"She's gone."
"What do you mean she's gone?"
Woody stood in the doorway to Trace. Bug sat busily at his desk not looking up at him.
"She finished up a John Doe she's been working on for YOUR office and she left. Macy said she's off the rotation for awhile."
"For how long?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't bloodily likely to tell you..."
Bug turned his full attention to forms sitting on his desk. Woody knew he had been dismissed. He knew it was fruitless to look for a sympathetic face. He had already searched. The only other person he recognized was Emmy and she was too busy running away from him like he was the ghost of Christmas Past.
Woody stood in the hallway, with his hands on his hips. He should have tried to talk to her earlier. He couldn't help but wonder if she ran again.
He was finally able to corner Emmy. She finally admitted that Jordan just went away for a few days and she didn't know where. He debated his options. Maybe Lily was right; he needed a sympathetic ear.
Before he could change his mind he headed off to visit Max.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The after work crowd had just started to descend on Pogue. Max pulled a pitcher for a group at the pool table when he heard the bell over the door ring.
"Blessed Mother of Mercy" he muttered when he saw who it was.
Woody stopped just inside the door. He looked around taking in the atmosphere. Many of the happiest and few of the worst moments in his life took place inside those warm walls. Woody looked over at the bar catching Max's eye. He tried to smile but Max only looked down at the bar.
Woody waited with his feet glued to floor for Max to do something. He was relieve when Max only raised his hand to motion for him to take a seat instead of leveling the revolver he had stashed under the bar at Woody's head.
"Don't stand there blocking the door Hoyt. Take a seat."
Woody finally was able to smile, be it brief.
"Hello Max." he said as he slipped onto a stool at the end of the bar.
"Hoyt, you still take your scotch neat?"
Woody nodded.
"You don't mind if I join you?"
"......I'd like that."
Woody sat silently as Max poured the drinks.
"I hear you're with the Bureau now."
For the next few minutes Max listened silently as Woody told him about his life on the other side of reality and return. Like a parishioner to his priest Woody didn't mince words. Later he would try to figure out why he opened up so fully to Max when there wasn't any other living person who knew all the details. He decided that he felt Max of all people would some how understand.
"I screwed up Max...I want to be a part of my child's life but I don't think I'll be able to"
Max refilled his own glass when he noticed Woody's remained untouched.
"I asked Jordan when she first announced she was pregnant if in fact you were the father. She wouldn't answer me...I should have known right then and there."
Woody took a sip of his liquor and let it burn in his mouth for a second before he swallowed it.
"I confronted Eddie at his office. I knew that he and Jordan had tried to put aside their differences....but I didn't think they were...Well, I got him to admit that he wasn't the father of my unborn grandchild but he was his protector. Jordan had come to him after she discovered she was carrying Jack and asked him to help keep him out of harm's way."
Woody thought back to something Nigel had told him the other day. He believed that a cop would be safer than a lanky British doctor. Woody could only imagine want she went through. No wonder she was so defensive, she's had to be from the moment he left her standing there bare and alone in her apartment. Woody tossed back the rest of his drink.
"I should have taken her with me...she asked me to."
"That wasn't your decision to make."
Max jumped when Woody's fist came down on the bar rattling the glassware underneath it.
"If she were with me I could have protected them. Damn it Max, I loved her....Hell, I still do. But now, not only does she not want me around; Jack is scared to death of me."
"I can't answer for her reaction Woody. But I can tell you this; after you left she shut everybody out. She barely said anything to me for weeks. Hell, she couldn't even be in the same room with Garret. I thought for sure she'd leave again. I think if it weren't for Jack she would have. Her pregnancy helped us put all our problems aside."
"Did she have any problems delivering him?"
"No, but he took his sweet time...the doctors threatened cesarean if she couldn't get her labor moving. Nigel, Eddie, and I took turns walking her up on down the hospital corridors. She spent half her time cursing men in general and the biblical unfairness of life and the other half she just wanted to be left alone."
Max could still picture her standing there during those quiet moments looking out the window, silent tears running down her face, the unmasked questions beseeching him in her eyes. It was all Max could do to stand there and watch her heart breaking all over again.
When her time came she kicked everyone out of the room. They were all banned to the waiting room until the doctor came and told them she had a boy. Nigel seemed to be the only one that understood that if she couldn't spend that moment with the one she wanted to, she's spend it alone.
"When Jack finally arrived it was like Jordan was suddenly given a clean slate. Her world centered on him.... She's a good mother Woody. Jack is a happy, handsome little man. Just give her time...she won't deny you a place in Jack's life....."
"I need to see them Max. Garret has taken off rotation for awhile and she's gone. Where did they go?"
Max's eyebrows shot up.
"Is that why you stopped by? Not to catch up but to pry information from me?"
Woody had the good grace to look away.
"Just tell me Max."
Max picked up there empty glasses and put them under the bar and proceeded to wipe down the bar.
"She wanted time alone to figure out what she's going to do."
"I can't take the chance that she'll keep me from him Max. You're a father you can understand that..."
The thought of not being able to see his four year old Jordan would have killed him and Max knew it.
"They went to Garret's summer place."
"Please Max."
Reluctantly Max wrote the directions to the house on the back of a napkin. Before Max could pocket his pen Woody was gone.
"What do you mean she's gone?"
Woody stood in the doorway to Trace. Bug sat busily at his desk not looking up at him.
"She finished up a John Doe she's been working on for YOUR office and she left. Macy said she's off the rotation for awhile."
"For how long?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't bloodily likely to tell you..."
Bug turned his full attention to forms sitting on his desk. Woody knew he had been dismissed. He knew it was fruitless to look for a sympathetic face. He had already searched. The only other person he recognized was Emmy and she was too busy running away from him like he was the ghost of Christmas Past.
Woody stood in the hallway, with his hands on his hips. He should have tried to talk to her earlier. He couldn't help but wonder if she ran again.
He was finally able to corner Emmy. She finally admitted that Jordan just went away for a few days and she didn't know where. He debated his options. Maybe Lily was right; he needed a sympathetic ear.
Before he could change his mind he headed off to visit Max.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The after work crowd had just started to descend on Pogue. Max pulled a pitcher for a group at the pool table when he heard the bell over the door ring.
"Blessed Mother of Mercy" he muttered when he saw who it was.
Woody stopped just inside the door. He looked around taking in the atmosphere. Many of the happiest and few of the worst moments in his life took place inside those warm walls. Woody looked over at the bar catching Max's eye. He tried to smile but Max only looked down at the bar.
Woody waited with his feet glued to floor for Max to do something. He was relieve when Max only raised his hand to motion for him to take a seat instead of leveling the revolver he had stashed under the bar at Woody's head.
"Don't stand there blocking the door Hoyt. Take a seat."
Woody finally was able to smile, be it brief.
"Hello Max." he said as he slipped onto a stool at the end of the bar.
"Hoyt, you still take your scotch neat?"
Woody nodded.
"You don't mind if I join you?"
"......I'd like that."
Woody sat silently as Max poured the drinks.
"I hear you're with the Bureau now."
For the next few minutes Max listened silently as Woody told him about his life on the other side of reality and return. Like a parishioner to his priest Woody didn't mince words. Later he would try to figure out why he opened up so fully to Max when there wasn't any other living person who knew all the details. He decided that he felt Max of all people would some how understand.
"I screwed up Max...I want to be a part of my child's life but I don't think I'll be able to"
Max refilled his own glass when he noticed Woody's remained untouched.
"I asked Jordan when she first announced she was pregnant if in fact you were the father. She wouldn't answer me...I should have known right then and there."
Woody took a sip of his liquor and let it burn in his mouth for a second before he swallowed it.
"I confronted Eddie at his office. I knew that he and Jordan had tried to put aside their differences....but I didn't think they were...Well, I got him to admit that he wasn't the father of my unborn grandchild but he was his protector. Jordan had come to him after she discovered she was carrying Jack and asked him to help keep him out of harm's way."
Woody thought back to something Nigel had told him the other day. He believed that a cop would be safer than a lanky British doctor. Woody could only imagine want she went through. No wonder she was so defensive, she's had to be from the moment he left her standing there bare and alone in her apartment. Woody tossed back the rest of his drink.
"I should have taken her with me...she asked me to."
"That wasn't your decision to make."
Max jumped when Woody's fist came down on the bar rattling the glassware underneath it.
"If she were with me I could have protected them. Damn it Max, I loved her....Hell, I still do. But now, not only does she not want me around; Jack is scared to death of me."
"I can't answer for her reaction Woody. But I can tell you this; after you left she shut everybody out. She barely said anything to me for weeks. Hell, she couldn't even be in the same room with Garret. I thought for sure she'd leave again. I think if it weren't for Jack she would have. Her pregnancy helped us put all our problems aside."
"Did she have any problems delivering him?"
"No, but he took his sweet time...the doctors threatened cesarean if she couldn't get her labor moving. Nigel, Eddie, and I took turns walking her up on down the hospital corridors. She spent half her time cursing men in general and the biblical unfairness of life and the other half she just wanted to be left alone."
Max could still picture her standing there during those quiet moments looking out the window, silent tears running down her face, the unmasked questions beseeching him in her eyes. It was all Max could do to stand there and watch her heart breaking all over again.
When her time came she kicked everyone out of the room. They were all banned to the waiting room until the doctor came and told them she had a boy. Nigel seemed to be the only one that understood that if she couldn't spend that moment with the one she wanted to, she's spend it alone.
"When Jack finally arrived it was like Jordan was suddenly given a clean slate. Her world centered on him.... She's a good mother Woody. Jack is a happy, handsome little man. Just give her time...she won't deny you a place in Jack's life....."
"I need to see them Max. Garret has taken off rotation for awhile and she's gone. Where did they go?"
Max's eyebrows shot up.
"Is that why you stopped by? Not to catch up but to pry information from me?"
Woody had the good grace to look away.
"Just tell me Max."
Max picked up there empty glasses and put them under the bar and proceeded to wipe down the bar.
"She wanted time alone to figure out what she's going to do."
"I can't take the chance that she'll keep me from him Max. You're a father you can understand that..."
The thought of not being able to see his four year old Jordan would have killed him and Max knew it.
"They went to Garret's summer place."
"Please Max."
Reluctantly Max wrote the directions to the house on the back of a napkin. Before Max could pocket his pen Woody was gone.