Note: 2 more chapters after this, we're almost finished, R&R y'all I wanna know what you think!
Woody sighed as he sat on the futon, fiddling with the dog tags around his neck lazily. Cal was fast asleep on the floor, snoring deafeningly. Woody rolled his eyes and flipped threw channels quickly. His side hurt, that was an understatement, it felt like someone had slashed him with a machete. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable area.
The phone screamed, startling him.
"Answer it Wood." Cal called sleepily, rolling over on his back.
"Yeah, this is the Cavanaugh residence." He muttered, his voice bogged down partly from sleepiness partly from being doped up.
"Hey," he breathed out when he heard Jordan's voice on the other end, he could almost smell her sweet perfume, and taste her peach lip gloss.
"Hey yourself." He said softly as he felt that familiar silly grin rising on his face.
"You resting?" she asked concerned, his grin grew.
"Yeah, Calvin is out on floor, snuck some Excedrin PM into his hot chocolate, went down like a sack of potatoes." Woody joked, feeling a bit lonely at that second, and then he realized she was all he had in Boston; Kewaunee seemed so far away... Cal would be gone soon, then he had Jordan, and that was all. But the feeling wasn't sad, he felt excited, and reborn... he could make a life with Jordan, he could see himself, old and gray... with her by his side, because when she was next to him, it all seemed bearable.
"Hey you wanna get hitched?" he asked without thinking, he immediately bit his lip... he almost died right there, he couldn't believe he had just said that. It had just escaped his lips, like water threw his hands, he was surprised at how easily it came, and with Annie it had taken weeks of thinking things through before he could ask permission for her hand.
The silence was inevitable, and he hadn't known he was on speakerphone until he heard A British voice in the background "Sweet Mary Mother of Jesus!" , he could almost see Nigel's lanky figure frozen staring at the phone, eagerly awaiting someone to speak so he could quickly pass on the gossip and gory details to the nearest person that would listen.
Jordan was silent, thoughts coursing threw her mind, racing wildly, passing before she could register them. She was stunned.
"That was unexpected." She said, her voice catching, hoarse with disbelief.
"Jordan, I'm sorry, that was a mistake I didn't even mean to..." he stumbled over his words not sure to say, only worried he might lose her.
"Whoa, now you're taking it back?!" she exclaimed, playing with his head a little.
"NO! No, it's just..." his voice trailed off, the lump in his throat about the size of a grapefruit, he struggled to swallow, but his mouth was dry.
Pretty soon he could hear background voices, Lily and Devan, they asked what was happening, Nigel explained the little 'situation' with them, he heard Lily exclaim
"You gotta be shittin' me!" and by now, he bet the entire morgue was listening, especially after Lily cursed.
"Uh, Woody, I , uh..." she shifted uncomfortably in seat, the vinyl seemed to stick to her jean legs, she couldn't breath, this was a dangerous situation, she had to get out. But to Jordan's surprise, it was Woody that made the first move for the exit.
"I... gotta... I gotta go Jo, I'll talk to you later, okay... I love you, bye." She couldn't get a word in edgewise.
Just before it grew silent on the other side of the line, just before he heard the line go dead, he could hear Nigel's thick brogue. "WHAT... NO!"
Woody felt anxiety course threw his veins, something dark and heavy. He needed something... anything, something to calm the fear rising in his throat. He hobbled over to his bag and fumbled threw it.
"What are you doing?" Cal asked hazily, sitting up, he had slept threw the entire ordeal, Woody was now frantic for his Prozac... searching desperately threw the clothes and medicine bottles till he found the right one.
Damned childproof lids, he thought to himself as he battled with the lid. Cal stood and grabbed the bottle from Woody. Only, Woody wouldn't go down that easy, his hands didn't let go of the slippery bottle. Cal tugged harder, Woody tugged back, and soon they were fighting each other with all of their strength.
"Give me the bottle Woody!" Cal shouted as he finally forced the small green bottle from Woody's sweaty hands. Woody collapsed on the couch again, in defeat; he couldn't believe he had just said that to Jordan Cavanaugh.
"What the hell is the matter with you; Mom said you were normal yesterday." Cal stated, sitting next to Woody, who collapsed, and hung down his head, rubbing a palm into his hot forehead.
"I just..." here Woody chuckled, more out of malice for himself than anything. "I just asked Jordan 'Commitment issues' Cavanaugh to marry me." The bottle slipped from Calvin's hands as they went limp from shock.
"You did what?" he asked, looking at Woody with this astonished glaze over his blue eyes.
"I have to go make this right," Woody whispered, trying to stand, but he stumbled, and fell back onto the couch. Cal perked, he saw the glassy look in Woody's Indigo eyes, and the way sweat had begun to pour off of him.
"Woody bro, you don't look right... maybe we should take you back to the doctor." He said, truly concerned, Woody looked so colorless, except the heat he could see in his cheeks; it seemed to sear his cheeks.
"I'm fine." Woody snapped, he reminded himself to apologize to Cal after a good amount of time, he felt bad for being so short with his younger brother. "Just," a shutter went threw him. "Get me a blanket and a cool washrag." He asked in a softer voice, laying on the futon, for just a moment, he just needed to rest... a little, then he would go see Jordan, he couldn't loose her.
Cal returned, with a cool rag and a thin, afghan blanket. He wrapped Woody up in the blanket and placed the rag on Woody's head. Cal suddenly felt fear, he hadn't felt fear for his brother like this, When he was shot it was different, he was worried, but he was so far away, he didn't see it therefore it wasn't real. Slowly he backed to the phone and dialed Jordan's number... and waited for her to answer.