Jordan began to mark the days off on her calendar, each one a step closer to the inevitable – having to tell Garrett and the rest of the morgue staff. So far, she had been able to handle things...she told Garrett that she had hurt her back working out and could someone please help her lift and turn the bodies? She managed to always have something else to do when an x-ray had to be made. But she knew she could not keep up the façade forever. If she didn't verbally tell them, then her burgeoning tummy would. Only she had been able to tell the difference so far – pants getting snug around the waist, jeans fitting a little tighter than usual. Thank God scrubs were forgiving....that drawstring would let them ease out with her expansion.

If scrubs were forgiving, it seemed that Woody was not. Jordan often felt herself the victim of his stares – centered around her stomach. She would often catch him eyeing her abdomen, as if trying to look into her uterus and make sure everything was okay. Nigel and Garrett had caught on that he was a little more attentive to her than usual – making sure she was comfortable, helping her more on the crime scenes when she answered his calls. They had chalked it up to Woody making one last, gallant push for Jordan's affections before he called it quits. She knew different. She knew his concern, but could also sense his irritation at her for keeping it silent so long. She wasn't talking to anyone about her pregnancy – including him. Anytime he broached the subject with her, she'd shut down...draw inside herself.

As her February appointment with Dr. Williams loomed on the horizon, she gave him a call – at home, again – to remind him of the date and time. As fate would have it, it was Valentine's. She agreed to meet him at the doctor's office again. This would be their appointment for their first sonogram...baby's first picture, she had thought to herself, as she drove to the doctor's. Woody was already there when she arrived. They didn't even get a chance to sit down when the nurse called Jordan's name.

She and Woody went back to the sonogram room. Dr. Williams entered right behind. "Lie down and lift up your shirt," he told Jordan and proceeded with the sonogram. It took a few minutes, but soon, there on the screen, in full color, was a picture of their baby. "There it is, kids," Dr. Williams said, "a little Jordan or Woody."

"Can you tell whether it's a boy or girl?" asked Jordan, turning her head so she could see the image better.

"Not on your life!" said the doctor. "It's way too early, and the baby is not cooperating. But here is the spine—and it looks good. So does the head. You're doing an awesome job, Jordan. It's a perfectly healthy baby. I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes to look at your son or daughter. Just move this button to see close up or from another view."

Woody came closer to Jordan's side. Tentatively, he reached out and held her hand. She responded by squeezing his tightly.

"Look, Woody...see the little fingers and toes? Look at that...he's wigging...."

Woody looked at the tiny image on the screen and swallowed hard. A baby...his baby. Then he looked down at Jordan. For the first time in God knows how many weeks, she was smiling...totally captivated by the baby. Gone were the worry lines from between her eyes...her whole face was lit up...looking at the baby. "Remember, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl. It could be her wiggling," he replied.

They both watched their tiny child on the screen move its arms and shift around. Woody asked Jordan if she could feel anything, but it was too early in the pregnancy. All too soon, Dr. Williams came back in and told them that they would have to conclude the sonogram. "But you're looking good, Jordan. And I think we can stick by the mid-July due date – probably around July 17."

Jordan and Woody thanked the doctor and Woody helped Jordan down from the table. "Can you meet me somewhere for lunch?" he asked. "I think there's a few things we need to talk about."

"Yeah....I guess there are. Sure. Name the place. I don't have to be back at work until three."

"How about my place? It's quiet. We can talk there without anyone interrupting us. I'll pick up some Chinese on the way in."

An hour later, Jordan found herself in Woody's apartment, feet propped up, and a plate of Moo Goo Gai pan balanced on her lap. Woody sat beside her and they both were eyeing the picture of the baby that Dr. Williams had made from the sonogram.

"So that is it...that is what we made," said Woody.

"Um hum," Jordan replied, her mouth full of chicken.

"Wow...so perfect."

"Well, at least we can do something right," joked Jordan.

Woody chuckled, but he knew both of them had been moved by the sonogram. They knew they were having a baby, but this made it personal...this made it theirs. "What do we do now?" he asked, sitting up and running his fingers through his hair.

Jordan stretched and sat her plate aside on the coffee table. They had opted to eat in the living room so she could be comfortable. "I've already got Marge working at the Pogue – managing it for me. She was glad that I had decided to quit coming in so much...said it worried her how tired I always looked. I still go in on Wednesday nights and Saturday or Sunday afternoons to look over the books and make sure things are okay. So that's taken care of.

I guess the next thing I need to do is tell Garrett and the rest of the morgue staff that I'm pregnant. I need to make sure my bases are covered there. I may do that this afternoon."

Woody nodded. He knew about the Pogue. He had purposely gone in there a couple of nights to see if she had been working. Gordan had told him she was "slowing down a little."

"I'll go with you to tell Garrett," Woody said suddenly.

Jordan looked at him, surprised showing on her face. "You don't have to...He won't bite me...at least not too hard." Jordan had kept a sinking feeling that Garrett would be disappointed in her...let down in some way. "But if you'd like to tag along, I won't mind."

"It's my baby, too...our 'problem' together. Maybe he won't bite at all if I'm there." He gave her a grin.

"Somehow, Wood, I don't think of this as a problem. I knew I wanted to have the baby. I just didn't know how much until today. The sonogram just made it seem...more real."

"More real than throwing your guts up every morning?" Only Woody knew she was still suffering from some lingering morning sickness.

Jordan grinned back at him. "Yes. Really. And I guess the next thing I need to do is move back into Dad's house. It's ready. I had the carpets cleaned last week. My lease is up the end of this month and I've already told them I didn't want to renew it."

"I'll help you with that. That's something you definitely don't need to do by yourself."

"I was kind of hoping you would. I've got to take down my bed. Most of my stuff is already packed up."

Woody set his plate down on the coffee table. Somehow, after the sonogram this morning, he felt Jordan's attitude shift. For the first time, in a very long time, he had seen her smile, almost becoming one of those glowing pregnant women that he had heard about. Maybe she was putting the past behind her...maybe she was letting go of Max's death...maybe she was re-thinking their relationship. So just as tentatively as he had reached for her hand at the doctor's office, he gently reached for her and pulled her to him. To his delight, she came without hesitation and snuggled close.

To Jordan, it felt almost like coming home. She had missed his jokes, his grins, his unruly hair. But most of all, she had missed feeling what it was like with him...the warmth, the secure feeling that nothing bad could happen, the feeling that she was finally safe and loved. She felt him kiss the top of her head. And she did nothing to stop him when he tilted her head up and his lips touched hers.

She was lost...in the feeling...in the minute...in him. When his tongue gently probed into her mouth, she readily accepted it, eager to reignite the passion they had been keeping hidden for so long. He held her for long moments, kissing her, only reluctantly pulling away when his watch chimed it was two o'clock. "Better stop now, while we can," he said, smiling slightly at her. "If you have to be at work by three, I don't want to start something we can't finish."

They got up from the couch and Jordan put the dishes in the sink. Woody drove her to the morgue. He was going to take her SUV and begin to haul some of the boxes she had packed from apartment to her house. Then he was going to pick her up and take her to dinner. Together, they took the elevator to the morgue offices. She gently tapped at Garrett's door and nearly jumped when he said "Come in."

"Um...Garrett, you got a minute?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure. Come in. Have a seat. How's it going, Woody?"

Nervously Jordan sat down. Woody sank down beside her and took her hand.

"Garrett, I need to tell you something...It's important, because while it won't affect my work here, it will affect the way I work here."

Garrett pulled off her glasses and looked closely at her and Woody. "What have you gotten yourself into now, Jo?" he asked.

"I...well...I mean we..." she stammered.

"Jordan's pregnant. We're having a baby," Woody said quietly, looking Garrett in the eye.

"Oh." That was the only thing that came out of Garrett's mouth for a long time. Finally Jordan got up the courage to look at him and found him smiling softly at her. "Are you happy?" he asked.

Jordan's shoulders sagged with relief. She honestly didn't know how Garrett would take the news. "I'm very happy....and a little scared."

"You wouldn't be normal if you weren't. It's a big responsibility. Congratulations. And we'll take care of things here – help on the scene, moving bodies. No x-rays for you. And we'll keep dill pickles or chocolate or whatever you're craving in the refrigerator." He stood up and hugged Jordan. "Now go tell Nigel, Bug, Peter, and Lily. They've all noticed you've been a little under the weather lately and have been worried. Now they'll know why."

Jordan made to leave the room and held her hand out to Woody.

"Let Woody stay in here with me a minute," said Garrett. "I need to say a few things to him."

Jordan gave Woody a glance over her shoulder as she left. While Max may be gone, it seems Woody was not going to escape the "So you've knocked my daughter up, what are you going to do about it?" lecture. Garrett was going to take Max's place.

She made her way down to the rest of the morgue offices, walking in to find Peter, Bug, and Nigel going over the results of an autopsy they had done this morning. "Hi guys," she greeted them.

"Hey love. What have you been up to this morning on your time off?" asked Nigel, his nose still buried in the pages that Peter had brought him.

"Been to the doctor."

Nigel set aside his papers and they all looked at Jordan, concerned. "Anything wrong?" asked Peter.

"Um... not exactly. I just need to tell you....I'm pregnant."

For a moment there was dead silence in the room and then sheer pandemonium broke out. Finally, when she had too many questions hurled at her at once, Jordan held her up hands for quiet. "I'm pregnant, not terminally ill. Yes, I can work and will work up until the time I'm due – which is mid-July. I'll take a six week maternity leave and yes, I'll be back. I'm fine. I just can't do a lot of the lifting now and no x-rays. Any questions?"

Bug and Peter shook their heads and went back to work. Nigel took her by the arm and marched her outside the door and around the corner where they could talk in private.

"I take it the baby's Woody's?" he asked.

"Yeah..."

"Is he going to marry you?"

"Not now...I don't know if we will."

Nigel paced for a minute. "How do you think you're going to do this by yourself if he doesn't? You don't have a typical nine-to-five job, Jordan..."

Jordan didn't know how or what to reply to Nigel to calm him down. Of all the people she told about the pregnancy, she assumed Nigel would take it the most calmly. He looked angry...whether it was at her because she had gotten pregnant or if he was angry over the fact that she and Woody had no immediate plans to marry, she couldn't say. Just then, Woody came around the corner and rescued her.

"There you are," he said, gently pulling her away from Nigel. "How's it going, Nigel?"

"Good....What are you going to do about this?" he asked, almost angrily.

"Don't worry...I promise...it will be okay," replied Woody, walking Jordan away from Nigel, back down the hall to the safety of her office. "Don't feel bad," he said to Jordan. "I just got the third degree from Garrett. Max may not be here, but Garrett is doing a fine job taking his place. He didn't ask if we were getting married, he asked when. And was livid when I told him I didn't know if we would, let alone when."

"I'm sorry Wood. I mean they have no right...I don't know what came over them..."

Woody tugged her into her office and deposited her in her desk chair and closed the door. "They love you, Jo. They're just being protective."

"I could understand if it was anyone else but you...but you're the father. Woodrow Hoyt. They know you better than that."

Woody ran his fingers through his hair again. "I'm still not so sure they're not right, Jo."

"Let's not get started again. I won't marry you because you feel obligated."

"It's not all obligation and you know it. There's something else there. You're just fighting it."

"Maybe....but I still don't feel that I'm right for you...that you'll regret it...and end up hating me."

Woody shook his head. "I could never do that...I could never hate you. Not in a million years. You mean too much to me – and you have since before the baby."

Jordan looked in his eyes. He was telling the truth...and it thrilled her. If she could only get over her feelings that she wasn't the right girl for him...if only something, anything could quell her doubts about herself, she'd marry him in a heartbeat. She loved him. She just didn't know if that was enough.

Woody came over to her chair, resting one hand on each side of the armrests and looking her in the eyes. "We need to talk about this some more...soon. I would really like for both the baby and you to have my last name before July 17."

Jordan nodded. "Okay...the marriage thing is up for discussion. But I need to go to work now. It's already after three."

Woody gently kissed her forehead. "Don't work too hard. I'm going home to change and then I'll start moving your boxes."