From: Riley <LMT94002@uconnvm.uconn.edu>

Update 10/4/96

Storyline:  Masquerade

Hotel lobby.  Joc, followed by Alex, Ally, and Tony interrupt the
manager sayign it is an emergency.  alex says they are looking for two
people.  The manager says if they give him the names, he'll call them up.
Alex just wants the room number.  The manager can't give that out.  "Sir,
my brother is in one of your rooms with a psychopathic killer, so please
don't talk to me about hotel policy."  The manager asks her to keep her
voice down.  "Give me the room number, please, right now!", Joc yells.
The manager asks her again to keep her voice down and thanks her.

In the room.  Danny is struggling while Sandra is lying on his shoulder.
"Don't, Sweetheart.  It won't do you any good.  Just rest."  Danny stops
struggling.  Sandra says that's better.  She remarks that it's so quiet,
so peaceful.  She tells him that's the way it's going to be from now on.
Danny closes his eyes.  "Forever," she says.  "Sleep, Sweetheart."

The front desk.  Joc thanks Alex for thanking to call Det. Dolan, she
doesn't know why it didn't occur to her.  Alex tells her it's because
she's getting a little emotional.  Joc says she shouldn't have lost it,
she could have blown the whole thing.  Alex tells her to calm down.
She can't.  Ally walks up and hugs Joc.  She reassures Joc that Danny
will be fine.  The manager gets off the phone and tells them the police
will be there asap.  Alex needs the room number.  The manager needs the
names.  Molly Mallone, Sandra Carlson, Danny Roberts.  None come up in
the computer.  Tony pulls out a picture of the two fo them.  The
bellhop recognizes them, saying they are newlyweds.  He sent some wine
up to them.  Alex says they aren't married.  The bellhop showed the girl
to the room himself and she couldn't stop talking about her new husband.
Alex asks him to take them to the room.  They leave.

In the hallway in front of the room.  A guy delivering room service
pushes a cart up to the door.  He lights a candle in front of the door.
Inside the room, shot of the duct and the towel stuffed under the door.
It moves to Molly and Danny lying on the bed.

The hallway.  The room service guy is about to knock, but he is pushed
aside by Alex and Co. trying to get at the tdoor.  Sandra hears the
commotion and moves.  Danny is out cold.  The bellhop is fumbling with
the key.  Ally says she smells gas.  They see the candles and blow them
out.  Joc yells for Sandra to open the door.  Sandra slips out the
window.  Joc sees Danny on the bed and runs to him after Alex breaks the
door in.

They are trying to untie Danny's limp body.  Alex tells Tony to cut
the gas.  Joc says he won't wake up.  Ally goes to the window.  She
calls Tony over and says there's a fire escape that leads to the roof.
Alex asks Tony to give him a hand.  They get him into the hallway.  Joc
keeps taking his face and asking him to wake up.

Alex says he has a pulse and his color looks good.  Joc wants to know
why he won't wake up.  Ally tells her he will.  Tony comes back and says
the ambulance is on its way.  Joc says to Danny that he has to be okay
because he's her big brother and she has no intention of going through
life without a brother to take care of her.  Danny starts coughing and
wakes up.  "Molly's crazy," he says in between coughs.  Joc tells him to
take it easy.  Alex and Tony are going to the roof to find Molly.  Ally
is following them, then comes back.  The EMT's arrive and Ally directs
them to Danny, who is still coughing violently.  Joc goes after Alex and
Tony.

On the roof.  There is a garden on the room with a lot of greenery.
Alex and Tony walk along the wall and through a doorway to the rest of
the roof.  They split up, each taking a side.  Joc shows up and Sandra
sees her.  She goes up to Joc and says, "Hey, Joc.  Long time, no see."
Joc just stares at her.

Storyline:  In the homestretch?

Nick is listening to his song on the radio.  When it ends, he turns it
off.  Lorraine walks in.  How come she's not working?  She says even a
bartender gets a lunch break.  He asks when she's going to take it.  She
hands him a container and tells him it's Shrimp Creole, today's special.
He says that's her special.  She says she hates to say it, but this is
almost as good.  That's impossible, he says.  She said almost.  They
could have it for dinner.  Great, Nick says, unenthusiastic.  She says
they can have something else.  No, that's fine, Nick tells her.  She
puts it in the refrigerator.  She sees his sandwich in there.  She says
he hasn't touched it.  He will, he says.  He will.  He's fine.  She asks
him to talk to her.  What does she want to talk about?  "You feel worse,"
she states more than asks.

Lorraine will feel better when Nick tells her how he's really feeling.
He already tell her.  She tells him not to tell her he's fine.  Nick
jokes, "Okay, I feel rotten.  Never worse."  Lorraine is not amused.  He
tells her not to go off the deep end every time he skips lunch.  Lorraine
yells that it isn't lunch.  Nick doesn't look well.  He is pale.  Nick
says he just got out of the hospital.  Lorraine says that's where he
should be.  "Never."  No hospitals.  Lorraine yells that he is so
stubborn.  Does she want to help him?  Lorraine asks why she should help
him if he won't help himself.  Nick asks her to calm down.  She's going
to give him a liver... Lorraine is sorry.  She tells him that every
moment is precious.  Nick wants to know what happened to the lady that
said he was going to beat this thing.  Lorraine says she turned into a
frightened little girl.  Nick tells her not to be frightened.  He's not
going anyway.  Neither is Lorraine.  Nick might let her stick around, if
she stops seeing doom in every uneaten sandwich.  She agrees, but reminds
him that he needs to be careful and needs to slow down.  Nick didn't
spring himself from the hospital to come home to a nurse.  Lorraine says
what he needs is a keeper.  Nick thinks thinks that's a good idea, but
it depends on how he's being kept.  Lorraine is still not amused.  Nick
says she is, but just doesn't want to show him.  Whatever he says,
Lorraine doens't know how he can top showing up to a party wearing
nother but a guitar.  Nick suggests a violin.  There is something he has
wanted to do for a long time.  What big bad boy thing is he talking
about?  He's just thinking big, bad thoughts.

What does Lorraine think.  "Darling, you've lost your mind."  But, other
than that?  Lorraine says she thinks they should go.  In a minute, Nick
says.  Nick goes to the wall with a marker.  They are in Syd's apt.
Maria always had a soft spot for him.  Lorraine thinks he's got a soft
spot in his head.  She wants to go.  He tells her that art lovers all
over the world will thank him for this.  It'll have to be during visiting
hours because Sydney will throw his butt into jail.  Nick says she can't
do anything more to him, to him or for him.  Finished, Nick says.  "In
more ways than one," Lorraine says.  Nick is famished.  What's for
dinner?  Dinner is downstairs, remember?  So is lunch.  Nick will eat
them both, will that make her happy?  No.  Will this?, Nick asks as he
kisser her nick.  No.  He kisses her ont he other side of the neck.  No.
He can't do any better with four Sydney's looking at him.  They leave.
The artwork is shown with a mustache and beard frawn on one of the
panels.

Storyline:  A difficult request

Richard is in Syd's office.  He would like her to do something for Nick.
It's his idea.  nick doesn't know anything abou tit.  She doesn't really
care whose idea it is, Richard can't go around throwing her out of his
life one minute and then asking her for favors the next.  Richard says
that's all fine and good, but it isn't about the two of them, it's about
Nick.  Syd owes Nick this.  Syd says she doesn't owe Nick anything, Nick
or anyone else for that matter.  Wouldn't she say that she owes him a
father, Richard asks.  Unless something's done pretty quickly, Richard
won't have one.  Syd is in a position that she could save his life.

Syd thinks Richard is confusing her with Mother Theresa.  Richard knows
who she is.  She kows, someone he wants absolutely nothing to do with.
He has no desire to make this into a personal thing.  Syd forgot.  They
once knew each other.  Richard says that Nick needs a transplant.  Syd
knows.  She offered to help, but Nick refused.  Richard tells her some-
thing she doesn't know:  the doctors have made him the lowest on the
priority list because he's a bad surgical risk.  Bad or hopeless?, Syd
asks.  Doctors says the latter, but Richard doesn't believe it's hopeless
He can't.  Syd says he has certainly gotten attached to Nick.  Richard
doesn't want to make this personal.  Syd says they'll keep it business
then.  What does he want her to do?  What she does best--write out a
check.  And that is supposed to make Nick's chances better?  Richard says
the point is that Nick will go to the top of th list and may be able to
get his transplant.  He asks her one more time, even saying please.

So, if Nick gets moved to the top of the list, someone else would get
knocked off, Syd says.  Richard supposed.  What happens to that someone
else?, Syd asks.  "Nick has just as much right to live as anyone."  But
a lot less chance, Syd reminds him.  That's what Richard is asking.  He's
asking for Syd to give him that chance.  To play God, Syd says.  Richard
asks why not, she knows the lines.  Syd says"when you ask someone a favor
it's a good idea not to be quite so flip."  Richard says she's pulled
the strings before, "like getting rid of an inconvenient kid, for
instance."  Syd just looks at him.  He's sorry.  No, he's not, Syd says.
She's right, he's not sorry.  But at least he's honest, Syd says.  What's
it going to be, yes or no?, he asks.  Richard is asking Syd to use her
money to do something that is at the very least, unethical, and she is
assuming that she is his court of last appeal.  He says yes.  More
honesty, she says.  As much as she'd like, he says.  She tells him not
to scare her.  Syd will ask him what she'd ask in any business deal:
what's in it for her?

Syd is waiting for an answer.  Not the one she wants, which is if she
does this for Nick, she'll get her son back.  Not now, maybe never.
Syd guesses that they ahve a little problem then.  Richard wants to know
why everythign always has to have something in it for Syd.  Syd's not
Mother Theresa.  Richard says Mother Theresa must get a lot of satis-
faction out of helping people.  Maybe Syd should try it sometime.  Syd
gave at the office.  Richard calls her the original Ice Princess.
Richard would think after all the bad things she's done, she would jump
at the chance to do something right for a change.  Why should she change
now?  She feels nothing for Nick at all?, Richard asks.  How could she,
he thinks she has no feelings, Syd says.  Richard says she must have a
tiny one in there somewhere.  Syd will send out a search party.  Syd
realizes that it must have been hard for him to ask for his.  Piece of
cake, he says.  Syd says he must have a tiny bit of feeling for her.
He'll send out a search party.  Syd tells him not to bother.  Richard
relents.  "There still might be something between you and me.  Love?  I
don't know.  Something, but it's going to take me a while to get back
there."  He tells her that she made a lot of choices about him, all of
them for her own benefit, not his.  He's offering her the chance to do
the right thing this time, to give him back the father she took away.
Richard leaves.  Syd calls the hospital, to talk to Dr. Arnold.  She
would like to ask him a few questions.

##################################################
"THE CHEAPNESS OF WRITING PAPER IS, OF COURSE, THE
REASON WHY WOMEN HAVE SUCCEEDED AS WRITERS BEFORE
THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED IN THE OTHER PROFESSIONS."
                         -VIRGINIA WOOLF,
                          PROFESSIONS FOR WOMEN

LISA MARIE TURCOTTE (RILEY)
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
STORRS, CT 06269
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