Daily Updates

General Hospital Update for Friday, 8-Feb-2002

1. Carly’s House - “A Beautiful Friendship” - As Zander comforts Carly about her best friend’s fatal car accident, their faces come into kissing distance. “Don’t you know how I feel about you, Carly?” Zander murmurs. Yes, she says, the same way she feels . . . they’re best friends. A fact he might want to rethink, she adds, going on about how she stole her best friend’s name and trashed it by all the bad things she’s done since then. Zander defends her personality, reminding her that she saved his life when she jumped Sorrel when he was about to shoot him. He tells Carly to let the accident go; he’ll help her do that. He points out that she keeps fighting even when it hurts and she’s a better person than she thinks. Carly says she wants to set a good example for Michael (oh, is that what she’s been doing?) and she also learned a lot from Sonny. But I’m far from perfect, she modestly adds. Me, too, Zander says, which is probably the reason we’re such good friends. Oh, I thought that was because Sonny paid you to be my friend, Carly teases. Do you get a bonus when you keep me from doing something crazy or try to teach me to drive? she kids. Zander again says she never gives up and he’ll prove it. Then we see them back in Zander’s car with Carly behind the wheel, trying to master the art of shifting (hint: join the 21st century and get an automatic car). She and Zander shift together, their hands touching, giving Zander an obvious charge, but all Carly feels is how “cool and terrifying” it is to drive.

2. Alexis’ Penthouse - “Another Touching Corrinthos Family Moment” - Alexis and Sonny are having their usual talk-about-anything-but-what’s-really-on-our-minds conversation, sprinkled with compliments for each other as well as a few reminders of some bad moments in the past, when Mike arrives looking for Courtney. Sonny says the cops told her she could go, and she was gone by the time he turned around. Mike can’t believe he didn’t go after her. Sonny points out that Courtney is old enough to look after herself, and Alexis chimes in that she convinced Sonny not to sic his thugs on his sister. Courtney thinks I’m trying to wreck her life, Sonny says, so all I can do is wait and play it better the next time I see her. An increasingly agitated Mike admits that he’s a “worthless nothing” but asks, “what is your excuse, my perfect son?” Sonny says excuses are a waste of time and proceeds to lay into Mike for putting Courtney in a hotel near A.J. Quartermaine and for letting her drive a car he knew had no insurance. He’s sick of Mike playing hero, Daddy and sorry. Courtney is not ready to see who you really are, Sonny says, or who I am. That’s self-serving crap, Mike returns; Courtney didn’t do what you wanted so you’re bailing on her. Alexis jumps in to defend Sonny (what else is new?), but Mike barely notices. He says that Sonny should show Courtney she matters and find her now! Sonny asks Mike what he should do exactly, and Mike admits he doesn’t know. The truth for once, Sonny exclaims, adding that neither he or Mike has a clue what Courtney wants. He goes on to bring up all Mike’s past mistakes and finishes by pointing out he will be the one who has to pick up the pieces of Courtney’s broken heart after Mike breaks it. Will you go find your sister now? Mike asks again. No, Sonny says (how do we know that this decision is a big mistake?). “You selfish, arrogant bastard,” Mike starts, prompting loyal Alexis to jump into the fray again and explain that Sonny is trying to do right by Courtney; hunting her down would only make it worse. (How many times lately has Alexis cringed in the background, watching Sonny rip to shreds his friends and family? If she can still be in the same room as the man after being witness to these frequent ugly displays, she MUST be in love!) Mike tells Alexis he can see why she’s Sonny attorney; she tells him what he wants to hear. Then the doorman arrives, bringing a note for Sonny. It’s from Courtney, saying she’s going out of town for a while.

3. A.J.’s Suite at the Port Charles Hotel - “Someone to Watch Over Me” - A tearful Courtney realizes she is too upset to drive anywhere. A.J. says she’s safe with him. Oozing concern from every pore, he gives her a cup of tea with too much sugar (to counteract shock, something he learned from his doctor parents, A.J. remarks). His bodyguards arrive to check in, and A.J. tells them to hang out in the lobby. Clever Courtney instantly realizes that A.J. hired the muscle to protect himself from her brother. She gets ready to leave, saying she’s hurting him by being around. A.J. stops her, admitting that he needs her more than she needs him. All I’ve done is take from you, Courtney says; I don’t want to pay you back by getting you hurt. A.J. points out that she looks at him like he’s not a total jerk, which means a lot to him. In a perfect world, what would you want? he asks. Space with no one telling me what to do, Courtney promptly replies. Done! magician A.J. announces. Then he gives her some delicious hotel cookies and tells her about her own room with a bath and jacuzzi and room service, etc. A dazzled Courtney still has one concern: what if Sonny finds out she’s staying there? A.J. says not to worry; Sonny and everyone else think she’s left town.

4. Bobbie’s Brownstone - “You’re Asking ME?” - Just back from her “date” with Scotty, Bobbie is surprised when Roy arrives. He asks for her help, and she assumes it has something to do with his undercover work for the police (apparently, Felecia blabbed to her about his job). Roy tells her about a very competent caregiver who has a pattern of terminal patients dying before their doctors think they should. Why haven’t you told Alan this? Bobbie asks. Because it’s Melissa, Roy admits. Bobbie admits to never liking Melissa but she doesn’t see her as a mercy killer. Roy says that it’s like Melissa is on a personal crusade to rescue her patients from pain. He goes on to explain that after learning of the charges against her in Chicago (which Bobbie knows all about from Amy), he did some research and found a list of similar cases where Melissa was the attending nurse. Bobbie points out that they were all terminal patients going to die anyway; Melissa is a very good nurse who saves lives. Roy brings up the fact that Melissa called it a blessing when one of her elderly patients died; it was the way she said it that made him wonder. Bobbie suddenly remembers a case at GH where an elderly woman with lung cancer and no visitors who thought of Melissa as her daughter suddenly died. Melissa called it a blessing and was very calm about it. Mrs. Holt? Roy asks. No, someone else. He and Bobbie uncomfortably realize there have been two similar cases at GH in recent weeks.

5. GH ICU - Edward’s Room - “Nothing Left to Live For” - Alan is suprised to see Skye arriving to visit her grandfather. I was summoned, she says. Melissa reluctantly leaves her patient, warning Skye not to upset him. Edward hands his granddaughter some papers to sign giving up her position at ELQ and making him CEO again. Or do you want to be exposed as a pathetic stalker? Skye basically laughs in his face, pointing out that he has no proof of her plot to snag Jax; he was unconscious during her “confession.” An agitated Edward calls for help, and Skye runs out in the hall. Alan and Melissa rush into the room . . . Later, Melissa brings the test results, and Alan says that Edward’s vitals are stable. “You didn’t have a coronary,” he tells his father, “you had a temper tantrum.” He warns Edward to stop faking or no one will believe him when he really needs help. Edward moans that he might as well die; the life he cherished is over. Alan gives him a sedative. Edward says he wants to go to sleep and not wake up. Out in the hall, Alan tells Skye that her grandfather is in pretty good shape for just having bypass surgery. Meanwhile, Edward is complaining to Melissa about his callous family. She wants to know if he meant what he said earlier. He says that “retired” means dead but still breathing. He is now only a pathetic shell, no longer a force to be reckoned with, without even the power to die. Melissa looks thoughtful as Edward dozes off. Out in the hall, she finds Skye still hanging around. You care more about him than you’re willing to admit, Melissa concludes. She tells Skye that Edward is suffering, because he feels his life is over; his power has been usurped. “Well, it has,” Skye declares, “by me. Edward’s reign is over, and mine has just begun.” Later we see Melissa sitting by Edward’s bed looking at a syringe in her hand. . .

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