The weeks went by much slower than Jordan expected. The nausea finally eased away, followed by several weeks of to-the-bone weariness. For a while she was able to pass it off to everyone as the flu.

But time was not working with her. Jordan was slender. The more the weeks passed, the more she began to show. Finally, she admitted to Lily and the others that she was indeed, pregnant, but wouldn't confess who the father was. Mood swings were hitting full force then and it didn't take much for the tears to come. A mention of who the father was would catapult her mind back to Woody and her situation and the results would be the flood gates would open and the tears would fall. Everyone learned quickly to back off. No further mention of the father came again.

At the fourth month, Jordan was captivated by the fact that she could feel the baby move. The light, fluttery, butterfly feelings in her tummy thrilled her to no end and was great comfort to her as she waited for Woody. By the time the sixth month rolled around, Jordan was in maternity scrubs and was practically waddling around the morgue. Nigel watched her expanding tummy with growing alarm. "How much bigger are you going to get?" he asked

"Hmmm....I haven't gained but 15 pounds. I'm going to get much bigger before this is over," she replied.

"Holy moly," moaned Bug.

"What's the matter, you act like you've never seen a pregnant woman before," Jordan smirked. "Oh wait...." She grabbed Bug's hand and placed it on her abdomen. "Feel that?" she asked, laughing.

Bug's face took on a surprised look. "Yeah, yeah I do!" he exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, my turn," Nigel said, placing his hand on Jordan's stomach. "Sweet Nancy..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, it's great, until it's two in the morning and the baby's doing that to your bladder," Jordan said.

"Wait until she's about eight months a long and you can see the baby kick her through her clothes," Garrett said. He came to stand in the doorway, taking in the sight of two of his best ME's totally captivated by the motions of a baby in utero. "It will be like she's possessed by an alien."

Jordan stretched and sat down. "Wow. Eight months. By then I may know if I'm having a boy or a girl."

"Do you really want to know?" Garrett asked, rubbing her neck.

"I don't know."

"I hate to bring this subject up," Garrett continued, "but have you heard from Woody lately?"

"He called three nights ago. Things are going well, but slowly. He said he may get a chance to see me, but I told him not to do anything that may cause him problems." She didn't want Woody to see her pregnant. She knew what he would do.

"Jordan, you can't keep putting off the inevitable," said Garrett.

"No, but I can postpone it as long as possible."

And so she did until one day about two weeks later. She and Nigel and Bug were in autopsy late one afternoon. Nigel and Bug had gotten used to doing the x-ray stuff without her and some of the chemical applications. And Jordan got used to letting them cover those areas for her, knowing she would be able to play catch up one day soon. Suddenly there was a commotion at door and Lily burst in.

"There's a man here to see you, Jordan, and he won't take no for an answer. I've asked him to wait in the conference room, but he's insisting he must see you now."

And with that the man ran into the autopsy room. Jordan swallowed hard behind her mask, thankful that the autopsy table and sheets covered her expanding belly. Even with the blonde, spiked hair, earrings, and bushy beard there was no denying who the man was. It was Woody.

Nigel and Bug threw her a look.

"It's okay guys," she said. "I know who it is. Can you give us a minute?"

They cleared out of the autopsy room. "Call us if you need us," Nigel said.

Jordan was careful to keep the table and the sheets between her and Woody. Slowly, she put down her scalpel and pulled off her mask. "Hi," she said to Woody, smiling.

Woody was a bit confused. It showed on his face. He was expecting a warmer welcome from the woman who said she loved him every time he called.

"Jordan," he said, hesitantly, coming around to the side of the table.

Jordan scooted around so he couldn't see her belly.

"Let me get cleaned up and we'll talk."

"I don't have time, Jordan, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Woody, it's just the timing...."

Woody was not to be stopped. He continued to try to come around the autopsy table and Jordan kept scooting away, keeping the sheets between her and Woody.

"Stop it, Jordan," Woody said, tired of the game and needing to hold her very badly. In a desperate move, he grabbed the table and rolled it out of Jordan's grip to the side of the room and gasped.

His eyes were glued on her belly.

"Oh. My. God," was the only thing that came out of his mouth.

Jordan stood there, not knowing whether to run or to allow her knees to buckle under her like she felt them doing. Finally she just leaned back against the wall. "I didn't want you to know until the assignment was over," she said quietly, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the borage of questions or even accusations that may come. Instead she was startled as Woody came over and very, very gently placed his hand on her abdomen. "Our baby," he said.

He looked Jordan in the eyes. "You didn't tell me," he accused.

"Woody, I couldn't, not with the assignment you were on. I wouldn't risk it."

Abruptly Woody turned away. He needed some space to figure out what was going through his head, how to handle this turn of events. He raked his fingers through his beard. He heard Jordan move to the side of the room. "Don't leave," he warned, his eyes trailing her around the room.

"I'm not. I'm just sitting down," she said, plopping down on one of the desks and rubbing the small of her back with her hands. Standing on her feet on the concrete floors was getting to be hard on her. She could only imagine what it would feel like in a few more weeks.

The motion caught Woody's eye. He wasn't up on all the pregnancy information, but by the looks of her, she was several, several months along. Stopping for a minute, he did the math in his head. "You're six months, aren't you?" he asked, still keeping some distance from Jordan.

"Yeah."

"So the baby's due in March?"

"March 22."

Woody walked around to the side of the room and looked Jordan over. She had leaned back on the desk with both arms, her eyes shut. He honestly didn't know what he was more – concerned or angry. Angry that she hadn't told him, angry that she had put his job above her welfare, or concerned that she was getting enough rest, eating right, seeing a doctor.

Feeling his eyes on her, Jordan slowly opened hers. "How long are you here for?"

"Not long enough."

"Could you possibly make it to my apartment in an hour? We need to talk, but not here...too many ears."

Woody knew he really shouldn't. He needed to get back. But things were different now. Jordan was carrying a baby, his child. Suddenly, Woody felt his priorities shift in a completely new way.

"I'll be there."
==============================================================================
An hour later, Woody found himself in front of a familiar red door on Pearle Street. He had radioed in to his supervisor, telling him he had small family emergency and would be back in the loop within 24 hours. The supervisor had agreed, but cautiously. "We're getting really close to busting these guys," he had said. "Don't blow it."

"I won't. Believe me, I am ready for this thing to go down as much as you are."

Woody had enjoyed this assignment. Undercover work was hard, but it kept you on your toes. The only thing he hadn't like about it was the separation from Jordan. He had missed her more than he let on. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think about her or a night that passed that he didn't ache to simply hold her and feel her next to him. Now, knowing she had been bearing the burden of the pregnancy on her own, out of concern for him and the new job he had been so excited about, he felt incredibly guilty. So armed with a bouquet of flowers and a teddy bear, he knocked on the red door.

"Come in, it's open," Jordan said. She was coming out of her bedroom, freshly showered. Her long brown hair was down and still slightly damp. Woody made note of the maternity top that covered her belly. He imagined she was in maternity pants, too.

"These are for you," he said handing her the flowers. She took them from him and brought them to her face, smelling them. "Thanks," she said, somewhat shyly. She moved into the kitchen area to put them in water and motioned him to sit on the couch. "I can get you some coffee, but I don't have any beer," she said.

"That's okay. Water's fine."

Jordan pulled two bottles of water out of the refrigerator and made her way over to Woody. She looked at the teddy bear he was holding on his lap and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this is for, for ...."

"The baby," she finished, taking the brown stuffed animal out of his hands and examining it. "That's a nice, neutral-gender gift Woody. I think it's the first toy I've received. Thanks."

"So you don't know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Not yet. I have one more sonogram to go when I'm at eight months. I may be able to tell then." She picked up a picture off the coffee table and handed it to him. "That was taken two months ago."

Woody stared at the image, marveling at the tiny figure in it. The toes, the fingers, the ears. "Our baby," he sighed, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.

"Look," Jordan began, "I know this wasn't planned and I can handle this. Just when you're not out on assignment, it would be nice if you..."

"No way. I'm not going to be a part-time father."

"I'm not trying to force you into anything...."

"You're not forcing me into anything. I love you Jordan. And while this is a surprise, I'm not upset. I always wanted to have kids. And now that it's happening, and it's with you, I'm happy," Woody said, still staring at the ceiling.

Jordan wasn't too convinced. "I'll be okay," she said.

Woody turned to look at her.

"So you're seeing a doctor."

"Yes. Every week now."

"And everything is okay?"

"Everything is perfectly normal."

"Are you sick?" Woody asked, remembering some of the horror stories he had heard from married officers.

"I was at first, then just tired. Then moody. Now I'm back to being tired. I think it's the additional weight," she said stretching her legs out and propping them on the coffee table. She closed her eyes. Somehow Woody wasn't taking this like she expected. He was too withdrawn. Of course if you didn't know your girlfriend was pregnant and then suddenly you show up after six months and notice she is now six months pregnant, she guessed it could knock the wind out of your sails. "I've had six months to deal with it," she thought.

She felt Woody's eyes on her. "What?" she asked.

He pointed to her tummy. "Can I touch it again?"

Jordan grinned. "Be my guest. Half of what's in there belongs to you."

Ever so gently, Woody ran both hands down her middle and then across. A thump to the inside of his hand startled him. He rubbed the spot again. Another thump.

Jordan watched in amusement as the expression on Woody's face changed from bewilderment to astonishment to complete amazement. He rubbed another spot on her belly. Another thump. "It feels like I have a football team in there sometimes," she said.

Woody didn't say a word. He just kept rubbing different spots on her tummy and waited for a response. Finally, he slowly lifted Jordan's maternity top and softly kissed her belly. Raising his head, he caught her eyes. "Or a cheerleading squad," he said. "I don't know about you, but I want a girl."

"A girl? You can't take a girl hunting," Jordan teased.

"A little girl with long brown hair, blue eyes, and dimples."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Well Farm Boy, you've got a fifty-fifty shot. Please remember that I'm not in charge of fulfilling the order. That's you're responsibility."

Woody gave her a questioning look.

"The gender is determined by the father, cowboy," Jordan said.

"Oh," was all Woody said. He sat back on the couch, but kept a protective hand on Jordan.

"Should you be working?"

"I'm fine, Woody. I'm scheduled to start maternity leave on March 15."

"March 15," Woody repeated, committing that date to memory.

Jordan knew her time with him was short, and as much as she was enjoying the exchange with Woody about their baby, she needed him to be with her – just her. "I've missed you, Woody," she said.

Woody pulled her into his arms, molding her body to his. "I've missed you, too." He ran his fingers through her hair and bent to kiss her. Her response overwhelmed him. She kissed him back passionately, the longing of six months pouring out of her. He met that response with equal passion, trailing his hands up along the sides of her body to her breast.

"Ummm, can you? I mean...." He asked.

"Yes, I can. It won't hurt a thing." And with that she stood and held out her hand. He took it and she led him to the bedroom.