Chapter 8 Getting back

Woody sat clenching his fist as the plane left the ground, he was just a little afraid of planes. Oh hell he was petrified. He had actually driven his dinky old car form Wisconsin to Boston to avoid getting on an airplane. Yet this was the second time this week he'd gotten on one. He'd done it all for her. The things you do for girls he thought as he looked over at her. His eyes were automatically drawn to the bandage on her forehead, even though her long, straight, hair mostly hid it as she lay against the window in sleep he knew it was there. He felt a little responsible for that bandage and the bruising around it, he had told her to stay in the car and course Jordan being Jordan she hadn't. The image of her lying unconscious with Redding standing over her had been invading his mind often. "What if I hadn't gotten there in time?" Was the only thing he could think when he saw blood oozing from her head and Redding lying dead on the building below. Woody couldn't help himself; he wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger. He hadn't met to wake her but when she moved he realized he had.

"Woody?"

"Sorry I didn't mean…"

"It's ok." she said simply with a sleepy smile.

" Your head ok?" he asked when he saw her wince as she lifted her head from the window.

" I'll be ok." She said tenderly touching her head. They both knew she was talking about more then her head but neither wanted to talk about what was lying ahead.

They were almost back to Boston when she asked the question that had been plaguing her for the last three months but she couldn't ask.

" How's Rory?' she asked in a wispier

"She like you, she keeps going." He said with a smile. He didn't want to tell her about how Rory avoided the morgue or how she had sobbed in his arms.

"Is she ok living with my dad?" She asked making the assumption that that's where she'd be.

" She's living with me."

"Oh. I guess I should have suspected that."

"I didn't mean not to tell you." Woody said honestly

" Woods it's ok, it' not like I was available to talk to about it."

"I'm sorry"

"For what?"

" That you didn't find what you were looking for."

She nodded and in the first moment of clear thinking since she'd left, despite her headache. She realized that Woody would always be there and would do anything for her.

" I think I have." She whispered to herself

It was late when they arrived at Logan Airport. Nearly two in the morning, they had some crazy connecting flights. Jordan convinced Woody to take her home and that they could take care of everything later that morning. She desperately wanted to see her daughter but didn't want to wake her for what could wait a few more hours.

Woody arrived home to find his daughter sitting in the kitchen staring at him as if she had been waiting for him for hours.

"How'd you get here?" He asked knowing Max wouldn't let her stay here alone.

" I convinced Grandpa that we could wait here for you for a while and he fell asleep. (She gestured to the man sleeping on the couch.) Did you find her?"

" Yes I dropped her at her apartment, she didn't want to wake you but she wants to see you."

"Apparently not otherwise she'd be here. Don't worry about it I don't need her. I'm going to bed, just wanted to make sure you got home safe." She said and walked briskly to her room and closed her door with force. He thought to go comfort her but at that moment he realized just how tired he was.

" What have I gotten myself into." He said with frustration, putting a hand through his already messy.

" Handful aren't they?" Max asked with a small chuckle. He had been listening to the exchange between the two and he knew there wasn't an easy fix to what his daughter had created. His legal issues had been resolved but the emotional issues wouldn't be as easy.

" Max! (The older man had surprised him) I think that's a bit of an understatement." He exhaled in frustration and sat down next to Max.

" Don't worry Hoyt they'll work it out. They need each other more then either one of them realizes."

" How can you be so sure?" Woody asked wanted to know how he could be so sure when both of them were so stubborn.

" Because in the months before Rory was born Jordan was so stressed and nervous with school and everything else, it worried me. I tried to help her but it didn't seem to help her at all. Rory was what she needed. The first time Jordan held her all her worry just melted away. The only thing you can do is be there for both of them.

Woody woke and heard a quiet rapping on the door. The truth was the rapping wasn't what had woken him; it was another nightmare about Jordan and Redding. He rolled over to look at the clock it was 3:30 in the afternoon. He knew who it was. He threw on some jeans and went to answer the door. Max had also woken up and was now sitting up on the couch; the two men shared a look.

" Woody." He had almost asked how she'd found his new apartment before he remembered he'd told her last night.

" Come in." Jordan walked past him and saw her father sitting on Woody's couch.

"Dad!" she hadn't counted on having to deal with the mess she'd left with her father. She was only prepared for one crisis at a time.

" Jordan." He noticed the bandage on her head that Woody had told him about.

" Are you ok Dad?" she asked. He knew she met the legal hot water he had been in before she left.

" It's fine I handled it." He said a bit coldly. Then he got up and moved toward the door. " I have to go." Then he left without another word. Jordan put her head down a bit, that hadn't gone very well. Just the she heard footsteps behind her and whirled around.

" Rory." She tried to move into a hug and got a reaction she should have expected. Her daughter moved back almost as if she were a stranger. In some ways she was sure she was. Rory tried not to show alarm to the bandage on her mother's head. She said nothing as her mother tried to talk to her; she simply went back to her room and closed the door.

"Just give her time." Woody said tying to lessen the pain he could see in her eyes. Jordan nodded. " I should go."

" Alright, bye Jordan."

The next day she entered the morgue. She had too much of confronting people yesterday and thought her trip to the morgue would be better after some sleep and a shower. She walked into see Lily at the front of the morgue.

"Jordan?" Lily responded by giving her a hug. Lily's shriek alerted the rest of her extended family and was engulfed in hugs.

" Jordan." Garrett's firm voice called and gained everyone's attention. " My office now."

Jordan simply nodded and followed. Garrett closed the door and looked at her. Woody had called yesterday telling him she was back and what had happened.

" Why are you here?" He asked sternly.

" To get my job back." She replied simply

"You don't have a job here anymore."

" Well it was just a…." Garrett cut her off

" What it was was you leaving again, getting obsessed again and leaving everything with out thinking. You left all of us worried about you, your father, YOUR DAUGHTER." Garrett said venting out his anger at her. Jordan nodded; she didn't need to be reminded of the problems she'd caused.

" I'm done with that whole (she paused searching for the correct word to summarize the events of this summer.) chapter." She replied honestly. Garrett was quiet for a moment as he decided what to do.

" Your on work suspension." Come to work tomorrow and I'll figure out what to do with you. She gave him a small smile of gratitude as she left his office.

She'd been back for two weeks. She was in her own personal hell. Her father wouldn't return her calls. Her daughter was still living with Woody and she hadn't seen her since the day after she came back. Garrett had her doing nothing but paperwork and tissue cataloging. He'd not so much as cracked a smile in her direction. The rest of the staff, despite their initial warm greetings now showed hesitates around her and never said more then a sentence to her. Even Woody was angry with her. He only called her to give her updates on Rory then would promptly hang up. When he came to the morgue he avoided her. She huffed in frustration. She needed someone to talk to; right now she had no one. She looked at the clock she could go home but it was empty without Rory and that only made her sadness worse. She got in her car and began to drive. She had no destination but within fifteen minutes she found herself outside Woody's apartment. Without realizing she was knocking on his door. He answered the door, still in his suit sans jacket and tie. He must have just gotten home.

" Can I come in?" he looked at her with caution before nodding and moving aside to let her in.

" If you're here to talk t Rory she's at a soccer slumber party for her team." He said calmly. Woody looked at her eyes, they looked distant, she looked more lost then she had before she left.

" I didn't mean to do this." She said trying to hold back tears.

" What?"

"I screwed everything up, I have no one…"

" Hey, hey. You have me. Look at me, you understand." He pulled her into a hug. It felt so good to have her in his arms. He managed to get her to the couch while still having her in his embrace.

" Everything will be ok." He conformed.

" I'm sorry. I screwed up your life. You came to Boston for a new life and I saddle you with a kid, responsibilities. I know this isn't what you wanted. " Woody pulled away a little so he could look at her face.

" That's not true. I mean this isn't what I expected but you didn't saddle me with anything. I made the choice to take care of her, and you. If I didn't want to I wouldn't have. I love Rory and I love you." He was cupping her face in his hands. The words just slipped off his tough he hadn't met to say them because he knew it would spook her. When she looked at him in shook the next thing he did shocked him. He kissed her, a passionate deep kiss. This wasn't like lustful kisses they'd shared a decade before but was filled with pure passion and love. When he didn't feel her resist he kissed her again and she deepened the kiss. He felt her wrap her arms around his neck as the continued to kiss. He felt her hands un-tuck his shirt and touch his strong abs. One coherent thought hit him as their escapades continued. As much as he wanted this he knew she was vulnerable. He didn't want her to regret this.

" Are you sure, Jo?" He asked breathlessly

" This is want I want and need." She said seriously.

More to come!