Maura Isles
"When's Mommy gonna be back?" Isa asked, looking at the clock on the wall.
"I told you before, when the big one goes around one more time." I sighed. "Did you finish your apple?"
Isa shook her head.
"Finish it, please. And then go put on your sweater, it's too cold to be wearing a T-shirt."
Isa's smile fell and she focused on her cut-up apple in the plastic bowl on the coffee table, slowly putting a piece in her mouth. I sighed deeply as I witnessed Isa crawling into her shell. She only took off her sweater to cover up her dolls, because they were cold. "I'm sorry, honey," I said, my voice quieter. "I'm just tired is all."
Isa nodded but didn't look at me. She put the last piece of apple in her mouth and headed towards her dolls, gently taking her pink sweater away to put it back on.
I wasn't just tired. The broken nights from work were breaking me. And now I made Isa feel bad.
I sat down on the couch, sighing deeply in relief and looked over to the young girl, watching Isa putting one of her dolls to bed. Her black curls covering her small head, pink cheeks, a small, sharp nose. She was a splitting image of Jane.
"Isa?" I whispered.
"Hm?" Isa looked up at me but quickly averted my gaze again, afraid that she did something wrong.
"I'm not mad," I said softly. "Come over for a hug?"
The gentle tone in my voice put the little girl at ease and she slowly stood up to climb up on the couch, wrapping her short arms around my neck as I pulled her into my side. "Mauri's sorry." I whispered, kissing the side of Isa's head.
Isa shrugged. "'S okay."
"Hm—" I was about to reply when my phone rang. "Oh could you grab that for me? It's on the kitchen table."
"Yes." Isa slid off the couch and hurried towards the ringing phone, running back to hand it to me. It's probably Jane calling to check up on things, again.
I furrowed my brow when I saw it was BPD and wondered why Jane didn't call from her cell. "Jane, for the last time—"
"Doc, it's Frost. Listen-..."
"Barry?" I, immediately alarmed, felt a knot tying in my stomach. "What happened?"
"We got a lead on a case, and... It's my fault, really. I didn't see the gun he had registered."
"Gun?!" My heart fell into a bottomless pit. "W-Where's Jane??"
"She went after him and got shot in the leg, but she's okay!" Frost sounded hurried, like he was walking through crowded hallways. A hospital, probably. "She's in surgery, she just lost a lot of blood. Doctor says she's gonna be fine. We're in Room 205, right wing of Mass General."
I hung up the phone without saying goodbye, unable to think clearly. Jane got shot... "Come Isa, you're going to visit Grandma for a while."
Isa shook her head. "Is Mommy hurt?"
I sighed deeply and closed my eyes,"She's going to be fine. Now go put on your coat."
"I wanna come with you."
I was already dialing Angela's number as I shook my head. "You can't honey."
Angela was happy to watch Isa while I rushed towards the hospital. I parked the car and hurried inside, following the directions Frost gave me until I realized that Jane was in surgery. I stood still in an empty hallway and rested my back against the white wall, closing my eyes until I felt a hand on my shoulder.
