It was that time of year. The Medical Examiner's office was full of college interns and new staff members. Garrett forced Jordan out of the door on Friday and told her not to return until the following Monday.
"Take a week off Jordan. It won't kill you. You have like a year's worth of days off, vacation days and sick days. Use some while we have tons of people…No arguing Jordan we are practically over-staffed and if we really need the help I will not hesitate to call you. But now you take some time off. Hang out with Woody. Have fun. Sleep in. Please Jordan." Garrett argued and continually cut-in Jordan's protests as he shoved her into the elevator and pressed the down button.
"Oh, and Jordan? Woody has the week off too, he stopped by awhile ago. His scheduled vacation time for the season. Bye now. See you Monday!" Garrett called as the elevator door closed.
Jordan was alone in the elevator, soaking up everything Garrett just told her. Then it all clicked. Time off, forced, but time off. Woody also had time off. This could actually be fun, a nice break from work and all the drama and tension of the morgue. Time away from death. Nice change-life.
Jordan picked up her cell phone and hit speed dial number one.
"Hoyt" Woody answered, he sounded tired.
"Hey there Woods!" Jordan cheerfully answered.
"Jo! Hey! What are you up to?" Woody responded with renewed energy.
"Actually I have been forced to take a week off, and I hear you have some time off too."
"Yup, vacation time that we have to schedule in like a year's advance. I have nothing planned, pointless really…" Woody began to rant. Then he remembered Jordan just said she had time off too. "Until now, I get you all to myself for a whole week?" he smiled through the phone.
Jordan smiled back, "until next Monday. And all I have planned is Garrett's party next Saturday…and you. Hey you want to meet me for a little while in the part by your apartment? I'm about a block away."
"Sure! That sounds great, I'm leaving the office just now. I'll see you in about five minutes then? Our bench?" Woody jumped up, grabbing his keys and moving towards the door.
"Sounds great!" Jordan mimicked. She had a new-found skip in her step as she walked the last block to the park. Jordan grabbed a hot dog from the vendor on the corner and went to sit on their bench while she waited for Woody. Our bench… It's not really ours. But it feels like it. It was our resting spot on runs, our meeting place… Well, is still our meeting place. Jordan's inner thoughts were interrupted by a familiar figure.
"What are you doing here? Are you following me?" Jordan accused as her now-ex boyfriend appeared before her.
"Hey Jo. Just out for a stroll. Why are you avoiding me? You didn't meet me at the pub yesterday for our date!" He stated angrily.
"We broke up. We are through! There is no "we". Therefore all dates are off. I don't ever want to see you again." Jordan said as calmly as she could as she instinctively held her hand to the remnants of his previous abuse.
He grabbed her wrist again. He raised his arm to hit her again, Jordan clenched and ducked in fear. But the hit never came.
Woody grabbed his hand, and yanked him away from Jordan. Before he even knew it, Woody had him down on the ground and called for another officer to come get the assaulter.
"Good luck writing a story about this one." Woody said as he was taken down to the station.
Jordan ran up to Woody and threw her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her as close to him as possible, lifting her off the pavement. Jordan sobbed silently into Woody's shoulder. Woody held her tighter. He moved slowly back and forth, like a slow dance. He moved quietly and steadily until Jordan ran out of tears, or energy.
"Jo, sweetheart. It's getting pretty dark out, why don't we go home and maybe get some take out?"
Jordan simply nodded, words couldn't come out. She looked up into Woody's eyes. They were crystal blue, sparkling, staring back into her own. She was glad to see the spark renewed, revitalized from its days of dark death not so long ago. She saw his concern, his fear, his questions, his love… all for her… and she saw them all in those crystal blue oceans of eyes.
Woody guided Jordan home, he had not taken a car to the park and neither had she. When they got to Woody's apartment, he found his keys and let them in. Jordan was silent. She slumped into the couch as Woody ordered Chinese food from a little place two blocks away, delivery of course.
Woody hung up the phone and went to Jordan. He sat down next to her, she was still silent. Instinctively, he put an arm around her shoulders. Instinctively, she put her head down on his shoulder and scooted closer. Woody waited for her to start talking, no use pushing her. He learned that from years of experience. He knew Jordan would talk when she was ready, just like he did with his evaluation.
"He hit me Woody." Jordan finally blurted. She told him the whole story. How he took her to Martha's Vineyard, they had perfect, expensive dates, they were perfect. Then, everything fell apart.
"He was trying to be you Woody. He called me Jo. I flipped out. Only you can call me Jo, no one else does. He talked about Riggs. He knew what happened in the hospital. He knew everything! I don't understand how-I never told him. He knew things I have no clue how he could have found out. I was so scared Woody. He wouldn't stop, he wouldn't go away…" and with that Jordan began to cry again.
The doorbell rang, food was here. Reluctantly and quickly, Woody got up, got the food and paid the man-overtipping him because he was too lazy to find smaller bills. He went back to the couch and dumped the food on the table and he pulled Jordan into him. She was in his lap, being cradled and comforted by the one man she trusted.
"Jo, he's gone. You'll never have to see him again. I'll make sure of it. Okay? I'll protect you. You're safe with me Jo."
"I know. You're the only person I feel safe with." Jordan whispered between sobs.
Woody laid down on the couch and pulled Jordan to him, wrapping his left arm over her torso and his right stroking her hair. They looked like they did in Jordan's office. They were comfortable in each other's arms. Safe at last. Nothing else mattered, just each other.
"Woody?" Jordan asked as she was once again drained of tears.
"Ya?" he answered as he grabbed her hand in his own and continued to pet her hair with his other.
"Why do you put up with me? With this? No man wants to be around a woman who's crying and mopey."
"Jordan, I want to be around you no matter what. Mopey or cheery, it doesn't matter to me. Just so long as it's you." He confessed as she turned to face him with a curious expression.
"I know," he continued, "I know I screwed up. I made a huge mistake by rushing into things, then I pulled away when you had just caught up. I'll regret it for the rest of my life Jo. Worst mistake I ever made. But you will always be my best friend, no matter what else enters or exits the picture. I need you just as much as you need me, believe it or not Jo. You are the only person who knows me. My own brother doesn't even know me, not really. You know about my past, you are the only person in Boston who knows any of that. People know my parents died but they don't know about Annie, or Cal, or my Aunt, nothing like that.
"Don't you see Jordan…we need each other. We're the same. Our mothers died when we were young, our fathers were cops, we both saw a parent die/dead, we have troublesome brothers avoiding authorities… We're stubborn, rebellious, contemporary…. So don't for one second think about why I am here, or why I am ever here. I am here for you. Because I know you, I know you need someone to cry with and talk to or you'll bottle it up and explode later. I'm here because you are my best friend Jo. Through thick and thin. You were there for me, even when I told you not to be, and I will always be there for you. Nothing has really changed from before four months ago. I feel exactly what I felt then, before everything. It just took me awhile to come to terms with it all.
"You are my world Jo. If something happened to you, I don't know what I would do. I was so scared when you were down in that mineshaft with those boys. I could never lose you Jo. I need you. That's why I am here. I love you, always have and always will."
Woody finally concluded his speech and Jordan looked stunned for a moment, then she smiled. She reached up and kissed him, short but sweet.
"I love you too. I meant every word I said at the hospital Woody, I did not pity you. It just took almost losing you to make me confess it. I have always loved you too, even when I avoided it. That's why when you were shot, I fell apart. It felt like I was shot too. I was so scared. I never want to feel that way again Woody." Jordan replied, lowering to a whisper in the last part.
Woody kissed her again, deeper this time.
"I'm here Jo. Nothing can hurt you. You're safe with me."
They fell fast asleep, in each other's arms, safe and sound at last.