That should have been the way it happened, Jordan thought guiltily to herself as she replayed what would have been the ideal way to handle to situation in her head.
That wasn't what had actually happened though, instead of rushing to the hospital and to Woody when Lily had told her what happened, she did just the opposite.
Jordan was finishing up autopsy when Lily burst through the double doors, her mouth hanging open and her face ashen.
"What's going on Lil? You look like you've seen a ghost" Jordan smiled.
"Jordan, I need to talk to you, it's important," Lily said seriously.
"What is it? Jordan asked as she started to worry.
"We should sit down," Lily advised.
"Dad?" Jordan asked, her voice shaking a bit.
Lily shook her head in the negative, indicating that this had nothing to do with Max.
"Oh God, Woody?" Jordan asked in disbelief.
Lily nodded yes. "He was shot, I don't know anything about his condition, all I know is he was rushed to Boston General, I can drive you" she offered.
Jordan couldn't answer, her whole body had gone numb at Lily's news. She tore off her latex gloves and rushed out of the autopsy room. Lily followed behind her but Jordan wouldn't slow up or respond so she let her be, figuring she was going to drive like a bat out of hell to get to the hospital and she would meet up with her there.
Jordan didn't even stop to change or grab a coat, she walked out into the freezing Boston winter air in just her short-sleeved scrubs but she didn't notice the cold. She climbed into her explorer and drove, it was her intention to drive to the hospital but her body wouldn't command her hands to steer her in that direction, instead she was driving away from the hospital, away from Boston altogether.
She felt tears begin to trickle down her cheeks as she drove on, the reality of what had happened finally sinking in, Woody had been shot, he was in the hospital right now fighting for his life but she wasn't there with him, she was running again. She figured no one would really be surprised; this was her thing, what she always did when the going got rough. They would probably be disappointed, hell she was disappointed in herself enough for everybody, well everyone except Woody, he would be the most hurt…Woody
She suddenly slammed on the brakes with the thought of him. "Woody" she whispered to herself. She looked out at the road ahead of her "What the hell am I doing?" she asked herself, slamming her hands against the steering wheel in anger. She sped off, quickly making a U-turn and racing in the direction she had just come from, the tears now flowing freely from worry.
She had entered the hospital and frantically asked for him, where was he? How was he? She had been told he was in surgery. She was met by all their friends, staring at her with knowing eyes; they didn't have to wonder why she was the last to get there.
"I'm sorry" she managed to mumble through her tears.
They all came over to hug her and comfort her, no one would blame her. "You're here now" Garrett said wiping her tears away, "That's all that matters" he assured her.
She looked around at all her friends waiting with her and smiled, suddenly thankful for all the people in her life, she wondered if everyone was lucky enough to have what she did.
She looked up and noticed the doctor in front of her, he told her Woody was going to be just fine, she asked to see him and he agreed, leading the way to his room.
He looked so small in that hospital bed with all the tubes hooked into him. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight. The doctor took her arm "It looks worse than it really is, remember he's going to be fine" he said leading her over to Woody's side before turning to leave. "Oh, by the way, he was asking for you when he first got here, made me promise to tell you he loves you more than anything in the world"
She smiled appreciatively. "Thanks Doc"
She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the mouth then sat down next to him and took his hand in hers. "I love you too Woody, I love you too"
She sat with him for hours, holding his hand and talking to him, just about everyday things, like nothing had happened at all.
She saw his eyelids flutter in an attempt to open and she felt her body tense in excitement.
He slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the offending light, he saw his eyes open wide and could tell he didn't know where he was and was getting panicked. She squeezed his hand, "Hey, it's okay, you're okay now" she assured him, as she wiped a few stray tears out of her own eyes. He frowned, knowing she was upset because of him. He tried to open his mouth to say something but the tube was still in his throat to help him breathe.
"Shhh, don't talk, I'll get the doctor" she said and turned to go but he caught her arm and looked at her pleadingly, not wanting her to go. She smiled back at him and sat back down next to his bed "Okay, I'm not going anywhere" she said and pressed the call button on his bed to summon the doctor.
A minute later the doctor and a nurse entered the room to check on him.
"Hello Detective, I'm Doctor Jones, it's nice to finally meet you" he smiled, Woody managed to smile back a little. "You gave us a little scare, particularly this one, he said touching Jordan's shoulder, Woody stared at her, his eyes filled with tears. "You're going to be just fine now, what do you say we get that tube out of your throat?" he asked. Woody nodded eagerly, Jordan laughed.
The doctor removed the tube and asked Woody some questions and checked his vitals. He told him he'd probably have to stay in the hospital a few days and he would be back to check the incision later.
They were finally alone, Woody looked at her and smiled "Hi". "Hi yourself" she said laughing at his attempt to lighten the mood. "You had me really scared you know?" she said seriously.
"I'm sorry," he said looking away. She put her hand under his chin and directed his face back to look at her. "You know why?" she asked. He looked at her, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Because I love you," she admitted. He smiled from ear to ear, his eyes glassy with emotion. He swallowed hard, "I love you too" She smiled back at him "Yeah I know, the doctor told me" "Well I'm sorry you didn't hear it from me first but I just wanted you to know in case.." he stopped his sentence there, not wanting either of them to think about what could have happened. She nodded in understanding.
"I'm glad you're here," he said squeezing her hand. She looked away guiltily. "I almost wasn't, it took me a while to get here," she admitted sadly. He saw her expression and understood.
"You're here now, that's all that matters," he told her.
She smiled, remembering Garrett had said the same thing earlier, she felt truly lucky they were all so understanding.
"Yeah I'm here, and I always will be" she vowed.