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 2
Frankie dropped Nina and Jane by the door of the funeral home, while he went to park the car on the back.
They were the first ones to arrive, and Jane was glad to have a chance to have a few moments with her mother's body before the hubbub of the rest of the family arrived.
Looking at Angela's face, it was hard to believe she was dead. The funeral home had done a good job with her. Ma would have approved, Jane thought to herself.
Jane and Frankie had received details of the accident in the past few days, that confirmed most of the damage had been to her mom and Ron's chests and torsos. This allowed them to have an open casket funeral.
Jane gently touched her Ma's face.
"I am sorry, Ma… So really, really sorry…" Jane whispered, her voice strangled as tears unashamedly ran through her face, and she kissed Angela's cold forehead, a hand touching her mom's hand holding a rosary. "You should not be here. It is all my fault, I should not have influenced you to change your mind, to go on that road trip. I am so sorry…"
Nina heard it, and knew better than try to convince Jane. Instead, she walked to try to find Frankie to give him a heads up about Jane's mental state, not worried about leaving Jane alone especially when she saw Tommy and Frank Sr. entering through the door. Jane would not be alone, now that her father and her other brother have arrived.
"You are right… Ma hated road trips… There would be no way she would have gone if you had not convinced her…" Tommy almost spitted the words, and Jane snapped her head up to the sound and tone of his voice, surprised to see her father and her brother there.
She was completely caught by surprise when her father joined the chorus. "It is your fault she is dead." And she was even more surprised as Frank raised his hand and back slapped Jane hard on the face. Jane stumbled back, and was still stunned when her father hit her with a right hook under her chin.
Jane fell back to the floor, her wrist behind her cracking as she fell on top of it, hitting the back of her head with a sickening thud.
She had no time to protect herself or to curl up before Tommy joined in, and as he and her father kicked her viciously on the floor. She was not sure if she would have protected herself anyway. They were right. She did deserve the punishment. It was her fault her mother was dead. Punch after punch, kick after kick, the sharp pain increased rapidly, and then gave place to blissful darkness…
"Stop! Stop! What do you think you are doing?" Frankie yelled, as he walked into the scene of Jane's limp form on the floor and their father and Tommy kicking her out mercilessly. The noises of cracked bones and the thud of heavy shoes on soft flesh were sickening. Frankie exchanged one glance with Nina. None of them was carrying their guns, but they had their zip ties on the pockets of their suits.
Luckily Cavannagh walked in right that moment, and after some struggle to hold both Frank Sr. and Tommy back, they immobilized them both with the zip ties.
"I will take them to be booked. You take care of Jane and of your family." Cavannagh nodded at Frankie gravely.
"Jane? Jane?" Frankie kneeled by Jane's side. There was blood on her mouth and on her nose, and as he touched the back of her head, his hand came out bloodied too. She was unconscious.
Nina watched wide-eyed as Frankie brought back his bloodied hand, and quickly got her phone out to call for an ambulance.
"It does not make sense. Jane could handle them both blindfolded… She is stronger and quicker than both of them together…" Frankie could not make sense of what happened, while they waited for the ambulance.
"I told you what she was saying, Frankie. She blames herself. If they blamed her as well… She might not have considered even trying to defend herself." Nina explained, compassion in her voice.
Blessedly, the ambulance arrived quickly.
"Frankie, you stay with your family and with your mom. I will go with her. I will keep you posted." Nina pecked his lips and squeezed his hand, before she hopped on the ambulance after the paramedics rolled the gurney with an unconscious Jane in it.
Nina explained to the paramedics all that she had seen, as they examined Jane and tried to assess her vitals on their way to the hospital.
Nina could not grasp all of their medical jargon, but she could understand the urgency of their tones. It was not looking good.
Once in the hospital, they rolled Jane into the trauma center, and Nina was left to wait outside. She sent a note to Frankie to let him know they had arrived at the hospital and that Jane was inside for now.
But it was only about two hours later that a doctor came outside looking for the family of Jane Rizzoli, and Nina followed him to a room.
"She has a massive concussion, we are still monitoring for any sign of brain hemorrhage, and we had to place fourteen stitches on the back of her head that was split open as it hit the floor. Her wrist is broken, as are her upper and lower jaws, her nose, and six ribs. We had to place a few stitches inside of her mouth. We will keep her overnight, and we will run further tests in the morning. She is still unconscious, and might remain so for the next few hours. We have not given her any medication to have a chance to assess her cognitive ability as soon as she comes about. In case she wakes up, please press the red button and one of the nurses will page me."
"Thank you, Doctor." Nina shook his hand as he left the room.
On the bed, Jane was still. She was hooked to monitoring equipment, and was scarily pale, except for the places where the black bruises had already formed.
It was still a couple of hours later when Jane groaned, and her lashes fluttered open.
"Keep still…" Nina urged, in a low voice. "Try not to speak. You are very hurt…"
Jane blinked hard.
"Wh…"
"Shhhh… You are in the hospital." Nina explained, pressing the red button for the nurses.
She watched as Jane struggled to get to her watch.
"It is 7.30PM."
Jane seemed to relax. Nina understood. There were still more than twelve hours until the burial. Jane just didn't have any idea that she would not have any condition to get out of the hospital in time.
The doctor entered, and Nina left the room momentarily, using the chance to update Frankie that Jane had finally come about.
A few minutes later the doctor came out.
"She is very disoriented and in pain, but she is refusing that I put her out with the proper painkillers. There is no way she will leave this hospital in time for the burial." The doctor shook his head.
"I will try to convince her, and then I will call for the nurses."
"They have the dosage to provide her in case she changes her mind."
