Chapter Eight

Woody squinted against the bright sunlight that caught him off guard at the Milwaukee airport terminal. Looking through the crowd of passengers and greeters, he finally found him, leaning against the wall, flirting with a flight attendant. "Cal…." He called out.

Cal pulled his lanky frame away from the wall and made his way over to his older brother, greeting him with a hug. "Hey, bro," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better…I feel better."

"You sound better. Let's get your luggage and get out of here."

They retrieved Woody's luggage and made their way out to Cal's SUV and climbed in. "You sure staying with me in Milwaukee is such a good idea? When Aunt Jean finds out that you didn't come straight to her house, there's going to be hell to pay."

"Yeah. I know. But I'll deal with her then. Right now, what I've got to do is more important than any of their feelings."

Calvin looked over at his brother. Woody was thinner…and paler than he had seen him in a long time…not since…anyway, that was years ago. "This is important to you, isn't it Wood?" he finally asked.

Woody turned and looked out of the passenger window. Through his sunglasses he could see the traces of snow that still lingered in Wisconsin, even though the calendar said it was spring and Easter was right around the corner. Calendars – time itself – didn't mean a whole lot in Wisconsin. Especially Kewuanne. Things moved at a slower pace than in Boston. People were friendly, but stayed out of your business. Perhaps if things were a little more different here, then he wouldn't be in this position. Finally, he answered Calvin. "Yeah. It is. I can't move forward until I deal with the past. If I don't, it's going to come back and haunt me for the rest of my life…be out there to grab me by my throat and slit it if I'm not careful."

"Does Jordan know you're here?"

"Yeah."

"Does she know why?"

"Sort of."

"So you haven't told her everything?"

Woody shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "No. I can't. Not yet. Not until I've dealt with it myself. Then I'm going to tell her. I owe her that much."

"Still love her?"

Woody nodded.

"She love you?"

"I know she cares….but I don't know if that's love for her or not. I know I don't deserve for her to love me…not until I'm sure I've dealt with my demons the same way she's dealt with hers."

Cal was silent for a moment. Woody was the oldest of the Hoyt brothers. And he had always been the typical, oldest child…reliable, dependable, responsible….quiet. But Cal knew that underneath that "good boy" exterior, Woody hid some deep, undeniable hurts. He thought that his brother had gone to Boston in order to deal with them and get over them. Now he realized that Woody had just been running. He had no idea Woody had been on Prozac all these years. Like Jordan, he wondered just how much of Woody he really knew. Woody had often complained about the emotional walls Jordan had erected through the years to protect herself. Calvin now questioned just what walls Woody had built around himself to keep others from knowing the real man behind the name Woodrow Hoyt. "We're here," he said quietly, pulling into a sprawling apartment complex south of the Milwaukee airport.

The ringing of her cell phone jerked Jordan awake. "Cavanaugh," she said into the receiver, her voice still husky with sleep.

"Hey. It's me. Just wanted you to know that I got here all right," said Woody.

"Woody…" Jordan looked at the clock beside her bed and realized it wasn't midnight yet in Wisconsin.

"I'm sorry…did I wake you up?"

"No…I just laid down."

"You're a terrible liar, Jordan."

"No…really, I swear…."

Woody chuckled. "I'll let you go back to sleep.'

"No…how was your flight?" She missed him more than she could say….and her worry levels were on overload.

"Uneventful. Quiet…except for the screaming three year-old two rows in front of me."

Jordan laughed. "There's always one on every plane. How are you feeling, Wood?"

Woody sighed. "Tired. Antsy. I need to do this, Jo. I really do. But it's hard, you know? Digging up the past to bury it again…"

"I know, Woody," her voice was soft with concern. "I really do. But keep in mind, this time when you bury it, it will truly rest in peace. And you'll be able to have peace yourself."

"I hope so, Jordan. You have no idea how long it's been since I've really been able to let my mind rest. I've wrestled with so much for so long…." His voice trailed off.

She caught the hesitation in his voice. "Do you need me to come out there?"

"No…I don't think so…not now. I need to do this alone."

"I understand. I really do. But if you need me…"

"I know….and I will…call you. Hang on…Calvin wants to talk to you."

"Jordan!" said Calvin, grabbing the phone from Woody's hand and stepping into the bathroom and locking its door, keeping Woody on the other side.

"How's he doing, Cal?"

"He's pale, and thin, and looks like hell. What happened? He hasn't told me much other than he's had some trouble with Oxycotin."

Jordan gave him a brief rundown of everything. "Look, Cal…I still have a week and a half off of work and can take more time if I need to. If Woody needs me…or you feel like I need to be there, will you call me?"

"Yeah, sure, sweetheart." Calvin wrote down her number on a piece of paper and shoved the number in his wallet. He made sure Jordan had his cell phone number and apartment number, too. "Look, gotta go. I've been hiding out in the bathroom so Woody couldn't get to me and he's about to beat down the door to find out what you're telling me. I'll be in touch."

"Watch him like a hawk, Cal."

"Will do, sweetie. Want to say goodbye to your Farm Boy before we hang up?"

"Sure do."

Calvin opened the bathroom door a crack and handed the phone out to Woody. "She wants you…." he snickered. "Don't see why…when she could have me."

Woody rolled his eyes at his brother. "He's a real charmer, you know…" he said into the phone.

"Must run in the family. His brother's one, too."

Woody felt his face flush. "I…I guess I need to go."

"Woody – take care of yourself. Be careful."

"I will. I promise. You do the same…okay?"

Woody said goodbye and hung up the phone. Calvin was still propped against the bathroom doorway looking at him.

"So what did she tell you?" Woody asked.

"That she's worried as hell about you and for me to keep an eye on you."

Woody nodded. He thought as much.

"You should have told her you loved her."

"Now's not the time, Cal."

"Maybe not…but you should soon." Cal was afraid that Jordan would slip away from Woody, and in his opinion, Jordan was the best thing that had walked through Woody's door in a long time.

"Believe me, bro. When the time is right….I will. I just have to do this first."

"So when do we start? I only have a week off of work and then the Easter holidays."

"Tomorrow…first thing."