Maura Isles sat on her sofa and sighed heavily. The past month had been the hardest of her life; so much upheaval, chaos and pain. This was the first time she’d really been able to relax without the newfound anxiety of a Rizzoli bursting in and spinning her life around.

Just five weeks ago, Maura had welcomed that chaos in her life. Their constant coming and going had felt like family. It had been her family.

Then Jane had shot Patrick Doyle, her father, and everything had changed, she had changed. She’d spent every minute at the hospital, hoping he would wake up. It was for selfish reasons that she prayed for his survival. She was just learning who she was, where she’d come from and she’d wanted to share that with her ’family’. But her family, Jane, had taken it all away, destroying her chance at discovering who her biological mother was.

Patrick had fought hard, as Maura knew he would but his wounds were severe, the damage caused by the bullet, too great. When the infection set in, Maura knew he would not survive. His body too weak to fight another foe. Still she sat at his bedside, holding his large, calloused hand and hope and prayed he could do the impossible and pull through.

Maura had been returning from the bathroom when she was practically mauled by a desperate Jane. Despite herself, Maura’s heart leapt at the sight of her friend. ”I’m sorry too.” She remembered saying those foolish words. Foolish for Jane was not sorry for her actions, nor had she come to comfort her friend. Jane’s desperation came from the desire to ’save her own ass’. It had infuriated Maura beyond reason and she’d pushed Jane’s pleas away coldly. By the time she’d returned to Paddy’s room almost an hour later, he had succumbed to the mass infection that ravaged his body.

Maura had been furious. Jane had created this situation and then stolen her chance to say goodbye to her father. Cause and effect. Jane was the cause but felt none of the effect. Of course she was, she’d been the cause of every one of Maura’s truest and deepest emotions since the day she burst into her life.