He had stayed with her at the hospital. He had kept her company through the frustrating night of constant healthcare procedures and endured with her the discomfort of a long sleep in a lumpy bed in observation. He had stayed with her when she requested his presence; and he had left her alone when she needed her space. He had checked on her at lunchtime their first day back, and now he was sitting in a coffee shop, enjoying a double caramel latte with extra caramel.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang, drawing the attention of several other customers nearby. As soon as he could get a hold of the contraption, he brought it to his ear. "Hoyt," he answered casually.

"Hey, Woody; it's me," Nigel grinned on the other end of the line. Before the detective could respond, he continued. "Great news. Doctor Macy made it successfully out of surgery."

Woody sat up straight in his chair. "That's great! How are the rest of you?" Woody had brought Jordan home, along with Bug, who had returned to his life with Lilly and Madelyn. Kate and Nigel had remained with Garrett, and Renee had taken Abbey to join the three of them.

Nigel shook his head, considering the shape his party was in after a sleepless night and an anxious morning. After such a major ordeal, though, he still had his wit. "We're better than we've been in several days," he said, stating the obvious. "How's the home crew doing?"

Woody hesitated a moment, trying to think of creative ways to say that everybody was fine. "Bug is happily reunited with his 'family,' I'm off work for a week, and Jordan is… Jordan." That woman could not be described properly, but everybody who knew her described her in the same manner.

As expected, Nigel understood, and chuckled softly at the reassurance. "Wonderful," he cried, "Kate and I are on the way to the car rental right now. We should be home in a few days." Nigel looked at Kate, still smiling. She was watching the scenery out the passenger-side window. "We decided not to take any chances this time."

It was Woody's turn to shake his head, now. "Couldn't get her off the ground again?"

"Not for all the money in the world. Anyway, you guys take care, okay?"

"Alright," Woody agreed, "you, too."

"Bye, Woody."

"See you soon, Nigel."

Soon. Everything would happen soon. Soon, they would all be back home where they belonged. Soon, Garrett would recover and would rejoin his friends at the morgue. Soon, everything would be back to normal. Then, when the time was right, he would propose to Jordan again. This time, she would say yes. That, too, was not farr off. Soon, he would be happier than he had ever been before. Soon.