CARLINO'S/EVENING

FELICIA, JOSIE, GARY, and HAYLEY are seated around the table. There are very few patrons in Carlino's, only three other tables full, with TITO and REMY at the bar. Hayley sits with her back to Tito, facing Gary and Josie.

GARY
So, Hayley, tell us about yourself. Cass didn't tell us much.

HAYLEY
(with a look at Felicia)
There's not really much to tell, I guess...I grew up everywhere...moved to Bay City...got pregnant...and here I am.

FELICIA
She's Lorna's sister.

Gary and Josie look at Felicia in surprise.

FELICIA(cont'd)
She's Luke's daughter and she just found us. We were kind of shocked, but she's a great kid.

HAYLEY
(blushing slightly)
Felicia...

FELICIA
Well, you are. Don't argue with me about that. Besides, Josie and Gary want to know about you.

JOSIE
What do you want to do, Hayley? I mean, career-wise.

HAYLEY
(shrugging)
I don't know. I never really thought about it. When I was younger, I always wanted to be a doctor---some kind of psychologist, because my mom was in and out of psych wards and I'd always see these doctors trying to help her.

JOSIE
She had psychological problems?

HAYLEY
A few. I think the stress just got to be too much for her. She was raising me by herself, she was always moving around, trying to stay a step ahead of everyone...and it was too much. That's why I'm giving the baby up for adoption. I don't want to ever put a kid through that.

GARY
Do you still think about going back to school?

HAYLEY
Well, yeah, of course. I still plan on going to college and getting some kind of degree. I'm just not sure in what yet. What do you two do?

JOSIE
Well, I'm a police officer. I work with the Bay City Police Department. And Gary's a private investigator.

HAYLEY
(her interest peaking)
So you, like, follow guys all over the country and do the international spy thing and stuff?

GARY
(laughing)
Not quite. It's more like tracking down missing husbands, looking for long-lost family, stuff like that. No international spy rings yet.

HAYLEY
That's wild, though. And you're a cop. Very cool. What would you do when the baby's born?

JOSIE
Well, I'd take a few months off to stay home with the baby, and then I'd go back to work. Since Gary's schedule is more flexible, he'd stay home with the baby and we'd work out a schedule with a sitter. I think our main objective would be to use a sitter as little as possible, especially in the first year.

GARY
Plus, we don't want some sitter seeing all the things we should be seeing...first tooth, first smile, first steps...

HAYLEY
Those are important. So...any deep, dark secrets I should know about?

Josie and Gary look at each other uneasily, with unsure smiles on their faces. Hayley watches them with interest.

CUT TO:

The counter of Carlino's, where REMY and TITO are slyly watching the foursome.

REMY
So, it's your kid, right?

TITO
Yeah...but she says I don't have to do anything. She's giving it up.

REMY
And Gary and Josie are adopting it?

TITO
I bet they'd love to know they're getting my kid. That'd probably drive Detective Sinclair up a wall. I don't care who they are, I don't want anyone adopting my baby.

REMY
Well, Tito, to tell you the truth, I don't think you have any right to tell her what she can or can't do with the baby.

TITO
(stares at her)
What do you mean, I don't have any rights? I'm the baby's father, I have every right!

REMY
Keep your voice down! It's her---what's her name?

TITO
Hayley.

REMY
It's Hayley's pregnancy, Hayley's body, and Hayley's decision.

TITO
But it's OUR baby.

REMY
Come on, Tito, were you thinking in terms of 'our' when you slept with her? Of course not. Why should she think in terms of 'our' now?

TITO
Because this isn't a pair of jeans or a shirt I left over at her house. This is a living, breathing little human being.

REMY
Something I'd like to know---when did you guys meet up?

TITO
(sighing)
I don't know...back in January, February sometime. When all this stuff was going on with Paulina. She came into the Lucky Lady one day looking for a job. We got to talking, hung out a couple of times, and we had sex. That was the extent of it. It was never a relationship.

REMY
Just casual sex, huh? Nice basis for fatherhood, Tito.

TITO
I don't care what the basis is, it happened. And she can't just give the baby away like this. I'm going to fight her.

REMY
You've got to be kidding.

TITO
I'm not---

He stops talking as the door to Carlino's opens and NICK walks in. He smiles at Remy when he sees her, but as soon as he sees Tito, his face contorts and grows angry. He comes over to them briskly.

NICK
What the hell are you doing here?

Remy comes from behind the counter and steps in between them.

REMY
Tito came to talk to me, Nick. That's all.

NICK
You shouldn't be anywhere near this guy!

REMY
(growing angry)
You know, you and Paulina and Joe sound like broken records! I am a big girl and I can handle myself fine, all right?

She and Nick glare at each other as we:

FADE OUT

THE HARBOR CLUB/SAME EVENING

The Harbor Club is full of nicely-dressed people, some at tables, and a few dancing. LORNA is sitting at the bar, a drink in front of her. She's tapping her right foot and keeps glancing at her watch. After a minute of this, she puts a ten dollar bill on the counter and stands up to leave. She turns around and comes face-to-face with Matt.

MATT
(grinning at her)
You didn't think I was going to stand you up, did you?

LORNA
(unsmiling)
I don't know, Matt...I was beginning to wonder.

MATT
(noticing her annoyance)
I'm sorry. Jasmine has a little bit of a cold, and I wanted to make sure she'd gotten to sleep before I left her.

LORNA
(her face relaxing)
Oh, well, if it's about Jasmine, I guess I can forgive you. (She smiles) I'd do the same thing if it were Gabrielle.

MATT
Shall we sit, then? (He motions to the hostess, who walks over with two menus in her hand)

HOSTESS
Are you ready for your table?

MATT
I think so. And could you ask the server to bring us a bottle of wine? A chardonnay, the best you have.

HOSTESS
Yes, sir, I'll do that. (She seats them at a small corner table and leaves)

Matt and Lorna sit in silence for a moment, each with their eyes over the menu. They both slowly look up at one another and begin to laugh.

MATT
You'd never know what we've been through together, would you? We're both acting like this is a blind date.

LORNA
Which it kind of is, if you look at the fact that we're both two entirely different people from nine years ago.

MATT
You're not sleeping with the boyfriend of the girl you hated, whom you didn't know was your sister.

LORNA
And you're not cheating on your holier-than-thou girlfriend....

They both grin.

LORNA(cont'd)
...who has turned out to be one of the most important people in my life.

MATT
You've spent a lot of time with Jenna, haven't you?

LORNA
Yeah, I have. She really helped me through everything over the past two years. I never would have figured that one of my sworn enemies would end up being the best friend and the sister I never imagined I'd have.

MATT
You've gone soft, Lorna Devon. What happened to the cut-throat, rock-band promoting, hard-nosed woman I knew?

LORNA
Same thing that's happened to you, Matt...we grew up.

As they smile at one another, we:

FADE OUT