New Beginnings (Rizzoli and Isles)

Chapter 2

Jane's POV

I looked down at Maura, who had her head resting in my lap. She was stretched out on the couch. She had her hair down and it curled slightly at the bottom. She wasn't wearing make up, so I saw every freckle across the bridge of her nose. It's times like these when she's the most beautiful. I love watching her sleep.

Zoey wore her out today. They went out to lunch with Constance, went to the park, the air and space museum, then went to get ice cream. On top of that, Maura has had a horrible cold the past three days and it doesn't seem like it's getting any better.

She shifted and her eyes opened.

"Hi." She mumbled.

"Hello, sleeping beauty."

Maura sat up.

"Jane?"

"Yes, sweetheart?" I answered.

"Will you make chicken noodle soup for me?"

I laughed and leaned over to kiss her, but she turned her head.

"Maur..."

"I'm sick, Jane. I don't want to make you sick too."

"Oh, baby." I chuckled. "I think if I were going to get sick I would've already gotten it. You cough and sneeze on me all night long."

Maura looked at me sadly.

"Oh, you look miserable."

"I feel miserable." She replied.

I picked her up off the couch.

"What are you doing?" Maura asked with a giggle.

"I'm taking you upstairs. You're going to stay up here in bed while I make your soup."

Maura sighed.

"You know, Jane. I really need to boost my immune system..." She started. "...Sex is good for that..."

I smiled.

"Maybe after your soup!"

As I walked down the steps, I heard Maura mumble.

"It got increasingly harder to get her into bed with me."

After I finished making the soup, I put some in a bowl and carried it upstairs.

"Chicken noodle soup." I said as I walked into the room.

Maura was curled up on her side clutching the blankets. She was shivering, but she had beads of sweat on her forehead.

"Maura...hey, wake up, love. Are you okay?"

Maura sat up slowly.

"Yes, I'm fine. May I have my soup?" She asked, reaching toward the bowl.

"Well, I don't know...May I have a kiss?"

"Jane, I offered my whole body to you twenty minutes ago."

I handed her the bowl.

"You have to eat first." I said. "Did you eat anything at lunch? I know you didn't eat breakfast."

Maura shook her head.

"I didn't want to ruin the day for Zoey. She was very much looking forward to going to The Air and Space museum and I didn't want throw up all over the place."

"So you haven't eaten anything? All day long? You can't do that Maura."

"I know." she said, taking a bite of her soup. "You are so good to me."

I smiled.

"You really are, Jane."

"I'm really glad you think so, because we're going away next month. I wanted to know if you wanted to make it a family trip, or just the two of us?"

"It depends on where we're going?" Maura said with a smile.

"Dominican Republic." I said, looking down. "You wanted to take a trip to Punta Cana, before, you know, life got in the way, but instead of Punta Cana I was thinking that maybe we could go to Carbarete. Maybe Em and Scott can join us? Sofia already said she'd watch Zoey."

"Jane, how on earth are you paying for this trip?" Maura asked.

I looked at her in shock.

"Do you know how much you paid me every month in alimony?"

Maura shook her head.

"No. I just told the judge to decide how much you should get and that I'd have my legal team send it to you every month."

I sat down on the bed and took the almost empty soup bowl from her hands.

I pulled her close to me. Her head was rested on my chest and her right hand was in my left. I rested my chin on the top of her head before I spoke.

"The judge decided that, under the circumstances, I'd be granted an alimony check for 50,000 dollars every month."

"Holy shit!" Maura said, as she jumped back away from me. "I paid you 50,000 dollars every month?!"

"Yeah! For awhile, I just put it in the bank. Then, I used it to pay off all my debt. Then, I bought a beach house in Hawaii."

"You have a beach house in Hawaii?"

"We have a beach house in Hawaii." I corrected. "A beach house in Hawaii is no big deal, compared to the three homes you own in Europe."

She nodded.

"Then you bought this house?"

"Yes, I did."

"You don't owe anything on it?"

"I do not. I have no mortgage. What I do have, though, is 357,000 dollars to spend in the Dominican Republic."

I smiled.

Maura smiled back.

"Well, I suppose we should call Emily and Scott then, shouldn't we?"