| Holy
Trinity Church: San Francisco
Bracing herself for the dangerous possibilities, Cassie walks cautiously up the steps and through the oak doors. Flames are everywhere and the unrelenting smoke causes her eyes to water. She tears off a piece of her dress and places it to her mouth, protecting her from the fumes. She looks around, desperate to see any sign of her relatives and spots someone in the corner. They appear to be burning…It's Jessica. "No!" Cassie lunges forwards to her sister-in-law and recoils upon seeing her arm burning. Grabbing the remnants of a velvet drape, Cassie smothers the flame and puts her hands behind Jessica's head, hoping to pull her back to consciousness. "Jessica? Jessica, can you hear me?" There is no response. Cassie flings her head round to try and find some sign of assistance. She sighs with relief when she hears sirens wailing in the distance. "Cassie!" a female voice screams through the flames. Cassie squints her eyes tightly to try and make out the figure coming towards her. "Cassie!" The voice sounds again. "Isabelle?" Cassie replies breathlessly. "Quickly! It's Jessica she's been burnt." Isabelle finally comes into view and crouches down at the side of Jessica's unconscious body. "You shouldn't be in here!" Isabelle exclaims. "The baby! It's not safe. We've got to get out of here." "What about the others?" "John is over there with Michael." Isabelle points a finger but it is useless. They can not see anything through the fire. "Help me get her up." Cassie pulls up Jessica's left arm, straining her back and Isabelle grabs the other side. "John!" Isabelle shouts out. "Get him out of here!" John does not reply but the women can see him limping towards them hauling Michael's lifeless body across the stone floor. "Thank God!" Cassie chokes as the group emerges from the increasingly dangerous building. She lays Jessica down on the ground and begins to tap her face gently in an effort to awaken her. John puts Michael down and Isabelle looks at him, "What about Jake?" she whispers, not wanting Cassie to hear. "Is he still in there?" "Oh my God." The possibility hits John. "I've got to get him out." John leaps forward and Isabelle puts a hand out to stop him. "No! John come back!" But it is too late. To her amazement she watches as John hurls himself back into the fiery trap. "Where is he going?" Cassie looks up. "He thinks Jake might still be in there." "What?" The conversation is cut short when a group of ambulances and fire engines skid to a halt by the sidewalk. Confused guests point to the church and Isabelle runs over to the fire crew. "There are people left inside there! You've got to go in." One of the firemen looks at the church with wide eyes and breathes deeply, realizing how unstable the building is. "Okay. Lee!" He beckons to a younger, fresh faced fireman to follow him and the pair head into the church as Isabelle puts her hands to her face in despair. The firemen rush in and immediately hear muffled groans coming from the aisle. Putting arms out to protect themselves, they move towards the noise and pounce when they see the cause. John is lying on the ground, a black wooden beam pinned across his chest. Flames lick precariously around his body. "Help me!" He begs, terrified of the growing fire. The firemen groan with pain as they attempt to lift the beam from John's body. He begins to struggle desperately and lifts his body up as far as he can to aid their cause. "It's off." The younger fireman yells and they throw the beam as hard as they can to the side. "You've got to get out of here!" he warns John and grabbing him, the firemen run out of the church. Isabelle sighs with relief when she sees them descending the concrete steps. She may have her reservations about the man…but now is not the time to voice them. "Thank God." She runs over but a thought suddenly dawns upon her. "What about Jake? Oh my God…Jake…where is he?" She screams. "Jake?" She becomes hysterical. "Jake?" "Isabelle!" John pins his arms to her shoulders and pulls her away. "Where's Michael?" "He's been taken away in an ambulance. I'm heading there now. Jessica's on her way too." The pair look over to see Cassie wandering aimlessly around the lawn and a look of concern creases John's face. How can he break it to her that her husband could be burning to death…? She notices their eyes on her and looks up, "He's dead isn't he." She inquires in monotone. The lack of emotion immediately hits Isabelle. "We don't know that. They're in there now, trying to find him. You'll just have to wait." She turns to John. "Can you stay with her?" "But Lauren…I assume she was taken away…" Isabelle sighs and puts a finger to her lips, thinking. "Well maybe I can stay…" "No!" Cassie exclaims. "I don't want to stay here. I should go to the hospital and get the baby checked out. Then I can be there if they bring Jake in." "Okay." Isabelle mutters, unsure that that is a wise decision to make. But the thought of her children lying in a hospital is enough to convince her of what she needs to do. "John, the police will drive us there. Come with me." They walk briskly across the lawn towards one of the patrol cars and John looks at Isabelle. "What about Julia? Have you heard anything?" "No." John frowns. "Nothing."
San Francisco Bay: San Francisco
Holding his breath, Mark jumps into the cold, murky water and opens his eyes, feeling around with his hands for any sign of the car. Suddenly, a glint of metal catches his eye and he sees the back of Jessica's car. Swimming closer and struggling to breathe he peers inside and spots a woman in the front seat… "You've got to go in after him!" Tommy shouts worriedly. "We don't have the resources to…" "If you don't go in, I'll do it myself!" Tommy replies stubbornly. "Fine." The policeman moves towards the river much to the surprise of his female partner but stops dead in his tracks when bubbles glide across the surface of the water. "It's him!" The policeman spots an arm shoot through and crouches down to pull Mark to safety. He is holding a woman, her limp body visible through the depths of the water. "Mark!" Tommy jumps down to the edge of the pier and grabs his uncle. The sound of Mark's first breath fills the air like an explosion as he pulls himself up onto the pier and hauls the woman up after him. "Is it…" Tommy begins, until the body comes into view. "Julia." Mark replies gasping for breath. Julia begins to open her eyes and rolls herself slightly across the tough wooden surface of the pier. Tommy puts his hands on Julia's face and shakes her to full consciousness. She stares into his eyes, terrified of what she has to tell him. "Where is she? Where's mom?" "I don't know…" Julia begins to wretch uncontrollably and as her upper body propels forward in the air, a stream of water comes from her mouth. She puts a hand to her chest and gasps for breath. "She was in her seat when we went in. And then there was darkness…I think…" Julia puts her hand to her head to confirm her suspicions. She winces as they are confirmed and blood trickles through her matted blonde hair. "I hit my head…then I woke up and she was gone." "Gone?" Tommy gasps incredulously. "No. Get in there and find her." He demands. The policeman puts his hands out calmly. "The divers are on their way. You just need to wait. You'll drown if you try to find her yourself." "Mom!" Tommy cries out and falls to his knees, staring into the water.
San Francisco General Hospital: San Francisco
On a gurney, inside the ER, Michael's body lies motionless as two doctors look at the heart monitor. "Dr Hanson!" a female nurse garners attention. "His BP is dropping." "Damn." Donna Hanson looks at the monitor, pushing her hair out of her face. "Get the defibrillator!" Donna begins to pound on Michael's chest as several ER staff wheel the defibrillator next to the gurney. "George?" Donna looks up to the male doctor beside her and realizing what she wants, he moves to the defibrillator, ready to charge it up. Donna tears open Michael's shirt. "Okay." Donna sighs and grabs the paddles. "Ready?" "Charged." A nurse shoots back. "Clear." The group move slightly away from Michael as the electricity shoots through him, making his body jump involuntarily. Holding the paddles, Donna looks over at the heart monitor. She holds her breath waiting for a positive sign…The beeping of the monitor resumes its regular rhythm and Donna smiles slightly. "Get him up to theater. I've got Dr Maxwell on standby in OR3." Donna shouts out. And with that, Michael's body is wheeled to the elevator.
* * *
The words crash into the room like an avalanche. "You bitch!" Isabelle roars as she bursts into Julia's hospital room, closely followed by Cassie. "Get out of here Isabelle!" Julia snaps back. "Oh no." Isabelle wags a finger defiantly. "Do you realize what you have done?" "Calm down…" Cassie puts a hand on her shoulder but Isabelle shakes it off. "What are you talking about?" Julia sits up and replies, her mouth agape. "It was Stephanie who burst into that church with a gun, not me!" "If you hadn't have been sleeping with her husband, none of this would ever have happened!" "Is this really about the church? Or the fact that I took your company, and you don't like it one bit?" "The company?" Isabelle throws her hands in the air, resisting the urge to throttle her nemesis. "This is about the fact that my son is lying in theater, with a 50/50 chance of survival because of your actions! And perhaps you would like to know that your son's body could be lying on the floor of that church because you couldn't keep your hands off somebody else's husband!" Isabelle immediately regrets the words. She knows how harsh they are. "What?" Julia begins to tremble and looks at Cassie. "Is this true?" Cassie looks to the floor, unable to make eye contact. "Yes." She whispers. "No." Julia's eyes wander around the room as she takes in the possibility. "But it's not my fault! You have to know that!" she finally replies. "Of course it's your fault." Isabelle moves closer to Julia, holding out her hands. She grabs Julia's arms and squeezes them tightly. "You drove Stephanie Elliott to do what she did." "Get off me." Julia screams. She reaches over for her alarm but Isabelle pushes it off the table. It smashes as it makes contact with the floor, stealing Cassie's attention. "Don't you understand? You could have killed your own son!" Isabelle squeezes harder as Julia begins to sob and battles to free herself. "No!" "That's enough." Cassie leaps forwards and pulls Isabelle away. Isabelle ceases her struggle and stands rigid, fighting back the tears as she watches Julia sobbing on the bed. "Damn you Julia. Damn you." She storms out of the room and hesitant to comment, Cassie follows her leaving Julia alone.
San Francisco Bay: San Francisco
"Why haven't they found her?" Tommy demands and moves to the end of the pier, followed by Mark. Brandon grimaces as he sees the pair and looks past them towards the growing crowd behind the police line. Goddamn vultures. He thinks to himself, anger growing inside him over what he has to tell Tommy. He could be his own son and he has to break this news to him. "There's no sign of her. We're calling off the search." Brandon's mouth becomes dry as he finishes the sentence. "No." Tommy's voice breaks, "You can't do that." The divers pull themselves off the boat, dropping their expensive but heavy equipment on the pier. One of them is carrying something. Darkened by wetness, it seems to be a piece of clothing. The diver hands it to Brandon but quickly departs when he realizes Tommy's identity. "Is this your mother's?" Brandon asks. Tommy takes the soaking wet garment in his hands and shuts his eyes when he sees traces of blood on the sleeve. It is the same jacket Stephanie was wearing when she left the house this morning. "Yes." Tommy feels a tear forming in his eye and reluctantly hands it back to Brandon as though he is letting go of the last memory of his mother. Seeing Tommy about to break down, Mark puts out an arm and pulls his nephew to him. As Tommy cries for the mother he has lost, Mark stares into the water, thinking about the sister he never really knew.
San Francisco General Hospital: San Francisco
"Nothing." Julia answers quietly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Hmm." David sits beside her and smiles, taking her hand in his. "So…feeling any better?" "Not really." "Why not? Brighten up! You've got a new company to take care off. That's millions of dollars!" "Is that all you ever think about?" Julia snaps back. "Can you ever think of anything other than money and sex?" "Don't pretend those things aren't important to you too." David raises a hand defensively. "Not as important as my children." "Oh come off it." David sneers. "What?" "When Jessica was raped, what did you do for her?" "I supported her!" Julia shouts vehemently. "No." David begins to raise his voice. "Lauren supported her and you stood jealous in the background. You should stick to the things you're good at Julia. And parenting isn't one of them." The color drains from Julia's face, as she looks David in the eye. "Get out." "Look, I didn't come here to fight." "Then what did you come here for?" Julia puts a hand through her tangled blond hair, angered by the annoying tubes and wires that seem to be everywhere on her body. "To propose." David replies bluntly. "I just got a call from Mark. The divers have given up the search for Stephanie. They think she's dead." "Uh huh." Julia swallows hard. "So why do you want to marry me?" "Because she's out of the way. And we are so good together." David puts a hand gently on Julia's cheek and feels her face trembling. As David's hand brushes across Julia's face, she contemplates the idea carefully. Hasn't she been waiting for this for months now? It all just seems to pale into insignificance when she thinks about Jake. But she has to think of herself. She needs somebody…"Yes." Julia whispers. "Yes?" David repeats loudly. "Yes." Julia smiles weakly as David jumps out of his seat and kisses her passionately. "I knew you'd see it my way." He says as he pulls away.
Elliott House: San Francisco
"I'm fine, thanks." Mark collapses into a comfortable seat and leans forward, rubbing his jaw. "Good. Tommy, I know the words sound a little hollow right now, but I really do understand what you're going through." "Yeah." Tommy replies disinterested, clasping his cup tightly and sipping the burning liquid. He barely notices as it verges on scolding his throat. Everything is too numb to feel it. "Okay." Mark realizes that now is not the right time to discuss it. He remembers how long it took him to get over the death of his parents. Nothing prepared him for the police's arrival at school. He had thought they were there for somebody else…nothing could have happened to his parents. But that was just his naiveté. I know that a lot of things happen to the people closest to you…"I'll stay in San Francisco for as long as possible whilst you get through this. I don't know what you want to do about living arrangements. Whether your dad will still pay the mortgage on this place…" "It's already paid." Tommy continues to stare at the ground. "Right." Mark wrings his hands nervously. "Well…I have to go back to LA for a few days…you know…to tie up all the loose ends…" There is no reply and Mark prods his nephew, "Tommy?" "Yeah?" Tommy snaps his head upwards. "Oh sorry…yes go back if you want to…a few days…sure…Have you got the ticket? You can go now if you like. Catch the next flight." "Um…I've got the return ticket in my coat pocket. I don't know if it's wise to leave you on your own…" "Sure it is. I might go to the hospital later anyway. Visit Jessica." As Mark stands up, he looks out of the window and sees David's car pulling up in the driveway. Is he crazy? Mark thinks to himself and looks back over at Tommy. Maybe the two of them should be left alone though… "Your father's here." Mark announces apprehensively. "What?" Tommy jumps off the sofa and goes to the window, visibly disgusted to see David opening up the trunk of his car. "You go to the airport. It's okay. I'll talk to Dad. Take my car and leave it in the airport parking lot. I'll get a cab and pick it up later." He absent-mindedly hands the keys to Mark. "Right." Mark pulls on his coat and grabs the keys, eager to get away. "Take care. I'll be back soon." "Yeah." Tommy stands on the doorstep and stares down the driveway as Mark reverses the car and heads off down the street. David looks up when he hears the car coming towards him and locks eyes with his son. "What are you doing here Dad?" Tommy asks angrily. "I've come back to stay." David pulls out a heavy gray suitcase from the trunk and dumps it on the driveway. "No." Tommy watches placidly as David ignores his answer and carries the suitcase into the house. He looks around, seeing the coffee cups on the table. "Oh. Mark's been here." There is a hint of jealousy in his voice as he thinks about Mark taking over his fatherly duties. "Yeah. He could actually be bothered." Tommy retorts bitterly. "I'm here now aren't I?" David leans against the doorframe to concentrate on what his son is saying and Tommy remains by the open front door. "Lucky me. Did you get an opening in your schedule or something? Or is it okay to come back to the house now that you've managed to get rid of mom?" "I didn't want your mother dead Tommy." "Really? Because I seem to remember that's exactly what you told her you wanted." "I wasn't thinking clearly. It was just words. They didn't mean anything." "Well these words do mean something." Tommy walks past David and pulls at his suitcase, hauling it out of the front door. He returns after a few seconds and opens the door as wide as possible. "I don't want you here." "This is my house. You can't just throw me out." "If mom's dead, it's half mine too. And I just want you to leave." David stares at Tommy, not believing that his own son can't bear to be in the same room as him. "Did your mother do this? Turn you against me?" Tommy can't believe his father would be so insensitive as to actually say those words. "Whatever Dad. Just get out." David clenches his teeth together firmly and moves to the door without a word. He steps outside and grabs his suitcase heading towards the car. Knowing that Tommy is watching, he turns round briefly, hoping that his son will take it back. But he doesn't…and David keeps on walking. |
Cassie can hear sirens in the
distance as she picks herself up off the ground and
stares into the burning building. She can hear the vague
sounds of survivors inside the church and pondering her
next move, she places a reassuring hand on her slightly
bulging abdomen. She has to know who is alive.
"Shit." Mark cries out
as Tommy prepares to dive into the water. "No!"
he pulls Tommy back and sheds his jacket. "I'll go."
Mark looks around and sees the police heading towards him.
But it could be too late…
The bustling atmosphere of the
emergency room is heightened by the news of the explosion.
Reporters from less salubrious tabloids are barred from
the hospital by burly security guards, desperate to catch
a glimpse of the injured Wheelers.
"Better?" Mark inquires
gently, handing Tommy a cup of strong coffee. He needs
something to calm him down after the news they were given
at the pier.