Here's the next chapter. Trigger warning for mention of sexual assault. I hope you all enjoy. Thanks for sticking with me on this. I apologize for any errors. I'm tired :)

"We found her Maura. She's alive. They're taking her to Mass Gen. You…uh, you should come."

Korsak's words echoed in Maura's head as she sped through the dark city streets on her way toward the hospital. Tears were burning in her eyes, but Maura didn't bother wiping them away. She gripped tightly to the steering wheel and tried not to imagine every possible horrendous injury that Jane could have suffered at the hands of Charles Hoyt. Maura blew through another red light as a wave of anger came over her. How could Jane have been so stupid and careless to have gone after a serial killer on her own?

In the minutes since the phone call from Korsak, Maura had found herself alternating between sheer panic, anger, and a sense of relief that Jane had been found alive. So many questions were swimming around in her head, but Maura honestly just wanted to know if Jane was okay. All she knew was that Jane was alive.

Maura pulled up in front of Mass General and barely put the car in park before throwing open her door and jumping out of the car. She slammed the door shut again and didn't bother locking it as she jogged toward the emergency room entrance. She didn't even know what time it was, so she quickly pulled out her phone to check. 1:37am. Maura cursed under her breath as the automatic doors took too long to open. They finally opened a few seconds later and she immediately passed through them and into the ER waiting room.

Maura took a few seconds and glanced around, hopeful that Korsak was waiting to bring her back to Jane. When she didn't immediately see him, Maura turned and headed to the information desk, hoping that the clerk there could tell her where Jane was.

"Excuse me," Maura said breathlessly, "I'm looking for my wife. Her name is Jane. Jane Rizzoli."

The clerk, a college-aged girl who clearly did not want to be working the overnight shift, pulled one of the ear buds from her ear and looked up at Maura with a look of disinterest. "Um, what?"

Maura rolled her eyes. "My wife Jane Rizzoli was brought here and I would like to see her."

The clerk snapped her gum obnoxiously and turned her focus back to her cell phone. "Okay…let me call the nurse's desk…just give me a sec." The girl made no immediate movement to pick up the phone.

Maura almost roared in frustration. She fumbled around in her purse until she found her ID badge and held it up in front of the girl with a shaky hand. "My name is Doctor Maura Isles-Rizzoli and I am the Assistant Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You have exactly five seconds to get on the phone with the nurse's station and tell me where the hell my wife is, before I…"

"Maura?"

Maura's rant was cut off by Vince Korsak's voice. She whipped her head around and found the older detective standing by a set of double doors leading into the emergency room. She ran a shaky hand through her hair and jogged over to where he was. The detective immediately pulled Maura in for a hug, an action that Maura greatly appreciated. Maura allowed herself a few seconds of comfort as she tried to calm her rapid heartbeat.

"How is she?" Maura pulled back from the embrace and studied the grim look on Korsak's face.

Korsak didn't immediately answer. He wrapped his arm around Maura's shoulders and led her down the hall towards the emergency room.

"How is she Vince?" Maura's voice was more panicked as she asked her question again. "Please…just tell me."

Korsak stopped walking outside one of the trauma rooms. He took both of Maura's hands in his and looked her straight in the eyes.

"She's in pretty bad shape, Maura." He said quietly. "I got there just in time." Korsak swallowed before continuing. "Hoyt had pinned her to the floor with scalpels through each hand." The color drained from Korsak's face as he pictured the gruesome scene in his head. "Look, Maura, I don't know all of the details, but the doctors are working on her right now. They should have an update for you in the next few minutes."

Maura could taste the bile rising in the back of her throat. She was in an utter state of disbelief as she listened to Korsak describe what had happened to her wife. A couple of nurses jogged past them and into the trauma room with arms full of supplies. Maura desperately wanted to follow them in and be with her wife, but she honestly didn't think she was prepared for it. Tears started to flow down her cheeks and she wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"Why did this happen Vince? Why did she go without backup?" Maura sobbed quietly. "I just…why?"

The older detective took the blonde woman in his arms once again. He was extremely shaken up by what had happened to Jane, but knew that this must be terrifying for Maura. He held her for several minutes as she cried against his shirt. Truthfully, he was feeling a lot of guilt about the incident. Jane was his partner, and he should have been there with her. If he hadn't been so worried about catching up on sleep, he could have gone with her to bring Hoyt into custody. Korsak swallowed thickly around the lump that had formed in his throat and gave Maura a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm here for you Maura. Jane's my partner, and I'm not leaving."

They stayed there for a few more minutes, with Maura crying softly as they waited for an update on Jane. After what felt like an eternity, a man in scrubs exited the trauma room and looked around the emergency room. He nodded to Korsak in recognition, and made his way over to them.

"Is this the wife?" The doctor nodded toward Maura.

Maura wiped the tears from her eyes again and tried to put on a brave face. She recognized the doctor from her residency. "Yes, I'm Jane Rizzoli's wife."

The doctor extended his hand for Maura to shake. "Doctor Paul Remanski. I'm the attending trauma surgeon on call tonight. I'd like to discuss your wife's injuries. Let's go talk somewhere more private."

Maura nodded and allowed Korsak to lead her as they followed the surgeon down the hall to an empty treatment room. Dr. Remanski gestured to a couple of chairs in the corner of the room, and then leaned himself up against the empty gurney in the center of the room. He crossed his arms and looked at Maura with a grim expression of his face.

"I understand you're a doctor?"

Maura nodded again. "Y-yes. I'm a medical examiner."

Dr. Remanski contemplated this for a couple seconds, and then nodded in apparent satisfaction. "Can I be frank about your wife's condition?"

Maura could see Korsak turning pale beside her. She cleared her throat and braced herself for the worst possible scenario. "Yes….I'd appreciate that."

Dr. Remanski unfolded his arms and began. "As you may know, your wife came in to our ER with traumatic injuries to both hands. It seems as though her captor had pinned her to the ground with surgical scalpels through the center of each hand. Your wife also sustained a severe concussion from a blow to the back of her head. CT scans came back clear, but we are watching for signs of swelling or blood in the brain. CT scans of her abdomen and pelvis were also clear, indicating no internal bleeding or injuries."

Dr. Remanski paused to let Maura absorb the information. When he started speaking again, he had a softer expression on his face. "Your wife was likely unconscious for several hours. Due to the…tendencies…of the suspect, which Detective Korsak informed me of, we did perform a sexual assault examination."

Bile rose in Maura's throat once again as she struggled to process what the doctor had just told her. Her hands were shaky as she brought them up to cover her face. Maura could feel Korsak's hand on her shoulder as she took a few breaths and tried to keep the tears at bay.

"I know this is difficult to hear." Dr. Remanski said quietly. "The preliminary examination did not reveal obvious signs of sexual assault, but we will of course let you know the results of the rape kit."

Maura took in a few shaky breaths and took her hands away from her face. She refocused her gaze on the surgeon in front of her. "So…what is your treatment plan? When can I see her?"

"Right now we are mostly concerned about her hands. With the type of penetrating injury she sustained, there were several tendons, nerves, and blood vessels that were involved. We have a hand surgeon taking a look at her right now, and it's highly likely that she will be taken into surgery within the next hour or so to try and repair the damage. She's currently sedated. She was in quite a bit of pain when she was brought in, and we figured with the emotional and physical trauma she went through, sedation would be the best course of action." Dr. Remanski readjusted the stethoscope around his neck and tucked his hands back into the pockets of his lab coat. "The hand surgeon should be just about done examining her. If you would like to see her for a few minutes before we take her to the operating room, I think that would be fine."

Dr. Remanski walked the few steps over to where Maura was seated and crouched in front of her. "I know this is a lot to process." He took one of Maura's hands in his. "We are doing everything we can to take care of your wife. Hang in there, okay?" He gave Maura's knee a reassuring pat and straightened up. "I'll come and get you in a few minutes."

Dr. Remanski was almost out of the door when Maura was finally able to formulate a sentence.

"Will…w-will she be able to use her hands?"

Dr. Remanski paused in the doorway. When he turned around, his face was solemn.

"It's too early to tell."

A "few minutes" turned into several, and about thirty minutes later, Maura was being ushered into the trauma room to see Jane. The nurse gave her a sad smile and pulled back the curtain surrounding the gurney in the center of the room. The nurse murmured something about giving Maura some time alone, and exited the room, leaving Maura in the room by herself, with only the steady beeping of Jane's heart monitor to keep her company.

Maura choked back a sob as she got her first look at Jane.

Jane's normally gorgeous face was marred by several ugly bruises. Her lower lip was split and swollen, and there was a trail of dried blood running down her chin. Jane's lips were dry and cracked. Jane's head had lolled to the side, and Maura could see traces of blood seeping through the back of the bandage that had been wrapped around her skull. Jane's hands were covered in thick layers of bandages that went halfway up her forearms. An IV was poking out of the small area not covered by gauze on Jane's left arm, and was attached to several bags of fluid. Maura also noticed the crimson bag that was replacing the blood that Jane must have lost due to her injuries. Heart monitor wires poked out from Jane's hospital gown and were hooked up to an EKG machine by Jane's head.

Maura's tears were falling freely as she took a few tentative steps toward Jane. She kicked aside several blood-soaked lengths of gauze and moved to sit by the head of the bed. She was in a state of disbelief. Maura took a seat on the stool and went to grab Jane's hand to offer some comfort to her unconscious wife. When her fingertips touched gauze, Maura pulled her hand back with a sob.

She couldn't even hold Jane's hand.

Sobbing quietly, Maura put down the side rail of the gurney. Stretching over carefully, as to not disturb any of the wires, Maura leaned close and pressed her lips to Jane's forehead. She stayed there for several seconds, listening to the comforting steady beep of Jane's heartbeat. Her eyelids fluttered shut as she breathed in Jane's familiar scent. Maura raised a shaky hand and smoothed it gently through Jane's hair.

After a few minutes, Maura finally was able to speak. Pulling back slightly, she gently ran the back of her fingers down the line of Jane's cheekbone, watching as Jane's eyelids fluttered slightly at the feeling. She desperately wanted Jane to open her eyes and tell her that everything was going to be fine. Leaning in once again, she carefully brushed her lips against Jane's.

"I'm here Jane. I'm here. I love you so much."

It was late morning by the time Jane was out of surgery and in a room. Maura was exhausted but didn't want to leave until Jane was awake. She had called Angela with an update as soon as Jane was out of surgery, and Frankie was a constant sentry outside Jane's hospital room, refusing to go home until Jane told him herself. Maura was running on fumes, physically and emotionally exhausted to the core. She desperately wanted to go home and hug the kids, but she even more desperately wanted Jane to wake up and be okay. Maura paced back and forth next to the window, watching as people in the city went about their way several stories below. Turning from the window, Maura readjusted the sleeves of the BPD sweatshirt she was wearing. It was one of Jane's old ones, and the sleeves were a bit too long. But it smelled like Jane, and right now Maura was appreciating that small comfort.

Walking back towards the bed where Jane slept, Maura reached for the coffee that Korsak had dropped off a few hours ago when Jane was brought up from the operating room. The doctors had been hopeful that they had repaired the damage, but it was too early to tell whether the damage to the nerves in Jane's hands would be permanent or not. At least the rape kit had come back negative. Maura sipped the now-cold coffee and tried not to think about what would happen if Jane never regained full use of her hands. Jane's career would essentially be over.

Maura sank down into the plastic chair by Jane's bedside and fixed her gaze outside once again. The grey skies and ominous clouds were doing nothing to improve the gloomy atmosphere of the hospital.

Maura heard some stirring next to her and fixed her gaze back on Jane. She was surprised to see Jane's eyes open, though they were hazy from the anesthesia and heavy doses of pain medications. Jane groaned and swallowed thickly.

Maura put down her coffee on the bedside table and blinked back tears of relief. She stood and leaned over the bed so Jane could see her.

"Maur." Jane's voice was gravelly. She tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace of pain. "Ow."

Maura wiped a tear from her eye and reached down to cup Jane's cheek, suddenly at a loss for what to say. Maura settled on leaning in for a gentle kiss. Pulling back, she studied Jane's face, thankful to be looking into her favorite brown eyes once again. She smoothed her thumb over a bruise on Jane's cheekbone, Jane's eyes fluttered shut as she fought against the pull of the pain medications.

It was quiet for several moments, and Maura assumed Jane had fallen back asleep. She stroked Jane's dark hair and watched Jane's chest rise and fall.

"Did they get him?" Jane's voice startled Maura, who looked up to find her wife struggling to focus on her.

Maura felt a tear slip down her cheek and she hastily reached up to brush it away.

"Y-yeah. They got him."

Jane allowed her eyes to shut again, nodding slightly as she did. Maura watched another grimace of pain flash across Jane's face at the movement. She brushed her fingertips gently along Jane's cheek and watched the pain ease from her wife's face.

It was quiet again for several seconds, before Maura heard Jane sleepily murmur one last word.

"Good."