Scene 1
"Your past transactions, including this one, will not be available after your passing."
Grace nodded, relieved. "I'm doing this for a part of my life that is very dear to me, but my family has never known about. I want it to stay that way."
"I understand perfectly." He pulled out a set of notes and skimmed over this. "All right, let me summarize what you said to me over the telephone. You want to liquidate all your assets, except your share of Marshall Industries, pool all the funds, and transfer ninety percent to... you never gave me the person's name."
"Yes, I have all the pertinent information right here." Grace opened her purse and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, unfolding it before handing it over to Mr. Trudmore. "Victoire Chevalier... France?"
"Yes, Mr. Trudmore. Please don't ask any more questions."
"Yes, of course, I'm sorry. This information should be more than enough." He flattened the paper and set it aside. "Now, there will be a lot of papers for you to sign, but first I took the liberty of compiling a few figures for you." He slid another sheet of paper across his desk. "Those figures represent all your assets in their various accounts. At the bottom I've highlighted the two important ones—your approximate total assets and what ninety percent will be. I just wanted to make sure you knew just what you were doing before we got too deep into the paperwork."
"Oh, yes, Mr. Trudmore, I'm well aware." Grace glanced at the two figures at the bottom before handing back the paper. "I've kept track of my own finances for eighty years. You've underestimated it."
"I'm deeply sorry, Ms. Marshall, I didn't mean to—"
"Hush, Mr. Trudmore, I meant you've underestimated my net worth. I think you'll find it's more than that. Now, can we get down to the nitty gritty? I want to see if my driver is making any progress with his prospective lady friend, and I can't do it if he's already back to collect me when we're finished here."
Scene 2
"Were you going to avoid me forever, Arlie?"
Arlie sat in a secluded corner of the patio dressed for exercise, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail and her eyes covered with a pair of sunglasses, as she finished tying the laces on her runners. A small backpack and a pair of roller blades sat nearby. Pierce stood a short distance away with his hands in his pockets, having just rounded the corner.
"That was the plan."
"I can understand why, but I wish you hadn't. I've been waiting to talk with you."
"Well, you'll just have to wait longer. I'm going blading with a friend."
"Please, Arlie."
Until that point Arlie had refused to look at him. She looked up then and caught his gaze. There was something different—it had been years since she'd seen him dressed in anything but a business suit or formal dinner wear, and there he stood in khakis and a polo shirt. But it was more than that. There was something in his eyes. She tried to stare him down, but she broke the gaze first.
"Oh, for God's sake," she mumbled, grabbing her bag and rummaging around for her phone. She found it, dialed the number, and waited a brief moment. "Hi ... Yeah, it's me ... Yeah, listen. I'll have to be late ... No, it's Pierce. He wants to talk ... I don't know ... You don't mind waiting, do you? ... You really like those squirrels, huh? ... Yeah, okay, I'll see you then ... Bye." She ended the call and set the phone aside. "Okay, Pierce, what do you want?"
"May I?" He gestured to the bench. She rolled her eyes and moved aside, and he sat down. "I can understand why you're angry with me."
"I've had twenty-three years to be angry with you, Pierce. It's indifference now."
"Please, Arlie. I'd like to... to make up for it. Not so much start over, but..."
"And I'm supposed to buy this? You haven't been home for six months. The last time you called was five weeks ago, and that was to talk to your mother."
"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just that... well, almost missing watch Michael graduate forced me to rethink what I've been doing, or haven't been doing as the case may be."
"You've had twenty-three years to be a husband and you only want to start now?"
"Yes... no!" Pierce clenched his fist, frustrated with himself. "I want to make up for my mistakes, if you'll let me."
"I might consider it, but I really can't help but think you have some ulterior motive. Some deal that would go through much easier if you had a happy little family to show off."
"I know you're having a hard time believing me, Arlie, but I'm going to put myself and my business second and start concentrating on my family."
"A noble aspiration. It would be interesting to see how long you can pull it off."
"So you'll give me a chance?"
"We'll see."
A maid appeared before them, a cordless phone in her hand.
"A call for you, sir."
Pierce stood and took the phone, then turned to Arlie again. "I'll just tell whoever it is to call back." Arlie nodded and sat back, smiling and shaking her head as Pierce turned his back on her to take the call. "This is Pierce Marshall. I'm sorry, this isn't a good time. Could I call you back? ... What? No ... No, they can't do that ... No, the deal's all but made ... Damnit, this can't be happening now. Hold on for just a sec." Pierce covered the phone with his hand and started to turn back to Arlie. "I'm sorry, honey, I'm going to have to take this... Damn!"
She was gone.
Scene 3
"Where does your father think you're passing out applications on Sunday?"
Michael followed Sara into the elevator at the hospital and pressed for the third floor. Sara stood in the corner, nervously tapping her index fingers together and taking deep breaths.
"Retail stores, in malls. Are you sure this is going to be all right?"
"Positive. This floor should be nearly empty—it's where most of the offices are and most are closed on Sunday. Laidey should already be there."
The doors opened and Michael led Sara past several offices before stopping at one.
"Are you ready?"
Sara just nodded. Michael squeezed her hand and lightly knocked on the door, entering without waiting for a response. Laidey was sitting in the waiting room, watching a baseball game on a TV suspended from the ceiling. She stood and flipped it off when they entered.
"Sara, this Dr. Adelaide Collier. Laidey, this is my... girlfriend... Sarala Kumar."
"Please, call me Laidey." She smiled and extended her hand to Sara, who tentatively shook it. "How are you feeling today, Sara?"
"Nervous."
"I would be, too. Why don't we go on back to an examining room? Do you want Michael to come with you?"
Sara darted her eyes between Laidey and Michael. "I..."
"I understand that, too. Why don't we bring him for now, and if you feel uncomfortable we can boot him out?"
Sara smiled and even laughed a little. "Okay."
"Thanks for coming in, Laidey," Michael said as they walk further into the office.
"It's not a problem, Michael. Sunny likes the idea of spending the day just with her dad. Ross is taking her out to lunch."
In the examining room, Laidey retrieved a small jar from a cabinet and handed it to Sara.
"Not fun, but necessary for the test I'm afraid. We need it at least a third full, if you can. There's a bathroom through that door."
Michael and Laidey said nothing to each other while they waited for Sara to finish. Laidey went about organizing a file and Michael kept trying to avoid looking at the poster diagrams of the reproductive organs. Several times Laidey glanced at him and smiled to herself. Michael let out a sigh of relief when Sara emerged.
"Oh, that's great," Laidey said, taking the jar and setting it on the counter. "I'll just call one of the lab techs to come and pick it up."
When she finished on the phone she patted the examining table and Sara sat down.
"I'm not going to do a full exam today, just take your blood pressure and such to start a file. Don't worry, it's all confidential." Laidey prepared to take Sara's pressure, and continued talking as she worked. "When was the date of your last period?"
Sara blushed. She opened her mouth, but no words came out as she looked over at Michael, who pretended not to have noticed.
"Michael, why don't you take this sample and wait for the tech outside." Laidey reached over and put the jar in Michael's hands. "Don't worry, it's closed tight and has been wiped clean. Just don't drop it."
Michael nodded, avoiding looking either of them in the eye, and darted from the room.
"Thank you," Sara whispered. She took a breath and spoke up. "I don't quite remember when my last one was, but we..." She continued the thought by gesturing with her hand until Laidey nodded. "It was two months ago. Two months this past Tuesday."
"I gather it was your first time, am I right?"
"Only time."
"And you weren't using protection?"
"No! I mean, yes! We were. It just..."
"It's easy to mess it up the first time. You're not the only one this has happened to, not by far. I'm guessing it was Michael's first, as well?"
Sara nodded.
"Well, I'll have to show him the proper way to put one on."
Sara frowned and her mouth dropped open. Laidey laughed.
"I didn't mean it like that, silly! I have a... model... of sorts. An inanimate model." Michael knocked on the door. "Can he come in? I'm done with the embarrassing questions." Sara nodded. "You can come in, Michael."
"He said it would only take a few minutes. He'll call you."
"Good. Now, let's talk about what the two of you will do about this."
There was dead silence for a moment.
"I really don't know what to do," Sara blurted out, startling Michael and Laidey. "My family... my father... he's very traditional. It scares me to think how he'll react."
"Would he harm you?"
"That's just it, I don't know. He's never struck any of us, but none of us has ever gone against what he's said."
"I don't know what your reaction to this will be, but you're only two months along and I can recommend another doctor who'll—"
"No! No, I couldn't do it."
"Could you move out?"
"I couldn't support myself."
Laidey raised an eyebrow and gestured to Michael.
"Sara, yes," he began, "my family would be... shocked... but you wouldn't be on the street."
"I couldn't... Michael, it's not you, but... it wouldn't be ri—"
Sara jumped and stopped mid-sentence when the phone rang. Laidey looked at them both before going to answer it.
"Yes? ... Yes, thanks for doing it so quick ... yes, just tell me now and then do the other tests ... okay ... yes, thanks."
Laidey hung up the phone and turned around, her face expressionless until she closed her eyes and simply nodded her head.
Scene 4
Jack sat beside Ann's hospital bed. The methodical hiss of the respirator and the beeps of the countless monitors she was hooked to was oddly soothing.
"Gemma's in surgery. She should pull through all right, and she only has a few minor cuts and bruises as well as a concussion, but... her eyes... they think she's blind."
Jack closed his eyes and breathed deeply for several minutes, rubbing one of Ann's hands between his own.
"We should have had more time together. I want... but, God, I'm thinking about myself and it's Gemma who won't have..."
Jack closed his eyes and again spent a few minutes breathing deeply. He didn't open them when he spoke to her again.
"They say you won't ever wake up again. Your lungs, heart, kidneys... I think... I hope... it's what you want. They're going to take you off life support." He opened his eyes and took a few choked breaths. "They're not going to wait for Gemma to see you first. I... I don't think she needs to remember you like this. I hope it's right."
Jack looked up and found Ann's doctor waiting outside the room, at the window.
"I'm so sorry, honey," he whispered in her ear. "I hope you'll forgive me."
He looked back to the doctor and nodded, and the doctor entered the room.
"Are you ready?"
Jack nodded.
"Your daughter should be coming out of surgery soon, if you want to go—"
"No." He was firm. "I'll stay. Till it's over."
"It could be some—"
"I know. I'm staying."
The doctor nodded. Then, one by one, the life support machines were turned off.
Scene 5
Arlie Marshall jogged up from the parking lot and into Lerner Park, quite some distance from her home. She stood at the edge of the grass for a moment, her backpack on her shoulders and her rollerblades held in one hand, and looked for her friend. She spied him off to the side, his back to her as he threw pieces of bread to an eager little squirrel. She walked over to him, and Burke turned when he heard the approaching footsteps. Arlie set her roller blades on the bench next to his and they entered a long, intimate embrace.
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Coming up in Episode 4:
- One of Becky's close friends sees her for the very first time.
- There's trouble at Marshall Industries and a family-company conference is held.
- Flynn is forced to spend an afternoon with both Ross and Laidey
- Pierce convinces Arlie to dine with him, but she is unable to talk him out of dining at Bridges in Avalon. However, their evening is disturbed by the arrival of an unwelcome acquaintance.