Lifting herself delicately from the worm material, she crossed to the hall closet where she had stored Jane’s gift the previous evening. He fingers shook slowly as she reached for the deep blue covered box. ‘What if Jane didn’t like it?’ It was a thought that had consumed her for almost three weeks. She’d had lengthy discussions with Angela and Frankie about what the best gift for Jane would be but neither had been very forthcoming. In the end, she’d had to rely on her own instinct and it was that that made her nervous now.

“If you don’t like it, you can change it.” She called from the hall. “In fact, I’ll just take it back now and save you the journey.” She pulled the box from the cupboard and headed towards the door, pulling her coat from the stand by the door.

“Erm, Maur….” Jane looked up, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Maura turned smartly, pausing to see what Jane had to say.

“Can I see it?” The deep brown eyes that met hers made Maura feel both safe and a little foolish. Of course Jane would like the gift, and even if she didn’t she would say that she did. It was a quality that Maura loved about her.

The staccato beat of her heels across the hardwood made Jane recoil involuntarily. It was like gunfire in her already delicate brain but she smiled regardless.

Maura always did this. She panicked about buying gifts for people, hoping they would like it and terrified they wouldn’t. Jane had watched as Maura had given a gift to an old friend; she’d eagerly opened the parcel and Maura’s usually bright expression had fallen when the friend had glared at her, throwing the parcel back into the doctors lap. Maura had left the room, silently, with the heartbreak of another rejection stretched painfully across her face. They’d never spoken of the incident and yet Jane promised herself that she would never be the cause of that look.

“Happy birthday.” Maura extended the box towards her, her face beaming with a brilliant smile but the tremor in her voice undermining it.

Jane grinned as she tore into the parcel. Normally Maura would be reminding her to save the paper, or telling her about the ribbon but she remained stoic, the anticipation filling the room with tension.