Closing Time
Chapter 4
PG-13
Not mine! You know the drill!!
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"You sure about this?" Eddie looked at Jordan, glad that she was letting him share in this. He was going to miss Max too.
"No. But he'd want us to celebrate. Not sit around crying." Jordan squeezed Eddie's hand, then opened her door and got out, her hands fumbling in her bag for the set of keys Max had given her when he bought the place.
She unlocked the door, and the group stepped in, speaking in hushed voices if they said anything at all. Jordan walked to the light switch and suddenly the Pogue was bathed in light. She took a deep breath and stepped behind the bar. Funny, she'd played bar wench enough it shouldn't have felt strange. But it did. The group watched her, unsure of what to expect. Jordan looked up and met Garret's eyes, then tried to smile.
"Alright, everyone. What'll it be?"
They drank a toast to Max and sat around talking. Jordan wrote a sign that they would be closed until further notice and posted it in the window. As they got ready to leave, Garret offered to drive her home.
"Thanks, Gar. But. . ." Jordan looked at Eddie. "If it's ok with both of you, I'd kind of like Eddie to take me home. We've. . .I need to say some things to him."
"Alright, baby. You let me know if you need anything. And don't worry about the autopsy. I'm handling that myself." Garret gave her a hug and moved towards the door. He would see to it that everything was in order as quickly as possible. And that Renee kept her claws in.
They walked out of the Pogue, and Jordan locked the door, then walked with Eddie to his car.
"You sure about this?"
"Yeah."
They drove in silence to Jordan's apartment. Occasionally she'd reach up and wipe a tear from her cheek. Eddie reached over and took her left hand in his and was only slightly surprised when she didn't pull away. When they got to her apartment, she motioned for him to come up.
"You're sure?"
"Winslow, I'm not asking you to sleep with me. I just. . . I need to tell you some stuff."
"Ok, ok." He chuckled and took her hand as they went into the building and into Jordan's apartment.
She led him over to the couch and they sat down.
"Eddie, I. . ."
"Jordan, it's ok."
"No, dammit! Let me finish!"
"Ok."
"I'm sorry I've been so horrible to you since I've been back. I. . .I know Dad stopped blaming you a long time ago." She swallowed hard. "He told me that he knew you did the right thing. That he was becoming a danger to himself and others. He didn't blame you." Another big gulp. "Neither do I."
"Thank you, Jordan." Eddie looked at her, wishing he could take the pain away.
"Will you stay for a while? I. . .I don't want to be alone right now." Her eyes pleaded with him. Promising himself that nothing would happen, at least that night, he nodded.
Jordan went over to the stove and began to heat some water. "You want some tea or cocoa or something?"
"Yeah. That would be great." He looked at Jordan. Her hair was rumpled and she was still in the same clothes from when it happened. He walked over to the kitchen area and took her hands in his. "Jordan?"
"Yeah?"
"I'll do it. Why don't you go and take a nice hot shower. I promise, I'll stay right here. But. . ."
"Yeah, ok. That sounds good." She wandered towards the bathroom, and shortly he heard the sound of water coming from the showerhead. As it stopped, he started to make two steaming mugs of cocoa and added a dollop of whipped cream from the container in the fridge.
Jordan came back into the main room of her loft dressed in baggy sweats and a tank top, her damp hair pulled back in a ponytail. She gratefully accepted the steaming mug Eddie offered her and led the way back over to the couch, where they curled up and talked for hours before just sitting there, being in each other's presence.
At about 3, Eddie realized that Jordan had fallen asleep. After turning down the sheets on her bed, he gently picked her up and laid her on the bed, pulling the covers up before planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Sleep well, Jordan. I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered. After leaving her a note with his home and cell numbers, he let himself out of the loft, making sure that the door locked behind him.
. . .to be continued. . .