Episode 111
Faith (04-04-07)

PLEASE DO NOT COPY AND REUSE ON OTHER SITES

Play by Play Synopsis:

Teaser:  There is a mini school bus driving down the road with thirteen kids on board.  They all look terrified, and then we see that there are two men standing in the front of the bus with guns.  Shots are fired, but we do not see if anyone is hit.  Back at the morgue Jordan is in the break room watching the coverage of the hijacking on the TV.  Bug is in the break room getting coffee and they talk a little about the case and how there are no real leads at this time.  The hijackers are asking for $1 million per kid, so in the mean time the parents are all trying to raise the money.  Bug then heads out of the break room as Kate comes in to grab a cup of coffee.  She mentions she is backed up on tow autopsies and there is a third coming in and she wants Jordan to take it.  Jordan informs her she is still working on the forensics's chapter Garret assigned to her.  Kate asks her how much longer the rest of them are going to have to pick up her slack.  Jordan tells Kate that she is not in charge of assigning cases, that Garret is.  Kate says that it must be nice to be teachers pet, and leaves the break room.  Jordan follows her out, but does not say anything to her.  She heads to Garret's office and closes the door behind her.  She tells him that she can not be at the morgue and not work because people are starting to talk.  She tries to convince Garret that she is getting better because of some new medication, but he notices that she is holding her hand again because of the shaking.  He tells her he can not put the morgue at risk because she is bored.  Jordan is insulted by the comment.  Garret then switches topics and they talk about the surgery option.  They get into an argument about how she is treating the meningioma.  Garret tells her she is not doing anything, but Jordan argues that she is taking steroids.  He tells her that steroids only control the symptoms, not the actual growth of the tumor.  Garret keeps pushing, but then Bug knocks on the door and lets them both know they found the school bus, and that it looks ugly.

The bus is parked in the middle of the street and there are police cars and officers all over the place.  Woody is using the megaphone to talk with the hijackers, telling them to calm down and that no one is approaching them.  The hijacker is yelling back at him to keep people back.  Woody tries to negotiate him to let some of the kids off the bus to show some good faith, but that does not happen.  Woody is relieved from the negotiations when an officer higher up takes the megaphone from him.  Woody updates the officer on where they are and he takes over.  The bus engine then starts and somebody inside starts driving the bus directly at the police cars and officers.  The officer on the megaphone commands someone to take out the driver.  As the bus hits some of the police cars shots are fired at the bus.  Officers move in and enter the bus. The driver was one of the hijackers who has been shot and killed.  They find the original bus driver dead on the floor of the bus, but the kids are missing. 

Act one: Garret and Bug arrive at the crime scene with the bus and Woody updates them on everything. They start thinking about where the kids might be.  Bug goes right to work on the original bus driver and determines he has been dead for at least a couple of days.  Woody is nervous because the hijackers have killed already and therefore they have nothing to lose by killing the kids.  Bug then sees some blood on the back of one of the bus seats.  It did not come from the original bus driver because his neck was just broken, and it did not come from the hijacker driving the bus because he was shot by the police.  They are worried it is from one of the kids.  The trail of blood leads out the emergency exit. 

Nigel brings in one of the bodies Kate is assigned to.  He starts going into history, but Kate is not really interested and just wants to get right to work because she has two other bodies waiting.  Nigel tells her that some people embrace their work, and even occasionally smile.  Kate tells him she smiles at home.  Kate unzips the body bag and there is a corpse inside dressed as Santa.  There is also a bag with presents in with the body.  Nigel starts to take an immediate interest and tells Kate that the cookies he left out for "Father Christmas" this year were never eaten.  Kate can not believe Nigel thinks this is really Santa, but Nigel then pulls out the mans identification and his license reads he is from the North Pole and his name is Kris Kringle. 

Garret and Bug arrive in the crypt with the two bodies from the bus.  Jordan enters the room and tells them she has been watching the news and has prepped trace.  Garret tells Jordan that he and Bug can handle the bodies, but Jordan tells him that he needs to help find the missing kids.  Emy then comes in and informs them that the father of one of the kids is there with a toothbrush.  Garret tells Jordan if she wants to help she can handle the parents.  She is to get the DNA from the blood on the bus and help rule out the kids by testing it against their DNA.  Jordan agrees and walks out of the room. 

Jordan is in the conference room visiting with a father of one of the kids.  The man is distraught over everything and Jordan just listens to him and lets him tell her about his son.  Jordan then takes the toothbrush and tells the father that she will run the comparison and God willing his son is ok.  The father tells Jordan to tell him either way as soon as she knows anything, and then gets up and leaves Jordan in the conference room.

Kate is in autopsy listening to her music and Nigel comes in and asks her if she has any Christmas music.  He turns off her music and starts singing We Wish You A Merry Christmas.  Kate yells at him to stop.  Nigel then tells her that Kris Kringle's stomach contents and rate of decomposition indicate that he died on December 24th.  Kate is annoyed and thinks Nigel is making a joke of the man, but Nigel tells her she should at least entertain the possibility that it could be Santa.  Kate has determined that she thinks the man was a drunk, and he probably fell into the chimney where he was found.  Nigel then checks something on the computer where they had been running analysis on a hair found on the man. It turns out it is the hair of a reindeer. 

Jordan is still in the conference room holding the toothbrush and her vision starts to blur.  Her eyes focus straight ahead as she drops the toothbrush on the table.  Her hands do not move and she sits there motionless for a few moments before a woman enters the room.  Jordan snaps out of it and turns her attention to the woman, still battling her blurred vision.  The woman comes in and tells Jordan that her daughter, Grace, was the teacher on the bus with the kids.  The woman hands Jordan a picture of her and her daughter and Jordan comments on how they have the same eyes.  As she hands Jordan a hairbrush that belonged to Grace, she tells how Grace always wanted to be a teacher.  Jordan tells the woman that she will run the DNA against the blood found in the bus and she will let her know.  The mother tells Jordan that she already knows it is Grace's blood.  Jordan tries to make her feel better, but the mother insists that it is her daughters blood.  It is just a feeling she has.  Jordan goes to the lab and runs the test and it turns out the mother was right.  The blood found on the bus did belong to the teacher, Grace.  Woody then comes into the lab and gets the news.  They wonder if the mother might know more than she is telling them.  Woody also updates them that the remaining hijacker has doubled the ransom request and the deadline is noon the next day.  They start going through all their information to try and determine where the kids might be.  They basically determine the kids could be anywhere, and while looking and the pictures of the kids on the computer Jordan points out that they are nowhere. 

Act two: Jordan and Woody go in to talk to the teachers mother, Mrs. Kohlman to see if she has any other information that may help them.  Jordan sits next to her so she does not feel threatened.  Woody asks her if her daughter was involved in any way, but she tells them that it is just a feeling she has that it is Grace who has been hurt.  Jordan and Woody make eye contact and Mrs. Kohlman tells them that she is not crazy, even thought she would probably think so if she were in their shoes.  Woody decides to leave, and Mrs. Kohlman tells him that she does not blame him for not believing her.  Jordan apoligises for Woody and tells Mrs. Kohlman that he is just anxious to find everyone.  Mrs. Kohlman says Woody thinks Grace is dead, but she does not believe that.  She then tells Jordan that two years ago her other daughter died, and she could feel that.  This time is different though...she feels that Grace is still alive.  Jordan just assures her that they are doing everything they can to find where they are.

Bug and Garret are running trace on the two bodies from the bus, but they are no closer to finding where the kids might be.  Garret then determines that the guy who broke the bus drivers neck has to be a professional, probably someone in the military.  Bug runs into Jordan in the hall and updates her on what they have found.  They have a suspect who grew up in the same town as the other hijacker who was shot, and he was discharged from the military.  He also has a terrible rap sheet.  Woody and Bug head out to find this guy and Jordan stays in the morgue.

Nigel is in the lab and he has x-rayed the present found with the Santa and Kate can not believe what she is seeing.  She tells him to just open it, but Nigel says he can't because it is a gift from Santa and it is not his.  Nigel also did a TV interview trying to locate the person dressed in the reindeer costume to see if someone could come in and ID the body.  Kate tells him he just sent an open invitation to every nutcase in the city to come into the morgue.  Emy comes in and interrupts them, telling Kate that the Easter Bunny is here to see her. 

Kate and Nigel meet with the man dressed up as the Easter Bunny.  He ID's the Santa as Horris Burrows.  They worked together at Christmas (as Santa and a Reindeer) and Easter (as the Easter Bunny and an Easter egg.)  Horris was a great Santa and wrote down the Christmas gift of every girl and boy who sat on his lap.  Apparently he also has a daughter who lives in town, but they never spoke.  Nigel tells him that they will find the daughter and let her know about her father.

Jordan is in the lab doing some work on trying to find out where Grace might be.  Garret comes in and sees her working and asks her what she is doing.  Jordan tells him that the mother still things that Grace is alive.  Garret asks how she knows this, but Jordan tells him that it is just a feeling the mother has.  Garret tells Jordan to go to her office, but Jordan stays on task and says Grace is not with the other kids.  Her hands are on the verge of starting to shake and Garret cuts her off. He tells her that he would be wishing the same thing if it was Abby in that situation. Jordan tells him that just because the mother has faith that her daughter is alive does not means she is wrong.  Jordan turns her back to Garret, still continuing her conversation with him.  She seems to be feeling a little out of it and Garret notices.  Jordan turns back toward Garret and he asks if she is ok.  Jordan's eyes then roll back and she collapses to the floor.  Garret runs to her shouting her name.  He rolls her onto her side just and Bug and Woody come into the room to see what is going on.  Jordan's body then tenses up and she begins to have a seizure.  Garret shouts Jordan's name a few times, but there is nothing either of them can do.  Garret holds Jordan's head as her body thrashes on the floor, and the three of them watch helplessly as her body shakes.   

Act three: Woody, Bug, and Nigel are in Garrets office looking into Jordan's office where Garret and Jordan are.  Jordan is lying on the couch and Garret is checking her eyes with a flashlight.  Jordan says she is fine, but Garret wants to call Dr. Sanchez.  Jordan tells Garret that she called him the night before because she had a seizure.  He has increased the dose on her medication, and Jordan thinks the reason she had the seizure today is because the meds are just not in her system yet.  She tells Garret that she is being smart about things and not driving or putting herself in places where it could be a problem  Garret tells her she scared the hell out of him and everyone else.  Jordan realizes that the cat is out of the bag and tells Garret if people start tip-toeing around her she is gonna kill someone.  Garret asks her if that is really what she is worried about.  She tells him she is worried about Grace and the kids.  Garret tells her to let him handle that and she needs to start taking care of herself for a change.  He tells her to stay in her office and rest or he just might have to kill someone.  Jordan smiles and Garret leans over and gives her a gentle kiss on the head. 

Garret comes into his office where Woody, Nigel and Bug are sitting on his couch anxiously waiting to hear how Jordan is doing.  Nigel asks how she is doing and Garret tells them she is hostel and argumentative.  They all know that is a good thing.  Woody asks how long Garret has known, and he tells them a couple weeks.  Bug thinks that Garret should have told them, but Garret points out that Jordan should have told them.  Woody asks what might happen to Jordan, and Garret informs them all that if the meningioma continues to grow it will cut off the blood supply to her temporal lobe which can cause more seizures and memory loss.  Woody asks if there is a chance Jordan could die, and Garret does not answer.  They all know that Garret's silence means there is a chance Jordan could die from this.  Nigel gets up and tells them he needs some air.  

Nigel goes out into reception to try and escape the fear he is feeling.  He sits down in a chair by the conference room and a little girl sitting next to him asks if he is ok.  Nigel turns to the little girl with a numb look and tears in his eyes.  He snaps out of it and tells the little girl he is fine.  Nigel notices the little girl is all alone and asks if she is with someone.  She tells Nigel her Mom is in the conference room with someone, and then says that Santa is dead.  It turns out the little girls Mom is the daughter of Horris and this little girl is his granddaughter.  The little girl then asks why Nigel is sad, and he tells her that someone he loves is very sick.  Nigel and the little girl have a little heart to heart in the hallway before entering the conference room where Kate is sitting with the mother.  Nigel then tells the mother that he is very sorry for their loss, and that from what he has heard her father was a very kind man.  Kate gives Nigel a look of disapproval, but Nigel does not care.  The Mom tells Nigel that her father was a drunk and left when she was two.  She turns her attention to Kate and asks her to let them know when her fathers body can be picked up.  The mother and daughter leave, and Kate tells Nigel "so much for your spirit of Santa", and walks away. 

Woody is knocking on Jordan's office door.  He knows she is suppose to be resting, but he wants to check on her to see if she is ok.  He goes ahead and opens the door and finds Jordan standing in her office working on the case.  Jordan motions for him to come in and close the door behind him.  Jordan has brought the evidence boards into her office, and she starts talking to Woody about the case as if nothing had happened.  Woody cuts her off and tells her she just had a seizure.  She tells Woody that she is fine and is sorry she scared him and that she did not tell him.  And also that she is sorry she is not rolling over and playing dead so everyone can just fill themselves with pity.  Before Woody can respond Bug knocks on the door.  He notices Jordan is up, and Jordan asks if it is going to be a problem for him.  Bug goes right to work so Jordan does not get mad.  They figure out that the kids may be near a quarry and Woody gets on the phone to get the helicopters in position.  Jordan reminds him that if Grace isn't with the kids then Jason Roberts, the other hijacker, is the only person who knows where she is.  She asks Woody to try and take him in alive so they will be able to find Grace.  Garret then comes to the door and sees them all working.  Bug and Woody leave and get back to work, and Jordan tells Garret not to be mad.  He tells her he is not mad, and that they both know that putting a leash on her would never work anyway.  Jordan thanks him for understanding, but then Garret tells her she can not work there anymore.  Jordan asks if he is firing her.  Garret tells her she can call it what she wants, but he will not watch her kill herself.  Garret leaves Jordan alone in her office, closing the door behind him.

Act Four: Woody arrives at the quarry and is talking with other officers over the radio. They have located the trailer where the kids and Roberts are.  While Woody is trying to find the trailer we hear that Roberts realized that the cops were there and sun shots started going off.  We hear that the officers shot Roberts, and all the kids are fine.  Woody finally arrives to the trailer in time to see the kids exiting. One little boy is terrified and runs to Woody.  He picks him up and tells him everything is going to be ok.  Woody then hands the kid off to another officer while he talks to the officer in charge.  He asks where Roberts is and the officer tells him he was shot and did not make it.  Woody then asks about the teacher, but she was not there.  They have no idea where she is.  Woody tells the officer he wants a grid laid out around the trailer and people searching for Grace, and he also plans on talking to the kids to see if they know anything.  With a desperate look in his eyes, Woody tells the officer in charge they need to find her. 

Jordan is in the hallway looking over a file and Bug catches up to talk to her.  Jordan asks if Garret sent him to see if she is packing up her stuff.  Bug tells Jordan they are all just worried about her.  Bug then tells Jordan that if she needs anything or wants to talk he is there.  Jordan tells him she doesn't, but then lays a hand on his shoulder in appreciation for his concern.  Bug then tells Jordan that Woody has talked to all the kids about Grace, and they told him she was shot the first day and none of them can remember where her body was thrown off the bus.  Bug tells Jordan he is sorry, and Jordan just walks quietly to her office. 

Coming out the doors to reception is Horris' friend dressed in his bunny costume.  He is running into everything in sight, including Kate.  She asks him what he is doing there.  Nigel is in the lab and Kate comes in and asks him if he had the Easter Bunny bring in Christmas photos.  It turns out that the granddaughter had gone to see Santa and there was an actual picture of her sitting on his lap.  After doing some research Nigel determines that the old man was just a drunk in a chimney.  Kate tells him that her father drank and he was selfish, mean, and an embarrassment to her and ruined her first wedding.  Nigel tells her that he is sorry, but Kate tells him she does not want his sympathy.  She then tells Nigel that trying to fix things for the mother and the little girl is not going to help fix things with Jordan. 

Jordan is walking Mrs. Kohlman out of her office.  She is saying that she can still feel Grace, even if it is not real.  Jordan gives her a hug and lets her leave.  Woody is also there in the hallway and meets up with Jordan after Mrs. Kohlman leaves.  She is standing, looking out the big window in the hall and Woody comes over.  Jordan tells him that Mrs. Kohlman is such a remarkable woman because after everything that has happened she still has hope.  Woody tells Jordan he is sorry that Roberts was killed and that they can not find Grace.  Jordan says it is ok, it is just that she wanted to believe that Grace was ok and that her mother had faith for reasons they couldn't understand.  Woody tells her that she is going to be ok.  Jordan tells him that just because we want something to be true doesn't mean we get it.  He tells her that everyone is afraid of dying.  Jordan says that dying is the easy part, and that the tumor is wrapped around the carotid artery and there is a lot of risk.  There is a chance that she could come out a vegetable, and she can not be that.  She tearfully tells Woody she does not want that, turns and walks back to her office and closes the door.  Woody just stands in the hallway and watches her, knowing that she is losing hope. 

Act Five:   Woody goes into Garret's office and tells him they need to find Grace because Jordan is giving up hope.  Garret tells him they are all doing everything they can and right now what they need is a miracle.  Woody then thinks what if the mother is right.  They need to work to look for Grace under the assumption she is alive.  Bug, Woody, and Garret trying and think how Grace could survive in the cold.  They determine they need to find where the hot springs may be.  Bug finds a location and Jordan comes in the room and tells them she is going with.  Garret tells her no, but she says she does not work for him anymore.  She tosses some keys to Woody indicating she is going with him. 

Outside in the woods Jordan and Woody start searching for Grace.  The shout her name over and over hoping to hear a response.  Jordan goes one way and Woody goes another to try and find her.  Woody then hears Jordan scream his name.  He comes running and Jordan keeps calling for him.  He finds Jordan kneeling next to a woman.  She has found Grace, and she is alive. 

Back at the morgue the little girl and her mother are in the conference room and Nigel comes in and apologizes about the previous day.  He then shows Gwen the picture of her sitting on Santa lap.  Nigel tells the mother that her father had been sober for three years and tried to move close to her.  Nigel tells her she needs to believe the best of her father for her daughters sake.  The mother goes and gives Gwen a hug, and Nigel notices that Kate is watching them through the window.  He leaves the conference room to talk to Kate, and she yells at him about making up stories and tells him she wants no part of it. 

At the hospital Jordan is standing outside Grace's room where Mrs. Kohlman is holding her daughters hand while she rests in bed.  Woody comes over with a bottle of water and tells her she needs to keep up her fluids because she got quite a workout.  Jordan thanks Woody for his help in finding Grace.  He tells her that she is the one who had faith. 

Jordan comes into Garrets empty office and sits on the couch and puts her head in her hands. Garret comes in and congratulates her on finding Grace.  He sits next to her on the couch and starts telling her he never wanted to fire her.  Jordan cuts him off by saying she scheduled the surgery for Thursday.  Garret tells her that he will be there, and Jordan tells him she knows he will.  Jordan then leans over and Garret takes her in his arms and hugs her. 

Written by, Mary Jo