General Hospital Transcript
Transcript provided by Suzanne
THIS STILL NEEDS EXTENSIVE EDITING!
Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Hey, david, I’m going to send you what I have from the courthouse. No, I-I’m not going to be back till after lunch. Okay. Talk to you later. Hi. Missed you this morning at the editorial board meeting. Yeah. Sorry about that, but I have a very good reason. I got an on-the-record quote from judge wright for your op-ed piece this weekend. Great, thanks.
[ Sighs ] What brings you down to the pool? A little lunchtime swim? God forbid. No, I have a lunch date.
[ Chuckles ] Interesting. Me, too. Oh, put the flowers on that table. On it. And then the p late of cheese and crackers beside it. Mm-hmm. And make sure there’s nice napkins on the table, too.
[ Scoffs ] How nice?
[ Chuckles ] Tj, come on. Today’s important. We need to make a good first impression. I know, but will nicer napkins really make a difference?
[ Sighs ] I know I’m getting carried away. I just want everything to be perfect. Because today could be the day we meet the woman who will be carrying our child.
[ Chuckles softly ] 19. Good. One more. One more. One more. One more. Come on.[ Breathing heavily ] And…20. Let’s take a break.
[ Breathing heavily ] I don’t need one. I know. I know you might not, but I do. I’m not used to new clients starting at this pace. Most clients start a little slower.
[ Breathing heavily ] Roy, you know I’m not most people. Yeah, I know. You are wearing me out.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Exhales deeply ] Brook lynn! Hi. I’m so glad I ran into you. Oh, yeah? What’s up? Well, I called ferncliff for an update on sasha, and they wouldn’t tell me anything. But they did tell me that she can no longer have visitors? I’m really concerned. Fortunately, you’re right to be concerned. What does that mean? Well, when I saw her the other day, she was in pretty bad shape. I’m actually really worried about her.
[ Sighs ] Oh, sonny. I need an update, please, on our daughter. Our daughter who is currently being cared for by the nanny from hell. Good morning, ava. Okay, fine. Good morning. Please, sonny, I’m — I’m worried. I can’t stand the thought of avery in the hands of that criminal. Ava, you need to relax. I have it all under control. Avery: Hi, gabe. Hey. How was your first day at camp, avery? I loved it. Yeah. What’d you do? Well — I’m sure avery could tell you all about it for hours, but we know you’re working, right? So, we’ll leave you to your job.
Boss, it’s me. Yeah. I followed betty and avery back to your penthouse from day camp. Okay. I do not want you to let avery out of your sight for one second. You let betty go into the penthouse, do what she needs to do, then you go ahead and go about your business. We need to let her think that she’s, you know, working hard and she’s outsmarting us. Copy that. What do you say, avery? That was a big first day at camp. Why don’t you go up to your room and take a nap? Naps are for babies. I’m gonna watch tv. Hi. Looks like you’re working really hard. Doing what I can. Focusing on my upper body. You know, the part that still functions. Trina said that you two spoke.
[ Sighs ] And she said you had a really, really good conversation. As a matter of fact, I believe she called it a breakthrough.
[ Scoffs ] I wouldn’t go that far. Did she say breakthrough? She did. I think she’s finally getting used to the fact that, you know, she has two dads. Did trina actually say that? No, no. But that was my… interpretation.
[ Sighs ] But she was really happy about the conversation that you had, a-and it inspired me. And I was hoping that you and I… that we could have a similar conversation. Trina and I don’t have the same issues you and I do. I know that, curtis. So how would we do that? By starting over. She’s coming up. No, no, no. Hold on a second. I liked the other shirt better. Kidding. Kidding. Hey, you look perfect. Really?
[ Inhales, exhales deeply ] Thank you.
[ Knock on door ] Ready? Here we go. Surrogate candidate number one. Okay. Hi. Hi. Andrea gates. Thomas? Yes. Uh, you can call me tj. Please, come in. Hi, andrea. This is molly. Molly lansing-davis. So nice to meet you. What happened to your foot? Oh, just an embarrassing fall when I missed some steps on some stairs in ridiculous high heels. Ouch. [ Chuckles ] The — the boot will be long gone before a baby would arrive. Would you like something to drink? We have water. Flat or sparkling? I’m fine, thank you.
[ Chuckles ] Shall we sit? Yeah. Sorry if we seem a bit nervous. You’re our first surrogacy candidate we’re meeting with. I understand that this could be an awkward situation. You’re inviting a complete stranger into your home, and you’re going to start asking some very personal questions. Right, but before we get to the personal questions, let me tell you a little about us. I’m a doctor at G.H. Molly is an attorney working in the da’s office. So our child will be taken care of financially. And when it comes to family, we both have lots of loved ones in town who will love and help us raise our baby. Oh, that’s terrific. I’m married to a great guy, ben. Uh, and we have one child, randy. Um, I recently lost my job — cutbacks — so we’re just trying to supplement our incomes. So are there any significant health issues in your family history? Not much. Um… my maternal grandfather died of lung cancer, but he was a heavy smoker. He died my senior year of high school. Watching him suffer like that — I’ve never had a single cigarette in my life. If it works out that you’re our surrogate, how would you feel about us attending doctor’s appointments so we could watch the baby’s progress? Oh [Chuckles] It never occurred to me that both of you wouldn’t be at every single doctor’s appointment. I have no idea why I said it was a lunch date. It’s clearly not a date. It’s work related. There she is now. Alexis, gregory, it’s nice to see you. Are you joining us for lunch? No. No, I’m, uh… …having lunch with family. Enjoy your meal. I can’t believe this is happening to sasha. I-I mean, if she’s in such bad shape, I don’t get this “no visitors” policy. I mean, wouldn’t it help sasha to know that people are there to support her? You would think. But when I saw her the other day, she was really upset and incoherent. I mean, it was really painful to watch. It was like she was having a complete break with reality. I just don’t get it. I don’t — I don’t get it. She was doing so great. This doesn’t make any sense. Well [Sighs] Let’s just hope that she’s getting the help that she deserves. If you’ll excuse me, my lunch companion is here. Oh, yeah.
[ Softly ] Hi. Brook lynn, nice to see you. I thought chase would be arriving with you for our lunch. Yes. He just texted me that he’s going to be late. So, um, for now, it looks like it’s just the two of us.
I don’t know how you can be so calm knowing that our daughter is with that dangerous woman. Avery is never going to be alone with betty. Dex has been tailing her, you know, all day. Gabe is outside the door. Dex is going to let her go in the penthouse and try to look for things. And then, he’s going to go in and make his presence known. Okay. Okay. I’ll just — I’ll feel so much better when this is over. I will, too, but in the meantime, gabe and — and dex are gonna make sure that avery is safe. And we’re just going to wait for betty to find what I planted for her. I’m so sorry that chase is gonna be late. Um, you know how super dedicated he is to his work. Oh, no, no. No need to apologize. It’s nice to see chase so happy being a detective again. I’m really proud of the work he does. Oh, me, too. Besides, this gives us a chance to get to know each other better. I know that your passion is in the music business, but you run social media for deception. Mm-hmm. So, tell me, what did you study in college? Uh…
[ Chuckles nervously ] So, uh, what’s the purpose of this lunch, alexis? What are you trying to figure out about me this time?
[ Chuckles ] Esme, I understand that, because of your experiences with other cassadines, that you find it hard to trust me. What I can tell you is that I’ve been very upfront about the reasons that I hired you, and other than that, I have no agenda.
[ Exhales sharply ] You can understand why I’m a little suspicious. I can, but it’s a beautiful day, and I didn’t want to have another salad at my desk. So, you just invited me here because you wanted to get out of the office? That, and I believe that an employer needs to let their employee know when they’re doing a good job. You, esme, as of late, have been doing a good job. So, thank you for digging in and trying harder. You really mean that? Well, if you don’t have any other questions, I just want to assure you that I’ve thought about this a lot, and if I was ever gonna be a surrogate, now kind of feels like the perfect time. My child’s just a baby, so he won’t remember it or think he’s having a little brother or sister. That’s very sensitive of you. Thank you. Well, it was nice to meet you. We’ll be in touch. I’ll walk you out. It was very nice to meet you, andrea. You, too. Thank you.
[ Door closes ] I liked her…
[ Chuckles ] …A lot. Me, too.
[ Both inhale deeply ] Okay. Phew. Ready for number two? Number one is going to be hard to beat. It’s too much. I can’t do it. What’s too much? You and me.
[ Sighs ] I’m trying to adapt to a life in a wheelchair. Okay? Trina and I are starting to figure things out, and [Breathes deeply] I can’t deal with a relationship on top of all of that. I understand where you’re coming from, curtis, I really do, but you don’t have to learn to live life in a wheelchair all by yourself. You have people. You have people to lean on. I’m here. I’m right here for you. And so is trina. Okay, star patient. Ready to continue with round 2?
Me, in my experience,we are the sum of our parts. Which means what? It means that people may forgive you, but they’re not going to forget what you’ve done. Now, you’ve had a very high-profile, very negative past. And I understand you may not remember that version of you, but others will, and they will be slow to trust you. Great pep talk. Pep talks have chapters. That chapter was about your past. The next chapter is about an opportunity that awaits you. In business, people have to prove themselves day after day. And every day is an opportunity for you now to change the image of what you were before into someone that somebody can trust. Do you see what I’m saying? Now, you got off to a spectacularly bad beginning. But you now seem to have turned a corner and are able to handle this job. Thank you. Um, I think that I can. The inner workings of the invader actually really interest me. I mean, all the moving parts, and how, when a story drops, everything can just change on a dime. I mean, that’s really exciting. But can I ask you a question? Depends what the question is. It’s about your job as editor. Um, spencer told me that this is actually a second career for you. That you used to be a big-shot lawyer. Do you ever miss your old life? What did I study in college? Uh, well, I did go to pcu for a year, but it didn’t really work out. Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sure it’s my being a professor all those years has made me biased. Have you thought about going back to complete your degree? Uh, college was never really my thing. Let’s just say I had a pretty unconventional childhood. My parents split when I was pretty young, and, um, I went back and forth a lot between brooklyn and upstate new york, so… yeah, no, I would imagine that, uh, living with a single mom versus life in a posh family mansion would be challenging for a little girl. Yes. Especially with two extremely different extended families — the cerullos and the quartermaines. I mean, the cerullos are — are loving and loud and artsy, and the quartermaines are intense and loud and, um, business-centric. Yes, I know. I’ve met your grandmother. Right. My grandmother really, uh, gets under your skin, huh? Well, I have to say, I’ve never seen somebody get under my grandmother’s skin the way that you have. You really push my grandmother’s buttons.
[ Exhales sharply ] Hello. You must be chelsea brennan. That’s me. I’m divorced, though my ex and i do a pretty good job co-parenting our two kids. I’m in good health, and I’ll be honest, I’m doing this to get ahead financially. Although I do love being pregnant, and my kids bring me so much joy. How was your second pregnancy different than your first one? I was so nervous and anxious during my first pregnancy. Every rumble, every bump, I was afraid that it wasn’t normal because I’d never been pregnant before. But with baby number two, it was so easy. I was like, I know what this feeling means now. Would you be open to reading to our baby while you’re pregnant, or listening to certain music? Oh, my gosh. Yes. That’s — that’s a total yes.
[ Chuckles ] During both pregnancies, I read to the babies, and I played music for them — everything from classical to classic rock. I’m a big aerosmith fan.
[ Chuckles ] I love baseball, and both my pregnancies were during the summer, so we watched a lot of baseball. Do you follow any special dietary plan when you’re pregnant? I don’t normally eat red meat. Fish and chicken, mostly. But I went with what the baby was craving. Baby number one was really into chicken [Chuckles] But baby number two wasn’t so much into meat. I got most of my protein from tofu. Full disclosure, I don’t think I’ll ever eat tofu again.
[ All laughing ] Hi, I’m — I’m portia. I’m curtis’ wife. I’m roy. Nice to meet you, portia. Nice to meet you, too. I was wondering if it’s okay if I stay and watch the rest of the session? I want to see how I can help curtis. Uh, stephanie, could you please take curtis over to the bands and get him started on his stretching exercises? Thank you. Curtis looks like he’s doing really, really well. So, what can I do to help? I’ve been working with people with spinal cord injuries for a lot of years. It’s an emotional experience as well as a physical one. So I have to ask — what exactly do you think you can do for curtis? Well, your grandmother definitely pushes my buttons.
[ Laughs ] Well, my grandmother has never shied away from conflict. If anything, she actually runs towards it. And I know for people who aren’t used to that, it could be a lot, but she can be very loving. I mean, not in your typical grandmother way. I mean, she’s not the type of grandmother who’s gonna sit back and knit or bake you cookies, if you know what I mean.
[ Laughs ] I do. But, um, if I could say one thing about tracy quartermaine, it is that if she really loves you, she will always have your back. Okay, but what does that mean in actuality? Why do you need tracy to have your back? I am so sorry I’m late. Work held me up. Oh, no, of course. It’s all good. Um, hey, we know how important your job is to you, especially all those months away from it. Anything you can talk about? Well, I can’t go into details, but I am actually working on several different cases.
[ Inhales deeply ] I hope you found something to talk about. We did. We’ve been discussing the importance of an education. Yes, I 100% agree with that.
[ Chuckles ] Whoever betty is working for is very determined to find out about my deal with pikeman. So what I did is I put out some false information that betty’s going to find. Right? And then she’s going to take that false information right back to her boss. And then we’re going to figure out who she’s working for. It’s what you call cutting the snake off at the head. Okay, well, that sounds great, but really, what I need, what I really need is nikolas’s body back. Avery, I think if you weren’t so tired, you wouldn’t be fighting me on this. You really need to rest and take a nap. No, I want to watch cartoons. Alright, then. If you won’t nap, will you watch them on your tablet using headphones? How much longer before you go inside? I’ll give it a few more minutes. Should give betty plenty of time to start looking around.
[ Footsteps approach ] Hey, gabe, dex. Everything alright? Everything’s fine, ms. — Ah, nina. I left a few things. I’m — I can’t let you go inside.
Yes, I miss being a lawyer very much. I miss standing up in front of a judge, in front of a jury and advocating for people’s rights. Having said that, I think that I’ve done a reasonably good job in turning the invader into something more positive. Are there any similarities? Hmm. That’s a very good question. Yes, actually, yes. In all legal cases, facts are important, right? So is the presentation equally important. I need to make sure that a judge and a jury think that the facts I’m presenting are interesting and important. So that’s the same when you’re dealing with stories in a newspaper — headlines have to be authentic, but we also have — have to grab the attention of the reader. Was that how you turned the paper around? Spencer told me that the invader used to be sort of a trash newspaper, but now it’s a well-regarded news source. That’s very nice to hear. And speaking of my favorite nephew, how is it cohabitating with him now that laura and kevin aren’t there to referee you? Thank you for ordering for me. You always know what I want. Well, you seem to like everything, so you make it easy. I have a question. Go for it, dad. Have you two discussed your future together? Dad! What? What? I-I didn’t pester brook lynn while we were waiting on you. I held off until you were both here. I’m going to run to the ladies’ room. If you’ll excuse me.Mm-hmm. Thank you for that, dad. What did I say that was so wrong? Life is short. You need to have a plan. We haven’t been a couple for very long. Okay, but have you talked about the future? I mean, how do you know you two want the same things? Have you discussed having kids? Where you want to live? If you’re going to get married? No. No. And definitely no. No, you don’t want to get married, or no, you haven’t talked about it? We haven’t talked about it because we’re not there yet. I don’t understand. Why are you in such a rush? Okay. Candidate number three. Pamela reed. She’s a single mom.
[ Knock on door ] Hello. Hi. I’m pamela. Please come in. Hi, pamela. I’m molly. Nice to meet you. Wow. We’ve read your file, but we’d like to hear in your own words. Why do you want to be a surrogate? Well, I’m a single mom. My son’s school age. So the pregnancy will be manageable. I work from home as a translator, so it’s not physically demanding. But to be perfectly honest, my son’s father is not in the picture, so the extra money would be a big help for us. What is your overall diet like? Honestly, it’s just based on what I can afford. But if you guys want me to eat healthier foods, I’d totally be down for that as long as you picked up the tab. I’m a doctor, so it’s important we know your medical history. Do you have any serious medical conditions that run in your family? Well, my grandpa died of prostate cancer. I remember his doctor told us that every man, if they live long enough, would eventually get it. He lived to be 87. Who is your current ob-gyn, and do you know which hospital they’re affiliated with? Oh, I just go to the free clinic to save money. But if you guys are picking up my hospital bills, I’ll go to any fancy general hospital doctor you want. Also, for how many months after I deliver will you continue picking up my doctor’s bills until my body goes back to normal? Like I’ve said before, avery is never going to be alone with betty. I know you’re nervous, and I get that. But you got to trust that I’m handling this. Nothing can happen to her, sonny. Nothing’s going to happen. I-I said that already. Okay. And what about nikolas’s body, you know, with his body still out there? I mean, who knows? Maybe their plan ends up with me in prison. Ava. Focus. Austin and mason are working for some mysterious boss. They’re probably the ones that have the body. So you want to get the body back? We have to figure out who we’re dealing with. What do you mean you can’t let me in? I practically live here. I totally understand that. And under normal circumstances, I would let you right in. But we can’T. Boss’s orders. Boss’s orders? Are you saying that sonny instructed you not to let me in? Not you specifically. We can’t let anyone in. Well, I’m not just anyone. I’m his fiancéE. And I’m sorry. This is unbelievable. It’s showtime. What do you think you’re doing?
Hi, dex. I was just looking for some art supplies for avery. But on second thought, maybe she’d be better off with a nap. You said I didn’t have to take a nap. Yeah. As you can see, I have my hands full. Maybe it would be better if we didn’t have any more interruptions. Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bother anyone. Bye, avery. Bye, dex.
[ Door closes ] Betty doesn’t want to be disturbed. You’re right. I-I’m sorry. No rush. As long as you’re happy. I am happier than I have been in my entire life. I can’t say how pleased I am to hear that. Hear what? Uh, chase was just telling me how happy he is. This guy is always happy. Has he always been that way? Nothing ever seems to get him down. You’re right. I was worried when laura told me that she and kevin were going to go search for nikolas. They were such a good buffer between me and spencer. But, you know, things are actually turning out better than I expected with him. That’s good. Yeah. I mean, we’re really finding our rhythm together. He loves ace and he sings to him and he never complains about changing a diaper. And he always finds a way to make ace laugh, which makes me laugh and… but of course, I can’t wait for laura and kevin to get back. They’ve been so good to me. But, you know, it is kind of funny how things work out. I mean, you only offered me this job as a favor to laura so that I would stay in town with ace, but… turns out I’m really enjoying this job. Alright, then. Just keep doing a good job and it’ll be a win for everyone. Thanks, pamela. We’ll let you know as soon as we decide. Nice meeting you. What do you think? I guess curtis didn’t tell you that I’m not only his wife, but I’m also a doctor. And I just want to help my husband as much as I can. Of course you do. But you have to remember that curtis’s life has taken a very unexpected turn, one he didn’t see coming. He has to figure this out for himself. I know. I know that. I just want to be there for my husband every step of the way. I know it’s going to take some time. Curtis is at the point in his recovery where accepting any help, including from his doctors, is going to be very difficult for him. A real struggle. You inserting yourself into his recovery could do more harm than good. You’re going to have to be very patient with curtis as he figures this out. You have to work on his timetable. Not yours. Sonny: What are you doing here? Well, the better question, sonny, is why wasn’t I allowed into our home? What’s going on at the penthouse?
May I join you? Please. Have a seat. Thanks. How was lunch? Ah. Fantastic. Brook lynn is very special, and she makes my son so happy. I think they’re starting to get serious. That’s nice to hear. What else is going on? Oh, so you saw that, me struggling with the check? I did. Fortunately for me, they were so wrapped up in each other, they didn’t seem to notice. I’m sorry, gregory. It’s getting worse, alexis. I think I’m running out of time. I think it’s safe to say we both liked pamela the least. Yeah. She seems so focused on the money. I get the feeling that no matter what contract we offered her, she’d keep finding reasons to come back for more. Agreed. We both like andrea and chelsea. Let’s go with andrea. I have a really good feeling about her and know that we have a backup in chelsea. Tj, this is really happening. It could be. It’s an important first step. Okay, curtis, so much of your strength is going to come from your arms, so let’s do a few reps using your arms to lift your body straight up. Alright? I can do that. I can do that. Alright. Let’s see. You got this. That’s it. Push. Push. Come on. There you go. Oh, that’s good. That’s good. Another one. Come on. You can do it. Push. Uh-huh. Come on. Everything’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about. I-I promise. Really? That’s true? What are you doing here? I’m here to talk to sonny about avery, that’s all. But I’ll go. I’ll let you two talk. No, no. Sonny, w hy wouldn’t the guardslet me into the penthouse? And why is ava acting so squirrelly? It’s best you don’t know. Sonny, we had a talk about this. Yes. Nina, I’m an open book, but there are some things that you should not know for your own safety. Now, I’m protecting my family. That’s all I can tell you. And I hope — I hope that’s enough. Well, I guess I don’t have a choice, do I? But I got to tell you this before I go. This just makes me feel like another one of your employees, sonny.
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[ Mouse clicks ] Robert, trip the alarm!
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