-- THREE --

"Garret. Please, let me take you home." Jordan stood in the doorway of Garret's office, looking at him sitting motionless on his couch. "Please Gar?" When he didn't make an attempt to move, or even look up at her, she sighed and then walked a few steps in the doorway. Ever since earlier that night, at the scene, he hadn't said a word. He'd ridden back to the morgue with Jordan in the Explorer, while Nigel took the bodies back in the van. She'd been trying to convince him to go home for hours, but he wouldn't talk to her. Biting her lower lip softly, she walked over and pulled a chair over, sitting in front of him - but not too close. She could tell he didn't want to be touched by his body language.

"You don't have to talk Gar." Jordan nodded softly, and just sat there. "I'm not going to make you. But I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry Garret." She swallowed hard and just sat there next to him, silent for a long time.

The next hour passed in what seemed like minutes, and Garret just sat there, silent, with Jordan by his side, until a scream was heard echoing through the halls of the morgue. They both jumped, until Garret promptly stood up when his ex-wife, and the mother of his child, hit the doorway of his office.

"Tell me they're lying." Maggie glared at him and then at Jordan, before looking at the two uniformed officers who'd brought her to the morgue. "What the hell is going on Garret?!"

Jordan quickly stood up, and excused herself from the room, shutting the door securely, before going and shutting herself in her office. Garret hadn't drawn the blinds in his - and she could see and hear to an extent what was going on. She tried to ignore it and keep her mind on paperwork, but she couldn't keep her eyes from the two of them.

He still cared about her. She could tell. It was in the way he looked at her and tried to get her to calm down. The way he rested his hands on her upper arms...the look of hurt on his face when he brushed a strand of hair from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. Jordan watched as he finally spoke, then watched as she fought against him, her muffled yelling penetrating the thick glass of the office windows. Jordan watched, captivated, until she saw Maggie collapse again him, finally giving up the fight.

Garret just held her. Not speaking, not moving more than to gently stroke her hair and rest his cheek against hers. But the tears wouldn't come for him.

Jordan looked down and made herself focus on the paperwork, willingly doing so for probably one of the first times in her life.

Nearly half an hour later, she looked up at a knock on her door, and she stood when Garret entered her office. "Hey..." She spoke softly, cautiously, hoping he'd talk to her.

"We want you to do it." Garret looked at her with a slight nod. "We trust you with her."

Jordan inwardly hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "It'd be...my honor Garret. I..."

"Be gentle with her Jordan." Garret swallowed hard. "And once you're done, go home and get some rest. It's been a long night." When she looked at him, he nodded. "I'm going home right now. Don't worry about me Jordan...just take care of her for us."

Jordan nodded and then stepped forwards, trying to read his body language. She wanted nothing more than to hug him close to her...but she could tell. That wasn't what he wanted. "Goodnight Gar. I love you." She smiled softly at him.

Garret just nodded, with a slight half smile crossing his face, before turning to leave.

Garret re-entered the building that housed the morgue nearly two hours later. He hadn't slept...still hadn't cried. Just driven. After he'd taken Maggie home, where she promptly fell sobbing into the outstretched arms of...whatever his name was. He didn't know anymore. Whatever boyfriend she'd found this time. He'd made his way down to the docks, and found himself sitting, staring out at the water. He might have stayed there if a police officer hadn't stopped after he'd been there a while and asked if he was alright."Yeah, if you think finding your daughter's body crushed in a truck is okay...then yeah..." He thought to himself before just nodding and leaving, getting back into his car and heading for the only place he could think of.

Funny how he considered the ninth floor of an old brick building more home than he did his own house. But the house had too many memories. Memories he didn't want to face right now. They hurt too much.

Parking his car, he neglected to notice Jordan's beat up old El Camino parked in it's usual spot. He just wanted to be alone. He walked the darkened hallways through the building, stopping to say hello to Charlie - who asked him why he was coming into work at three in the morning.

"Think I may have a lead. Couldn't sleep and wanted to follow up." He smiled briefly as he stepped into the elevator and rode up to the ninth floor. Most of the lights were off, and he nodding approvingly when he passed Jordan's darkened office, blinds drawn. She was gone.

But she wasn't. Jordan was asleep on her couch in her darkened office, curled under her Patriots blanket, like she'd been for two nights already this week.

Garret flicked on the lights in his office and sat down at his desk, slowly flipping through the case files from that afternoon. He paused and pulled the file which read "#121904 - 11 - Macy, Abby " He picked up his pen and sighed, carefully changing the name to read "Macy, Abby Rose" before flipping it open and reading through the report.

Jordan had been thorough, but he could tell he only did what she had to do. He slowly read over her transcipt of her spoken report, noticing several pauses and edits had been made by the secretary. Biting his lip as he sighed heavily, he skipped over the photographs and nodded to himself as he flipped the folder shut. He looked up and noticed several pink slips near his phone - all of them messages that had been taken. He picked up the small slips of paper and thumbed through them, before he came to one which was folded in half, underneath the others. He carefully unfolded the paper to find a handwritten note - the handwriting different than the rest.

Garret -

I heard what happened tonight. I stopped by while you were still at the scene to pick up some files and Lily told me what happened. I'm so sorry. I know I've not been returning your personal calls - I just haven't had time with the Scotts murders. The bastard's got a damn good lawyer. But that doesn't matter now, I'm worried about you. Call me if you need ANYTHING...and I don't care what it is. Even if you need someone to yell at or just to talk. I'm so sorry Garret.

-Renee

Garret carefully pocketed the piece of paper, running his fingers over it for a moment, before standing and walking down the darkened hallway towards the crypt. Once he was inside the room, he carefully searched the list on the wall for the drawer number, then walked over to it and carefully slid it open. He walked back to the list on the wall and double checked, accidently kicking a trashcan in the process, which clattered across the tile floor with a loud metallic clang.

Jordan stirred slightly, blinking her eyes open when she heard a loud noise. Noticing the lights being on in his office, she sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her, and listened. When she didn't hear anything else, she slowly got up, the blanket still around her shoulders, and walked out of her office and into his, pausing when she saw that the files on his desk had been moved.

Garret walked back over to the opened drawer and pulled the sheet that had been covering the body back, exposing her face. He'd done that motion hundreds...even thousands of times before, giving the next of kin or a family member that final look needed for identification. But it...it was different when it wasn't someone he knew. In his years he'd been working for the morgue, he'd seen a few people he knew come through those doors. But not like this. Not his own blood.

Jordan carefully looked at the file on his desk, and noticed that he'd written Abby's middle name on the folder...and she sighed softly before turning and walking down to the crypt, pausing and leaning up against a wall when she saw him with her, not wanting to disturb him...or scare him. She just watched him as he ran his fingertips across her cheek, before gently stroking her hair, a soft smile on his face. She knew the smile was genuine, but she knew it was also just his body's way of blocking out his emotions. He was in shock, and probably would be for some time from the looks of it. He wasn't letting himself believe. She felt her eyes water as she watched, as he leaned down and kissed her softly, before he dropped to one knee and knelt next to her, his hands gently clinging to one of hers.

He bowed his head softly, clinging softly to her ice cold hand with his. He was trying to warm her up...she was so cold. Too cold. Garret just knelt there for a long time, trying to pass some of his warmth into her body. When it was obvious it wasn't doing anything, he rubbed his eyes, but felt no tears. Slightly angry at himself for not...being able to cry over his daughter's body...he stood, then kissed her again before pulling the sheet back up over her face and sliding the drawer shut. He turned, and walked out of the crypt slowly, his eyes meeting Jordan's as he exited the room.

Jordan took a long look at him before she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him loosely, giving him the option to pull away if it was what he wanted. What she was met with was him stepping closer to her and letting out a shaky sigh. "It's okay Garret. I've got you." She felt a shiver run through him, and she wrapped her blanket around his back and held him close. "I've got you and I'm not letting go."

"I can't cry." Garret sighed softly and rested his chin on her shoulder, letting her hold him close. "I can't cry and I feel so horrible..."

"You don't have to cry Garret." Jordan kissed the back of his neck softly, before starting to rub his back. "Lets just go sit okay?" She kept an arm around him and led him into his office, before she sat him down on the couch, taking him in her arms again. "I'm not letting go. You don't have to cry."

Garret nodded, and then they sat there, in silence, her just holding him. No tears, just silence.

TBC