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September 10, 2003. . .
Garret walked down the quiet hall of the morgue towards the office that Nigel shared with Bug. As expected, he found Nige sitting, working on something at his computer.
"Evening, Nigel."
"Oh, hey boss. I'm just working on. . ." Nigel turned the sound down and tried to cover the screen that displayed the random songs he was putting together for a CD he was going to burn for someone ~ he just hadn't figured out who yet.
"Nigel, it's ok. I'm bored too. Nice song, by the way. What was it?"
"Oh, it's just something by Nickel Creek."
"I never took you for a country fan, Nigel. But then I guess there are a lot of things we don't know about each other." Garret tried to get to know his staff, but other than Jordan, he felt like he hardly knew any of them. Well, Lily ~ but that was for other reasons entirely.
"Yeah. Is it me or is it quiet around here tonight?"
"It's quiet. Too quiet." Garret knew all too well what could happen when things got this quiet. They'd either fall asleep or chaos would take hold. He prayed that it was the former. There was enough stuff going on with Jordan in her usual pre-birthday funk. He knew it was to be expected, every year as her birthday approached, Jordan got testy and snappish. He understood why. Really he did. He just wished there was a way he could make it better. She was the baby sister he never had and watching her spiral down every year around this time tore his heart out.
"I know, mate. I wish I could help her out too." Somehow Nigel could always read his mind. Though it didn't take a keen observer to know that Jordan was not a happy camper. "You know, I wonder if our dear Woodrow has anything special planned for the special day."
"Nigel! Really. Do you think that they're. . ." The thought never occurred to Garret. He knew Woody was head over heels in love with Jordan, but she never seemed to think of him as more than a great friend. Good old platonic stuff.
"Bloody hell, no. But you know how he is."
"True. Oh my God." Garret paused, remembering a couple of weeks earlier when Woody had come into his office. . .
*****
"Garret? Do you have a minute?"
"Yeah, Woody. Come on in. What's up?"
"I wanted to talk with you about Jordan." Woody came in and closed the door behind him.
"Has she done. . .?" Garret was almost afraid to ask.
"No, no. Nothing like that. It's just, well, I know her birthday's coming up soon and I know it's not really a time of happy thoughts for her."
"Right. We're bracing for our annual round with 'Hurricane Jordan' as we lovingly refer to most of September around here."
"Well, I was thinking that I want to get her something special ~ not a lot, just something to. . ."
"Woody, I hope you're not thinking about a puppy. I've seen Jordan's plants and I don't think. . ."
"No, no. I saw a locket in a store the other day that was beautiful. I was thinking that maybe I could get a picture of everyone in the morgue ~ at least you, Bug, Nigel, Lily and Peter ~ and put that on one side, and get a picture of me, Eddie, and maybe a couple of other detectives she's worked with and put on the other side. And a picture of Max in the middle. Sort of a way for her to carry her 'family' with her?"
Garret just looked at the young man. What a great idea. He wondered why he'd never thought of it. Probably because he was always running damage control and trying to keep Jordan sane.
"What? Is it too corny? You don't think she'll like it?" Woody was concerned. He thought it was a great idea. He knew the pictures would have to be small, but still. . .
"No, I think it's a great idea." And Garret went about figuring out how to get the picture without Jordan finding out about it.
*****
"What? What's the. . ." Nigel paused, remembering the picture they'd taken. Garret, Peter, Bug, Lily and himself. But not Jordan. "He's planning to do something with the picture isn't he."
"Yeah. Something that we should have thought of years ago. But I guess we'll have to wait a week or so to see how it turned out." Garret was interrupted by the phone ringing. He leaned over and picked it up. "Medical Examiner's Office. . .Yes. . .Where?. . .How many?. . .Alright, we'll be right over."
"What was that?" Nigel figured they had a case, but. . .he didn't like the paleness on Garret's face.
"A body. Looks like a gang-related beating. Over in an alley near the Harbor." Garret couldn't put a finger on it, but he had a bad feeling in his gut about this one.
"Jeeze, those can be bloody awful."
"Yeah. No ID. Very little face to work with. They said it's brutal."
"Well, we're not making any headway sitting here. I'll grab my bags. Meet me at the elevator." Nigel felt Garret's uneasiness. Something about the ring of the phone hadn't felt right to either of them.
They got in the van and drove to the scene. Detective Carver met them at the police tape.
"Lois, what exactly do we have here?"
"It's brutal Garret. Looks like a gang jumping."
"You mean in or out?"
"Not sure, but probably not. Probably just random violence. No ID on the body. Looks like they took his wallet."
"His?"
"We're pretty sure the victim was male. We know the rules. . ."
"Yeah. Alright, you ready Nige?"
"Sure thing, boss."
"Alright Lois. Where's the body?"
Carver led them to the body. Garret thought he should be used to this by now, but the gang jumpings always got him. The cops on the scene had at least covered the body, but they could see bits of scalp scattered across the sidewalk, intermingled with small grey bits.
"Sweet Nancy." Nigel swallowed hard and looked away.
"I know, Nigel. I know. Come on. Let's do what we need to do." Garret slowly walked to the lump under the sheet. Body. Body. This had been a person. And Carver said that it was probably a random victim.
They pulled the sheet back. God, there was going to be no way to identify the person by dental records. Or anything other than hopefully prints. The face was gone, little more than a bloody pulp. The skull was crushed numerous times from repeated blows, bits of dark hair matted together with blood. Garret swallowed hard, then nodded to Nigel to take the necessary pictures, praying that the film in the camera was black and white. He began to do the basic run down of what he could tell there.
"Ok, this is definitely a male. Cause of death was most likely repeated severe blows to the head, probably with a pipe or bat or something similar. Based on rigor, I'd say he's been here a couple of hours. Probably happened right around dusk. Anything more I'll have to give you later." He nodded to Nigel who brought the body bag over. The uniformed officers helped get the body and as much of the surrounding pieces of skull that they could into the bag, and Nigel rolled the stretcher towards the van.
"I'll be in touch as soon as we know anything, Lois. Thanks."
"No, thank you Garret. These things always get to me. You'd think after all these years. . ."
"I understand." He gave Carver's arm a reassuring squeeze.
Nigel and Garret drove back to the morgue in silence. They'd seen this type of thing before, but what Carver had said was true. No matter how many times you saw it, the level of violence in these gang beatings got to you. More so when it appeared that the victim was an innocent bystander. A random victim of a gang's "wilding."
The autopsy itself didn't take long. Garret's assessment was obviously correct. A few wood fragments confirmed that at least some of the blows had been inflicted by a baseball bat. He knew the odds of finding it were slim to none. That close to the harbor, everything would have been dumped. He could only guess why the body had been left in the alley. Probably the gang was interrupted by some noise and just ran. Odds were this would be unsolved for a long time. He assumed gang, but it could just as easily be mob. Granted they were usually a little cleaner about getting rid of the body, but anything was possible.
Nigel took prints, thanking God that whoever did this didn't dip the hands in acid or in some other way mutilate the fingers making print identification impossible. That's what told him it was probably gang-related. Gang or incompetent mob ~ but probably gang. Prints were their only chance for an identification. He didn't care how good the forensic facial reconstructionist was, no one could put this skull back together and get anything from it. He walked down the hall to input the prints while Garret slid the body into one of the lockers and began to fold the clothes neatly to be placed into a bag for the next of kin once the id was made.
Garret was always methodical and reverent with the personal effects of the bodies that came into the morgue. These had been people with lives and people who loved them. Even the John and Jane Does that came in were someone's child, someone's friend. Shoes went into the bag first. Basic, non-descript Reeboks. The socks he balled up and set next to the shoes. Underwear ~ he knew it seemed strange, but you never knew what the loved ones would want. Then the pants. Button-fly Levi's. He checked quickly, but there was nothing in the pockets. The shirt. A nice, button down blue Oxford, sleeves still rolled up. Again, the pocket yielded nothing.
Last, Garret reached for the light jacket. As he picked it up, he noticed that it hung lower to the left side, so he looked closer. There was an inside pocket. How had the cops missed this? Oh yeah, the "don't touch the body until the ME gets there" rule. Well, maybe this would provide some help. He reached in the pocket and pulled out a small box with a purple bow tied around it. A jewelry box. How had the perpetrators missed this. Unless it wasn't really a robbery. Whoever John Doe was, he probably assumed he was being robbed and tried to hand them his wallet. After doing what the wanted, the animals took it to make identification harder ~ and what the hell, if the guy was going to offer it to them they might as well use it.
Garret looked again at the box. He shook it slightly, wondering if it was a ring. There was a rattle that suggested it was probably a bracelet or a necklace. Something was hanging from whatever it was. His gut knotted when he heard the rattle, though he couldn't say why. Garret set the box aside to examine the rest of the jacket. He wasn't going to open the box ~ he'd leave that for the next of kin.
As his hands slid down the jacket, he felt something rectangular in the deeper and wider right inside pocket. A card. He reached into the pocket and pulled out a cream-colored envelope, the Hallmark seal on the back. Why was his gut tightening up? It was a card. That's all. He turned it over and felt sick when he saw the name on the front of the envelope. It fell from Garret's hand as he grabbed the counter for support, trying to steady his breathing.
"Why? Why the hell do you. . .?" He raged at God. It wasn't fair. How the hell was he going to explain this one. And how on earth could anyone expect. . . He knew he needed to tell Nigel to brace himself. He knew what the prints were going to reveal.
Garret picked up the card and walked down the hall, occasionally using it for support. He rounded the doorway into Nigel's office and found him sitting at the computer, his hand over an open mouth. His eyes in complete denial, refusing to see what was on the screen.
"Nigel, I. . ." Garret started.
"Oh my God. Garret, the prints just came back. Almost instantly. It's. . .it's. . ."
"I know." Garret sank into the chair next to Nigel.
"How. . .?"
"This." Garret held up the envelope with Jordan's name written on the front. "And he had the locket already. At least that's what I assume was in the box. It rattled like some kind of charm on a chain."
"The locket? That's what the picture was for?"
"Yeah. He was making her something to carry her friends and family with her all the time."
"Good lord, what are we going to do?" Nigel knew what they should do, but this was different.
"First we're going to call Detective Carver. Ask her to come down here. This isn't the kind of news I want to deliver over the phone. She can do the family notification. I'm sure that's on his emergency contact information. And then. . ." And then he'd do one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. Garret was fairly sure that Jordan and Woody were not beyond the friendship level, in fact he'd heard some arguments from her office lately when she felt like he was being too immature or something. But still. He was her friend. And she felt something for him whether she wanted to admit it or not.
"Jordan?" Nigel shuddered thinking what this would do to her. The weeks around her birthday were already bad enough.
"I'll go and talk with her myself. After we talk with Lois. Would you. . .?"
"I'll call her right now." Nigel picked up the phone and dialed Carver's cell phone. He told her they had made identification and asked her to come down.
Five minutes later, Carver walked off the elevator. Garret met her and led her into his office.
"Nigel said that you had an identification?"
"Yeah, Lois. We do. The prints came up almost instantly. There's no easy way to say this. . . It's Detective Hoyt."
"Oh my God." Lois sat down on the couch. The kid had been so green when he started, but he'd really grown on all of them at the department. And she knew he was friends with a lot of the morgue staff as well, especially. . . "Garret, what's this going to do to her?"
"Jordan? I don't know. I'm going over to her place in a few minutes. I wanted to let you know so you could contact his family. You have that, right?"
"Yeah. It's in his file. I'll. . .I'll go do that now." She choked back tears. Garret stood and embraced her.
"We're all so sorry, for the department and everything. He was a great guy."
"Yes, he was. Garret, tell Jordan if she needs anything. . ."
"I will. I don't think they were. . .but they were definitely friends." He thought of something for a second. "Lois? Is this already on the news?"
"The beating? Yeah, I think so. Why?"
"Hold off on the identification. Even after you've told his parents. Just call them, privately. Don't let the other guys know about it. Give me a chance to find Jordan. I do not want her hearing about it from the television. Or someone else."
"I completely understand, Garret. Call me after you've told her."
"Will do." They both stood to leave the office.
Garret checked in with Nigel briefly, asking him to please not release any information about the beating to anyone ~ especially the name. Nigel was still shaken, but said he could hold things down while Garret went to find Jordan. And of course he wouldn't tell anyone anything. Lois and Garret walked to the elevator together. As they left the building, they went their own ways, each dreading the difficult task in front of them.
Garret tried to decide where to go to look for Jordan. He figured she'd be at the Pogue or her place ~ or maybe Max's house. A blood-chilling thought ran through his head as he got into his car. What if Jordan had been with him and he just hadn't given her the gift yet. . . He decided not to think about that until he exhausted his other options.
He pulled up and parked outside the Pogue. He didn't see the Explorer anywhere, but that could mean nothing. Maybe Max had picked her up and she was playing bar wench again. Because of the stairs, it was hard to see in the window, so he opened the door and went in. A quick glance said she wasn't there, but Max had already spotted him.
"Garret! Come on down here. What's going on?"
"Hey Max. I can't stay. I was just. . . Have you seen Jordan tonight?"
"No. Well, not since about 5 when she left work. She came in to beg off helping out. Said she had a headache or something. Why?"
"I just. . . There's something I need to tell her. . ." Garret was distracted by the newscast on the small television behind Max. It was a reporter at the scene. "Can you turn that up a little?"
"Sure." Max reached for the volume. They watched the reporter speaking. . .
"To recap, this alley was the scene of a brutal, apparently gang-related beating that resulted in the death of one person. The police say that an identification has been made, but the name is not being released pending notification of the family. The officers we talked to had not even been informed of the victim's name. All they could confirm was that the victim was a male."
"Turn it back down." Garret breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"You catch that one tonight?" Max knew how brutal they could be, and things had gotten so much worse since he left the force.
"Yeah." Garret swallowed, willing himself to stay strong. Something not unnoticed by Max.
"Garret? What's wrong? Is it someone that Abby knew? Are you. . .?"
"No. It's nothing to do with Abby. Just. . . Max, I need to go." He didn't want to tell Max before Jordan, not directly anyway. "But do me a favor? Pray as hard as you ever have tonight. Harder. Please?"
"Alright. Of course. But. . ."
"I'll be back to talk with you later. I promise. There's something I need to do right now." Garret put a hand on Max's and squeezed it. Then he walked up the stairs and out the door.
Max watched him go, trying to figure out what he meant. Then it hit him. Dear Lord, no. Please let it not be. Not now! Not around the time. . . Every fatherly instinct he had was screaming for him to call Jordan, but he promised Garret. And Garret was right ~ if it was what he thought it was, she didn't need to hear that over the phone. He'd call her later on. After he'd seen Garret again.
Garret pulled up outside Jordan's building ~ 227 Pearl Street. He'd only been here before for that dinner party Tyler threw before he was out of Jordan's life for good. That had been an interesting evening to say the least. Lots of laughter. He shuddered as he thought of that, knowing that laughter was going to be the furthest thing from the sounds the walls would hear tonight. This would be hard enough at any other time of the year. But September. . . Why did this have to happen in September?
He took the elevator up to the third floor and walked to the large red door. He took a deep breath and knocked.
"Just a minute," Jordan's voice sounded through the door. Momentarily he heard the locks being opened. "Garret! Hey! Come on in!" She looked like she was ready for bed ~ a tank top and sweats, her hair in a ponytail, make-up removed. Even without it she was a knockout. If only she wasn't like his baby sister. . .
"No 'who is it?' Jordan?"
"I looked. I figure no one would put on a Garret mask, so it had to be you."
"Good point." For someone who 'hadn't felt well' a few hours earlier she seemed to be in good spirits. . .especially for September. He couldn't help chuckling.
"What?"
"I stopped by the Pogue. Max said you didn't feel well."
"I just didn't want to play bar wench tonight. I needed a break. It's been a rough week."
"If only you knew how much harder it's about to get, baby," Garret thought to himself, hoping his face wasn't betraying anything.
"Do you need me to come back down to the morgue? I know it's my night off and all, but I saw that thing on the news. If you need me to. . ."
Thank God Lois had listened to him. She had been watching the news already. Alright, the task wasn't getting any easier just standing there.
"No, Jordan, I don't need you to come back down to the morgue. I just. . ." He walked in and closed the door behind him. "Jordan, there's something I need to talk with you about."
"Sure, Garret. Anything. . . Why do you look so upset? Are you firing me again?"
"No, Jordan. I'm not. Can we sit down?" Garret nudged her over to the couch. Sensing that this was not just a social call, Jordan went and sat down. Garret followed and sat next to her.
"Ok, Garret, what's up. You look like someone died or something." Bad coroner humor she knew, but something needed to break the tension. It didn't work.
"Jordan. . . Oh, God, I don't know how to say this." Garret prayed for his courage to return.
"What? It can't be that bad, can it?" As the words left her mouth, Jordan wished she could take them back. Garret's face told her it was that bad.
"It's about that case you saw on the news."
"Yeah. They said it was brutal. At first there was no identification, but now there is and they're holding off pending notification of. . ." Jordan stopped. "But you said you just talked with Dad."
"Yeah. It's not Max, Jordan. He's fine."
"Then. . .?"
"Jordan. . ." Garret reached over and took Jordan's small hands in his. "Baby, I don't know how to say this. . ."
"Oh my God." Tears sprung up into her large, amber eyes as the realization began to dawn on her. She had'nt heard from him and. . . "No. Garret, please. No."
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. It was Woody."
"No! I don't believe you! It's not! He's coming over for dinner tomorrow. He promised me. He's bringing cake and everything. He said he wanted me to have a birthday party that was happy. And I was going to tell him what I've finally figured out. . . I. . ." Her voice broke. Garret squeezed her hands and pulled her closer to him. "It's not him. It's not! Garret, why are you telling me this? If it's a joke it's not funny." The tears were spilling over her lashes now.
It broke Garret's heart to watch her, knowing that the only thing he could do was hold her and let her cry. God, it seemed like so little.
"Jordan, I wish it was a joke. But it's not. Baby, Nigel just made the identification by fingerprints. I'm so sorry." He pulled her shaking body to him and held her there, willing his strength to somehow hold her up. Should he or shouldn't he give her the box and the card? He decided to present it and let her decide. When her tears subsided somewhat, he reached into the pocket of his jacket. It wasn't funny, he thought, but 24 years before it had been unusually cold for mid-September too.
He sensed that Jordan was calming somewhat, whether from exhaustion or acceptance or some combination of both. Her sobs were subsiding and her body was shaking less and less. "Jordan?"
"Yeah?"
"Here. These were. . . Woody had these in his pocket to give you. I think he'd still want you to have them." He held out the box and the card.
"I can't, Garret. I can't." She buried her face in his chest again, the sobs returning. Why was she so damn stubborn about letting people know how she felt. In spite of everything, all the arguments, the way his immaturity could drive her up a wall, everything. . .she'd fallen in love with him. But she never told him. And now it was too late. . .
Garret set them on the floor. He'd leave them. Eventually she'd want to open them. One day, when the initial shock and anger had passed. . . "Sweetheart, why don't you call Max, or let me call him? I need to go back down to the morgue and I don't want you to be alone."
"Ok." She agreed almost too eagerly.
But as Garret reached for the phone, there was a knock at the door. Looking at Jordan to make sure she was as ok as she could be, he moved towards the door. A look through the peephole confirmed that he didn't need to make a phone call after all. He opened the door and let Max into the loft.
"Jordan?" Max looked at his daughter, curled in a ball on the couch. She looked so small. "Baby?"
"Oh, Daddy." She uncurled and ran into his arms. Garret stood there silently watching, realizing that this is what never happened 24 years before ~ Max went in for questioning and Jordan went to Child Services. But this time Max could help her through it. He hoped.
After a few minutes of tears, Jordan pulled back and looked at Max. "How did you. . .?"
"Garret stopped by looking for you. I saw the news. I saw his face. I put two and two together."
"Oh." Jordan turned back towards her couch. Max reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder to get her attention.
"I'm not letting you stay by yourself tonight. Either I'll stay here or you're coming home with me." Max's voice was gentle but firm.
"Alright. Well, I hate to make you sleep on the couch, so. . . Give me a minute to grab a bag and some stuff?"
"Sure, baby." With one more hug, Jordan collected herself enough to gather clothes, personal items and whatnot.
Garret set the box and envelope on the kitchen's island and turned back to Max. "Thanks for coming over. How did you. . .?"
"Like I said, I put two and two together. There was only one reason I could see for you to be looking for Jordan after that. . . So after you left, I made last call due to a family emergency and closed up."
"Good idea. I'm glad she agreed to go with you tonight. She doesn't need to be alone. I mean, they weren't. . .but deep down in her own way she did love him."
"I know."
Jordan reappeared, a large duffel bag slung over her shoulder. "Alright. I'm ready to go."
Max took the bag from his daughter, and the trio left the loft and got into the elevator, Jordan standing between the two most important men in her life ~ her father and her big brother figure ~ the guy who'd saved her so many times before. Wearily she laid her head on Garret's shoulder as she reached for Max's hand.
As they left the building, Garret turned to Jordan and Max. "Jordan, don't worry about coming in tomorrow. Take the day. . .take whatever you need. . ."
"No, I'll be there."
"Jordan, you don't have to. . ."
"Yes, I do. I'll go crazy if I just sit around. I need to work. And I need. . ." She didn't have to finish that sentence. Garret knew, and as much as he didn't want her to see what he saw earlier that evening, he knew that she needed to.
"Alright sweetie. I'll see you in the morning. Whenever you get there is fine." Garret gave Jordan one more big hug and kissed the top of her head. His heart was breaking for her, hell for anyone who'd worked with Woody, but especially for Jordan, but he knew that Max was who she needed right now. He turned and walked towards his car, realizing she was in the midst of one the classic symptoms of grief ~ denial. This was going to hit her later and it was going to hit her hard. He reached for his cell phone and dialed Howard Stiles' number to ask him to be at the morgue tomorrow and on call for the foreseeable future.
The next day, the sun was shining and the birds were singing.
"Hard to believe the world's still going on as if nothing happened," Garret thought as he looked out at the skyline from the roof of the morgue, having escaped there in an attempt to gather his thoughts and compose himself before the rest of the staff came in. He knew that thought was silly. People died every day and the world kept turning. Why would the death of one detective make a difference?
As much as he hated the idea of Jordan coming in, he knew that she needed to know, to see for herself. He only hoped that somehow they'd all be strong enough to help her. Dr. Stiles had agreed to meet him at 8:00 to talk about things and make some plans for coping with everything. He was calling in some of his friends to help out. Some were going to be at the precinct and some were going to be at the morgue. This death might not make a difference to the world, but there were going to be people hurting and hurting badly. And so many questions to be answered.
Stiles was going to deal with Jordan. He knew her and her quirks and insecurities and they both agreed that she needed someone she knew already.
Garret looked at his watch. 7:55 ~ time to head back downstairs to meet with Howard. Lois said she'd drop by to check in on things. One more look across Boston's skyline and a deep breath and Garret went back inside.
Howard Stiles was getting off the elevator as Garret rounded the corner. The men quickly moved towards Garret's office and shut the door.
"Have you talked with Jordan at all since last night, Garret?"
"No. Max called me first thing this morning. She'd cried herself to sleep, but had slept through the night after. He was going to let her sleep in and then bring her down here himself. He didn't want her driving. Neither do I."
"That sounds like a good plan. I know you have your doubts about her coming in, but this is something Jordan needs to do. She needs to see the body. This needs to be real and not just theoretical and words."
"I know you're right. It's just. . ."
"Hard. I know. We never like to see the people we know suffer. Tell me again how she took the news?"
"Went into pretty much text book denial. It couldn't be him. He was coming over for dinner to celebrate her birthday. It was a joke. That kind of thing."
"Alright. Not surprising."
"No. I. . .he had a present and a card for her in his jacket pocket. I took those to her. She wouldn't open them."
"It's understandable. What did you do with them?"
"I left them on the island counter in her kitchen area. I figured it would be better to leave them and when she's ready. . . Oh my God."
"What?"
"I know why Woody was in that area of the city."
"Why?"
"I said something about a cake I'd gotten for Abby that Jordan helped me eat one night and how much Jordan loved it. Woody said he was going to get one for Jordan for her birthday. The bakery. . . It's in that area. I guess he'd gone down there to put the order in in person."
"Alright. While I'm not generally one to advocate keeping things from people, I don't think we need to tell her about that. We don't know for sure that's why he was in that area. There's the possibility that he was just walking around and it had nothing to do with the cake. And even if he was. . .
"Right. She doesn't need to know that he might have been where he was because he was doing something for her. Just to make sure, I'll call them and see if an order was placed and if so cancel it."
"That sounds like a plan. Garret, I want you and Nigel especially to sit down with some of my colleagues who will be here. Yes, everyone will be affected in some way, but the two of you are probably more embroiled in grief than either of you realize. I'd do it myself, but. . ."
"It's alright. No argument there. I understand. Jordan is going to need you."
There was a knock on the door and they looked up to see Lois Carver standing in the hallway. Garret motioned her into the office.
"I called his parents last night. His father was going to be on the first flight he could get this morning. He should be in around 10:30 to pick up the body and arrange for transport back to Wisconsin."
"How soon?"
"As soon as possible. They want to do the service there and bury him in the family plot. I. . .I understand their feelings, but we need to do something here for our own closure. . ."
"We will, Lois. Maybe not the pomp and circumstance funerals we're accustomed to with the local boys, but we'll do something." Garret reached out and squeezed her hand.
"How did Jordan take the news?" Lois really liked Jordan and felt for the girl. No one understood ~ or really knew ~ how much this was going to affect her.
"She's in denial, but seems to be holding her own. Max took her to his house last night. This morning's report is that she slept through the night. She should be here after she wakes up. Maybe I should call Max and. . ." The phone on his desk interrupted Garret's musings. "Macy. . . .Hi Max. How's she. . . Alright. So you're on your way? . . . Ok. We'll see you in about half an hour. Thanks Max."
"So. . .?" Howard Stiles was trying to read Garret's expression and the conversation he'd heard.
"Jordan's awake. Max is making her eat something and then he's going to bring her down here. At least that should give her some time before Woody's father gets here."
"Alright. I'm going back over to the precinct to do the morning meeting and let them know about the counseling that's available. Then I'll be back here. I feel like. . ." Lois stopped and swallowed hard.
"I understand. Lois, if we can do anything else. . ."
"Thanks Garret. I'll see you in a little while."
She walked towards the elevator bay and waited for the doors to open. When they did, Nigel, Bug, Peter and Lily piled off, all looking shaken. Garret greeted them and ushered them into his office. He filled them in on all he knew.
"Dr. Macy, I know that my job is grief coun-. . ."
"Lily. It's ok. I'm going to deal with Jordan and I'm bringing in some of my colleagues to have available for each of you to talk with. One or two of them will be available for families of other bodies here at the morgue. You don't have to worry about things."
"But. . ."
"Lily, it's alright. I wouldn't expect anyone in your shoes to do your job right now. You've all had a huge shock and need to take some time to begin to deal with your own feelings." Stiles' voice was stern, but his eyes were reassuring. Lily relaxed and allowed herself to begin to feel the emotions surging through her body.
Bug and Peter remained silent, not sure what to say or if their voices would work if they tried to talk.
"Dr. M, how did. . .?" Nigel began to ask the question that was floating in the air, but his voice cracked as he got to Jordan's name and he couldn't continue.
"About like you'd expect Nigel. She went to Max's house last night. He said that she slept through the night after crying herself to sleep. She's awake now and he's bringing her down here after she eats something."
"She's going to work today?" Nigel was incredulous. He was going to find it hard enough to work and he and Woody had only been friends. Ok, he knew there was no proof of anything, but he also knew Jordan. He knew that her friendship with Woody went deeper than probably even she realized.
"Probably not, Nigel. She needs to. . .to see the body. To make sure. Dr. Stiles is here specifically to help Jordan. As hard as it will be, work needs to go on. Mr. Hoyt will be here around 10:30 to make the arrangements for transporting the body back to Kewaunee. The service and burial will be there."
"But. . ." Four voices spoke in unison.
"I was just talking with Detective Carver. We'll make arrangements to do some type of memorial here ~ for the precinct and for us. We all need that closure."
"Alright. If you need any. . ."
"Lily. It'll be alright. You do what you need to in order to take care of you. Let my people worry about the families ~ all the families."
"Ok."
"Alright. Now, why don't we all take a deep breath and get ready for what's coming, as much as we can. It's going to be a long day for all of us." Garret was trying to keep things as normal as possible. He looked at his watch. About five minutes before Jordan and Max got there. As hard as last night had been, he had a strong feeling that today was going to be even harder.
About 9:00 Garret heard the elevator doors open and looked out of his office door. Sure enough, he saw Max guiding Jordan past the reception desk towards his office. It was hard to tell what she was feeling from the look on her face ~ she wasn't glazed over, but the spark that he knew in Jordan just wasn't there.
At once he chastised himself for thinking that ~ after all, one of her best friends, someone she'd let into her life and her heart, had just been brutally murdered. Of course she wasn't going to be the Jordan she'd been the day before. Max saw Garret and nodded, moving into his office with Jordan walking just ahead of him.
"Hey sweetheart. How're you doing?" Garret pulled Jordan into a hug and gently kissed her temple.
"Ok, I guess. I. . .I'm not used to being on this side of things. When Mom. . .I didn't have a lot to do with things then, didn't understand a lot of what was happening." She looked around the office and saw Howard sitting on the couch. "Hi, Howard."
"Hi Jordan." Stiles knew better than to try one of his usual comments. This was not the time or the place.
"Where is he?" Jordan looked at Garret, pain-filled eyes pleading for honesty.
"He's in the crypt. Do you want me to. . .?"
"Yes. Please, Garret?"
"Sure. Do you want. . .?"
"Will you be ok if I stay here and talk with Dr. Stiles, Jordan?" Max didn't really want to go into the crypt, but if his baby girl needed him, he would.
"Yeah. That's fine." Jordan moved towards the door where Garret was standing. He put his arm around her shoulders and together they moved towards the crypt.
The rest of the staff gave them a wide berth. While Jordan understood that they were giving her some space, she really wished someone would say something. Anything. At the door, Garret took a deep breath, then pushed it open.
Bug had been filing some paperwork, but quickly closed the folder. He nodded at Garret, squeezed Jordan's shoulder, and left the room in order to give Jordan the space she needed.
Garret moved towards the locker he knew held Woody's body. As he placed his hand on the latch, he looked at Jordan. "You sure about this?"
"No. But I need to. . ."
"Ok." He opened the door and slid the slab out, praying that they'd both have the strength to get through this.
"Wait." Jordan put a hand on his arm as he was about to draw the sheet back. "I need a minute."
She swallowed hard and took a couple of deep breaths, willing herself to be strong. Like the others, she'd seen these gang beatings before. Did she really want to see Woody like that? But could she not? Could she believe that he was really dead if she didn't? No. She needed to see him. As hard as it would be, she needed to see him.
"Take all the time you need." Garret instinctively understood what she was struggling with. They'd pieced as much of his face back together as possible after he'd left Jordan's apartment, but it was still gruesome.
After a couple of minutes, Jordan moved closer to Garret, as if trying to draw strength from him. "Alright. I'm ready."
Taking a deep breath, he pulled the sheet down, revealing what was left of Woody's face and head. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Jordan to know without a doubt that it was Woody lying there on the slab.
Jordan started to gag, and Garret grabbed her to give her support. She swallowed hard and took some deep breaths. Tears filled her eyes, but stayed there, quivering on her lashes. She didn't speak for a few minutes. When she did, the words came tumbling out.
"Oh my God. Woody. . . I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm so sorry I never told you how I felt. . . I. . ." Her voice cracked, then returned with anger. "What the hell were you doing down there, anyway. You were supposed to come over and we were going to have a birthday party. You said you wanted me to finally have some happy memories connected with my birthday and then you go and get yourself killed in random gang crap in an area of town where you never should have been. I should hate you right now Woodrow Hoyt. I really should hate you. But I can't. I just can't. . ."
Feeling her turn towards him, Garret pulled her into probably the tightest hug he'd ever given anyone. As he felt her hot tears on his shoulder, he realized that he was shedding tears of his own. They were all going to shed plenty of tears before this nightmare began to clear. After a few minutes that seemed like an eternity, he pulled back slowly.
"Are you ready to. . .?"
"Yes. You can cover him back up now. I've seen enough."
Garret shuddered at the double meaning in her words. Whether intentional or not. Jordan certainly had seen enough in her life. Enough senseless death. Enough people she loved dying or disappearing from her life. He wondered angrily at God just how much one person was supposed to take in her lifetime. He pulled the sheet back over the body and slid the slab back into the locker, closing the latch securely. Together, he and Jordan walked back to his office.
Max and Stiles stood as they entered the slightly darkened room. Crossing to the door, Max pulled Jordan into a hug.
"You alright, baby?"
"No. But I needed to do that."
"I know. I'm. . .if it's ok with you, I'm going to go over to the precinct and talk with a couple of the guys there. . ." Max was hesitant. He didn't want to leave Jordan if she needed him, but he didn't want to push himself on her either.
"It's ok, Dad. I'll be ok." She tried to offer a reassuring smile that didn't quite work. "Garret and Howard are here to make sure I don't do anything crazy."
"Alright. I'll be back later on to pick you up. Call me if you need me before then."
"Ok. Thanks Daddy." She hadn't called him that in years, but it seemed right at the moment. She reached up and kissed his cheek as he moved towards the door to leave.
"Jordan, I'd like to talk with you for a while, if that's ok." Stiles needed to get a sense of how she was doing, from her own mouth and without the "good face" she was trying to keep up for the rest of them.
"Sure. Do you want to go to my office or. . .?" Jordan wasn't sure if Garret would be open to letting them use his office. At this point she really didn't care. She just wanted to sit down.
Garret was torn as well. Jordan's office was familiar and was away from the crypt. He wasn't sure she needed to see Woody's father when he got there. But at the same time, this office felt a little more comfortable. Finally he looked at Howard. "If you'd like to stay here, that's fine. I can use Jordan's office for today."
Stiles looked around. The area with the couch and chair would be better suited for the conversation he was going to have with Jordan. "If that's alright with you."
"Sure. I'll let Emmy and the others know what's going on." Garret left, pulling the door shut behind him.
Slowly, Jordan moved over and flopped down into one of the big leather chairs in Garret's office. Stiles watched her for a minute before speaking.
"Jordan?"
"Yeah?"
"How are you doing?"
"I'm tired, Howard. Extremely tired."
"As a result of. . .?"
"Do we really have to do this now?"
"Jordan, it's just that given the time of year and your relationship with Detective Hoyt. . ."
"We didn't have a 'relationship'! Jeeze, why can't people get that through their heads?"
"Jordan, I just. . ."
"Yes, we were friends. Yes, we kissed a couple of times. Yes, for some insane reason he seemed to think that if he just gave me space and time I'd come around to his way of thinking. But he was just a good friend. It would never have worked any other way. Yeah, he was cute, but at least half the time he drove me nuts with his hyperness and whatnot. I would have killed him in less than a year ~ probably less than six months ~ if we were anything other than friends." She paused to catch her breath. Stiles sat there, waiting for the rest of her tirade.
"Ok, so he'd planned to come over to my place the other night. Big deal. He wanted to do some silly birthday party so I'd think nice happy thoughts on my birthday instead of the fact that my mother was murdered a week later. Maybe he saw it as more than friends ~ I didn't. Am I upset about him? Yeah. I lost one of my good friends. Why wouldn't I be upset about that? Will I be ok? Yeah ~ I will. I know everyone is expecting this massive breakdown given the time of year and everything, but I don't see it coming. He was a friend Howard. A really good friend. Yes I'm going to miss him. But I have a job to do. I can't let myself. . ." Jordan's voice broke as the sobs she'd been holding back returned. Howard let her cry for a few minutes, then he leaned forward and touched her arm to get her attention.
"I believe you Jordan. I know you will get through this. I won't push you ~ I know that if you need something you'll come to me."
"Ok. Thanks, Howard. Can you. . .?"
"I'll talk with Garret and the others. Let them know that you need space and if you want to talk about things, you'll come to them."
"Thanks."
They looked up as they heard a commotion in the hallway. Jordan crossed to the window and looked out. She saw Lois Carver and Eddie Winslow standing there with a distraught man. One look at his face and Jordan knew who it was. The eyes. It was Woody's father. Instinct told her to go and say something to him, but Garret came into the office and stopped her.
"Jordan, it's probably best that you stay here."
"Why? He doesn't blame me does he?"
"No. It's just. . . He's having a real hard time with it ~ feeling lots of guilt for letting Woody move to the big city and. . . I just think it's better if we let him do what he needs to do so they can get back to Kewaunee."
"Kewaunee? But. . .?"
"Woody's family is going to take the body back to Wisconsin for the service and burial."
"But. . ." Jordan looked up as Lois and Eddie entered Garret's office. Apparently Woody's father was with Lily or someone taking care of what needed to be done. Eddie crossed over to Jordan and gave her a gentle hug.
"I'm so sorry, Jordan."
"Eddie, thanks. But we weren't. . ."
"I know that." Jordan raised her eyebrow at him, wondering exactly how he knew that kind of information. "Or I guessed. I've known you for a while Cavanaugh. Long enough to know that even if you weren't, he'd gotten under your skin and you were at least friends."
"Yeah. We were. But I'm going to be ok. I'm not a fragile little doll or something!"
"I know. I know." Eddied settled onto the sofa. "As far as the whole service thing. . . Yeah, the family wants to do it all private in Wisconsin. So we'll deal with it. We can't do the whole service and all, but Lois and I were talking about having some sort of celebration of his life with some of the guys from the precinct and you guys here at the morgue."
"Really? That would be cool. I'll bet Dad would let us use the Pogue."
"We thought of that. But I had another idea ~ something to get us all away for a little while. If the scheduling can be worked out here ~ we've got it covered at the precinct."
"What's that?"
"My folks have a place out on the Vineyard. No one's using it for the next month or so, and they've given me permission to use it. It would just be for a couple of nights, but it would give us a place to get away and some time for all of us to spend together."
"It sounds cool." Jordan was intrigued. Time away, at the ocean always did her mind a lot of good. She looked up at Garret. "Think we can get it worked out here?"
"Yeah. Let me check the schedule. I don't know that we could do it this weekend, but how about next?"
"That's what we were thinking too." Lois looked out into the hallway and saw that Mr. Hoyt was about ready to go. She gave Jordan and Garret quick hugs and motioned to Eddie to follow her. He squeezed Jordan's hand as he stood.
"If you want to talk or anything, just call."
"Ok. Thanks Eddie."
Jordan, Stiles and Garret watched Mr. Hoyt leave with the detectives. It was so hard to believe that all this was happening. Garret turned to Jordan and Howard.
"Everything ok?"
"Yes, things are fine. Jordan has promised to call me if she feels like she needs to talk to someone other than a friend for the foreseeable future."
"That's good. Now Jordan, if you want to. . ."
"Garret? Can I stay and work? Please? I don't want to go home ~ all I'd do there is sit and be miserable."
"Sure kiddo. But take it easy, ok?"
"Ok." Jordan gave Garret a hug and left his office to go find something to do.
Garret turned to Stiles after she was gone and the door was shut. "Is she really ok?"
"It's hard to say, Garret. She appears lucid and fully aware of what's going on. She's tired, but then who isn't? She's sad about losing a friend, but we're all struggling with grief right now. Is there a chance that some of this will come back and bite her in the butt? Possibly. But there's also the possibility that she just needs to cope with this in her own way. I think this idea of a weekend on the Vineyard is perfect. Remember when she ran before? She went to her aunt's at the ocean. Apparently there's something about the ocean that she finds comforting. Jordan will be ok. Give her space, but keep an eye on her."
"Alright. Thanks, Howard."
"Anytime you need me, let me know." Howard moved towards the door. He'd hang out around the conference room just in case, but he felt confident in Jordan's ability to weather this based on what he was seeing so far.
"Will do. Now, I guess I need to go and get the schedule worked out so that some of us can go to the Vineyard." Garret moved out towards the desk to look at the upcoming schedule and see where changes could be made.
The following weekend at Eddie's parents' place. . .
Jordan sat on the beach staring out at the ocean and the sky reflecting the sunset to her back. It had been a weird couple of weeks. This weekend had been good.
Garret, Lily, Nigel, Bug, Eddie, Lois, and a few other detectives from the precinct had spent the weekend remembering Woody stories, talking with each other, eating, and sharing some bottles of wine. Everyone was trying to keep things positive, and after one mini-explosion she'd had at Lily, everyone figured out that basically Jordan was doing alright.
She'd come out here to get away for a little while before they all started packing to go back to Boston. The ocean had always had a calming effect on her, and this time was no different. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Eddie coming down the path towards the beach. She smiled and motioned for him to join her.
"Hey there kiddo. How are you holding up?"
"I'm ok, Eddie. Really. Thanks for doing all this. It's been a good weekend. I think Woody would have. . ." She stopped and swallowed hard. Eddie put his arm around her shoulder and Jordan leaned her head on his shoulder.
"It was nothing. My parents have the house and said we could use it. The ocean ~ I don't know. There's just something about it that seems to make things seem ok."
"Yeah. I know what you mean." They just sat there for a while, both looking out at the ocean. Two friends caught in the edges of a nightmare of death and loss.
"I really miss him," Jordan said after a while. "I mean, we were just friends. . .ok, we kissed twice. . .but still. I miss him. It's weird."
"Why is it weird Jordan?"
"I don't know. I just. . . I worked so many cases with him in the short time he was here. Course he did request me part of the time, so maybe I shouldn't count those. But I've worked with other detectives a lot too. I. . .I don't know if I'd feel this way if any of them. . . Well, except you. . ."
"Oh ~ so maybe your feelings did go a bit deeper?"
"I don't know. I just. . ." Jordan sighed and leaned into Eddie's side a little more. "Everyone keeps expecting me to fall apart. I feel like maybe I should. But then I think how well I'm doing and. . . I don't know. It's just confusing."
"I think mixed feelings are sort of to be expected. I mean, given everything. . ." For some reason, they were both having trouble finishing sentences, yet they seemed to know what the other was thinking.
After a while of just sitting watching the surf, Jordan started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, I was just thinking about the irony of this. You, me ~ sitting here on a beach talking about loss and friendship and stuff. Who would have ever thought we'd find a common bond."
"Hey! That incommunicado crap was all your doing." Eddie leaned back and kicked sand over onto Jordan's feet. She returned the kicking and pretty soon they were both covered in sand.
"You're a real mess, Jordan Cavanaugh. I guess there's only one thing to do."
"What's that?" Jordan wasn't sure what he had in mind until. . .
"This!" Eddie cried and scooped Jordan up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He ran towards the water with Jordan screaming and laughing at him to put her down. When he got into the water up to his hips, he said, "Alright. You asked for it!" and tossed Jordan into the water.
Jordan squealed and then disappeared under the water for a second. She came up sputtering and sent a big hand-driven wave of water in Eddie's direction. They kept up their water fight until they heard someone yelling at them from the beach. Stopping for a minute, they turned and saw Garret standing there, trying to hold back his own laughter at the sight of his best M.E. and one of the best detectives on the force, once sworn enemies, playing in the surf like little children.
"What the hell are you two doing?"
"He got me all sandy and decided to wash it off."
"Hey! I wasn't the only one kicking sand."
"You two are worse than pre-schoolers sometimes. But it's great to see you laughing. Come here."
"Ok." Jordan splashed into shore, leaving Eddie standing there. He quickly followed Jordan to shore and joined her and Garret on the beach.
"We're about packed up to head back. I. . ."
"Oh ~ crap. I forgot to do that."
"Eddie, you didn't tell her?"
"We got distracted I guess." Eddie looked down at the sand.
"Tell me what?"
"I'm taking a few days off ~ I've got vacation coming to me. And we thought. . .nothing bad is meant at all. . .we thought that maybe you might like to take a few days as well."
"Huh?"
"Jordan," Garret put his hand on her shoulder, "I believe you that you're doing ok. But how long has it been since you had a real vacation?"
"Um. . .well. . ."
"It's ok. I promise no funny stuff. I just thought that since I've got the house for a couple more weeks it might be fun to hang out for a while and just chill. It's a big house. We wouldn't even have to interact if you didn't want to."
"Why would I not want to interact with one of my good friends?" Jordan winked at Eddie. "But you do NOT have privileges!"
"So noted. So you'll stay?"
"Yeah. Well, I guess. . . I'll need to call Dad and. . ."
"Already done. He thought it might be a good idea as well." Garret had thought of everything. "And you've got a couple of weeks saved up. Spend it all here or part here and part in Boston. I'll see you in 2 weeks. Ok?"
"Ok. Thanks Garret!" Jordan threw her arms around him, then turned towards Eddie and hugged him too. "Thank you! Eddie, after everything. . ."
"All forgiven, Jordan. No hard feelings." Eddie started to guide them back to the house. As evening was falling, the temperature was dropping and they were both starting to shiver. Garret walked along until they got to the driveway. He turned and hugged Jordan.
"Let me know if you need anything. And Howard's still on call for you if you need him."
"Right. Thanks Garret. I'll see you in a couple of weeks."
They waved good-bye to the others and headed into the house.
The next two weeks were a time of fun and relaxation for both of them. As he promised, there were times when Jordan needed freedom and Eddie left her alone. Nothing happened ~ well, nothing physical happened. The tentative bonds of friendship that had been forming before Woody moved to Boston and started working most of his cases with Jordan strengthened, and both Eddie and Jordan were fine with being friends. Given their history, anything deeper could have been a challenge. And anyway, it seemed way too soon to Jordan for her to even be thinking about a relationship ~ she had a lot more to learn about herself before she went there with anyone. And she had some good friends by her side while she did her own healing and growing.
All too soon, the two weeks were over and she and Eddie were packing up to go back to Boston. They got into Eddie's car, rode the ferry across to the mainland, and drove back to Boston. As Eddie pulled up outside Jordan's apartment, she looked at him.
"Thanks so much Eddie. For everything."
"You're welcome, Jordan. I'm glad we're talking again."
"Yeah. Ok, well, I guess I need to go and get settled in ~ see if my plant actually managed to die while I was gone. I'll see you around I guess."
"Yeah ~ see you around." Eddie gave her a hug and watched to make sure that she got in alright.
Jordan called Max to check in, and then called Garret to let him know she'd be in the next day. Then she went and took a long, hot shower and tumbled into her own bed.
The next day, Jordan went into the morgue and seemed more like herself than she'd seemed in months. The time at the beach obviously did her some good. Garret called her into his office as she walked by.
"Hey sweetheart. I'm glad you're back."
"Thanks Garret. It's good to be here. Thanks for. . .everything."
"Not a problem, Jordan." She started to leave, but Garret stopped her. He had an idea. He'd heard a song that really fit how he felt about Jordan ~ like his kid sister ~ and wanted her to hear it. But. . . "You want to grab some dinner tonight? If I remember correctly, someone recently had a birthday and never got to celebrate it."
"Um. . .ok. Sure. That would be great, Garret! Thanks!"
When Garret went to lunch, he decided to stop in the Pogue and get things set up for the evening.
"Hey Max!" Garret walked down the steps and over to the bar where Max was putting glasses away from the dishwasher.
"Garret! Good to see you! What's up?" Max was always glad to see Garret. Not only was he an ok guy, he always kept an eye out for Jordan. Especially important since. . . But he tried not to think about it too much ~ when Jordan hurt, Max hurt. She'd seemed better when she called him last night, but. . .
"I've been thinking a lot about Jordan and everything she's been through lately, and I've got an idea to remind her that she's still got a friend in me ~ and the rest of the morgue staff. We all love her and want to help her however we can." Garret looked at Max.
"I know you do. I just. . ." Max was puzzled. What did Garret have up his sleeve?
"Does that jukebox play CDs?"
"Yeah ~ they've all been converted now. Not that I could have found the records anyway."
Garret held out a CD. "Could you put this in and tell me what to push to play track 6?"
"Yeah. I've got the instruction book here somewhere."
"Can you do it by tonight? I'm going to drag her out and force feed her if I have to. Then we'll come back here. I've got a plan that I think will work, Max. Trust me."
"Alright. Leave it here and I'll let you know. What time. . .?"
"I'll call you with the details later. Thanks Max."
"No, thank you Garret." As the younger man left, Max thought about how lucky it was that Jordan had someone like Garret in her life. A big brother figure if ever there was one. He took the CD and set about finding the book to add it to the jukebox and program it in.
After work, Garret got in his car and drove over to Jordan's loft. She'd gone home early ~ claiming she wasn't feeling well. He knew better. She was fine while she was away, but there were so many memories at the morgue and the precinct it was going to take a while for her to really be ok.
He pulled up and parked outside her building. The last time he'd been here. . . Man that was hard. Even harder than telling Abby he and Maggie were splitting up. Something about when she's like a kid sister to you ~ all you want to do is protect her.
He went into the building and rode the elevator to the third floor. He went to the door and knocked. He listened and was relieved to hear footsteps on the floor coming towards the door.
"Jordan?" Garret knocked on the door, hoping that this was a good idea.
"Yeah?" She opened the door and motioned him in. She was in sweats and a tank top, her hair in a messy ponytail.
"You're not ready. Is this. . .How are you doing?"
"I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"Garret, 'I'm a big tough girl. I tie my own sandals and everything.'" Jordan rolled her eyes as she found a clean tank top to pair with the denim skirt slung over the chair in the corner. It was too hot to wear anything else. "I'm almost ready. Give me a second."
"'Hercules' Jordan? I'm. . ." Garret was trying to hold back a laugh. The image of Jordan watching a Disney movie was almost too much to take ~ though he had to admit. . .they could have written the role of Megara for her.
"Shut up, Garret. Let me just re-brush my hair and I'll be ready."
"Alright." Garret wandered around the loft. It really was a cute place. He got to the kitchen and saw the box sitting, unopened on the counter, its bow still tied perfectly, though slightly crushed. She hadn't even touched it. The card was gone, but he had no way of knowing if she'd read it or simply put it in the trash. He sighed, and decided he'd take the box and have her open it. He didn't know for sure what it was, but he had an idea ~ he knew that rattle. And he remembered Woody's request about a month before his death. Damn the guy had been good. And so in love with Jordan. If only she hadn't been so damn scared to let him in before it was too late. If only. . . Garret blinked back tears. Tonight was about helping Jordan, not wallowing in his own shit.
"Ok. Let's go." Jordan appeared seconds after Garret slipped the box in his pocket and turned to block the now-empty counter.
"Jordan, you look beautiful."
"Yeah ~ whatever. Might as well. Staying around here isn't doing me any good."
Garret couldn't tell if she was joking or not. He held out his hand.
"Oh, come on. What did I just say?" Jordan rolled her eyes.
"Humor me. I just want to take care of my 'baby sister' for a night. She's had a rough time lately." Garret kept his hand out, praying that Jordan would understand.
"Alright." She reached out and lightly held his hand. As they were waiting for the elevator, Jordan squeezed it and laid her head on Garret’s shoulder.
"What?"
"Thank you, Gar. For everything."
"You're welcome, Jordan. You're welcome."
They went somewhere simple to eat, just basic Italian food. Pasta always seemed to cheer Jordan up a little, and Garret was relieved to see that she ate everything on her plate.
"What?" Jordan noticed him watching her.
"I'm just glad to see you eating, Jordan. And coping like you are." He reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
"I'm fine. Yeah I miss him, but I'll be ok. He wouldn't have wanted it any other way." Jordan gave him a smile that, for the first time in weeks, looked genuine.
"Good. Then it's time you opened something." Garret pushed the box across the table towards her. She looked at him quizzically. "Go on. I know Woody wanted you to have it. Open it."
Jordan just shook her head. Her eyes were shiny, but just as Garret thought she was about to break down in tears, she started laughing.
"What?"
"Oh, you guys are so observant. Even if you didn't pay attention to the fact that the card wasn't there anymore and the box didn't rattle when you picked it up, didn't you even see what I'm wearing?" Jordan managed to ask through her laughter.
Garret looked across the table and saw the silver locket dangling from Jordan's neck. "So you did open it. But the bow. . ."
"Wrapped like boxes on TV. The ribbon didn't go all the way across."
"Did you look inside?"
"Yeah. I did." Jordan smiled ~ only Woody would think to get pictures of the morgue staff and her "favorite" detectives at the precinct and put them in a locket. "Hey, want to go to the Pogue? I'm in the mood to kick your ass at some pool."
Garret had almost forgotten his plan. . .the song. . . "Yeah. That would be great."
"Fine. I'll just go to the bathroom and meet you at the front?"
"Sounds good." Garret sent the check back for his card to be rung and opened his cell phone. Max gave him the information he needed. When Jordan rejoined him, they went to his car and drove to the Pogue.
When they got there, Jordan claimed a pool table while Garret got them a couple of beers. They played a couple of rounds, and the Garret moved towards the jukebox before they started their third game.
"Where are you going?"
"There's a song I want to play. It's. . . It's not an exact fit, but. . . Just listen to it, Jordan." Garret walked over to the jukebox, put in his money and pushed the buttons Max told him to. Jordan hopped up on the edge of the pool table to listen. She teared up as the words joined the music.
"When You Come Back Down"
by Nickel Creek (Tim O'Brien and Danny O'Keefe)
You got to leave me now,
you got to go alone,
You got to chase a dream,
one that's all your own
Before it slips away.
When you're flyin' high,
take my heart along,
I'll be the harmony to every lonely song
That you learn to play.
When you're soarin' through the air,
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare,
I'll still be there
When you come back down,
When you come back down.
I'll keep lookin' up,
awaitin' your return,
My greatest fear will be
that you will crash and burn,
And I won't feel your fire.
I'll be the other hand
that always holds the line
Connectin' in between
your sweet heart and mine,
I'm strung out on that wire.
And I'll be on the other end,
To hear you when you call
Angel, you were born to fly,
and if you get too high
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll catch you when you fall
Your memory's the sunshine
every new day brings,
I know the sky is calling,
Angel, let me help you with your wings
You got to leave me now,
you got to go alone,
You got to chase a dream,
one that's all your own
Before it slips away.
Take every chance you dare,
I'll still be there
When you come back down,
When you come back down.
Take every chance you dare,
I'll still be there
When you come back down,
When you come back down.
Garret had watched Jordan as the song played. Sometimes reading her was impossible. He moved a little closer to her as the song ended.
Blinking back tears, Jordan reached up and gave Garret a hug. "You don't have to worry. I'm not going to run anywhere. I'm home now."
"I love you, Jordan," Garret said, planting a tender, siblingesque kiss on her forehead. "And I mean every word in that song, even though I didn't write it."
He pulled back and gently pulled Jordan's chin up so that their eyes met. It was good to have the Jordan they all knew and loved back. It had been a rough road, and things weren't necessarily over, but still. Seeing her smile made everything worth it.
"Welcome home, Jordan. Welcome home."
**finito**
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