Jordan marveled at how nothing had changed. It looked as it did two years ago when she left. She debated weather or not to publicly make herself known or do it in a quiet, private way. Finally she decided to do it privately if she could. So she got her assignment from the front desk and sighed in relief when she saw that she wasn't assigned a partner. It payed to have to good credentials and references. And Jordan had both. "Don't worry, I can find my way." She said sarcastically to the woman seated behind the front desk who made no effort to help the 'new' employee. "Thanks for the help." She called over her shoulder as she made her way towards the locker rooms. Changing, she got right to work.
Working for hours without a break was no stranger to Jordan. Her skills as a Medical Examiner were called upon from time to time and she wasn't one to do a half assed job. So spending hours and hours inside an autopsy bay at some hospital was common for her. It wasn't that she wasn't social because she was. It was because her job still meant the world to her. This time was no different. She spent the entire morning, alone, working on her assigned case. It wasn't anything too thrilling. The man, thirty-four, was listed as John Doe and by the looks of the clothes that he was wearing, it was no wonder. He was clearly homeless. She finished right before lunch, dubbing the cause of death as hypothermia. His body was never claimed so when she pushed him back into the freezer, he was officially John Doe 1011.
Sighing, Jordan stripped off her bloody scrubs and gloves, tossing them into the soiled linens bin. She leaned against the wall a moment feeling wary and tired. It felt good to be back but also unsettling. She hadn't felt this tired since her first week at Academy. She had a hard time adjusting herself to the new routine and about wore herself out. When she exited the room, she felt thankful that when this was all over, she'd be leaving this place far behind her. Her thoughts were interrupted when she caught sight of her husband who was engaged in what appeared to be an animate conversation with a pretty blonde. A genuine smile lite up her face. "Hey!" She approached them.
Drew stopped mid-sentence when he saw his wife approach. She didn't look too good. "Hey, you ok?" Concern colored his words. He looked back to woman he was speaking with and gave her a sheepish smile. "This would be my wife. I believe you know Lily" He questioned.
"Ah. Yes. I know Lily and yes I'm fine, Drew. Just a little tired." Jordan gave him a look that meant that they'd talk later. "How you been Lily?" She was playing it cool but her heart was hammering like it was trying to escape from her chest. This was the first of her old friends that she had seen and she was worried how she would take her appearing after two years.
Lily was surprised to say the least. She had seen Drew while she was heading towards her office and had struck up a conversation with him. She knew he was an FBI agent because of a case a few months back that he was called in on. And she was curious as to why he was here and pushing a stroller. "Jordan?" She knew that her month was hanging open but she couldn't help it. "Married?" Blinking she looked down at the toddlers in the stroller and then back to Jordan. "Kids?" She felt light headed and had to sit down.
"Hard to believe, huh?" Jordan chuckled and sat down beside her. She glanced at Drew. "Why don't you got get something to drink from the vending machine?" She turned her attention back to Lily once he walked away with the twins. "It's good to see you." She was being sincere since Lily had been her best friend. "I know it's a lot to take in but you're, actually, the first person to see that I'm back. This is my first day." She noticed Lily looking at her clipboard. "You're not going to find a Jordan Cavanaugh on there."
Blinking, Lily raised an eyebrow as she looked at Jordan. "I'm not?" She was still in shock. Taking a deep breath, she released it. "Ok?"
Glancing at the clipboard, Jordan pointed to a name half way down the list. "Jo Haley is what I was hired under." She shrugged at the questioning look she was getting. "I took Drew's name when we married. And I figured that using Jordan would raise some eyebrows and I didn't want a big deal made about me coming back. I just called in a few favors and boom, here I am." She was quiet, waiting for the information to sink in. "You ok, Lily? You're looking a little pale."
Lily swallowed and shook her head. "It's been two years Jordan. Where the hell have you been?" Her voice rose with her anger. "It's been two years, Jordan. Two years!" She stood and stalked into the empty conference room.
Jordan was on her feet within seconds and following after Lily. She closed the door and leaned against it. "I know how long it's been, Lily."
Snorting, Lily walked over to the round window and crossed her arms over her chest. Her back to Jordan as she gathered her thoughts. "Why didn't you call or at least write? I thought something bad had happened to you. I still had a best friend when I left for that weekend. I came back on Monday and you were gone. Vanished without a trace. Instead of finding you here...I found two goons instead who had all the right paper work and had no idea who you even were!" She was seething.
"Lily..." Jordan sighed and shook her head. "This isn't the place to talk about this. Come by for dinner tonight?" She questioned then quickly added. "Unless you have other plans. We'd love to have you. And I promise that I'll explain everything then. Alright?"
Lily gave her a skeptical look before nodding. "No. I don't have any plans. And I'd love to have dinner with you and your family." She stopped for a moment and stupid little grin formed on her lips. "Man. That's going to take some getting used to. You and family in the same sentence."
"Wonderful!" Jordan was pleased. Lily was her one true friend out of the lot. Sure she had been friends with the others longer but she connected with Lily more than the others." She dug around in her pocket and pulled out a business card. "I'm actually glad that Drew had these made. It saves me trying to find a pen and paper." She handed over one of Drew's contact cards which had his name, cell phone number and their address. "It's downtown." She glanced at her watch. "I only had a half day so I'm going to go out to lunch with my family then crash. I'll see you around six-ish?"
She grasped the card and eyed it. "Ya, six is fine." Lily mumbled and watched Jordan's retreating back. "You have some explaining to do." She mumbled with resolve. She wasn't going to let Jordan out of this. Answers were what she was promised so answers were what she was going to get.