| Previously...
James
and Brooke were re-married in a private ceremony.
Miranda cautioned Brooke not to hurt her father
again. Stormy tried to make amends with James,
then warned him that Brett was up to no good as
head of Sunset Studios. Brett backed
out on his promise to give Heather a starring role
in The Murderess. Will learned that
Heather was a spy and vowed to get revenge. Janet
Harper engineered an accidental meeting with Ethan.
James told a furious Brett that Stormy would
be helping him run the studio while he recovered.
A mysterious intruder broke into the mansion
and startled Brooke. Later, James grew weak
as a result of the pills that Gwen and Brett gave
him, and fell down the stairs.
Episode
28
"Love,
American Style"
The
television in the waiting room at Cedars-Sinai blasted a report from the
Hollywood Bowl where setup was underway for the annual
4th of July celebration. Bands
did their soundchecks and the fire department supervised
as fireworks were trucked in for the traditional display. Miranda and Brett sat
restlessly in the cold plastic chairs, watching the midday news on television while they waited for word about James.
"I
don't understand what's taking so long," Stormy complained as he paced
back and forth in the depressing waiting area flocked with cheap dime-store
flags and red white and blue decorations. "He's been in
there for an hour and nobody's come to tell us anything."
"Brooke's
still in with him. Maybe she'll have
some news," Brett remarked with a shrug.
Miranda
gazed at the television and shook her head with concern for her father. "I can't believe he fell," she
said. "It's like he's not getting
any better. Gwen should be in there with
him. She's his nurse. She needs to confer
with Dr. Farraday."
"She's
upset," Brett said with an edgy sigh.
"She probably blames herself."
"That's
ridiculous," Miranda exclaimed.
"You know my father. Once he
gets something in his head you can't change his mind. He was determined to go out and look for
whoever it was that Brooke saw in the house.
An army couldn't have stopped him."
"Well I'm going
to go see if I can find anything out," Stormy said with frustration as he
started out of the waiting room just as Heather entered with a tray of
coffee. He stopped and looked at her blankly,
the awkwardness still present every time he saw her.
"I thought
everyone would like some coffee," she said and handed him a cup.
"Thanks,"
Stormy said and took a cup from her on his way out of the room.
Brett looked up at
Heather and rolled his eyes. He wasn't
in the mood for her this morning of all mornings. Was she going to start in on
him again about his broken promise to cast her in The Murderess? Hopefully
she'd exhibit some tact and let it rest at least
until James was back home with his family.
Moments later, Alex rushed into the waiting
room, a streak of panic on her heavily made up face. She rushed toward Miranda and threw her arms
around her in despair. A minute later, Jordan entered after having parked the
car.
"Thanks for
coming, Mom," Miranda said with misty eyes. She gave Jordan a hug and then sat back down in
her chair.
"How is
James?" Alex asked, bundling her mink stole around her shoulders. "I was
horrified when I heard. Miranda, Darling, tell me this doesn't have
anything to do with that awful Brooke Taylor."
Miranda opened her
mouth to reply when from outside the waiting room came Brooke, followed by
Stormy and Dr. Noel Farraday, James’s long-time physician.
"Excuse me,
Alex," Brooke seethed, her eyes red and puffy. "If you've come here to start trouble
then you can turn around and walk right back out that door."
Miranda glared at
Brooke and stepped in front of Alex.
"Don't tell my mother to leave," she said. "She has just as much right to be here as
you do, Brooke."
Their eyes met in a
long standoff. How dare Miranda defend
Alex to her at a time like this? She was married to James now, not Alex. When were people going to
realize that she was not going away again?
She was here to stay.
"Would you all
stop bickering," Stormy insisted.
"Dr. Farraday has news about Dad.
He wanted to tell us all together."
Brooke broke from her
penetrating stare and turned to the doctor.
"How is my husband, Dr. Farraday?" she asked. "Please tell me we can bring him
home."
He
nodded and put a hand on Brooke's shoulder.
"He's going to be fine, Mrs. Blackthorne. We took some X-rays and didn't find any
broken bones or head trauma from his fall."
"Oh
thank God," Alex said, placing a hand on her chest and leaning against Jordan for support. Jordan couldn't help but feel jealous
of his wife's obvious concern over James Blackthorne. Something told him that she would never get
over her first husband completely.
"I
am concerned, however," Dr. Farraday
continued.
Brett
looked at the doctor with panic in his eyes.
What if he found out that he and Gwen had been feeding James muscle
relaxers to keep him dependent on his chair?
What if this was the end of the line for him? He couldn't let that happen.
"What
is it, Dr. Farraday?" Stormy asked, paralyzed with fear that something
worse had happened to his father.
"After
reviewing the X-rays and doing some tissue monitoring, I'm surprised that this
happened," the doctor continued.
"The tests show miraculous tissue recovery in James's legs. That, compounded on top of his daily therapy,
should be enough to give him substantial feeling in his legs again."
The
family stared at him in silent disbelief, and Brett suddenly felt a surge of
terror course through his veins. What if
this was it? What if his plan was about
to be exposed? Stormy would get his way
and have him thrown out of the house and out of Sunset Studios,
leaving him to run it by himself.
"So why isn't my father walking yet?" Miranda asked. "I don't understand it."
Dr.
Farraday shook his head regretfully.
"I'm afraid I don't either," he said. "There could be any number of reasons
why he isn't regaining the use of his legs.
Something in his diet, something psychological, or-"
"You
mean something my husband is doing could keep him paralyzed?" Brooke
asked.
"Not
exactly," Dr. Farraday replied.
"I'm thinking of possible drug interactions. If any of you know what he's currently taking
then maybe I can tell if there's been a reaction."
"His
nurse would know," Miranda said.
Stormy
grabbed his jacket and shoved his arms through it. "I'll go home and talk to Gwen," he
said.
"Why
don't you let me do that?" Brett asked in a panic. "James is your father, Stormy. I know
he'd want you to be here for him."
He couldn't let Stormy go and talk to Gwen. Not in the delicate state she was in
now. She'd probably spill her guts and
tell Stormy everything.
"Brett,
I want you to stay here with me," Miranda pleaded, clutching to her
husband's arm. "I need you
here. I don't know what I'd do without
you."
Decidedly
caught between a rock and a hard place, Brett reluctantly gave in and sat back
down next to Miranda. He watched Stormy
with hawk-like eyes and prayed that he wouldn't find anything.
"I'll
let you know as soon as I can," Stormy said before turning and rushing out
of the waiting room.
As
soon as he got to the main floor of the hospital, he was accosted by a slew of
reporters asking him questions about the condition of his father.
“Mr.
Blackthorne, can you give us an update on your father?” asked a reporter from
the Chronicle. “Is it true that his
condition has worsened?”
“How
do you think this is going to affect the Academy Awards next year?”
“Is
your father’s marriage to Brooke Taylor legal this time around?”
“What
changes do you and your brother-in-law plan on implementing now that you’re
both running Sunset Studios?”
Stormy
was a pro at ignoring questions from reporters.
He made his way out to the parking lot when a familiar face stepped in
front of him. He stopped and looked
Janet Harper up and down, not a bit surprised by her presence.
“You
certainly have a way with reporters,” she said and licked her lips. “I don’t suppose you’re holding out to give me a personal interview, are you?
Stormy smiled and
folded his arms. “Why do I get the
feeling you’re following me, Miss Harper?” he asked. “First I run into you in Denver, then at the airport in Phoenix, and now back here in L.A.
Am I supposed to believe this is a coincidence?”
“You
can believe whatever you want,” Janet said with a grin. “But I like to think of it as destiny.”
Suddenly
remembering he was in a hurry, Stormy quickly cut their intriguing conversation
short. “Why don’t you tell me what it is
you’re after, Miss Harper?”
She
smiled and pulled her purse tightly over her shoulder. “You’ll find out soon enough,” she said with
a grin.
Stormy
raised a curious eyebrow and continued down the steps to his car in the parking
lot. He didn’t have time for riddles, in
particular riddles from a reporter like Janet Harper.

Half
an hour later, Stormy was walking inside the foyer of the Blackthorne
mansion. He started up the stairs when
Leilani came running out from the dining room to see if there was any word on
James.
"Not
yet, Leilani," he said. "Is
Gwen in her room? It's important that I
talk to her."
Leilani
shook her head. "No, sir. She was upset after the ambulance came and
drove off in her car. I don't know where
she went."
He'd
have to search her room himself, Stormy decided as he made his way down the
hall upstairs. When he got to her room,
he quietly pushed the door open and walked inside the meticulous space. Fortunately Gwen was alarmingly neat and
orderly so finding the pills that she'd been giving James was no problem.
Quickly,
he plucked his cell phone from his jacket and dialed Miranda. Moments later she answered and he quickly
rattled off the unpronounceable names from the labels on the bottles so that she could relay
them to Dr. Farraday.
After
he finished, he clicked off his phone and started back out of the room. Before he left, his eyes darted toward a bag
from a local pharmacy that rested on top of Gwen's dresser. He emptied the contents onto the bed and was
floored by what he saw. A home pregnancy
kit.
Just
then the door opened and Gwen walked inside, stopping mid-step when she saw
Stormy going through her personal things.
"What
are you doing?" she asked in horror.
Without wasting a second, she raced forward and snatched up the
test.
Stormy
felt horrible for having violated her space.
"Gwen, I'm sorry. I was just
looking for the pills that you'd
been giving my dad."
Gwen
looked at him quickly.
"Pills?" She wondered if he meant the mood enhancers
Brett had insisted she give to James.
"Yes. Dr. Farraday wanted to know what he was
taking so he could find out if the medication had anything to do with his
fall."
"Oh,"
Gwen said, her heart beating wildly. She
wondered what Brett had really been asking her to give to James. If they were just mood enhancers then the
doctor wouldn't be having concerns.
"Did you find them?"
Stormy
nodded reluctantly. "Yes, those
over there." He pointed to the tray
of pills he'd already reported back to Miranda. "Is that all there is?"
Hesitantly,
Gwen nodded her head. "Yes, that's all," she said. "Is Mr. Blackthorne going to be all
right?"
"I
think so," Stormy replied as he started to the door. He paused and looked back for a second. "Listen, Gwen, I'm sorry if I overstepped
my-"
She
shook her head in an effort to dismiss any further discussion on the
topic. After he'd gone, she opened her
top drawer and placed the pregnancy kit inside.
She moved a few articles of clothing around and withdrew a hidden bottle
of pills from inside. She shook them
around in her hand and closed her eyes with regret.

Back
at the hospital, Brooke sat by James's side in his room, holding his hand and
gazing longingly into his eyes. He
started to open his eyes and she squeezed his hand tightly, overjoyed that he
was awakening.
"You
gave us a pretty good scare," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"
He
nodded vaguely and managed a smile.
"I feel better now that you're here," he said. "How are you feeling, Darling? Did
they find the prowler?"
Shaking
her head, Brooke leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry about
that now," she said. "You're the most important thing to
me. You and our baby."
James
smiled and squeezed her hand in return.
"Would you tell Gwen I’m sorry for being such an overbearing
bully?" he asked with a good-natured chuckle. "I think I've been pretty hard on
her."
"I'll
tell her," Brooke said with a smile.
"Dr. Farraday says you can come home in just a few hours. We'll have a reason to celebrate this
4th of July. Leilani and the Gardner have
been busy getting the house ready for a little celebration. Leilani's
making her famous fried chicken. We'll sit in
the garden and watch fireworks..."
"Our
first picnic together," James said, his eyes twinkling. "I can't wait."
"Me
either." She leaned back, her hand
still clasped around James's. "Dr.
Farraday says that your muscle tissue has
improved a lot. He says you might be
regaining some feeling in your legs soon.
Won't that be wonderful?
Like a miracle."
James
nodded dreamily. "You coming back
to me is the miracle," he said.
"I promise I'm going to give you the best life
you can imagine. Just wait and see."
Just
outside the room, Alex listened to their heartfelt words with a pang of
jealousy. She wiped a tear from her eye
and turned back down the hallway where Jordan was waiting.
"I'm ready to go," she said.
"But
I thought you wanted to see James before we-"
"Now,"
Alex insisted as she gave Miranda a quick squeeze. "Darling, I'm going to head home. I'll
talk to you soon, okay?"
"Won't I see you
at the house
later?" Miranda asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "I
think Daddy needs to have people around him right now.
That's why we're having this 4th of July party..."
She shook her
head. "Jordan and I are going up to
the cabin in Big Bear for the weekend.
I'll call you when I get back.
We'll do something next
week.
I promise."
Miranda nodded with a
sigh and kissed her mother on the cheek.
Jordan said his
good-byes to Heather and followed
Alex down the hall to the elevator.

The
night sky lit up with fireworks, illuminated the gloomy
parlor room of Will Thomerson's estate half a mile down the road from the
Blackthorne mansion. The butler entered
the room and Will looked up from his reclined position at his desk where he
poured over an old photo album.
"Sir,
I've started to prepare the menu for your party this evening," he
said. "Will you require anything
else in the meantime?"
"No,
Gerald," Will replied absent-mindedly.
He turned back to the photo album and flipped through the pages. Dozens of pictures from his youth growing up
in Windsor, Kansas stared him coldly in the face.
His
first love, young Georgie Blackthorne, looked so sweet and innocent back
then. She was a beautiful young woman
with curly wisps of dark hair and sparkling green eyes. A picture of them together at a town
Christmas dance sent chills down his spine and he felt like he was twenty-five
years younger.
"My
sweet Georgie," he whispered, touching the photograph with tender
fingertips. It had been a long time
since he'd thought about her, not counting the times when James Blackthorne
tried accusing him of killing her by leaving her with a broken heart.
The
truth was he had to leave Windsor.
If he'd stayed and didn't take his chance on Broadway, he would have
grown old and bitter and resented Georgie for keeping him there. On the other hand, if he hadn't left Kansas, Georgie would never have been
taken in by the carnival worker who got her pregnant and left her broken
hearted. As if his leaving wasn't
enough of a heartbreak to her.
After
a moment of reflecting on the past he looked down at the picture again and
squinted, taking in the memories as best he could. Suddenly, he caught a glimmer of something
that he hadn't noticed before. Or
perhaps he'd been too blind to notice.
At
twenty-one, Will had looked startlingly similar to Ethan. The resemblance between him and Georgie was
there, but the fact that Ethan today was like the spitting image of Will
twenty-five years ago was astonishing to say the least.
He
looked up from the photo album and stared across the room in a daze. Just then the door opened and Ethan
entered.
"Happy
4th of July," he said and handed Will a box of
sparklers. "For the party tonight. I thought we
could use a little entertainment."
Will
took the sparklers and looked at Ethan closely.
He was amazed at how he never put the pieces together before today.
There
was no carnival worker at all.

Alex
handed her stole to the butler as she and Jordan walked into their mansion in Beverly Hills.
She quickly made her way into the parlor room and poured herself a glass
of brandy, standing back and watching a fireworks display through the large
picture window.
"Will
you please tell me what's got you in such an uproar?" Jordan demanded as he followed her into
the room and closed the giant paneled doors behind him. "You shot out of the hospital like you
were a wanted woman. What is it, Alex?"
"Leave
it alone, Jordan," she said dismissively and
turned toward the French doors that led out onto the terrace.
He
sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"I know what this is all about," he began. "It's James, isn't it?"
She
shot him a look of protest and folded her arms, entranced by the bright glow
of the enormous fireballs in the sky.
"Don't be stupid."
"No,
you're upset because James is lying in a hospital bed and you're not the one
sitting by his bedside," Jordan insisted in outrage. "Isn't that right?"
"No,
you're wrong."
"I
am not wrong!" Jordan
argued. "You're still hung up on the man and
you’re so jealous that he's married again and has a baby on the way that you
couldn’t bring yourself to be there another minute. Admit it, Alex. I’m right about this."
She
turned to him and threw her half-full glass at the wall beside him. Shards of glass and a spray of sticky dark
liquid flew in every direction and Jordan quickly dodged away to deflect
any fragments from hitting him.
"I
said you're wrong!" she screamed.
"Now just get out of here and leave me alone!"
"What
about Big Bear?" Jordan asked in frustration as he
fished the keys to the cabin out of his pocket.
"I thought we were going to spend the weekend together. Just the two of us. I'd rather not have James tagging along with
us if you don't mind."
"I
don’t care about Big Bear!" she cried and turned away.
Shaking
his head in frustration, Jordan threw the keys across the room,
turned and stormed back out of the parlor.
After he'd left, Alex buried her face in her hands and wept
quietly. She hated herself for feeling
the way she did. |