General Hospital: Waiting room of the surgical floor. Staci, Cari, Lucky,
Alexis and Nik are there with Alex Garcia. Nik holds Staci's hand with both
of his. His hand still has a slight tremor as he realizes how close he came
to losing his daughter...again. Alex asks questions while everyone waits for
Kris to come out of surgery.
Garcia: Miss Jacks, What were you doing driving?
Cari: I'm sorry; my dad wants me to wait to answer any questions until he's
with me. I think he wants to make sure he thinks of any you forget.
Garcia: (resignedly) Fine...Lucky?
Lucky: (ruefully) It's all my fault; I'm afraid. Cari and I have been
practicing her driving but on private property...farmers' fields, you know
man. We'd finished the shopping she had to do, so I was giving her a lesson
in the parking lot. The gunshots got our attention. Cari would never have
gone out on a public highway if those goons with guns hadn't been chasing
us. There wasn't time to switch drivers.
Garcia: (disbelieving) And running the other car into a wall and up on to a
curb at high speeds? How do you explain that?
Lucky: (leaning in earnestly) I grabbed the wheel out of her hands and
rammed them. Ruined the paint on that side of the Caddy too. I wasn't
planning on asking them to tea after what they did to Kris. (Lucky leans
back taking out a cigar then looks up at the No Smoking sign. Sighing, he
puts it back in his pocket.)
Garcia: Staci, What can you tell me?
Staci: (wearing surgical greens her mother found for her when they arrived)
I was scared. Kris got a call from Dad about the fire and told me and Mom
that the shopping was over. Before we could get out of the store. Somebody
opened fire. I saw John fall and then glass was flying.
Garcia: Did you see the person shooting at you?
Staci: ( Shaking her head) No, Mom was on top of me, covering me. The next
thing I remember seeing was Uncle Lucky opening up the door to the Caddy.
Kris told us to make a run for it. He was half in the car when they shot
him. Mom and I pulled him into the car. I didn't really see anything but
Mom and Kris after that. I was crouched down behind the drivers seat.
Every time my head came up too much, Uncle Lucky would press me back down
again.
Garcia: Where is Dr. Williams?
Nik: She's working. She and Tom Hardy are running the Hotlines down in the
emergency room. Dealing with people who don't know where their family
members are.
Garcia: Alexis, Keesha told me that you were concerned about a threat to
the family. Why didn't you come to the police?
Alexis: (tartly) I told Keesha I would come to you directly if there was a
specific threat. They bypassed threat and went straight to action.
Consider yourself told, Alex.
Nik: This may not only be about the Cassadines, Commissioner. The
Quartermaines are also potential targets. Including your stepson. (Tom
Hardy Jr. comes into the waiting room from the surgery on Kris)
Jr.: He'll be fine. The bullet glanced off of a rib breaking it, but it
didn't tear up any organs.
Staci:(concerned) What about his lung?
Jr.: There was no puncture. He'll be sore and have trouble breathing
because of that. He'll need to take it easy for a couple of weeks and no
more gun battles for a while. There's always a chance of sticking that
piece of rib into the lung.
Nik: (flatly) How soon can he be moved?
Jr.: (Surprised) I wouldn't recommend it. He's going to need round the
clock care until he gets his mobility back.
Nik: That isn't a problem. How soon can he be moved?
Jr.: (Starting to get annoyed and impatient) Why don't we wait until he
wakes up. Then he can tell us. If you'll excuse me, I have other patients.
(Tom leaves abruptly)
Alexis: (Plaintively) Really tactful, Nikolas. You realize I'm going to
hear about this at home?
Nik: You, your husband and Kris would be safer on the island. Tom is
staying with the Quartermaines. They're already alerted to the hazard.
Garcia: (his eyes narrowing) You don't think they're done?
Nik: No, this was just an opening volley. Commissioner, I need to get the
girls home. You're welcome to come to the island and copy the file we've
built on potential suspects. But call before you come-- security is going
to be tight. Lucky, will you make sure that Gina gets to the island?
Lucky: Sure bro. Have Lu give me a call okay? I think I might make dinner
tonight after all.
Staci: (insistently) I want... I need to see Kris first.
Emergency Room General Hospital
Carly and Robin work the emergency room providing triage and assessing
incoming patients. First had been the cuts from glass and then minor burns
and smoke inhalation; people who had made it to the hospital on their own
and hadn't waited for the paramedics at the scene. As time passes, the burn
and smoke victims were getting worse because they had been exposed longer;
they move to the head of the line. People looking for family members were
referred to Gina and Chief of Staff Tom Hardy who have the list of patients
at both General and Mercy hospitals as well as the list of fatalities.
Trained volunteers man the phones answering the questions they can and
handing off the questions about fatalities or serious injuries to Gina or
Tom. People pronounced dead on the scene, skip the ER and go straight to
the morgue. Their names are added to the hotline list even if not part of
the fire. Gina recognizes the name of Staci's second bodyguard, her driver
and a John Doe that was killed as a result of a car accident.
Being familiar with the building, Gina makes a chart of all of the
apartments and starts to fill them in, trying to find any missing people.
As time drags on the firemen start coming through the ER with smoke
inhalation and thankfully only small burns. They pass along the news that
the fire is finally out. Now the searchers are in the building. Looking
for people and hot spots.
Gina: (biting her lower lip briefly) Tom, I think about 90% of the building
is accounted for.
Tom: (rubbing the back of his neck) Hopefully they aren't all here?
Gina: No, some of the callers were people who live in the building but were
away for whatever reason...like me.
Tom: Where are you going to be staying tonight?
Gina: (grimacing) There's always the Port Charles hotel. It won't be the
first time I've stayed there.
Lucky: (standing in the door way) Or you could go out to the island and
stay with your daughter.
Nik just took Staci and Cari out of here. I think Nik is now totally
convinced to never have me teach Staci how to drive.
Gina: (bursts out laughing before putting her head down on her desk and
starts sobbing. Lucky comes over and lifting her from the chair, sits her
on his lap just rocking her as she cries. Tom leaves the room; closing the
door to give them some privacy.) You and Cari saved our lives. Don't think
I don't know it, Lucky.
Lucky: (kissing her temple as he brushes her hair back) We're family, babe
sometimes more, but always family. You'd do the same for me.
Gina: I wouldn't know how. I started out today thinking Nik was paranoid.
I thought he'd finally lost it. Who needs a bodyguard to go shopping?
Evidently my baby does. This has got to be bringing back all those horrible
memories for her.
Lucky: (reassuringly) Mom's with her and so is Lu. Mrs. Lansbury is
probably spoiling her rotten. Nik practically had to force Staci out of
here. She wasn't going to leave until she talked to Kris. He finally
dragged out of the anesthesia enough to tell her to get the hell out of
here. I think he's still ticked we brought him here instead of going
straight to the island. He's probably going to tear into her something
fierce when he gets back to the island.
Gina: I don't think she'll mind. How is Kris?
Lucky: Busted rib probably bent a few more. Tommy took the bullet out.
Didn't puncture the lung. For a head shrinker you did a nice job patching
him up. He'll be back on the Island being waited on hand and foot long
before I get the Caddy back from the body shop.
Gina: (grabbing a tissue from the desk, she wipes her eyes and then blows
her nose) You and that blasted car.
Lucky: (giving her a little teasing shake) Come on-- you love that car.
Gina: ( laughing and then hiccuping) Yeah, it's a great car.
Lucky: (joking) Don't you dare get the hiccups they may have found a cure
for HIV but they still haven't found a cure for those...and they're contagious!
Gina: (gratefully) Thanks Lucky. You always know what to say to cheer me up.
Lucky: So can I give you a lift out to the island?
Gina: (shaking her head) I'm going to be here for a while yet. There's
still a lot to do. I should get back to work.
Lucky: (shrugging his shoulders) Okay. I'll stick around for a while; I
want to talk to Jase anyway.
Gina: He was out in the ER not too long ago. He's not a happy camper.
Robin, Emily, Carly, Tom, Alan and Monica all insisted on coming in as soon
as the alert went out. It didn't stop him from applying a few Band-Aids
himself though.
Lucky: ( with a small smirk) Yeah, he's such a tough guy.
Gina: (very solemn) Who did this, Lucky?
Lucky: (losing the smile as his eyes go dark) I didn't catch their names,
Babe. But it isn't over yet. (Turning increasingly serious) Gina, you
can't stay at the PC hotel this time. There are two...no three, safe
places. The island, the warehouse, or with Jason. You think about it.
You pick any one of those three and I'll back you. You try to stay at the
hotel or somewhere else and you won't only be fighting Nik. Got it?
Gina: Got it. Now get out of here so I can get some work done. (She rises
from Lucky's lap; He stands. Opening the door, Alex Garcia stands there.)
Lucky: Be nice Commissioner. She's had a rough day.
Garcia: You know, you're just as annoying as your father?
Lucky: (grinning) Thanks-- I work at it. Gina, Let me know when you are
ready to leave. And Alexis is probably still in the building if you want
some legal counsel.
Gina: (shaking her head) Get lost. I'll page you when I'm ready to leave.
( Lucky swaggers off) What can I do for you, Commissioner?
Garcia: Give me a copy of this chart to start. How many people are still
unaccounted for?
Gina: (Sighing) I think about 10%. Nik bought the building a few months
ago when Lu moved in. He would have names of everyone in the building, and
all of the people who worked there. I'm sure he could fax it to you.
Garcia: You don't think this is an accident; do you?
Gina: (shaking her head) I'd love to convince myself it was. But it was no
accident that someone came after my daughter...again.
Garcia: We're running the prints of the DOA through the system. He didn't
have any ID on him. Either did the one that's up in surgery now.
Gina: I hope you're running them through the international data bases too.
The Cassadines still have plenty of enemies abroad.
Garcia: (sitting on the edge of the desk) Why don't you tell me what
happened this morning.
Waiting room of the ER: Lucky sees Jason talking to a small child.
Jason: Yeah, I peeked in on your mom before my wife kicked me out. One of
her hands got burned pretty bad and that's going to hurt. You're going to
have to help out-- fetching her things for a while. I bet she grabbed a
door knob; didn't she? (The child nods) They'll probably give her a shot
so that it won't hurt so badly but she'll need someone to pick you both up
and take you over to the hotel. (The child looks ready to cry again.)
Hey-- no tears now. The Port Charles hotel gives ice cream to all guests
under four feet tall.
Child: Chocolate?
Jason: If that's what you want. Now, whose phone number do you know?
Child: My Nana's.
Jason: Perfect. Nana's get ice cream too at the Port Charles Hotel.
(Pulling out his cell phone, he dials the number the child gives him) Now
remember the first thing you say is that you and your mom are okay. Nana's
get hard of hearing when they get scared. And let me talk to her when
you're done, okay?
Child: yeah. (Jason hands the child the phone.)
Lucky: (a little surprised) You're good at that. So the PC hotel is putting
people up?
Jason: (Shrugging) Most don't need it. Hear you had a close call today.
Lucky: Yeah. I think Gina's going to balk about going out to the island.
Jason: Her choice.
Lucky: I told her I wouldn't fight her on it if she were staying with you
or at the Q's.
Jason: Robin will talk to her. (He looks down at the child who is offering
him the phone) Did you tell her you were okay? (The child nods) Good job.
Mrs. Larson? This is Jason Morgan. I'm over at General Hospital. Your
daughter is fine other than burning her hand. She and your grandchild will
be staying at the Port Charles Hotel for the next few days. Do you want me
to send them there by cab? ... Okay Mrs. Larson, when you get here ask for
Carly Quartermaine. She'll take you to them. Drive safely, Mrs. Larson.
(He hangs up the phone) Your Nana is on the way. (Jason takes a card from
his wallet and writes something on the back) This card is for you. It has
my name and phone number on it. You keep this card. If you have any
problems you can call me or your Nana now; got it? (Jason calls out to the
nursing station) Carly? His grandmother is on the way. Will you keep an
eye on him and his mom until she gets here?
Carly: (relieved smile) Sure Jase. Thanks.
Jason: When you get off shift call a driver to take you back to the house,
okay? Where are AJ and AR?
Carly: Both are at the apartment building: AR manning barricades and AJ
meeting with the Fire chief.
Jason: After what happened to Staci, you might want to talk to AR about
security.
Carly: I'll talk to him tonight. Right now he's surrounded by cops.
Lucky: (pulling out a cigar) You want to risk standing outside so I can
smoke this thing?
Jason: You Spencers and your damn cigars! Yeah-- I need some air.
(Together the two men walk thru the automatic doors. Jason's bodyguard
follows discreetly. Jason and Lucky automatically take up positions that
allow them to assess their surroundings but offer cover in case of
problems.) I called Mark and Ned. Both say no signs of trouble. This
looks like it was targeted at the Cassadine.
Lucky: (nodding) Other than any sane person would have thought that Brooke
would have been asleep in that apartment, I agree with you. I thought we
had more time.
Jason: And there's the really interesting part. Who knew about the
shipment coming off the boat?
