Daily Updates

From: rika@netcom.com (Melissa Martin)
Subject: GH: Update, Wednesday, 7/17/96
Date: Thu, 18 Jul 1996 02:11:18 GMT

                        GENERAL HOSPITAL UPDATE
                        Wednesday, July 17, 1996

Well, the streak is broken - I actually had a pre-emption-free day
to do the update.  Amazing - but there was a brief cable outage to
to make up for it.  Today's stories:

* There's No General Hospital Without Dr. Hardy
* There's a New Kid in Town
* Jason's Women

THERE'S NO GENERAL HOSPITAL WITHOUT DR. HARDY
---------------------------------------------
Kevin is at the lighthouse, wearing his denim painting ensemble
and apparently at work at the easel.  He has that wild alt.Kevin
[tm Razz] look on his face, and he is annoyed when the phone rings.
It's Tony, and Kevin tries to put him off ("I'm right in the middle
of something") until Tony explains that Steve has died.  Kevin
heads for the hospital.

When Kevin arrives, Tony explains the details of Steve's death.
Audrey is downstairs viewing Steve's body.  Before Kevin can
head to his office, he sees Robin, who stopped by to drop off a
paper for the Psych class.  He asks her help in grief counseling,
sending her in Amy's direction.  She makes a good choice of
counseling method, simply hugging Amy.  Audrey returns and, seeing
Amy and Robin, she breaks down.  Kevin takes her to his office.

Meanwhile, Lucy arrives at the Lighthouse with Vietnamese
take-out; she explains to Kevin (whom she thinks is somewhere
in the house) that even Michelangelo had to eat - but then she
sees his latest painting on the easel.  It appears to be more
abstract than his usual work, which is my way of saying I'm not
sure what it was.

Back in Kevin's office, Audrey is pouring out her grief to an
empathetic, mostly silent Kevin.  She is upset about all the things
she needs to say to Steve that she can't say now.  Monica took
her home earlier, but she couldn't go inside because of all the
reminders she knew would be there.  She talks about all the plans
that will never be - a fishing trip with Tommy, a trip to China.

Audrey goes on to say that at the start of their relationship,
they were separate individuals, and it was never certain they
would stay together.  But eventually there came a time when they
both knew their lives and souls were truly joined.  And now
Audrey doesn't know what to do.  Steve took care of her, and over
the years she learned to depend on him.  Kevin assures her that
she won't need to do things alone.

At this point, Lucy arrives at Kevin's office and starts to rush
in the door as is her habit.  She hears Audrey talking and
stops, horrified, when she hears Audrey say that Steve has died.
Still outside the door, Lucy listens tearfully to the rest of the
conversation.

Audrey wishes she could have been there when Steve died, to hold
his hand and tell him once more that she loves him.  Kevin assures
her that she did that every day in many ways.  He tells her that
he used to watch her with Steve doing simple things - a cup of
coffee in the cafeteria, for instance.  He could feel the love
between them.  As he expands on this theme, Audrey smiles, and then
laughs, through her tears.  He closes by saying, "He carried your
love with him, so you *were* there.  And you'll always carry his
love with you.  I know that."  [SNIFF!]   Audrey says she can now
face going home.  Kevin offers his help if she needs anything - he
knows what it's like to lose a loved one.   As Audrey leaves, a
teary-eyed Lucy hides around the corner; she then comes into
Kevin's office.  She hugs him and tells him he is the most
remarkable man she has ever known.  [I make no pretense of being
a totally objective updater, so I have to say it - AMEN, SISTER!]
Lucy explains what she overheard; Kevin explains the circumstances
of Steve's death, and Lucy's next line is a fitting epitaph to John
Beradino's years on GH:  "There's not a General Hospital without
Dr. Hardy."

Lucy plans to go to see Audrey.  She asks about Kevin's well-
being:  "Who takes care of the doc when all the patients go
away?"  Kevin insists that he is fine, but Lucy volunteers for
the job [yeah, it's a dirty one, but somebody's gotta do it].
It will be her way of thanking him, she explains, and he asks
for what he is being thanked.  "For everything - for being in my
life, for being my best friend, and for being my lover.  And for
being the best person that I know.  I consider myself the luckiest
person in the whole world to have found you."  Kevin is overwhelmed
and uncharacteristically speechless [who can blame him], so Lucy
suggests that he put his mouth to use by kissing him [her mama
didn't raise any dummies].  She invites him over for dinner (the
Vietnamese take-out), but he has to stay at the hospital for a
while, so he asks for a rain check.  Lucy:  "A permanent one."

Unfortunately, having gotten the rain check, Kevin goes back
to the lighthouse.  We see him staring intently at the new
painting on the easel as the scene ends.

THERE'S A NEW KID IN TOWN
-------------------------
Nikolas is still in Lulu's room.  Lulu, adorable as always, spends
most of the scene gnawing at her hospital bracelet while Nikolas
talks to her.  He explains that he is her brother, and that nothing
will come between them ever again.  He promises to protect her.
He tells her a story about a prince who had everything he could
ever want - until he saved the life of a beautiful little girl.
Then he knew what he had been missing:  someone who needs him -
a little princess.  Lulu's nurse comes in at this point to tell
him he needs to leave, as the doctor is coming around soon.  She
asks if he is a family member, and Nikolas answers, "I'm someone
who is very fond of the princess here," and he leaves as Lulu
fidgets in her crib and looks cuter than ever.

Meanwhile, back at the Spencer house, Lucky demands the truth from
Laura.  He explains his encounter with Nikolas, treating it as
though Nikolas was crazy or a con artist until Luke and Laura's
reaction made it clear that Nikolas's story was the truth.  Laura
tries to explain, while Lucky yells and snipes at Laura until Luke
stops him, saying, "The last thing you do when you're blind-sided
is to turn on your own."  Luke insists that Lucky hear Laura out.
[BTW, kudos to Luke.  He had to be as shook up as Lucky was, but
he stood by Laura and acted like a parent instead of repeating
his past Luke-and-Lucky-gang-up-on-Mom tricks.]

Laura provides Lucky a condensed version of the story she told
Luke on yesterday's show.  Lucky is predictably upset, and makes
a bitter remark at one point about Nikolas being "the hero".  The
Spencers head back to the hospital, getting off the elevator about
five seconds too late to see Nikolas leaving.

Lucky suggests that he and Luke stay with Lulu while Laura looks
for "your newfound hero, your big family reunion."  Lucky coldly
rejects Laura's attempts to explain, and then yells and struggles
as Luke stops him from running off.  Luke forcibly tells Lucky
that the only thing that matters right now is Lulu, and she needs
Lucky.  "Not as much as she needed him," mutters Lucky.  Luke
insists that it's not Lucky's fault that he wasn't a match.  Lucky
wants to know if Nikolas will be part of their family, and Luke
insists that he will not.

Tony arrives and says that Lulu is fine.  They need to run some
tests, but things are a bit slow today.  Laura asks why, and Tony
explains about Steve Hardy.  Laura, agitated, asks how it
happened.  When she hears it was a heart attack, she dissolves into
tears in Luke's arms.  [There appears to be some amount of relief in
her tears - she probably feared Cassadine involvement, though they
could certainly find a better way to make her suffer than through
Steve Hardy.]

We next see the Spencers in Lulu's room.  Simone has told Laura
that Lulu is doing very well.  Lucky leaves Lulu's room without
a word to Laura, who fears that Lucky hates her.  Luke assures her
that Lucky is hurt, angry, and jealous, and needs some distance,
but he doesn't hate her.  Laura will spend the night with Lulu.
She thanks Luke for his support, and asks him to tell Lucky she
loves him.  They kiss, and Luke collects Lucky and leaves.

Meanwhile, Nikolas is at the Spencer house, looking at a photo
on the mantel in Luke and Laura's bedroom showing the Spencer
clan.  Foster comes into the room and, in a move which will land
him in the dog house if Lucky ever finds out, he allows Nikolas
to pet him.  If the Spencers wanted an animal on guard duty, they
should have borrowed Sigmund.

JASON'S WOMEN
-------------
Carly stops off to visit Jason.  He listens as she explains that
she wanted to celebrate getting into the nursing program, but due
to Steve Hardy's death, she has no one to celebrate with.  It's
been this way all her life - always something or someone more
important than she is.  Jason, recognizing what she needs, offers
his congratulations.

Jason goes out later and finds Robin on the bridge.  He gives
her a big hug, which helps her.  They talk about death and loss,
and specifically about Dr. Hardy.  Then she asks about what
happened to Jason earlier - Sonny called her while Jason was
missing - but he insists that he's okay.  Robin is glad he's safe -
he is important to her.  Robin remarks that tomorrow's memorial
service will be sad, but at least she can see Jason afterwards.
He asks about Mac; Robin explains that he is out of town.  Jason
offers to go with Robin, in spite of the fact that his family
will be there.  She insists that he doesn't need to go, but he
tells her he is going, and he's doing it for her.

Carly returns to the hospital and talks to Tony.  They agree that
they need to postpone Bobbie's surprise party again.  Tony gives
Carly a congratulations gift - a pink teddy bear he got at the
hospital gift shop - and Carly is overwhelmed that he thought of
her in the midst of everything.  Tony:  "I just thought you might
need a spare pink bear."  Don't we all, sometimes.

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