Chapter 6

Hypocrites and Frostbite

Jordan let herself in her apartment after a long day. The post New Year's work load was always tedious. Not as much from the types of cases but the after holiday lull as the city bunkered down for a long cold winter. With a weary sigh she set her keys and gloves on the counter.

Almost as an after thought, she picked the gloves back up and touched the warm cuff to her lips. Funny, how everything seem to remind of that simple kiss.

Even after two days her jaded heart couldn't brush it off as just a silly tradition. New Year's kisses. That's all they are...tradition. Something any sane person should file away in their memory as a sweet gesture...not to dwell over like a naive school girl.

Jordan snorted tossing her gloves back on the counter letting them fall where they lay. She was never naive...even when she was a kid. She was savvy enough to know when a kiss was just that...a kiss. After all, Woody barely let the New Year's Eve Ball touch the roof of One Times Square in New York before he beat his feet out her door.

Maybe it was too late. There was too much history between them to ever make what they had anything other than the professional friendship they'd stumbled into. She was his ex-almost-something and the sooner she accepted the fact...the better she'd be.

Like she had done far too often since that afternoon in front of the jewelry store Jordan brushed off her train of thought and tried to reprioritize her evening's priorities.

She flipped the power on her stereo and popped in her wind down set of CDs "Shower, food, and sleep and not necessarily in that order..."

Piece by piece Jordan stripped her clothes off leaving a trail into the bathroom. The one advantage of not expecting any unexpected late night visitors was the fact that she could do just about anything she damn well pleased. With a smirk she wondered if she had any fresh batteries...

Meanwhile, Woody was pacing his own apartment. He wasn't worried about visitors expected or not. He was more concerned about unexpected gifts.

"Damn it..."

There wasn't any question in his mind that he had to return the Roby. He'd make sure of it the second the shop opened in the morning.

"Damn it..."

Why? For three years straight Jordan gave him a bottle of Glenfiddich somewhere around Martin Luther King's Day...two of which were still gathering dust in the cupboard above his refrigerator. Why this? Why now? In his mind there could only be one answer.

Pity.

"Damn...it...."

Her painting. He had to get it back. Some how. Some way. Woody made a mental note to contact Jefferies the second he left the antique store.

The more he paced the more upset he got. Then, before he could second guess himself, Woody packed the little tin man back in his box and tucked it back in the shipping box.. Armed with the evidence, he stormed out of his apartment to tell Jordan what she could do with her pity.

Jordan barely had a chance to step under the hot blast of her shower's restorative spray when she heard someone pounding on her door. It was worse then the doorbell. Swearing under her breath, she turned off the water and grabbed a towel.

"Alright, alright...I'm coming!"

By the time she had tied her robe around her waist she was sure her neighbors would have panicked at the non-stop pounding and called the police. They were still jumpy after the latest parade of emergency service personal through her door. She opened the big red door with more force then necessary.

"What!"

Woody took one look at her robe and barged past her. "I hope I'm not interrupting something..." he said sarcastically.

He didn't stop until he set the box down on her dining room table. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the trail of clothes that led into her bedroom and began to wonder if she was, in fact, alone. When nobody strolled out of the glass doors he had to admit he felt a tinge of disappointment. He was ready to hit something and in his mind's eye the Aussie's face still a good target.

"Nigel told me you were redecorating," he continued looking at the blank wall in front of him. "I think the minimalist look went out about a decade ago."

Jordan didn't need to know what was in the UPS box to know the jig was up. She pulled the lapels of her robe a little tighter around her neck wishing she had something substantial on. It would be hard to defend her self with a cool breeze floating up the thin silk's hem. Still, it didn't stop her from trying...

"I've never been one to keep up with trends..." she drawled in a tone that was as cold as the street Woody just left.

He turned around trying to force most of the bitterness from his voice. "I thank you Jordan...but the Roby is too much. If you don't want to deal with the hassle I...I'll return it in the morning and get your money back."

"Just like that. I thought it was something you wanted."

"I do...and I'll buy it back someday" he said with conviction. "...Just not at the price of your pity..."

Her smile was slow and almost feral. "So we're back to that again. I hate to break this to you, Hoyt, but you are about as pitiful as the 2004 New York Yankee starting line up."

The corners of his lips curled to match hers. "Nice analogy from a native Bostonian."

Jordan threw up her hands in defeat. "You're impossible..."

The wind was sucked out of Woody's sails and replaced with something stormier when he realized that Jordan didn't have much, if anything, under her thin robe. He focused his attention to toying with the edge of the box. "I'll call the shop first thing and arrange for them to give you a full refund. Let me know who, ah, bought the painting and I'll get back as soon as possible."

"Woody..."

She didn't get a chance to say anything else because he quickly cut her off. "Good night Jordan," he said softly.

Jordan didn't stand in his way as he let himself quietly out the door.

"Jackass..."

Next the shipping box she noticed a set of smaller brightly wrapped boxes that weren't there before. Confused, she picked one up and lifted the lid. Inside was the necklace she was admiring in the window that day at the jewelry store.

On a whim, Jordan returned the next day to look at it closer. The clerk said it was a one of a kind and had sold that morning, but would be happy to show her something in a similar range. That similar range was over a grand. What she assumed was a very pretty set of costume jewelry was in fact an heirloom set of genuine stones and 18 caret gold. Thanking the clerk for her time, Jordan left the shop a little disappointed that the set wasn't some mass produced set of electroplate and glass...and a little happy she wasn't tempted to pick it up with the money she had left over from the advance Louis gave her on the painting.

Jordan ran her fingertip over the honey-colored stones and then it hit her right between her own honey-colored eyes.

"You two-faced piece of..." she growled clutching both boxes to her chest.

She stopped long enough to scoop up her keys but didn't take the time to catch the elevator. Robe and all, Jordan flew out of her apartment and ran down the three flights of stairs to catch Woody before he could drive off.

She caught him on the sidewalk out in front of the building.

"STOP! RIGHT! THERE!"

With his head low and his ears tucked in the collar of his coat, Woody was thumbing the key to his car and contemplating opening one of his matching set of scotch bottles when he heard Jordan's yell.

"Of all the HYPOCRITICAL ...dumbASS...!"

He didn't care that she was yelling like a banshee at him. All he saw was bare feet ...and barely covered skin...that would, in a matter of seconds, turn as blue as that excuse for a robe she was wearing. He hurried up to meet her before she could take another step "Jordan, what the hell are you doing? It's freezing..."

He tried to take her arm and lead her back in the building, but Jordan stood firm.

"Would you care to explain this?" she said holding out the boxes to him.

Woody pulled his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders when it became apparent he was going to have to bodily drag her back inside. "You liked them and I thought they'd look nice on you," he shrugged.

"So you forked out enough money, which you claim you didn't have to buy the Roby...just because I LIKED THEM." Jordan's heaes dug in and her voice hissed with every last word.

Woody didn't answer until he had her at the steps leading in the building. Short of tossing her over his shoulder, he knew he'd have to do some explaining...and fast...before her lips turned any bluer.

"I had a few bucks saved up towards the robot. I put the rest on credit. The Roby would have sat in a box on my bookshelf. The only person to enjoy it would be me. The jewelry? I don't know. I thought because you picked it out...maybe you'd wear it...and...and..."

"And...?" she demanded.

Woody looked at a point above her head and said, "I figured when I saw you wear it I could...I could live vicariously. Around your neck is the closest I'll ever get to your heart..."

Jordan opened her mouth to argue but couldn't find the words. His admission unarmed her leaving him to looking like he wished the ground to swallow him whole and her suddenly feeling foolish for standing out in the cold with nothing on but a few yards of paper-thin silk and Woody's suede jacket.

All she could do was say, "Oh."

Woody watched the crystalline air of her sigh float over her colorless cheeks. He worked to keep his expression impassive, but inside he smiled. "As much as arguing with you is the highlight of my life...I think maybe we need to talk. Why don't you offer to make me a cup of coffee? We need to get you inside..."

Jordan could feel herself shivering to the point Woody could see his thick coat quivering around her shoulders. Her teeth were chattering too badly to answer him. She didn't protest when he pulled her inside the building and punched the button to her floor.

She didn't utter a word when he pulled her to him in the elevator to try to warm her up, either. She relished his warmth and attention through her chattering teeth and shivering body. She even welcomed his soft "Damn it, woman. You're a doctor…you should know better than this. You've seen what exposure can do to bodies…" that he whispered in her ear before he kissed the top of her head.

And she still remained silent when he took the keys out of her cold fingers, opened her door, sat her on the couch and wrapped her up in a soft, fleece blanket while he made the coffee himself. As a matter of fact, she couldn't say anything until he had gotten about a half a cup of the warm liquid in her. "Better?" he asked, when he saw that her shivering had subsided and her lips were losing their bluish tint.

"Yes. Thanks."

Woody still noted that she was shivering, but it wasn't as bad as it was a few minutes ago. "Feel like talking?"

She nodded, still trying to chug the warm coffee down in an effort to warm up all the way. He pried the cup out of her hand and refilled it before starting. He brought it back to her, but instead of joining her on the couch again, he sat on the floor beside her, so he could look in her eyes while she was lying on the couch still wrapped in the blanket. Tentatively, he ran an index finger down her cheek…as much reassuring himself that she was really warming up and her that his words, as well as his gestures, were going to be gentle this time.

"I'm sorry, Jordan," he began in a soft, husky voice.

Her eyes widened. She hadn't heard him use that tone of voice with her in a long time. "What for?"

His lips twisted up in a wry smile. "For being a jackass about the roby. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did when I found out you had sent it. But, you have to admit, I haven't been myself lately…"

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"The fact that no one in the morgue hardly talks to me any longer….most of the people in my own precinct hate me…and you…my best friend…I haven't had a decent conversation with you since the day I was shot."

Jordan lowered her head. "But I shouldn't have…not then, at least …"

"Hey." Woody reached out and lifted her chin so that she looked him in the eyes. "You were speaking from your heart that afternoon. I should have known that…and listened. Just like your buying the roby for me was from your heart…it wasn't pity…I know that. I just had to have some excuse to justify bringing it back to you. Deep down…I know it wasn't pity…do you know what it was, Jordan?"

Jordan shook her head. She knew why she had bought him the roby…but she wanted to hear his explanation for it.

"It was sacrifice…you gave up something you loved…the Lewis Jefferies print…to buy me something I wanted and loved…even though you knew I may never figure out that you did it. You were willing to remain anonymous with your gift just to see me enjoy it…that gave you happiness….just like seeing you wearing the jewelry I gave you will bring me happiness…"

She nodded. He did understand.

"I never should have approached you the way I did tonight…it was just….I don't know…confusing." Woody chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "At first I couldn't imagine why you did it other than pity…but I know differently now.

"And I'm sorry for everything I said about JD."

"But you were right about him," Jordan whispered, her cheeks coloring delicately at the memory.

"Still…I shouldn't have said it... …especially after the way I acted. That was your business. And I'm sorry about what I said about your 'intimacy issues'. I had no room to talk. Those things never should have been said."

"I'm sorry, too, Woody. I didn't exactly play fair with you, either. I should have been honest with you about the roby when we were eating dinner New Year's Eve at Mike's. I just didn't know how you would react if you knew I sent you the antique robot…"

Woody chuckled. "If it makes you feel any better, I probably would have reacted the exact same way I did tonight." He was rewarded by hearing Jordan join him in chuckling over his argument. "And I really shouldn't have forced your hand by leaving the jewelry for you the way I did on the table. I should have been man enough to give it to you straight out. I knew… deep down inside, I knew…you'd give it back to me the same way I gave you back the robot.

"And that, Jordan…was my plan."

Jordan looked at Woody for a moment…confusion glazing her eyes. "I don't understand…"

Woody gently took the coffee cup out of her hands and moved to sit beside her on the couch, taking both of her hands in hers. "Do you realize that the dinner we ate at Mike's the other night was the first time we had talked about anything without a dead body between us in the last year? Do you know how good that felt…how much I cherished that?" He licked his lips and looked a way for a minute to regain his composure. "And I knew that if I gave you the jewelry, you'd chase me down…confront me…and we could do that again…talk to each other without a dead body between us…." He looked down into her eyes that were still mirroring confusing. "I guess what I'm trying to say is exactly what you told me in your Christmas card…I miss us talking together…I miss dancing with you….I miss you doing that stupid thing you do in elevators that embarrasses the shit out of me. I miss… I miss you, Jordan."

"Pretty elaborate way to get a woman to talk to you detective," she said with a watery smile.

"Pathetic huh?"

"No. It's kind of sweet..."

Jordan squeezed his hands gently before she let them go and tossed the blanket away. "You know, I'd like to take a better look at those stones..."

Woody's smile was as bright as the noonday sun as he bound of the sofa to grab the boxes. Like a kid on Christmas morning, he finished ripping the paper of and pulled the necklace from its box. When he turned back around he realized Jordan was standing right behind him with her own expectant smile on her face.

"They were part of a collection that came up for sale last spring. The owner of the shop picked it up, but changed his mind, so he put them out for sale," Woody explained excitedly. He proudly held the necklace up for Jordan's perusal. "The jeweler said there are five different kinds of gems...the rest kind of went over my head. All I knew was when I held it in my hand I knew it was perfect."

Jordan had to chuckle. That was the same way she felt in the antique store when the proprietor was giving her the specifics about the robot. She was clueless but when she picked up that simple tin man...

She ran a fingertip across the teardrop shaped gems that fringed to V of the necklace watching their delicate weight dangle from the center cluster of antique gold and cabochon cut jewels.

"Would you like to try it on?"

She bit her lip and nodded. Woody opened the clasp and asked her to turn around.

Jordan loosened the collar of her robe and pulled her hair up. The robe was suddenly dangerously loose but Jordan didn't care. She was feeling dangerous. She felt a flutter in her chest, which bordered on egoistical, at the mere thought of him looking at her.

Woody slipped the chain around her neck and couldn't help himself but look over her shoulder to see the jewels lay comfortably against the base of her neck and was treated to the sight of the flawless skin that stretched over her breastbone. She knew he didn't mean it but his whisper turned her insides hot and slick, "I was right. It looks amazing on you."

She turned and looked him straight in the eye. "Yes, it does..."

If he didn't know better Woody would have sworn she had a wicked gleam in her eye. He blinked twice trying to explain it away by blaming to on the reflection of the gems around her neck.

He palmed her the matching earrings and cleared his throat. "I probably should be leaving..."

"What's your hurry?" She smiled holding the earrings up for a second before setting them on the table by the box that contained the Roby. "Stay Woody."

Why did her voice suddenly sound as silky as her robe? "I...I don't think that would be a very good idea..."

Her smile broadened and she slowly opened the shipping box and took the robot out. "He's very endearing you know," she chuckled tracing her finger over the dent. "Cute, but...old fashioned...so unassuming until you wind him up."

Jordan did just that. She wound the little key in the back a few clicks and watched the arms move up and down. "Normally, it's not something I'd give a second thought about but somehow...before I knew it... Here," she said handing it to him. "Keep it. He belongs with you."

There they were, like O Henry's lovers. Each making a sacrifice for the other's happiness. Jordan may have thought she lost sight of what Louis was trying to say in his painting but in actuality, she was living it that very moment. The artist tried to portray the feeling that love was the opening of one's soul...forfeiting the safety of dark walls of loneliness to find the bright colors of a world that can only be seen through the sacrificing the safety of those walls.

Little did she know that at that very moment in a gallery across town, Louis himself was packing up the very same painting up to be shipped back to its owner the next morning. He scribbled a quick note and slipped it inside the carton.

Some British chap had his eye on this today. He was adamant but I just didn't have the heart to sell it to him. Whatever you think you are going through right now just remember tomorrow is always the perfect day for a new beginning. You gave me some good advice once upon a time...take mine this time. And consider this a gift...again. All the Best, L.

Woody looked at the little tin man in his hand and shook his head. "Okay, but there's something more I want."

Jordan arched her eyebrow. "Really?" Her heart began to pound hoping beyond hope... "What?"

He put the roby down right next to the earrings...and he showed her.