Daily Updates

General Hospital Update for Monday, 22-May-2000

You know what? I'm gonna try a bit of a different format that what I normally do. I'm gonna smush...

Luke and Felicia are at the park, where Luke issues her an ultimatum: either she takes things to the next level with him, or she cuts him out entirely. He *can't* play their little dance anymore, and needs her to make up her mind, darnit! Felicia hems and haws for a bit--Luke's insistence that the decision is entirely up to her throws her for a bit of a loop--and she tries to postpone making her decision by asking inane questions like, "What happened to my pal Luke?", but he is not dissuaded. He suggests that she can still walk away; she reminds hi that she tried that, and he comes right back with, "Well, try *staying* away." The advice--and the knowledge that whenever she's with Luke she hurts her girls--finally sinks in, and she decides to work towards rebuilding her family. She leaves the park.

Luke remains, however, and breathes a somewhat unsure sigh of relief that at least the decision is made. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he catches a glimpse of the fair Tammy, who is pilfering flowers from the city's beds. He offers her a way to make some money so that she could *buy* some decent flowers but she declines, reminding him that she's out of that business, thank you very much. He pesters her a bit, but she's firm, and instead turns the conversation towards what's bothering him--Lucky.

Meanwhile, over on the docks (aka the Most Action In Port Chuck), Laura is sitting semi-nonchalantly, hoping that Lucky will perchance happen by. She hears footfalls--alas, it's only Mac. They strike up a conversation in which he quite adamantly states his opinion that both their marriages are *over*, and maybe they shouldn't try to fix them. Laura, of course, takes the opposite viewpoint, and says that she's ready and willing to fight for her and Luke and their family. Shaking his head, Mac departs.

Soon, however, Laura hears some more footfalls--no luck this time, either (pun not intended), as it's Stefan who's darkening the docks with his presence. The two get into the usual bitch fest that their conversations have become--and then Steffi completely *floors* Laura by saying, "You should have a talk with my mother. The two of you have a great deal in common." (Flashback: Stef confronting his mother on her jet in Canada, where he tells her how he was so desperate for her love that when he grew up he simply transferred that hopeless adoration onto someone exactly like her--Laura.) An incredibly Oedipal conversation follows, with Laura denying that she's anything like Helena, and Stefan countering her every defense. Finally, with a last parting shot comparing his revelation about his mother to Lucky's, he strides off.

Over at the boxcar, Lucky and Liz share a tentative yet familiar kiss--but just as it starts heating up, Lucky pulls away. When asked why, he gives the same old reterick about how time's passed, they've changed, they can't start up again where they were--Liz responds to this by telling him that she can wait. However, the damage is done, and they veer off into a discussion of the old days; the guitar she gave him, nights in the boxcar...good times! But Lucky is very pessimistic, and says that they've lost everything that they had. Of course, Liz objects strongly to this; she still has his shirt, the subway token, the song he wrote for her--but again, Lucky tells her that thigns can't be the same because of the time that's passed. Well, Liz is having none of that--she reminds him quite sharply that, "It's only been a year!" Lucky, however, remains unmoved; things change no matter how much time has passed, and she should deal with it. With one last touch of her face, he leaves.

Distraught, Liz calls Nikolas and meets him at the docks. She tells him about the kiss, then wonders if something's wrong with him--or *her*. Nik does his best to reassure her, and she heads off.

Lucky, on the other hand, has returned to the boxcar, and sits staring pensively out into nowhere. His mental wanderings are interrupted, however, by the sound of someone approaching--he turns and finds Nikolas, who tries very hard to squelch the joy he feels at seeing his brother again so he doesn't scare him off. (Surreal scene of the day--The Recasts Meet!)

Now, what we've all been waiting for--at the Quartermaine mansion, AJ and Carly argue on the stairs. He grabs her wrist, she pulls away--and loses her balance, tumbles down the stairs, and finally comes to rest at the bottom, unconscious. Sonny and Edward rush over to her, and Sonny discovers that she's bleeding. He begins to panic, but Edward keeps him from picking her up bodily and possibly damaging the baby. The Q patriarch calls 911 while AJ takes a slug from his flask. The family drunk tries to explain that it was an accident, but Edward wants nothing to do with him; AJ lingers in the background while Sonny kneels helplessly over Carly, and Edward tries to stay calm.

The ambulence arrives, and Carly is taken to GH with Sonny riding along. Once the mobster leaves, Edward lashes out at AJ, telling him that if Carly and the baby are killed, he hopes that AJ will be convicted of murder. AJ reiterates the accidental nature of the fall, but Edward won't be put off. Alan and Monica choose that moment to rush in the door, worried by the ambulence they passed on their way in, and when they hear what happened they are just as flabbergasted at Ed. A few more choice comments in AJ's direction and he leaves, still clutching his precious flask.

Alan and Monica immediately start trying to work out a defense in case AJ has to go to trial; Edward is angered and astonished that they would be trying to protect their son after he was responsible for yet another disaster. He blames himself for the accident, and tells Monica and Alan that if he had made sure that AJ couldn't get back in the house, it never would've happened.

Out on the docks, AJ takes another pull from his trusty flask--but his drink is interrupted by Hannah, who reminds him that he told her he was going to lay off the liquor. He is too far into his own self-loathing to listen, and tells her what happened. She's aghast, but tries to make him feel better; her intentions are misinterpreted, and he tells her that he's sick of being made to feel sorry for what he does. He tells her that he should get in a car and drive away as fast as he can; when she points out that he'll kill himself, he nodds--"If Sonny doesn't kill me first."

A short time later he gets behind the wheel of a car, and flashes back to Jason's accident, his memories intermingling with Carly's fall. He puts the key in the ignition, ready to drive off--but Hannah climbs into the passenger seat, and tells him that if he's driving somewhere, she's coming too.

Carly is wheeled into the emergency room at General Hospital, still unconscious. Sonny follows the gurney helplessly--but he leaves obediently when Tony tells him that they need room to work. The mobster watches as the doctors work, his fear and worry just barely kept under control. Soon, Tony comes out to tell him what's going on: the placenta has detached from Carly's uterus, and they need to stop the bleeding. The baby is still fine, but if the bleeding doesn't stop, things could get difficult. Sonny nods his understanding and asks to go sit with her; Tony tells him to go ahead, and he tells his fiance that their child is, indeed, fine. He tells her that she's a fighter, and that she has to "fight dirty" to save both herself and their child; hardly daring to touch her, he whispers, "Don't leave me, please."

The mobster's life gets more difficult, however, when Tony appears and tells him that the bleeding hasn't stopped--Sonny has to choose between saving Carly's life, or the life of the baby.

Tomorrow: looks like the hospital's getting another patient; Chloe's headaches are back.