A/N: I don't own Instant Star. Reviews are always welcome.
Episode 22 – Carve Your Heart
Part 1
(Early the next morning) Tommy shifted in his chair shifting Jude who accidentally elbowed Tommy in the eye. "Ow!" he yelled instantly waking Jude who was now a tangled heap of limbs and blanket on the ground. Jude sat there stunned while Tommy rubbed his eye and both started laughing at the ridiculousness of their situation. Tommy was stretching his limbs and yawning as Jude got up to go to the door and was about turn the handle.
Part 2
"Tommy, the door's locked," I said. He immediately made a move to the door and forcibly tried to open it. After a few moments of indignant puffing he gave up. "No one comes to work on a Saturday anymore?" he said. "Tommy you forget how lax it is here; I mean come on I'm the boss, remember?" I said. "What are we going to do?" I said with a hint of panic in my voice. "You make it sound like I'm the last person you'd want to be locked in a room with" he said in a hurt tone. "Tommy we have so many issues and our history; it's complicated" I said. Tommy walked over to the far side of the conference table and sat down. "Fine, I'll sit here on the complicated side of the room and you can stay over there where it's nice and uncomplicated" he said sarcastically while crossing his arms and burning a hole in the wall with his gaze.
Part 3
Georgia sat in her kitchen nursing a mug of coffee. "Was it really a good idea to lock the two of them up in the conference room," she thought to herself. "I only see three possible outcomes…" said the person sitting across from her. "Yeah, they'll either a) kill each other and we'll find their mangled bodies, b) they'll realize it's over and be done with it, or c) work it out" said the other person at the kitchen table. "Well I for one am pulling for the last one" said Georgia to Kwest and E.J.
Part 4
"You're seriously going to sit there and ignore me for the rest of the day!" I said incredulously. Tommy ignored me in answer. I was so frustrated and the coffee withdrawal I was feeling was starting to get to me that I grabbed one of the chairs and hurled it at the glass windows as hard as I could in desperation. Not even a scratch on them. "While you were on your pleasure trip to the big apple, Georgia had the old windows replaced with shatter and sound proof glass; apparently our constant bickering was a distraction to the rest of the people here" he said smirking. "Besides, don't you think I would have thought of that" he said. "God I wanted to wipe the grin off his face with a burning passion" I thought to myself. "But violence is such a male concept and I had a much better way of getting back at him" I thought. "I don't know Tommy, I seem to recall that you not thinking is the reason that we're in this precarious situation right now." I said in my calmest voice. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!" he said. I could see his shoulders stiffening and saw a vein starting to bulge. If it was a cartoon I would have sworn smoke was emanating from his ears and he was turning bright red. "Take it any way you want" I said uncaring. "FINE. LET'S TALK!" he said angrily slamming his fists on the table.
Part 5
"That night I was with Portia…" Tommy said. A look of pain ran fleetingly across Jude's face before she was able to mask it with indifference, but Tommy noticed and it was difficult for him to continue. "The doctor told me it was a long shot for you to ever wake up. He started talking about whether or not you had made arrangements about what to do if you were unable to make a decision about…Jude he was asking me if you had made plans about pulling the plug. I was so enraged I almost slugged him. All I could do was get out of there and drove home as fast as I could. When I got home Portia was there and she was upset because Shay had left rehab early again without telling anyone his whereabouts or whether or not he was even okay. We were both in so much pain, but what happened next there was no comfort. It was done in an act of perfect despair. In the end the two of us were even worse off than before. We had both betrayed you. She was like a sister to you, a mentor. She was the one that didn't want to tell anyone, although I take the blame that I agreed to keep it between the two of us; she knew what it would do to you if you ever came out of it. All I can do is apologize to you everyday for the rest of my life if I have to. If I could I would take it back in a heart beat" he said in frustration. "But I can't. I know that" he said agonized. "Jude if you can't forgive me, then there's no point to anything…" he said in a pained voice. Jude sat there trying to take in everything he had said and didn't say.
Part 6
Tommy couldn't hold back his tears anymore and they came out in a great flood. Great heaving breaths were coming from his chest while he cradled his head in his hands. I looked up at him and slowly walked over towards him. I hugged his head towards my chest and he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Jude I'm so sorry, I'm sorry" he kept repeating between sobs. "I know Tommy, I know" I said.
Part 7
Georgia released Tommy and Jude from their jail time. Neither seemed to listen to the well thought out excuse it had taken she, Kwest, & E.J. hours to come up with. Tommy and Jude looked like they had both been run over by a truck albeit an emotional one. Jude didn't want to return to the house, so she drove back to the apartment she shared with the boys. Tommy called Kwest to pick him up; he still hadn't gone around to buying a new car or finding a new place to live in since he had left Jude the house. Tommy was sitting on the curb when Kwest pulled up. "Hey man why weren't you answering your phone?" Kwest said. "Battery died" Tommy said. Kwest was about to say 'you look like hell', but decided against it. Tommy pulled open the door, got in, and they drove on in silence.
Part 8
"Tommy's apology wasn't what I expected," I thought to herself. "I'm not really sure what I expected, but it wasn't that" I said. After Tommy's cry both didn't really know what to say to each other. It was awkward to say the least. But they were both spared the pain of breaking the silence when Georgia found them in the conference room. I didn't quite remember why she said she was there, but was grateful for the interruption. "He said he was sorry. I acknowledged that I knew he was sorry. He didn't ask for forgiveness. And I didn't give it. Knowing why it happened doesn't make me feel better nor change the fact that it happened. Had anything really changed besides having to relive what happened that night? Can I trust him? Can I forgive him? Where do we go from here?" she groaned as she pulled up to the apartment.
Part 9
Georgia didn't know what to make of Tommy and Jude. They were polite and cordial to one another. Things were definitely off kilter. She desperately waned to find out what happened in the conference room. Both seemed like they had given up. Kwest and E.J. were dumbfounded as well. "Guess our intervention didn't help much," said E.J. "At least I don't have to play referee anymore," Kwest said. "You miss it don't you," said E.J. chewing on her lip. "Yeah" Kwest said. "Me too" said E.J.