1000 Miles From Nowhere
---- CHAPTER TWO ----
"She always called me 'new guy', even though I hated it. But come to think of it...I really didn't."
"Most demanding lass I've ever met, she rode me for test results like she was the jockey of the morgue."
"She never stopped looking for answers...even if it did mean taking a nature hike."
"One of the most caring people I've come to know. She had such a good heart."
"A damn good medical examiner and a great doctor."
"She was just...she was Devan."
The six of them had been sitting around their little table, drinking and talking about things they remembered about Devan. Her smile. How pushy she was. When she labeled herself the acting CME and Jordan had wanted to kill her.
Nigel looked around at each of them, his vision slightly blurred due to the alcohol he'd already consumed that evening. Sydney was still drinking beer - but he was also on his third or fourth for the night. Lily and Bug were just talking quietly to one another. Jordan was leaning into Garret's side, his arm around her shoulders. He looked around at the rest of the bar and saw a group of detectives walk in through the bar, filling it to near capacity.
Eddie Winslow and Woody Hoyt being the two men in the lead. Nigel carefully shot his eyes to Jordan, who hadn't noticed them come in yet.
But Garret had, and he took a long look at the young detective who wandered up to the bar and sat, ordering a scotch and then dropping his head into his hands. Woody...was almost like a son to him in some ways. He'd worked with Woody on his first case here in Boston - and the young farm fresh detective had quickly matured into a different kind of man, especially as he chased after Jordan. The way he downed the glass of scotch in nearly one slug led Garret to believe that he needed someone to talk to. "Here, Jor, stay with Nigel. I'm gonna go over and get another scotch and see how Woody's doing." He pulled his arm from behind her neck.
"Woody's here?" Jordan looked up and then over at the bar, sighing when she saw him. "I should go tell him --"
"Jordan, stay put for a minute, alright?" Garret slid out of the booth and picked his empty glass up off the table. "Let me talk to him first." He nodded as Jordan relented and shifted so she was leaning against Nigel.
"Pour another." Woody sat, resting his arms on the polished wood of the bar with a heavy sigh. He didn't even flinch when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder, only looked over as Garret sat on the barstool next to him, setting his glass down and pushing it towards the bartender with a slight nod.
"I'm sorry Woody..." He pulled his hand off the younger man's shoulder and then turned to face forwards. "I know you guys were real close." Garret smiled up at the bartender as he returned and filled his glass of scotch. "Thanks."
"Yeah. We were." Woody nodded, his voice low. "We were getting to be real close. Real good friends." He looked over at the group, sitting around the booth and chatting quietly to themselves. "How're they all doing?"
"Alright. It's hard, but it's still a big shock for us." Garret followed his gaze to the group. "It's tough to lose one of our own again."
"Yeah." Woody looked away from the group and turned his attention to Garret. "How're you doing, Doc?"
Garret let out a soft sigh and took a sip off his scotch, letting the liquid burn down his throat. He thought for a minute. How was he doing? He didn't speak, just sat there, until Woody rested a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Doc."
Garret looked over at Woody and nodded, then noticed that those blue eyes had shifted from him to Jordan. He turned around on the barstool so he was facing the group, and watched.
Jordan was standing up and Nigel was looking at her with a curious eye as she slid out of the booth and walked towards the back of the bar, towards the restrooms and the stockroom. She didn't make eye contact with Woody or with Garret, and simply went into the stockroom, shutting the metal door behind her softly. Garret figured she needed a minute to herself, and turned to talk to Woody, and was met with an empty barstool. He turned back around and saw him making his way through the crowd towards the back. Garret picked up his glass and stood as Woody entered the stockroom and shut the door behind him, then went back to the table and sat next to Nigel, keeping one eye on the door at all times.
"God dammit what does it take to get one minute alone around here?! Garret, just go away." Jordan stood on the far side of the stockroom, facing the brick wall and resting her forehead against it. "I'm fine Garret. Just go away, please." She muttered softly.
Woody walked over to Jordan and gently rested a hand on her back. "It's me Jordan."
Jordan nearly killed him on the spot, whirling around and grabbing his wrist, fear racing through her veins. "Dammit Woody! You know better than to scare me like that!" She let out a shaky sigh, running her hand through her hair, trying to relax. For a split second, she'd thought her attacker was back, and about to kill her. She always knew if it was Garret's hand or Nigel's hand on her back, but anyone else was a guess ninety percent of the time. "Don't ever do that again."
"Sorry." Woody pulled away and took a step back, rubbing his wrist lightly. He could tell she was scared, even though she was trying to hide it. "I didn't mean it."
"I know." She shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the bricks. "It just scared me. I don't do well with just being touched, especially if I don't know who it is."
"You thought I was Garret. You know who he is."
"Yeah, I also know that Garret won't bug me if I ask him to go away." Jordan snapped slightly. "And he doesn't just come up and touch me, without saying a word. You should know better. Especially after the break in."
"Sorry. Just trying to be a friend." Woody shook his head and turned around to leave. "Forget it."
"Woody, wait." Jordan bit her lip slightly. She still felt horrible about the comment she'd made to Devan about them not being friends. She wanted to come clean, and she felt bad for being such a mean person to Woody, when he was hurting too. "I'm sorry. I just...I got scared."
"And I apologized Jor." Woody turned around to look at her. "Then you snapped at me. I just wanted to tell you goodbye."
Jordan raised an eyebrow. "Goodbye?"
"I'm going back to Keuwanee."
"What?! Why?!" Jordan's mouth dropped open and she walked over to him. "How long are you taking a vacation for?"
"For good Jordan, I'm leaving for good. I've already talked to Eddie about it, and there's an opening with the department that I've already been accepted for. My plane leaves tonight." He shifted on his feet. "I don't have any real friends here in Boston, besides Eddie, Doc, and you. There's too many...painful memories...here. I've lost too much of myself. I'm going to be a sherriff now, like I should have been. I should have just stayed in Wisconsin - then I never would have gone through the hell I've been through."
"So you consider me hell?" Jordan felt anger inside of her. "What the hell did I ever do to you?!"
"You have issues."
"What?" Jordan felt like she'd been slapped in the face.
"Commitment issues, intimacy issues, control issues. You don't drop things when you should, you beat everything into the ground, and everything has to be your way. Take a chance. Let someone else lead for once. You know Devan let me kiss her on the first date? When did you let me kiss you? I can't remember because it took such a damn long time." Woody glared at her. "I'm leaving Jordan. You missed your chance. I followed you around for over a year and you didn't give me anything to hope for. That's why I'm leaving. You're here in Boston, and I can't stand you anymore."
"You know, you're just like her. Pushy, demanding, and cranky when irritated." Jordan tilted her head to the side. "But see, when I told her that I didn't consider her my friend, it was because we hadn't had time to --"
"You said that to her?! When?!" Woody's jaw dropped.
"Right before she left...to get on the plane." Jordan felt tears spring to her eyes as Woody's expression fell. "I didn't mean it Woody. I was tired and she was trying to get me to work right after I just pulled a double. I was borderline homicidal..."
"What did she ever do to you?" Woody shook his head. "Devan was a wonderful, beautiful woman. She was caring, kind, fun...she was everything Jordan. Everything that you're not. You just...I can't believe you." Tears began to run down Jordan's face as he spoke. "You...I'm done. I'm done with you, I'm done with Boston. If you try to call me, don't expect an answer." Woody turned and walked towards the door.
"Woody! Wait! Let me --" Jordan walked after him as he pulled the door open.
"No Jordan. You missed your chance." He shut the door in her face and walked to the bar, laying a twenty down and nodding goodnight to the morgue crew. "I'll see you guys around sometime." He smiled briefly and then exited the bar, not looking back as he climbed into a waiting cab and ordered the driver to take him to his apartment, to gather his things before taking him to Logan, where he would board a plane and leave Boston behind him for good.
Garret and Nigel just looked at each other, before Garret got up and walked towards the storeroom. The look in Woody's eyes had told him that something was up. He was met at the door as Jordan opened it, a small smile on her face. She yawned and pulled the door shut behind her. "Do you think walk me to my car Garret? I'm exhausted...I really need to get home and get some sleep."
Garret knew something was up, but he nodded and wrapped his arm around Jordan's shoulders as they walked back to the table. She said goodnight to everyone and grabbed her bag and jacket, before turning and heading out, Garret following behind her. Once they reached her car, she put her bag and jacket in the backseat before turning around and finally making eye contact with him.
"What happened Jor?" Garret looked at her sadly.
"Nothing Garret." She stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close to her for a hug. She held it longer than she had expected to, resting her head against his shoulder. As she pulled away, she kissed his cheek chastely and looked up into his eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow Garret."
"Alright Jordan. Drive safe. And call me if you need anything. You promise?" He looked down at her and smiled when she nodded. "Good."
Jordan turned and got into her car, then started the engine. She watched as Garret just stepped back and made sure that she made it down the street safely, and she gave one final wave as she turned the corner for home.
As soon as she got there, her mind was in a panic. Everyone close to her was getting hurt. She'd gotten mom killed, Devan, and she'd drove Woody away from Boston. Who was next? Nigel? Garret? Jordan rode up the elevator to her loft and quickly unlocked the door, shutting it behind her. She glanced around and then did a through walk - through of the loft, making sure no one was hiding in it. That's when she remembered the attack.
How he'd forced her to undress. How he'd taken mom's locket. How he'd cut her hand in the fight. Her heart started to pound, and then Jordan knew. There was only one way to get away from the hell she was in right at that moment.
And that was to run.
Frantically, she hurried around the loft, shoving jeans, shirts, shoes and a thick jacket into a duffel bag. "Call me if you need anything. You promise?" Garret's voice floated through her head as she threw her shampoo, conditioner, blowdryer into the bag. Toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant soon followed suit. She had no idea why she didn't just call him and cry to him, tell him that she was about to run again and let him stop her. She packed a smaller bag with some makeup essentials and tossed it on the bed next to the duffel. She went into the kitchen to grab a few bottles of water and her energy bars, swiping the Red Sox blanket Nigel had gotten her for her birthday that year off the back of the couch and slinging it around her shoulders. She picked up a picture off the shelf above her TV, smiling at the photograph it contained.
The morgue crew had gotten together to watch the stars up on the roof one night, with Bug's telescope. Something about the planets being in alignment. Jordan was crouched over the telescope, and Garret was standing next to her, while Nigel was pointing upwards, both of them trying to give her directions at the same time. Laughing softly, she walked into her bedroom and slipped the frame into the bag and then looked at her guitar case lying in the corner of the room. Zipping her bag shut, she shouldered it and grabbed the smaller bag of makeup, the blanket still around her shoulders. She set it all by the front door and then walked to the counter, grabbing a piece of scratch paper. She scrawled a note for Garret and left it taped to the guitar case, knowing he'd find it there.
She quickly shut and locked her door behind her, after picking her bags up off the floor. Jordan headed downstairs and threw the duffel bag and blanket on the seat next to her as she slid into the El Camino, turned off her cell phone and pager, stashed them in the glove box, and started the engine.
Running was what Jordan knew how to do best. And run she did.
TBC.