Hey everyone… I hope that you are all well. I also hope this light, easy read keeps your minds off all the things happening around us right now. Please take care of each other and stay safe. Thanks for reading and supporting me and allowing me to indulge in something I have always enjoyed doing. I'll see you next month… :)
Chapter 13
Liam Chase Rizzoli-Isles lay safe in Jane's arms, wrapped snugly in a receiving blanket decorated with yellow duckies in sunglasses. His dark hair stuck up in all directions, matching the unruly hair that hung down over Jane's shoulders as she rocked him back and forth, waiting for Maura to bring a bottle to feed him. Cracking an eye open, he peered at her before scrunching his face up and letting out a cry to let them both know his dinner was running late, something he wouldn't stand for. As his bottom lip quivered and his cry pierced the once quiet room, Jane ran a finger along his cheek causing him to pause and wonder if perhaps dinner had arrived. But alas, it hadn't and he let out another cry that filled the room causing Jane to panic.
"Maur… where are you?" Jane called out in search of her better half. "He's crying again and I can't make him stop." Her anxiety was reaching its peak as Valley appeared on the stairs, hands on her hips, and frown on her face.
"All he does is cry…" Valley stomped a foot on the ground in irritation.
"He's crying because he's hungry." Jane sighed heavily as she continued to rock the small bundle in her arms, desperately trying to get him to stop.
"Well, I can't constrate on my homework." Valley stuck her bottom lip out in a pout.
"You don't have homework, Butter Bean…" Jane lifted a dark eyebrow, daring Valley to argue.
"Yeah, but I gots other things I tryn' to constrate on." Valley continued to press her luck with an exasperated Jane.
"It's concentrate and you need to give your Mama a break. She just had a baby… and we're all a little tired and cranky right now." Maura came around the corner with a bottle in her hand.
"Humpf… I'm not cranky… you are." Valley stomped her foot again as she turned and went back to her room.
"Um, how are we gonna deal with that?" Jane asked as Maura sat down beside her so she could take baby Liam.
"It'll work itself out, she's just dealing with having someone else around that demands as much attention as she does." Maura slipped the bottle into the baby's mouth and smiled when his crying ceased and he began to eat with gusto. "He's eating well. I think he's probably gained about two pounds since we brought him home last week."
For a minute, Jane was quiet as she watched Maura bond with their baby and then she laid her head on the shoulder next to her, letting out a tired sigh. "Do you think I'm a bad mom because I'm not breastfeeding?" She asked, her tone serious and sad.
Tilting her head so she could see Jane better, Maura's brow furrowed at the question. "No…" she said firmly but then hesitated. "I mean, of course as a doctor, I think it would be better but I one-hundred percent support your decision not to. Have I done something to make you think that I don't?"
"No, it's just that I know it would be better but I… I don't know… it isn't something I feel comfortable with."
"Jane, honey… it's okay. It's your body and your decision." Maura tried to reassure with a soft smile as she leaned down to place a kiss to the forehead laying against her shoulder.
"Do you really haveta go back to work in a week?" Jane said as she yawned.
"I do, but you've got Angela and my Mom to help."
"I'm not worried about having help, it's just I'll miss having you around."
"Yeah?" Maura leaned her cheek against the top of Jane's head and sighed deeply. "Me too, and I'm gonna miss our little man, here."
"He is pretty cute, isn't he?" Jane popped her head up again so she could see Liam better. "He looks kinda like I did when I was a baby."
"Well, no big surprise there." Maura laughed as she smoothed down some of Liam's dark flyaway hair.
"And… well… thanks for letting me name him." Jane offered a lopsided grin as Maura gave her a look of surprise.
"Why wouldn't I? You carried him for nine months so I think you might know him a little better than I do." Maura's smile was soft and understanding. "Besides, I can't think of anyone better to name our son after than the man who saved your life."
"Um, Liam is Irish for William too so it's kinda like we named him after you dad as well." The look of surprise on Maura's face caused Jane to laugh. "Hey, I know things too."
"Wow… I didn't even think about what it meant in Irish. But I feel bad because we don't have a name that connects to your family."
"Don't…" Jane shrugged her shoulders. "He's our son… a Rizzoli-Isles through and through. My pop doesn't deserve the honor of having his name connected to our family."
Maura was quiet as she bit down on her lip and thought about what Jane had said. Yes, she was proud to give their son a strong name after a strong man who had kept his promise to watch over Jane in her hour of need. And it was true that Frank Rizzoli had abandoned his family after almost destroying their lives so many years ago, but it still made her feel bad.
"Hey, I can smell the smoke… what's going on in that big brain of yours?"
Offering Jane a reassuring smile, Maura turned so she could look into those dark brown eyes that she loved so much, and even though she could see the fatigue that they both felt, she couldn't help but lean forward to place a soft, gentle kiss to the lips she had missed kissing recently. "Nothing, and thanks for letting me give him a middle name."
"Hmmm… I don't know if I believe that but I'll let it go for now. And thanks for picking something a bit more…" Jane hesitated as she tried to think of a word to describe what she was thinking. "I guess more contemporary? I thought you were going to pick something weird, ya know… like name him after one of those crazy body farm doctors."
Maura laughed, but then stopped abruptly when she noticed that Liam had fallen asleep. "He's asleep… I'm going to put him down and then maybe we can spend a little quality time Valley before she tries to ship him back to the stork in a shoe box."
"Did you just make a joke?" Jane whispered, surprise written all over her face.
"Oh, hush…" Maura quietly admonished. "Why don't you order some pizzas and we can have a movie night."
"Yeah, I can do that." Jane pushed up from the couch carefully because she was still slightly sore. Reaching down, she helped Maura stand up before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "When am I gonna feel normal again?" She asked, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout to rival the one from Valley earlier.
"I don't know, a couple of weeks I suppose." Maura shrugged her shoulder as she quietly moved away from Jane to take Liam to his nursery.
"I miss you, ya know… us, I mean." Jane didn't turn around as she spoke, afraid she Maura might see the tears in her eyes. "It isn't just about the sex… I miss being close to you, holding you…" she let out a frustrated breath.
"You know we have to be careful about stimulating your breasts since you aren't breastfeeding and that includes a lot of things..." Maura explained. "But… I miss you too. Once the milk has dried up, I promise to hold you all night long."
"Well, at least half the night." Jane chuckled because they both knew that Liam had no intention of letting anyone in the house sleep all night long. "I guess I'll order that pizza and try and coax the munchkin out of her room for a movie night."
"I don't envy you." Maura grinned as she headed up the stairs.
Jane watched, a sense of longing pulling at her like never before. She knew Maura would have to go back to work soon, but their time together since coming home from the hospital had been pure bliss. Mostly everyone had given them the space they needed to bond and she felt like they were living in this cozy bubble that surrounded them and protected them from the outside world. But soon that bubble would break and things would go back to normal. She couldn't help but frown at that thought but then she realized that her melancholy mood would abate and soon enough, she'd be ready to get back out into the world and around the people she loved. This was just a reprieve, one that they both needed as they learned together how to navigate the pitfalls of being parents to a newborn and a five-year-old going on thirty.
Amy, Maura's partner at the clinic, sat with her head bent over the end of the day reports, and tried to concentrate on the words that fought for her attention. But it was futile, her mind kept wandering to the woman who seemed to think it was her job to take over Maura's office in her absence. The fact that Kelly was still there as Maura's assistant proved that she continued to fly under the radar, not drawing too much attention to herself while Maura was away. It worried her how entrenched Kelly had become in the everyday tasks of their clinic, making herself useful to the point that no one wanted to see her go. Amy was the exception. She knew what the woman was capable of and sensed something off. She had spoken to Jane's cousin, Carly at the hospital and found out how Maura's phone had mysteriously been turned off at the most important moment while everyone was trying to get a hold of her. Carly also told her that Maura suspected that Kelly had tried to keep her from Jane that day and was planning on letting her go, but that hadn't happened because Maura was concentrating on being with her family at this time. So, Amy decided she needed to take things into her own hands and that is why she was still sitting in her office even though she had promised her husband, Steve that she would be home for dinner.
When a knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts, she looked up and tiredly ran her fingers through her hair before inviting whoever it was in.
"Come in…" she let out a heavy sigh.
The door opened to reveal Frankie Rizzoli and Barry Frost, just the two people she needed to talk to at the moment. They slipped in the door wearing matching dark suits, with their badges clipped to their belts. It was obvious they were there in a professional capacity and Amy was thankful she could count on them.
"Hey…" Frankie gave her a quick wave from across the room, a serious expression on his face because he had a feeling he knew what this meeting was about. Ever since Amy and Steve had moved to Boston to open the Clinic with Maura, they had built a strong friendship. They were the same age and it only stood to reason they would get along, especially since they were like family to Maura and Jane.
"Hey, why don't you two sit at the conference table while I sign off on these last few reports." She looked down at the papers, giving them a quick once over before pulling the cap off her pen and scrawling her name across the bottom.
"Where's Steve?" Frost asked as he pulled a chair out and dropped down in it.
"Probably cursing me right about now." Amy glanced down at her watch and let out a frustrated huff. "I can't blame him though. I did tell him I'd be home by dinner time."
For a minute, they all sat in silence as Amy finished up her paperwork and when she picked up the pile and shuffled them about into one neat pile, she looked up to find two anxious expressions directed her way. So, without further delay, she pushed herself up from her desk and made her way across the room to join them at the conference table.
"I guess you want to know what's going on…" she pushed her hair over her shoulder and away from her face. Pulling her reading glasses off, she rubbed at her tired eyes before bringing her gaze first to Frankie and then to Frost.
"I think I have an idea." Frankie shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Yeah?" Amy seemed curious as she studied Frankie.
"Kelly…" Frost said, breaking the tension that had settled around them.
"Yep." Amy nodded slowly as she set her glasses down in front of her. "I don't trust her, there's something off about the woman… I can't pinpoint it but… I don't know…" she shrugged her shoulders as they watched her carefully.
"Well, Jane asked me to do a background check on her and it turned up nothing. I don't know what else we can do." Frankie looked away from Amy's penetrating gaze because even though he agreed with her, he wasn't sure what else they could do.
"Do you know what she did the day Jane went into labor?"
"Um, no…" Frankie seemed surprised by the question but Frost nodded solemnly causing Frankie to shoot him an annoyed look. "What the hell man, what didn't you tell me?"
"She allegedly turned Maura's phone off that day, that's why no could get a hold of her when Angela took Jane to the hospital." Frost coughed nervously as he shared this tidbit of information that seemed to have alluded Frankie.
"She what?" Frankie sat up straighter, a frown on his face.
"Yeah, it's true… Carly told me everything."
"Well, why hasn't Maura fired her?" Frankie bristled at the thought that Kelly had tried to keep Maura from his sister and the birth of their son.
"I guess because she has other things on her mind at the moment, like being with her family." Amy offered her opinion. "But I don't like that she's still around and will be when Maura gets back. I'd fire her myself if I thought it would do any good but I have a feeling she would figure out some way to convince Maura she was completely innocent and weasel her way back into Maura's good graces. I don't trust her."
"Yeah, me either." Frost crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair with a huff.
"Well, what more can we do? Her background check came back clean." Frankie asked.
"There are other ways to get answers..." Frost said rather cryptically. "I have a feeling there may be more to her than meets the eye. She gives me stalker vibes."
"That's it…" Amy slapped her hand down on the table causing both Frankie and Frost to jump in surprise. "It's obvious she has a monster crush on Maura and well… Maura being Maura, she needs a brick to the head to catch on to things like that. Not to mention she is so totally and completely in love with Jane that she doesn't notice things like that."
"It's like she's trying to insinuate herself between Jane and Maura..." Frost noted as he nodded his agreement.
"What? How did I miss all of this?" Frankie waved his hands in the air in question. "I just thought that Jane was being a little overprotective."
"Nah man, I accidentally walked in on something rather precarious one afternoon when I came to by to talk to Maura about the baby shower. And just to be clear, it was all one-sided because as you said… Maura is very naive about things like this. But Maura did say she would be careful…" Frost's voice trailed off at the memory of that day.
"Are you kidding me? How come everyone knew about this but me?" Frankie frowned at both Amy and Frost. "You're supposed to be my partner, man."
"I know, but I promised the Doc I wouldn't say anything. She said she'd handle it but I guess she just has too much on her plate at the moment so…" Frost shrugged his shoulders.
"Look, I need you to please try and find something on her. She's up to something and I don't want her to drive a wedge between Maura and Jane because I think that's what she's trying to do. If you ask me, I think she's got a screw loose up in here…" Amy touched her head. "We've got to find a way to get rid of her, something that closes the door permanently on her ever coming back."
"I hear ya." Frost uncrossed his arms as his mind began to tick off the many ways he could dig up dirt. "But we have to do this in a non-official capacity and we have to keep it between the three of us."
"Um, okay…" Frankie sighed dejectedly at having to be the last one to know what was happening. "But you can't keep anything from me from now on. I won't go running to Jane… I promise. It would only cause more trouble if I did, even I know that."
"So, we agree?" Amy asked.
"Absolutely." Frost gave her a sly grin.
Glancing down at her watch, Amy let out a long, heavy sigh. "I guess I might make it home just in time for dinner if I leave now. Let me know if you need anything…" she offered both men a tired smile as they all stood up.
"I'll call you next week. When's Maura coming back?" Frost asked.
"I convinced her to wait until Wednesday of next week, so I guess about a week and a half."
"Alright, we should have a good idea about what direction to go with this thing by then..." Frost assured.
"Alright then…" As they all three stood at the same time, Amy reached out to pull them both into a hug. "You have no idea how happy I am to have friends like you."
"You mean friends in high places?" Frankie joked.
Amy tried to laugh but the gravity of the situation caused her to sniffle slightly. "I mean friends I can trust to believe me when I tell them that somethings not right. She's got mostly everyone convinced they can't live without her, even Steve."
"Leave it to us. We'll get to the bottom of it." Frost said, giving Amy a quick pat to the back.
"Thanks, guys…" she said following them out the door of her office, locking the door behind them. Relief washed over her knowing she finally had someone in her corner because she had a feeling this wasn't going to be an easy task. She only hoped that Maura and Jane could escape unscathed because she'd be devastated by any other outcome.
If Maura thought that their quality time the night before would result in taming the little green monster that seemed to be manifesting in her daughter, she was sorely mistaken. Valley was laying on the floor, kicking and crying her eyes out over a sandwich that was cut into squares instead of triangles. The mini tantrum was quickly verging on a full-blown temper tantrum as Valley's sobs turned into gasps of air, causing her face to turn red. Maura was at a loss as to what to do as she stood alone in the kitchen with Valley, watching with eyes wide in alarm as the crying reached a crescendo that could break glass. There was no use looking around for help either. Jane had taken Liam and gone to the cottage so they could both take a nap because Valley had been volatile and temperamental since she had woken up that morning. Jane had gone at Maura's suggestion and now Maura was regretting insisting that Jane get out while she could.
With a heavy sigh of resignation, she dropped down in a chair at the table where Valley had been sitting with her lunch in front of her before she had her epic meltdown because there was no other way to describe it… it was epic.
"Valley, you're being unreasonable…" Maura tried to explain, but Valley was having non of Maura's reason.
"I… want… Mama…" Valley hiccuped between each word as she continued to sob.
"I told you that Mama and Liam have gone to Nona's to take a nap because somebody won't be quiet…" Maura pointed an accusatory finger in Valley's direction.
"You… didn't… cut… it… like… Mama… does…" she continued to hiccup. Big fat tears rolled down her cheeks as she pointed at her sandwich.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize your peanut butter and jelly sandwich had to be cut a certain way." Maura let out a frustrated huff, her patience wearing thin. She wasn't sure what to do but she did know that Valley's tantrum was not the result of a sandwich. "Look, just because Mama is busy with your little brother, it doesn't mean she won't have time for you anymore…"
"I don't want a little brother…" Valley wailed. "I want a sister!"
"Well, that's just not possible." Again with the reasoning, something she realized too late wouldn't work as Valley's tears came faster and more furious than before. She was on the verge of giving up and going to get Jane when there was a knock at the door. "Look, please finish your lunch while I go see who's at the door." But before she could get up, Valley took off towards the door to beat her Mommy to it. "Hey, stop right there young lady." Her voice was stern and slightly higher than normal but it didn't stop Valley from throwing the door open and throwing herself into Tommy's arms with a dramatic sob.
"Hey… what's going on here?" He picked Valley up and peered over her shoulder at Maura with a raised eyebrow in question.
"Mommy's being mean, Unca Tommy…" Valley wiped at her eyes as she snuggled against him.
"What?" He asked as he closed the front door and made his way across the room to deposit Valley down in her booster seat at the kitchen table. "I don't believe it."
"Well, apparently it's true…" Maura let out an exasperated sigh, waving her hands in the air in defeat. "I didn't cut her sandwich like Jane does so that makes me worse than any Disney villain that ever existed."
"No way…" Tommy grinned and picked up one of the squares on Valley's plate. Giving a quick once over, he winked at Maura before shoving it into his mouth with an exaggerated 'Yum'.
"Hey…" Valley scowled at her plate and the missing square that left her with only three pieces. "That's mine, Unca Tommy." She chastised.
"So now you want it." Maura couldn't help but roll her eyes. She was her wit's end and wasn't sure how much more she could take of Valley's crazy mood swings. It was understandable that she was having a hard time adjusting to the new schedule of a newborn, they all were. The learning curve had been difficult for all of them but it was getting out of hand and they would need to deal with it. She just wasn't sure how.
"It's mine." Valley pouted, putting her hands over the remaining pieces as if to protect them before giving Maura the stink eye to let her know she wasn't done complaining yet.
"I don't know how much more I can take of this." Maura sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she watched Valley nibble on the corner of one square like a little mouse, all the while giving her a look that indicated she was still mad.
"Why don't you let me hang out with the little munchkin for a bit. Go on and take a nap or a hot bath or something. You look whipped and not in a good way." His grin was mischievous as he shrugged out his jacket.
"I couldn't do that to you." Maura looked up at Tommy as she tried to hold back the tears of frustration that threatened to fall.
"Ya, you can. I got this." He took her arm and pulled her from her chair before giving her a gentle nudge towards the stairs. "Now git…"
"Are you sure?" Maura asked tiredly over her shoulder as she moved closer to the quiet solitude she had been craving all morning.
"Totally. We'll be fine, won't we?" He gave Valley a pointed look, daring her to argue. When he got a nod in response, he gave a wave to shoo Maura away.
"Okay, but I'll just be upstairs if you need me."
"We won't." He smiled warmly at her as she disappeared up the stairs to recharge.
When they were alone, Tommy sat down where Maura had been sitting and placed his elbows on the table. Tilting his head, he regarded Valley with a measured eye and a curious gaze watching as she nibbled away at her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"So, kiddo… wanna tell me what's got you acting like Oscar the Grouch?" He continued to watch her as she frowned down at her plate.
"I'm too old for Sesame Street…" She said with a huff, setting her square down and looking at him with her bottom lip poked out.
"Alright, let's cut to the chase then… why are you being so mean to your moms?" He asked, taking her cue to try a different tactic.
Valley was quiet for a minute as she tried to come up with a reason but when none came to her that she could explain, she just shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, ya wanna know what I think?"
Shaking her head vigorously in the negative and then looking over at him, she relented and nodded 'yes.'
"I think you've been feeling a little left out since the baby came home…" He said as he steepled his index fingers and placed them against his lips in concentration.
"All he does is poop and cry…" Valley let out an indignant sigh. Tommy let out a bark of laughter, startling her but then she smiled slyly at him.
"I can't argue with you on that one." He laughed as he pushed his sandy, brown hair away from his hazel eyes that sparkled with amusement. "But come on… your moms are trying really hard. I think you should cut them slack."
"Mama doesn't play with me anymore…" Valley's shoulders dropped and her eyes welled up with renewed tears. "I think she loves the baby more…"
"Well, I don't believe that for one second. You mean the world to both of your moms. Just because they have to spend a little more time with Liam doesn't mean they don't love you."
"But I wanted a baby sister…" The tears started to roll down Valley's checks again.
"So did your Mama, but Nona brought me home instead…" a small grin curled at Tommy's lips. "But you know what?"
Taking a deep breath to quell the tears that continued to fall, Valley let out a tired sigh as she looked a Tommy expectantly. "What?"
"She turned out to be the best big sister in the whole world." He grinned as he watched Valley's eyes widen in surprise. "She taught me everything I needed to know about baseball and the Red Sox and she was always there to pick me up when I fell. And no one dared to ever pick on me in school because she was always there to protect me." He shrugged his shoulders as she nodded understandingly, trying to digest what he had said.
"So you is like Liam and I like Mama?" Valley asked as she finally figured out what Tommy was trying to tell her.
"Yeah, and I guess I just thought you'd want to be the best big sister to your baby brother, just like your Mama was to me."
As the confusion that had clouded Valley's eyes disappeared, her lips twitched into a crooked grin that looked an awful lot like Maura's but then she frowned again. "But Mommy and Mama don't play with me anymore." She tried to reason away Tommy's earlier statements.
"Now that's not entirely true, is it?" He gazed at her sternly causing her to offer a sheepish grin in response. "I happen to know for a fact that you and your moms had a pizza and movie night last night." Valley nodded and then dropped her eyes from his penetrating ones, daring her to argue. "So, what do ya say kiddo? Wanna work on being the best big sister there ever was… even better than your Mama?"
"I guess, maybe…" Valley said as she tugged on her bottom lip in concentration.
"Of course you do…" Tommy gave her shoulder a teasing shove. "Who do you think is gonna teach him about all those cool things like Star Wars, Toy Story, and baseball to name a few. Come on, it's your job as the big sister…" he gave her an exaggerated wink and it made her laugh because it looked just like when her Mama did it. "Okay then, it's settled. How about you apologize to your Mommy for being so hard on her for cutting you sandwich into squares even though we both know triangles are better." His grin was filled with mischief.
"Okay." Valley agreed, a thoughtful expression on her face followed by a giggle when Tommy reached over to ruffle her honey blonde hair.
Maura stood at the top of the stairs, quietly listening to Tommy do the one thing she hadn't been able to… talk some reason into their temperamental daughter. At first, the realization that Tommy was getting through to Valley filled Maura with a sense of uncertainty, followed by sadness. But then, as she listened to him talk, it occurred to her that he was a bit of a genus bringing up him and Jane's relationship. As she stood there, waiting for their talk to end, a smile crept across her lips because it seemed that Valley had come to an impasse, and it sounded like she was ready to move past her anger and hurt at the change that had taken its toll on all of them.
With a renewed vigor in her step, Maura headed down the stairs and was met with a small projectile flying into her, smearing her clean sweatpants with peanut butter and jelly. Lifting Valley into her arms, she attempted to wipe away the tears that were falling but only succeeded in smearing the peanut butter and jelly all over Valley's cheeks. "Oh, goodness… what a mess." She smiled as she tried to convey that she wasn't mad.
"I sorry, Mommy…" Valley buried her face against the crook of Maura's neck and cried. "I sorry I was mean to you…"
"Oh, honey…" Maura cooed as she continued to try and wipe at Valley's tears. "It's okay…"
"No, Mommy… it's not okay." Valley started to shake her head vigorously.
"Well, you did hurt my feelings." Maura sighed. "But it sounds like you and Uncle Tommy had a good talk.
"Uh-huh." Valley now nodded as she looked over at Tommy as he tossed her a wink. "I gonna be the bestest big sister… eva…" she said, throwing her arms open wide as if to illustrate how much.
"Well, that's good to hear because Liam is going to need someone to teach him all about dinosaurs and baseball…" Maura nodded sagely as she listened to Valley start to list off all the other things she was going to teach her baby brother. Looking over Valley's shoulder, she mouthed a thank you to Tommy and got a smirk and wink so like Jane's it almost caused her knees to buckle. It wasn't Tommy that caused it but the longing she felt to see that playful smirk and sexy wink tossed her direction by Jane. It was something she hadn't seen in far too long.
"Hey, I'm not just a pretty face." He laughed as he pushed himself up from the table. "Anyway, Jane called me this morning and explained everything that was going on so I thought I'd stop by and offer my help."
"You're a lifesaver." Maura offered him a warm smile as Valley continued to snuggle against her.
"Yeah, well…" he pulled at his collar as if to pop it up to appear cool. "I'm glad to be of assistance. Anyway, Jane said the green-eyed monster had taken over the munchkin, so I had a little idea on how I might be able to change all of that."
Valley was quiet as she bit down on her finger and tried to reason what Tommy had said. "Oscar da Grouch doesn't have green eyes…" she mused as she thought about the Sesame Street puppet.
"Well, no matter… I'm just glad you're feeling better." Maura gave Valley's middle a gentle tickle causing the little girl to squirm and giggle.
"I guess I'd better head home so I can get ready for my date." Tommy gave Valley and Maura a quick wave as he headed towards the front door. "Tell Janie I'm sorry I missed her and the little guy… I'll try and come by next week if that's okay." He opened the door and paused to wait for Maura to answer.
"Yeah, that'd be great. I have to head back to work next week so I'm sure she'd appreciate the visit." Maura sighed heavily at the idea that she would have to leave Jane to go back to the clinic.
"Sounds like a plan. See you later alligator…" he waved at them.
"Bye crocodile…" Valley waved enthusiastically as Tommy closed the door behind him.
Maura watched as Tommy left, and then turned to Valley with a small smile on her face. "Hey, how about we cuddle on the couch and watch some Toy Story before Mama and Liam come back from their nap?"
"Okay, Mommy…" Valley wrapped her arms around Maura and buried her face against her neck.
Maura smiled against the feeling of Valley snuggled against her. She had been worried that they were headed for a disaster before Tommy had come and saved the day, but thankfully things had fallen into place and now Valley was willing to try and accept the inevitable, she had a baby brother and that was that.
"So, the best big sister in the world, huh?" Jane lay back with her head in Maura's lap, looking up into amused hazel-green eyes.
"Out of everything I just told you, that's your takeaway?" Maura laughed as she ran her fingers through Jane's unruly, dark locks.
"Well, I mean, what else is there?" Jane offered her trademark smirk, a playful twinkle in her eyes.
Maura was quiet as she continued to comb her fingers through Jane's silky strands of hair, feeling as if she may burst with the love she was feeling at the moment. Moving her fingers to trace over prominent eyebrows caused Jane to giggle and Maura raised her own eyebrows in response. She wasn't sure she had ever heard Jane truly giggle before so it prompted her to try and make it happen again as her fingers traveled down to the curve of Jane's cheek, light, and feather-like.
"Ummmm…" Jane let out a sigh this time as she closed her eyes. "That feels so good."
"Yeah?" Maura's fingers continued to brush along the side of Jane's face. "Did you get a good nap in this afternoon?"
"Ummmm-hummmm…" Jane twitched slightly under Maura's gentle ministrations. "Thank you for handling Valley this afternoon."
"Don't thank me, I was about to throw in the towel. If it hadn't been for Tommy's help, we may have had to move you and the baby in with your mother."
"Nah, she's just going through a thing." Jane tried to reason as she relaxed into Maura's touch. "I kinda went through the same thing when they brought Frankie home. It was my Ma that convinced me to take my job as big sister very seriously."
"Well, for what it's worth, you are a great big sister and I think Valley is coming around. While you were in the shower earlier, she asked if she could help feed Liam."
"Yeah, it was a cute scene when I came down and she was holding him and telling him all about the things she's gonna teach him."
"It was definitely a relief to see her calm after her meltdown over the way I cut her sandwich this afternoon." Maura blew out a huff of delayed frustration.
Jane popped one eye open and peered up at Maura in mock disbelief. "Everyone knows that triangles are better than squares." She teased.
"Apparently I didn't get that memo." Maura rolled her eyes and gave Jane's side a gentle pinch causing her to squirm and laugh. "Shhhh… you'll wake the kids."
Jane opened the other eye and suddenly became very serious. "We have kids now, as in more than one. I can't believe it."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Maura asked, the tinge of concern in her voice.
Reaching up, Jane grabbed Maura by the front of her shirt and pulled her down so their faces were merely inches apart. "It's a very, very good thing." She pressed her lips to Maura's in a slow, languid kiss. "I'm so happy I get to live this life with you by my side." She whispered against Maura's mouth before reaching up to run her fingers through honey-blonde hair. But before she could deepen their kiss, the sound of a newborn crying pierced their quiet and relaxing bubble.
Maura pulled away just enough to press her forehead to Jane's and sigh a heavy, tired sigh. "I'll go…" she started to push herself up but Jane stopped her.
"Have I told you today how much I love you?" Jane asked as she pulled Maura back down so she wouldn't lose her human pillow just yet.
"Maybe, but it never gets old."
"Well, I love you and I love our life together," Jane said as she rubbed her nose against Maura's before giving her a quick peck on the lips.
Maura smiled warmly at Jane's words as she moved to stand, careful not to jostle Jane who continued to lay across the couch.
"Mommy, Liam is crying…" Valley called from the top of the stairs, her voice thick with sleep.
"Well…" Jane pushed herself up to stand beside Maura. "That lasted about all of five seconds." She grinned and winked at Maura. "I'll put Valley back to bed while you go check on Liam and then maybe we can pick up where we left off." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully.
Maura nodded her agreement and offered a grin of her own even though they both knew they would end up falling asleep together on the couch before the clock struck 9 PM. But she wouldn't have it any other way because they were now living the life she had always dreamed of when she thought of the future she wanted to share with Jane.