Jane Rizzoli
"Jane?"says Maura, voice a few octaves higher than usual. "Is it another contraction?"
I gritted my teeth and grunted, "Yes but it's almost over."
"When was the last time you had one?"
"When you were up here earlier. After I threw up."
"Are you sure? We could go to the hospital."
"Of course I'm sure. I know a contraction when I feel one. I think your, um, news brought it on. I was really hoping for some quiet time alone for awhile."
"Your mother called and wanted to have one more dinner before the baby. How could I tell her no?"
"Repeat after me...NO!"
She laughs.
"Come on. Take me home. I'm hoping to get a nap in before I have to deal with my family."
"We could cancel and head to the hospital."
"No. My contractions are every hour and a half to two hours apart. You know they'll just send me home and tell me to come back when they're closer together. Let's just get through this dinner and see how things are then, okay?"
"Okay."
"Oh, one other thing...please don't tell my mother about the contractions. That's all I need."
Maura grinned because she knew how Angela could get.
"Agreed,"she says as she walked me out the front door of BPD.
"Wow!" I screeched as I tried yet failed to pull my coat tighter around my waist. "It's really gotten cold since we came in. Looks like it could snow."
Maura gazed around at the gray clouds and said,"I think you might be right. It has gotten colder."
She shivered as she pressed the unlock button on her key chain opening the passengers door to help me inside.
The drive home was uneventful and Maura busied herself tidying up her already spotless home while I crashed and in record time began snoring on the couch.
Out of nowhere a loud crash was sounded.
Maura running downstairs calling out my name.
"Jane! Are you al...oh, Angela."
"What the hell, Ma? You scared the crap out of me."
"What happened?" asked Maura as she made her way over.
"I dropped the casserole dish and it busted,"she says. "I was trying to be quiet, especially when I saw Janie asleep on the couch, but..."
Maura leaned close and whispered "Is everything still good?"
"Yeah, even the baby knows to hide out from Ma."
We both giggled.
"What are you two laughing about?" Ma asks as she swept up the mess in the kitchen.
"Oh nothing just how all I get done anymore is pee. Speaking of that, could you help me up, Maura. I've got to go again."
Soon my family arrived and as we were sitting down to eat I had another contraction, but Maura save my life distracting Ma by asking her what she put in her red sauce.
After they left I thanked her crawling into her bed. She was letting me crash at her place until the baby arrives.
"You know I always have your back,"she smiles.
