Daily Updates

Subject:
Sent:        8/22/96 11:49 AM
From:        Jan Yarnot, jyarnot@netcom.com

Your Fearless Updater had four interruptions for (justified, in my
opinion) newsbreaks, mostly in the Brenda story.  So I may have missed
something important, but I don't really believe I did.

GENERAL HOSPITAL, THURSDAY AUGUST 15

1. STEFAN SPINS HIS WEB
Laura is on the phone to Nikolas, telling him she has good news.
Sinister Stefan takes the phone from Nik and asks Laura what it is she
wants. Nik takes it back.  "When can I see her?"  They arrange to meet at
the Park.  Luke overhears this, and looks like a thundercloud.  Stefan
warns Nikolas: "Her interest in you is temporary, as was her interest in
your father."  Nikolas wonders: "If you hate her so much, why do you hang
onto THAT?"  (The portrait.)  Stefan: "Rememberance."

Laura would like Luke to make an effort.  Luke says handing Lulu over is
enough of an effort.  After Laura leaves, Bobbie minces up: "Why aren't
you leaving with your wife and daughter?"  Luke guesses the "Little Spawn
must be missing his bone marrow, as he's done nothing but suck our blood
since the day he got here."  Carly (fortuitously) comes up and talks for a
second, and leaves again.  Bobbie says: "I thought you were presenting a
united front."  Luke whines, and Bobbie shows some understanding of Laura's
position, knowing how she (Bobbie) would feel if she found her daughter.
Luke says: "This is a whole different ball of umbilical cord here.  Your
daughter didn't show up from nowhere and start ripping your family apart."
Carly shows up from nowhere and asks Bobbie a question.  Bobbie decides
to go back to work.  Luke huffs off.

Meanwhile, at the park, Nik and Lulu (those babies are ADORABLE!) are
bonding over a game of Cat's Cradle.  Nik mentions that Foster doesn't
have fleas and Laura and he discuss senses of humor.  Nik tries to get an
ice cream for Lulu, but the vendor has closed down.  Nik gets arrogant
and blustery, and Laura stops him.  She drags him off and they argue.
Nik goes off.

Carly apologizes to Bobbie for interrupting.  Bobbie has done so much for
her.  Bobbie snubs her.  As Bobbie leaves, Carly asks: "By the way --- any
luck finding that daughter of yours?"  Luke and Laura are at the Port
Charles Grill (the food is better than at LUKE'S) and toast "Princess
Leslie Lu, our little castiron marshmallow."  Stefan appears, standing
behind Laura.

2. JASON AND ROBIN PLAN A TRIP
Outside LUKE'S Jason and Robin look at cirrus clouds, and he suggests
they go skydiving.  She Doesn't Think So.  He's planning to meet Sonny to
ask for some time off, and Robin doubts this is a really good place.
Jason hadn't thought of that.  They go in, and Mike is there!  Jason says
he could pay for Robin's college, it won't be over $3million, will it?

Gina yells at Sonny, let go, or she'll shout for the cops.  He says he'll
holler for the Sierra Club if she wants him to.  As he leaves, she says
"Do me a favor, go to Hell."  He responds "That's exactly where I was
headed."  At LUKE'S, Sonny is pinned down by the flashbacks and unable to
move till Robin comes out to rescue him.  "You look so handsome!"
Inside, Sonny talks to a runner, and then he starts to plan the trip with
Jason.  He hands him some money.  Jason wants to be sure he's keeping
track, and Sonny says he is: "Maybe by the turn of the 22nd century I'll
have your shares paid off."  Mike suggests a resort hotel at Montauk
where he was very happy (he spent time there with Adela, he later tells
Sonny.)  Jason tells Robin, tempting the Soap Gods: "This is me, happy.
It's too easy."

3. BRENDA BUYS A CLUE
Brenda is still fiddling with the pills.  She takes a couple, checks her
watch, sees a newsbreak with me and is checking her watch and fiddling
with the pills again when it's over.  Chase, the photographer, is at the
door.  Elly the makeup lady tweaks Brenda's hair, but it's
perfect.  Chase poses Jax, who is surprisingly camera-shy.  Brenda sits in
Jax' lap and Chase starts snapping pictures.  "Tell me Brenda, what's it
like to be you? ... What's it like to have the kind of life women would
kill for?"  "I pinch myself every day ... but I hope no one would
actually die for it."  Brenda has Sonny flashbacks and her eyes glaze.
Jax appears to notice something is wrong.

Later she asks him if he threw Elly and Chase down the stairs.  She's
tired and he tucks her up.  There's scene of Lily and the baby (a DOLL!)
and Sonny, and she wakes up screaming.  Jax wants to know what's wrong,
and wonder of wonders, Brenda tells him.  (Or so I think.  Newsbreak)
"He has nothing because of me, and I have everything because of him.  I
don't EVER deserve this... it's the kind of life someone would kill for,
and in a way, that's what I did."  Jax says Sonny chose his life, and
Brenda yells: "Don't DO that right now!... that's what Sonny says too and
it's not true!  I know what I know, Jax, and I'm not going to pretend
like it's something else.  I'm not going to make excuses for things any
more like I always do for everything.  THAT is why Lily is dead!  **I**
knew what her father was capable of.  I mean, [eerie echo of the Mantra
here!] he came to me and he told me.  He said if anyone betrayed his
daughter, he would punish them.  And I guess I just thought I would take
my chances.  Right?  And WHY?  Because, because it was for Sonny's Own
Good.  That's a great reason, huh?  Because I knew that he LOVED me and
he didn't really love her.  Well, guess what?  He wanted what he had.  He
told me that and he meant it.  And *I* wouldn't let go.  I threw myself
at him, I followed him, I set up situations, I mean, you watched me.
Everything that I did..."

(Jax attempts to get a word in edgewise.) "don't try to make this OK for
me! You want me to have nightmares for the rest of my life?  I acted like
a spoiled brat.  I couldn't let go.  If it wasn't for me, right now,
Sonny would be happy, he would have a life.  I justified the whole entire
thing by saying that he would thank me for it in the end.  Because he
loved ME."  Jax asks what went wrong, after all, Sonny WAS going to leave
Lily.  Brenda says that was only because she, Brenda, wouldn't give up,
she MADE him choose her.  Jax says: "You can't MAKE someone love you.  I
should know."  Brenda says "Do you know I've never regretted marrying
you?"  Jax says she should never say she doesn't deserve happiness.  He
wants to help.

WOW.