Daily Updates

From: rika@netcom.com (Melissa Martin)
Subject: GH: Update, Wednesday, 7/3/96
Date: Mon, 8 Jul 1996 02:23:17 GMT

                       GENERAL HOSPITAL UPDATE
                       Wednesday, July 3, 1996

Today's Storylines:
------------------
* Abnormal Psychology in Action
* Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City
* The Many Faces of Deception
* The Princess Lesley Lu

ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION
-----------------------------
The Lighthouse is Grand Central Station today, and no wonder - Kevin
left the front door open.

Kevin is painting, wearing that wild look on his face.  Robin arrives.
He doesn't hear her at first, so absorbed is he in his painting,
which we don't see yet.  He admits that he forgot their appointment;
she is surprised to see him all casual and covered with paint.

Robin is going to school in the fall as a pre-med.  She is thinking
of minoring in grief counseling [as an undergrad?  I'm confused]
and wants Kevin's opinion, which leads to the LOD.  Kevin thinks
it's a swell idea; he remarks:  "I'm just stunned that I didn't
think of it first.... he said, with all the arrogance that's been
attributed to him."  Robin teases:  "Oh, we all like you now; it's
just that you make a really bad first impression."  Kevin:  "Gee,
I'm glad that's over with."  Kevin tells Robin all the reasons why
she'd be a good grief counselor.  Robin wants to enroll in Kevin's
summer course at PCU, and he tells her to consider it done.  [It is
interesting that:  (a) an abnormal psych course evidently has some
connection to grief counseling; (b) a high school graduate has the
necessary prereqs for an abnormal psych course; and (c) an adjunct
faculty member has the authority to offer instant enrollment at
PCU.  Plot devices do abound today!]

Speaking of plot devices, Gina knocks on Kevin's open door and walks
into the Lighthouse.  Gina "always knew" she would run into Robin
[so did we, Gina, so did we].  She mentions reading Robin's keynote
speech from the AIDS ball in the paper.  Robin verbally smacks Gina
around for her non-support of Stone while Kevin observes.  Gina
tearfully tries to explain her remorse until Kevin sends her down
the hall so he can talk to Robin.  His remark:  "Way to go with that
counseling style."  He explains that Gina is his T.A. for the
course.  Robin is extremely upset about this; Kevin explains that
Gina regrets the way she acted.  If Robin is serious about being a
counselor, she needs to be more forgiving about the way people handle
grief.  He suggests that she think about how Stone would want her to
behave towards Gina.

Robin leaves, and Gina comes back out.  She's okay - she feels she
deserved what Robin said.  She gives Kevin the revised teaching
plan for the week and leaves.  He walks over to the painting and
becomes absorbed in staring at it.

Mac arrives with lunch.  He looks at the painting and wonders what
was going on in Kevin's mind when he painted it; Kevin's not sure.
"You're a pretty scary guy, Kevin," Mac remarks, and with that the
guys move to the important stuff - lunch!

Over burgers and beer, Mac tells Kevin the latest in the Felicia's
stalker story.  Since Willis couldn't have made the phone calls, Kevin
asks if Mac is thinking of a copycat, and Mac says, maybe.  He asks
Kevin's opinion, and Kevin admits to being flattered when Mac asks
his help.  Mac has the alternate LOD:  "Yeah, well, the brain may be
warped, but it works better than most."  They discuss the fact that
some of the details have been in the paper, but not everything.
Kevin suggests that maybe Willis is working with someone on the
outside whom he contacts via computer.  Mac has computer experts
"scanning the Internet to see if Willis talks in cyberspace."  [Ooh,
we're impressed!  At least they didn't use "modem" as a verb today.]

Kevin asks about Felicia, and Mac mentions that she's fine but she is
alone.  Kevin asks where Tom is, and Mac explains about the medical
conference.  Kevin finds this strange:  he hadn't heard about it.
Since Tom works for him, Tom needs Kevin's approval to go to such a
conference.  Mac says maybe it had to do with forensics instead.  Then
Mac gets paged and he has to leave.

Kevin returns to his painting, which we finally see.  It is unusual,
which is a redundant term when discussing Kevin's work.  It appears
to be a Madonna and child - and the madonna has dark hair.

EVERYTHING'S UP TO DATE IN KANSAS CITY
--------------------------------------
Sonny is at the Outback, and Mac joins him at his table.  Mac has
heard a rumor that someone wants to move in on Sonny's business.
Sonny responds sarcastically, and Mac doesn't like his attitude.
If Sonny is going to "wax sardonic" [a phrase like that from
MAC?], Mac will be on his way.  Sonny agrees to talk, and they
agree that the rumor is probably true.  Mac wants to know if there
is anything he should worry about; Sonny says no.  Mac wonders if
Sonny has been paying attention; Sonny responds, "You mean, since
my wife was killed?"  Mac leaves, suggesting that Sonny give
himself a break.

Jason arrives and delivers an envelope to Sonny.  It is a letter
from the representative of "the Kansas City Group".  They want to
take over one of Sonny's transportation networks.  Sonny figures
they believe now to be a good time to take over, due to Lily's
recent death and its likely effect on Sonny's concentration.
Sonny agrees to meet the K.C. guys at the Outback.

The guys arrive and they meet outside the Outback.  They want a
partnership in his Northeastern delivery network.  Sonny says he's
not interested.  The K.C. guy reaches into his pocket to pull out
a "gift" from his boss - but before he gets a chance, Jason pulls
a gun on him.  Sonny orders Jason to put the gun away, but first
Jason grabs the man's own gun.  The K.C. guy pulls cigars out of
his pocket and offers them.  Sonny refuses the cigars and the
"merger" and ends the meeting.

Sonny berates Jason for going for his gun.  Jason correctly points
out that if he had waited to see what was going to happen, it might
have been too late to protect Sonny.  Sonny worries about what will
happen next.  The K.C. boys have a bit too much information about
things they shouldn't know, and he wonders where they are getting it.
Before I can even say, "Buy a clue, Sonny!", Harry's face appears
on screen.  [Hooray!]  Harry asks the K.C. guy how Sonny looked,
but the guy doesn't understand what he's getting at.  Harry says he
knows how to get Sonny where they need him to be when they need him
to be there, which will assure Harry the money to retire.  Harry
insists that the K.C. guy must never tell Sonny that Harry is involved.

THE MANY FACES OF DECEPTION
---------------------------
Brenda has fixed breakfast for Jax, and she points out that she has
been waiting on him hand and foot.  He has arranged for a hot air
balloon ride and a picnic lunch for them.  She can't go - she needs
to take care of some unfinished business today, but can they do it
July 4 instead?  As she gets dressed, Jax remembers overhearing
her conversation with Robin, and her apparent admission that she
still loves Sonny.  He asks where she's going; she is meeting Kathy
at the Outback to tell her she is signing with Jacks Cosmetics.  She
thinks she should handle the business meeting on her own, but if he
wants to join her, he can come to the Outback later.

Brenda arrives at the Outback and finds Sonny there alone.  [Did I
say something earlier about plot devices abounding?]  She sits at
his table, explaining her upcoming meeting with Kathy.  She asks
how Sonny is, and he tells her he's fine, and that she needs to
stop worrying about him and to build a new, happy life.  Just then,
Jax arrives outside the Outback and sees, through the window, that
Brenda is sitting with Sonny.  He does not come into the Outback,
as that would give them the opportunity to work out this misunder-
standing without any major damage.

Kathy arrives for her appointment with Brenda, bursting with news
about the new Deception ad campaign.  Brenda stops her, explaining
that she is about to sign with Lucy.

No Wednesday when I do the update would be complete without at least
a brief pre-emption, so I missed the next few minutes due to tornado
warnings.  When I rejoin them, Brenda is wishing Kathy the best
and departing.  But I've heard that Kathy basically figures out that
Brenda never had any intention of signing with her [and who could
blame her, after the way Kathy behaved towards her a couple of years
ago when she briefly ran Deception].

Kathy, after Brenda's departure, calls her an ungrateful wench and
buries her head on the table.  The Stone lookalike asks her how she
is, and she asks for one of her trademark three-olive martinis.
Robin arrives, looking for Mac.  She finds Katherine instead, who
explains that Brenda defected to Jacks Cosmetics.  Kathy wants Robin
to convince Brenda to stay with Deception, but Robin declines to
get involved.  Kathy tries to see the bright side - it presents the
opportunity to try something new.  "After all, I am the one with the
vision," she crows, as a second martini is delivered and we in the
WTVD viewing area are interrupted with yet another weather warning.
I thus missed the rest of Kathy's scene, but I've heard she had a
sudden - and, as yet, unknown - revelation of a wonderful idea for
the next Face of Deception.  Robin?  Herself?  Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Chez Jacks, Jax is playing pinball with a vengeance and
flashing back to the sight of his wife with Sonny.  Brenda arrives
home and tells him how professional she was in her meeting.  As she
goes on about her triumph, Jax sits with his back to her, silent
and pensive.  Finally he snaps out of it, goes to her, looks her
in the eye, and calls her "The Face of Deception."  She assumes he
goofed, and reminds him she is the face of Jacks Cosmetics, and
instead of saying, "Well, yeah, that too," he kisses her.

THE PRINCESS LESLEY LU
----------------------
Luke is telling Lulu a fairy tale loosely based on the Spencer family
history.  The fair maiden Laura married a blacksmith, and had a child -
the Princess Lesley Lu.  Lesley Lu got lost in the forest one day, and
the blacksmith and the fair maiden "declared it very uncool" [this is
a totally Luke fairy tale], so the blacksmith went into the forest to
find the princess.  He found her, brought her home, and she was safe.
[This was very sweet, and it was precisely the kind of bedtime story
Luke would tell.  Kudos to Geary and the writers.]

During the story, Laura goes out of the room to make a phone call.
We don't know to whom, but the operator says the phone has been
disconnected.

Later, Tony comes into the hospital room and talks to Laura.  He
reminds her that, unlike BJ after her accident, Lulu has a future.
He comforts Laura, reminding her that her presence means a great deal
to Lulu.

Still later, Laura stands by Lesley Lu's bed, lost in thought.  She
holds a medallion with a crest of some kind on it - no doubt the match
to the one on the mystery man's ring.  Meanwhile, the mystery man is
on the phone, discussing Laura's earlier attempt at contact, and the
expectation that she will call again.

-------------
Rika, 1/2 of the Wednesday Update Team