Disclaimer: Not mine, couldn't begin to tell you what I'd do with em' if they were….
Summary: Aside from the train wreck….or….umm…episode of Crossing Jordan this past week, I have to give a nod to the last delightful scene…this is my interpretation of what happened afterwards…
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay MADAM BETH
I can't help smiling as we stroll towards the end of the pier. She actually admitted that she was worried that I wouldn't come back. I can only smile and try not to let on that I know her guarded little secret. She's falling for me. Actually, I guess she already fell. I pull her a little closer to me as the cool evening breeze whips around us, causing Jordan's hair to whip me in the face. I catch the scent of flowery shampoo as she flips it out of my face and apologizes with a smile.
The sun dips lower into the Pacific, leaving just a rim of orange peeking out above the water at us like a young child peeking over a windowsill at his older sister and her boyfriend kissing goodnight on the front porch, striving to not miss any of the action. Feeling a little bit intruded upon, I turn my back to the ocean and lean against the railing of the pier. I pull her into my arms casually and Jordan relaxes into my arms, but pulls back enough that she can still look me in the face. Our lips are inches away and I smile again and roll my eyes. "So…how was Hector?" she asks and I smile.
"Boy Jordan, you sure do a number on guys don't you?" I ask with a chuckle and she narrows her eyes at me.
"What makes you say that?" She asks and I sigh.
"Well, how exactly did Hector look when you left LA?" I ask with a cringe. Jordan looks up at the sky thinking back.
"Ummmmmm…..a little shorter than you are, bald, about your build." I can't help coughing to cover a laugh. "What?" Jordan asks pulling back a little more.
I shake my head and laugh. "Well…2 years and a couple hundred chili cheeseburgers later…" I say and wince. Jordan's eyes widen with surprise.
"Honestly? Hector is FAT!?" she asks and I just nod. She buries her head into my chest stifling a very inappropriate laugh. I chance digging a little deeper into her romantic history.
"So….this Hector guy…he had some…pretty interesting stuff to say about YOU." I say and Jordan pulls back away from me and we are again close enough to kiss.
"Oh, I'm sure he did…" She says a little uncomfortably, letting her arms lay loosely now around my waist. "Like what?" she asks finally and I am not sure if I want to tell her the truth. I hesitate for a few seconds and decide to go with it.
"Ahhhh….well, he asked me how I knew you and I told him, you know how I'm a cop and you're an M.E. and we liaised on some cases together…and…he kinda cut me off." I say and Jordan is silent a moment.
"What did he say to you?" she asks nervously shifting her gaze to the beach and the waves, and just about anything but me. I look at her still undecided on whether I want my balls kneed into my throat or not.
"He asked me if you um…used me for sex and then said you had commitment issues." I say and wait for the impact of her knee to my groin. Jordan drops her eyes, suddenly ashamed.
"Oh….and um…what did you tell him?" She asks and looks up into my eyes again just as the sun finally sinks below the far off waves. I push an errant, spastic strand of her long dark hair behind her ear and smile. She pulls away and stands next to me against the rail. I step in front of her, trying to keep her attention.
"I asked him, if we were really talking about the same Jordan." She rolls her eyes,
"What am I worse?" she asks sarcastically. I ignore her and continue.
" Because I don't know the Jordan he was talking about." I say seriously and lean forward, bent on kissing her. Jordan turns her head away and looks out over the ocean. I think I might have lost her but instead of giving in, I take her chin gently and turn her back to face me. I can tell by her eyes that she is worried what I think of her. Now that is a Jordan I have never seen before. The Jordan I know never cares what anyone thinks of her. I have half a mind to think that upon judgment by God himself, her only response would be a shrug, an eye roll, and a sarcastic 'so what?". I have to let her know what I meant by that.
"I asked him that…because, this Jordan", I say kissing her cheek gently, " MY Jordan, is loving and caring. She takes all of her relationships VERY seriously…and…when I look into her eyes…I see someone who has never 'used me for sex' but who I've shared more intimate dances with then some lovers have shared. Someone who, 'has commitment issues' and never gets attached to people…but who got on a plane 3000 miles ago because…she was worried I wasn't coming home." I softly take Jordan's lips with mine and try and remember if they tasted so good the last time I kissed them. I'm sure they did.
When I pull back, a few tears have made their way down her cheeks and she smiles at me as I take her face in my hands. She cups one of her hands around my own and I lean forward and kiss away a salty tear.
"So that means you DO know where home is now, right?" she asks and I kiss her eyes again. When I pull back I am surprised to feel wetness burning behind my own eyes.
"Yeah," I say softly and Jordan runs her thumb under my eye and then leans against my chest again, allowing me to wrap her in my arms. "It's wherever you are." I say and I can feel Jordan wag her eyebrows against my chest.
"You're damn right it is." She says and I kiss the top of her head, looking back out over the water. I turn with her still in my arms and we stroll back towards the shore as the last of the surfers are making their way in from the water. We watch them as we stroll towards the parking lot and our cars. My eye catches sight of numerous strings of kites now lining the beach. There are small children standing on their beachfront porches pointing the kites out excitedly to their parents who are lounging on the porch in lawn chairs.
"Wanna go down on the beach?" I ask looking at my watch. "I've been here for almost a week and I haven't gone on the beach yet." I say over the crash of the waves. Jordan looks out over the kites as well and nods. I pull her closer to me as we near the wooden steps to the beach. When we stop to take our shoes off, I flip mine off easily and bend down to slip Jordan's off as well. She rests a hand on my shoulder as I do so, and when I take the last shoe off and hold it up to her, Jordan smiles, takes it, and dramatically holds the shoe to her chest.
"Oh thank you my prince!" She says with a smirk and I stand holding my shoes by their backs with one hand. With the other I take Jordan's free hand and we make our way down the steps together.
"But I thought I was the Farm Boy." I ask and Jordan looks down at the sand shyly. She is quiet for a moment. Damn it not now, I didn't even say anything that could upset her! I mean…I know she isn't really into people knowing her little secrets about stuff but…
"I can't BELIEVE you knew that and didn't tell me, you jerk!" she says suddenly, bringing me out of my ruminations. I glance sideways and Jordan elbows me softly. She's laughing. I can't help but laugh back.
"Hey, 'The Princess Bride' is not JUST for girls you know!" I say and rub where she has just elbowed me in the side. Jordan just shakes her head and I sigh relieved that she is not upset that I picked up on something like that.
"Ya know, you CAN call me on things like that now Wood, I won't get upset." She says and I just smile knowingly and bow my head a little, bringing her hand to my lips.
"As you wish." I say and Jordan treats me to a genuine Cavanaugh smile.
"So what else do you want to share about yourself Woodrow?" She asks and I turn my head towards the boardwalk for just a second as I catch the scent of fresh funnel cake and caramel popcorn being made. I sigh heavily and think for a moment.
"Like what?" I ask as we near the cool, packed, dark sand where the tide is quickly rising. I walk closest to the water and allow the sea foam to bubble over my toes. It feels nice. Jordan smiles and swings our entwined hands between us.
"Well, for starters…Woodrow?" She asks with a grimace and I nod looking back out over the water.
"Ahhhh…the name." I say and smile as Jordan waits patiently for me to respond. "My father was in the Army before I was born. Very patriotic." Jordan nods in understanding and I continue. "So when I came along, he thought he would do his patriotic duty and name his kid after a president. So my full name is…Woodrow Wilson Hoyt. A year later, my brother Calvin Coolidge Hoyt followed." Jordan bites her lip not to laugh. I narrow my eyes and crouch to catch Jordan's eye. She looks up puzzled and a little startled.
"What?" she asks casually and moves to the other side of me to let her own feet get wet.
"What is YOUR middle
name?" I ask as Jordan realizes that this has turned into a game of 'you
show me yours, and I'll show you mine'. She stops and lets the cool water part
around her own feet. She looks up at me with a smile and I have stopped a few
feet ahead of her, waiting for her answer.
"Marie." She says and I smile in turn. I look off and say her name in
my head. Then I say it out loud.
"Jordan Marie. I like that.
Has anyone ever called you that as a nickname?" I ask and Jordan shakes
her head in the negative as she walks to catch up with me.
"Nope. Jo, Jordy, Dan, 'Miss Cavanaugh your in big trouble' was a
particular favorite of the teaching staff of Archbishop Williams High School…but
never Jordan Marie. " She says taking my hand again as if she is afraid I
will run away when she's not looking.
"I think I am gonna start using it then." I say pull her back under my arm.
"So…let's see…what about your first love?" She asks and I stop suddenly, surprised that she is asking that. She catches my hesitancy to answer and narrows her eyes at me.
"What? Touchy subject?" She asks and then widens her eyes in mistaken realization and says, "Ooooo….Woody, I'm sorry…was it the prom date that stood you up?" She asks wincing and runs her hand down my arm supportively. I smile and let a sad laugh escape my lips. Then I shake my head no and Jordan looks puzzled.
"The prom queen who saved me from humiliation and asked me to go with her." I say and look out over the waves.
"Sounds like there's a story behind that one…" Jordan says laying her head against my chest as we walk further on down the beach. I smile and kiss her hair as the light of the full moon scatters across the rippling waves, looking like a thousand diamonds scattered across a table.
"Yeah, there is…" I say with a sigh. "Maybe I'll tell you about it on the flight home." I say and Jordan lifts her head.
"And what makes you think I wanna sit next to you on a plane for ___ hours?" She asks playfully and I chuckle as a comfort I haven't felt in years tickles at my ribs.
"Well…and this might surprise you Jordan, in the heart of this stern, no-nonsense BOSTON homicide detective beats the heart of a big old teddy bear who LOVES to snuggle." I say and Jordan chuckles.
"Well, maybe I'll just have to put on a strong face and wait it out then." She says as we near the steps to the boardwalk.
"WE have an hour layover too." I say and Jordan perks up.
"Really? Where at?" she asks and I smile.
"Texas, Ma'am." I say pretending to tip the brim of a Stetson at her. Jordan laughs fully now as I take her hand and lead her up the steps.
"Oh, boy…an hour in Texas with a Cowboy!? What more could a girl want?" She says and hops playfully onto my back piggy-back style.
"How bout forever with a boyishly handsome cop in Boston?" I say with a grunt and Jordan wraps her slender arms around my neck and kisses my neck from behind.
"Now THAT sounds like something I could deal with." She says and kicks my thighs softly with the inside of her still bare foot.
"Giddy-up, Farm Boy!" She says and I gallop happily off down the boardwalk, making sure to clip-clop-clip-clop-clip-clop like a horse as I do.
"As you wish." I say, heading towards a bench under a lamppost where we can put our shoes back on and go home.