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From: rika1@mindspring.com (Rika) Subject: PC: Update, Thursday, April 9, 1998 Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 16:52:40 GMT X-Server-Date: 11 Apr 1998 16:53:16 GMT PORT CHARLES UPDATE Thursday, April 9, 1998 This was a good episode, other than a bit too much wallowing in the grief over Frank. Lots of snappy repartee, lots of interlocking storylines, and the involvement of almost every character in the cast (aside from Matt and Ellen). All action took place at the hospital today, and the characters interacted in several permutations and combinations. As a result, this is a single-thread update instead of my usual one-storyline-at-a-time format. Our story opens at the tenth-floor nurses' station. Kevin and Lucy have brought Victor to the hospital for a physical. All of the patronizing and worrying and hovering he has endured in the recent past has finally really gotten to him. In addition, Kevin and Victor are annoyed with each other over this secret of Victor's and Kevin's insistence on figuring it out. Victor (tight-lipped): "Will you *please* not insult me by waiting?" Kevin: "I'm sure we can find another way to insult you while we wait." Lucy smacks Kevin, and Victor retorts: "No doubt." Just then an orderly takes Victor's arm, and he angrily yanks it away and huffily berates the orderly: "I am perfectly capable of walking without assistance. I probably know the way a good better than you." Victor stalks off towards the examining room, continuing his diatribe (and we find out where Kevin got his curmudgeonly streak). Kevin gets the last word (to Lucy): "What ever happened to the good old days when you couldn't get three words out of him?" Speaking of diatribes, Joe stalks out to the nurses' station with Karen in hot pursuit. Joe is ranting about Devlin's suggestion that Joe and Mary prepare themselves for the worst where Frank is concerned. He refuses to give up, etc., etc. Karen tries to reason with him, pointing out that nobody has asked Joe to give up - they're simply suggesting that he be realistic about Frank's chances. Joe then turns on Karen angrily. Kevin intervenes at this point, asking, "Is this a conversation any doctor can join in on?" Joe shoots back, "As long as you're not Kevorkian." Karen chides Joe for his hostility. Lucy cuts to the chase - it sounds like Frank isn't doing well. Karen explains that Frank's chances are not good. Joe responds angrily, and Karen tries to point out that she's not the enemy - she's just trying to help. Joe calms down momentarily and takes Karen's hand. Kevin comments that he does understand what it's like for Joe (based, of course, on his recent experience with Lucy's near-death). He gives a pretty good description of the feelings coursing through Joe, and Joe thanks him by glaring and replying, "Stay out of this." Joe starts to leave, but Kevin persists. Joe reminds Kevin that he's not a patient. Kevin knows that - but Joe and Frank are his friends. And Kevin knows what it's like to lose a brother. [You know, it's time for the writers to give poor Kevin a break. He has personally experienced nearly every bad thing that has happened to anyone on PC lately - a love/hate relationship with a brother and survivor guilt over the brother's eventual death (like Matt), guilt over death of a woman in a car accident in which the car plunged into a body of water (like Jake when Danielle died), a mentally ill and abusive mother (like Lark), losing his job at the hospital (like Eve), and having a loved one linger at the point of death (like Joe). But I digress]. Kevin hurries to assure Joe that he's not suggesting that Frank is going to die, but Joe interrupts him and insists, "I don't need your sympathy. If you want to help, don't become one of those vultures hovering over his head, waiting to bury him before his time." Kevin just looks at him sympathetically; then a hand touches Joe's shoulder. It is the parish priest, come to give Frank last rites. Meanwhile, down in the lab, Devlin is ordering his new lab rat (a 3rd-year med student) to increase the dosage 32%. The lab assistant questions the order, and Devlin yells at him, "Inject the rat or I'll find someone else who will." Scott arrives just at this point and suggests, "Maybe I can help out with that. Which arm do you want it in?" Devlin: "I thought I'd scraped you off my shoe." Scott observes that Devlin's having a bad day - but that's no surprise since he's better at stealing research than at inventing things. Devlin helpfully volunteers to call security, but Scott assures him it's not necessary. Scott is at the hospital to meet with the board. Devlin tells him it won't help - Eve will never be reinstated and, in fact, is probably on her way to prison. Scott insists otherwise, and warns Devlin he's in trouble. Eve is planning to file a sexual harrassment suit against Devlin. Scott leaves and Devlin, in a fit of rage, scatters a bunch of papers on the floor (tsk, tsk - is that any way to treat your lab notes, Bennett?) After the opening credits, we find ourselves at the 6th floor nurses' station. Lucy and Eve are discussing "General Homicide," while Lucy smugly remarks how amazing the author is. Scott approaches them and asks Eve what she thinks of the "Bev Lambitt" character (sheesh, couldn't Kevin have been a little less obvious with the names?). Eve coyly asks why Scott would think she was Bev; he reminds her that Bev is a sexy intern over whom all the men are tripping. Lucy retorts that they're only tripping over Bev because she throws herself at all of them. Eve reminds them that it is just a piece of fiction. Scott adds that it's trash and he didn't even finish reading it. Lucy is horrified - doesn't Scott know that the writer poured his heart into the book? Eve figures she knows exactly where Scott stopped reading - at the description of "Sam Hairwind," a hot-headed, wealthy carpenter-lawyer with a fondness for apples and a flagrant disrespect for the law. Lucy smirks while Eve reads this excerpt from the book. Scott hot-headedly yanks the book out of Eve's hand, insisting, "I'm no hot-head." Scott speculates on the author, but can't even figure out how to pronounce the name. Eve, demonstrating her mental superiority, explains it. "Onoma" is Greek for "name." "Nunn" is a play on "none." Thus, "Onoma Nunn" means "no name." Lucy smiles in unconcealed glee when Eve figures out the puzzle. Eve loves Devlin's character, Dr. Melvin - "the guy has a heart like a charcoal briquette." Eve thinks Burgess wrote the book, because "you've always got to watch out for the quiet ones." Lucy argues with her - Ellen is boring and mild-mannered (she's apparently never seen Ellen when she's mad at an intern). Lucy insists that the author "is filled with wild passions." (And judging from her smile, she had some personal experience with said passions in the very recent past.) Scott is tired of talking about the book, so he fills Eve in on his meeting with the board. They are commencing an investigation of Eve's sexual harrassment charges. Down in ICU, Mary and Julie are at Frank's bedside. Jake arrives to check on Frank, and then the priest arrives. Julie and Jake go out in the hall. Jake wishes he could have done more in surgery, but Julie assures him that he did a wonderful job. She asks about the statutory rape charges, and Jake explains that the charges will stick unless Lark tells the truth. He explains that the police are looking for Lark; Julie says she would rip Lark's heart out if she found her, for what she did to Frank. Meanwhile, Lark is hiding in the hospital - we see her stealing some food off an unattended cart of patient food trays. Back on the 6th floor, Devlin approaches Eve and Scott. Devlin has apparently decided to make nice, and he starts with a cheery greeting. He wants to call a truce; Eve finds it interesting that he suddenly wants that *now*, when he's getting a taste of his own medicine. Devlin doesn't "understand why we have to keep hurting each other." Scott cuts through the bull - if Devlin wants a truce, he needs to get Eve reinstated. Devlin insists that it was the board's decision and he can't control it - but he'll get her an internship at another hospital. Eve refuses (calling him "bucko"); he picked the battleground and she'll fight him right here. Eve and Devlin threaten each other. Scott reminds Devlin that, combined with his recent messy divorce, the sexual harrassment case is something Devlin doesn't need right now. In fact, the hospital might not support him. Devlin promises to break them; Eve retorts, "We won't break, but Julie might." (Now *that* was a low blow) Eve goes on to remind him that Julie is trying very hard to find something positive about her father now; how would she feel about all of this? Eve then tells Devlin about his character in "General Homicide." She promises to make "General Homicide" look like "My Little Pony." Devlin is apparently a speed reader, because shortly thereafter we see Boardman (yay!!!) updating Kevin and Lucy on his exam of Victor. Devlin stalks up to them, interrupts Boardman in mid-sentence, waves a copy of "General Homicide" at him, and demands to know, "Have you seen this?" Boardman points out the obvious - he's in the middle of a consultation. Kevin tells him it's okay; obviously he's interested in hearing what Devlin has to say about the book. Boardman admits that he "skimmed" the book; he tries to restrain a smirk as he remarks, "It's all over the hospital." Devlin is furious - the gift shop has had to re-order the book twice. Lucy assures him that everyone, everywhere is reading it, while Kevin attempts (and fails) to project nonchalance, suddenly developing an interest in the ceiling tiles. (By the way, am I the only one in RATSAland who wants to read this book?) Devlin wants to sue the author; Kevin and Lucy remind him it's just fun, and it's just fiction. Devlin disagrees - "Dr. Melvin is not good fun." He asks Lucy if she's ever met the author; Kevin and Lucy glance at each other, and then Lucy assures him that she has no idea who the author is, "But if I ever do I'm going to tell him.... or her that - " Kevin interrupts and steers Lucy away, ostensibly to see Victor. After they go, Boardman tells Devlin to forget about the book - he's got bigger problems due to the sexual harrassment suit. The board is starting to question Devlin's character. Devlin insists that it's just a vendetta on Eve's part. Boardman reminds him that it doesn't matter - it's bad publicity either way, especially after the release of the book. Devlin rants about the book a bit more, and Boardman tells him, "I'm saying this as a friend - your reputation preceded you here." Devlin: "I'm saying THIS as a friend - you watch your tone." (With a friend like Devlin, who needs enemas?) Boardman figured Devlin would want to know the way the wind is blowing. Devlin thinks maybe Eve wrote the book as a payback - would the board support him if he sued for libel? Boardman reminds him it would draw more attention to the hospital. Not only would the board not support him, but they are thinking of removing him as head of research. After all, the "whole Lambert Mess" happened when Devlin was in charge - and instead of just handling it internally, Devlin got the police involved and generated bad publicity for the hospital. And, in addition, Devlin's lab hasn't produced any results - it looks like money down the drain. In the hospital hallway, Eve and Scott conveniently decide to stop and have a conversation about Frank's chances for survival right in front of the room in which Lark is hiding. Scott wonders if Lark knows about Frank's condition (well, she does now). Scott figures Lark would never come back to the hospital because if she were found, she'd have to go back to Juvenile Hall. Also conveniently, Lark is hiding in the chemo. treatment room. They stock wigs there, and Lark grabs a blonde one. After Scott and Eve are gone, she and her wig slip out into the hallway. In ICU, a large crowd has assembled around Frank's bedside - Mary, Joe, Karen, Julie, and the priest. Devlin comes to check on him; he tells Julie that he wants her to be prepared and she refuses - that would mean giving up. Devlin leaves, and the priest begins the last rites. (Things must have changed in the Catholic church; when I was younger, last rites were an intensely private, secretive ceremony, not a group participation religious service.) Back at the nurses' station, Grace and Lucy are talking about "General Homicide". Grace thinks Devlin wrote it. Lucy thinks that's ridiculous - why would Devlin write himself as the bad guy? Grace figures he did it to throw people off track - plus, she thinks Devlin *likes* playing the villain. Lucy continues to insist that Devlin didn't write it. "He couldn't have written it; I'll tell you who wrote it!" Grace asks how Lucy can be so sure, and before she can answer, Kevin and Victor walk up, and Kevin interrupts her, "Aren't you tired of discussing that book?" Lucy explains Grace's theory that Devlin wrote the book (she calls Grace 'that illiterate'), and to Lucy's amazement, Kevin tells Grace that she might have a good point. Lucy gets her coat and stage-whispers to Kevin that she doesn't see why he'd want "that little.....person" to think Devlin wrote the book. Kevin repeats his preference to remain anonymous. Victor gets the last word: "Huh. Only a matter of time before everybody knows." Victor turns to get on the elevator. Lucy makes a noise of agreement and smugly follows Victor to the elevator, leaving Kevin staring off into space in annoyance. (This interplay was hilarious; it's hard to convey in writing because the fun was in the faces and tones of voices. Kevin is usually a riot when he gets grumpy, and I've been looking forward to seeing Lucy and Victor double-team him so that he'd REALLY work himself up into high dudgeon. There's lots of potential in this particular "triangle.") Somewhere in the hospital, Lark is trimming the bangs on the wig. She decides her disguise is "perfect." It looks very much like Eve's "Danielle" wig. In the lab, Chris (who sure has a nice wardrobe) is updating Devlin on what he learned in his trip to Joe and Karen's lab. Devlin tells Chris that the board might cut the lab's funding. Chris remarks that if Devlin wants to "show them something special," he'll need a trial on a human. Devlin insists that they can't do that. They have no data on how the drug works on a human (well, other than Lucy, right?) If they failed, there'd be a huge lawsuit. Devlin tells Chris to stick to spying on the interns: "You're a lot better at that than at coming up with new ideas." Chris: "Well, that makes two of us, doesn't it?" (GOOD ONE!) After he leaves, a light bulb appears above Devlin's head: "But if the patient's going to die anyway, what's the difference? The autopsy would give me the leg up I need." Outside of ICU, Joe is looking through the window at Frank and talking to Karen. Frank was never afraid of anything because he accepted that you die when it's your time to die. He can't decide what Frank would want him to do. Mary and Julie come out of ICU, and Joe goes in. He tells Frank he won't give up on him - "It's not your time." ------------------ by Rika, Thursday updater