General Hospital Update Tuesday 1/14/03
By Danielle
Pictures by Juanita
Zander went to Faith’s room with an offer to “get to know” her. He attempted to kiss her, but she politely moved to the side, explaining she had too many other interests, but may change her mind if he proved himself to her. He told her he was tired of always having to prove himself, remembering an argument with his father about his brother’s death. She explained she had a way he could get some payback, and a paycheck, as long as he didn’t tell Ned. He agreed.
Carly interrupted Jason, Sonny and Brenda, telling them that Jax had taken Ric away at gunpoint. Brenda headed out after him once Sonny and Jason explained he was going to get her convicted of murder. Once she was gone, Sonny followed after her, guessing that if Jax asked her to admit she saw Ric in the hall, she would. He promised to take care of the situation and headed to the PCPD. Carly and Jason had a little chat once he was gone, Carly explaining that she proved her love for her best friend by letting her husband run off after his former girlfriend yet again. He warned her not to do anything crazy, but she assured him there was nothing to worry about and ask what Brenda had done right so far. He admitted she hadn’t done anything right.
Jax accused Scotty of railroading Brenda. When Scott refused to listen to him point fingers at Ric, he turned to the press, who were more than willing to listen. Scotty assured him he wouldn’t be dropping the charges against Brenda, but Jax was prepared. Taggart and the Police Commissioner walked in to follow up on Jax’s accusation. “News at 11. Jasper Jax is so obsessed with another man’s wife, he’s willing to obstruct justice,” Scotty announced. Mac assured them all that Ric’s involvement in the crime would be thoroughly investigated, but that wasn’t enough for Jax who insisted on telling the whole crowd that there was an eye witness to all of Ric’s wrongdoings – Brenda. When Brenda appeared Jax immediately demanded she tell all, but Mac got the crew out before she could be pushed any further. She told Jax that she just couldn’t identify Ric as the killer. Brenda pointed out that Ric could identify her as the killer just as easily as she could him, and all the evidence would back him up. When Jax asked if she’d been talking to Jason, she admitted she had, but decided that Jason might just be right. Jax tried to assure her Mac and Taggart would keep things honest, but she fought him. He pushed and pushed, telling her this was her chance to put the real killer behind bars, and she almost fell for it, but Alexis stepped in and brought her back to reality. Alexis told them that accusing Ric wouldn’t work, that his testimony would ad to the murder conspiracy theory Scotty had set into place. Jax asked why when Brenda was innocent. “You believe that,” Alexis told him. “You believe that because you’re in love with her,” and she assured him a jury wouldn’t be under the same influence. “What jury is going to believe that a professional hit man did the prep work so his wife could kill someone?” Jax asked. Alexis assured him the one at Brenda’s trial would, because a perfect murder team scenario is what they want to see. “It’s the tabloid twisted version that everybody likes to write about,” she announced. She advised Brenda not to go to the authorities, and she told Jax to back off and let her do her job.
Jax and Brenda had a rendezvous at Jason’s penthouse, Jax sneaking in the back way at Brenda’s request. He told her there was no point in hiding because the press already knew he was in love with her and he didn’t want to hide it any longer. She pointed out she wasn’t alone in this mess. “I need you to let me stand on my own two feet,” she told him, asking him to simply love her. “I don’t need to be rescued Jax,” she told him.
Courtney arrived at Kelly’s to open it up after the electrical problems, but so did Elizabeth, and the two went head to head, again. Liz tried to ignore Ms. Matthews, but that was a no go and the conversation heated up. Courtney admitted she didn’t want to quit her job at Kelly’s, so Elizabeth told her to do what she wanted – that she had been for weeks. When Courtney offered off a truce of sorts, Elizabeth told her, “Weeks of lying to me are kind of hard to get past.” They agreed to work together, “Just don’t make any more phony overtures of friendship,” Elizabeth warned. The conversation turned to Jason’s murder trial when Liz turned on the radio and heard the news about Jax incriminating Ric. Liz thought the news was awful, but Courtney was relieved, thinking the new turn of events would help get Jason out of the hot seat. Courtney admitted Jason hadn’t trusted Ric from the beginning, but Elizabeth assured her former friend that Jason didn’t trust anyone. Courtney pleaded his case for him, telling Liz that his instincts were good, but Liz refused to listen, putting in her own two cents that maybe Scott was right and Jax was just trying to get the blame off Brenda. “People cross the line all the time. Especially when their emotions are involved,” Elizabeth concluded. Wondering if the remark was directed at Jax or Jason, Courtney asked, “Are you so mad at Jason and me that you would want him prosecuted for murder?” Elizabeth admitted she wasn’t that vindictive, she just didn’t think Ric would murder someone. When Courtney pointed out Elizabeth barely knew Ric, Elizabeth pointed out Courtney barely knew Jason but would do anything to defend him. She gave Courtney a wake-up call about Jason, recalling her past with him, and explained to Sonny’s sister that she had thought Jason was honest, and that that would be enough to get them through anything, but it wasn’t. “Because for Jason, what Sonny wants always comes first,” Elizabeth acknowledged. When Courtney pointed out that obeying Sonny was part of Jason’s job, Elizabeth assured her it wasn’t simply his job. “It’s his life, and if you don’t know that by now, you’re in for a rude awakening.” Courtney assured her she understood that there were things Jason couldn’t tell her. Elizabeth concurred that she had been there, thought that. Courtney reminded her that Jason had lied about Sonny’s death to her too, but she had taken the news better, she had understood. Elizabeth pointed out that it wasn’t about his lying. “Jason will do anything Sonny asks him to do, no matter how wrong.” Courtney put an end to the verbal slaughter and headed for the door. When Elizabeth asked if she was going to Jason, she admitted she was.
When Jason showed up at the apartment, Courtney had the wine ready for a celebration. Jason assured her that there was nothing to celebrate, that Jax’s little idea of how things should go wasn’t going to work. Jason pointed out yet again that Scotty had a vendetta against he and Sonny and Ric’s appearance wouldn’t change that. He told her he couldn’t explain everything, but she pushed him to tell her. He told her again that there would be things he wouldn’t be able to tell her about his work. She informed him that she could deal with that as long as his not telling her wasn’t his way of shutting her out or pushing her away. She told him that she would be there for him whenever he wanted – on one condition, that if convicted, he run. He accepted her offer, but asked if she wanted him to leave. She assured him there was one more condition – that he ask her to go with him. She explained that she didn’t know if she would go or not, but that she needed the choice. He told her she didn’t need to worry because he was going to take care of everything and wouldn’t need to run. “Well, could you do it soon? ‘Cause this whole thing is driving me crazy,” she told him. He hugged her and told her when the fiasco was over he wanted to be with her. She asked if they could date like normal people – out in public with nothing to hide. He told her if that was what she wanted, they would. She told him that was what she wanted.
Zander went to Carly’s club, strung high as a kite on drugs, crowbar in hand and beat the holy hell out of everything in site. Recalling moments from his past, his father saying “We buried your brother today because of you,” deepened the anger and he hit the bar harder. Carly came down the steps in time to witness the outrage and ordered him to stop, but he refused. He told Carly he was paying her back and let her believe his frustration was because of their past. He told her to go tell Sonny and have him “take care” of the mess he’d caused. When she asked him what had happened to him (after pointing out he was doped up), he explained, “Life happened, Carly.” She told him they could still be friends, but he refused. “Zander, you ruin your life when you get angry. You self-destruct. It is your pattern,” she told him, trying to encourage him to get help. “Your past keeps coming back. It never lets you run away, Carly. It always finds and tracks you down,” he told her, leaving. Going over to the counter, assessing the damage, she accidentally cut her hand and returned home to bandage it.
Alexis headed to Kelly’s, asking Elizabeth about a lost glove. Elizabeth took advantage of the situation to ask about Jax accusing Ric of murder. Alexis blew off the question and headed out the door, but Cameron stopped her. She assured him he would be happy and told him the news of Ned securing his place in Kristina’s life. At the door, Zander looked in, seeing his father. Elizabeth came out as he was staring in and assured him there was no reason he couldn’t go in. Zander disappeared and Cameron and Alexis took their discussion outside. (Zander went in behind their backs and watched from inside). “For the record, this decision was not based on any advice that you gave me, which as usual favored your own idiosyncrasies rather than textbook philosophy,” she told him. He chuckled and asked if that were a bad thing. She assured him it was. She continued, admitting she had been coerced into putting him back on the guest list at the hospital, him having threatened to tell Kristina’s real father the truth. She admitted that she and Ned used to have no trouble meeting in the middle and she had been happy to let him have visitation to Kristina, but she tried to convince Cameron that Ned had changed. That she was afraid he would be a bad influence and not respect her position as Kristina’s mother. She admitted she was worried that eventually, at some point down the line, his current philosophy and track record of misdoings would lead to an impasse at which she and he would conflict, eventually driving Kristina away from them both.
Sonny went inside the PCPD to chat with Ric, but didn’t get the chance. Scott pushed him upstairs toward his office. Before he could get him there, though Taggart came along, insisting any interrogation be done in the interrogation room. Scotty disagreed and he and Taggart went to discuss the issue (Scotty left orders for Ric to be taken to his office).
Taggart confronted Sonny as he stood, waiting to talk to Ric. “Things don’t run so smooth there without Alexis Davis to grease the wheel,” Baldwin pointed out. Sonny pointed out Ric was eligible for a visitor, but Scotty refused bringing up the Ida situation. “Enjoy your freedom, ‘cause once the trial starts I’m going to convict Jason, then I’m coming after you for conspiracy to commit murder,” Scotty warned. Sonny changed his tune, asking the DA if he was dropping the charges against Brenda since he had Ric in custody. The DA assured him that Ric was in custody all right – protective custody, as the prosecution’s star witness. “In your zeal to protect your ex-girlfriend, you and Jax have proven that she’s guilty,” Scotty told him.
Scott took Ric into the office for a one on one. He pointed out that Ric was in good standing as a model citizen, except for when he was lost in South America. Scott admitted he had no proof of Ric being in prison, but did have proof he had done business with Alcazar, and asked if his “witness” had a story to tell. “No, you go at it, Mr. Baldwin. You’re much better at it than I am,” Ric said. Scotty told the story that he wanted to hear and asked Ric to co borate it. Ric refused, telling him he hadn’t seen anybody at all. Scotty tried to press the attorney, tossing out obstruction of justice, but Ric laughed. Scotty asked if he thought he would be rewarded for keeping his mouth shut and tried pushing the story on him once again. “Are you supporting purgery by trying to coerce me into saying something that isn’t true? That’s highly illegal Mr. Baldwin,” Ric told him. “Maybe after you’ve had your chopped beef in the morning you’ll have a story to tell me,” Scotty muttered, leaving him to be processed.
Sonny found Carly at home bandaging her hand and informed her that Ric was being considered a witness for the prosecution. “I should have hit him over the head with something when he was taking Ric away,” Carly told him. Sonny began his should haves, should have known, should have been prepared and what not. Carly assured him he wasn’t the only one, that she should have done about a hundred things differently, starting with her treatment of Brenda. Sonny admitted his wife had handled Brenda much better than he had thought. Sonny assured her he would find a way out of this mess. Sonny admitted that Alcazar had finally gotten what he wanted, though he had to die to get it. Carly pointed out that Brenda caused drama wherever she went. She promised to focus her attention on the club, what was left of it, and had to tell Sonny about her encounter with Zander. Sonny offered to take care of it, but she convinced him not to, telling him that Zander was angry with her and she deserved some of his wrath. He told her that she deserved a good life, and she told him she had one. He received a call from a police officer letting him know Ric hadn’t opened his mouth. He told Carly the news, but she wasn’t surprised, admitting he was trying to impress her husband. Sonny admitted he was impressed and concluded Ric must be after something very big to go through all of this.