Three hours later
"Tommy, you should go home. Staying here and wearing yourself out isn't going to help Jude." Sadie said, coming into Jude's room and seeing him in the same position he'd been in for the last three hours. "No." was all he said. This was the third time she'd told him this and the third time he'd said no. She'd known he was stubborn, but this was getting ridiculous. "It's not your fault. You had no control over the situation. Jude would want you to stop blaming yourself and go home." He didn't take his eyes off of Jude as he spoke. "I told her I'd never leave her. I won't break that promise." Sadie sighed. She was in no mood to argue, and her patience was wearing thin. "Fine. At least eat something; we don't need you passing out." He mumbled something about "a muffin or a bagel". She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a paper bag. She sat down in the one other chair in the room and was asleep in minutes. He opened the bag and pulled out a banana nut muffin. He picked at it for a few minutes, and then set it aside.
"Jude, I have a problem. My older brother Alex is really sick, and I was supposed to go home tonight to take care of my sister Dani, and his daughter Julia. Dani is seventeen, like you. She's also stubborn like you. Julia is three. I've only seen pictures of her, but she's adorable. My parents are older, and it's hard for them to watch Jules sometimes. Dani's trying to take care of them all at the same time. So I'm torn, I don't know what to do. My family needs me, but so do you. I told you I'd never leave you, and I intend to keep that promise. I know you know what I said. They say you can't hear me, because you're unconscious, but I know you can. What do I do Jude? I know you'd understand if I left, but I can't bring myself to leave. It's because I was going to leave you that you ended up here."
The last thing Jude remembered was a bright light in her eyes, and hearing herself scream. She wasn't sure how she ended up here, wherever here was. She was watching a man hunched over a hospital bed. The bed was occupied by a young girl, no older than she was. There was another girl in the room, not much older than the girl in the bed. Her vision cleared, and she realized the girl was Sadie. That meant the guy was Tommy…and she was the one in the bed. It all started to fall into place. The bright light was a car, and it must have hit her. She was in the hospital. It all made sense. It definitely explained why her head felt like it was going to explode. She tried to talk to Tommy, to tell him she was okay, but the words wouldn't come out. "I'll never leave you." Where did that come from? It was like she heard Tommy talking to her, except that it was in her head. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, which only made the headache worse. She knew, though she had no idea how, that Tommy was supposed to go home to take care of his sister and niece. She noticed his lips were moving. He must be telling me this now. Her thoughts were becoming less jumbled, though she was still trying to figure out how all this was happening. I've got to find a way to let him know I'm okay…
Tommy wasn't sure how long he'd been with Jude. His phone read 2:25 in big, illuminated numbers. That meant it had been almost six hours he'd been here. It seemed like so much longer than six hours. He felt his eyelids drooping, but he fought to stay awake. I guess Jude won't mind if I take a little nap. He thought with a yawn. He pulled his jacket around him tightly and found a comfortable position, or as comfortable a position you can get into in a chair. He woke up briefly around five o'clock, but quickly fell back asleep. He wasn't sure if it was his mind playing tricks, but he was sure he saw Jude's eyes flutter open for a moment as her lips tried to form words. The next second, she was just as she'd been all night.
When he woke up again, the TV was on and sunlight was shining in through the blinds on the window. A quick glance at his cell told him it was 9 a.m. He got out of his chair and stretched, allowing a yawn to escape. "Hey, I' sorry I snapped at you last night. I was stressed, and tired, and worried about Jude. I know that's no excuse, but it's the best I've got." He turned to see Sadie standing in the doorway, two cups of cafeteria coffee in her hands. "Oh, hey Sadie. Don't worry about it, we're all worried. Thanks." He said, accepting the coffee gratefully. He took a sip and made a face. "That is definitely not the Columbian blend I usually make." Sadie laughed, and it seemed to ease the worried look on her face. "It's a hospital Quincy, not your five star penthouse." This time he laughed, and it felt good. "I guess they can't all be five star."
His laughter stopped when he saw Jude out of the corner of his eye. She looks like she's just resting peacefully, but he knows the truth. Sadie catches him looking at her and clears her throat. "You should go home and get cleaned up. Get something to eat while you're at it." Jude's condition hadn't changed since she arrived, and it didn't seem like it was going to anytime soon. A shower would be good for him, he decided. So would real food. "Alright, I won't be gone real long. I might stop by G Major, let everyone know what's going on, although I'm sure they already know. Will you be okay?" She gave him a small smile, but he could see the worry in her eyes. "I'll be fine. Sitting in the apartment alone all day would just drive me crazy. I'll let you know if anything changes." He put his jacket back on and turned toward the door. "Call me if you need anything, okay? I'll be back soon." Instinctively, he turned back to Sadie and hugged her. "She'll pull through Sades. She's too damn stubborn not to." He whispered. She laughed, and he headed out.
He took the elevator down to the first floor and walked quickly to the door. It was a habit he picked up when he was still with Boyz Attack. There are times you really don't feel like signing autographs. He reached the door and stepped outside. Immediately he was being bombarded by reporters, all yelling out questions at once. "Mr. Quincy, what happened to Jude?" "Can you give us any information about her status?" "The folks at G Major refused to comment, do you have any comments?" "No comment!" he yelled, before pushing his way through the wall of reporters and hurrying to his car. He got in a drove off quickly, eager to get away from the reporters. He reached his building without further incidence, and waved to the doorman as he walked up to the door. "Morning, Mr. Quincy." Tommy nodded at the friendly doorman and pushed the door open. "Mr. Quincy, I have a message for you." Alexa, the receptionist, called. That was odd. Anyone who ever called him left messages on his answering machine. "There were two young girls here earlier asking for you. They left this." She handed him a folded piece of paper with his name on the front. "Thanks. Did they leave their names?" She thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "No. The older one just asked me to give you that." He shrugged, figuring they were just two fans looking for an autograph. "Thanks." She smiled and he walked over to the elevator. On the way up, he unfolded the paper.
Tommy,
I heard what happened to your friend, Jude. I know you were going to come home, but you really don't have to. I'm doing fine taking care of everything. Jude needs you. Stay with her. Canada is your home now anyway. Stay there, at least until Jude is better. I know you want to and I can handle everything here. I came to see you, but you weren't home. Julia and I are staying in a cheap motel. Don't worry, we're going home tomorrow. I have enough for two plane tickets. We'll be okay. You take care of Jude, she needs you more. Mom and Dad say hi, by the way. They didn't want us to come but I convinced them. Alex is trying not to let Julia see him when he feels really bad, because he doesn't want her to worry. I'll talk to you soon. We miss you, you know.
Love,
Dani and Jules
The elevator stopped, and he got off. He pulled out his keys and opened his apartment. Setting the letter on the table by the door, he took out his cell and scrolled through his phonebook until he got to the number he was looking for. He got up and walked out onto the balcony as he listened to the ringing in his ear. "You've reached Dani. I can't get to the phone right now, so please leave a message, thanks." He sighed in frustration. "Dani, it's me. I got your letter. I'm not happy that you're here, and I'm really not happy that you brought Julia. Call me when you get this. You'll stay with me tonight, and tomorrow we're all going home. Call me so I can come pick you up. Love you. Bye." He hung up and leaned against the railing. At a quarter to ten in the morning, traffic was starting to get heavy. He watched the cars slowly move forward in silence. These people had no idea that in a hospital somewhere, Jude was fighting to stay alive. The worse thing that was happening to them was getting stuck in traffic. They didn't have to sit and watch the one they loved die, little by little, day by day. Tommy was startled to realize his cheeks were wet with tears. He roughly wiped them away with the back of his hand. His phone rang, the first notes of "Time to Be Your 21" playing from his pocket. Jude had put that ring tone on his phone one day while they were in the studio. He hadn't taken it off because Jude smiled whenever his phone rang. He flipped his phone open, hoping to hear some good news.
"Hello?" "Tommy…It's Sadie…It's J-Jude…she…she's getting..." Sadie's words came in gasps. He could tell she was trying not to cry. "Worse." Tommy had already hung up and was pushing the elevator button, willing it to come faster. He gave up and headed for the stairs. Whatever was happening, it wasn't good.
