Chapter Three

"Hey Nige, got a minute?" Woody asked.

"Woodrow....wasn't Jordan able to help you with those DNA scrapings?"

"Yeah...she answered my questions and gave me the file...what's up with her?"

Nigel shot the detective an angry look. "What do you think?"

Woody looked down at the floor a minute, carefully studying the patterns in the tile. "Me?" he finally got out with a sigh.

"I'd say bloody say so...and Devan. Why in the hell are you doing this to her, Woody? If you were ready to move on in your life, if you were tired of waiting on Jordan, why didn't you talk to her? And why in the hell did you decide you were going to move on with Devan...of all people? A co-worker of hers? Someone she has to see everyday....Did you not think how this would affect Jordan? Do you not think the girl has any feelings?"

"Nigel, I'm sorry...I've just waited a long time for Jordan...years. She would never ... I mean, I just got tired of waiting."

"Don't you think the lady had some issues she had to deal with first?"

"I know....but now they're behind her and she still didn't..."

"I happen to know she was just about to talk to you...to tell you she was ready to move on with your relationship...how grateful she was that you had been so patient with her... loving. How much she appreciated your always being there for her. And then she sees you kiss Devan in the parking deck. Are you completely daft?"

"It just happened...it didn't mean anything.."

"And all these nights you've spent with her at O'Malleys mean nothing either?"

Woody paled. He had no idea how Nigel knew about the time he had spent with Devan there. "She was someone to talk to, Nigel. She was there for me."

Nigel let out a huff. "I know Jordan hasn't been the easiest person to live with, Woody. She's had far too many of her own demons to deal with...far too many for one person. But I happen to know she loves you very much and she was looking forward to spending time with you now. However, if it's truly over between you two, I strongly suggest that you tell her. If you're ready to move on...get on with your life without her...and with someone else, she deserves to know. And she needs to hear it from you...not me, not the office grapevine, and certainly not Devan."

"You think there's no chance between us now?" Somehow Woody hadn't counted on Jordan being completely out of his life...at least on this level.

"I can't speak for the lady. I don't know her heart. I just know you've broken it."

It was lunch time for Jordan. An hour she could have to herself. She normally didn't eat lunch...or breakfast, for that matter. Right now her stomach hurt her too much to eat. So instead of eating, she had grabbed a coffee and decided to take a walk in the park near the morgue. As much as she enjoyed her co-workers, as much as she relished her work, she needed to get away.

Get away and think. Despite all the hours she had put in at the morgue, trying to avoid Woody...trying to avoid Devan, she knew it couldn't last. She knew she had to confront these new demons in her life. In many ways, these were the hardest to deal with. Deep inside herself, Jordan recognized that she loved Woody. Pure and simple. But she had also known that until she had made peace with her past, she couldn't love the man like he needed to be loved...deserved to be loved. And now it was too late. It had taken her too long...and he had gotten tired of waiting.

He had promised he would always be there for her. She remembered – how he had held her when the Malden thing went south. How he would always show up at just the right time with coffee, or for a beer at the Pogue. How closely he would snuggle her to him when they would dance there after everyone else went home.

But all these memories were bittersweet now. Devan had entered the picture. The odd thing was that Jordan had like Devan. Everyone else had thought her pushy...a ME who got just a little too consumed with her cases. Jordan guessed the reason she liked Devan was that she identified with the girl. She knew where Devan was coming from....she suffered from the same consuming passion over her own cases. They had gotten along just fine.

Until now. Now Devan seemed set on pursing the one thing...the one person in Jordan's life she thought she could depend on...the one who always said he'd be there. Only now he wasn't. She sighed. Another man in her life who had lied through his teeth to her....

"Jordan?" She heard her name. Please don't let it be him...not now.

"Jo?" There it was again. It was Woody.

"Can we talk?" he asked, slightly out of breath. He had caught sight of her from his office window and had run all the way down to the park to talk to her.

"Do we have to? Now, I mean?" she asked.

"I think now's a good time."

"Okay. I've got 45 minutes left on my lunch break. Have a seat." She motioned to a park bench nearby.

"Jordan...God, this is hard, you know?" he began.

"Just say it, Woody...just say it," she said, instinctively knowing where he was going with this conversation.

"I'm sorry, Jordan." He reached out to try to take her hand, but she pulled away. She didn't want him to touch her. She couldn't bear it.

"I don't know how to say this...other than just to tell you. I got tired of waiting on you, Jo. I cared so much for so long and got so little in return. I know you had issues to deal with, but I didn't know if you'd ever work through them. I guess I got tired of wondering when and if there was going to be any of you left for me. I didn't set out for this to happen....I never began working closely with Devan with the idea that something could happen between us. But it did. She's there for me...she listens. She keeps her promises. I guess I never realized how lonely I was until she and I started...well..."

"It's okay, Woody," Jordan said quietly, trying her best to keep her voice normal. There was no need to act like she was a high school kid whose heart had just been broken. "I understand. Really, I do. Don't worry about it. I won't act like a bitch when I answer your calls. I won't interfere with you and Devan. I hope you two make a real go of it...maybe you two are cut out for each other. Be happy for yourself." She stood to go.

"I'm sorry, too, Woody. Sorry that it didn't work out between us. You're a great guy. I hate it took me so long to work through my problems. But I have. And now maybe this is for the best. Maybe it is time for you to move on with your life and me to move on with mine." She reached out and gently touched his sleeve. "However, thanks for being there for me...through the Malden thing...and all the times I've gotten my ass way in deep trouble and you've been there to bail me out. I'll never forget it."

And she turned and walked off.

Woody's eyes followed her as she walked back through the park, and into the morgue.

Somehow that hadn't gone like he expected. He hung his head and made his way back to his office. What did he expect? Tears? Not from Jordan. Yelling? Hysterics? No, that wasn't Jordan, either. I guess I ought to be glad she took it so calmly...so maturely, he thought. Yeah, I guess this is for the better. Funny, it didn't feel better. It felt awful.