EPISODE 24

“FIRESTORM”

Scene: The Sorensen residence; the living room. Melody Sorensen and Dr. Hillary Sorensen are there, sitting on the sofa.  

Melody: Hillary, I love A.J., I couldn't imagine my life without him.

Hillary: So you can forgive him?

Melody  (shrugging): I don't know. Right now I’m so upset and angry that I can't even face A.J. yet. He tried to talk to me at the hospital today and I just wasn't in the mood to listen.

Hillary: That's understandable. Melody, you just found out about this. It's going to take some time for you to deal with it. 

Melody: Well, I wish it didn't. I want to be able to forgive A.J. and dismiss this whole thing as he easily as he does. It would make it a lot easier. We'd be together right now and things would be like they used to be. (She sighed)  God, don't I sound pathetic? 

Hillary: No, you sound like a woman very much in love with her man. 

Melody: Yes, I do love him. That's why this betrayal hurts so deeply. A.J. was my life and I feel like that life has been ripped from under me. I don't know if I can ever forgive A.J. for doing this to me. But, if I don't forgive him, then I lose him. 

Angela (walking in, Monica Greyhawk a few steps behind her): Hey, are you two going to be in here all night?

Hillary (slightly annoyed): Angela, we're in the middle of a conversation. 

Angela: Oh, really? What about? 

Melody: Nothing important, just some hospital gossip.

Angela (frowning): Really? I'd think two modern women such as yourselves would have better things to do than gossip like a couple of fishwives. (Pause) At any rate, I'm sure what ever trashy information you were sharing can wait. I have big news! 

Monica: Well, it better be important. Like I just told you before you dragged me in here, I'd like to get home to my husband before he goes to bed. 

Angela: Believe me, this is very important. 

Hillary: Aren't you going to wait until Dad gets here so he can hear it too? 

Angela: He's on the phone scolding Uncle Gary for not showing up for dinner. Besides, Dad already knows. When I got the news I was so excited I had to tell someone, so I called him at work and let him know. 

Melody: Let him know what? You've got me intrigued. 

Angela: Well, I’ve done it. I’ve finally done it. I’ve worked so hard for this moment and it’s finally happened!

Melody: What moment?

Angela: Starting tomorrow, I am going to be the newest addition to the Covington Bay Homicide Department!

Hillary: Angela, that’s wonderful!

Melody: (hugging her sister) Yes, Angie, that is great news. Congratulations. You really deserve this.

Angela: Yes, I do.

Melody: (wryly) Even if you do say so yourself.

Monica:   Wow, Angela, you’re going to be working in Homicide?

Angela: Yeah! Monica, it's such a coup for me. I will be the first woman in this town to ever work as a detective in Homicide. It’s hard to believe, but this town has never had a female homicide detective. The glass ceiling in that office has finally been cracked!

Monica  (warily): Yeah, Angie, it's great, but...

Angela: But what? (She noticed the worried look on her Monica’s) What's wrong? Aren't you happy for me?

Monica: Of course, Angie, have you thought about what this promotion means?

Angela: Yes, it means that all my hard work has finally paid off. 

Monica: It also means that you'll be working with Eric, or have you forgotten that he’s also a homicide detective?

Angela (shrugging): Of course I haven’t forgotten. But what does it matter? 

Monica: Angela, you hate Eric. Maybe even more than me and I was married to him.

Angela: So I hate Eric Lassiter.    I think he's scum for what he did to my baby sister and how terribly he treats his daughter. But what does that have to do with anything?

Monica: Angie, how can you say that? Considering how you feel about Eric, and he's no fan of yours either, do you really think it's wise to put yourself in a position where you might continually run into him? Do you know what kind of trouble that could lead to?

Scene: Mama J.'s. Danny James and Det. Eric Lassiter are angrily facing one another as Dr. Zachary Dailey stands a few feet away.

Eric: Boy, you must be really in a snit these days seeing all the trouble your brother is into and knowing that your old buddy Det. Lassiter is the one who busted him. I guess that's the kind of sibling bond you really don't care for, isn't it?

Zachary: Cool it, Eric. 

Danny (his fists clenching): Watch your step, Lassiter, I'm in not in the mood.

Eric: Nothing to say, Danny? What a surprise given our history. Considering all we've shared, I can't believe you wouldn't have something to say to me.

Danny: When I see you, Lassiter, conversation isn't exactly what comes to mind.

Zachary: Danny, don't let him bait you, that's what he wants.

Eric: Zachary, this is none of your business, so stay out of it. Why don't you go tend to the sick or something? Or does James here qualify these days? I guess he must be pretty sick about his baby brother coming face to face with the Grim Reaper.

Zachary: Eric, I imagine you came here for a drink; that's seems to be your usual pastime these days. So, why don't you go have one or ten?  Just leave us alone.

Eric: Not quite yet. I'm not through talking to my old buddy Danny here. I haven't seen him in awhile and you know how I like to maintain old ties.

Danny: Lassiter, I suggest you get the hell away from me or...

Eric: Or what? You gonna take a swing at me? Go ahead, do it.

Zachary: Danny, just ignore him!

Eric: So, how about it, James? Are you going to be there when they strap your brother down and shoot some poison into his veins? Believe me, I'm going to get a front row seat. Nothing like an execution to get ones juices flowing.

Danny: You son of a bitch! 

Zachary: (as Danny lunged for Eric) Danny, no!

Scene: The bathroom at Mama J.'s. Dr. Gloria Dailey and Dana Cooper are talking.

Gloria: You want to talk about Zachary? 

Dana: Well, don't you think it's something we should discuss? 

Gloria: You're upset about tonight, aren't you? 

Dana   Don’t you think I have reason?

Gloria: Look, I know you had plans with Zachary, but he cancelled them because of me.  I'm sorry about that. But you have to know that Zach was just showing me some mercy by taking me out tonight.  He was just being a good friend. I’m sorry your plans got shoved aside in the process. But, don't worry. I know you and Zachary have a date for tomorrow night and I hope you two have fun. He's really looking forward to it. 

Dana: How do you know? 

Gloria: He told me. 

Dana (warily): You talked about us? 

Gloria: We talked about a lot of things. (Pause) Dana, the fact of the matter is that Zachary hasn't had many women in his life, which surprises me considering what a great guy he is, so any woman he does take an interest in has to be pretty special. At least, that's how he seems to feel about you.

Dana (surprised): Really? (She smiled) Dr. Lassiter, I'm really glad to hear this. To be honest, I thought... (She hesitated) 

Gloria: Thought what? 

Dana: Well, I thought that... (Suddenly, they heard Zachary shouting) What in the world!? 

Gloria: That sounded like Zachary! (Gloria and Dana raced into the restaurant just in time to see Danny punching Eric in the face. Eric crashed to the ground) Oh, my God, Eric! 

Zachary (grabbing Danny as he lunged for Eric again): Danny, no! Stop it! Stop it before you make it worse! 

Eric (wiping blood from his mouth as he climbed to his feet): Oh, trust me, it’s about to get a hell of a lot worse.

Gloria (rushing up, Dana a few steps behind her): Eric, are you all right!? 

Eric: (struggling to his feet) Fine, Mom, fine.  You're just in time to see your baby boy taking care of business. (Eric held up a pair of handcuffs) Let's go, Danny, I’m sure you know the drill. Who knows, maybe we can get you a cell next to your little brother. 

Scene: The warehouse district; a warehouse. A.J. Lassiter and Patricia Lassiter are hiding in a corner of the abandoned building under the cover of a thicket of crates. Patricia is looking in horror at the blood soaking A.J.'s shirt. 

Patricia: Oh, my God! A.J., you've been shot! You've been shot! 

A.J. (wincing in pain): It sure isn't a spider bite. 

Patricia: We've got to get out of here and get you some help! 

A.J.  (sarcastically): You have an amazing grasp of the obvious. (Pause) But finding our way out of here won't be easy, especially with those guys stalking us. (A.J. looked several feet away and spotted a window) There's a window over there. 

Patricia: Great! If we hurry, we can... 

A.J.: No, Patricia, I don't think I can lift myself up there and you certainly can't. You're going to have to go alone. You're going to have to leave me here! 

Scene: Mama J.'s. Dr. Gloria Dailey and Dana watch as Zachary holds Danny back from Eric, who is holding a pair of handcuffs. Patrons are standing nearby, watching in surprise, interest and horror. 

Eric: Assume the position, Danny. I mean the one when you get arrested, not the one you’re used to getting into behind bars. 

Danny: (struggling to pull free from Zachary) Go to hell, you son of a bitch!

Zachary: Eric, you don't have to do this! 

Eric: Zachary, I’m surprised to hear you say that. I thought the law was important to you. Surely you don't condone someone striking a police officer? 

Zachary: This whole thing is your fault! You came over here and baited Danny. You wanted this to happen. 

Gloria  (gasping): Eric, is this true? 

Eric: Doesn’t matter. The man broke the law and he's got to go to jail. After all, justice must be served. 

Dana (smugly): You got my vote on that. 

Danny: You stay out of this! 

Dana: What if I don't, you gonna hit me next? 

Zachary: Dana, back off!

Eric: Zachary, don't berate the woman. She's on the right side here. (Pause) Now get out of the way so I can do my job.

Zachary: You call this doing your job? I didn't know intimidation and harassment were in the policemen's handbook. 

Eric: You know, Zachary, if you keep interfering, I'll have to take you in for obstruction of justice. Is this loser really worth a night in jail? 

Gloria: Eric, this has gone far enough! 

Mama J. (walking up): You got that right! (She turned to Eric) I thought I told you the last time you slithered in here that I didn't want you here again. 

Eric: This is a public place. 

Mama J.: Maybe, but there's a sign on the door that says I have the right to refuse service to anyone. And after the last time you were here when you got drunk and started a fight, I told you that you were no longer welcome.  Now get out of here. 

Eric: I’ll go, but not without Danny. He just struck a police officer and that is against the law. 

Mama J.: And I have no doubt that you deserved it. Believe me, boy, I'd like to give you a few smacks myself. (She turned to Gloria) I'm sorry, Glo.

Gloria: No problem, Mama J.. You're not saying anything I haven't thought myself. 

Zachary: Eric, why don't you forget the Gestapo tactics and get out of here? If you push this, I promise you will regret it.  If this goes to trial, I will be the star witness for the defense and will gleefully tell them every rotten thing to you did today. You may be considered a sterling cop in this town, Eric, but believe me, I will do my damnedest to put a nasty tarnish on that record.  And somehow I'd bet most of the people in this place tonight will feel the same way. 

Eric (after meeting Zachary's determined gaze and seeing the onlookers nod in agreement): Fine, fine. Forget it. He'd probably be out before I finished the paperwork anyway. 

Mama J. (as Zachary released Danny): Now get out of here. And this time don't come back!

Eric: You really should watch the company you keep, Mama J.. Standing up for losers like Danny James is only going to get you into trouble. You can count on that. 

Mama J.: Are you threatening me?

Eric: I don't need to threaten you. I have no doubt that Danny is going to bring you trouble.  He doesn't need my help to do that. 

Eric walked out. 

Gloria: Mama J., I'm sorry. I have never been more embarrassed or ashamed of my son. 

Mama J.: Glo, honey, don't blame yourself. I learned a long time ago that sometimes no matter what you do, your kids don't turn out right. 

Danny  (sheepishly): Mama J., I think I owe you an apology. 

Mama J.: You bet you do, boy. Come with me. It's time you and I had a long talk. 

Danny and Mama J. walked away. 

Dana: I don't believe this. He hits a cop and walks away as if nothing happened. Zachary, I can't believe you defended what he did, no matter what the circumstances. 

Zachary: Dana, drop it. We really don't need anymore of your ranting about Danny. I think you should just say good night. I'll see you at work in the morning. 

Dana: But, Zachary….!

Zachary: Good night, Dana!

Dana  (frustrated): Fine. Good night. (She walked away) 

Zachary: Well, that was a heck of a way to end the night, wasn't it?   (Pause)  I'm sorry, Gloria. 

Gloria (sighing): So am I. What was I thinking; believing an entire evening could go by without some kind of family disaster?

Scene: The warehouse. A.J. and Patricia are crouched in the corner. 

Patricia: A.J., I can't leave you! 

A.J.: Patricia, you don't have any choice, not if you want to live and have a chance to go for help. I'm not going to be able to get through that window, not before they spot me anyway. Now do it! Get out of here while you get the chance!  (Pause) You go to the window, climb out and call the police. I'll hide out until they show up. (He grinned)  But, don't tell them they're going to be saving me, though, I got some enemies in the department. 

Patricia: What if they find you before I can get back with the police? 

A.J.  (ignoring the question): Patricia, we'll just have to take the chance, okay? Believe me, I'll lay low while you're gone. (Pause) I can get through this, believe me, I've been through worse and came out unscathed.

Patricia: But, A.J...! 

A.J.: Go, Patricia! Go before it's too late! 

Voice: Ahh, but it is too late!

Suddenly the crates moved aside and Reilly, flanked by Joe and the other man, stood there, guns aimed at A.J. and Patricia. 

Reilly: You should've taken off when you had the chance, lady. Now, I guess you're just going to have to die along with him. 

Scene: The Sorensen residence; the living room. Melody, Angela, Hillary and Monica are there. 

Angela: Monica, I am not going to let Eric get in the way of my job performance.

Melody: You're joking right? (Pause) Angie, the mere mention of Eric's name sends you into a rage. Just tonight you were spouting off on him. Do you honestly think you can work in the same office as he and not have there be some sort of friction? 

Angela: Of course. Melody, I'm a professional.  This is my job and I've worked hard to get where I am. Do you honestly think I'm going to let any personal feelings I might have for Eric get in the way of doing my job? 

Melody: I'd like to think so, but I'm not so sure. Your hatred for Eric runs pretty deep. 

Hillary: Mel's, right. None of us have warm feelings for Eric, but at least we can tolerate his presence.  

Monica: Yeah, I'd hate to think what would happen if you and Eric had to come in contact on a regular basis; the homicide department might have another case on their hands. 

Angela: Look, I can handle my feelings for Eric, okay? I've seen him at the office before and there's never been any problem. It won't be now. 

Hillary: But, you weren't working in the same department. Passing each other in the hallway is a lot different than working in the same office. 

Angela (annoyed): You know, I'm really disappointed in you girls, I thought you'd be happy for me. 

Monica: We are. 

Angela: It doesn't sound like it. Instead of congratulating me, all I hear about is problems that could arise from running into Eric Lassiter. Should I have turned down the job because of him? 

Melody: Of course not, no one is suggesting that. 

Hillary: Exactly. Angela, we are very happy for you. You deserve this success and we know that you'll take the office by storm, just like everything else in your life. We're just concerned is all. 

Angela: And I appreciate that concern, but there's no reason to be. I worked too hard and too long to get where I am and I'll be damned if I let anyone...especially Eric Lassiter, get in my way. 

Scene: Dana's home. She walks up to the house, pulling out her keys as she approaches the door. 

Voice (as Dana climbed the porch): Hey, sweetheart. 

Dana (startled, turning to the porch swing): Who is that!?

Eric (standing, coming out of the shadows): It's me, nobody dangerous. 

Dana: That's debatable.  Eric, what are you doing here? 

Eric: It was nice to see you tonight, Dana. It's been a long time. I've been meaning to call you. 

Dana: Why? 

Eric (holding up a six pack of beer, which was missing one can, the one Eric was drinking): Because we need to talk. Share a beer with me? 

Dana: What could be have to talk about? 

Eric: Pete and Lizzie. 

Dana  (startled): What about them? Do you have news about my brother and his wife? Has there been a development in the case?

Eric  (nodding): Yeah, but I don't think you're going to like it. 

Scene: The warehouse. Patricia is tied back to back with A.J.. They both have their hands and feet tied. They are sitting in the middle of the room while Reilly, Joe and the third man splash gasoline all over the warehouse. 

Patricia: You're not going to get away with this; you'll never be able to pull this off. 

A.J.: Patricia, I think under the circumstances, they don't believe you. 

Reilly: You got that right. You two are goners and with any luck, no one will ever know you were here. And even if they find your charred bodies, there shouldn't be enough left to identify. 

Joe: It's all done, let's get out of here. 

Man#3: Yeah, we still got a deal to finish. 

Reilly: Right...and we'll do just that. This is just a fringe benefit.

Reilly held up a large piece of paper and lit it up. He tossed the paper in a pile of gasoline that trailed all around the warehouse. There was burst of flame and fire began to quickly spread. 

Reilly:  (the blazing light from the flames dancing in his dark eyes)  Isn't that beautiful!? 

Man#3:  (nothing Reilly's entranced gaze)  Yeah, it's great. Now let's get out of here. 

Joe: Right, we don't want to get trapped. 

Reilly: Okay, we're out of here. (Pause) Later, Mr. Lassiter. I know you love being the front page...I guess you never imagined it would be like this, did you?

As Reilly laughed, he and his cohorts walked out, closing the door behind them. 

Patricia: A.J., I can't believe you didn't have a snappy comeback for that comment. What, you let a little gunshot get in the way of your gift for gab? (Pause as he didn't answer) Well forget that, we've got to get out of here. (Patricia started to struggle against the ropes as the fire quickly spread, surrounding them and filling the room with smoke) A.J., help me. We've got to get out of here. A.J.!? A.J.!? (Patricia managed to crane her head enough to see that A.J. had slumped over) Oh, my God! You've passed out. A.J., wake up! Wake up or we'll never get out of here! A.J., please, wake up! 

In the next Covington Bay

· Kevin interferes in his father's marriage.

· Nikki confesses and has to face the consequences. 

· The past haunts Dana and Eric. 

· A.J. and Patricia come to a fiery finish.