He tried as best he could to keep people from coming up from behind Oliver when they went through the media frenzy once they got to the courthouse. He'd discarded his leather bomber in the car and looked like a regular Joe, so nobody noticed that he was helping with a protection detail…even Oliver. The questions thrown at Oliver made Tommy cringe. He knew that Ollie still hadn't really dealt with his time away. He also knew that Oliver hadn't really told anyone anything about that island he'd been stuck on…as far as he knew, even Laurel didn't really know what had happened…not that she wanted to talk to Oliver…or him for that matter.

As he sat and listened to Oliver's testimony to the judge about his time on the island, he heard the changes that they had wrought on Ollie. He was angry. He was sad. He was devastated. All these things that he could hear in Oliver's voice were things that had never been there before Oliver was lost at sea. When Oliver talked about having to survive, Tommy had an idea strike him. He didn't think Oliver would ever tell him, but he got the impression, through the subtle way that Oliver said things, that there was a hell of a lot more to the story…His intuition told him his father had not gone down with the ship. His heart told him that Oliver had watched his father die. He knew he'd want to ask. Hoped he'd have the balls one day to actually ask. For now, he knew he could only stand solidly by Oliver's side and support him in whatever way he could.

As the lawyer spoke with the judge about repealing the petition, Oliver turned back to look at him. He held Oliver's gaze for as long as he could, trying to send his support and love to him. They stared at each other for only a few seconds, but in that moment, Tommy knew Oliver understood…at least the friendship part. Tommy dropped his eyes when the questions started in Oliver's. Friends, yes. Anything more? Tommy didn't think Oliver was ready for that…