Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Rizzoli and Isles, I'm merely borrowing them for a fan fiction idea that just wouldn't go away. Hope you guys like it - please read and review.

"Please don't let him die, Maura. Please."

Doctor Maura Isles would never forget the desperation in those words. Desperation she had never heard before in the voice of her best friend and colleague, Detective Jane Rizzoli - not even when her own life was in danger at the hands of Charles Hoyt - desperation she had never seen in the eyes of another human being.

"You're the only one that can save him."

Maura closed her eyes and a shudder went through her body as she tried to pin the broach onto her black jacket. She hadn't noticed it, but one look in the mirror showed just how hard her hands were shaking. Nervousness - something of which she never exhibited any signs - had suddenly overtaken her. She tried to steady herself with a long, deep breath which she slowly exhaled.

Failure. It was something Maura Isles was very unfamiliar with and hadn't known until Jane's brother, Frankie, died on the operating table in the hospital. Her efforts to save him had been futile. Sure, they'd been able to transport him to the hospital, but by then, it had been too long and the measures Maura took on the autopsy table sustained him just long enough for the hospital staff to get him to surgery. If only they could have gotten him there sooner.

Maura felt the tears coming again and she went to quickly dab them away. She needed to be strong today. Frankie's viewing was today, having been pushed back a few days from the normal timeframe to allow his sister time to heal from her self-inflicted gunshot wound which had stopped a cold-blooded cop killer. The shot went through the fleshy part of her side and came out of the back of Bobby Marino, the dirty cop holding her hostage.

Luckily, the bullet has missed any major organs in Jane's body, but she ended up staying in the hospital for a week before being released on Sunday, two days ago. Maura thought back to when Jane finally came to in the hospital.

"Maura," Jane croaked, her eyes trying desperately to focus. All the drugs they had given her were still having their effect but Maura could see the question in her eyes. "Frankie?"

She took the felled detective's hand in her own and let out a barely audible sigh, the lump forming in her throat greatly affecting her ability to speak. "Jane, I'm so sorry."

Although Jane was in a weakened state, Maura felt her squeeze her hand in an almost vice-like grip. "No, Maura, please. No. NO! NO! NO!" Jane screamed, thrashing about trying to remove tubes and wires.

Maura moved to hold her, trying to just get her to calm down and stop her from hurting herself. She was unable to do it on her own and had to verbally flag a nurse and orderly and it killed her to watch as they restrained Jane's arms with padded cuffs.

"Jane, Honey, this is for your own good, so you don't hurt yourself," Maura said, gently stroking her hair.

"I DON'T CARE IF I HURT MYSELF! GET ME OUT OF THESE THINGS! I WANT FRANKIE, MAURA ... I JUST WANT FRANKIE! HE CAN'T BE DEAD! HE'S NOT, MAURA, HE'S NOT. PLEASE..PLEASE!"

Jane's tears then came down in a torrent and Maura leaned down to hold her as best she could. From behind her, she heard unbridled sobbing and turned quickly to see Jane's parents, Frank and Angela Rizzoli, in the doorway.

"Janie. Oh God, Janie," her mother said, rushing over to take Jane in her arms. Maura slowly backed away.

"Why is she being restrained?" Frank asked, moving to take the padded cuffs off of his daughter's arms.

"Mr. Rizzoli, she was trying to pull out her tubes and wires. This is a precaution so she doesn't hurt herself," Maura said, softly.

Frank lowered his head and then nodded at Maura to let her know he understood.

"I'm so sorry about Frankie," Maura said, gently touching Angela's shoulder. "I did everything I could possibly do until they could get him here."

Angela didn't move from Jane, but she reached one hand back to place it over Maura's hand, currently resting on her shoulder. "I know you did, Doctor Isles. Thank you. And thank you for being here with Jane."

Jane was still hysterically shaking and sobbing in her mother's arms and Maura felt as if she were intruding on this very personal family moment. "Mr. Rizzoli, if you need anything at all, please, please call me. I will come back up tomorrow to see Jane."

"Thank you, Doctor Isles."

"Please, it's Maura," she said, cautiously approaching Jane's bedside. She moved to the side of Angela and gently placed a kiss on top of Jane's head. Not knowing what else to say, she slowly backed away and left the room, turning once more in the doorway to look - and what she saw, a family broken by tragedy - shattered her heart.

Maura looked at the clock and realized the viewing was to start in an hour. She was nervous. Saturday, her last day at the hospital visiting Jane hadn't gone well. Truth be told, from the minute Maura had uttered the words `I'm so sorry' nothing regarding Jane had gone well. Maura went up to visit daily and barely received an acknowledgement from Jane. Vince Korsak and Barry Frost always warmly greeted her but Jane, who she had just heard talking to Korsak and Frost before she walked into the room, would suddenly turn inward. Saturday, however, it had all come to a head.

"Bye, Janie," Maura could hear Korsak saying to Jane as she spotted him leaning over her beside to kiss her forehead.

"Thanks for coming, Vince. I'm being released tomorrow and the viewing and funeral are Tuesday and Wednesday, " Jane said. Maura could hear how morose her tone was and it absolutely broke her heart.

Maura waited outside the doorway, out of Jane's sight. Korsak turned out of the door and almost ran into her.

"Hey Doc," he said, hugging her. She wasn't used to the show of affection from Vince and Barry, but since this whole thing had happened, every time they'd seen one another, a hug was involved. She returned his embrace.

"How is she today, Vince?"

He motioned with his head to step further away from the door of Jane's room. "I think she's doing better. I think she's coming to terms with what's happened but I'm not completely sure it's totally sunk in yet. Although Janie pretends they drive her crazy, her family is everything to her. She is understandably heartbroken and of course feels responsible for Frankie's death. As you can understand Doc, she's not in a good place right now. So anything she may say, you need to know where it's coming from."

"Why does it sound like you are preparing me for something?"

He sighed, rubbing his neck.

"Because, I am. If you walk in there today, Doc, you'll be walking into a landmine."

"What do you mean?" Maura asked, confused.

Korsak sighed again and looked up at the ceiling. She could tell he was weighing whether or not to say what he had to say. "Doc, maybe you should just give her some time."

Maura's patience was quickly waning. "Out with it, Korsak."

He rested his hand lightly on her upper arm. "She's blaming you for Frankie dying," he said softly.

Thankfully, there were chairs right where they were standing in the hallway because Maura's legs began to fail her and Korsak had to act quick to make sure she made it to one of the chairs.

"You know it's not rational, Doc, and deep down she knows you aren't responsible for what happened - that you did the best you could," Korsak said, taking the seat next to her and gently holding her hand.

Maura was unable to speak. But everything made sense now - the lack of acknowledgement, the way Jane would barely look at her when she entered her room, the fact that she hadn't spoken to her since she had screamed at her Monday, the day she came to - it all made sense.

"But, I, I, I did everything I could, Vince. I can't - " she started but then her emotions took over. The tears started falling and before she knew it, Korsak had her wrapped in his arms in a gentle hug.

"I know you did, Maura. Jane knows it too. You have to remember that it's just where she is right now."

She shook her head, agreeing with him. She pulled a tissue from her purse to try to pull herself together.

"I'm going in there, Vince. Thank you for the up heads on this," she said, standing up.

Korsak managed a small smile. "That's heads up, Doc." She smiled warmly, touched his hand and headed into Jane's room, stopping right at the door and taking a deep breath to steel herself.

"Jane, how are you feeling today?" Maura asked, taking the seat right by Jane's bed. She placed her hand on Jane's shoulder and felt the brunette stiffen and tense under her touch. She quickly removed her hand.

Jane flashed a quick glance at Maura before giving a cursory reply. "Better."

After sitting in silence for over ten minutes while Jane flipped the television channels, Maura finally spoke.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to me?"

"No."

"Jane...?"

"What? I said no."

"You're lying."

She could see Jane weighing whether or not to say it. "You know what, Isles, yes. Yes, I have something to say. I'd like you to get the fuck out of my room. Right now," she said, biting out each word.

Maura was stunned speechless. "Jane, I, I, but why?" She meant for the words to come out with more authority but they ended up coming out sounding like a huddled, scared child spoke them.

"I needed you to do ONE thing for me. One FUCKING thing ... SAVE MY BROTHER. And you didn't."

"Jane, I couldn't. I tried, I tried everything I could with what I had available," Maura said, trying to reason with her.

She watched Jane consider this for a moment.

"Just get out of here. Okay? Just leave. I don't want you here."

Maura felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart, but, as per Jane's request, she silently got up and walked out, not giving Jane Rizzoli the satisfaction of seeing her tears stream down her face.

The blaring of the car horns pulled Maura back from her thoughts and she turned into the funeral home parking lot. One more deep breath and she decided she was as ready as she was ever going to be to walk in and face Jane - and the cold, hard truth that Frankie was dead.