Daily Updates

Subject:
Sent:        5/3/96 6:01 AM
From:        Jan Yarnot, jyarnot@netcom.com

Well, these days I'm having trouble with my News, so who knows how late
this update will be?
Thursday, April 25, 1996:

THE QUARTERMAINE HEIR
Ned sneaks in on a sleeping Lois.  Natch, she wakes up.  "Hey, good morning!"
he says.  He's been doing ELQ business and it wasn't pretty...
"grandfather has been meddling again."  She lets him feel the lump (just
how far along *is* Lois-the-character, anyway?  Dr. Meadows was making
second trimester noises, but now we have first trimester sleepiness and
morning sickness (second trimester is the Heartburn Time!)  This baby
seems to be doing some Reverse Soap Opera Aging of its own!)  "The two
people I love most in the world", says Ned.  Lois wants to know what the
Quartermaines had to say about the baby.  She's stunned to find out Ned
hasn't told them.  He wanted to tell them together, though he'd really
rather they never found out.  "You want to keep our baby a secret from
the Quartermaines?"  "I want to keep our baby SAFE from the Quartermaines!"
He goes on: "I love my family, but they're insane.  And you'll find that
out soon enough if you haven't already."  Lois doesn't believe it: "Aw,
all families go nuts over babies."  Hasn't Gloria been calling every
day?  "To the Cerullos, this child is a baby.  To the Quartermaines, it
is an heir."  "What's the difference, besides the size of his or her bank
account?"  Ah, explains Ned, it IS a bank account, that's all he ever
was.  He was a rival with Tracy.  This is also the trouble with AJ.  And
she knows about Dylan, who would be 4 now?  He doesn't want their baby to
be in competition with Dylan, but if Edward had his way, that's what
would happen.  Lois is convinced Ned is exaggerating, but they have to
tell the Quartermaines.  Ned wants to know if she's sure, she could
always take a trip to Italy, with her Ma.  No.  Well then, if they're
going to tell the family, best do it now, while Monica and Alan are
gone.  "The fewer the people, the smaller the fight."

At the Big House, AJ asks Lila about Jason and asks her to tell him AJ is
sorry.  She's sympathetic to the grandson just as Ned and Lois come in,
and the Edward harrumphs in, he has some papers about Deception for Ned
to sign.  "Already been done, Grandfather."  "Then why are you here?"
Ned says they have an announcement and Edward blusters: "I knew it,
you're getting a divorce."  AJ congratulates Lois while Edward talks of
prenuptual agreements, and Ned interrupts "NO! We're having a baby!"
Lila is, of course, thrilled.  Edward says "it's about time! Have you
called the lawyers?"  He's interested in setting up the trust.  He wants
Edward Louis (the 4th?) for the baby's name.  Ned is thinking Jason Henry
(the Henry for Lila's brother) and Lois pipes up with Michael Carmine.
Ned, incredulous, asks "for Sonny Corinthos?" [Why would he instantly
think of Sonny, I am always forgetting his name is Michael.]  She starts
to explain when Edward trumpets: "This is absolutely ridiculous.  The
Quartermaines do not name their children after felons!" [Quite the other
way around, in fact!] "By the way, Jason is unacceptable also!"
"Grandfather," shouts Ned, "We'll name him Al Capone if we want to, and
it's of no concern to you!"  The argument escalates, till Lila chirps up:
"Yellow!"

This effectively stops the fight while everyone stares at her.  She means
for the nursery.  It's a lovely warm color and there is plenty of room in
the East wing on the second floor for the nursery and a nanny.  NO nanny,
says Lois!  Didn't Ned like Nanny Hayes?  Well, yes, because she was the
only adult who paid any attention to him.  AJ figured Nanny Hayes dropped
Ned on his head, and Ned cleverly ripostes no, that happened to AJ.
Meanwhile, Edward explains at the top of his voice that they can't bring
up a Quartermaine heir in "that hovel." (the Gatehouse.)  Besides, he
can't see either of the Ashtons changing a baby.  Lois says she's sone
it, and Edward scoffs: "with those nails?"  [Yeah, those nails have got
to go!]  Edward is getting ready to register the child at St.
Bartholomew's, the boarding school in Switzerland, when Lois has had enough.
"OK. Hold it right there!  OK, Buster, this has gone on long enough.  [I
was waiting for the "blow it out your ear!"] We told you because we
wanted to share our joy..." Ned: "Don't get upset!"  "Don't get upset?!?
Our child isn't even born yet and he wants to send it to a foreign
country!"  Edward: "I just want him to take his rightful place in the
family..." Ned explains that the baby has a place in HIS family, and they
leave.

Back home, Lois says "You were right.  They're insane."  Ned argues:
"They mean well."  "It's not well-meaning to treat a baby like a stock
dividend. . . . how did you stand it?"  Lila's love was Edward's ace in
the hole, and Ned was looking for something like that.  Lois heads up to
bed, but stops and tells Ned that if they have a girl, she would like to
name her Hope. [Not Hope Gloria, PLEASE!]

MAC DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS
Katherine is at her desk when Mac comes in.  He wants to see her, but
mostly he is looking for his watch.  She has taken it, in order to give
him a gold one.  "It's... gold."  He doesn't like it at all, which
disappoints her.  She wants to give him stuff.  "What about the nights
you've held me when I was worried about Robin?"  [If he's so bloomin'
worried about Robin, what was he doing with Katherine?  Yes, I *know*
what he was doing, it's a rhetorical question!]  He tells her he needs
love, time, not things like watches and clothes, they don't matter to
him.

Robin is on the couch remembering Morgan's kiss. Mac comes in and asks if
she's sick.  He decides to make it a Scorpio family night. He thinks he
needs a break from Katherine. [about 6 months ago.]  He tells Robin about
the watch, and she says "You cannot be other than you are."  He
recognizes this as a nice way of saying he's stubborn.  He begins to
realize Robin is smiling all the time.  This worries him for a couple of
seconds.  She tells him about being scared, and about being different.
And about missing Stone.  They start to talk about creative sex [the
blind leading the blind?] when the doorbell rings, to their collective
relief.  It's Katherine.

Robin leaves them to discuss the money situation.  Mac tells Katherine
that she's not the first rich girl he's dated.  [He neglects to mention
the other one was her purported half-sister, Dominique.]  He says it
isn't the money, "the problem is how important the money is to you."  He
doesn't want any more presents.  She agrees.  She advises him on some
videos, then leaves... to return with a giant TV.  Robin reverts to 6-years-
old and pleads to keep it.

CARLY WORMS ON IN
Carly is talking to Audrey when Amy and Alan come up and she meets Alan.
Just then there is an only-in-Port-Charles emergency: a high school band
was practicing the Star Wars theme preparatory to going on the field at
half-time (what sport is this in April in upstate New York?) and
apparently were overcome with carbon monoxide.  Chaos results, and for a
few minutes Carly looks stunned that hospitals might have sick people.
She goes to the lab for Monica, who comments "Carly is a life-saver" to
Amy's eye-rolling disgust.  Then to Trauma One with Alan's records, where
she helps by holding the sousaphone for Norman Winslow, who is smitten.
[These are the same kids who were so terrible on AIDS education day,
right?]  Meanwhile, Dr. Dorman brings a cuppa for Monica, just before
Alan does.  Later Alan finds out that Dorman plans a "consultation" lunch
with Monica.  When the band director keels over, Carly helps with student
Alexis' hyperventilation.  Bobbie chats about Tony's guitar, and about
her kids.  Later Carly sucks up to Amy, who isn't having any, and to
Tony, who loves to hear about how musical he is.