From: Lisa Klobucar <lisa@ah5.cal.msu.edu>



Begin forwarded message:

Here is the update for Another World for Friday, September 29, 1995 - some
truly memorable scenes surrounding Ryan's coma, esp. Carl's
heart-to-heart. 


* Jake and Paulina try too hard
* Gary's investigation getting nowhere; changes ahead?
* Hospital holds fundraiser, as lawsuit looms
* Vicky and Carl keep the faith at Ryan's side; Vicky dreams of a wedding


PAULINA'S DILEMMA
Jake/Paulina/Josie/Gary/Joe

     Jake comes down in his robe to find Paulina dressed and vaccuuming. 

He's disappointed that she's reluctant to make love with him.  She says
she's too upset about Rachel and Ryan to be in the mood.  He suggests it
might help to make love, to appreciate how lucky they are in the face of
all the pain around them, but she says she just can't.  Wonder why, he
says with an edge.  She claims she just needs time to adjust to his
return, but insists it's nothing to do with Joe.  Jake controls his
irritation, understands they can't go back to the way they were before -
some of which was lousy, mostly because of me - but the physical part was
never a problem for us, from day one.  She suggests maybe tonight, after
they get back from the fundraiser, they can light a fire in the fireplace
and see what develops.  He pulls a box out of his robe pocket and asks her
to open it - it's his wedding band, he'd hoped she'd put it on him at the
gala, as a public reaffirmation of their vows.  She looks touched, but
doesn't answer.  I love you, he says, then goes up to shower.  Paulina
takes Joe's love letter from the desk and rereads it, staring from the
letter in one hand to the wedding ring in the other, clearly distressed. 


     Meanwhile, Gary is so hot-to-trot for Josie that he arranges for
Justine Central Command to be located at the Frame farmhouse, even though
Josie's off-duty.  The other cops say they've searched every inch for
miles down the track, no trace of Justine's body, but Gary says keep
looking and sends them back out again.  He and Josie grope each other
briefly, then she remembers to show him the latest newspaper article - the
press found out they found a gun at the scene, at least they don't know
Rachel's prints were on it - yet. 

     Gary goes to the hospital where he runs into Joe.  He's apparently
found out in the interim that Internal Affairs is bringing in some heavy
hitter to take over the investigation since they've gotten nowhere.  Joe
says don't worry, we'll crack this case together, Ryan's like our brother,
we won't let him down.  As Gary exits, he runs into Paulina on her way in
- he grins, flashes Joe the high sign from behind Paulina's back, and
exits.  She tells Joe she was visiting Rachel, and she had to see him
because of his letter, which she produces.  He takes it from her and rips
it to pieces.  She's appalled, says it was so romantic she memorized every
word; but he says it's garbage, spilt milk, useless fantasy.  All that
matters is this moment, and what's right in front of you, he says.  He
continues, Vicky's in there with Ryan, I bet she has a list a mile long of
all the times she wishes she'd kissed him instead of gotten on his case
for one thing or another - probably praying she has one more chance to do
this...  At this point he takes her in his arms and lays a big one on her. 

She responds, then gazes into his eyes as if mesmerized; then she gets
upset and runs out.  Joe looks very pleased with himself. 

     Paulina rushes home, and meets Jake coming out the door dressed for
the gala.  He says since she's been gone all afternoon, he finally gave up
on her: the house is clean, the decorations are down, have a nice evening. 

Wait, she cries.  You know, he answers, I've waited all I'm going to wait. 

Me too, she says a little desperately - make love to me, right now.  She
slams her face into his and starts trying to suck out his tonsils. 



CASS'S CHOICE
Cass/Frankie/Laurie/John/Lorna/Courtney/Morgan/Felicia

     Frankie brings Cass's tux to Wallingford's; Cass wonders if it's such
a good idea to go to the fundraiser, what with all that's been happening. 

Frankie convinces him, supporting the hospital is their way of helping
Ryan.  They kiss, and she exits to go get ready.  Then Laurie arrives, and
tells Cass she's afraid she's about to lose it. [Oops, too late...] She
admits she hasn't been to a support group like he suggested, her case
isn't like everyone else, she didn't "lose" her child to cancer or a car
crash or a drive-by shooting - Ben had asthma, which the hospital should
have been able to treat, they took him from me and I want to make them
pay.  She begs him to take her case.  You realize I'd be suing my own
brother, says Cass.  Laurie piles on the guilt by showing him some photos
of Ben as a baby and as a happy kid - what if it was your daughter, she
pleads.  Cass is really torn. 


     Meanwhile, at the hospital, Lorna collars John and hands him the
final version of his acceptance speech for the fundraiser.  He says he
doesn't intend to waste his time accepting an award and schmoozing with
the glitterati while Ryan is at death's door.  She argues that the
hospital needs the resources from the fundraiser to maintain patient care. 

He agrees to attend the gala if she promises to keep the media hounds off
his back so he can do his job.  He exits, and Lorna breathes a sigh of
relief. 

     Elsewhere, Courtney runs into Morgan and asks if she'll see him at
the fundraiser.  He suggests she could take him, but she says she already
has a date. Oh, yeah, Morgan says with a sneer, Andrew, your "boyfriend." 

Lorna comes up to make sure he'll be at the gala, and Courtney makes a
hasty exit.  Lorna asks if they can call a truce, but Morgan is suspicious
of her motives.  Lorna admits the hospital needs him to put in an
appearance at the party, wearing the tux he looks so good in [no argument
here].  I'll be there, he says; just then, Cass appears looking serious,
he needs to talk to Morgan.  Morgan, still feeling betrayed, says Lorna
can hear whatever it is.  Cass informs them that Laurie asked him to
represent her in suing the hospital, including naming John, Courtney - and
Morgan.  I'm considering it seriously, he tells them.  Lorna tries to keep
Morgan from shooting off his mouth, but Morgan snaps that he understands
Laurie's need to blame someone, but none of them did anything wrong, go
ahead, sue your head off, have a blast, take the case.  All right, answers
Cass coldly, I will.  He exits; Morgan looks defiant, Lorna looks dismayed
at this turn of events. 

     Morgan tracks down Courtney; after some light banter, he breaks the
news about the lawsuit.  Courtney freaks out, and Morgan tries to calm
her: we did nothing wrong, and the hospital has a lawyer to fight stuff
like this.  At least you have Cass, observes Courtney.  Actually, says
Morgan, he's going to be a little busy, representing Ms. Michaels. 

Courtney can't believe Cass would sue his own brother.  I'm having trouble
with that myself, Morgan answers. 


     Lorna goes to the Harbor Club, dressed in her ball gown.  She's
carrying a dress box for Felicia, as a thank-you for talking John into
showing up and making the fundraiser happen.  Felicia opens the box, which
contains a gown Felicia calls "breath-taking."  Lorna insists she wear it
tonight, it's one-of-a-kind and beautiful, like my mother; in this dress,
she predicts, you'll knock some man's eyes right out of his head.  Unseen
by Lorna, Felicia gets a guilty look on her face. 

     Later, at the gala, John is at the door greeting incoming potential
donors.  Cass [another guy who looks great in a tux] is gazing grimly out
the window, but brightens as Frankie joins him.  Morgan and Lorna
circulate, he's a little annoyed that she has to work instead of play at
the event.  Frankie comes over to them, with Cass diplomatically a little
behind.  Morgan greets Frankie warmly, but Frankie's surprised when they
give Cass the cold shoulder.  Thought you'd prefer a "turncoat" to a tux,
Lorna snipes.  I'll help you circulate if you help me find a lawyer,
Morgan tells Lorna.  They walk away.  Frankie turns to Cass: Why does he
need a lawyer, if he has you, she asks. 

     Morgan and Lorna notice the stunning effect when Felicia appears in
the dress, a slinky silver number with spaghetti straps and a jacket she's
wearing off one shoulder.  From his post at the entrance, John notices as
well, and his eyes pop out of his head, to Felicia's pleasure. 



RYAN'S HOPE
Vicky/Ryan/Morgan/Grant/Carl/Michael/Donna/Matt

     Vicky has fallen asleep at Ryan's bedside, her head on his chest. 

She dreams they're getting married in the hospital room, which is
decorated with flowers, while "their song" plays underneath the whole
scene.  Donna and Matt enter; Morgan follows, wearing a good suit but the
his stethescope around his neck.  Grant enters, everyone glares at him,
and we hear the tape rewind as he reverses his steps back out of the room. 

Everyone smiles.  Then Jake enters and greets everyone warmly.  Vicky
enters on Michael's arm, joyous; and Ryan appears beaming beside Carl and
walks over to face Vicky.  A voice says: "Victoria, do you take Ryan as
your lawfully wedded husband?"  Yes, yes, yes, she laughs, I do, and it's
about time!  "And do you, Ryan Harrison..." the voice continues.  Yes,
yes, of course, he interrupts with his gorgeous smile, 'Til death do us
part.  "Congratulations," says the voice, "you may kiss the bride."  Just
as their lips are about to meet, she wakes up and sees that Ryan is still
unconscious, on the respirator.  You'd better wake up, Harrison, she
whispers, there's no way I'm letting you out of marrying me.  She sits
beside him, stroking him and talking non-stop about the happy times
they've had together.  Morgan enters and says they're taking Ryan for more
tests, they'd like to take him off the ventilator.  Vicky thinks it's a
good sign he's improving, although Morgan still looks grim.  She follows
him out into the lobby and asks if Ryan can subconsciously understand what
she says to him.  Grant, hovering nearby, overhears as Morgan says he
believes Ryan can hear her, but since there's no response they can't
really be sure. 

     Later, Carl encounters Grant curled up on the couch in the hospital
lobby.  Not now, Ryan may be dying, says Grant irritably, then he starts
sobbing.  Carl gives him a hanky - keep it, he says [for obvious reasons]. 

Grant asks about Rachel; Carl says she still has no memory of the events
on the trestle.  She's better off, says Grant, if she saw Ryan get shot -
it's a memory I wouldn't want to live with [note irony].  Carl is
surprised at Grant's show of grief, suspects Ryan wouldn't believe it
either.  Some people might feel sympathy for your obvious suffering, says
Carl, but I won't be sucked in; Ryan in his generosity gave you every
chance to join him in stopping Justine before anyone else got hurt - by
protecting her for so long, you're just as guilty as if you'd pulled the
trigger yourself, he observes coldly [note additional irony].  He exits,
as Grant sits and sniffles. 

     Still later, Grant is still moping in a chair in the lobby.  He's
disturbed by two boys squabbling over a ball.  Their mother scolds them
and hustles them away.  Grant flashes back (audio only) to a similar
squabble between him and Ryan when they were kids: Give it back or I won't
be your brother anymore, says young Grant.  You'll always be my brother,
Grant, says young Ryan.  [Does that just rip your heart out, or what??]

     Speaking of heart-ripping...  Carl strides around Ryan's room,
ranting about Grant's too-little-too-late phony remorse, he could have
easily prevented Justine from sacrificing you.  He's grateful for the
machines that are keeping Ryan's heart beating - "the kindest heart that
ever beat in a man's chest" - then he lays his hands firmly on Ryan's
chest as if to will him to recover.  He grasps and caresses Ryan's hand,
and wishes he could go back in time to when Ryan was a baby - despite my
flaws as a human being, he says, I'd have been a wonderful father, it
would have been such fun teaching you to walk, to ride a bike - but we
never had the chance.  Instead we met as wary adults; but with grace, and
a bloody terrific sense of humor, you accepted me into your life and,
gradually, into your heart as your father.  He weeps as he confesses, "I
was never happier, *never* happier, than when you called me - 'Dad.'"  I
admire you, he continues, you're a model of goodness for my entire life. 

He begins to wail, this is wrong, this is so wrong!  He pleads to the
heavens, if a life must be taken, take mine - I demand it...  He collapses
in sobs over Ryan's chest. 


     Meanwhile, in the lobby, Michael tries to talk Vicky into getting
released and going home to rest.  Vicky says it's Michael who should be
home in bed, she "can only worry about one man I love more than life
itself at a time."  Nearby, Matt is trying to talk Donna into attending
the fundraiser as planned, but she's reluctant.  Vicky says Ryan would
want her to go and be dazzling, "he loves it that you're such a hot
ticket."  Besides, she adds, the hospital needs the money and you're both
loaded; and I need to spend this time with Ryan alone, so go home and drop
Michael off on your way.  They agree, and exit. 

     Carl emerges from Ryan's room, drained; he sees Vicky, and they
embrace.  He apologizes for bringing all this suffering down on them, but
Vicky says nonsense, Ryan's off the ventilator, breathing on his own now,
he'll be fine.  Carl ushers her back into the room; outside the door, he
looks less hopeful. 

     Vicky playfully scolds Ryan for keeping more secrets, pulling out of
her pocket some letters he's received from grateful citizens (mostly
women) whose lives he's touched over the years: a teacher whose third
grade class he visited; a pregnant woman he'd rescued from an abusive
relationship, in time to save her baby's life (who she named after Ryan,
photo enclosed) - she has a new life now, and it's her family's turn to
pray for Ryan.  He'd told her, the letter said, how much he'd wanted to
have his own kids someday - no one could be a better father... 

     Vicky apologizes to Ryan for their last argument, she got through all
the danger by thinking about getting back to him, anticipating holding
hands, making out on the couch...  She says I don't think I can take much
more of this, please get mad at me, tell me you hate me - only please,
just don't leave me...  As she gazes at his face - he slowly opens his
eyes and looks at her.  Ryan! she gasps.  FREEZE FRAME. 




Hope I didn't leave out anything important...

Vicky (vkorosei@sinclair.edu)


