General Hospital Transcript
Transcript provided by Suzanne
THIS STILL NEEDS EXTENSIVE EDITING!
Business is so much better conducted outdoors, wouldn’t you say? Is this why people close deals on golf courses?
[ Laughs ] Absolutely. Oh, uh, speaking of bogeys, um, sorry the talk with ned didn’t go well. Eh, landed in the rough, but we got plenty more holes to play. And that is the official end of the golf metaphor. It’s getting a little weird. Yeah. Tell you what, once we show ned this, I think he’s gonna have a little bit of a change of heart. Is th– is this right? The 52% increase, that would mean that the company is — “skyrocketing,” I believe, is the term you’re looking for. It’s incredible. Who’s buying all these shares? You’re welcome. Hey, dex, listen, something’s come up. Personal. Yeah. Um… I’ll get back to you with the instructions. Gentlemen. Sorry for the interruption. Commissioner ashford, how can I be of service to you and the good people of port charles today? Actually, I’m here to speak to mr. Grey. Your office told me where to find you. Yes. They said you were on your way. Well, thanks for the heads-up there, martin. Well, we’re not doing anything criminal till 4:00. I thought it might be a nice surprise. Commissioner ashford, how may I — how can I help? I got a call from the bureau. It’s about your brother. Surprisingly, ava isn’t asking for much. Uh, define “not much.” Well, in exchange for a weekly allowance from my trust fund, all I have to do is remain at wyndemere. She wants you to stay? Thanks, grandmother. My self-esteem can always count on you for a boost. That is terrific. Honey, I’m just trying to keep up, that’s all. The last I heard, you and esme staying at wyndemere was causing friction. So what changed? Ava: I don’t need presents. All I want is for us to be open and honest with each other going forward. Oh, I totally agree. That is why I found the perfect way to thank you for giving our marriage a second chance. What’s that? I want a divorce. A divorce?! What happened to working things out? Don’t you see? This marriage of ours… there’s no saving it. It’s dead. Esme: I’m playing the long game, waiting for just the right moment for ava to learn about nikolas’s infidelity. I see. I knew you’d understand. Indeed I do. That hurts. It’s meant to. Because words can’t possibly express my disappointment. Hi. I’m hoping you can help me. My name is felicia. I know who you are, mrs. Scorpio. You do? Before I retired from the force, I worked under your husband. He’s a good man. I couldn’t agree more. What can I do for you? If you would just listen to me. Your plan is good, but mine is better. Just who do you think you’re fooling?
You did it? Yes, I told you I would. Wait. Does this mean — look, michael, I know you weren’t sold on the idea of my investing in aurora. I specifically asked you not to. I know, but I think the big picture here is really important — the stock. Is soaring. Is that because of you? Well, aurora’s traded on the open market. Anyone can buy in, and I just made sure the right person did. It’s not like I could have stopped her, man. Yeah, thank god you didn’T. Aurora shares are a hot commodity. Okay, um, how many unique investors did we acquire today? I can tell you that.
[ Clears throat ] Uh… well, um, not as many as we would have liked. It looks like carly did buy the most significant percentage of shares. Just how many shares did you buy, mom? So, what has cyrus done now? There’s strong evidence that cyrus could not have been responsible for the attack on you and the mayor when you were in protective custody. Huh. You know, laura confronted him about it. She said he insisted it wasn’t him. She said he seemed genuine. It appears that, for once in his life, cyrus was telling the truth. So who’s responsible for the attack? Unfortunately, the bureau’s investigation hasn’t yet determined who targeted you. Which means there could still be a threat. Does my sister know? I spoke with the mayor before I reached out to your office. That is important. Thank you for the update, commissioner. Give me a call if you have any information or concerns. Oh, I will. Huh. Well, full half of the glass, maybe my brother found religion after all. You don’t have to laugh this off on my account. You can admit you’re worried. Jordan: Mr. Corinthos. Hey, commissioner. Just wanted to say a quick hello. Now you have. Okay. You take care, then. Oh, no, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You know what? Um… you have something of mine, and I want them back. I don’t blame you one bit for having whiplash. Suddenly, ava’s determined to fix her toxic marriage and work things out “as a family.” God knows what that means. When not too long ago, she was, you know, willing to bribe me with my trust fund to move out and take esme with me. Oh. Wait a minute. Come on. Ava was gonna bribe you to move out? Yeah, it was the exact same deal but in the opposite direction. She was gonna give me five figures a week to take esme and go. You can only imagine how father felt. He was furious. Not to mention hurt. Mm. Oh, come on, now. Put down your animosity for just a minute. Pick up a little thing called empathy. I was willing to make things work with my father anyway. If ava is going to give me money for an inevitability, why shouldn’t I take it? Spencer, your relationship with money has always been problematic. I realize that. Do you, now? Yeah, you’ll be happy and proud to know that my priorities have changed. Really? So what’s most important in your life now? You just said our marriage is dead. I take it you have questions. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I do. Starting with, what the hell is going on? H-how can you say that you want to fix our marriage and then seconds later say that it’s dead? Because our marriage, the one that we’ve been struggling with, it’s been in the death throes for a while. And now that we’re ready to move forward, we have to let it go. Are you leaving me? If you’re leaving me, just say so. Of course I’m not leaving you. I’m doing the exact opposite. By ending this marriage. You want a divorce? We can clean the slate, remarry. For real this time. For keeps. You may think you look all harmless sitting there in your chair. But your eyes, ryan, they give you away. Dr. Chamberlain is here to receive medical attention, not visitors. And you are? Esme prince. And you are? You’re not a nurse. I work at spring ridge. I’m assisting the patient today. You mean inmate. Dr. Chamberlain, do you want this visitor here? Are you sure? One blink for yes, two for no. Is that right? It is. And for more complex communication, you use a board with letters. Is that right? Yes. Got it. Well, looks like you’ve been chatting away one letter at a time. You may be locked in, but as long as you have the ability to express yourself and share your poisonous thoughts with another living being, you are just as dangerous as you ever were.
What, me worry? Why should I be worried? Hardly my first go-around as a marked man, is it? Martin, you just say the word, I’ll get you round-the-clock security. Really? You’d do that for me? For you? No. But you handle my affairs. I can’t risk that information falling into the wrong hands. You are a sensitive son of a bitch, aren’t you? Well, much as I appreciate the offer, I’d have to say no. I’m not really worried about myself. I just don’t want anything to happen to laura. You two have grown pretty close, haven’t you? More than close. We’ve become family. Do anything I have to to protect her. So tell me about these new priorities, spencer. Well, I do not like ava still, and I’m not sure that I ever will. But I can recognize that she is important to the people who matter to me. And if my father loves her… …then that is something that I can learn to live with. Good. I mean, really, really good. And it’s about time. I thought you’d think so. Yeah, I do. I am glad that you have finally realized that you don’t have veto power in your father’s marriage. But you know what? I’m still bothered by something. I don’t understand this arrangement that you have with ava. Grandmother, the deal is to live there. That’s it. Making up with my father is my choice. So reconciliation is free of charge? If it’s costing anybody, it’s me. Of course it is. Spencer, do you really think that you’re gonna be able to reconcile with your father with esme around? I don’t know who you think you are, but if you don’t leave, I’m gonna have to tell the guards you’re harassing him. Who do you think let me in here? Besides, ryan told you he wants me here. You see, we go way back. Don’t we, ryan? One for yes. So, how much time have you spent with ryan? Enough. You may think you’re helping him and doing a service for him, but he is a homicidal psychopath. I’m familiar with what dr. Chamberlain has been accused of. Why do you keep calling him “doctor”? He lost his license to practice before you were born. And for good reason. -If you say so. -Oh, I know so. And he maimed and manipulated and tortured and tormented. You should be very careful. He’s very good at getting what he wants from people. I’ll take that under advisement, ms. — I’m sorry. I didn’t quite catch your name. Scorpio. Mrs. Felicia scorpio. And how do you know dr. Chamberlain…felicia? Do you want to tell her, ryan, or should I? I did not want you taking this big of a risk. But it’s my risk to take. And I respect that. I-I do. But how much is liquid? I met with my financial adviser and I took a calculated risk. Which is not really an answer. It’s the only answer you’re gonna get. Wow. You guys, aurora needed a jump start, and I wanted to speculate. And look! It’s already paid off for all of us. Yeah, it’s paid off. So far. I think it’s time to give credit where credit’s due. I have a ship sitting in the harbor, and every minute that it sits there, I lose profit and goodwill. And may I ask, what’s the cargo? Coffee. And it has a shelf life. Take it up with the harbormaster. Well, I thought because you were so gracious to come over here and say hi that I’d take it up with you. The harbor patrol, they still work with the pcpd, right? They do. But dock bureaucracy is hardly in our purview. I’m sure they’re just dotting their I’S. I’m just asking a simple question. What’s the holdup? I honestly don’t know. And I’m afraid I can’t help you, sonny. Of course you can’T. I don’t know what’s worse, people who — who watch you burn or people who light the match. This isn’t about the harbor patrol or the pcpd. What’s really eating you, sonny?
forget about it. You know what? I’ll — I’ll let my lawyers handle it. I heard about the hearing. It’s front-page news. When you testified, you knew you were letting someone down. That couldn’t have been easy for you. Yep. Well, tell my son that. You want to talk about sons, let’s talk about mine. You talking about your doctor son? And when he first arrived in port charles, did it occur to you or anyone that medicine would be his path? You know, tj was an angry kid. Angry, troubled, rebellious, especially towards his mother. And now look at him. Got to be proud, right? I am. But it was a long road. There were moments where I wasn’t sure we would ever get through, but we did. And I’m sure you will, too. You know, I appreciate this talk, but it’s different. Tj wasn’t hell-bent on… destroying you. Here we go. This calls for a toast. Oh, hear, hear. Yes. Come on. I’m not happy about this. But I appreciate it, if that makes sense. Look, you guys are doing something huge. I’m just honored to be a part of it. I guess there’s only one thing left to say. To you, mom. Yes!
[ Laughs ] And elq and to aurora. May they long reign together. Oh, and here’s to finally being rid of valentin cassadine. Cheers. Cheers. I can definitely
appreciate thedesire to protect one’s family. And a willingness to go to any lengths to do it. Valentin, everything alright? It will be, once the vote at elq goes my way. About that, what’s the probability ned’s gonna come down on your side? I mean, honestly, shouldn’t you and i be formulating some kind of a plan b? A plan b? No, there’s no plan B. Ned goes against his family and comes over to my side or it’s game over. But I’m not worried. ‘Cause he will. Given how ava feels about esme — hates. Ava hates esme. Well, and that makes me think that esme’s presence won’t make anything easier. Mm-hmm. For whom? Anybody. Much to our mutual shock, ava and I are both willing to compromise. Now, as for esme, I am going to ensure that she doesn’t stand in the way of progress. Uh-huh. You sound very determined. I am. And for several of the right reasons. Hmm. Just don’t let money blind you from the lessons you learned when you were without it. I won’T. Really? Well, if that’s the case, then maybe you won’t give up your job. Here? How many jobs do you have? Well, cameron can tell you that I certainly don’t have the patience for serving. He covers my shifts all the time, cleans up my messes. I’m certainly no great loss to this institution. Hmm. I’ll take your word for it. Speaking of cam, how’s his mother doing? See, now, that’s something that I think you should ask him yourself. I’d love to. I just, um… not sure what to say. Well, you can start with, “how are you?” You know, then move on to, “how are your brothers doing?” And then, “how’s your mother doing?” And you can keep “I’m your friend, and you can say anything to me” in your back pocket in case you need it. Well, grandma, you make it sound easy. You’ll never know until you try, spencer. I would like to see you work things out with all of your friends. And trina, too. Trina and I don’t have a friendship. And we never will. Not as long as I’m with esme. You want a divorce just so we can stay together? Exactly. That seems like a lot of extra steps just to end up in the same place. I want us to be on equal footing. Not just emotionally, but financially. Well, we’ve already torn up the post-nups. As far as romantic gestures go, that was quite unforgettable, actually. Divorcing without precondition entitles you to half of my assets, excluding what’s entailed to spencer, of course. Does any part of this appeal to you? There was a time it would have. Not anymore? Nikolas, we’ve just come through one of the biggest challenges of our marriage. You know, we’re still working our way back to each other. We haven’t even… slept together yet, you know. Is that what this is about? That’s not a problem. I mean, we consummated our marriage. We can consummate the end. No, it’s not — it’s not — it’s not about sex, really. It’s about something much deeper. What happens if we sever this union and we’re not strong enough to withstand another challenge? If we untie this knot, there’s no guarantee that we’ll tie a new one.
You know, trina may not be able to be friends right now. And can you blame her? You chose esme. I didn’t want to choose, but esme kept forcing the issue. She can be… territorial. Mm. She’s insecure. She’s alone in the world. Oh, is that what she told you? Yes. I’m sorry. It’s okay. She did tell me that — that she, uh, never knew her biological parents and that her adoptive parents were distant and cold. You know, maybe that’s part of what drew you together. Both of you grew up without a mother. Yeah, maybe esme would have made different choices had her mother been in her life. That’s — that’s rich. You know, you can have empathy for esme and not allow her to control your life. That’s exactly right. Mm-hmm. The key to esme is her past. Ryan harassed and stalked me for years. Before his infatuation with ava, I was his obsession, and that’s the short version. Mr. Chamberlain, is that true? What’s he saying? Well, let’s see. U. B… O… M. He’s saying, “you’re the bomb.” Oh. [ Chuckles ] Yeah. That’s ryan’s version of a joke. See, once upon a time, he crashed my wedding with an active explosive device. Is this young woman your new fixation? Remember, he was obsessed with ava jerome. So he put a knife in her daughter. That’s what he does to women. And he also left his brother to rot in an asylum for months. If he’s willing to do that to his own blood, what might he do to you? I’ll bear that in mind. I’m not exactly sure why I came here in the first place. Maybe it was to see if you’re still a threat. But mostly to show you that many of your intended victims are still standing. Whatever you do, don’t let him get in your head, because the moment that you have served his purposes, he will turn on you, discard you, and probably kill you. It’s not like he hasn’t done it many times before.
[ Door closes ] I know you’ve got a good heart, just like your father. I appreciate your faith, grandmother. I know that me and my father have both let you down, but here you still are. Where else would I be? City hall, maybe, for one. The mayor of port charles shouldn’t have to expend so much energy keeping her grandson out of trouble. The people I love are the best part of my life. I’m right where I should be. Well, if I got my heart from my father, I’m sure that he got it from you. I love you very much. I love you, too. And I promise that I’m going to protect and honor the people who have stood by me. And I will become the man you’ve always told me I can be. I know you will. But now you got to get back to work. I’ll see you later. Okay. How do you really feel? About what my mom did? Uh, you know, angry she did it. Pleased it’s working. There’s something else going on. What is it? Just she invested so much. The pressure is really on us to succeed more than ever. Now we’re in a better position to make that happen. Better, not certain. Okay. So you want me to present the new information to ned? Mom brought up some good points. Right now… we need all hands on deck, not just ned. Well, then… let’s go shore up some prospects. Lucy coe, this setting definitely suits you. Hmm. Hello, there, gentlemen. Michael: Would you like a drink? I would love one. I’ll have what he’s having. As you wish. So…
[ Sighs ] …How’s life post-ipo? Mm. Well, I would love to say it’s all yachting and purchasing vineyards, but no. This — this moment, to tell you the truth, this precious little moment right here is the first break I have had in weeks. No rest for the wicked, huh? Well, I am certainly that. That and savvy and resourceful. With an impeccable sense for business. Wow. Thank you. Look at you two. Okay. Clearly there’s a pitch here, so let me hear it. Aside from loving our kids, I believe parents have two jobs. The first is to raise decent, functional adults. The second is to never give up. What about if… they give up on you? If you’re as tenacious about reconciling with michael as you are about reclaiming that coffee shipment, this stalemate should end soon. Hello, jordan. Carly. Sonny, sorry to keep you waiting. I appreciate you coming by.
Jordan, before you go, are there any developments in trina’s case? I wish I had better news. So what, that means she could go to prison? We all know that esme set her up. Unfortunately, I can only testify to the evidence, not on my personal convictions. I understand that. Don’t give up. These roadblocks don’t last forever. What’s that all about? Eh, nothing, just something — something that’s going on at the docks. Okay. So, uh, you called. I’m here. Are we gonna have it out? We’re not gonna have it out in here. Oh. Alright. The winds are changing at elq, and we want to know if we can rely on your support. Oh, that’s right. There’s a shareholders meeting real soon. And last time, you voted with valentin, and we would love to shift your allegiance to us. Has valentin done a bad job? Valentin’s an effective businessman, but he’s not a quartermaine. It’s a family business. And we believe it is better for the bottom line when a member of the family actually runs it. Hmm. Okay. So just suppose I do decide to back you and this return to nepotism — not judging, by the way — what is in it for me? Can you keep a secret? Oh. Soul of discretion. Well, aurora and elq are merging. Which could portend even more growth potential for deception. Aurora commands a significant, uh, percentage of the market share. With elq, that is only going to expand. Your loyalty could mean nearly nonexistent advertising rates and a significantly higher budget for marketing. Not to mention a much wider global reach. So, wow. You two do drive a very hard bargain. So, what do you say? Can we count on your vote? You know, valentin, if the quartermaines do beat you at this game, you had a good run. It’s not as though you’d have lost to an unworthy adversary. I’m not giving up elq. I’m not suggesting you give up. I’m just saying there’s more to life. I mean, it’s not like you need the company. If the vote goes sideways, you could — you could spend more time with charlotte, take up surfing, focus on that beautiful but dangerous super-spy lady friend of yours. What’s the matter with you? When did you become so defeatist? No, no, no. Make no mistake. I’m not — I have as little intention of losing as you do. You sure about that? I’m just pointing out that it’s not the end of the world if this thing goes south. Matter of fact, if it does, no reason we can’t, too. I hear playa del carmen is lovely this time of year. Okay, you listen to me. You listen close. When nikolas and ava took wyndemere from me, I was at my lowest. And no matter how trivial it seems to you, elq has been my salvation. Message received and noted. Failure’s not an option. No, it is not. Not now. Not ever. You know, a marriage isn’t like an etch a sketch you can shake and start over. Our history will still be our history. Our mistakes will still be our mistakes. All of our triumphs and failures, they will have led us to the same place. Ava, please. Can you just trust me when I say starting a new chapter is the best way to move forward?
[ Knock on door, door opens ] Hi. [ Chuckles ] Hope I’m not interrupting. Spencer told me I could find you here. Mother, perfect timing. Ava and I have some good news. Oh. I hope. Well, I-I hope it’s that you have decided to work things out. It’s good to see you at home, ava, and that you’ve made a commitment to making your decisions together from now on. I know i have. Ava? I know you mentioned felicia, but it seems like you left out a lot of details. Because licentious, duplicitous women like felicia aren’t worth mentioning. She’s one of my great disappointments. Don’t end up on that list yourself. I did what you asked of me. Not all of it. You haven’t told ava that you slept with nikolas. And why not? And don’t tell me it has anything to do with the younger cassadine. If I had exposed nikolas’s infidelity right away, it would have exposed my agenda. Once they find out what I’m up to, it’s game over. They’ll form a united front, I’ll be kicked out, and nikolas and ava will be stronger than ever. And we don’t want that, now, do we? No, we don’T. And I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but ava and nikolas are genuinely devoted to one another. One betrayal may not be enough to split them up. Which is why we need to compound this. Make their split truly and utterly irrevocable. You may have a point, but I’m getting anxious to move on to the next phase of my plan. I need to spread my wings. Mm, and you will. It’s just a matter of time. I hope you know what you’re doing. Trust me, daddy. What I have planned will blow that family apart once and for all.
Thank you. I have to tell you that you two have definitely given me and my little, tiny, measly 1% a lot to mull over. We would appreciate a commitment as soon as you can give one. Valentin can’t beat our offer. Hm. I will… be in touch. Ta, boys. Think she’ll bite? I think she’s tempted. I mean, thanks to carly, the stock is on the rise. We count on lucy, we win ned over with the numbers… then we’re sitting pretty. Well, thank you for lunch. You’ll be earning it. I want you working around the clock to make sure I stay ceo. Ooh. Well, if that’s the reason for this little repast, maybe I should’ve ordered myself the thousand-dollar caviar burger with gold leaf. You know what gold leaf tastes like, martin? It doesn’T. You’re better off with the frittata. So says the last of the big spenders. In that case, I think I’ll get myself a doggy bag, eat the burger alone, and bill you anyway. You don’t have to finesse me into doing my job. Martin, there is one last thing we need to discuss. Ah, yes, my lovely lucy and her pivotal 1%. I told you, she’s already promised it to you. Yes, she has. And it’s the prerogative of a woman to change her mind like the weather. And I’m afraid a mind like lucy’s may be a perfect storm. Valentin, I promise you, I will do everything I have to to persuade her. You do that. You persuade her. And once lucy and ned help keep me on as ceo, then those who think they can control me will be in for a hell of a reckoning. I stepped away for a few minutes. My daughter, my granddaughter, maxie and bailey louise jones — they’re still upstairs with the doctor, but they should be done soon.
[ Elevator bell dings ] So how did quitting go? Official, this is my last shift. Cam was not happy, but family comes first. Meaning your deal with ava? Meaning you, doofus. You are my family. It’s nice to hear you say that again. Yeah, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long. I hope you know you’re my family, too, spence. Of course I do. Come on, what’s more important than family? So no more aprons, no more solo horseback riding on the cliffs. I want to spend every single free minute that I have right by my baby girl’s side. Laura, our conversation helped clarify my thoughts. And you were absolutely right, as usual. Nikolas and i have both made mistakes. But we’re ready to put that behind us and — and move forward together. Um, begin a new chapter. That is music to my ears. Together, we will forge a future where no problem is insurmountable and where love will truly conqueror all. But first, we have to get divorced. Thanks for meeting me. You said it was about the kids. It is. They’re, um… well, it’s a very difficult time for them. And in many ways, it’s easier on donna and avery because they’re young and they don’t fully understand what’s going on. They just want to know that their family still loves them. And I know that we’re all trying to reassure them of that. I mean, josslyn has been terrific. She’s spending tons of time with them, even though she’s got a lot going on right now. I love, you know, josslyn. She’s like a daughter to me. Despite what — what michael said. What’d michael say? Well, he said that, you know, after the divorce and what went on with nina that, uh… I basically threw away my relationship with my kids and… can you believe that? Yeah, I can believe it. And I agree.
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