DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles nor any of the characters from the show. I am writing this purely for entertainment, not profit. Rizzoli and Isles are property of Tess Gerritsen and TNT.
Please find the full disclaimers in the beginning of Chapter 1.
Chapter 15
The rest of the week followed without any major news. Maura quickly adapted to working from home part-time and being there for Liz. Maura couldn't remember a time when she was as happy as she felt these days. On Tuesday Liz' documents were delivered. And Liz continued to progress on her summer course. Maura used the free time to completely understand the homeschooling program, obviously criticize it, and figure out ways to ensure Liz was getting the best possible education given the circumstances, because Maura quickly figured out Liz was a really bright kid with strong STEM aptitude.
Liz would join Maura daily for yoga, and Maura had taught her about mindfulness, breathing, and some of the basic poses. After being shot, Maura had adapted to less daring positions, and now this was helpful to allow Liz to accompany her. Liz admitted yoga helped grounding her when sadness threatened to overwhelm her. They both also walked every day for one hour.
On Saturday, after they had breakfast, Jane and Maura sat with Liz.
"There is somewhere we would like to take you to today, Liz."
"Sure, let's go!"
"Won't you even ask where we are going?"
"I trust you, mom."
Jane and Maura exchanged a glance, and stood up. They drove, and made a stop by a florist, where Maura picked up a vase of beautiful flowers.
When they finally parked at the cemetery, Liz realized where they were.
"Are they?... Were they?..." she began, twice, her eyes welled in tears.
Maura offered her hand, and Liz took it. Jane moved to the other side, and Liz took her hand too. They walked together to a fresh grave. The stone read the Gringer's names, but underneath were their original initials, and on the bottom "Always loved. Forever missed."
Liz froze in place. Jane exchanged a glance with Maura. She removed her hand from Liz, before offering a reassuring smile to her daughter. She then picked up the vase Maura was carrying on her other hand, and moved to the side of the grave, without stepping on it, to place the vase by the gravestone.
"Fred Taylor and Molly Taylor, Liz. Their real name initials are there, underneath the official names they were using." Maura spoke gently, after crouching delicately to be eye to eye level with Liz.
Liz nodded, fighting her tears. Maura stood, and hugged Liz, who hugged her back, burying her face on Maura's stomach.
Jane walked back and hugged the two of them, her slender hand splayed on Liz' back. When she felt Liz was not sobbing any longer, Jane looked at Maura.
"We will be right here, Liz, but you probably need a moment, alone, with them." Jane crouched in front of Liz, holding her forearms.
Liz nodded. Jane stood and passed an arm around Maura's waist, guiding her a couple of steps back. They watched as Liz kneeled in front of the grave, moving to sit on the balls of her heels, her knees on the gravel because she was wearing denim shorts.
Jane felt Maura cuddling further into her, and she knew that if it was for Maura, she would be there, kneeling by Liz' side. Jane felt the same, but she also knew Liz needed time to say her goodbyes. To think of her parents as at peace, not as bloodied murdered victims.
"I remember another time when I was looking at someone kneeling in front of a gravestone just like that…" Jane whispered, guilt in her voice. Maura immediately squeezed her waist.
"You found the Ariadne's thread that I could follow to uncover my past, Jane… Even when I had been so unfair to you…" Maura responded softly.
"I was not there for you in a moment you needed me so much..." Jane sighed, regretful.
"You were. Not only you were there, even in our rift your only question was if there was anything you could do for me…"
"But you just told me to go… It broke my heart, because all I wanted to do was to stay and to comfort you, just like right now all I want to do is to comfort our daughter." Jane tightened her hold on Maura.
"Our daughter…" Maura sighed.
They watched as Liz' lithe back was shaken with a sob, and this time both approached again, Maura standing by Liz' side, and Jane kneeling besides Liz. Liz put her arms around Jane's neck, burying her face on Jane's shoulder.
Jane looked up at Maura, and stood up taking Liz in her arms.
"Time to go home, sweetheart." Jane whispered softly on Liz' ear, and Liz just nodded in response, her face still buried in the crook of Jane's neck and shoulder.
They walked slowly to the car, Maura opened the back door and Jane carefully deposited Liz sitting there. Maura smoothed Liz' knees gently, where they were marked by the gravel where she had kneeled for a while. Instead of sitting on the passenger seat, Maura went around the car and sat by Liz side, and Liz immediately placed her arms around Maura's waist, cuddling against her.
They drove in silence, and when they arrived home, Liz walked quietly to her bedroom. Jane and Maura exchanged glances, and decided to give her some time. They changed into more comfortable clothes, and went about getting some lunch ready. They also discussed that, in Liz being willing, they would spend the afternoon doing something outdoors. Jane had bought a pair of roller blades for Liz during the week (and helmet and protection for elbows and knees at Maura's insistence), but had not given them to Liz yet. And her plan was to go out for a run, while Maura walked and Liz rollerbladed.
When the table was set and Maura was finalizing lunch, Jane squeezed her arm, signaling she was going to check on Liz.
Jane entered the bedroom, and Liz was lying on her stomach on the bed, her head resting on her crossed arms, turned to the side.
Jane sat beside Liz, again her slender hand splayed on the narrow back.
"Hey…" Jane asked, looking at the beautiful blue eyes. It was clear she had been crying, but she was not crying now.
"Hi mom…" Liz offered, turning to get closer to Jane.
"How are you doing?" Jane's tone was compassionate.
"I am okay, I guess… It is just… you know… so sad…" Liz shook her head, as if trying to dispel another wave of tears.
Jane stroke Liz' temple, gently. "It is natural to be sad with all that happened, Liz."
Liz looked up, and seeing the fading scar on Jane's hand, realized she had not asked about it before, although she had noticed it before, as well as have noticed Jane rubbing the scar when she seemed tense or unsure about something.
"May I ask what happened to your hands?" Liz raised her hand, picking Jane's hand in hers and gently stroking the half-moon line on the back and on the palm of it.
Jane sighed. "I was following a serial killer, and he overpowered me by hitting me hard on the back with a heavy wooden bat. When I came about, he pinned me to the floor, driving a scalpel through each hand." Jane told, in a quiet voice, and saw Liz wince in reaction, imagining the pain.
"It must have hurt immensely…" Liz said, kissing Jane's hand gently.
"It did, it was excruciating. For a while I thought I would not be able to do things again, because it hurt. But, over time, with a lot of exercising and strengthening, it went almost back to normal."
"Did you already know mom back then?"
"I have seen her once. But I met her properly when I came back from the medical leave. She helped me recovering."
"Was your job very dangerous before?"
Jane chuckled. "You could say so. I have a few scars to show for it."
"Others like this one?"
Jane lifted the side of her blouse, where the big scar from shooting herself still could be seen. "The majority are small ones, this is the only other big one. I had to shoot through myself to get a suspect, so I could save my brother and your mom during a siege to the police precinct building we worked at."
Liz touched the scar tissue reverently.
"What about mom? Was her job also dangerous?"
Jane sighed, biting the inside or her cheek.
"It shouldn't have been as dangerous for her. But because she chose to partner with me, many times she was in danger too. And then there was her biological family to make things worse."
"What about now? Are your jobs dangerous now?"
"Now I train FBI cadets on interrogation techniques. It is not dangerous at all. And your mom only does consulting, so again, not dangerous any longer."
Liz nodded. Maura had quietly come to the door, worried why Jane was taking this long, and she realized immediately what was going through Liz' head. She decided to approach the bed.
"You are safe now, Liz. We all are. And although nobody can ever foresee what the future reserves us, or promise things that are beyond our power or control, we will do all we possibly can to be here for you for as long as physically possible…" Maura kissed the top of Liz head, and Liz smiled gently at her, glad that Maura could have read her concern and smoothed it out.
"I came to get both of you for some lunch… And if you are up to it, we could do something outdoors after lunch? It is a beautiful day outside…"
"I would like that…" Liz said, sitting in bed. "By the way, I didn't thank you for taking care of the funeral. It… it means a lot to me…"
Jane and Maura kissed her temple, one from each side.
Jane and Maura watched as she got up and stopped by the bathroom to wash and dry her face. They walked together to the kitchen to have lunch.
After lunch, Jane walked to the living room with the boxes, and placed them in front of Liz.
Liz squinted at her, suspicious.
"What is all of this?"
"Have you ever rollerbladed before?"
"No…"
"Open the box… You will have a chance to give it a try today…"
Liz opened the box, finding the rollerblades, and the protective equipment.
"The rollerblade was my idea, the protective equipment was obviously hers." Jane offered, teasing Maura, and making Liz chuckle.
Liz tried and everything fit her perfectly after Jane and Maura made a few adjustments.
"Try to stand up to see how it feels."
Surprisingly, Liz was a natural. Jane suspected as much, since Jane recalled she only felt like doing it when she had her growth spur and had become lean, and then rollerblading was one of the things she could do that was not a team sport.
"What do you say?"
"This seems like fun… Can we try outside?"
"Yes, that is the plan. I love to run, but after being shot, mom here cannot run, only walk. And if you don't want to tire of walking, if you can rollerblade your way, we can try to make it work."
They went to the park, and Maura walked with Liz roller-skating by her side, Jane passing through them at every lap of her run.