Hey folks. Here is the sequel. I'm glad you all enjoyed Collision and was pleased how many off you actually liked it. I hope you all like the first chapter. But I gotta warn you. It's a little dark. As always, enjoy. Mary

Aftermath

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Jane had been home from the hospital. And oh boy it had been nothing but an ordeal. Maura hadn't pictured out the difference between a hospital and an apartment or a house. At the hospital Jane had been so confident with the wheelchair and her exercises. Now she was in Maura's, well their home, she had problems to adjust to the lift for the first floor, the smaller bathroom, the lower bed and the obstacles like kitchen counter, sofa or dining room table. And stubborn as Jane was she refused to let her help. Although they had talked about being a family and helping Jane, she still was to proud to let her help in things that she now needed to be capable off for daily life. So Jane's mood had worsened every day. Her left arm had become stronger every day but only because Jane worked herself to death.

Maura had set up a training room in the old guestroom. The bed was gone and now there were workbenches for Jane's exercises with her personal PT. It must have cost a fortune because it looked like a well equipped gym. Steve, the PT was scheduled for 3 days a week, to get Jane's muscles back. To make her fit for the wheelchair. Steve came in the morning hours and left around noon so he was around for at least ten hours a week. That hadn't stopped Jane from doing her exercises off the book. When Maura looked for Jane she always found her in her room, like she now used to call it.

Maura guessed it all started with the car ride back. Due to Jane's accident she had suffered a severe trauma which had caused a post traumatic stress disorder. When they had approached Maura's Prius Jane had started to panic and it took over half an hour to calm her down enough for the short ride back to their place. Jane even had tried to talk Frankie into walking, well wheeling back to Maura's but Maura and Frankie had talked her out of it. Angela had just stood by and for the first time since the accident noticed how broken her daughter really was.

After they had arrived at home Jane had been agitated and just wanted to lay down, alone. Maura had granted her the wish and Frankie had brought up his sister into their bedroom for Jane to lay down. She even had let him carry her up the stairs, didn't want to see how the lift works; nothing. She just wanted to be alone. The whole Rizzoli family had been worried and they knew their worry wouldn't stop so soon.

After two days at home Stephanie came by the first time to help Jane a little with her hygiene. Now that someone was there, Maura had used this opportunity to go some grocery shopping and had left both women alone. Stephanie and Jane had talked for over an hour about Jane's feelings and thoughts towards the whole situation. Stephanie understood every single thing Jane had mentioned. Had she seen it with many other patients before? When Maura had come back Jane and Stephanie most like had disappeared into the bathroom for at least another hour. The nurse had helped Jane to adjust to Maura's bathroom how to get into the tub or the shower how to clean herself out without any other help and to use the single use catheter. Stephanie had been a great help at the hospital and now she was a great help at home.

Even though Jane grew accustomed to the whole new situation she also grew more and more frustrated. She still clung to the thought of being able to walk again but every day she woke up and nothing had changed, her anger towards her own body grew stronger and bigger. Maura had noticed and almost every day tried to talk some sense into her lover but stubborn like Jane was she didn't really listen to what Maura had to say. She knew that Jane feared the worst, she did too, but they had to take baby steps.

Maura knew everything about paralysis. She knew that a jammed spinal cord could heal and the feeling could come back but she had also read that it was an independent process. Every patient had its own recovery time. Some of the reports she had read told her that Jane could be back on her feet in several weeks when the feeling came back, others told her that it could take several years. One man even regained only some of his feelings back, so that he had to use crutches for lifetime. And then there were also the ones who had never regained feelings back. That's what Maura feared the most. She knew Jane had to get back on her feet, but the longer it took, the lesser her chances became.

Maura had stayed home for the first week and had started working from home the second week. Pike drove the whole precinct crazy with his style of "work". Maura had never liked him but he was, after her, the best for this work. Korsak and Barry had come to visit Jane a few days after her release from the hospital but Jane had refused to see them. Barry still felt guilty about what had happened but both, Korsak and Maura had tried to convince him that he couldn't have stopped the accident from happening. Both detectives found out that the truck driver suffered from narcolepsy, which he hadn't even noticed himself. It came out at the recheck of Harry Winster. So it was for Jane to press charges against him because he hadn't been responsible at that very moment. The only thing they had made sure off was that his driver's license was taken away. Maura had told Jane about the information she had gotten from Frost and Korsak but she hadn't even thought about pressing any charges, even if it meant that he had to pay for life. So Maura had dropped the topic for the time being, waiting for Jane to return to her senses but she could wait long as it seemed.

The whole day Jane was in the gym. She worked on her breast and arm muscles to be able to lift herself without any help. She knew she needed the strength now that those replaced her legs. Maura had been sitting in the kitchen looking over some case files she had requested from a current case. Angele had been by in the morning to look after her two girls but got the same information she got every day. Jane was working out. It seemed as if Jane wanted to punish her body for not responding.

Maura had just sighed and told Angela to come by later if she wanted to.

It was after nine o'clock when Maura heard the lift. Jane had already showered and wore a pair of jeans and a BPD sweater. Her hair was still damp. Maura looked away when Jane managed herself into the second, outdoor wheelchair Maura had bought her. For the upper rooms she had bought a normal hospital chair so Jane didn't need to take it up every time they went upstairs.

"Hey" Jane greeted Maura and wheeled herself over to the kitchen counter. Maura smiled down at her and gave her a kiss on the wet hair.

"Hey yourself." She whispered and squeezed Jane's shoulder. They hadn't really spoken to each other, because every conversation they had started had ended up in yelling and tears, well at least Maura's tears.

"How was your work out?" Maura asked to end the awkward silence that had formed. Jane wheeled over to the fridge and grabbed one of the few beers she had requested from Frankie. Another topic they had argued about because Jane still took pain meds even if it was a low dosage. Maura shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Good." Was Jane's short response, opened the bottle and took a big swig. She placed the bottle between her legs and made her way towards the couch.

"Jane." Maura started and went after her. "You know that…" but she was cut off by her girlfriend.

Jane turned the chair around and gazed at Maura.

"You what?" she growled and took another swig. "Don't like that I drink beer? Well guess what" Jane snapped. " I don't like being in this." She gestured towards the chair and shifted a little. "But right now I can't change it, can you?" Her eyes were filled of sorrow and anger. Maura understood Jane, she really did, but drowning herself in alcohol wasn't the solution.

"Jane please." Maura started and walked over to Jane but was cut of once again.

"No Maura, just no. Let me be. I can't and won't handle this right now. It doesn't work. Nothing works. So let me pity myself until I can handle this whole being paralyzed stuff." She turned around and settled herself onto the couch without any problems.

"But Jane, you were so confident at the hospital. I thought you…" but she didn't finish the sentence. Anger swelled now in Jane up and she turned around.

"You thought what Maura? That I come home and don't think about all that? Being paralyzed? You know what Maura, I'm the one in a wheelchair. I'm the one who can possibly think of retirement from BPD. I'm the one whose life has changed totally. I'm the one who feels useless. I'm the one that was made a cripple." Jane now yelled. She hadn't noticed that Maura had approached her. And she certainly hadn't imagined what would happen now. Maura, tears falling free slapped her in the face. Jane was stunned and so was Maura about her action but Maura was the one who composed faster.

"Don't you dare think you are alone in this." She growled, anger now rising within her. "We are all her Jane. Your mother comes every day to see you but you are up in that god damn room working yourself to whatever. You refuse to let us help you with this situation." She took a deep breath and continued "How do you think I feel about all this Jane? I love you so much that it hurts and seeing you hurt doesn't make it any easier for both of us, don't you think?" Jane still sat there her flat hand against her face where Maura just had slapped her.

"I'm worried sick, Jane" Maura spat and paced in front of the couch. "Not only for your physical health but also your psychological. You refuse to talk to me, to eat enough to let me at least know you won't starve yourself. You work out more than an extreme athlete. I don't know what to think of all that." She stopped and ran a hand through her honey blond hair and sighed. She hadn't noticed that Jane had changed into her wheelchair. "Please let us in Jane, let us help you. Talk to me please." Maura now begged and choked back her tears.

Jane just shook her head and ran a hand over her face. The beer bottle now emptied she placed it on the coffee table.

"I can't Maura." She simply said and wheeled towards the door. She grabbed her jacket from the rack and put it on. Maura walked up behind her and grabbed the handles of Jane's chair.

"Where are you going?" she asked, fear in her voice. Jane opened the door. "For a wheel." She replied sarcastically. Maura shook her head and let go off the handles.

"Don't you think it's a little late for that Jane?" she asked, pulling on her own jacket. Jane noticed and turned at the doorstep.

"No it is not. I just need some time alone outside of this house." She sighed and noticed Maura's worries for her. "It won't be long. I promise." With those words Jane wheeled down the porch and left Maura standing in the doorway. Maura closed the door and sat back down on the kitchen counter. She wasn't sure if it was right to let Jane leave like that. But Jane was too stubborn to let her allow coming along with her.

After an hour Maura was worried sick. She called Jane's cell phone and heard it vibrating on the coffee table. Damn you Maura though and dropped down on the couch. So she called Frost to inform him that Jane was wandering around in the city, well wheeling around in the city. He told her he would go out looking for her while Maura waited at home for Jane's return. It wasn't short after their call when Barry called her back.

"Dr. Isles." Maura greeted the unknown number.

"Maura?" she heard Barry ask on the other line of the phone.

"Did you find her?" she asked fear creeping up her back.

"Yes, I did but…" she heard him sigh and waited. "Can you please come down to the fifth precinct?"

A cliff I know, but I gotta keep you entertained, not bored.

Reviews welcomed.