Conversations with Wordy

Ed Lane reached for his phone as he entered the parking garage at headquarters and pressed the speed dial for Wordy. It rang and then transferred to voice mail. Ed hesitated for a moment and then said, "Wordy, I was checking to see if you had time for a beer sometime soon. Let me know….not at The Goose. Some place we could talk. Okay. Call me."

It had been a long day when Wordy headed toward his car. His cell beeped with a new message and Wordy's brows knitted as he listened to Ed's cryptic message. He glanced at his watch and dialed his old friend's number. Ed picked up quickly. "Wordy, how's it going?" "You tell me, Ed. You okay?" Wordy asked. His friend sounded like he was forcing normalcy and that worried Wordy. That didn't happen unless things were definitely not normal. "We just haven't touched base in a while. If you don't have time, I get…" He was interrupted by his old partner-in-crime immediately. "Ed! I've got time. You want to come to my house or do you want to meet somewhere. Shelley and the girls went to see her mom so I was just going to throw a couple of burgers on the grill." Ed quickly agreed to that plan and offered to pick up the beer.

Ed rang the door bell, but walked in with the ease of having done so many times over the years. Wordy tossed him a bottle opener and waved his friend to follow him out to the deck. Ed opened a beer and then glanced at Wordy, "Can you drink with your meds?" "Yes, big brother, a beer is fine." Wordy replied with a hint of snark and a smile. He put the burgers on the hot grill, closed it and turned to face this man who meant so much to him. They both started talking at once and then lapsed into silence at the same time, as well. Each felt the tension and desperately wanted things to return to normal between them. Ed held his hand up and said, "I don't know if I fully apologized for the way I handled things. I know I went off the rails a bit." Wordy jumped in with a smirk, "Ah, you mean breaking into my locker, taking my gun or…" Ed interrupted him, "Yeah, all of that. I was confused, pissed and scared for you, but I certainly didn't handle it well."

Wordy flipped the burgers and then sat across from his buddy. "I didn't really mean to lie to you. You have to remember that you were out for months after Toth's review of us. I went to the doctor and he let me know right away that something significant was going on. I didn't share with you because you were hurt and Sophie and Izzy needed you. Greg was aware when they thought it was a brain tumor, then when they ruled that out and when they finally came to a diagnosis. I responded so well to the meds. It gave us the hope that this wouldn't mean a lot. I had been so worried for months that I actually felt the best I had in a long time. Unfortunately, that relief soon gave way to worry about what would happen if or when the meds weren't as effective anymore. I was working it through. You just helped things along faster." Wordy ended his unusually long discourse with a friendly grin and a flip of the burgers onto their buns.

Ed took a bite and chewed silently for a moment. Then said quietly, "I wish I was there for you, buddy." Wordy smiled in reply, "Eddie, you had a lot on your plate. We're good…..really. Life's not the same and I miss Team One like a missing limb, but you're here. I'm here. I see you all. We're family." The men continued to eat with an easy silence between them. As they finished, Wordy cracked open a second beer for each of them, looked his friend in the eye and asked, "So are you going to tell me what has you all wrapped up now?" A look of surprise crossed the bald man's face. Wordy continued, "Ed, I can read you too. Most of this stuff we've already talked through. What's going on now? Are Sophie and the kids alright?"

Ed played with the neck of the brown beer bottle and the silence stretched a bit. Finally, he looked up and stated, "I think the boss is headed for trouble or already there. Every day I grow more worried that I'm going to end up standing outside that briefing room like the day we talked Danny down. Every day." Wordy had a puzzled look on his face. "What? When has this all gone down? I know you've had some big calls and you told me about the horrific one with the ex cop, but I didn't get the sense things were this bad!"

Ed again measured his words in reply. "That day was a prime example, Word. This guy was hanging the boss from the scoreboard at the arena. He was beyond a red, you know? Greg hates heights, knew we had no tac options and he's up there fighting for his life. He was just laying it all out there. Raw, you know. Talking about Dean, the team and all the places he thinks he's failed. So much so that Spike wanted to ditch the audio drive so it wouldn't be on the record. The guy pulls the boss up safely, but it's apparent he's beyond the point of reach and takes a swan dive." He paused and then went on. "I knew Greg would take it hard. You know him—he only sees the failures these days. He told me he killed the guy, Wordy! The subject was a breath away from killing the boss and all Greg can do is worry about what he did or didn't do to save him!" Wordy could hear the frustration and concern in the Team Leader's voice as he went on. "Today, Dr. Toth called soon after shift started. Did you know that Sam and Jules are back together?" Ed glanced up to see Wordy shake his head. "Yeah, well, Greg's been aware. All's been fine and dandy until the lovebirds were chatting about honeymoon locations one day with their mikes on…." Wordy's expression would be comical in any other situation. He managed a choked, "Go on."

Ed took a long pull on his beer and continued, "So Toth comes in to suspend the boss who promised him the knuckleheads wouldn't cross the line. In the meantime, we get a hot call at a research lab. A pissed off ex employee is on a rampage about a tainted vaccine he'd been given and if the biological agents get into the wrong hands, we in deep…" He paused again to drink and continued in a rush. "Jules was in the line of fire and the Sarge got on line with us. The situation went FUBAR and Jules was hit in an artery by shrapnel and exposed to anthrax. Sam followed the Priority of Life code to save the hostages and that was witnessed by the good doctor." The Team Leader noted his friends mouth forming the questions and jumped in before the words were out. "Jules is good, Word. Lost some blood and needs IV antibiotics, but you know her. She's a trooper. She was more worried about not talking the subject down than herself. Sam was a wreck, but he held it together too."

Wordy got up, went to the kitchen and poured them each a glass of lemonade. He came back and sat down slowly. "Okay, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. What aren't you telling me?" Eddie sighed and almost growled the rest out. "We came back to the barn. Toth was actually fairly human. Asked about Jules. Told us he would recommend the team stays intact. But, Sarge has one week to decide if he wants to lead the team. I'm thinking great we're good to go. I'm grinning like a demonic fool and suggesting we go use the suspension papers for target practice." He stops and looks at Wordy who urges him on, "Yeah, and?" Ed stops and meets his friend's gaze. Greg takes the papers and says he has to think on it. Wordy, what's to think about? This team is Greg's. We need him."

Suddenly, Ed stands up and starts clearing the table. Wordy holds up a hand and says "Eddie….." However, his friend quickly stops him. "You know what, Word. This is going to be fine. The boss just needs a good sleep, maybe a little down time. He's good. We're good. He has to know this just can't happen." Wordy looks at him with those knowing eyes and says, "Eddie, sit. Sit. Listen to me. Whatever's going on in the boss's mind is his to work through. He can't be the hero all the time. He's had a lot in the last couple of years and isn't one to lean on anyone. We can be there for him. You can give him the good old Ed Lane reality check, but this is going to come down to him working things out. I just can't see him being finished, Ed, I just can't. However, I will say there is life after the SRU, buddy and if that's what he needs, then we have to be there for him."

Ed looked at him and replied, "I can't accept that, Wordy. I just can't accept that. He's not done. We're not done." Kevin Wordsworth looked at his friend of twenty years and knew it was time to stop pushing. He changed the subject gently. "Picnic next week? We're all still on. Shelley's planning to bring watermelon and pasta salad. The girls can't wait to play with Izzy." Ed seemed grateful for the reprieve. He smiled and joked, "Spike has been trying to duplicate his father's wine recipe. We'll need some designated drivers." They walked towards Ed's car and Wordy gave his friend and a hug. "I'm a phone call away, Ed. I'll see you next week, but call if there's anything….."

In typical Ed fashion, he ended the visit with, "I will, buddy, I will, but we'll be fine. I'll be fine."