From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1997

HIGHLIGHTS:
* Cassie has a heart-to-Hart.
* Buzz hates his returning memories, but defends Jenna from Nola.
* Michelle puts up a good front for her visitors, but fears the worst.
* Dinah asks Blake to help with Hart's party; Blake's agenda differs.
* Levy announces that Ski & his pals are singing about Jack Blue.
* J announces that he's leaving town.

COMPANY: Cassie apologizes to Hart for being snippy to him earlier. 
She realizes that he has been really a good friend to her & the 
Lewises. She mentions that she came by to pick up some things she had 
left at the boardinghouse, and she was very happy to see him. She 
wonders if his offer for everyone to stay at the farm still stands.

FIREHOUSE: Buzz looks though some items in a box, but seems frustrated 
by what he finds. Jenna doesn't want to leave him alone when he seems 
so upset. She knows how hard it must be to have all his memories 
flooding back. Buzz is distressed by his memories of hating the diner 
& winning the Silver Star for shooting a fellow GI. He hasn't 
remembered it all, but he's remembered enough to think that maybe he 
fell down the stairs in a deliberate attempt to blot out those 
memories. Jenna tells him angrily that if that's all there was to his 
life, she wouldn't be with him now.

CEDARS: Jesse sits with Michelle while Rick waits outside her room 
with Abby, worrying. Phillip & Harley arrive with flowers. Rick admits 
that no one knows if Michelle will get her sight back.

Jesse kisses Michelle, who realizes that he hasn't left her room since 
she got out of surgery. She wants him to go get some fresh air & food, 
but he refuses to leave. He tells her that Dr. Copland, the eye 
surgeon, wants to talk to her before he removes her bandages. Jesse 
like the doctor, because he answered all Jesse's questions without 
talking down to him. Michelle is sure that when the bandages come off, 
she'll be able to see again & they will have a wonderful Christmas. 
Then she starts crying. Jesse hugs her & says it's OK to be scared.

Out in the hall, Rick says he's tired of feeling so helpless. Phillip 
asks about Ed. Rick says after the surgery, he broke down in a way 
Rick had never seen before. Phillip & Harley are supportive. Abby 
encourages Rick to be optimistic. Rick berates himself for the way he 
tried to keep Jesse & Michelle apart. Phillip says it's water under 
the bridge.

Nola shows up & Harley makes a snide comment. [Nola is entitled to 
visit her niece, I should think!] Nola asks how Michelle is doing.

Jesse tells Michelle she doesn't have to pretend with him. She cries 
because all the presents she got for Rick & Abby burned up in the 
fire. Jesse promises to take care of everything. All the visitors come 
in, including Cousin J. Michelle acts brave & asks J about his 
photography & he says he's got an offer for a job as a photographer's 
assistant in California. Michelle thinks she should go for it, but 
Nola seems concerned. J says he might want to stick around 
Springfield, but Michelle tells him not to stay on her account. Matt & 
Vanessa arrive & sit down to talk with Michelle.

In the other end of the room, J & Nola discuss his potential move. She 
thinks it sounds like a wonderful opportunity. J seems doubtful about 
leaving Nola, especially with the "Buzz thing." Nola says that will 
work out just fine.

MARLER HOUSE: Dinah knocks & waits by the door impatiently. She's less 
than pleased when Blake answers the door & tells her Ross isn't there. 
Dinah says it's very important that she talk to him. She asks if he & 
Blake will be at Hart's party tonight. Blake wouldn't miss it, but 
she's not sure Ross can make it because he's so busy. Blake tells 
Dinah not to take it personally & can see that Dinah is upset about 
something. Blake offers to listen, but Dinah knows Blake isn't rooting 
for things to work out for her & Hart. Blake says it would be 
different if she thought Dinah really loved Hart, but the way she sees 
it, Dinah's just trying to hold onto Hart like a possession. Dinah 
feels this is unfair, but Blake points out that Dinah got a lot more 
interested in Hart when another woman entered the picture. Dinah 
promises that Cassie will be out of the picture by tonight.

COMPANY: Hart reminds Cassie that she turned him down flat on his 
offer of a place to stay. She says she's never been one to rely on 
other people; she likes to dig her own way out of her troubles. But 
the fire has put things into perspective for her. She's been through a 
lot lately. Hart says she lost everything in the fire. Cassie reminds 
him that she still has Tammy & Reva & the whole Lewis clan. Hart is 
amazed that Cassie knows exactly what's important in life. He admires 
the way she can laugh at her troubles. She asks if she & Tammy can 
stay at his house. "I would like that," Hart replies.

MARLER HOUSE: Blake asks what Dinah has planned. Nothing, says Dinah. 
She just wants the party to be wonderful & asks Blake to help, for 
Hart. Blake agrees. Dinah asks her to keep Hart away from the farm 
while she sets up for the party. And get Ross to come. Blake promises 
to do her best. But she can't promise Ross will stay for long. Dinah 
isn't satisfied. She has a really special surprise for Hart at the end 
of the night & she needs everyone to be there. Blake says she'll try. 
Dinah thanks her & says maybe by the end of the night, Blake will see 
that Dinah & Hart do belong together. Dinah leaves & Blake decides 
Dinah is definitely up to something. And if it's anything that might 
hurt Hart, Blake won't let her get away with it.

FIREHOUSE: Jenna says that Buzz's life may not have been a fairy tale, 
but neither is anyone else's. Buzz says there's no excuse for the 
things he did. Jenna tries to make excuses for him, but he's not 
buying. She says she loves him & his children adore him, which must 
mean something. Buzz says the only thing he's good at is conning 
people. Jenna says that's one of the things that makes him so much 
fun. But he didn't con her into loving him.

Buzz has a feeling he drove Jenna into Jeffrey's arms somehow. No 
wonder Jeffrey was one of the first things he remembered. He hates 
that he drove Jenna to him. She hugs him.

CEDARS: Harley takes Nola into the hall & says she really doesn't want 
to get into it with her right now, but she'd just like to know what it 
will take for Nola to back off from Buzz. Nola says she won't back 
off. She knows that Buzz will be devastated when he hears the truth 
about the baby, and she intends to be there to pick up the pieces. She 
heads back into Michelle's room to say good-bye, leaving Harley 
seething in the hall.

Nola promises to call Michelle later. J says good-bye too. Matt & 
Vanessa wish Michelle well & promise to come back later. 

Out in the hall, Van wishes Maureen were there. Michelle is trying so 
hard to be brave. Michael comes by & Matt suggests he wait to see 
Michelle, since so many people are in her room right now. [Yeah, but 
half of them just left!] Matt invites Michael to join them for lunch. 
Michael morosely admits that he has nothing better to do. Vanessa 
promises him that she has some good ideas for him.

Back in Michelle's room, Michelle regales all & sundry with her tale 
of finding Phillip in the kitchen in nary but a towel. They joke about 
whose refrigerator is best to raid; the consensus is that Meta's 
leftovers are preferable to Spaulding caviar or the green slime living 
in Harley's fridge. 

Levy arrives & Rick goes out into the hall with him. Levy wants to 
talk to Michelle & Abby regarding the fire. He intends to throw the 
book at the arsonists, who are being questioned right now. He informs 
Rick that the boys were apparently incited by Jesse's dad. Jesse comes 
into the hall in time to hear his dad's name.

Jesse asks what his dad did. Levy says they're not really sure yet. 
Jesse says if Levy doesn't fill him in, he'll go down to the jail & 
pound it out of Ski & his pals. Levy says Jack made Ski & the boys 
feel like if the law couldn't take care of Abby, then they should do 
it themselves. Jesse is incensed, but Levy tells him to relax. Levy 
goes off to answer a page & Rick tries to calm Jesse down. Jesse wants 
revenge, but Rick says he has to break the cycle. He tells Jesse to 
think about what Michelle would want him to do.

Back in Michelle's room, Phillip announces that he loves Harley, just 
as Lillian walks in.

COMPANY: At the bar, Drew's on the phone, telling someone she can't 
make it tonight because she's taking a friend out for his last night 
in town. She promises that she's "safe," whatever that means.

Over at their table, Hart talks about how beautiful the farm is at 
Xmas. Cassie thinks maybe Hart should talk to Dinah about inviting 
them over. Hart says it's no problem; he'll just pack a bag & go stay 
in the penthouse with Dinah. Cassie gets flustered when she realizes 
that Hart will be staying with Dinah. Hart tries to defend Dinah as 
being different than how Cassie sees her. Cassie rethinks the idea of 
staying at the farm, saying Josh probably has something lined up 
anyway. [Yeah, like what were they doing in a hotel at all? Isn't 
there tons of room at Vanessa's old house? No one lives there anymore 
except Bill!] Cassie runs out to get her stuff from the boardinghouse.

Hart remembers his conversation with Vanessa, where she told him how 
much Dinah needed him. He leaves some money for the check, just as 
Dinah arrives. She thinks he looks very serious. He says he wants to 
talk to her about something.

They sit down at a table & Hart says he'd like to go away with her so 
they can reconnect. He wants to go tonight. Dinah says they can't go 
tonight. She says she planned something for his birthday already, so 
they have to wait for tomorrow. She promises that it's just a nice 
quiet dinner for the two of them. As she leaves, she smiles, thinking 
about his reaction when he finds out the real surprise.

LEWIS OIL: Cassie arrives, carrying a carton. Wanda is surprised to 
see her. Cassie says she needs to focus on something. Wanda is 
sympathetic about all they lost in the fire. "Even things you didn't 
really have," comments Cassie cryptically. Wanda fills Cassie in on 
some work-related stuff, then runs off on an errand.

Blake arrives & tells Cassie how sorry she is about the fire. She then 
tells Cassie that she thinks Hart would be a whole lot happier with 
her than with Dinah. Cassie says Hart & Dinah are happily engaged. 
"Engaged, yes. Happily, no," replies Blake. Cassie doesn't want to 
have this conversation. Blake promises to leave if Cassie can say that 
she doesn't care about Hart.

FIREHOUSE: Jenna says Jeffrey doesn't matter. She wishes she had never 
left Buzz in the first place. Buzz feels like he hurt Jenna in the 
past & he wishes he could take it back. Jenna can tell that the fire 
has brought back a lot of painful memories for Buzz. She thinks those 
memories will go back into perspective for Buzz with time. Just then, 
Coop cries from upstairs. Buzz says they have their children too. 
Jenna agrees; then goes up to tend to Coop.

Nola shows up at the door & says she came by to make sure Buzz was OK. 
He says he's getting more memories back, but they're not all happy. 
Nola says this is why she felt she had to be honest with Buzz from the 
start. As Jenna comes downstairs, she pointedly says that she couldn't 
look him in the eye with him remembering things, if she had kept 
something from him. 

Jenna hands Coop to Buzz & tells Nola it's not really a good time for 
a visit. Nola thinks they must be ecstatic that Buzz is remembering 
things. Jenna says yes, but repeats that it's not a good time. Nola 
comments on how Buzz didn't even know he had another son for 2 years. 
Buzz says he knows all about that because Jenna told him. Nola thinks 
it's good that Jenna has been honest with him, because the truth 
always comes out eventually. Buzz asks suspiciously what Nola is 
doing. He asks why she seems determined to convince him that Jenna is 
keeping something from him. He says there is no way Jenna would do 
that & suggests that Nola apologizes to Jenna. [All through this, the 
annoying child who plays Coop keeps saying "Mommy, mommy, mommy." Send 
him back to Mrs. Popoff's until he SORASes into a little kid who can 
follow stage directions!] Nola seems truly contrite, or at least 
abashed because Buzz seems truly connected with Jenna now. Buzz shows 
Nola the door & she leaves. 

Buzz says Jenna shouldn't have to put up with stuff like that from 
Nola. Jenna is truly touched to hear Buzz defend her that way. Buzz is 
tired of all the lies. He wants to make a fresh start. Jenna hugs him 
& says she wants that for all of them & their little boy. Buzz is 
thrilled when he realizes Jenna is pregnant with a boy. She leaves to 
go to work & promises to see them later at the farm. Outside the door, 
she sighs, "Oh boy."

LEWIS OIL: Blake repeats her challenge to Cassie: say you don't care 
about Hart & I'll leave. Cassie says she spoke with Hart earlier & he 
made it very clear that he's committed to Dinah. Blake says Hart has 
practically admitted that he doesn't love Dinah. He doesn't love her 
the way he used to. She doesn't know why he hasn't broken up with her 
yet. Maybe it has something to do with the party she's throwing for 
him tonight. Cassie mentions that she was invited, but even though she 
said she would go, she can't. Blake pleads with Cassie to come to the 
party, to show Hart that she hasn't given up on him yet.

CEDARS: Phillip joins Lillian in the hall. He's sorry about what she 
just heard. Lillian understands; Phillip is divorced from Beth. 
Because she wanted it, adds Phillip. He thinks it would be best if 
Beth stay with Lillian for the rest of the time she's in town. Lillian 
would love that, but Beth feels Lizzie needs her. Phillip says Lizzie 
is fine now, but it's starting to get a little uncomfortable. Lillian 
wonders if that means there are still unresolved feelings between 
Phillip & Beth. He sidesteps this issue & urges Lillian to get Beth to 
stay with her, if she wants what's best for everyone. Lillian smiles & 
agrees. Harley & Abby join them. Harley says Michelle is really worn 
out. Abby goes with Lillian to read stories in Pediatrics.

In Michelle's room, Rick tells Michelle he'll let her rest now. She 
begs him not to go. She says she knows the truth--she may never regain 
her sight. She wants him to make her a promise.

LEWIS OIL: Blake just cares about Hart's happiness. And she can tell 
how much he likes Cassie. She urges Cassie to listen to her heart. 
Cassie feels she'll regret it if she doesn't go to the party, so she 
reluctantly agrees to go. Blake leaves. Cassie asks herself why she's 
doing this.

COMPANY: Drew comes by & tells Hart to cheer up. He asks if his 
feelings are so obvious. His cell phone rings; it's Dinah calling from 
the office. She apologizes for rushing out on him earlier & wanted to 
tell him she was thinking about him. She says she loves him & this 
will be a birthday he'll never forget.

Near the bar, Nola asks J to really think seriously about his job 
offer. J says he has. He says he's going to take the job, and enroll 
in school out in California too. Nola says she'll really miss him. He 
promises to call every weekend. Nola says she's going to leave before 
she cries. She loves him.

Outside, Jenna catches up with Nola.

CHURCH: Jesse lights a candle & thinks about Michelle. He realizes 
Rick was right about where he should focus his energies. A priest 
walks in & Jesse asks him whether he can marry people in a hospital.

CEDARS: Rick tells Michelle that they won't know anything until the 
doctor takes off the bandages. Michelle doesn't want him to give her 
false hope. She knows she could be permanently blind. Rick says they 
don't know that. Michelle says if she's blind, she won't marry Jesse. 
She won't let him sacrifice his life to take care of her. She needs 
Rick to be strong for her. Rick hugs her as the screen fades to black.


--Marni (marni@panix.com)



