Lillian Raines dabs her forehead with a handkerchief, wondering when the elevator is going to come back online. She looks at Sandra. I still can’t believe the resemblance, she thinks.

“It’s getting a bit warm in here, don’t ya think?” Lillian asks, hoping to get a conversation started. “Reminds me of a night a few years ago. The entire town lost power.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. I was stuck in the garage of Towers with a friend. It was a strange night to be sure.”

“I can remember on nights like this that my son would wake me up and ask to climb under the covers with me. I hope he’s not out in those storms,” Sandra says.

<HR>

Tammy and Shayne sit in the darkened room. The loss of power clicked off the television, so they decided to enjoy a game of checkers.

“King me!” Shayne roars with a laugh. Tammy picks up a piece from the box and places it on Shayne’s pawn.

“I told you Tam: I am the master of this game. It is only a matter of time before I kick your ass!”

Tammy grabs a pillow and whacks Shayne upside the head. “Hey! Watch it!” The two friends settle down and attempt to concentrate on the game. But Tammy can’t get the thought of trouble out of her mind.

“Shayne, are you sure that nothing is wrong? I know that there is and you can tell me. It has nothing to do with the fighting between Marah and Aunt Reva, I know.”

“Nothing is the matter Tammy, for the millionth time,” Shayne replies.

“You’re a terrible liar Shayne. Now tell me what is going on?!”

<HR>

A vein rises in Frank Cooper’s forehead. He cannot believe that his own daughter would try yet again to have sex with her older boyfriend. She’s much too young, he thinks.

“What the hell are you wearing? Would you put some clothes on? You’re flashing your entire family.”

“Daddy, I know what I am doing! You don’t have to look over my shoulder all the time anymore.”

“And just what were you planning on doing young lady?” Frank asks. “I keep telling you time and time again that you are too young to have sex, especially with an older guy!”

“If it were up to YOU, I would be quarantined in my room until I’m forty.”

“And for good reason it seems. I can’t seem trust you to make mature decisions yet. Did you even consider the consequences?” Frank turns to Ben and unleashes his fury on him as well. “I knew that I couldn’t trust you. Have you been pushing her to have sex with you?”

“Of course not, Mr. Cooper,” Ben meekly replies.

“Daddy, like it or not, Ben is a part of my life now, regardless of what you think! I’m old enough to make my own choices.”

Buzz and Lucy look on the awkward situation. Lucy glances over at Buzz. She knows that they dragged him to the cabin kicking and screaming.

“Daddy, what’s wrong?”

“I never should have came to the cabin while Harley is still down in Springfield in a coma!”

Meanwhile, in Cedars, Alan-Michael tends to a comatose Harley. The emergency power has kicked in, but the lights remain dim. A-M looks at her, wondering where Harley could be at that moment. Suddenly, A-M notices that Harley is moving one of her fingers!

<HR>

And now the SONBC Award nominated ‘The Guiding Light!’




<HR>

“Harley! Harley! Are you there? Can you hear me?”

She slowly turns her head towards his voice and whispers. “Hey stranger.”

“Hey yourself,” A-M smiles. “You gave us all quite a scare there.”

“I’m sorry,” she says.

“We’ll worry about apologies later. I’m gonna go get one of the doctors in here.”

<HR>

“I had a friend many years ago,” Lillian continued. “Her--her name was Maureen. She was the kindest soul I think I’ve ever known. Everyone in town thought of her as a second mother. I can still picture her in the kitchen, making pies for the Christmas dinner.”

“Is this the friend that you said I reminded you of?” Sandra asks.

“Yeah. You could pass for twins almost,” Lillian replies with a smile.

“Well, I’d like to meet her some day.”

“You can’t unfortunately. A few years ago, she was in a car accident. Her car skidded off the road on a patch of black ice. She died a little while later.” The memories and the guilt well up in Lillian’s throat.

“She was such a good friend to me and all I gave her was—“

Lillian is about to bare her soul to the doppelganger of her beloved friend when the elevator doors fling open.

“The emergency power must have come on,” Lillian says.

The two women exit the elevator and walk to the Emergency Room. Suddenly, Braxton O’Dell runs in carrying a woman. Lillian looks at the woman and gasps. “Beth!”

Braxton looks around the room and yells, “Can someone help me!”

<HR>

“Is it because you don’t have a date for prom yet?” Tammy asks. “What about Caitlen Richardson or Janet Hawk? Even Lizzie Spaulding would be a good choice.”

“Nah, none of them are my type,” Shayne says elusively.

“Shayne what is this type you always say. Everyone is always too tall, too skinny, too fat, too pretty, too everything but what you want.”

“Tammy, I mean, they aren’t my type,” Shayne emphasizes.

Tammy repeats the phrase in her mind and begins to piece together Shayne’s dilemma. “What are you trying to say Shayne?” Tammy asks.

Shayne realizes that he needs to get this secret off his chest before he explodes. Tammy might understand, he thinks.

“Tammy, I—“ Shayne stumbles over the words.

“I’m—I’m gay,” Shayne reveals at last.

<HR>

The nurse checks over Harley’s vitals. “Everything looks good,” she announces.

Harley looks at Alan-Michael, suddenly remembering everything.

“Alan-Michael, there’s something I need to tell you. Your aunt—lied about everything. She—“

“We know. She is Gus’ mother,” Alan-Michael interupts.

“But, how did you know?” Harley responds, surprised.

“I forgot that you missed a lot while you were in that coma. First of all, Roger Thorpe died and they had funeral. It was a circus, all Hell broke loose. Billy Lewis practically shot up the place. But also, during the funeral Aunt Alex crashed the funeral in the flesh and went on this drunken harangue about how Gus was her son that she kept away from my father’s evil clutches.”

“Alexandra’s alive?! But how?”

“No idea. But somehow she was nursed back to help by this fisherman.”

“Does Gus know about Alexandra?”

“Oh yeah. The entire town knows about it now.”

“Is he okay? He must be crushed. I need to see him.”

“Nobody can see him. He disappeared right after the funeral. Nobody knows where he went.”

“How are dad, Frank, and Lucy?”

“They’re fine. I’m sure they will be a lot better once they hear about you. You would be so proud of Lucy. She really kept the family together while you were gone.”

“Where are they now? They leave you with the babysitting duty?” Harley cracks.

“Frank and Lucy dragged Buzz away to the Bauer cabin for the night. I’d imagine they are stuck up there in this weather. The power has gone out all over town. I didn’t really feel like going, so I thought I would stay here and keep you company.”

“Well thank you. After a few days in that coma, I could use the company,” Harley smiles.

<HR>

“I fought these—these feelings for months. I couldn’t tell anyone. I mean, I am the son of Josh and Reva. How can I be gay? I almost feel like I let them down somehow. HB must be rolling over in his grave.”

“Don’t talk like that Shayne. You did not let anyone down. You can’t control who you are. No one can. Besides, just because you are gay, it doesn’t make you any less of a man.”

“Oh, Tammy. It’s not about that. I mean, my family tree is the most messed up in town. I don’t think it’s ever really forked, you know? The men in my family—Uncle Billy, dad—they can marry each other’s wives and that’s somehow okay. But my being gay is going to crush them.”

“That’s not true. They are not going to think that. They are not going to think any less of you. They love you Shayne and they always will.”

“Tammy, I wanted to tell you. You’re the only person whose opinion I care about. Ever since your dad died, we’ve become really close Tam. You’ve gone above and beyond just being family to me. You are my best friend. Your support really matters to me.”

Tammy gets up and throws her arms around him. “I love you too Shayne. No matter who you ever decide to be with. It doesn’t matter to me. You’re still the same person you always were. Now that may or may not be a good thing,” Tammy smiles.

Shayne smiles, the burden of the secret he has been carrying is lifted off his shoulders for the time being. But reality soon sets in. He begins to cry. Now that he has told someone, the thought becomes so much more real to him. The thought scares him. Tammy notices his tears and hugs him tightly.

“I’ll always be here for you Shayne. Never forget that.”

<HR>

Blake awakes and looks at the clock near the bed. The hands point to around midnight. She glances over and sees Ross on the other side of the bed. Blake can’t believe that this is happening, that this is real. She checks her left hand, just to be sure. She tiptoes downstairs and notices that all the lights are off. She picks up the phone and dials Holly. Her answering machine picks up.

“Hey mom. It’s me. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay, considering the blackout and the weather. Just give me a call when you can. I’m sorry that I thought that you and Ross were having an affair. Just chalk that up to my romance novelist senses I guess. Anyway, I think I’m about ready to open the letter that daddy gave me. I still can’t believe that he’s gone. So maybe we could, you know, get some lunch tomorrow? Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She puts down the phone and opens the envelope. Inside the envelope is a card and a stack of official-looking papers. She sees what they are and gasps. “Daddy!”

<HR>

“Can someone help me!” Braxton repeats.

Lillian and Sandra rush over. Lil’s worst fears are realized as she gets closer. The nurses slide a gurney under her and rush her to the emergency room. “She’s lost a lot of blood” one of the nurses say. Lillian thinks of Ed and rushes to see if she can find him. Suddenly, Ed comes in to the hospital with an incoherent Holly. The nurses begin to take care of Holly, while Lillian approaches Ed.

“Ed, Beth was in a serious accident. They say that she is going to need surgery. Can you please do the surgery?”

“Lillian, I’m sorry. I’m not in any shape to do surgery right now.”

Tears well up in Lillian’s eyes. “Please Ed. Beth is the only family I have right now. I can’t lose her. Please help her.”

Ed agrees and begins to prepare for the surgery.

<HR>

“You know, I just realized something,” Harley says.

“What?” A-M asks.

“I have gone through all of Alan’s sons and now it seems like I’m beginning to go through Alexandra’s brood. What is with me and the Spauldings. I seem to be attracted to them like some electromagnet. It’s funny,” she laughs.

A-M laughs with her. Harley’s face then grows more serious. “When Mallet and I got divorced, I promised myself that I would never let myself be the woman who allows her husbands to make a fool out of her. After Phillip, I promised myself that I would never get involved with the Spauldings again. Yet, here I am yet again.”

“What did you swear off when we split?” A-M asks.

“Well, I learned that adultery is never a very good thing. At least with us, I knew exactly what I did wrong. Compared to the rest of my exes, you were a good husband. I guess we were both just young and stupid. Our marriage wasn’t really based on the greatest foundation was it?”

“No it wasn’t, I guess.”

“Thank you. For making sure I was okay over the years. I appreciate it.”

“No sweat,” A-M says.

“Alan-Michael, don’t let yourself get caught up in Alan’s world. Be a good husband to Lucy. I know that you can. Try to consider her feelings. Alan may be a good businessman, but in the end, he always fails in the love department. Money and power may be good motivators, but they never really fill your life quite like love does. Remember that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. In the meantime, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Can you try to find Gus for me. I need to talk to him.”

A-M kisses Harley’s forehead and whispers “Sure.”

He begins to walk out when Harley says, “And kick that bitch Vera out of my house.” A-M turns back and smiles.

:Fade to Black:

On the Next Episode…
- Frank puts his foot down.
- Beth goes into surgery!