A/N: Wow, how long did this take? Three months? Four? I'm sure you all forgot I even had a fic here, but for those who were waiting for the end - I'm really sorry. FF refused to let me upload any newdocuments, and after a bunch of tries I gave up and forgot all about it.

The whole "for now" - deal at the end of previos chapter was to tell you the story wasn't done yet, 'cause I really could have ended it right there.

Chapter 7 - In the End

Losing someone you care about is never easy. Although everyone handles it differently, the pain is still the same. Someone cries until there are no tears left, others react by laughing. Some get angry, some live in eternal denial and many blames themselves for their loved one's death. No matter how much we wish for it, we can't turn back time, but that doesn't stop the "what ifs" from entering our mind. And it's often the small things we wonder about, like "what if I'd bought the groceries myself", "what if I had made her come home for spring break", "what if I'd made him go see a doctor sooner". The more people you lose, the worse it gets. In the end, maybe you stop getting attached to people. A part of you figures that they'll leave you anyway, why expose yourself to that awful pain all over again? It is said that time heals all wounds, but basically it just covers them up. As they fade on the outside, the pain eventually fades too, but the wounds are still there, ready to start hurting when you least expect it. Just like love.

Woody Hoyt was a man with many wounds like that. His parents were gone, he had almost lost his brother to drugs, friends and lovers had passed away and only six months ago his partner had been shot. Through his job he witnessed a lot of death and grief, but experiencing it himself was different.

As he was standing there, looking down on the body of a young woman, he couldn't help but thinking that this was someone's daughter. Someone had murdered her, and the parents didn't even know.

"Who is the answering ME?" he asked one of the officers at the scene.

"Dr. Cavanaugh, I believe." Woody flinched as he heard the name.

That's impossible, he thought to himself. "Cavanaugh? Are you sure?"

The officer nodded and pointed at something behind his back, making the Detective turn around.

"Jordan!" He exclaimed, giving her the exact same look as the time he saw her waiting for him in L.A. after he had refused her to come all those years ago.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, walking towards him. "Bug called in sick and I didn't have the time to find a babysitter."

"So you brought our child to a crime scene?" He said angrily.

"It's not like I could just leave her at home," she responded, handing him their daughter. "Here we at least know she's still alive." Woody sighed, knowing there was no point arguing. "So, what've we got?"

Garret shook his head at Jordan's ways, but when Woody tried to cover the toddler's eyes and ears while Jordan showed him something near the victim's head, he had to smile to himself.

Fourteen months had passed since the day Jordan and Woody decided to become a family. Half a year ago their beautiful baby girl was born and they named her Louise Emily after her grandmothers. Jordan's water broke while she was working at the morgue. Garret almost had to drag her to the hospital as she screamed that it was too early and that someone had to call Woody. When the contractions started she still wanted someone to get Woody there, but only so she could "punch him in the face for what he had done to her". Luckily for Woody, she didn't.

"There's nothing wrong with giving birth to a child outside of wedlock," was the reply Garret got when he asked Jordan if they were planning on getting married before the baby was born. Seeing as she and Woody only had been a couple for a few months at that time, neither of them wanted to rush things. But Woody swore he'd make her his wife as soon as she would accept his proposal. Which she eventually did, and she had a big diamond ring on her left hand to prove it. In three months, they would officially be Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt.

The guys at the precinct still wondered how Woody managed to get engaged to the "hottest ME in Boston", while the people at the morgue no longer waited for Jordan to make a run for it. Truth is, she had grown beyond that point. Commitment no longer scared her. She was still afraid of getting hurt, but Woody held her as tight as he could, trying to make her feel as safe as possibly. And it had worked.

In fact, Jordan was the one to first say the "L"-word. It had been her birthday, and she had stubbornly told everyone she didn't want them to make a fuss. Woody hadn't listened. He tricked her into the morgue in the evening, giving her a surprise party she would never forget.

"You're such a jackass!" she said as soon as she knew what was going on. Then, smiling she said: "But I love you anyway." The whole room turned completely silent.

"What did you say?" Woody said.

"I said I l..." Woody grinned, "love you."

That was a moment he wouldn't let her forget. And they had many more special moments to come.