I'll Try Again Tomorrow
"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow."
Chapter 1: You Found Me
"Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lying on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you, where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, You found me." ~ The Fray
It was a beautiful spring day in California. The temperature was at a moderate 70 degrees and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. Even Jade, in a slightly poor temper after one of the representatives from her record label had annoyed her, appreciated the brightness of the day. She had been recording for most of the morning and had walked out after a label big wig had refused to allow her to do a song – a song she had written – her way. In the past two years, she had given them two albums that had gone platinum and tours that had made them millions of dollars – the least they could do was to trust her judgment. Knowing that she still had all afternoon and evening without Beck, she had stopped at the grocery store, drug store, and ran several other unimportant errands.
She was walking into the lavish home she shared with Beck when her cell phone rang. Setting a bag filled with groceries on the counter, she saw it was Andre and answered. "Dude, you are in France – how much is this phone call costing you?"
"Jade – I just got a call from Cedars Sinai – the police brought Tori into the emergency room." Jade was silent but was already headed back out the door, her keys in hand. She understood the panic in Andre's voice; the news had caused her own blood pressure to spike.
More than three years had passed since anyone in their group of friends had seen or heard from Tori Vega. Her parents had died in a car accident a week after high school graduation. Even Jade had been speechless throughout that ordeal. Trina had sold the family home out from under her sister and moved to New York, claiming the east coast was better positioned to appreciate her talent. Tori had stayed in college for a three semesters before she dropped out and disappeared without explanation. Andre, Beck, and Cat searched for her. Robbie did what he could from his college in New York – but it wasn't much. After two days, Jade realized it wasn't a simple ploy for attention and added her assistance to the search.
They had spent over a year looking in every shelter and hospital – scouring every website and showing pictures to every person in every restaurant and bar. Beck and Andre both called the police station on a monthly basis, making sure they knew she was still missing – and that the case was still important to someone. Unsolved mysteries had done a short segment on Tori one year after her disappearance. Now she had resurfaced less than twenty miles from where she had gone missing.
"I'm her emergency contact – but I can't get a flight out until tomorrow."
"You need to finish that damn tour," Jade argued, buckling her seat-belt and starting her black Audi convertible. Her father's guilt had bought her the car for her college graduation. She still wasn't crazy about him – but she did love her car.
"I need to see Tori," Andre argued.
"I'll call you as soon as I know what's going on. Don't you dare get on a plane until I say otherwise." Jade knew the tour Andre was playing was a career maker. If he left part way through, he would potentially lose his chances for future success. Once Andre had agreed to her conditions, she hung up with him and called Beck, leaving him a message to meet her at the hospital. She remembered at the last minute to throw in a "don't worry, I'm fine." The drive was full of traffic and aggravation. It was drawn out, giving Jade plenty of time to worry about where Tori had been for the past three years. She was thankful she was alive – but now she was terrified to know what horror other than death could have possibly kept her away and out of contact for so long.
Walking into the Emergency Room with a confident click of her black heeled boots, Jade gave the nurse at registration Tori's name and was quickly whisked away down several hallways to the ICU. She took in a shaky breath – the ICU was never a good sign. The nurse introduced her to a doctor standing in the hallway, peering intently at an electronic tablet.
"Dr. Garrison, this is Jade West – she's here to see Miss Vega."
"Thank you, Laurie," the woman said kindly. Jade saw a flash of recognition; the woman knew who she was. Remaining professional, the doctor ignored the fact that she was an award-winning recording artist. Instead, she jumped right into the topic at hand. "Ms. West, how do you know Victoria?" She led Jade toward an empty waiting room and held the door open. She sat in a nearby chair, gesturing for Jade to do the same.
"Tori," she corrected the woman. "We're – friends," Jade said for lack of a better word. "We went through high school together – but she disappeared about three years ago – I haven't heard from her since. Andre Harris is her emergency contact – he's in France so he called and asked me to get here as soon as I could." Jade looked uncomfortably at their surroundings. "Is she alright? What happened? Can I see her? Do you know where she's been?" Usually, she was not a woman of many words – but nerves had melded her momentarily into a motor mouth.
The doctor smiled kindly. "Let's take those questions one at a time. The police can tell you a little more about where she's been." She paused. "Tori is in an induced coma right now. Her injuries were so severe and her mental state so – fragile – that she had to be put under to treat."
Jade could practically feel the reverberation from the words swimming through her mind, trying to find some place to settle and make sense. "What the hell happened?"
The doctor shook her head and Jade could see she was fighting tears. A stranger was fighting tears over whatever had happened to Tori – Jade could only imagine how terrible it truly was. "We don't know exactly what happened at this point – but Tori was found in the home of a man who is being charged with murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, sexual assault, and a variety of other assault charges." Jade's heart fell into her stomach.
"Are you saying that she's been held prisoner for three years?"
"We won't know for certain until she wakes up and can tell us," Dr. Garrett answered judiciously. "But some of the scars are at least that old. So it's very likely, yes." Jade's fingers raised to rub her temples and she fought the lump forming her throat; it was unacceptable to believe that for the past three years, while she was attending classes, recording songs, and writing plays – while she was enjoying time with friends and the boy she loved – Tori was being tortured by an insane man.
"How did they find her?" Jade felt that asking direct question was going to keep her – at least momentarily – from unraveling.
"He had three women imprisoned in his home – one got away. She was able to lead the police back – and they rescued Tori."
"The other woman?"
"She was dead when they arrived," the doctor said apologetically. "When the police closed in, he injected the two remaining girls – Tori included – with lethal amounts of morphine. Tori's only alive because he missed her vein." Jade's face fell to her hands and she fought tears – she would not cry in front of this stranger.
Dr. Garrett gave her a few minutes before speaking again. "Does she have any family we can contact? I spoke with Mr. Harris briefly – but he's in Europe. He's the only emergency contact we have listed."
"I'll call her sister – but she's a bitch, so don't get your hopes up. Her parents were killed in an accident a few years ago – there's no one else," Jade said quickly. "Can I see her?"
The doctor nodded hesitantly. "Of course. We normally restrict to family in the ICU – but I think we can make this exception. I need to warn you – there is a lot of physical damage. We're treating as many of the lacerations and other injuries as we can – but it's going to be a long road back to health. She is breathing on her own, but her pressures are extremely low, so she'll remain in ICU until those stabilize." They walked together back toward the room.
Jade took three steps into the room. A wave of odors – blood, feces, urine, vomit – a very distinct mix of smells reserved for death – hit her suddenly and forced her to turn on her heel and land in the nearest bathroom. She hovered above the toilet, emptying the contents of her stomach. Dr. Garrett waited patiently while she finished and handed her a bottle of water and a damp paper towel. "She needs you to be strong," the doctor reminded her simply. Jade tried not to scowl; she certainly didn't need this woman telling her what to do. She rinsed her mouth, flushed the toilet, and washed her hands.
Jade glared lightly at the doctor and walked purposefully back to the ICU and straight toward Tori's room. This time she took small breaths through her mouth, avoiding using her olfactory sense at all costs. Tori's long, dark curls were matted and stringy, her hairline caked with oil and what Jade thought was probably blood. Cuts, sores, and bruises could be seen on every visible surface of her once perfect skin. She had always been thin but now she was so emaciated that her skin looked to be stretched over bone. Jade pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat down before taking Tori's hand in hers.
"We can discuss her treatment—"
"I'd rather wait for my husband," Jade answered honestly. The doctor nodded and moved toward the door.
"If you need anything, just push the nurse call button." Jade nodded. Once the doctor was gone, she took closer stock of her best frenemy. Tori's arrival at Hollywood Arts during their sophomore year had annoyed Jade because it was a reminder that she wasn't always going to be the best or the first choice. But it had also caused her to work harder, to reach further, and to eventually get exactly where she wanted to be. So, despite their differences and her incessant mocking, Jade did not hate Tori.
Perhaps that was why tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat back and watched the slight rise and fall of Tori's chest under the hideous hospital gown. Her perfectly manicured fingers remained intermingled with Tori's bruised and battered ones as she sat back and played the part of sentry.
What do you think? Let me know. A warning for those who appreciate Jade and Tori as a couple – that is not the end game for the story. Jade and Beck are happily married – this is a story about a friendship – or even a familial relationship between Jade and Tori. Don't get me wrong – I love Jori stories! But this story is purely one of friendship and recovery. If you liked it – please share why – or what you are looking forward to knowing and discovering as the story continues. Thanks for reading!