That Night Part 4
Rating: PG-13
Nigel. . . (later that evening at his apartment) I felt bloody awful about the whole thing. I mean, I know that it took both Jordan and me for that night to happen, but the stuff afterwards. Getting the test for her and giving it to her when I knew Woody was standing in her office. What the hell was I thinking? I mean, for the love of Pete, that was a territorial move if ever I saw one. It's not like I. . .
No! I don't. I'm not! Jordan's like a kid sister to me, which makes our actions that night even more bizarre than. . . I don't love her. Well, not that way. But what other explanation. . .?
And anyway, even if I did love her that way, what good would it do? She's in love with Woody. Even if she won't admit it. Her reaction to his reaction to the test tells everything. She was crushed ~ as much that she hurt him as by his response to the whole thing. We all knew Woody had it bad for our dear girl, but none of us had a clue that she felt the same way. I'm not even sure Jordan knew herself until this afternoon.
So, now. . . What to do? Talking to Woodrow should probably be my first step. Play a little Cyrano lately, Nige? Not that that's exactly what I'm doing, but the comparison sort of fits. But how do I even begin to approach this?
Maybe he's at. . . Nah ~ would he really go to the Pogue? Probably not, but maybe I can figure out a way to ask Max what to do without technically asking Max what to do. So I'll just feed Rosie and then it's off to the Pogue. . .
a little later, at the Pogue. . .
Hmmm. . . No sign of either of them. Well, I expected as much. Didn't really think Woody would come here, and who knows what Jordan's doing right now. Odd ~ I never really thought about her evening activities and now I'm all concerned about where she is and what she's doing. I thought maybe she'd be here to talk with Max, but. . .
"Nigel! Good to see you! What can I get ya?" Max had spotted me and was motioning me over.
"Oh, how about a pint of whatever you've got on tap, Max?"
"Sure. Here ya go."
"Thanks."
"Say, Nigel. Maybe you can help me out with something here."
"Well, I don't know, but I'll give it a try."
"Woody came in about 6. Got a beer, didn't say much. But he seemed upset over something." He paused, but I could tell there was more.
"Go on."
"Then about 6:30, Jordan came in. She stopped where she was when she saw Woody sitting at the bar. He noticed her at the same time ~ I was about to get him another beer, and he said 'Never mind,' laid some money on the bar, and left quickly. It looked like Jordan tried to say something to him, but he brushed past her and walked out, not even saying anything to her. She came and flopped down on a stool, but didn't really say much. I don't even think she had anything to drink. Left about 15 minutes ago, about 7."
"Ok."
"So, any clue what might be going on? Those two have. . .well, they've seemed to be getting closer lately. Did something happen between them that you know of?"
"Yeah, and it's partly my fault."
"Your fault?"
"I'd rather not get into that right now, if it's ok, Max." No, I definitely don't want to inform him that his daughter and I know each other a little better than "just friends" should. "But I think I might be able to help. Do you know where I might find Woody, by chance?"
"No, but I do have his phone number ~ he gave it to me after the explosion at the building that time. Here ya go. Do you want to use the phone?"
"Thanks, Max. No ~ I won't use the phone here. I've got to go to the office for something and I'll call him from there. Probably better if there aren't a lot of people around." Actually I won't use the phone at all, just run a trace on the number and get the address and show up there. Don't give the boy time to run. "Don't worry ~ things are going to be ok."
"Alright, Nigel. Thanks for helping. I just can't stand to see Jordan. . ."
"I know. I don't like seeing either of them like this. I'll talk to you later."
Alright, Nige. Now, to the morgue to get an address, and then "operation reconnection" is in business.
a little later, outside Woody's building. . .
Alright, found it. That was too easy. Now, let's just hope that it's not a buzz in building. Ah, good. Open door. Now, up the stairs and. . . Yes, here we are. Now I'll just knock on the door and. . .
"Go away, Jordan. I have nothing to say. . ." In spite of his words, he opened the door. "Nigel. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to explain things, Woody."
"There's nothing to explain. You and Jordan are together. Apparently she's pregnant given your little 'present' today. I don't see what else there is to talk about."
"Now wait a minute, Woody." I jammed my foot in the door as he tried to close it on me. Pushing the door open again, I could see how hurt he was, but at the same time, he needed to listen to me and understand exactly what happened. "Things aren't always what they seem. You jumped to some incorrect conclusions, and now you and Jordan are both paying for them." I guess he realized that I wasn't going away, so he coldly motioned for me to come in. I stepped inside, but neither of us made a move to sit down.
"You bought her a pregnancy test. How else am I supposed to interpret that?"
"Yes, I realize that's pretty incriminating evidence if taken alone."
"And what else should I take it with, Nigel?"
"Alright, Woody, I understand. But will you let me explain things before you totally shut Jordan out of your life?"
"Go ahead."
"About a month ago, I was being a pain at the office, refusing to help with any of the computer research because it seemed like I was the only one doing it ~ no one else was bothering to learn because they had me."
"And this has what to do with Jordan and that test?"
"I'm getting there. I knew she needed help on a computer search. I went by her office and saw her sitting there, doing a painfully slow keyword search. So I gave in and helped her. We finished our research and to thank me, she bought me a drink at the Pogue."
"Uh huh."
"We played pool for a while so that she felt ok to drive, and then we realized it was so late the T to my place had stopped for the night. To save me having call, wait for, take, and pay for a cab, Jordan offered to drive me home. I'd gotten a pet pig that she hadn't met, and I wanted her to meet Rosie. And then. . . Woody, honestly I don't know what happened. One thing led to another and before we knew it we were in bed."
"And this is helping explain this so I'll like Jordan again how?"
"It meant nothing. To either of us. It was a mistake. As soon as we realized what we'd done, we were both shocked. We never expected it to happen. Woody, look at me." At least he looked me in the eyes. "It meant nothing to either of us. I swear to you, it meant nothing. We agreed that it would never happen or be spoken of again."
"But. . .?" He seemed to be melting a little. Maybe this would work after all.
"The test?"
"The test."
"Jordan came to me first thing this morning. I knew something had been bothering her for about a week, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I figured maybe the two of you were having problems."
"There hasn't been a 'the two of us.' That's the problem."
"I hear you, mate. Anyway, Jordan was late. As in. . ."
"I know what late means in that context."
"So she had a test. She went and took it. It looked positive, but then we decided to look at the instructions to make sure we were reading it properly."
"And?"
"And we discovered that it was a fertility test, not a pregnancy test. She grabbed the wrong box in the store this morning." This is good, I think. He's almost laughing.
"Why does that totally sound like something Jordan would do?"
"I know. So we'd talked about having lunch, getting a proper test, doing it over lunch and discussing our options. When she got called to the scene, I figured it would take a while and she'd probably forget to eat ~ she's prone to that, just so you know ~ so I went and grabbed something and decided to pick up the test for her. Then you came in and the two of you were going to lunch and. . . Well, you know the rest of what happened."
"I know you gave her the test and she wasn't going to take it with me there. I don't know beyond that."
"No, you stormed out so you wouldn't. As it turns out, the test was returned unopened to the store. We didn't need it. She's not. For once in her life she was just late."
"That's all well and good, Nigel, but I still don't see what difference this makes for anything. The bottom line is you slept together. And I. . ."
"Woodrow, listen to me. Jordan and I made a mistake. Yes, we had sex. One time. ONE time. Once. We were both intoxicated and it just happened. It meant nothing. If she hadn't been late, neither of us would have thought of it again. It was a mistake. Jeeze, she's like my kid sister. And she's heartbroken. She was really falling for you and now she feels like she's screwed everything up. She's probably holed up in her apartment doing God only knows what. Woody, she really cares for you."
"But I don't know how I could. . ."
"Woody, not to be rude, but aren't you putting the cart before the horse here?"
"Huh?"
"Were the two of you dating before this happened?"
"No. We haven't really ever gone on a date. I mean, we kissed in Los Angeles that time she followed me out there for that woman we found in the truck's case. But nothing since then. . . Oh man do I feel like an ass right now."
"Excuse me?"
"Here I was acting like we were dating. I guess the kiss meant more to me than it did to her. I figured it was just because of schedules and stuff that we weren't progressing beyond that. And then today I. . .I jumped to conclusions."
"You think?"
"Nigel, what do I do? You think she really cares about me?"
"Woody, I've never seen her this upset when a guy's stormed out of her office ~ and before you ~ WAY before you ~ there was at least one. Some guy from L.A. ~ but he's married now. Yes, I really think she cares about you. That kiss probably did mean a lot more to her than she's let on."
"So where do I go from here?"
"How about her apartment?"
"I couldn't. We may not have. . . But I know her well enough to know that she'd never even open the door. If anything I'd find myself talking to a closed door." Now, given my earlier realization that I might indeed love Jordan, this was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation. But Woody looked so pitiful just then. And I remembered Jordan's face when he'd stormed out. No, I had to cover whatever feelings I might have and work at helping the two of them reconnect Besides, I'd already told him that she's like a kid sis to me ~ to go back on that now would mean hurting him all over again, and I can't do that.
"Why don't we go over there together. I'll go up first and talk with her. Tell her you've heard what happened and that you understand ~ or at least you're trying to understand. And you want to talk with her. I'm sure I can convince her to talk to you."
"Ok."
"Let's go then."
. . .to be continued. . .
Rating: PG-13
Nigel. . . (later that evening at his apartment) I felt bloody awful about the whole thing. I mean, I know that it took both Jordan and me for that night to happen, but the stuff afterwards. Getting the test for her and giving it to her when I knew Woody was standing in her office. What the hell was I thinking? I mean, for the love of Pete, that was a territorial move if ever I saw one. It's not like I. . .
No! I don't. I'm not! Jordan's like a kid sister to me, which makes our actions that night even more bizarre than. . . I don't love her. Well, not that way. But what other explanation. . .?
And anyway, even if I did love her that way, what good would it do? She's in love with Woody. Even if she won't admit it. Her reaction to his reaction to the test tells everything. She was crushed ~ as much that she hurt him as by his response to the whole thing. We all knew Woody had it bad for our dear girl, but none of us had a clue that she felt the same way. I'm not even sure Jordan knew herself until this afternoon.
So, now. . . What to do? Talking to Woodrow should probably be my first step. Play a little Cyrano lately, Nige? Not that that's exactly what I'm doing, but the comparison sort of fits. But how do I even begin to approach this?
Maybe he's at. . . Nah ~ would he really go to the Pogue? Probably not, but maybe I can figure out a way to ask Max what to do without technically asking Max what to do. So I'll just feed Rosie and then it's off to the Pogue. . .
a little later, at the Pogue. . .
Hmmm. . . No sign of either of them. Well, I expected as much. Didn't really think Woody would come here, and who knows what Jordan's doing right now. Odd ~ I never really thought about her evening activities and now I'm all concerned about where she is and what she's doing. I thought maybe she'd be here to talk with Max, but. . .
"Nigel! Good to see you! What can I get ya?" Max had spotted me and was motioning me over.
"Oh, how about a pint of whatever you've got on tap, Max?"
"Sure. Here ya go."
"Thanks."
"Say, Nigel. Maybe you can help me out with something here."
"Well, I don't know, but I'll give it a try."
"Woody came in about 6. Got a beer, didn't say much. But he seemed upset over something." He paused, but I could tell there was more.
"Go on."
"Then about 6:30, Jordan came in. She stopped where she was when she saw Woody sitting at the bar. He noticed her at the same time ~ I was about to get him another beer, and he said 'Never mind,' laid some money on the bar, and left quickly. It looked like Jordan tried to say something to him, but he brushed past her and walked out, not even saying anything to her. She came and flopped down on a stool, but didn't really say much. I don't even think she had anything to drink. Left about 15 minutes ago, about 7."
"Ok."
"So, any clue what might be going on? Those two have. . .well, they've seemed to be getting closer lately. Did something happen between them that you know of?"
"Yeah, and it's partly my fault."
"Your fault?"
"I'd rather not get into that right now, if it's ok, Max." No, I definitely don't want to inform him that his daughter and I know each other a little better than "just friends" should. "But I think I might be able to help. Do you know where I might find Woody, by chance?"
"No, but I do have his phone number ~ he gave it to me after the explosion at the building that time. Here ya go. Do you want to use the phone?"
"Thanks, Max. No ~ I won't use the phone here. I've got to go to the office for something and I'll call him from there. Probably better if there aren't a lot of people around." Actually I won't use the phone at all, just run a trace on the number and get the address and show up there. Don't give the boy time to run. "Don't worry ~ things are going to be ok."
"Alright, Nigel. Thanks for helping. I just can't stand to see Jordan. . ."
"I know. I don't like seeing either of them like this. I'll talk to you later."
Alright, Nige. Now, to the morgue to get an address, and then "operation reconnection" is in business.
a little later, outside Woody's building. . .
Alright, found it. That was too easy. Now, let's just hope that it's not a buzz in building. Ah, good. Open door. Now, up the stairs and. . . Yes, here we are. Now I'll just knock on the door and. . .
"Go away, Jordan. I have nothing to say. . ." In spite of his words, he opened the door. "Nigel. What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to explain things, Woody."
"There's nothing to explain. You and Jordan are together. Apparently she's pregnant given your little 'present' today. I don't see what else there is to talk about."
"Now wait a minute, Woody." I jammed my foot in the door as he tried to close it on me. Pushing the door open again, I could see how hurt he was, but at the same time, he needed to listen to me and understand exactly what happened. "Things aren't always what they seem. You jumped to some incorrect conclusions, and now you and Jordan are both paying for them." I guess he realized that I wasn't going away, so he coldly motioned for me to come in. I stepped inside, but neither of us made a move to sit down.
"You bought her a pregnancy test. How else am I supposed to interpret that?"
"Yes, I realize that's pretty incriminating evidence if taken alone."
"And what else should I take it with, Nigel?"
"Alright, Woody, I understand. But will you let me explain things before you totally shut Jordan out of your life?"
"Go ahead."
"About a month ago, I was being a pain at the office, refusing to help with any of the computer research because it seemed like I was the only one doing it ~ no one else was bothering to learn because they had me."
"And this has what to do with Jordan and that test?"
"I'm getting there. I knew she needed help on a computer search. I went by her office and saw her sitting there, doing a painfully slow keyword search. So I gave in and helped her. We finished our research and to thank me, she bought me a drink at the Pogue."
"Uh huh."
"We played pool for a while so that she felt ok to drive, and then we realized it was so late the T to my place had stopped for the night. To save me having call, wait for, take, and pay for a cab, Jordan offered to drive me home. I'd gotten a pet pig that she hadn't met, and I wanted her to meet Rosie. And then. . . Woody, honestly I don't know what happened. One thing led to another and before we knew it we were in bed."
"And this is helping explain this so I'll like Jordan again how?"
"It meant nothing. To either of us. It was a mistake. As soon as we realized what we'd done, we were both shocked. We never expected it to happen. Woody, look at me." At least he looked me in the eyes. "It meant nothing to either of us. I swear to you, it meant nothing. We agreed that it would never happen or be spoken of again."
"But. . .?" He seemed to be melting a little. Maybe this would work after all.
"The test?"
"The test."
"Jordan came to me first thing this morning. I knew something had been bothering her for about a week, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I figured maybe the two of you were having problems."
"There hasn't been a 'the two of us.' That's the problem."
"I hear you, mate. Anyway, Jordan was late. As in. . ."
"I know what late means in that context."
"So she had a test. She went and took it. It looked positive, but then we decided to look at the instructions to make sure we were reading it properly."
"And?"
"And we discovered that it was a fertility test, not a pregnancy test. She grabbed the wrong box in the store this morning." This is good, I think. He's almost laughing.
"Why does that totally sound like something Jordan would do?"
"I know. So we'd talked about having lunch, getting a proper test, doing it over lunch and discussing our options. When she got called to the scene, I figured it would take a while and she'd probably forget to eat ~ she's prone to that, just so you know ~ so I went and grabbed something and decided to pick up the test for her. Then you came in and the two of you were going to lunch and. . . Well, you know the rest of what happened."
"I know you gave her the test and she wasn't going to take it with me there. I don't know beyond that."
"No, you stormed out so you wouldn't. As it turns out, the test was returned unopened to the store. We didn't need it. She's not. For once in her life she was just late."
"That's all well and good, Nigel, but I still don't see what difference this makes for anything. The bottom line is you slept together. And I. . ."
"Woodrow, listen to me. Jordan and I made a mistake. Yes, we had sex. One time. ONE time. Once. We were both intoxicated and it just happened. It meant nothing. If she hadn't been late, neither of us would have thought of it again. It was a mistake. Jeeze, she's like my kid sister. And she's heartbroken. She was really falling for you and now she feels like she's screwed everything up. She's probably holed up in her apartment doing God only knows what. Woody, she really cares for you."
"But I don't know how I could. . ."
"Woody, not to be rude, but aren't you putting the cart before the horse here?"
"Huh?"
"Were the two of you dating before this happened?"
"No. We haven't really ever gone on a date. I mean, we kissed in Los Angeles that time she followed me out there for that woman we found in the truck's case. But nothing since then. . . Oh man do I feel like an ass right now."
"Excuse me?"
"Here I was acting like we were dating. I guess the kiss meant more to me than it did to her. I figured it was just because of schedules and stuff that we weren't progressing beyond that. And then today I. . .I jumped to conclusions."
"You think?"
"Nigel, what do I do? You think she really cares about me?"
"Woody, I've never seen her this upset when a guy's stormed out of her office ~ and before you ~ WAY before you ~ there was at least one. Some guy from L.A. ~ but he's married now. Yes, I really think she cares about you. That kiss probably did mean a lot more to her than she's let on."
"So where do I go from here?"
"How about her apartment?"
"I couldn't. We may not have. . . But I know her well enough to know that she'd never even open the door. If anything I'd find myself talking to a closed door." Now, given my earlier realization that I might indeed love Jordan, this was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation. But Woody looked so pitiful just then. And I remembered Jordan's face when he'd stormed out. No, I had to cover whatever feelings I might have and work at helping the two of them reconnect Besides, I'd already told him that she's like a kid sis to me ~ to go back on that now would mean hurting him all over again, and I can't do that.
"Why don't we go over there together. I'll go up first and talk with her. Tell her you've heard what happened and that you understand ~ or at least you're trying to understand. And you want to talk with her. I'm sure I can convince her to talk to you."
"Ok."
"Let's go then."
. . .to be continued. . .