Amy: (Busy writing down something - holds up her index finger and then after a few seconds.) Yes, oh Hi Sarah . . . Liz. What can I do for you? Are you looking for Audry?
Sarah: No . . . we’re looking for Mr. Spencer.
Amy: My brother-in-law? Why are you looking for him here? He’s probably at his club.
Sarah: Oh . . . I’m sorry . . . I assumed that you knew.
Amy: Knew what?
Liz: This is ridiculous! Mr. Spencer was shot while down at the docks. Do you know where he would have been taken?
Amy: Oh my . . . Luke was shot!? How bad was he shot?
Liz: (Rolling her eyes) We don’t know. That is why we are asking you. If we knew, we would not be talking to you.
Amy: (Offended) Well. Excuse me.
Sarah: Amy . . . um . . . please excuse Liz. We heard that Mr. Spencer was shot and Lucky was suppose to be with him. Liz is just worried about Lucky.
Amy: Ohhh. (Nods her head) Let me make a call. I’ll see what I can find out.
Sarah: Thanks.
(Police Station: Justice, Garcia, and Jason are in the private room talking.)
Justus: My client refuses to say any more until you tell us what he is being charged with.
Garcia: Like I told your client, he is not being charged with anything. He is just being questioned about what happened down at the docks.
Justus: And you had to drag him down here to do that?
Garcia: Standing out in the open with Mr. Morgan is not a very intelligent thing to do. I felt it would be much safer for all involved if we did the questioning here.
Justus: (Laughs lightly) Well, seeing as my client is not being held, I suggest that we consider this little meeting over.
Garcia: I still need a statement from Mr. Morgan.
Justus: You’ll get one; don’t worry.
(They exit to the main part of the police station. Carly and Renaldo come in from the other side of the room.)
Carly: (To Jason) Are you being arrested?
Jason: No.
Carly: (Looks relieved) Good. Let’s go home. (Looks around the room.) Where’s Michael?
Jason: Did you just come from the penthouse?
Carly: Yes. (Pauses) Jason, where’s Michael?
Jason: How did you know I was here?
Carly: Benny called. Jason, tell me where Michael is!
Jason: Lower your voice. (Carly glares at him.) We don’t know exactly where he is.
Carly: Oh my God, No!
Jason: Carly, . . . Carly, . . . It’s not like that. He’s with Emily and Lucky.
Carly: I don’t understand.
Jason: They left right before the shooting. They were supposed to go to the penthouse. (He notices Garcia standing nearby listening) I’ll explain later. (To Justus) Can we go?
Justus: (To Garcia) My client needs to take his . . . uh . . . Ms. Roberts home. He will come back tomorrow morning and give a statement, if that’s okay? (Garcia nods. To Jason) Well then, let’s go.
(They leave.)
(Hospital: Nurse’s desk: Amy is still on the phone while Liz and Sarah are standing nearby.)
Liz: She sure is taking her time. I don’t see why we can’t just go down to the emergency room and look for him ourselves.
Sarah: We don’t know how bad he was hurt. He could be in surgery.
(Nik and Robin come up to the Nurse’s desk.)
Robin: Hi . . . Sarah. Liz? Have you found out anything?
Liz: No.
Sarah: Amy is checking for us.
(The four stand there - Liz impatiently and Nik, Robin, and Sarah awkwardly. Bobbie comes off the elevator, sees them, and approaches the Nurse’s desk.)
Bobbie: Hello.
Liz: Bobbie! Thank God! Maybe you can tell us what’s going on. Where’s Lucky?
Bobbie: (Smiles) Okay. Here’s what I know. My brother and Lucky were down at the docks. While there, they ran into Jason, Emily, Michael, and one of Jason’s guards. Jason needed Emily to take Michael home and Lucky went with them.
Liz: Why did Lucky go with Emily and Michael? Isn’t that the “bodyguard’s” job?
Bobbie: I don’t know, Liz. This is just what my brother told me.
Liz: So he wasn’t there when the shooting occurred. (Bobbie starts to open her mouth to speak, but quickly closes it.) If I hurry, I can probably catch him at the penthouse.
Bobbie: Liz, wait! He’s probably been told about his father by now. I’m sure he should be here soon.
Liz: You’re right. I’m going to wait right here for him. If you see Lucky, Bobbie, will you tell him that I’m here and need to see him?
Bobbie: Ofcourse.
Sarah: Thanks.
(Sarah and Liz go sit down nearby.)
Bobbie: (To Robin) He wasn’t hurt.
Robin: Excuse me?
Bobbie: Jason . . . he wasn’t hurt. But they did take him to the police station.
Robin: Is Luke okay?
Bobbie: Yeah . . . you know how my brother is. Well, I’ve got to go.
(She leaves.)
Nik: Do you want to go to the police station?
Robin: No (Pause, then smiles at Nik) Let’s go have our lunch.
Nik: (Smiling, he takes her arm) This way, my lady.
(They leave as Sarah glares at them.)
(Penthouse: Jason, Carly, and Justus enter from front door. Renaldo stays outside the door.)
Carly: (Yelling up the stairs) Emily? . . . Lucky?
Jason: They’re not here. The door was locked.
Carly: Well, maybe they picked the lock. (Jason looks at her with his eyebrow raised.) If they’re not here, Jason, where are they?
Jason: I don’t know.
(Hospital: Luke’s Room: Luke is in a hospital bed. Bobbie comes in.)
Bobbie: Hello.
Luke: Why do I have to stay here?
Bobbie: Like your doctor told you, you’ve lost some blood. They just want to keep you overnight.
Luke: Well . . . just overnight and that’s all. (Pauses) Any word on Lucky?
Bobbie: Not so far.
Luke: Do me a favor, Sis.
Bobbie: Go see if Lucky is safe?
Luke: Yeah. But don’t let him know that I sent you.
Bobbie: I’ll be back.
(She leaves.)
(Hospital: Waiting Room: Liz and Sarah are sitting.)
Liz: I can’t stand this. Where is he? (Sarah shrugs) Maybe I should look for him again.
Sarah: No. We should wait here. (Liz reluctantly sits back down.) Maybe we could find Grams and let her know what’s happened.
Liz: I thought you said we should wait here?
Sarah: I meant at the hospital. We can leave word at the Nurse’s desk that we will be right back if anyone should ask about us.
Liz: Fine. Anything to not have to sit around anymore.
(Penthouse: Jason, Carly, and Justus are standing near the front door.)
Carly: They should have been here by now. Jason? What if something happened to them? What if...
Jason: Don’t go there, Carly.
Justus: Jason’s right, Carly. Right now, we need to think positively. (To Jason) Where else could they have gone?
Jason: Not to the Quartermaines; Emily would never take Michael there. Luke’s house?
Carly: No. Lucky moved out some time ago. (Both men look at her questioningly. She shrugs.) I overheard Bobbie mention it to someone.
Justus: Okay. How about Kelly’s or . . .um . . . Luke’s club?
Carly: Or the Brownstone?
Jason: Good, alright -- let’s start calling around. Maybe they’re lying low until they think it’s safe.
Justus: I’ll go over to my place to call the Brownstone and Luke’s Club.
(He leaves.)
Carly: I don’t want to be going through this again.
Jason: It’s my fault. I should have sent Jonny with them.
Carly: Yeah. But how could you have known. (She starts to cry.)
Jason: I should have known. ( They look at each other. Both jump as the door opens. They look to see Justus standing in the doorway.)
(Hospital: Alan’s office: Alan is gathering up his belongings to leave. He pulls out a bottle of pills and pops two into his mouth. Just as he slips the bottle back into his jacket, Monica comes in.)
Monica: That was one of the roughest surgeries I have ever had. (Alan looks at her blankly.) Are you alright? You look as bad as I feel.
Alan: (Whispers) Monica . . . you haven’t heard.
Monica: What? (She stops smiling as the blood drains from her face.) Oh no, what now? Is it Jason? Michael?
Alan: Yes. Both of them and Luke, Lucky, and . . . (Looks away) and Emily.
Monica: What happened? Is Emily okay?
Alan: We don’t know.
Monica: Where is she?
Alan: We don’t know.
Monica: She’s Missing!?
Alan: She went to visit Jason and Michael. They all went for a walk. For some reason, Jason sent Michael home with Emily and Lucky Spencer. Then there was gunfire down at the docks.
Monica: Gunfire!? Was anyone hurt? Is that where Emily and Michael were?
Alan: They had been there . . . but they supposedly left before the gunfire. Luke was shot; and one of Jason’s henchmen.
Monica: Is Luke alright? (Alan nods. Monica looks relieved.) Has anyone checked Jason’s to see if the kids are there?
Alan: I was getting ready to go there now.
Monica: I’ll go with you.
(They leave.)
(Penthouse: Jason and Carly look surprised at Justus who is standing in the doorway.)
(Hospital: In front of the ground level elevator: Lucky and Emily arewaiting for the next elevator.)
(The elevator door opens just as Lucky reaches out and playfully tugs a strand of Emily’s hair. Liz and Sarah step out of the elevator. Both look at Lucky and Emily with confusion.)
(Penthouse: Jason and Carly are standing by the couch. Carly is holding Michael.)
(Hospital: By ground floor elevator: Lucky and Emily are standing by each other. His hand is tugging playfully a bit of her hair. Neither has noticed that Liz and Sarah have gotten off the elevator.)
(Police Station: Garcia, Taggert, and Dara are in the main section of the station.)
(Penthouse: Carly and Jason are still standing by the couch.)
(Police Station: Garcia and Taggert are sitting at one of the desks in the main part of the station.)
(Hospital: Luke’s room: Luke is laying in a hospital bed with his eyes closed. Lucky is standing in the doorway watching him. He starts to leave.)
(Police Station: Garcia’s office: Garcia is looking through some papers. There is a knock on the door. Garcia looks up to see a uniformed officer.)
Jason: What’s wrong?
Justus: Nothing, . . . (He smiles as he walks into the room) now.
(Behind him Lucky, Emily, and Michael appear in the doorway.)
Carly: (Running to take Michael from Emily) Oh, Thank God! (She hugs and kisses the baby.) Are you okay, Sweetheart? I thought I lost you again.
Jason: Where were they?
Lucky: We got delayed by one of the gunmen.
Jason: Garcia said that they had found one of the gunmen knocked out in an alley. Did you do that?
Lucky: (With a small laugh he looks at Emily, then back at Jason) No. That was not my doing. (Jason looks intently at him.) We hadn’t gone very far when the gunfire started. Emily was holding Michael, so we just ran.
Emily: We left the stroller.
Jason: That’s alright. (To Lucky) Go on.
Lucky: We tried to hide in an alley, but the guy found us when Michael started to cry. It didn’t look very good for us when this woman . . .
Emily: Wait a minute. Lucky’s not telling the whole story. (Jason looks questioningly at Lucky) What Lucky is so modestly leaving out is that he tried to get the guy to believe that he (Points to Lucky) was the only one in the alley. He even told the guy that the baby’s crying was actually him. (Jason, Carly, and Justus all give Lucky amused looks.)
Lucky: (Embarrassed and shaking his head) Emily, trust me, that’s not important.
Emily: Yes it is. I think Jason and Carly should know that you did everything possible to protect Michael . . . and me. Although, I was glad that woman showed up.
Jason: What woman?
Lucky: (Sighs) While I was talking to the gunman, this lady showed up out of nowhere. She was the one that knocked the gunman out.
Jason: Do you know who she was?
Lucky: No. But she looked like she knew what she was doing when she attacked the gunman.
Justus: Do you think you have an unknown ally, Jason?
Jason: I don’t know?
Emily: Hey, where’s Jonny?
(Jason, Justus, and Carly look at her. Carly takes the baby to the couch and sits down.)
Jason: Jonny was shot.
Emily: Oh no!
Lucky: Is he alright?
Jason: Yeah. He’s at the hospital. (He pauses, looks down, then looks at Lucky) That’s not all Lucky. Your father was shot, too. (Lucky’s face goes pale.)
Emily: Is he alright?
Jason: I think so. He’s in the hospital, too.
Lucky: Um . . . I need to go. I . . .
Jason: (Nods his head) Go. We can talk about this later.
Emily: I’ll go with you. I should find my parents; they’re probably going crazy by now. (To Jason) I’ll call you tomorrow.
Jason: You two should go over what happened -- the police will probably be contacting you both soon.
Lucky: Should we tell them everything?
Jason: (Pauses) Yes, . . .everything.
Emily: Um, Lucky?
Lucky: Yeah?
Emily: I just wanted to say thank you . . . you know, for getting Michael and I back to the penthouse safely.
Lucky: It wasn’t just me. There’s the “mystery woman” to thank too. Besides, you were a help also.
Emily: How do you figure that? Oh, I know -- I didn’t pass out.
Lucky: That’s true. You were actually pretty calm, considering the circumstances. Not everyone knows how to stay calm, listen, and do what is necessary in a dangerous situation.
Emily: Is that like -- Stop, Drop, and Roll?
Lucky: (Laughs lightly) Yeah. So, do you know what to tell the cops when they talk to you?
Emily: Yes. And I promise not to say anything else that might embarrass you, okay?
Lucky: Thank you. (Pauses) You know, I miss this.
Emily: What?
Lucky: Talking with you. Hanging out. We use to do this all the time.
Emily: Yeah; I miss it too.
Lucky: I know. Let’s try to get together at least once a week to talk and stuff.
Emily: (Smiles brightly) I’d like that.
(Penthouse: Jason is on the phone. Carly is sitting on the couch holding the sleeping Michael. The door opens.)
Alan: (To Reynaldo) Get out of my way. (He bursts into the room.) Where is Emily?
Jason: (To Reynaldo who had taken a defensive stance between Alan and Jason) It’s alright. (Reynaldo starts for the door just as Monica enters.)
Monica: (Giving Alan an angry look) I’m sorry Jason. We don’t mean to just barge in . . . (She sees Carly with Michael) Oh, he’s okay?
Carly: (Stands up and brings him over to her) Yeah. He’s perfect . . . as always.
Monica: I can’t begin to tell you how worried I was . . . well, I know you understand. Is Emily here too?
Jason: No. Her and Lucky went to the hospital.
Monica: Were they hurt? (Jason shakes his head.) Thank God. Um . . . I’m sorry that we just busted in.
Carly: (Smiles) Its okay. (She looks at Alan and her smile fades.)
Monica: Well, I’m glad Michael is okay. We’ll go now. (She pulls on Alan’s arm to get him to move towards the door. Alan looks blankly at Carly and Michael, then turns and walks out the door. Reynaldo closes the door behind him.)
Jason: Sorry about that. (Carly turns away.) Are you okay?
Carly: (Turning back around; tears rolling down her cheeks) No, Jason. I’m not okay. (Pauses as she tries to not cry) Jason . . . I can’t do this anymore.
Jason: What do you mean you can’t do this anymore?
Carly: I can’t live wondering if every time I let Michael out of my sight,he might disappear. He’s just a baby, but he’s had to deal with health problems, kidnapping, and now being shot at. I thought that I could stay here and everything would be just fine. (Pauses) But it never will be, will it?
Jason: What do you want to do about it? I can get more bodyguards for you and Michael.
Carly: (With a small laugh) No. I don’t want more guards. I keep seeing Michael . . . going to kindergarden. And he’s got two or three guards towering over him, scaring the other kids.
Jason: No one will pick on him at least.
Carly: Yes, they will. And they’ll exclude him. None of the kids will be allowed to play with him because their parents won’t allow them to associate with a mobster’s son.
Jason: Where is this all coming from, Carly? You have never had a problem before.
Carly: Actually, I think I did; but I didn’t want to admit it -- even to myself.
Jason: So, what? You want to tell AJ the truth?
Carly: No! I mean, I don’t know. (Pauses) Maybe if Michael and I distanced ourselves from you some . . . (Jason, clearly upset, covers his face with his hands.) I don’t mean that you can’t see Michael. You could spend time with him. In my eyes, you are his father.
Jason: Then why do you want to take him from me?
Liz: Lucky?
(Lucky’s hand quickly drops as he turns towards Liz.)
Lucky: Liz? What are you doing here?
Liz: Looking for you? (She walks up to him and gives him a hug, which he returns.) I heard about the shooting and your dad. I was so worried about you.
Lucky: (Smiling at her) Well, I’m fine. We had left well before the shooting.
Liz: Where have you been?
Lucky: It . . . um . . . took some doing to get Michael home. We couldn’t get into Jason’s place, so we kind of laid low until Jason got home.
(Emily gives him a look of bewilderment.)
Liz: Well, I’m just glad that you’re okay. (She hugs him again.) Oh, and you too, Emily.
Emily: Thanks. Well, I’d better go find my parents. (To Lucky) Talk to you soon?
Lucky: Yeah. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.
(Emily nods, then leaves.)
Sarah: I’ll go find Grams and let her know what’s happened. Do you want me to wait for you? (Liz looks at Lucky.)
Lucky: I’m probably just going to peek in on my dad. I can take you home, if you want to wait?
Liz: I’ll wait.
Sarah: Okay; well, I’ll see you later at home. I’m glad you’re okay, Lucky. Bye. (She leaves. Lucky and Liz look at each other and smile. The elevator doors open and they get on it.)
Dara: Well detectives, if we are done here, I think I’ll be on my way. (The phone rings and Garcia answers it.) I believe that I hear a nice hot bath calling my name.
Taggert: (Cupping his hand up to his ear) What’s that? Why - I believe I hear my name being called too. (He smiles deviously at Dara.)
Dara: You wish!
Taggert: Ah yes, and how.
Garcia: (Hanging up the phone) Well, the missing kids are no longer missing. They were over at Mr. Ward’s place.
Taggert: You want to go question them now?
Garcia: No . . .let’s wait til morning. Maybe by then our guest down in holding will feel like talking.
Dara: Well, I’m out of here. I’ll be in early tomorrow.
Garcia: Good-night.
(Dara leaves.)
Carly: I’m not taking Michael away from you, Jason. I just need to make sure that he’s safe. I wanted to believe that this would be the safest place for him -- and maybe it was for awhile. But now I think it would be better if we didn’t stay here anymore.
Jason: That IS taking him away, Carly. I don’t want that. I want to be part of every minute of his life. I love him -- he’s my son.
Carly: I know, . . . I feel the same way. (She turns and sits down on the couch.) Oh god, Jason, I don’t know what to do. I want you to be a major part of his life, but I’m afraid. Your work puts his life in danger -- I can’t accept that. Its one thing for your work to put you or even me in danger, but when it comes to Michael; I can’t lose him -- I won’t. And I have to do whatever it takes to make sure that he is safe. Do you
understand?
Jason: No . . .yes. I just don’t agree. I don’t see how distancing Michael away from me is going to make him safe. If anything, it could put him into more danger. If one of my enemies knows that he isn’t under my supervision, then he might take advantage of the situation.
Carly: (Smiling through her tears) Now Jason, I know that you’ve had guards on Robin, and Emily, and even Brenda -- and they don’t live here. You’ll have guards for Michael no matter where he lives.
Jason: What if I get you a place of your own -- for you and Michael? We could get you something in this building or nearby. You could still come here as often as you like . . .
Carly: (Holds up her hand) Let’s not discuss this now. I need to get Michael to bed. We’re both tired. We can discuss this tomorrow. Okay?
Jason: Fine. (He picks up his jacket and heads for the door.)
Carly: Jason? Where are you going?
Jason: Out. I need some air.
(Jason leaves. Looking down at Michael, Carly smiles sadly. She gets up and takes him upstairs.)
Garcia: I don’t think I need to explain myself to you, Taggert.
Taggert: Oh yes, you do. What was all that bull in the questioning room. “We Wait.” You blew a perfect oppurtunity to grill that piece of slime.
Garcia: Mr. Morgan was in for questioning about the shooting--that’s all. People have rights, whether we like them personally or not does not matter. He wanted to wait, so we waited.
Taggert: And now Angerboy is free to walk the streets once more. You know, it’s getting rather tiring how many times he gets brought here and then just walks away.
Garcia: You know what’s getting tiring? Your attitude. We are here to uphold the law, not to pass judgement on anyone we don’t like. That’s not in our job description. I want to put Morgan behind bars just as bad as you, but it’s not going to happen unless we keep cool heads and do things by the book. Understand?
Carly: I’m over here, Reynaldo. What do you need?
Reynaldo: Ms. Spen . . . um, your mother is here to see you.
Carly: Oh, geesh, I didn’t even think . . . let her in.
(Reynaldo motions to Bobbie who steps into the room. Reynaldo closes the door.) Oh Bobbie, I’m sorry . . . I should have called you.
Bobbie: (With fear in her voice) Have they found Michael? Is he okay?
Carly: Yes, yes -- infact he’s upstairs sound asleep. (Bobbie’s whole body slumps slightly in relief.) He was a bit upset, but he finally drifted off. I heard that Luke was shot. Is he okay?
Bobbie: Yeah. He got shot in the leg. The bullet passed right through. He’ll be fine. How are you doing? You look upset.
Carly: Yeah, that’s because I am. Bobbie, I don’t know what to do. This whole incident tonight, it just scared the crap out of me. I thought I lost Michael again.
Bobbie: But you didn’t. Your baby is sleeping safe and sound upstairs.
Carly: Sleeping -- yes. Safe? That’s a whole other issue. (Bobbie looks at her questioningly.) Jason and I had a fight tonight. A big one. Oh Bobbie, I told Jason that I thought it might be best to put some distance between him and Michael.
Bobbie: Oh boy. I bet Jason didn’t like that idea.
Carly: He got really upset. He thinks that I want to take Michael completely from him. I wouldn’t do that.
Bobbie: I know you wouldn’t. No matter what, Jason is Michael’s father; but you do need to do what is best for Michael.
Carly: Exactly. I mean, I still want Jason to be part of Michael’s life,but I don’t want Michael to be in danger.
Bobbie: What are you going to do?
Carly: I don’t know. Jason offered to get Michael and I a place of our own. And no matter where we are, he’ll have guards watching Michael. I just don’t know if that will be enough.
Bobbie: Well, this is just a thought, but -- if you like, you and Michael could come stay at the Brownstone with Lucas and I. We have plenty of room.
Carly: Really? You would do that for us -- for me?
Bobbie: Yes. Michael’s my grandson . . . and you’re my daughter -- I don’t want anything to happen -- to either of you. So, what do you think? Do you want to come home with me?
Luke: Don’t go. (He opens his eyes and looks at Lucky.)
Lucky: (Reluctantly, he enters the room.) I heard you were shot.
Luke: Yeah, so I’ve been told. The bullet passed right through my leg. I’ll be back to my old self in no time.
Lucky: Good. Well, . . . I’ve got to go. (He turns towards the door.)
Luke: Wait! (Lucky slowly turns to face him) I take it that Emily and Michael made it safely back to Jason’s.
Lucky: I said I would get them there safely; and I did.
Luke: You’re a good man. I knew that Jason could count on you.
Lucky: I’m not up to this right now. I think I should go.
Luke: Will you come back?
Lucky: I don’t know. (Looks away sadly.) I’ll think about it.
(Lucky quickly leaves. Luke stares at the door longingly then, sighing,closes his eyes.)
Officer: You’re still here?
Garcia: Yeah, I thought I’d stay for a little longer.
Officer: Some of us are going to order a pizza; do you want some?
Garcia: No, thanks. (Looking quizzically at the items the officer is holding) What you got there?
Officer: Oh, some of the items found on that guy from the alley. (Garcia raises an eyebrow.) They’re not personal items, Sir. Just some evidence that was found at the scene.
Garcia: Let me see what all you got.
Officer: (Handing the items over to Garcia.) There’s only a few items.(Garcia looks through the plastic bags, examining each one slightly. Suddenly, he stops. Squinting, he holds a plastic bag up revealing a scarf inside.) Yeah, that’s the odd one. That’s what the guy was tied up with. A woman’s scarf - go figure. (Garcia looks away deep in thought.) You want me to take those to Evidence? . . . Sir?
Garcia: What? . . . Oh! Yeah, here.
(The officer takes the items and leaves. Garcia doesn’t hardly notice as he is lost in thought.)
tbc