I would say she's probably right about that." Before she could move her hand, Maura could feel Carly's stomach rumble from hunger. "How about we finish up here, grab some lunch, and then head home for a rest before our lovely handywomen come home for dinner?"
"Sounds like a perfect plan." Carly gave a relieved smile. Even though they had had breakfast just a few hours before, she was hungry again as well as getting a little tired. "Thanks for coming with me and being so patient." She gave Maura a crooked grin as they pushed the cart down the aisle filled with diapers and anything that had to do with diapers.
"I'm having fun…and learning some things at the same time…like I will have to keep Jane away from that side of the store when we get ready for Valley." Maura laughed heartily. She knew it would be an uphill battle to keep Jane from going overboard on decorating Valley's room but she was also grateful that she would be sharing this whole experience with the love of her life, spaceship bed or not…they were going to have so much fun together.
Sitting in the middle of the nursery, Jane stared at the pages of instructions that lay scattered around her in all directions. Her earlier attempt had been a noble effort, but she knew she was in over her head and needed help. And that help had yet to arrive and she was growing impatient and frustrated. She let out a heavy breath and ran her fingers through her hair and accepted the fact that it was the inevitable confrontation with Frost that had her on edge, not the crib. The guilt of her misdirected anger from the night before made her chest hurt but she wasn't sure she was ready to let it go. She couldn't be angry at Maura, at least that is what she told herself. It was easier to blame Frost even though she knew he'd do whatever he had to do to protect the people he cared for and he cared for them. It was a fact she couldn't deny, nor did she want to. A surge of gratefulness rushed through her and she realized she just wanted to put everything behind them and move forward. Being angry took too much energy and time away from what they really needed to concentrate on and that was bringing an end to Doyle's control over her family.
With her thoughts and mood finally lightening, Jane shifted her weight and leaned back to relax and looked up to find Frost standing in the doorway watching her with a pensive expression. She wondered how long he had been there and why she hadn't noticed him before but then the uncertain feelings from earlier came flooding back, causing her to clear her throat nervously.
Frost, for his part, looked just as uncertain and nervous as he leaned a hip against the doorframe and crossed his arms, not quite sure if he should move or stay still. He did his best to school his features as he studied Jane trying to gauge if it was safe to approach her or if he should just turn around and leave her alone. When their eyes met, he was encouraged by the soft, brown that held a hint of apology as well as a strong resolve. Realizing it was safe, he took a step closer and dropped his arms to indicate he wasn't on the defensive.
"Um…are you ready to talk?" He edged closer to where Jane sat but stopped short of joining her.
With a heavy sigh, Jane ran her fingers through her hair again and nodded. She dropped her gaze, indicating he should sit and he did without a saying anything in return. For a moment, they sat in silence but it was a comfortable silence as they both gathered their thoughts. Finally, Jane spoke, but her tone was even, giving nothing to what she was thinking away. "I'm glad to see Frankie had some clean clothes for you to borrow." Her eyes moved over him, taking in the basketball shorts and Under Armor t-shirt he was wearing. He looked relaxed and well suited for a Sunday afternoon. The only thing out of place were the dress shoes and the odd combination caused Jane to chuckle.
"Yeah, well…it was a rough night." He gave her a sheepish grin. When her expression hardened at the reminder of the night before, he had to look away from her penetrating gaze. For a moment, they were quiet again and then he turned back to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry about the way things turned out. I should have tried harder to keep Maura from following you in." His jaw tensed as he spoke.
"No…" Jane shook her head sadly. "I need to trust Maura…and you. I was out of line but I love her so much and I've just got her back in my life…" she hesitated and choked on the words that brought a rush of emotions she was used to hiding to the surface. "I was wrong but from now on, we…" waving her hand between the two of them she paused to make sure he understood what she was saying. "We need to be on the same page about things. There is just too much at stake…too much to lose."
"I agree completely." He took a chance and reached out to touch her arm. When she didn't move away, he felt the curtain of uncertainty lift for the first time since the night before.
"She's quiet the handful though, isn't she?" She laughed lightly to lessen the seriousness of the mood that had settle over them.
"Yes. I don't know how you do it." He looked down at where his hand continued to touch her arm and smiled.
"I'm whipped…what can I say." Her grin eased both of their nerves and the fact that she hadn't pulled away from his touch. She wasn't a touchy, feely kind of person but even she realized they needed this small connection to get past the wall that had come up between them over night.
"That makes two of us I guess." He gave her a gentle squeeze before finally moving his hand away. "Are you guys okay?"
"Yeah." Maura looked down at her legs that lay stretched out before her and tried not to let the blush take over her face at the memory of the night before and their morning together.
"Did you make up?" His grin turned to a playful smirk when he noticed the blush blooming across her cheeks.
"Working on it." She shook her head and laughed at his somewhat surreptitious question. "But I'm here helping Ryan and she's off with Carly so we haven't had much alone time." Her shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug so he would know she wasn't angry.
Looking around the room, he nodded sagely before turning his attention to the pages and pages of instructions scattered around them on the floor. "Nice color. You guys did a good job with the painting, but I hear you're having some trouble with this." He held up one of the pages and studied before frowning. "No wonder…these are written in Chinese."
"Ha, ha…very funny wise guy." Jane gave him a gentle push. Pulling the page out his hand she laughed when she saw that they were indeed written in Chinese. "The English isn't any easier to understand." She picked up another page and handed it to him.
"Well then, good thing I brought reinforcements." He pushed himself up off the floor and headed towards the door to find Frankie who had headed straight to the kitchen in search of some of Carly's baked goods.
"Frost…" Jane called out, causing him to stop and look back at her. She didn't hide the seriousness in her voice as she spoke. "We still have a lot to talk about."
"I know." He nodded at her before continuing towards the door. "And we'll get to it soon enough." He acknowledged her statement by pausing briefly in the doorway. "We're gonna get through this Jane. You're my family and I'll do whatever it takes…" his voice cracked with the emotion that threatened to choke him.
"I know…" Jane looked over towards the window as tears pricked the back of her eyes. "I know."
"Okay…just so we have that straight."
"We're straight man…" She continued to gaze out the window.
"Well…maybe one of us is." He couldn't help but make light of her comment. The heaviness that hung in the air between them needed to be lightened and what better way than a joke.
"You're a real funny guy, aren't you?" Jane looked back at Frost and rolled her eyes dramatically.
"I try…" He laughed and winked at her.
"Well try harder and go get my brother back here to help put this damn crib together." She waved her hands over the bits and pieces laying all over the floor.
Shaking his head, he headed down the hall mumbling about how he had never thought he'd see the day when Jane would be asking for Frankie's help on anything.
Leaning back on her elbows again, she looked around and let out a satisfied sigh at how productive the day had been so far. All that was left was to finish the nursery and get back home to Maura. It was the thought of Maura and finishing what they had started that morning that brought a smile to her face. That and knowing that her family was steadily growing to include the most important people in her life…people she would give anything to protect.