Sonnets-Chapter Four
DGDB
PG-13
Summary: Things are coming to a head at the Morgue. Jordan and Woody are finished, Nigel's got a hell of a hangover and his feelings for Jordan aren't helping. Can Jordan find it in herself to let Nigel in after the worst happens?
A/N: Meh…
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When to the sessions of sweet silent thought
I summon up remembrance of things past,
I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,
And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste.
Then I can drown an eye, unused to flow,
For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,
And weeps afresh love's long since cancelled wore,
And moan the expense of many a vanished sight.
Then I can grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er
The sad account of forebemoanéd moan,
Which I new-pay as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.
Shakespeare
Sonnet 30
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Jordan pulled into an empty parking spot beside Nigel's car. She recognized it as his, not only by the numerous bumper stickers proclaiming Great Britain to be the best place on earth, but because she had been driven home many times by Nigel. After locking her own car, she patted Nigel's beat up old sedan affectionately before slouching inside.
She shook off her parka and hurried into the elevator to get to her floor. The building was pretty much empty, which was unusual for the middle of the day, but it didn't bother her too much. She spotted Lily in a counseling room and waved to her. Lily smiled back, but continued talking to the elderly couple that were seated across the table from her.
"Garret? Hey, where is everybody?" Jordan asked, poking her head into Garret's office.
The bald man looked up, his reading glasses perched on his nose. Dr Macy raised an eyebrow.
"Jordan. This is a surprise. I thought you were taking the day off?" Garret said, taking off his glasses and leaning back in his chair.
"Uhm, is Nigel here? I need to talk to him. He left my place in a kind of a huff and-"
"You want to make sure everything's alright. As far as I know he's still here. He should be finishing up and autopsy, so he's either in exam three or the locker room."
"Thanks Garret."
"Sure."
Jordan tapped the doorframe once and strode down the hall. She looked into exam room three, but it was deserted, save for the body lying on the table.
"Must be in the locker room." she concluded.
She rounded the corner and walked right into the men' locker room without so much as batting an eye. She could see Nigel's lanky form in the shower. Jordan picked up Nigel's towel and decided to hold it hostage until she had gotten a few things off her chest. Meanwhile, she could enjoy watching Nigel shower and sweat. She cleared her throat.
"What in the-" Nigel exclaimed, whirling around to see Jordan standing there and waving his towel at him tauntingly.
"We need to talk." she said firmly.
Nigel grimaced at her.
"Now?"
"Now."
"Can you hand me my towel?" he asked warily.
"Nope. You're gonna stand there behind that wall and I'm gonna talk. Ok?" she said smoothly.
The tall Brit glowered at her.
"I haven't got much choice in the matter, have I?" he retorted.
Jordan shrugged and threw the towel around her shoulders like a scarf.
"Just listen." she pleaded.
Nigel sighed, ran and hand through his wet hair, and leaned on the tiled wall separating the showers.
"Listening."
Jordan took a deep breath.
"I went to the hospital to see Woody."
Nigel rolled his eyes.
"Lemme guess, Devon was there? And you want to 'talk about it'." Nigel said bitterly.
"Yeah. I do."
"So talk." Nigel said irritatedly.
"We're over. Woody and me, I mean." she paused, gauging Nigel's reaction. "I think there's… something you and I need to talk about."
Nigel remained silent, he was staring at her feet, refusing to look her in the eye.
"Nigel… You know, we've worked together for years, it would be ridiculously impossible for us to work together so long without either of us… feeling something for the other-"
"Stop. Stop right there, Jordan Cavanaugh. This is neither the time nor the place for us to talk about this. Besides which, what makes you think I-"
"Oh bite me Townsend. You're so obvious!"
"I am not!"
"You are!"
"I'm not talking about this in the shower, now give me my towel!"
"No! Not until we deal with this."
"There's nothing to deal with! I'm in love with you, you're in love with Woody. Woody's in love with himself. It's all good. Now, kindly give me that towel so I can go and strangle myself." he said all of this very fast, as if he were hoping to get rid of his thoughts and in doing so be cured of his feelings.
Jordan stood there, unspeaking for a moment while Nigel stewed in his own juices. She didn't know how to respond to what he'd said. Maybe, she thought, if I just stand here, everything will work out fine.
Nigel heaved a great sigh of annoyance and did something he had never done before, he stalked out of the shower completely nude, grabbed his towel from around Jordan's neck, and wrapped the towel around his waist. Jordan stood there for a moment, contemplating what she had just seen. Nigel seemed to prove the old adage about 'men who have big feet' right. She was still standing facing the showers and by the time she turned to Nigel, he had already gotten halfway dressed.
"Listen, love. I've just told you how I feel, now I already know what your view on the matter is, so I'll just be moseying on down to the airport and hopping the next plane to merry ol' England. 'Cause I don't think I could handle life here with you now. Not now that you know."
Speechless in the face of such obvious animosity, Jordan watched Nigel march out of the steam filled locker room, and back into the hallway. After a moment, she shook herself out of her confused reverie and raced after him.
"Nigel!" she cried, skidding to a halt in the hallway.
Nigel stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around.
"Nigel Townsend, you listen you me, you stubborn pommey bastard. What in the hell makes you think I wouldn't want you! You're handsome, you're talented, you're a hell of a Medical Examiner. Why don't you have any confidence in yourself? In me? Why won't you believe that I could love you back?" she exclaimed, her whole body shaking with barely restrained emotion.
Nigel's form admitted defeat. He wanted nothing more than to turn around, take Jordan in his arms and promise her that he would love her forever, but the lurking suspicion that she still loved Woody tainted his dream. He turned slowly on the spot, his large dark eyes conveying just how enamoured and confused he was.
Jordan took a step toward him, but was momentarily distracted by a ruckus in the area in front of the receptionist's desk. Someone screamed, high and afraid and the word chilled Jordan to the bone.
"BOMB!"
&$&
How's that for a cliffhanger?