Daily Updates

Subject:
Sent:        2/24/97 11:36 AM
From:        Jan Yarnot, jyarnot@netcom.com

THE OUT IN THE COLD UPDATE, THURSDAY FEBRUARY 6

Everyone gets left out in the cold today:
1. Katherine is lying there looking at the crystal tree and remembering
Stefan's near kiss.  Miranda comes in, sort of looking for Mac to see if he
has any pictures of the old her.  (Spooked by Cassadines, is my guess.)  She
catches sight of the necklace and recognizes the workmanship.  She knows that
Stefan is Katherine's mysterious visitor.  Miranda leaves.

2. Stefan is once more moping at Laura's grave.  Alexis comes to meet him
there.  He's come to tell her goodbye. He's fed up with his life.  He
feels like he's suffocating.  Alexis jollies him along: "You can't leave,
who'd be the head of the family?"  "You've always been an ambitious
woman.  I cede the role to you."  They argue about Katherine yet again.
Alexis has watched Stefan ever since they were children, and he's mostly
upset because he doesn't have as much control as he thought he would.
Alexis doesn't want him to hurt Nik.  He can't have Katherine without
deserting his family.  "Careful, Alexis, to propose delay is an act of
desperation."  "And only a fool acts without considering the
consequences.  You taught me that!"  She has to be in court [for what??]
She leaves and Stefan, looking at the "grave", flashes back to Laura at
the island.  He's entirely delusional: "If I told you I loved you that
day, would you have gone back to Spencer?  I lost you because I waited.
I can't make that mistake again."  So he goes to visit Katherine and
tells her he's Stefan Cassadine.

3. Lucy compliments Audrey on the renovated wing.  She says she keeps
expecting to run into Laura.  Audrey says this is like her and Steve, she
still talks to him.  She compliments Lucy on the work she did designing
the wing.  Lucy wishes Luke could see it.  "I really think they broke the
mold when they made him."  "Uh-hmm," Audrey agrees, "and that may not
have been such a bad thing!"  Lucy's phone rings.  It's Luke, who wants
her to meet him at the jail.

Lucy can't hug Luke. She was hoping they'd be thousands of miles away.
Luke tells her he needs her understanding.  She's become this amazing
person at understanding, just ask Kevin.  "OK, well, here goes: Laura
isn't dead."  Lucy thinks Luke is delusional and she's understanding.
Then when she realizes it's the truth she's first excited, and then it
hits her.  She's furious.  "Why didn't you tell ME?"  Luke claims it has
nothing to do with not trusting Lucy.  "Oh, OK, that makes it OK to use
me and manipulate my emotions like that!"  She asks who knew.  "You told
Sonny, and TOM?  ... All you needed ME for was to play me for a FOOL!  I
don't think I've ever been so angry at anybody in my whole entire life!...
Ahhhh, I see, so NOW you need my help?  Well, you know what, I Don't
Think So.  You could stand on your big fat head and spit wooden nickels
on a cold July day, and I wouldn't lift one tiny finger to help you!"
Lucy storms out.

She comes back.  "What is it that you need?" Luke says: "Luce, I'm crazy
about you."  "No.  Let's perhaps leave your insanity out of this, shall
we, because this isn't over.  You have a lot of 'splainin' to do to me
and I'm not going to let you off the hook --- but, you see, *I* don't
treat my friends like that, I'm not going to stoop as low as you did, I'm
going to treat my friends really good.  So, here goes, I think Cassadine
is a big fat creep -- so if stopping him means helping you, then OK, what
is it that you need from me?"

Lucy bails Luke our.  He hugs her.  She pushes him away, "none of that
mooshy stuff" and reminds him she's furious.  Alexis comes in as they're
leaving.  "Luke Spencer."  "Cassadine mouthpiece.  I'd love to hang out
and catch up on all your family business, but my friend and I were just
leaving."  Alexis: "Clearly I've missed the punchline."  Lucy: "The
punchline is Luke did not shoot Katherine Bell and I would be happy to
back that up."  Luke tells her to save her breath and they leave.  Alexis
tries calling Stefan, who doesn't answer.

4.  Nik sees Laura.  "You're alive!"  He hugs her.  Bobbie watches.  Nik
babbles: "I can't believe this, my mother's alive..."  He won't let her
talk: "Mother, just let me finish! When I heard that you were dead, I
thought I was going to have to spend the rest of my life regretting all
the things I never got a chance to tell you.  And now, by some miracle, I
have another chance.  I can't wait one more minute.  I'm sorry, for all
the hurtful things I ever said to you.  I was angry, and I was
deliberately cruel to you.  I didn't understand, till it was too late."
He's crying, as is Your Fearless Updater.

Laura tries again: "What happened to you was truly unfair, and I would do
anything to undo it."  "It doesn't matter.  You're here, now. I love
you."  They hug.  "Oh, Nikolas, I've always loved you." Nik thinks Luke
took her away against her will.  He asks for the truth and Bobbie says
"By all means, Laura, tell Nikolas the truth."  Laura tells Nik that
Leslie is still alive.  She tells him that Stefan had nothing to do with
it.  She admits she went along with the plan.  Nik gets mad.  Laura says:
"You have no idea how sorry I am!"  "It's your middle name, isn't it?
Laura Sorry.  Sorry for abandoning me as a child.  Sorry for choosing
your husband and your other son over me.  And the piece de resistance.
Sorry for letting me think you were dead."  "I swear -- I was going to
come back."  "Did Lucky know you were alive all this time?  And you said
you loved us equally.  In addition to being sorry for everything, you
never have a choice what to do.  The Cassadines are to blame for
everything.." "Oh, please don't hate me, not now, not when we've just
begun to understand what we mean to each other!"  "You're nothing to
me... you come to me with your tears and your protextations of love and
then you turn around and tell me that the Hell you put me through was all
a game --- Helena pales in comparison to you.  She never pretends to love
you while stabbing you in the heart with a knife and twisting it around
for good measure."

"I made a huge mistake."  "No you didn't.  For once you were honest.  You
don't give a damn about me-- all you needed me for was Leslie Lou."  Nik
says he will gladly shoulder the responsibility for Leslie Lou's life.
Laura protests: "My feelings for you are real."  "NOTHING about you is real!"
"Please, I'm your mother, I love you, please don't do this---" "You're
dead to me."  He leaves, and Bobbie stops a crying Laura [she always
cries well!] from going after him.  Bobbie says "Get off my island."
Laura tries to push by, but the phone rings.  Laura glares at Bobbie and
leaves.  Bobbie follows Nik.

Nik goes to the "grave" and tears up the flowers.  "Goodbye, mother."

5. Back at the hospital, Monica is looking at the plaque.  Alan comes up
and Monica says "I miss her."  Alan has to keep his hand immobilized for
a week.  Edward and Lila, AJ and Keesha come in and teast Alan about
hitting Dorman.  Lila enjoyed hearing about him punching the little weasel.
The City Council passed an unanimous resolution honoring the memory of
Laura and Lesley.  Justus says "We won't see the likes of her again."
[If he only knew!]  Audrey's looking for Lucy in order to start the ceremony.
Ruby comes up.  Edward suggest they start the ceremony right away anyway,
who cares if Lucy and Bobbie and Stefan are missing.  Monica speaks "If
there ever was someone without guile, without ulterior motives, that was
Laura. [Oh, the irony!] General Hospital has endured incredible losses:
first Steve Hardy, then Laura Spencer, but it's precisely because of the
commitment and the dedication of people like Steve, like Laura, like
Lesley Webber, that General Hospital continues to thrive and to prosper.
They will live in our hearts forever."  Audrey claps and starts to
speak.  "I hereby commemorate the renovation of General Hospital, in
memory of two of the finest people I have ever had the privilege to know:
my dear friends Lesley Webber and Laura Spencer, and may the memory of
their lives inspire all of us..." and Laura walks in.  She looks rather
like a deer caught in the headlights.