Author's note- here is chapter four please R&R. Enjoy
Chapter 4- The right thing?
After the encounter with Rory and the confrontation with Jordan all Woody wanted was to go home. Home was a small studio apartment still littered with unpacked boxes. He sat on the floor nursing a beer and thinking of the day's events. He had never though of the ramifications of one night in Boston, but he thought of Jordan often. That night was like nothing he had ever felt before or since, not even with Annie. Half the reason he chose to transfer to Boston was the slim chance of seeing her again. Now he not only saw her and worked with her, they had a child together. His daughter. It felt strange but wonderful when Garrett had referred to Rory as his daughter. The only problem was she didn't know. He'd thought of what to do for hours now. He didn't want to take her away from Jordan. He couldn't do that to either of them but he did want a relationship with her, with both of them. That he had decided within a minute of finding out. How nice it would be to have a child maybe more with a beautiful woman that he had loved for ten years. That's right love. Jordan was half the reason it didn't work with Annie, that and her father wouldn't let him marry her. All he had to do was tell Jordan of his plan; he had a feeling that would be hard.
After Jordan was done telling her father the details surrounding his granddaughter she looked at him with pleading eyes as to what to do. "This is quite a pickle you're in Jordan." Max responded to his daughter's story. " Thanks for the update Dad, I hadn't noticed." Jordan said her voice laced with sarcasm. " You need to tell her plain and simple. You have to let her get to know this man if that's what she wants. He won't fight for custody will he?" Max asked a little frightened by the idea of his granddaughter being taken away. " No Dad, Woody wouldn't do that." Jordan responded quickly knowing Woody wouldn't do anything like that, though deep down that thought had crossed her mind. "Are you so sure Jordan? You haven't seen this man for ten years and even then it was only one night." Max asked " No Dad. It wasn't like that and I know he wouldn't take her from me." Jordan responded sure of that fact if nothing else.
Woody drove to the morgue in need of an autopsy report and to talk to Jordan. It was lunchtime so he knew Rory wouldn't be there. He walked toward Jordan's office after getting his report. He stood staring through the glass window at her. She was filling out paperwork, her mid-length curly, brown hair feel in her face as she concentrated on her work. When he realized that he had been standing there for a while, he moved to knock on her door. " Come in." Jordan said still in very deep concentration on her work. When see looked up Woody could tell that she wanted to rethink her invitation. " Hey." Woody said cautiously. "Hi" Jordan said feeling awkward. " We need to talk." Woody said stating the obvious. " Yeah, I know but I'm really busy, maybe later." Jordan said trying to duck out of the conversation. " Jordan, this matter has waited ten years. Please just come to lunch with me so we can talk." Woody said pleadingly to get her to go. " Fine." Jordan said thinking about what her father and Garrett had said.
The two sat uncomfortably and silently at a small café. Woody broke the silence. " I want her to know about me and I want to know her." Woody said simply. " Oh." Jordan said a bit taken aback by his statement. Woody knew neither knew how to tell her so he decided to ask a different question. "Tell me about her." He asked with a smile. "What do you want to know?" Jordan asked cautiously. " Her full name, birthday, hobbies, anything." "Ok. Her full name is Rory Emerson Cavanaugh. Her birthday is November 25. She just turned ten. She plays soccer, she likes riding horses, and she tried surfing when we lived in L.A. Her favorite color is orange. She went through this stage when she was three where all she would was spaghetti, without the sauce. She swallowed a dime when she was two because she thought it was candy." Jordan said, a smile on her face as she told him about her daughter. These where all things Woody desperately wanted to know and listened intently as she told him.
Jordan just finished telling him about how when Rory six she told her class that her mommy cut up dead people. "What about you Jordan? What have you been doing, besides cutting up dead people?" Woody asked. Jordan didn't know what to say to that. She figured he would be interested in Rory but not her. She was surprised he wasn't married to some nice country girl, living the white picket dream. When Jordan didn't answer he continued. " I want to have a relationship with Rory but I also…" Before he could finish both their cells rang. They had to go so they threw some money on the table and left. "So what now." Woody asked as they walked back to the car. " Meet me at the morgue at six and we'll tell her then." Jordan said
At 5:57 Woody walked into the morgue, more nervous then he'd ever been. As he started to knock on the door to Jordan's office he could hear voices. They were Jordan and Rory's voices and he let a quick smile cross his face despite his nervousness. He wanted so badly to be a part of their lives and this was his chance. He knocked and Jordan let him, flashing him a nervous look as he entered. Rory looked up at Woody with a confused look, she didn't understand why her mom brought her here and made her stay in her office. She hadn't touched anything in the crypt or played with any of the machines, well lately. Now that Woody guy was here, she was suspecting something was going on. " You remember Det. Woody Hoyt from the other day, he told me you two met. " Jordan said trying ease into the subject that she was sure would get quite tense. Rory nodded " Hello, Det." She said calling him by his formal title incase she was in trouble for something. " Please call me Woody." He said, thinking that she could call him dad too. " I'm I in trouble because Nigel said I could use the…" " No your not in trouble" Jordan said cutting off her daughter's rant. "Then what's going on?" Rory asked quickly wanting the two adults to get to the point, it wasn't like her mother to beat around the bush unless it was serious. Woody had to silently chuckle at how like her mother Rory was. " Well it has to do with all three of us." Jordan began then looked to Woody to continue. " Your mother and I met when I was in Boston on a trip and…" Woody stammered like when he was little partly because he was nervous and partly because he didn't know what to say next. " and we got to know each other." Jordan added quickly not wanted to go into the details. Woody smiled at Jordan; he had to admit that the whole " got to know each other" thing was a great save. "We had a really fun time but Woody had to go back home, so we didn't talk and I didn't get a chance to tell I was pregnant.
" You had sex." Rory screamed in a high-pitched surprised tone that Jordan was sure the whole morgue heard. The two shock their head at their daughter. "Wait." Rory said quickly as the fact hit her. " Then you're my father." Rory said pointing her finger at Woody. " Yes Rory I am and I'm sure your shocked, this is a lot to take in." Woody said. The girl nodded fighting tears. She was stunned. When she was really little she had always wanted a dad to teach her how to ride a bike and stuff like that but as she grew she just accepted the fact she didn't have one. She loved her Mom and she had Grandpa Max and all her uncles at the morgue but there was just something about having the real thing. She had never considered any of her mom's boyfriend's candidates because she could tell her mother didn't really trust them. Rory figured the only person her mother had trusted truly was her father, because she had his child. She asked about her dad a few times but could tell her mom didn't want to talk so she just stopped asking.
She let the news sink in as sat on the couch. This explained the feeling she had when she met him. She didn't trust easy, another of her mother's traits she was blessed with. Usually she didn't find it compelling to strike up conversation with random men but he was different. He didn't scare her and she had this urge to know who he was.
Jordan watched Rory closely. She had assumed Rory would be mad yelling and screaming that she had lied to her but no she hadn't said a word. Jordan wasn't sure that was any better, she could just be holing it all in and would explode eventually, an old Cavanaugh trait. Woody thought Rory would hate him for not being there for her and how dare he come in her life now but no. He thought he saw a tear in her eye and he wasn't sure he could handle that any better then being kicked out of her life. He didn't want to see her cry. He guessed it was the father in him but all he wanted for her was happiness.
None of them knew what was coming next they just sat in silence focused on their own thoughts when it happened. The turning point. Rory looked up at Woody and their eyes met, so much communication was going on through those matching blue eyes without a single word being spoken. Jordan watched in awe as Woody moved from the spot by the door and went over to the couch and sat, their gazes never braking. Woody took his little girls hand and simply held it. After a few moments Rory looked at her mother giving her an equally powerful gaze that told her it was ok to leave. Getting her hint that the two needed time she moved toward the door. "I'll go order some pizza." Jordan said giving herself a reason to leave.
The minute after Jordan left the tears began to flow. Woody only pulled her closer and held her as she cried. This felt so right to both of them. Woody moved her curly hair from her face and kissed the top of her head. All these things Woody should have been hesitant to do with a girl he had met less then a week ago but it felt natural. He at least expected resistance from her but she showed none. All the nervousness he had felt earlier washed away as he comforted his daughter. Jordan stood outside the window looking in at the two. It looked so right, a father holing his child ready to protect her from any harm. All the worry she had earlier washed away as she watched the scene unfold. One thought flowed through Jordan's mind. It was how at ten she had lost a parent and at ten Rory gained one, yes this was right.
Coming up- Woody meets Max. Plus don't think it's all picket fences from here