Let Me Take Your Hand, I'll Make It Right

Cut from Part 1 -- an alternate ending

Julie coughed nearly three times on her way down to the studio. She had to take a pause near the studio doors, taking a few deep, slow breaths to ease the burn in her lungs. She was still bent over, hands on her knees, when Reggie walked out to her.

"Julie? Julie, you're not supposed to be walking this far. C'mon let's get you back to the house."

Julie accepted Reggie's help in righting herself, but she shook her head. "No. I came all the way here."

"Oh ... Oh. Okay, let's get you inside."

"I can walk," Julie tried to protest, head spinning for a second as Reggie swept her off her feet.

"You've walked enough. Can you even tell if my eyes are open or closed?"

Julie squinted at him. "Stop moving your head so fast."

Reggie shook his head and turned back to the garage. "I thought as much."

When Alex caught sight of her, his reaction was pretty much the same as Reggie's.

"Julie, you know you shouldn't be walking so much. Dr Alonso specifically told you."

"I know," Julie said, half leaning against Reggie once he set her down again. "I know but..."

Reggie and Alex followed Julie's gaze up to the loft when she tilted her head in that direction.

"Oh," Alex said softly, in almost the exact same tone Reggie had used. "Okay. Reggie and I are gonna go find your dad and Flynn okay? H-how long do you want us to take?"

Julie thought about it, wondering just how selfish she'd be called for it. "An hour?"

"An hour?!" Reggie whispered. "That's it? No. No no no no no. I'm not going. I - I'm not."

"Reg, I can't look for them myself. Willie's already looking out for Carlos and he's hiding from Caleb. I can't ask him to parade around with me."

Reggie stared at Julie.

"I'll be fine. I promise. I'll be okay. It's just Luke."

Reluctantly, Reggie stepped out of the studio behind Alex.

"An hour?" he asked softly. "It can't- we can't leave her alone for an hour. What if he won't look at her?"

"He will," Alex said. "He won't be able to live with himself if he doesn't talk to her."

Back inside, Julie began the slow climb up to the loft. She was breathless when she reached the top.

"Hey."

Luke didn't turn around, but Julie could hear his pencil scratching in the notebook. Julie leaned against the handrail, gripping the wood tight.

"Luke, ignoring me isn't going to fix everything. It's not gonna make you feel better. Trust me."

Luke stood up quickly, the notebook and pencil clattering on the floor as he whirled around and shouted, "It's not fair!"

Julie would have been started if she wasn't expecting it. Instead, she smiled sadly. "I know it isn't."

Luke struggled for something to say. Eventually, his gaze settled on Julie's bushier-than-normal hair. "You look like a mess," he blurted.