General Hospital Transcript
Transcript provided by Suzanne
THIS STILL NEEDS EXTENSIVE EDITING!
what do you mean? Dex was there when cyrus was there? That’s right. Cyrus survived the beating from sonny, and he also survived his hospital stay, which I’m guessing was just as dangerous. What were you doing there? He was there in hospital scrubs. Let’s not forget that detail. You’re smart, josslyn. You’ll figure it out.
[ Monitor beeping ] Dante. I know you’re in god’s hands, and I believe that your spirit’s strong enough to come back to us. I know you can’t hear me, but I just want you to know that I’m not giving up on you. And I don’t want… …don’t want you to give up on yourself. If you can hear me, I just want you to know that your father is always gonna be… with you. Ooh! Is dante — is he…okay? There’s no change and he would want you to sleep. You were at the hospital all night. Oh. No word from the hospital. Okay. I think I’m gonna maybe head up and take a nice hot shower. Actually, I just walked past your room and scout and sam are asleep on your bed. Ah. Hot coffee it is. Coming right up. You’re gonna make it? I didn’t think you knew how.
[ Scoffs, laughs ]
[ Sighs ] What a talented artist! Oh, you know she studied at l’université de paris, right? Yes, I saw that, too. Oh, my gosh. So many colleges and universities… all a part of each other and around each other. Paris was really the perfect creative environment. Sweetheart… I understand the impulse to throw yourself into work to help cope. But maybe being here around all of this… maybe it isn’t helping. Yeah, but I… I don’t know what will. The appellate division came for you after a ruling in front of the medical board. Correct? That’s a division of the department of health, and that’s deep state. Okay, honey. Hmm? Now we’ve gone from magical thinking to just being ridiculous.
[ Laughs ] It was a regulatory body. I was under oath. Well, I know plenty of elected officials who have lied under oath. None of them have been disbarred. Yeah, I know a lot more that should have been disbarred. But how does any of this have anything to do with me? All right, dr. Collins. It’s true. During that time, I was a young black man down on my luck. And yes, I felt a certain kind of way toward the world around me. Angry. Right, pop? Yeah, I was angry. I have to take issue with two things, dr. Collins. We don’t characterize low-income people as “poor.” Being deemed “poor” is not good for one’s self-esteem or state of mind. And that “anger” marshall was feeling was justified. But I understand what you were trying to say. Marshall: Yeah, so — so do I. But given how things were back in the day, my age, my social standing, my blackness, how well-adjusted could I possibly be? That doctor called me schizophrenic. Did I have to be mentally ill to feel the way I felt? Exactly. You’ve just correctly diagnosed your misdiagnosis.
[ Scoffs ]
Why did you go to the hospital? I was told to go. By sonny? Yes. To deliver some sort of message? No. Why were you wearing scrubs? Did sonny send you to do something? Yes. To kill him? Yes.
[ Snoring ] Oh! Oh, my god. Hi. I must be really tired. I think I’m hallucinating. Weren’t you just tracy a couple of minutes ago? No. Never in any lifetime. Uh, but she did have to go, so she asked me to look after you. Aww. She said to bring you this and make sure you enjoy every sip. Aww. Damn, that is good coffee. Did you make this? No. You okay? No. Is there any word from the hospital?
[ Breathes deeply ] No. There isn’T. But I can call them if you want to. I just figured they’ll call if they needed anything. You mean like if there’s any change in my son’s condition? Honest to god, I don’t know if I should be relieved or terrified. I know it sounds trite, but you have to give yourself time. You’ll get through this. You just called that painting — what did you call it? What’d you say? It’s “fire”? Right? That’s more than going through the motions, honey. Hi. Um… do you have time to talk? I’ll just — I’ll go take that to the back. Are you okay? What’s going on? No, I’m not okay.
The invader ran this really insensitive story about the shooting on the pier that mentioned sonny. But why are you acting surprised by this? Because I’m the publisher of the invader, and they slipped it by me and published this story. If I would have known, I would have done damage control, or I would have killed it altogether. Well, if you’re worried about sonny, he could not care less about the story. And then I ran into josslyn. I went over to dex’s to see him, and she was there. Why did you go see dex?! Because I can’t see sonny. I can’t even go to the hospital to check on dante. Well, did — did dex say anything? No, he didn’t say anything. And I probably just made everything worse. But I don’t care because I am being pushed aside when my husband needs me the most. Ava, I have to find a way to get to him and I’m running out of options. I need you to help me. Right off the bat, I want to take issue with a couple of things. The charge of perjury against you came well after dr. Byrne’s hearing in front of the medical board in 2020. Right? Yes, yes. And that charge stemmed from julian jerome and britt westbourne, both of whom were known perjurers, both of whom were criminals, both of whom are dead. But neither of them were the ones that brought this to the attention of the bar. Yes, but they had to be deposed. And they’re both liars. Okay. All right. That’s off to the side. What I want to circle back to now is why you never defended yourself. Why you never mounted any sort of filing for yourself. Because it was true. Irrelevant! Let’s just say you, uh — you were never presented the opportunity. No, no, no, we can’t do that. Anyway, anyway, look, this is now just you and I here. You know full well you had the right to mount a defense. So why didn’t you? I guess at the time, I didn’t think I had anything left to fight for. Well, snap out of it. Shake off the “poor me’s” and rack whatever is left of that steel-trap mind. Because you’ve got two things to focus on now. Number one, why working here is not working for you, and, number two, how you plan to get out of it. Have any of you heard of a book called “the youngest science”? I read that, and if I recall correctly, it’s an account about medicine evolving as a science from an influential doctor’s point of view. Yes, it’s a personal historical accounting of 20th-century medicine’s evolution. It’s a fascinating read. Okay, okay. It sounds great. Maybe I’ll pick it up. Why are we talking about it? Only as a reference. Uh, medicine as a science has come a long way, but over a long period of time. Psychiatry is much younger, and as a discipline, it’s made all the same mistakes that all the other disciplines have made. Think of it as how astronomers used to believe that the sun revolved around the earth. The point is, scientists and researchers like to be right, and they often fall into the trap of “proving” what they already believe. Yeah, doc, that happens everywhere. Which brings us to dr. Braddock and his work. He wasn’t alone in his beliefs and practices. And I won’t defend the mistakes that my discipline made when psychiatry was still trying to figure out what the heck mental health even was. The point being, the big question at the time was, what is normal? And does that mean being like everybody else? “Everybody else.” Right. And if you’re a mid-20th-century psychiatrist making that determination, you tend to look at the people that you already know, which are going to be decently educated, employed, churchgoing, and predominantly white. That was the control group. Now, if you didn’t belong to this “normal,” predominantly cultural group, if you don’t share any of those hallmarks, or maybe you’re not as adept at code-switching, well, then you present a problem. Hm. An illness.
What? Sonny gives you that order and you say, “yes, boss”? I can’t believe you’d agree to something like that. No, I didn’T. I tried to talk sonny out of it. Oh. Okay. Yeah, of course. You would never go through with something like that. I mean, it’s just nina stirring up trouble, per usual. Except that’s not how it went down, joss. I was going to do it, but sonny stopped me. Tracy. Hi, sonny. Any news? I’d give you some if there was some. I left, uh… sam and olivia back at the house. They both needed sleep. Oh, I hope you won’t ruin my reputation as being cold and unfeeling. Your secret’s safe with me. I’m sorry. Every time I-I see a hospital bed, it just reminds me of luke lying in it. Well, my friend, perhaps your memory is impaired because, as I recall, you weren’t living your best life at the time. No, I was drinking. Definitely not making good choices. You never even had a proper hearing. I was the one who informed you of the decision by phone. Remember? Rings a bell. You know, there’s also a case to be made for bias. Bias? Why? ‘Cause I’m a woman? No. Because you’re a lawyer. Who does the medical profession hate more than anyone? Lawyers. I hate most lawyers, too. But more than anything in the world right now, I wish I still was one. Decades ago, psychiatrists deemed aggression, anger, or a sense of dislocation from the dominant cultural group as a mental maladjustment. Never mind the societal injustices that existed only because they hadn’t been challenged for centuries. Which was the actual maladjustment to begin with. Right. So defiant, anxious young black men were tagged as schizophrenic, whether the diagnosis was accurate or not, especially when one of the hallmarks of the disease is a misconception of reality, such as an institution or society at large is out to get them. Someone might be obsessed about that, or angry about it. Or desperate. To figure out why his heart is suddenly racing for no reason. Why… why his hands are sweaty and suddenly it’s hard to breathe. Or why people are just looking at him funny. I couldn’t play my horn like that, man. I was mad. And frightened. I thought something was wrong with me, or that somebody was trying to do something to me. So you sought help. And you, like a lot of other young men, were deemed schizophrenic when all you were doing was perceiving the reality around you. On top of that, the medications you were likely prescribed would cause unexplained behaviors, which would only reinforce the misdiagnosis. Lord, have mercy. An entire generation of unhappy women were prescribed valium. It’s a muscle relaxer. Gay, lesbian, and trans people were tranquilized, hospitalized, or, worse, electroshocked into quiescence. And that’s only if they had health insurance, by the way. Did you? For a short time. Once the insurance companies knew I had been institutionalized, I was dropped. Got bounced. Out the door with all the — those others you were talking about, who couldn’t pay. You’d find us on the streets and bars and prisons, worried. Worried we’d pose a danger to the people at home we most loved… or bring shame on them. There’s no shame for you, mr. Ashford. The shame is and will always be ours.
Was it that night that adam was in the hospital? Oh, my god. It was, wasn’t it? And I was in the chapel. And then you came in, and then I fell asleep. And when I woke up, you were in there. And I remember thinking how lucky I was that you were there, and that I could always depend on you. And now you’re… you’re telling me…what? If sonny hadn’t stopped you, you would have just come and sat in the chapel with me? I don’t know what would have happened. All I know is what did. I was in scrubs. I had lifted a vial of fentanyl from the pharmacy storage, and I was going to inject it into cyrus’ picc line when sonny showed up. And if sonny hadn’t stopped you, and he hadn’t walked in right then, you’re telling me you would have done it? Yes. Who are you? You promised that you’d help me try to put my marriage back together. Let’s come up with a strategy, a way to break through sonny’s anger and get him to see that he still needs me. The timing isn’t — isn’t very good for you, nina. I mean, what are you gonna say — “sonny, don’t look at your son who’s hanging on to his life by a thread. Look at me”? No, of course not, ava. No, it’s more like, “sonny, let me be there to support you. Let me love you. Let me be there when you’re going through this incredibly difficult time. Let me be your wife ag– again.” That’s what it’d be. I still don’t quite understand why you were with sonny at the warehouse. But you were there. That means that he trusts you. If you advocate for me, he will listen. Trina: Hey, ava. I just tracked the other packages, and another one should be coming in today. The delivery was pushed up. I have to go out. Are you up to staying here and receiving it? If it comes before I get back, just, um, log it in and — and lock up. Yeah, I got you. Are you all right? Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thank you so much. You remember when my nonna told us that boys were easier to raise than girls? Yeah. She lied.
[ Laughing ] Yeah. She did. Either that or she didn’t know any of the kids that dante grew up with. Oh, I think it was… maybe just our neighborhood, right? I mean, ’cause those boys, they were, like, a step above hooligans. And I mean a tiny step. Yeah. And dante was one of them. I mean, that kid got into so many scraps in that high school, they felt like they had to send him away for counseling. I’m telling you, I was — I was scared to death that there was actually something wrong with him. But it turns out it was just dante being dante. You know, he was always standing up to bullies, defending the weaker kids, and not letting anyone get pushed around. That’s why he’s such a great cop. Yeah. You know? The best kind. The ones that truly know what it means to protect and serve. Dr. Collins, I was a social worker for many years before I became a patient advocate. And the reason I switched is because I saw and experienced the inequities within the medical system firsthand. Those mistakes you spoke of were born of racism, sexism, otherism, plain and simple. And what happened to marshall wasn’t a mistake. It was malpractice signed, sealed, and systemic. I’m sure you’ve seen the stories of how blacks, minorities, and women experience medical bias. It’s all over the news lately, but it’s nothing new. It’s been going on since the jim crow era. And women still aren’t taken seriously by medical professionals. I know because I have patients I have to fight for in this very hospital. Not to mention the ongoing maternal health crisis for women of color. And what burns me up is that we have great, talented medical professionals in this country. There’s no excuse for any of this. I’m sorry. I could go on, but I’m done. I’m done. As you can see, doc, my auntie is a passionate social justice warrior. Yeah, baby, but I’m getting tired of this fight. Why, after all this time, are we still reckoning with things like this? We’re all human. It doesn’t matter, the variety. Biology is biology. You are an advocate in every sense of the word, ms. Henry. I hope you never stop. Yeah. I know, uh, an apology from someone like me at this late date is meaningless. No, no. Not meaningless. Not at all. You — you told the truth. You validated what I’ve been going through most of my life. I… doctor, I just wish I had been able to understand all of this sooner. Not handed over my sanity and my life to some guy with a degree because I thought he was helping me. Curtis: Well, that’s — that’s hard to do, pop, when the person you trusted to help you was attacking you. It’s insidious. I can just wonder — how many other people did he do this to? Oh, there were others. Braddock was a respected, published doctor. Well, we always figured it was something like this. And not only did you confirm it, but you — you shone a light on my life. It’s a lot to process. Kind sir, I am so grateful to you. Well, I’m sure you’re a bit leery of shrinks right about now, but my door’s always open if you ever would like to talk this through. I’ll think about it.
[ Chuckles ] Of course. Thank you, dr. Collins. Mr. Ashford.
Sonny gave me an order. I didn’t have the option to refuse. You’re telling me you would have chosen to kill for sonny? No, no. I didn’t want to. I just didn’t see a way out. But sonny asking me was a test. And either I pass or I’m the one who gets eliminated. I’m just lucky that he changed his mind. Dex, you’re not understanding me, okay? In my head, yeah, you’re working for sonny, but you are also working for my mom and my brother. My own family. I never thought that you would cross this line. I have pictured a life with you that isn’t possible. I was gonna leave everything for you. Now I feel like I don’t even know you. Oh, joss, that is not true. Okay? You do know me, and I know you. I’m glad that it didn’t happen. But I didn’t see the point of getting myself killed for refusing to take out cyrus. This isn’t about cyrus. I hate cyrus. This is different. Neither sonny, nor you, were being shot at. There were no guns out. This was a defenseless old man in a hospital bed. I cannot unsee the image of you going into that room. This is about you being okay with killing someone. Do you understand? I’ve killed before. You’re right. You have. And I have put you on this pedestal in my head and never imagined that this is something you would be okay with. But I’m not. This changes everything. I can’t do this anymore.
[ Door closes ] So when you wake up, give me a call. Let me know if there’s any news about dante. Okay, honey. Love you. Bye. Sam? Voicemail. What’d you find out? Well, apparently I have to file an appeal with the appellate court before I can file an appeal with the appellate court. Oh. See? I’m glad you understood what that means. Maybe you’re remembering how redundant and full of catch-22’s the law actually is. Maybe that steel trap isn’t as rusty as I thought. It’s creaky, but functioning. I suppose it has to be a special pleading… mm-hmm. Since I did lie so that neil wouldn’t lose his medical license. And then he lost it anyway. Yeah, yeah. You threw away your career for him. Why did I do that again? Because you’re a rescuer, alexis. You want to be the heroine in everybody’s life but yours. In fact, in yours, you’re the archvillain, so no punishment is ever enough. Stella, I’m so glad you’re here. I would like to request a phone call if there’s any change in dante’s condition. My cellphone number is on file with the hospital board. I’ll note dante’s file. And speaking of board, I have a few things I need to run by you. Oh? Yes, but we don’t have to get into it right now. Well, I’m here right now, so let’s get into it right now. Unless you have something else you need to… there you are. How you doing? Sorry I, uh, took off like that. I just figured I could use some time to myself. Some history lesson, huh? Yeah. Yeah, dr. Collins, he broke it down for us, didn’t he? But he didn’t say anything we hadn’t already put together, right? Pop, if you want me to leave you alone so you can rant, vent, curse, and damn dr. Braddock’s name to hell, I can take off. I came here intending to do just that, curtis. To holler and to curse. But I couldn’T. I couldn’t get something your aunt stella said out of my head. Uh [Chuckles] Which part? She said so much. Yeah, yeah, she’s something else, but she got me. She got me when she said, “we’re all human.” Well, I guess at the end of the day, that’s what it all boils down to. Then why… why in blazes can’t we act like it? It’s so wrong. Everybody is — is wrong about most everything they think about. I lost — I lost decades because of how people wanted to see me or not see me. That doctor, he lost a lifelong career because of his misbeliefs. It’s so senseless, man. You’re being very philosophical about this doctor. Me? Not so much. He’s dead. And now I find myself in the position where I got to forgive that man. Because that’s what your mama would want me to do. Irene always said forgiveness isn’t for the other person as much as it is for ourselves.
[ Sighs ] Yeah. Curtis, if I — if I carry around hate for that man, I’m gonna turn into a hateful person. I’ll be just like him. Yeah, well… maybe I’ll just have to work harder on that. But I will. For you. And for myself. I just… I just thought of something. That doctor, he… that disgraced doctor is six feet under. And I am here. I’m here with my family. My beautiful, accomplished, talented family. A family any man would be proud of. Everything I thought was wrong somehow turned out to be right. Or is it just another proof of the existence of god?
Oh, my gosh. What? Joss, what happened? Is it dante? No. I mean, I don’t know how dante’s doing. I hope he’s fine, but… okay, well, I need you to calm down and stop crying because I am two seconds away from joining you. And if I start, I won’t be able to stop. So please take — take a deep breath and tell me what happened. It’s dex. What happened? Is he leaving town again? I hope so. [ Voice breaking ] I hope he never comes back. What? You are the only board member who hasn’t made an appointment for their complimentary annual wellness exam. Oh, it’s not necessary. I’m no longer seeing dr. Finn. You see, his brother is marrying my granddaughter, so it just felt a little too close. There are a lot of doctors in this hospital. And dr. Randolph would be happy to see you. I’ll get around to it. When? When I get around to it. What’s the big deal? Do I look sick to you? No. You look foolish. I just came down off a soapbox talking about the inequities in the medical system and how people are literally dying for proper care. And here you stand the very picture of privilege refusing to get a free annual exam! Lois: Isn’t it a trip, my daughter and your son growing up together, and now she’s about to marry his partner? Oh, life’s funny. Chase is really a sweetheart. Yeah, he is. Very devoted to his job. How is brook lynn handling that?
[ Sighs ] She’s crying her eyes out and hiding it from chase so that she doesn’t worry him. Yeah, that’s her new reality. I honestly don’t even know what to say to her about it. I don’t know how you put up with it all these years. I got to tell you, I’m terrified that my daughter is about to marry a cop. Now, you would think that it would matter that dante was on the right side of the law. A bullet doesn’t care. Sonny didn’t get shot. Dante did. I don’t think I’m still my own nemesis. I’ve had my dark night of the soul. I go to meetings, I do the work. I know that I’m gonna be the only one to champion myself. So you’re out of the rescue business? I may get a cat.
[ Laughs ] Maybe three. But in my personal life, I’ve hung up the cape. But — but impulses die hard. I still root for the underdog. Well, until we get your law license back, the only underdog I want you rooting for is you. Now, I am going to go see how far and how fast I can push this appeals process along. In the meantime, I need two things from you — don’t sleep with any more doctors. As far as I’m concerned, attorneys should only sleep with attorneys. Attorneys. Yeah. Maybe just district attorneys. You know, that way, we narrow down the pool. You know what I mean, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. The second thing is, get rid of that insipid gossip columnist that came after me.
I thought that nothing could ever change the way that I feel about dex. But I was wrong. I feel like I don’t even know him. I feel like he’s a different person. Or maybe he’s always been this person and I’m just now seeing it, but… what he’s okay with, I’m not okay with. And what he can live with, I can’T. I won’T. I need the police non-emergency number, please. Let’s not make a federal case out of this. I will get my free wellness exam. Good. Shall I set it up now? No! I have to check my calendar. I’ll get back to you. Fine. You do that. I will!
[ Sighs ] Stella? Yes, ms. Quartermaine? I apologize for being rude, and I would like it if you’d call me tracy. Well, tracy, I was a little worked up already, and you’ve been rude to me before.
[ Both chuckle ] I’m surprised they let you in. Nobody stopped me. In fact, they — they told me at the nurses’ station that dante was stable. They’re not really supposed to give out that information. You know, only to the family. Maybe they thought I was nina. Don’t say that name. I just can’T. Right. I’m sorry. I won’t even talk. I’ll just — I’ll just stay and wait with you for a bit.
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