Chapter sixteen

Maura woke to the sound of crying. It was a subtle sniffling but it penetrated into her sleep as if by some kind of instinct. She reached for Jane and the woman turned, raising her arms to her face to shield herself.

''Hey...'' Maura whispered, holding her hands up in a peaceful gesture. ''It's me.'' She tucked a loose curl behind Jane's ear, focusing on the warm chocolate eyes. ''It's me, not the other one.''

Jane sniffled again and nodded, smiling slightly. ''It's the real Maura...'' She said quietly, rising to one elbow to kiss the Doctor's cheek. ''I'm sorry. You startled me.''

''It's okay.'' Maura smiled back. She turned to look at the clock on the nightstand and realised it was past ten am. ''Wow.'' She said. ''We slept in.''

''I guess we both needed it.'' Jane said, yawning lazily. ''Please don't go to work?''

''I'm off work for at least a week.'' Maura swung her legs of the bed and walked to the window, half opening the windows to let some of the sunlight inside. She turned to Jane, every part of her wanting to touch her, run her hands up and down her body. She contained herself and offered another smile. ''I should change your bandages.'' She said and watched Jane carefully to see whether that was okay with her or not.

''Alright.'' Jane replied, a little unsteadily.''But then can we go back to bed?''

''Mmmm...'' Maura half laughed with the whiny tone. ''Maybe just for a few minutes, yes.''

She left to retrieve her medical bag from the other room and when she returned she found Jane lying on her stomach in nothing but her sports top and boxer shorts, her shirt gone, thrown carelessly on the floor. At first Maura's mind perceived it as an invitation for something else then the bandages covering Jane's back sunk in and she realised her role now was merely one of a physicians. It hurt but she also knew this was the way she could make at least one thing a little better.

She sat on the edge of the bed, next to Jane and she begun peeling off the first dressing, over Jane's left shoulder blade. The minute her tip of her finger touched the Detective's bare skin Jane's head rose to the pillow and she looked at the doctor with a sober expression.

''It's okay.'' She said to Maura's hesitation. ''I won't break.''

Maura's hands shook and she swallowed audibly as she saw for the first time the damage she had inflicted on Jane's body. She knew that the heavy medication Jane was on would prevent her from feeling the full extent of the injuries but it still had to be painful and yet Jane gave no other indication that she was in pain other than a sharp intake of breath which had nothing to do with her injuries and everything to do with Maura touching her.

''I'm sorry...'' Maura said thickly, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks once more as she begun redressing every injury with the greatest diligence. ''I'm so sorry.'' She kept repeating like a mantra, bending to place a kiss over each bruise, every time she uncovered a new laceration. Slowly she made her way to the Detective's shoulders and when she reached to touch her bicep Jane rose again and caught the Doctor's lips with hers, a mere brushing of skin on skin, as she sat up slowly. ''I can do the rest myself.'' She said and Maura paused, her eyes still closed, breathing in Jane's scent. Gradually she opened her eye lids and shook her head.

''No...'' She muttered. ''It's my job, I have to do this.''

Jane was about to refuse again when she saw the pleading in doctor's eyes and she finally sighed, resting against the headboard as Maura continued to work down both her arms and her stomach. When she was finally finished Maura looked back at the clock and realised she had spent over an hour changing the dressings and she headed outside the room to clean up her hands and throw away the used ones. Then she brought Jane a glass of water along with each pill she was supposed to take. Just before she entered the bedroom she held up her open palm and picked out the offending post exposure medication, angrily tossing it inside the waste basket when she entered. Jane raised questioning eyebrows at her but didn't comment on it.

''You know.'' She said instead. ''I can do this myself.'' She waved towards the pills and Maura nodded.

''I know you can. I just thought I'd bring them for you.''

''You're going to spoil me, Doctor Isles.'' Jane smiled, before accepting the medication. ''Thank you.''

''Thank you, Jane.''

They stared at each other, hating the way a wedge of confusion had been driven between them. Then Jane patted the mattress next to her.

''You promised.'' She said and Maura shook her head.

''I didn't promise, I said maybe...'' She muttered, unsure of being so close to Jane now that the haziness of sleep wasn't clouding their senses.

''Get your ass over here Maura...'' Jane whined, rolling her eyes dramatically and Maura's protests were magically gone. Instead she carefully climbed up the bed and Jane opened her arms, allowing the doctor to settle against her body. She knew Maura's touch was intentionally gentle in order to not cause her any added pain and she was grateful. She felt intoxicated by the sweet smell of Maura's hair, the height difference causing her face to be directly over the doctors head. She leaned in closer, resting her chin on the Doctors head, before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Maura's voice was small when she spoke. ''Jane?''

''Is this not okay?'' Jane asked, her hand traveling down the small of the Doctors back.

''Not that.'' Maura paused. ''You said you loved me.''

Jane's words were tantalizingly deep and raspy. ''I do.''

''When I was...When they had given me that drug, you said you loved me.''

''I do.'' Jane repeated. ''I love you more than anything in the world.''

They remained silent until Maura's voice came again.

''When did you know?'' She sounded scared, unsure, and Jane hated that.

''When did I know what?'' She asked.

''When did you know that you loved me?''

The taller woman pressed Maura's body against hers, wishing to be able to protect her from this pain. She would hear the insanity worm wiggle around inside Maura's beautiful mind and she wanted that parasite gone.

''I knew I loved you...when I got you that stupid book about growing tea in your back garden for your birthday.'' Jane laughed. ''And you cried so much I had no idea what to do other than hug you. And then you cried some more. I never found out why but something told me to hold you and never let you go that day.''

Maura looked up to her and she was smiling. ''You were the first person to ever acknowledge me. To take the time and do something so nice and considerate.'' She snuggled closer to Jane's chest and sighed. ''Every time Constance wanted to get me a present she would just transfer a sum to an account she had on my name.''

''That sucks...'' Jane sighed.

''And then there was you...'' Maura continued. ''And I had no idea you ever listened to me when I said how much I loved tea and gardening, I mean nobody else did so why would you? And you took all of this time to get me this book and cook dinner for me and pick up my favourite wine, which must have costed at least three times what the book did and I was just...'' She gently traced the outline of Jane's jaw with her finger. ''Speechless.''

Jane chuckled, shaking her head before closing her eyes to savour every minute of Maura's touch. ''Maur?'' She asked.

''Yes?''

''When did you know? That you loved me?''

Maura's fingers left, trailing lower to Jane's neck and letting her index dip into the jugular notch. ''Hmm...'' She mumbled. ''Remember when Hoyt died?''

She immediately felt Jane tense to the mention of the man who had both caused them so much pain. ''Yeah.''

''That week, when I came back home I couldn't sleep. It went on for days and I was just so terrified every night. Remember I called you once and you stayed over?''

''Yes.''

''That night you walked inside this bedroom and you opened every closet, secured every window, even checked under my bed, to prove to me that I was safe.'' She didn't look up at Jane as she brushed her thumb over her colarbone. ''You made me feel safe and you never, not even once made me feel foolish for being afraid. My own mother has never done that yet you even tucked me in bed. That night I finally slept.'' She finally brought her eyes to look at the Detective who was listening attentively. ''When I woke up.'' Maura said. ''I knew I was in love with you, Jane.''

Jane reached, gathering Maura's hands in her own. ''You were thinking of him.'' She said. ''When Amaro asked you whom you hate the most you were thinking of him.'' She didn't say the name out loud, it wasn't necessary as she leaned to kiss the thin white scar Hoyt's scalpel had left on Maura's perfect neck.

''I hate him.'' Maura said, shivering as Jane's lips found the spot where her jaw and ear met.

''I don't.'' The Detective pulled away to smile at her.

''How can you not?'' The Doctor asked, grinding her teeth. ''That vile man terrorized you for years.''

''He is what brought us together.'' Jane cupped Maura's cheeks. ''When he had his hands on you I knew I could never let him hurt you. I knew I would kill him.'' She run her fingers through the honey blond hair. ''He thought he would hurt us, let the fear drive us apart, like Amaro did. But they both failed.'' She slowly pulled Maura's shirt over her head. ''They have only managed to bring us closer together, make us realise what we have to lose.'' She rose to her knees as Maura laid down on her back. ''I don't hate them, Maur, I pity them.''

''I became like him...'' The Doctor whispered. ''I became just like Hoyt, just like he had said I would.'' Her eyes shone with unshed tears. Slowly Jane brought her body closer to hers and at first Maura was scared the touch would be rough, a form of retaliation for the abuse the Detective had suffered in her hands but soon she realised that wasn't the case.

''You're nothing like him.'' Jane whispered in her ear. ''You're the only beautiful thing in my world.'' Maura felt calloused fingers run over her exposed stomach. ''In the end of the day Hoyt is dead and Amaro will spend the rest of his life in jail when Frost and Korsak get them, and they will, trust me. They have nothing, but I...'' She let her hands rest on Maura's chest. ''I am the happiest woman in the world, because I have you, Maura Isles.''

THE END

Um, so this is the end, don't kill me. I think its appropriate to let out two ladies enjoy life. I wanna thank all of you who followed this story, read/reviewed. It meant a lot to me and it always hurts a writer to finish a story but I already have another story line in mind, something out of the fantasy genre which I cant wait to type out. Please review and let me know what you think of this conclusion, love ya'll
LK