Chapter Seven
Daddy's Girl
Woody never knew whether to curse or bless cell phones.
On one hand, they can be nearly too conveniently inconvenient. He had a lot of wonderful moments interrupted by the ringing of one of those devices.
On the other hand, they had shared a wealth of information with him. He hoped this was one of those times, as he grabbed his ringing cell phone early one Saturday morning. Her phone number was on the ID. He hoped it wasn't bad news.
"I don't know what he has to tell you…I just know he said he needed to see you," Jordan told him when she answered his knock at Max's back door. "He just told me to call you and ask you to come over as soon as you could."
When he answered Jordan's phone call early this morning, she had relayed to him the information that Max wanted to see him. Jordan had told her father that Woody was back at the 19th precinct. Max had decided he needed to talk to Woody. He didn't tell Jordan what it was about. "Just tell him…I really need to see him….soon," he had managed to get out. Max didn't talk much any longer. The pain was beginning to be unbearable even with a morphine drip. Jordan knew the end wasn't far off.
They climbed the stairs of Jordan's childhood home together and she led Woody into Max's bedroom…a tangle of IV lines and hook ups to machines all centered around a hospital bed that bore the shell of a man that Woody had known. Max looked as if he had shrunk a good five to six inches in height…and was painfully, painfully thin. Woody now knew why Max didn't want any of his friends to see him this way. He was only a balding, shadow of his former self. No man would want to be remembered this way…not a man like Max, anyway.
"Dad….Dad….," Jordan gently whispered to her father. "Woody's here. Do you feel like talking?"
Max opened his eyes with great effort. "Woody…good to see you again. Have a seat." He motioned to a chair beside his bed. Jordan sat on the side of the bed beside her father. Max glanced over at her. "What I need to say to Woody, I need to say to him privately, Jordan."
"You want me to leave?" She nearly sounded hurt.
Max smiled gently at his daughter. "This is a man-to-man…We'll be through in a minute and you can sit with me all you like."
She nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.
"How are you, Woody?" Max asked, extended his hand to the detective.
"I'm good, thank you, sir. I am so sorry about…"
Max cut him off. "That's okay. So am I…sorry I have this mess…this disease. Sorry for what it's doing to me. More sorry for what it's doing to Jordan."
Woody nodded. "She has a hard time with it sometimes."
"I know. She let it slip that she had told you. I didn't mind you knowing…I just didn't want a bunch of people hanging out at the house making it even harder on her….that's why I said I'd tell the people I wanted to know…a little at the time. But I was glad she told you…it gave her someone to talk to."
"I'm happy to be here for her."
Max looked at Woody closely and narrowed his eyes. "We've been through a lot, Hoyt. You and me. Malden and all that crap. I came to know you pretty well. And I like what I know. You're a solid, dependable, good man. They don't make many like you anymore."
Woody didn't know quite what to say. "Thank you, sir," he replied, looking down at his hands.
"And I don't know what happened between you and Jordan. I know at one time I would have bet everything I had that you loved her. And I know she loves you…it just takes Jordan longer to admit things like that. It's her nature. She doesn't trust easily. And I guess she gets it honest."
"I still care for your daughter, Mr. Cavanaugh."
"But do you love her?"
He nodded again. "I do…and have told her as much…but she's got a lot on her right now…." His voice trailed off.
Max sighed a sigh of great relief. "Good. I wasn't sure. Jordan said you two had some silly fight and decided to remain friends. Friends are well and good, but anyone with a pair of eyes can tell you two were cut out to be more than just friends. That makes what I'm about to say easier."
"I'm sorry…I'm not following you…"
Max took a deep breath and hit the morphine drip button again. "It's like this, Woody. Jordan has always been as independent as hell. She had to be. She grew up in a one-parent household and that one parent was a cop. She was on her on… by herself…probably more than she needed to be. It taught her to be strong…but unfortunately it also taught her she didn't need to necessarily depend on anyone…the only person she could depend on was herself."
Wood nodded in agreement. That was Jordan alright. Fiercely independent and the strongest woman he had ever known.
"However, Woody….in the days that are ahead for her….she's going to need someone, whether she will admit it or not…someone she can depend on…someone that will help her get over losing me. We never had a lot, and what I'm leaving behind will become hers…the house, the car…some investments….but we had each other, and despite our disagreements in the past, Jordan and I have loved each other deeply. We were all each other had sometimes.
She's my little girl, Woody. No matter how old she gets, she will always be my baby. What I'm asking of you is …would you take care of her after I'm gone? You're the only person I can trust because of the way you are…honest, compassionate, caring. I can't see you hurting her…ever. I won't be here and I need to go to my Maker with the assurance that you will keep an eye on her until she heals from my passing. I'm not sure how long that will take….but could you promise me you'll do that….just make sure she eats….and rests…and doesn't grieve herself to death?" Max extended his hand again.
And Woody willingly took it. "I promise I'll look after her. You have my word."
"Good. Now I can rest…really rest. I've worried about her so much…the concern has kind of kept me here, until I could make sure she was taken care of. One day, maybe you'll understand how I feel, Woody…when you become a dad…"
Woody smiled briefly. He hadn't pictured himself in that role in a very long time.
"You will….and you'll be a great one. And by the way….if taking care of Jordan turns into a life time commitment on your part, I want you to know now you have my blessing.." Max's eyes begin to flutter shut…he was worn out from all the talking. Woody had to lean over to catch the last words before the sick man fell asleep. "Just take care of my baby….she's Daddy's girl."
