Chapter Six

Nigel had told Woody that Jordan wasn't sleeping well…at least that was his observation. The detective had kept in close contact with Nigel after he had been dismissed from the hospital and gone home to finish recovering. "She looks tired…all the time. Even when she's not working all the blasted doubles or overtime she can talk Macy into giving her. I don't know how much she is sleeping or eating. It looks as if she's lost weight, too."

Now three weeks after his injury, he had finally gotten permission to drive again. He slowly made his way back to the precinct…just to see the guys and listen to what was going on. Then he carefully made his way to the morgue. He knew what he had told Jordan…but he couldn't stay away from her. He had honestly planned on being "out of sight" for eight weeks…to let her see what life without him would be like. But who was he kidding? He needed to be near her more than he needed to eat. Maybe more than he needed to breathe.

"Woody," Nigel greeted the detective when he got off the main elevators at the morgue. "What a surprise….how does it feel to be out again?"

"Like being sprung from prison. The first week wasn't so bad. I really didn't feel like going anywhere. Then, afterwards, as I got better…the walls started closing in." Woody glanced around. "Where's she at?"

"Jordan? On a field call. She should be back in a few minutes. Does she know you're here?"

"No. I haven't heard from her…not since I was in the hospital. I just came by to see how she was doing…if she was any better than you said you thought she was."

Nigel sighed. She really wasn't. But Woody would see for himself soon.

And sure enough, it wasn't but a matter of minutes before she got off the elevator to make her way to the locker room and change into her scrubs so she could start the autopsy on the victim she picked up. "There she is, Woodrow…" Nigel said, nudging him towards the door. "Go see her before she goes into autopsy one. If you wait until she's done…it could be hours."

Woody nodded and made his way to the door of the exam room, stopping her before she entered. "Woody…" she said in surprise.

He was the last person she had expected to see and the person she had worried most about. Was he eating right? How was his wound? Was he taking proper care of himself? But she had made no effort to contact him…remembering what he had told her in the hospital… "While I'm on sabbatical…I don't want to see or hear from anyone from work or the morgue. These are big decisions I'm making…and I don't need to be influenced in anyway. These have to be my own answers to all the questions I'm asking." She had honored that request. "How…how are you doing?" she managed to stammer.

"Better…still a little weak, but I just got the okay to drive…I was getting a little stir crazy sitting there in my apartment."

She smiled briefly at him. "I can understand. It's enough to wear on anyone's patience. You look good." He did. His color was better…and he seemed more like his normal self.

"Thanks…How… how are you?"

"Never better. Look gotta run….Garret will have my butt if I'm not through with this vic by quitting time." She made a dash through the doors of the autopsy room, leaving him standing by himself.

"See what I mean?" Nigel asked coming up behind him.

And Woody did…he saw with his own eyes what Nigel had been telling him….the dark circles under her eyes told him she was working too hard and not getting enough rest…she had lost weight. He could tell that even through the loose-fitting scrubs.

Woody sighed. He needed to regain his health as quickly as possible and get back to work…and finish this thing between them.


She really had no idea what was going on in his life any longer. Other than his one surprise trip to the morgue, she hadn't seen him for two months. She was sure he was coming back to the Boston PD…at least for now, because she had heard nothing about him resigning from the force. But she had no clear idea when he was returning to work. She had asked no questions…still trying to accept the fact that it was over between them and it was better for her not to muddy the waters of their failed relationship at all. So she had stoically continued with her work.

Nigel had warned her she needed to slow down…she was working too much….pushing herself too hard…but work was all she had right now…it was her solace…her companion…her lover.

Jordan was using it to fill the void that losing Woody had left in her life.

She thought that by confessing her love to him…even though he was unconscious and heard nothing, she would feel better. She would have gotten it off her chest…cleared the air…made a clean slate of it.

Instead, she ached for him with a greater intensity than she had known before. But he wanted to be left alone. She could understand that, given their history. But someone neglected to explain that to her heart.

And it was her heart that took a beating the day he came back to work.

She caught his first homicide call back on duty. But she didn't know it was his until she got to the scene. She was looking around for the lead detective when a pair of familiar broad shoulders caught her eye. Gamely she walked over and tapped one of them from behind. Woody turned around to find himself caught in her gaze. "I guess this means you haven't completely given up police work, yet?" she asked.

"No…not yet. I haven't quite made up my mind…but for right now it's what I'm doing. It's like you said….being a cop for me not just what I do…it's who I am."

She nodded and turned attention to the victim. A stocky man in his mid-twenties. Shot twice at close range. A Mr. Lee Stewart.

She didn't ask Woody if he was going to continue to be a policeman in Boston. She wasn't sure she could deal with that answer if it was no. She cleared her throat. "Okay, time of death…is about eight hours ago. Cause of death…looks like the bullet wounds. I'll know more when I get him into autopsy." She stood up and looked Woody in the eye. "It'll be a while…any special reason I need to hurry?"

Woody looked uncomfortable. "Sort of….this is Councilman Stewart's son."

Jordan's face fell. So much for easing him into work…having time to maybe talk. "Well," she said so softly that Woody almost didn't hear, "they sure sent you out on a hell of a tough case on your first day back."

Woody nodded. In someway it felt like he had never left. "How soon can I get some preliminary reports?"

"I can go back to the morgue and rush the prelims…and have the basic facts to you in a couple of hours. I don't know how backed up Nige is with ballistics or trace…I'll let you know."

Woody nodded as he made to help her load the body.

"Nope…don't you dare… you're still recovering. I can handle it."

"No…Jordan….I can help…"

But it was too late. She loaded the body and left, with a backward glance or a good-bye.

She had taken the meaning be being left alone to a whole new level.