A/N I think the ending is weak...am open to suggestions....my muse is running out of ideas.
Jordan checked the calendar on her desk. Yes, it was March 10. Five more days until she could begin her maternity leave. Woody had called last night. He expected to be back in his office and her arms tomorrow. The arrests were being made today. She sighed with relief. It would be good to have him home and good to be off her feet for a few days before the baby was born. Dr. Greene was still predicting she would go into labor early. The Braxton Hicks were getting worse.
"Got one for you, you feel up to it?" Garrett popped his head in the door and asked her.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Not anything big. Deceased was at a hotel when he passed away. Insurance has asked for an autopsy. He has a history of heart trouble. Should be a no-brainer. Bug and Nigel have the body ready. You at least want one more chance to cut before going home to play mommy?"
"Oh yeah."
Jordan changed into her scrubs and met Nigel and Bug in Autopsy One. She had already made the Y incision when a pain shot across her abdomen and nearly caused her to double over. She grabbed her belly and backed away.
"What's wrong?" Nigel asked, the alarm was ringing in his voice.
"I'm not sure...." Everyone held their breath until Jordan straightened up again. "Must have just been a cramp."
"Are you sure?" asked Bug. "Your due date isn't that far off...."
"No, I'm fine." Jordan proceeded to perform the autopsy. The pain sliced through her again. "Oh," she gasped, and then felt a warm liquid slide down her leg. Her water had broken.
"Oh, Sweet Nancy," Nigel said, noticing the puddle on floor. Jordan was staring at him through her face shield. He recognized shock when he saw it.
"Go get Garrett," he said to Bug. "Is your suitcase still in your car?" he turned and asked Jordan. She nodded, not being able to talk. The contractions were coming quickly.
Garrett rounded the corner of the autopsy room, sliding through the doors and nearly onto the table. "How far apart are the contractions?" he asked.
Jordan caught her breath and checked her watch. "About seven minutes."
"Good," said Garrett, nodding, "we still have some time."
Just then another contraction hit Jordan hard. She doubled over again. And all hell broke loose. Garrett and Nigel kept running into each other in an effort to get her out the door and into the car. Bug made a run for Jordan's SUV to retrieve the suitcase before he remembered he needed Jordan's keys. Lily couldn't remember how to get the face shield off Jordan. "Please, everyone," Jordan finally said, "Calm down. It's just a baby...." She thought it looked more like a Three Stooges movie. "Call Woody's supervisor—now," she gasped to Garrett, as the contractions kicked themselves up a notch.
Looking back, no one really remembered how they got to the hospital. Jordan found herself in a wheelchair, still in her scrubs, on her way up to the maternity floor. She was admitted to labor and delivery in short order and found herself in a birthing room. Alone. Keeping an eye on the monitor, she watched the little lines dance across the screen – her heartbeat and the baby's heartbeat. Wearily, she lay back on the pillows and waited for Woody.
The door softly opened and Max came in. "How you doing baby girl?"
Jordan turned to her dad with tears in her eyes. "I guess okay. Any clue where Woody is?"
"Garrett got in touch with his supervisor. He is going to contact Woody and he should be here soon."
"Good. I don't think it's going to be much longer. I'm at seven centimeters. Where's my labor coaches?"
Max grinned. "They're hiding, waiting on Woody to take over."
"Ummm, tell one of them they need to get in here. I don't want to do this alone."
Just then Dr. Greene came into the room. "Let's see where things are at, Mom," he said. He checked Jordan and announced she was nearly at eight. "Are you able to deal with the pain?"
Jordan was sweating but was dealing with the contractions fairly well. Garrett popped into the room and took her hand. "How's it going?" he asked, brushing her curls back off her forehead.
"Well, let's see. I'm having a baby. How the hell do you think it's going?"
Just then another contraction hit Jordan. She grabbed Garrett's arm – hard.
"Jordan, Jordan, let go. I'm going to need that arm to work with tomorrow ."
"Where is Nigel? He's the one who first said I needed to tell Woody the way I felt. This is all his fault."
"Just a minute, I'll go get him," said Garrett, trying to extract his arm from Jordan's death grip.
"NO. You stay right where you're at. Tell the nurse to go get the Brit," said Jordan, gritting her teeth and muttering a few other choice words under her breath.
"Hello, love," said Nigel. "No need to get so upset. You may affect the baby. Just try to relax between the contractions and focus, focus."
Jordan rolled her eyes at him.
"Where's Woody?" Garrett asked.
"Last I heard he was on his way," said Dr. Greene. "Whoops, we're at nine centimeters now. It's gonna be baby-time soon."
"Not without Woody," Jordan protested.
"Look, this baby is going to come with or without the dad."
Just then the door flung open and Woody burst in, his hair still in spikes, his badge hanging around his neck.
"Jor, you okay?
"NO, I'm not okay....I'm having a baby," Jordan said. Nigel could have sworn he heard her murmur "dumb ass" under her breath.
Dr. Greene coughed and looked at the couple. "She's at ten. Jordan, I need you to lean up, grab your knees and push through the contractions, then breathe between them."
Jordan gritted her teeth and pushed. And pushed. And pushed. Woody's eyes darted between the foot of the bed where the doctor was, Jordan's face and the monitors. Garrett and Nigel huddled together in a corner. Suddenly, in the silence of the room, a small cry rang out. Jordan lay back down on the bed, exhausted.
"A girl. You've got a daughter," said Dr. Greene.
Woody swallowed hard. He leaned over and kissed Jordan, then went to hold his daughter.
"Want to cut the cord? Hand the baby to Mom and come back here," said the doctor.
Woody carefully handed their daughter to Jordan, who immediately started counting fingers and toes. Woody cut the cord and returned to his family.
"Isn't she beautiful?" asked Jordan.
"Nearly as beautiful as her mother," said Woody, placing his finger in his daughter's tiny fist.
"Good answer," said Garrett, as he and Nigel walked over to admire the latest addition to the Hoyt/Cavanaugh family. "At least she won't bite your head off for that."
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Hours later, surrounded by Max and folks from the morgue and the Boston PD, Woody and Jordan eagerly showed off their tiny daughter. Jordan couldn't help but laugh at her father, who was reluctant to let go of the small, sweet-smelling bundle swaddled in a pink blanket.
"So....have you chosen a name yet?" asked Nigel, who had finally succeeded in persuading Max to let him hold the little girl.
"Emily Marie Hoyt," Woody said, proudly. He was already besotted with his daughter, wound tightly around her little finger.
"And when are you thinking of changing my little girl's name to Hoyt?" asked Max, arching his eyebrows at Woody.
"Just as soon as she is out of the hospital and ready for a honeymoon, sir," Woody answered.
Just then Emily began to wail – loudly. "I think it's dinner time," said Jordan, trying to retrieve her daughter from Nigel's arms.
"There you go, love," said Nigel placing Emily in Jordan's outstretched arms. "That's one department Uncle Nigel can't help you with."
The room cleared out as Jordan began to get ready to nurse. Except for Woody, who sat on the bed beside Jordan. "She's beautiful, you know," said Woody, gently rubbing Emily's head.
"Of course. Why wouldn't she be? Look at her parents.....well, all except your hair," Jordan joked. Woody's blonde spikes were still vertical, despite the hectic afternoon. "We did good, Dad."
"Dad....that sounds....weird," said Woody.
"Get used to it."
"Okay.....Mom."
"It's okay for her to call me that...but don't you, ever."
"Yes ma'am," said Woody, grinning at both of the ladies in his life. He knew that his future had irreversibly changed. Nothing would ever be the same again, but often times that happens when love is multiplied instead of divided. He listened to Jordan coo at Emily and knew that, no matter what events occurred or where his job took him, his home was with these two women who had claimed a permanent place in his heart.