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Jane was running through the hospital’s corridors under the disapproving looks of the staff and the outraged exclamations of the people she was unintentionally jostling. She threw apologies above her shoulder. She didn’t have the time to stop and apologize properly. Maura needed her, and she needed her now according to the phone call Jane had gotten from her Ma earlier. She had wasted no time and jumped in her cruiser and driven at full speed until she reached the hospital. She certainly would get a ticket for the way she was parked but it didn’t matter. She was in too much of a hurry to care about parking rules and the fine that she would get.
Maura had been unwell those past few days. She had started her maternity leave the previous month and was pacing around, bored. She was supposed to rest and not do much, but she just couldn’t stay still. Jane had taken a few weeks off to stay with her and take care of her for the final push of her pregnancy. Maura was anxious. She was going through important phases of doubts several times a day, and Jane couldn’t blame her. Maura hadn’t exactly had a great childhood. She had missed out a lot and she thought it would be a handicap for her. But she wasn’t alone. She would never be alone. It was a promise Jane had made to her the day they got married. Maura would never feel loneliness and indifference ever again. This baby was another step in the life she had dreamt about as a little girl, and they were having it together.
Jane wasn’t supposed to work today as she was on leave, but the boys were overwhelmed, and she had been called to help them on a big case. She, Jane Rizzoli, a workaholic, had been reluctant to go but Maura found the words to convince her. She was studying the file when her Ma had called to tell her that she was driving Maura to the hospital. She had been complaining about different aches and pains lately, but nothing too unusual for an eight-month pregnant woman. Maura being Maura, she had read everything on the matter but the difference between what was written in the books and what she was feeling was huge. Jane was thankful for her mother for once. With the three children she had, she was able to comfort Maura and on everything Jane couldn’t understand because she hadn’t felt it herself. Not yet.
Her Ma didn’t need much to worry about them. She had considered Maura as a part of the family from the first time she came to a Rizzoli Sunday dinner. She was the first one to have noticed the growing feelings between Jane and her best friend, and the one to have opened Jane’s eyes on said feelings. Her ability to stick her nose in her daughter’s business had been a blessing this time. It hadn’t been easy for Jane at first. Well, loving Maura was easy. But getting to adjust to the idea that she wasn’t straight wasn’t. She had been raised as a devout Catholic, had always been told that homosexuality was a sin and suddenly, she had to accept that she was different and that it wasn’t a bad thing. If she hadn’t had the support of her mother, brothers and partners, it would have been much harder to come out. It still took some time for her to come to terms with this change in her life.
And now, she was married to the most beautiful and intelligent woman this Earth had ever seen, and they were about to have their first child together. They had thought about adoption at first, but after a long talk, Maura had admitted that she wanted to carry their baby. They had gone through a long and complicated process of an IVF. They had taken Jane’s eggs, had them impregnated by the donor they chose and implanted the resulting embryo in Maura’s womb. It hadn’t worked the first two times they tried, but the third was a success. Even if Maura was thinking the contrary, pregnancy suited her well. Jane made sure to remind her every day how beautiful she was, how much she loved her and how she was gonna be a great mother despite her past. She would be a natural, and she wouldn’t be alone.
Jane came to a stop at the maternity unit’s reception desk and had to wait until she could catch her breath to speak to the nurse in charge. She gave her an apologetic smile for the way she was bursting in in the service and showed her badge to identify herself.
“I’m Jane Rizzoli-Isles. I’m here for my partner, Maura Isles-Rizzoli. My Ma drove her here an hour ago.”
“Let me check.”
The nurse typed a few words on the computer, looking for Maura’s name in the system to be able to redirect Jane toward the room her partner was in. A midwife showed up at the same time. Her face wore a serious expression. Jane had seen this expression a couple times on nurses in this ward and it never was anything good.
“As soon as Jane Rizzoli-Isles shows up, call me. Her wife’s labour started, and she’s panicked.”
“That’s me! I’m here.”
Jane shoved her badge in the midwife’s face. She glanced at it and asked her to follow her. They stopped by a bathroom. She was given pink scrubs that she quickly pulled on. She was growing impatient now. She wondered what had happened for labour to begin. Maura was in her eighth month. Everything was going well. Except for the fact she had been unwell lately.
They came into a room buzzing with activity. Several nurses were in (but not her Ma strangely, she must have been sent away for fussing over Maura) but Jane didn’t notice them. She only saw Maura and her panicked expression. She rushed to her side and took her hand. She was hooked to several machines that were monitoring hers and the baby’s vital signs. Maura’s heart rate was too high. Jane cupped her cheek and squeezed her hand fort her to focus on her and her only.
“It’s too soon, Jane,” Maura cried. “I’m not in the 37 th week yet. The baby…”
“Hey, hey. Shh. It’s gonna be fine.”
“Premature babies are more likely to develop health issues because they haven’t finished their development. The maturity of the central nervous system, of the lungs, of the digestive system, of–”
“It’s not your fault, honey, okay? You’re carrying a Rizzoli. We’re not known to be patient.”
“But–”
“Whatever happens, we’ll face it together, okay? This is our baby. They’ll be strong, even if they are born too early.”
“Thank you.”
“Anytime, honey. Now let’s do this, alright?
Maura nodded. She was still scared, but she wasn’t alone. Jane was with her and she wouldn’t leave her side. Not even for a pee or a coffee. She stood still, and held her hand, encouraged her and helped her through the pain of the contractions. They breathed together, pushed together, cried together, and when Maura was too tired to keep going, Jane was comforting her, and sharing her faith in her.
They did this for hours, until the baby was out with a feeble cry. Jane got to cut the umbilical cord. The nurses took them away immediately to take care of them and placed them in an incubator. The doctors would place them under close medical watch until the baby was strong enough to be out of their box and ready to properly meet their parents.
Jane kissed the top of her wife’s head. Her hand hurt from all the squeezing Maura had done to it but she was fine with it. It was for a good reason this time. They were both crying of happiness. They couldn’t see their baby just yet, but they had done it. They had brought a little life to this world together. They were a family.
“I did good, right?”
Her voice was just a hoarse whisper from all the yelling but Jane heard it nonetheless. Maura needed to be reassured. She needed someone to tell her that she hadn’t messed up, and that she could be proud of herself for what she had accomplished.
“Yes, sweetheart. You did good. You were brilliant.”
“I love you.”
“Not as much as I do love you.”
“Jane?”
“Hm?”
“That shade of pink really doesn’t suit you.”
Jane laughed. Only Maura would notice such a detail after enduring hours of excruciating pain. She kissed her lips tenderly, stroked her hair. A nurse had stayed around to watch over Maura before she was taken to a room to rest and recover. And after that, they would meet their baby, together.