Chapter Seven

Cut Lines

Her body began to shut down…one by one her systems began to waver.

Woody held his breath and mentally willed her to hold on during the critical, first 72-hours. "You've got to fight this, Jordan," he'd whisper over and over in her ear, during the 10 minutes per hour he would be allowed in her room. "Hang in there…fight it hard, sweetheart. You can't leave me… I love you."

Jordan barely struggled through the first critical stage. Woody and Garret took turns by her bedside after that, each talking to her…rubbing what part of her arm that wasn't covered with IV's and tubes. Trying to encourage her…to get some kind of response from her, but nothing. She did finally stabilize enough for the doctors to run tests, which showed that while she had no brain damage, there was some nerve damage…they just weren't too sure where it would show up. Woody winced at those words. He knew all too well himself how painful and difficult nerve damage was to overcome.

Yet, despite the fact that she had no brain damage, she remained comatose. The doctor couldn't explain why. "Has anything major….life changing … gone on in her life?" he asked Garret.

Thinking over the last couple of years…her near-rape, Max leaving, and now Woody…Garret had slowly nodded and tugged at his beard. "You might say that," he replied.

"Then… if it wasn't positive change, Jordan may not want to wake up…she may have lost the will to face what is challenging her….she may have really lost the will to live."

Garret shook his head. "That doesn't sound like the Jordan I know. She may not have always handled herself the right way, but she never backed down from a challenge."

The doctor shrugged. "Maybe what she's trying to forget now seems too impossible for her to overcome…maybe she's tired of trying. This could be her subconscious's way of dealing with it…just don't wake back up and you won't have to deal with it.

"I don't know," Garret sighed. He watched the doctor make a few more notes on Jordan's chart and exit her room. Then, pulling up a chair close to her, Garret sat down and began to talk to her. "Jordan…look…I know you've been through a lot…with your father…and with Woody…but it's not the end of it all. I need you to wake up … I need you Jordan. I need you in my life…and Woody does, too. He's told you so, but I think you've been too far gone to hear it. Please…wake up…" He gently squeezed her hand, hoping for some kind of response…but nothing. Dejectedly he sat back in the chair to wait for Woody to come in.

"How is she?" Woody asked, coming in several hours later, after he got off work.

"No change. The doctor thinks she's given up."

"Given up?"

"Yeah…there's no reason for her to wake up…so she doesn't want to."

"So she's not going to come out of the coma?" Woody began to feel his world drop out from under him.

"I think it's really up to her…and right now, she doesn't seem to have any desire or need to."

"Can she hear us when we talk to her?"

"They're not sure…"

Woody was mulling all of this over in his mind when his cell phone went off. "This is Hoyt," he said into the receiver. He prayed it wasn't the precinct calling him back into work.

"Woody…this is Bug. We went over Jordan's truck like you asked us to…to see about the brakes…and you need to know… her brakes didn't give out on their own. The pads were fine, but there was no brake fluid. So Nigel and I got to checking…to see if maybe she had a leak or something. Come to find out her brake lines have been cut."

"Cut? You're sure?"

"Positive. It's far too clean of a separation to be blamed on wear and tear. They were cut. Someone sliced her brake lines open."

Woody was silent for a moment, letting all the possibilities fly through his mind. Who could have done this to her? And why would anyone want to do this to Jordan? "Thanks, Bug," he finally said. "I'll be over in a minute."

"What was that about?" Garret asked, sensing that something else had gone wrong surrounding Jordan.

"It was Bug. Jordan's brakes didn't give out….they were cut. Someone cut her brake lines. Do you know anyone who was upset with her…or was mad enough at her to do this?'

Garret shook his head, alarmed at the implications. "No…not at all. She's really been kind of quiet lately…"

"Has she been seeing anyone she may have pissed off…by refusing them or anything?"

Again Garret shook his head. "I don't think so. She's been working too much to have much of a social life."

Woody sighed and grabbed the jacket he had discarded on a chair. "I've got to go back in…see if Nigel and Bug have lifted any prints…and if they have, see if we can get some hits on who they belong to. Can you stay with her a while longer?'

"Yeah...sure…go do what you have to, Woody."

Grim-faced, Woody headed out the door. This put a whole new light on the situation. Jordan didn't have an accident. Jordan was nearly murdered. Woody felt a new emotion rise in his chest….one of anger and revenge towards the would-be murderer….and one of possession towards Jordan.

How dare anyone try to take her away from him?

Hours later, Woody returned to Jordan's room. Nigel and Bug had been able to lift a print, but so far there had been no hits as far as establishing an identity of the perp. Wearily he pulled off his jacket and nodded to Garret, who was grinning at him. "What?" he asked. Garret nodded towards Jordan's bed. The ventilator was gone.

"She's better," he breathed, pulling up a chair and taking her hand.

"Yeah…she came to a few hours ago. They pulled out the vent tube and she's been kind of in an out of consciousness every since."

"Is she alright?"

"She's a little fuzzy on the time frame…she remembers getting the page to go to your homicide scene. She remembers beginning to drive over…and after that, nothing."

Woody nodded. "Her brake lines were definitely cut."

Garret raised his eyebrows. "Any idea who?"

"We have a couple of prints…no ID yet." Woody turned his attention to Jordan, who was still pale-looking and frail.

Garret noticed the detective's mood change…from weariness to anticipation. Gathering his things, he said. "I'm going to cut out now. Call me if there's any change, okay?"

Woody nodded again, focused solely on her. Garret left and quietly shut the door behind him. "Jordan…Jordan…" he whispered. "Please…wake up.."

Slowly her brown eyes flickered open. She glanced around the room, searching for Garret. Garret – the one person in her life who had always been there for her --

the one who had kicked her ass and hugged her hard when she needed it. He was there when she woke up, but wasn't now. Finally, her eyes settled on his face…those blue eyes, that smile that was just beginning to turn up at the corners of his mouth and flash his dimples. Taking deep breath, she tried to focus as she asked, "What the hell are you doing here?