DISCLAIMER: All things Rizzoli and Isles belong to... actually I don't know who they belong to, probably a whole bunch of people by now and none of them a certain dragon. I'm just borrowing though, honest. My "Patching Her Up" series is just a series of short stories unrelated to one another, from different fandoms, that have a certain theme in common. Each part is a stand-alone.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like everything else I've written this story is also available at my own fic site, http://ryufic.blogspot.se/
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To rosmari.karlssonfaltin[at]telia.com
Patching Her Up
4: Elevate
By Carola "Ryûchan" Eriksson
"Honestly, Jane…" Maura Isles said with concern lacing her voice as she eyed the sight before her. "Are you really sure you don't want to see a doctor about this?"
"Heh, I am seeing a doctor." The grin on the dark-haired woman's face was perhaps a bit more goofy than usual, and the voice at the more low-pitched and raspier end of its register, but the eyes were full of the usual sparkle. "Right, ma?"
"Right you are, Jane." Angela Rizzoli sounded in equal amounts amused and concerned for her offspring, which in turn had the effect of calming Maura considerably. Strangely enough, when it came to Jane's well-being she didn't always trust her own judgement, but she knew for an absolute fact that Angela would overreact to any harm come to her precious children. So if Angela was not insisting Jane go to a hospital, she probably didn't need to.
"Besides, our Maura is much better than those quacks at the hospital anyway." The Rizzoli matriarch concluded with a warm smile at Maura, whom, with a curious lump in her throat, wondered if Angela would ever know how much little offhand comments like that meant to her. Not the faith in Maura's abilities, which Maura felt weren't entirely deserved, but the 'our'. "You, on the other hand, what am I going to do with you?"
Jane grinned cheekily at her mother. "It wasn't my fault, ma! You think I wanted that perp to tackle me off the road and into the ditch that god forgot? I swear it doubles as an obstacle course on Tuesdays." Angela made as if to swat at Jane's head, changing to a motherly pat on the head at the last minute. "So, what's the verdict, doc? Will I still be able to play the violin?"
Trying her hardest to push away the fact that it was Jane, her Jane, sitting there, Maura gave the injuries her best professional assessment. "Hm, you don't really need any stitches, I have already cleaned out all the gravel and thorns and applied disinfectant... if you keep your foot elevated once I am finished with the bandages, you will be fine." She did, however, apply a bit of salve to a small cut on Jane's cheekbone. "And you don't play the violin."
"Maybe I've always wanted to." Jane insisted, her voice and expression striving for something mock-childish. "Maybe you don't know everything about me."
Angela rolled her eyes and mouthed a 'behave!' before leaning in to look a bit closer at Jane's face. "You don't think she's got a concussion, do you? Because she's had those before, like when she was thirteen and thought it was suuuuch a good idea to challenge her brothers to climb..."
"Hey! Cut it out, ma! And that wasn't my fault either."
"No, she's fine. She did take quite a blow to the head, but there are no signs of concussion." Maura assured, putting a small band-aid on the cut. "She will have to keep rather still tonight anyway to keep that foot elevated."
"She always did have a hard head, my little girl." Angela sighed. "But she has the darndest knack for getting herself into trouble. There's always one scrape after another, always roughhousing, and never a thought to what might happen to her."
"Ma, I was working, not swinging from the rafters on a dare or playing with Frankie in the muck. And its not like I go looking to get hurt, but I'm a cop. Sometimes it comes with the job."
"But Jane, you have to be careful! Just look at what you've done to your face!" Exasperated and agitated waving from Angela and a strangely affronted look from Jane. "What if you've ruined your face permanently? Your beautiful face, Jane!"
"Whu, wha, no ma..."
"She hasn't ruined her beautiful face." Maura inserted calmly as she was finishing up the bandage on Jane's right arm, hoping to calm what was threatening to become a test of Rizzoli tempers if she didn't intervene. "I've set her nose, the cut is unlikely to leave a scar, and the ecchymosis is..." Maura trailed off and corrected herself. "Jane's bruises, her black eye. It will fade."
She missed the wide and triumphant smile Angela gave her daughter, but she did catch the curiously bashful expression Jane wore as she glanced at Maura oddly. Maura frowned slightly at the colour darkening Jane's cheeks.
"Jane? Are you blushing? Or are you running a fever?" Instead of waiting for an answer, elegant hands were placed gently against Jane's forehead and the uninjured cheek, carefully avoiding to put pressure on anything that might hurt. "Are you feeling light-headed or dizzy in any way?"
Jane croaked something that could possibly be taken as a negative while trying hard to ignore both the gleeful dancing of her mother behind Maura's back and the way the blush surely got that much worse.
"Maybe I should get you something to drink." Maura speculated, not entirely aware that when she removed her hand from Jane's forehead she neglected to do the same with the hand on her cheek, and that she was absently caressing that cheek in a way that wasn't really normal behaviour for Maura. "Would water be okay? Do you want something else?"
When Jane did not respond, instead busy staring at Maura and remaining very still underneath that caressing hand, Angela stepped in and, with perhaps a bit more cheer than was entirely appropriate for the situation, sent Maura on her way. "Water sounds like a good idea, Maura."
As the woman in question obediently walked over to the kitchen, thereby turning her back to mother and daughter, Angela enthusiastically gave Jane two thumbs up and an even bigger grin. Jane, blushing even worse and trying to cover it by glaring at her mother, mouthed a 'shut up' and 'go away' in response. Nodding as if Jane just had the best idea ever, Angela turned to call out to Maura, far louder than what was entirely needed to be heard.
"Maura, honey? Will you need my help with Jane tonight, to get her in bed or fix her a snack to go with the painkillers, anything?"
Jane tried to get her good foot far enough off the couch to kick at her mother, but the elder Rizzoli pranced away and tutted at her efforts.
"What? No, I'm sure we will be fine if you want to go to bed." Jane tried to reach her mother as Angela smirked at her. "I'll make sure Jane has all she needs, but of course if there is anything in particular, we will call you."
Angela waggled her eyebrows at her mortified child, before she beamed in Maura's direction. "You are a treasure, Maura. Be sure to call me if there is anything either of you need, alright?" She blew her glowering daughter a kiss. "Goodnight then, girls. Love you."
"Goodnight ma, thanks so much for all your help." Was Jane's sarcastic and growling reply.
"Goodnight Angela." Maura came in to hand Jane her water, the happy little smile on her lips from being included once again by Jane's mother, made Jane's expression immediately soften. "Here Jane, drink some of this while I go get your things from your, um, the guest bedroom."
Without really thinking about it Jane obeyed, downing half the glass before even noticing what she had been given. "Oh? I'm not staying in the guest room tonight?"
"No," Maura raised her voice to be heard as she disappeared into the room in question. "I thought it would be a good idea if you stayed in my room tonight. I'll keep Bass in here, well out of the way so you won't risk stumbling over him."
"That's... sweet, Maura, thanks." Jane tilted her head to peer after the other woman, but was still thwarted by the doorway. "Why are we having a sleepover in your bed tonight, though?"
"I have a TV in there."
Jane laughed. "Good idea. You were serious about keeping me from moving about tonight, huh?"
A determined nod was her answer as Maura, Jane's sleepwear and toiletries in the crook of one arm, came over to help Jane get up from the couch. "Come on, I'll help you get over to the bed."
"I can walk just fine." Jane protested, but still allowed for the helping hand. Once on her feet Maura moved herself under Jane's arm and, with one arm around Jane's waist, encouraged the taller woman to lean on her. "No, really Maura, I can do it."
"I know you can, Jane, but it is better for your foot if we keep you from putting too much weight on it." She wasn't taking no for an answer, and, as usual, Jane caved. "Want me to help you to the bathroom first, or the bed?"
"Depends. Will there be movies and popcorn, or does Janie have to go to bed like a good little girl?" The playful sarcasm that was her trademark was present, but the question still both genuine and a little hopeful. It was too early to try to sleep, really.
Maura smiled a bit mischievously. "Movies, yes, you can pick whichever ones you want. Popcorn there could be, if you want, but..." She tried to sound like it was no big deal, still Jane could hear the excitement in her voice. "I bought two slices of that chocolate cake you like so much earlier today, and we have two types of ice-cream in the fridge and fudge that just needs a quick heating."
"Ooooh, the death-by-chocolate one?" Jane tossed herself on the side of the bed she usually ended up on when they shared. "They had it? And there wasn't a long line of people you had to scare away in order to get it?"
"No, they had it, but only the two slices." Not mentioned was how long she'd have to wait in order to get it, or that she did just because it was Jane's favourite. "I got cannoli for your mother though, so she said she didn't mind."
"I just bet she didn't. That's so thoughtful of you Maura, thank you." Jane said warmly, taking her sleepwear from Maura to begin getting ready for bed. "You really are too good to us."
The wide-eyed and flushed reaction Jane had to the wide and happily beaming smile that comment earned her was something Maura missed, as she, humming to herself, left Jane to get herself situated while she got their desserts together.
Two movies and a short animal documentary later the dishes were in the washer, the TV turned off, Jane's leg properly elevated, and two tired, stuffed and generally pleased – despite injuries – women were swiftly falling asleep.
Later Jane would blame her sleepiness for the lack of surprised reaction when Maura snuggled up to her side, laying her head on Jane's shoulder. Not hiding a contented smile Jane muttered. "You know that if you feed a Rizzoli they'll never leave, right?"
Maura giggled softly. "Sounds good. Let's have the family dinner on Friday, then?"
Absently tucking the blanket a little higher on Maura Jane hummed her approval, too tired to open her eyes anymore. A happy little sigh was her reward, and then Maura's breathing evened out into sleep. Jane soon followed, and the smile on her lips remained into the night.
The End