Chapter 22
The red LCD lights on the clock seemed to scream in his face. How in the hell was he supposed to get any sleep with those stupid lights staring at him, taunting him as if saying, "How could you be trying to sleep in a time like this when Judy is out there alone and scared!" Tom growled and yanked the clock from the wall and hurled it against the wall in heated angst. He couldn't do this, he couldn't just lie there in bed thinking about her when he could be out there finding her, pulling her close to him and telling her over and over again, drilling it into her mind, that it was not by any means her fault that he was shot. Tom suddenly realized what he had to do. Quickly, he tossed the sheets off of his bed and threw on a sweat shirt and jeans over his plain white t-shirt. He grabbed his tennis shoes and quickly tied them before making his way to the living room. Tom grabbed the keys from the catchall and hurried out the door to his Mustang. The lighthouse was almost an hour away, he didn't have much time but he knew what he had to do.
The Mustang roared herself to life as Tom spun it in reverse and threw it backwards out of the driveway. Suddenly speeding tickets didn't matter to him. The only thing going through his mind was he had to get to Judy and he had to get to her fast. There wasn't much time and he couldn't – wouldn't – waste it on driving some snobby traffic cop's opinion of an appropriate speed. After all, he had ties in District. Though, Tom wasn't quite sure Sarah would be willing to pull some strings to get him out of a traffic ticket. Maybe if he hadn't called her a bitch when she said she didn't want to go visit his father's grave with him on Valentine's Day…but then again, she did deserve it. Tom hadn't the slightest idea of why Sarah suddenly popped into his head but he quickly shook her from his thoughts. There was only one girl he wanted to be thinking about and he was going to stop at nothing to get to her.
The Mustang whipped around a corner and cut it a little too close. Tom's heart began to race.
"Easy there, Baby," Tom hushed her, "We got to go fast but I'll let up on you a little. The last thing we need is to crash and wind up back in the hospital, huh? Just take it easy, easy but quick. We gotta get to Judy, Baby, take me to her!" Tom thought it sounded ridiculous that he was talking to her as if she were Lassie or something but the lack of sleep and sudden overdose of adrenaline was making him a tad crazy.
After traveling the correct distance, Tom found himself coming closer to the shore. There was a lighthouse just up the way with a single light in the upstairs apartment shining brightly as if calling him to her. Suddenly the scene from Pete's Dragon entered his mind. The whole Candle on the Water song was now officially stuck in his head. Tom tried to rid his thoughts of the song (after all, he hated Pete's Dragon, always so sad when Elliot left…) but couldn't. He put the Mustang in park and yanked open the car's door. Hurriedly, Tom ran through the sand and up to the lighthouse. It was so much larger up close…well duh, Tom, he thought to himself, what exactly did you expect? There was a flight of stairs leading up to a balcony. Tom looked up and saw her standing on the balcony looking out over the ocean. Her hair was a mess and her face was streaked with misery but Tom thought she was beautiful. He always thought she was beautiful.
"Judy!" He called, "Judy!"
"Hanson?" Judy turned and saw Tom standing below the balcony, "What are you doing here?" Tom took this as his cue to run up the flight of stairs taking two at a time. Upon reaching the balcony, Tom grabbed Judy and yanked her forcefully in a hug.
After pushing her away and holding her at arm's length, Tom said, "What the hell were you thinking, leavin' like that?"
"I-I didn't want to cause you any more pain. It's my fault you were hurt, Tom. It was my fault you were shot. If I hadn't gotten myself kidnapped, none of this would have ever happened," her brown eyes were wet with tears.
"Judy, that has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Tom cocked his head to the side, disapprovingly, "You're gonna have to give me a better excuse than that!"
"Hanson," Judy sighed before sitting down on one of the steps, "I-I had to…"
"No you didn't," Tom argued, sitting down next to her, "You didn't have to leave. We can get through this, Jude. We've done it before and we'll do it still. We have to."
"But I didn't want to put you in any more danger."
"Judy," Tom laughed, "I'm a cop. Danger comes with the paycheck. And look at me, I'm fine! I just ran a whole flight of stairs just to see you!"
"Thank you," Judy spoke quietly.
"Hey," Tom put his arm around her and pulled her to him, "You're okay, we're going to be okay. I am fine, Judy. Really, I am. I got out today with a clean bill of health and Kenkrick is behind bars. It's all over."
"It will never be over, Hanson. Don't you understand?" Judy asked, her voice cracking.
"What are you talking about?" Tom asked gently, "Talk to me."
"He…he raped me, Hanson. He beat me. It was a nightmare. I haven't slept all week, I can't eat, I can't even close my eyes because each time I do, I can see him, feel him in me. Hanson, I-I just can't do this…I can't get through this."
"I'm here," Tom spoke softly, "I am here and I'm not going anywhere. What Kenkrick did was horrible. He's a monster, an animal. He deserves nothing less than death but we can't focus on him, Judy. If you keep thinking of him, you're letting him win. You got to overcome this, Judy. You have to get past this. Don't let it beat you, okay? You're better than that, you're stronger than that!"
"I don't feel like it."
"Well you are. We all know it. I mean hell, you could kick any of our asses if you wanted."
"Hey," Judy eyed him heatedly, "I did kick your ass, remember?"
"And I never got you an five dollar Diggity Dog gift card for Christmas ever again, right?"
"Right, but that didn't stop you from buying me a ten dollar one last year," Judy let a laugh escape her lips, "Thanks, Hanson."
"For?"
"For making me laugh for the first time in a long time."
"That's what I'm here for."
"I owe you one."
"Yeah you do! And you're going to pay me back tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes, tomorrow. Dough has this stupid little 'Welcome Back' party planned for me and I would like you to be there. We could double."
"Double?"
"Uh" Tom blushed, "I mean for the party. It'll be our party – both our Welcome Back, okay?"
"Okay," Judy nodded, "I think I can do that."
"You know that's going to mean you getting out of this place and coming back to Jump Street, right?"
"Tom…"
"Judy," Tom nudged her, "When will you get it through your head? I mean look at us! None of us ever thought that we'd find a place where we belong but we did. Judy, you should know this by now that you never have to stand alone and we'll never let you fall. We'll be there for you when your back is against the wall. We'll never leave you, got it?"
"I got it," Judy smiled at him, "And same goes for you, you know?"
"I know," Tom nodded, "Believe me Jude, I know."
A/N: Yucky! I am gagging on the cheesiness of this chapter. I knew it would be bad when Tom got Judy because whenever I attempt emotion, it always comes out to be a big ball of cheese. So slice it up and grab some crackers and some good red wine and enjoy because this chapter is probably the cheesiest thing you'll ever be exposed to in your life. And if you are allergic to dairy, I apologize for causing you to go into anaphylactic shock. Oh and if you were wondering, this isn't the end! There is one more chapter left (the party at Billy Ray's) so just please stick with me on this please! Thank you!