Daily Updates

From: rika@netcom.com (Melissa Martin)
Subject: GH: Update, Wednesday, February 14
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 06:25:09 GMT

                     GENERAL HOSPITAL UPDATE
                  Wednesday, February 14, 1996

Today's storylines:

* Dead Men Don't Need Bodyguards
* Up On the Roof
* Jax Meets the Face of Deception

DEAD MEN DON'T NEED BODYGUARDS
------------------------------
Lucy sits on the sofa in her suite, either lost in thought,
meditating, or totally spaced out.  Kevin intently watches
Lucy do whatever it is she's doing.  He approaches her, finally
leaning over to look closely at her, and asks if she is "seeing
something".  No, says Lucy, but she's thrilled that his question
shows that he believes in her visions.  Kevin denies it - and if
Damian turns up at the spa, well, he'll cross that bridge later.

Mac arrives decked out in chauffeur gear.  He gets stuck with the
exposition in this scene - Luke is dressing up as Mr. Sam L. L.
Cash, a rich old guy who is going to visit the spa as a potential
client looking for distraction after being left by a "very young
bride."  Mr. Cash himself hobbles in, looking like Colonel
Sanders after a large weight loss, on a very bad hair day.  Cash
demonstrates his lechery by chasing Lucy around the suite, which
didn't amuse Kevin, although your updater found it hilarious.

Lucy wants to know what will happen when they find Damian.  Mac
chimes in:  "It just depends on what we find, Luce."  Luke,
demonstrating why he is their fearless leader, shuts Mac up and
explains, "It just depends on what we find, Luce."  He always
has a plan, "but in this particular situation, I think it's very
important to remain open to the variables of the situational
dynamic."  Kevin offers a succinct translation: "He's gonna wing
it."  The "pros" refuse to take Kevin along, leaving him to stay
all alone with Lucy in the suite (Luke: "You knew this was an
ugly job when you took it.").  Cash and his chauffeur, "Bubba",
head off to Sybarites Spa.

Kevin and Lucy snuggle up on the sofa, but she is worried about
the guys.  Hey, they're pros, Kevin reminds her, and besides,
if something goes wrong, her "psychic whatever" will sense it
and Kevin can go and save them.  This seems to be more proof that
Kevin does believe in Lucy's psychic gift.  But he tells her that,
more to the point, if this is so important to her that she went
off to San Antonio, it's his job to be by her side and support her.
He presents her with her Valentine's gift - a box of chocolates.
She tears into the box, but unfortunately it seems that she
preferred the hotel's gourmet chocolates:  she keeps tasting
various candies and putting them back, in search of one she
likes, while Kevin looks on, discomfited.

Mr. Cash and Bubba arrive at the spa, and Cash approaches a young
woman at the desk, flirts with her, and asks to see the manager.
He sees a pile of floor layouts sitting on the desk and sneaks one
into his pocket, though why it was necessary to be sneaky, I don't
know.  While Cash and the manager talk, who should wander by but
Damian "Junior" Smith, followed by two tall women in workout gear.
Luke finds out that most of the spa facilities are segregated by
sex, and he tries to get information about the Amazons with
Damian, but the manager says he can't discuss that.

Later, Damian questions the manager about Cash.  The manager
explains that Cash is checking in soon, and Damian figures
that Cash just might liven things up.  Hmmmm.....

Meanwhile, back at Lucy's suite, Kevin and Lucy have obviously
been busy.  There's a knock on the door, and then we hear Kevin
and Lucy on the floor behind some furniture, trying to decide who
has the most clothing on.  Lucy, wearing an unzipped dress, stands
up and rushes over to let Mac and Luke into the suite.  She then
hurries back across the room as Kevin stands up, his shirt open
and his belt unbuckled.  Mac "Bubba" Scorpio astutely observes,
"Valentine's Day", not that we have ever been given the impression
that Kevin and Lucy need an excuse for such activities.

Luke fills them in, explaining that the tall women are probably
Damian's bodyguards, and then he stops suddenly, staring at Kevin.
A lovely little bit of dialogue ensues:
  Luke:  "Is that a chocolate moustache, Doctor?"
  Kevin: (licking his upper lip) "Uh huh."
  Mac:  "Well, you gotta admire his style, at any rate."
  Kevin: "Thank you."
  Mac:  "Damian."
  Kevin: "I knew that."
  Luke:  "Yours too, Doc."

Luke explains his plan - Lucy will be the bait they use to catch
Damian.  Kevin doesn't like this at all - too risky.  Luke explains
that this is where Kevin and Mac come in - they'll be in the room
next door.  Mac reminds him that the spa is segregated by sex.
Then Luke utters the three magic words - "Eve and Norma."  Kevin
throws a fit, while Mac starts to slip into "Eve mode".  Lucy
points out that Norma and Eve owe her this much.  Kevin continues
to object, but it's clear, even to him, that he's gonna lose.

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP
----------------
And, no, this isn't a quote from Felicia as she stands behind
the bar at the Outback on Single's Night and watches guys like
Ernie (Eve's admirer) arrive.

Felicia had to call a repairman to fix a leak of some kind at the
Brownstone, and as we join them, he is just finishing up the bill.
He assures her that the leak is fixed, but departs with a less
than encouraging "Good luck."  She explains the situation to
Bobbie, who is all dressed up (and looking attractive, I thought)
to go out to dinner with Tony.  They're not going to the Outback
so as not to have their friends watching them, which makes one
wonder precisely what they intend to *do* at this restaurant.

Felicia is annoyed at the prospect of "mixing drinks all night
for oblivious lovers."  Just then, she hears that dripping noise
again.  Rather than spoil Bobbie's evening, Felicia decides to
fix it herself.  Armed with a jacket and a flashlight, she heads
for the roof to check the gutters.

The gutters look fine (though how she could tell this while
mostly looking at the floor of the roof, I don't know), so she
figures the problem is in a pipe in the walls.  When she tries
to go back inside, the door is stuck, and so is she.  Stay calm,
she tells herself, after which she starts screeching, "Help!"  No
doubt dogs all over the city went into a frenzy at the shrill sound.

The noise gets Tom's attention, and he comes up to rescue her.
Problem is, he lets the door shut behind *him*, so now they are
both trapped outdoors in upstate-New-York-in-February-at-night
weather, with only light jackets or sweaters to keep them warm.
They can't figure out any way to get off the roof, so Tom applies
his Boy Scout training to get them some shelter, such as it is -
two lawn chairs - and they huddle together.

Tom tries mind-over-matter, imagining that they are warming
themselves in front of a fire.  He loses Felicia when he imagines
a plate of nachos.  (Right about now, I think she'd have gone a
few rounds with Ryan if it meant being inside where it was warm).
They decide that maybe Bobbie and Tony are home by now, and they
manage to get Bobbie's attention by banging on a pipe (and also
discover they were both baseball stars in school).  While they
await Bobbie, a snowball fight develops.  Bobbie opens the door,
and Tom invites Felicia to join him in his apartment for a hot
toddy, but she rushes off to the Outback.

JAX MEETS THE FACE OF DECEPTION
-------------------------------
Brenda has arrived at Jax's suite, and he recognizes her as the
Face of Deception.  (Is there anything Jax doesn't know about?
I bet *he* knew where Damian was before Lucy did.)  Brenda
mentions Lois, which grabs Jax's attention, and Brenda officially
introduces herself and explains her connection to Lois and L&B.
Jax intended to meet Brenda, as he wants to know everything there
is to know about Lois.  Jax has a few charming things to say
(Brenda is wary but pleased), and then Brenda returns the ring
he sent to Lois.  Brenda wonders why Jax thought Lois would keep
the ring, and they spend the next few minutes sparring, mostly
about Lois (though Jax also senses the existence of a man that
Brenda doesn't want to discuss).  Jax holds to his intention
to win Lois away from Ned, while Brenda tells him it won't
work - "you don't know Lois."  But Jax is willing to take
instruction, and he invites Brenda to dinner.  Brenda wonders
why she's not insulted that she just got asked out for the
purpose of being questioned about another woman, but since
she's not, they head for the Outback.

Over dinner, Brenda and Jax spar some more, and Brenda tries
to convince Jax to leave Ned and Lois alone.  She tells him Ned
and Lois's history to show the obstacles they have overcome.
Jax takes from this story the lesson that Lois "can be worn down
with sincerity".

Next, Jax wants to know all about Brenda.  He knows of her
father and has met Julia, and they are unlike Brenda because
they are both rather tough and invulnerable.  Jax thinks Brenda
sees her vulnerabilities as faults, when they are her strengths.
Brenda invites Jax to the Eddie Maine concert at Luke's the next
evening, and then she heads home to get her beauty sleep.

-----------------------------------------------
by Paprika Peel, aka Rika