http://santabarbara-online.com/GeneriqueDebutUS.rm

GET SB ON TV!!!

(EXT: London, England)

----Edmund arrives home and immediately begins calling for Loretta. Sophia walks out and greets her husband, asking him what he's so excited about. He tells her that he's had a fantastic day and was able to put in for his vacation. He pulls out two tickets from his pocket.

"What are those?"

"Our airline tickets- I have a villa in Greece, beautiful, right on the beach. The most beautiful beach you've ever seen in your life. You've been couped up in this house long enough since your recovery, don't you think?"

"Greece, huh. Why now?"

"Why not now, what do you mean? I've been given the vacation time, you're healthy & stable now- we should be out enjoying life and enjoying each other. I thought you'd be happy about this."

"I am. I'm just surprised, that's all- you didn't mention anything like this last night or even this morning," Sophia replies.

"You don't sound as though you're happy. Is something wrong? Is it the trip? Or was it something else?"

"I'm fine, I'm just a little tired is all. I was a little light-headed earlier, but I think I'm alright. When are we supposed to be leaving on this trip?"

"Tonight, in about 4 hours."

"Well that is sudden, isn't it? I'm not sure I'm up for making a trip like that tonight...... Couldn't we change the ticket for tomorrow? Or later in the week?"

"Since it was so last minute, I was lucky to get even that- I can't change it now!"

"I'm sorry, but you may have to- if I can't make the trip darling, then I can't make the trip," Sophia says, then suddenly brings her hand to her head.

"Loretta- are you alright?"

"I'm fine, fine. I think I'm going to lay down for a little while. Maybe I'll feel better when I get up."

She walks up the stairs to her room. Edmund starts heading for the study when he spots Christine. He takes the opportunity to ask her if Loretta has been acting unusually at all today.

"Yeah, Dr. L, now that you mention it, she has. Ever since Dr. Armonti left,-"

"Dr Armonti? Marcello was here?"

"Yeah, Mrs L and he were talking for a while and when he left, she was sitting in the chair, sort of slumped over like. She said she was ok, but I could tell somethin was wrong. Ya think Dr. Armonti upset her? Where is Mrs. L anyway?"

"Upstairs lying down. Thanks for your help, Christine. If you would, please make up a batch of your herbal tea for Mrs. Lavery. Tell the other staff members to pack her things for her and to pack for myself as well. We'll be staying at the villa in Greece, so pack plenty of light clothing."

Edmund walks into his study and pours himself a snifter of brandy. He drinks it down and an angry look comes over his face. Suddenly, he shatters the snifter in his hand and draws blood.

(EXT: Baja, Mexico)

----Kirk stands outside of the police station, desperately trying to complete a phone call. He's annoyed when he gets the person's voice mail but re-iterates that he's been trying to call about the Angel Ramirez problem.

Inside, Angel, Marta, and Eden continue to wait in the lobby for an update on the interrogation.

"They've been in there for hours- What could be taking so long?" she says, annoyed.

"Wearin em down. They ain't just gonna come out and talk- we're talkin career criminals here- it's just the way it is. They gotta push em, negotiate with em."

"You would know."

"Yeah, he would know," Marta says, jumping in, "What is your point? My father has done everything he can to help, short of giving his own life. And you still treat him like he's trash."

"If your father didn't play switcheroo with the maps and defy the police, my husband would be here with me right now."

"WE don't know that and even if we did, let me tell you somethin that I know- if my dad hadn't done what he did, I wouldn't be standing here at all. Is that fair? Would you be investigatin this hard then? Would my kidnappers even be in custody if this didn't all boil down to a case about someone that Eden Capwell cared about?"

They're interrupted when Julia and Vic emerge from the interrogation. Kirk sees them walk in and flies through the door.

"Well? Did they tell you the truth? Did they tell you who did this to me?' he says, approaching the group.

"Will you shut up?" Eden yells "Did they talk Julia? Did they tell you who did this to Cruz?"

Julia barely looks at Eden, unable to say anything.

"Come on, Julia, what is it? Vic? What happened in there?"

"Nothing. Nothing happened, unfortunately. We're extraditing them back to Santa Barbara tomorrow morning and taking them before the judge for arraignment. At that time, the judge will decide whether to grant bail."

"He wouldn't do that, would he? I mean, they found these guys in Mexico, and kidnapping's a federal offense! You didn't offer them any kind of deal? Julia?'

"I received a phone call from the DA's office. According to them, it's a federal case and therefore, we don't have the jurisdiction to offer them immunity. The best that we were allowed to offer was a reduced sentence of 10 years, which we did and they declined."

"And the bail hearing?"

"Lyman is a good attorney. There's a chance that they'll be granted bail, but I'd imagine they would be watched and monitored 24 hours a day."

"So in a matter of 2 days, you're telling me these guys could be out walking the streets again? And never breathing a word to anyone about who set up Cruz?"

"They're claiming that these are 2 isolated incidents and one has nothing to do with the other. At least, that's what their attorneys are saying. Bobby and Cisco didn't say a damn word!" Vic says. "Look, Eden, I know you're frustrated. I'm frustrated too, believe me- I want to get whoever did this to Cruz more than you know. But the law says that even guys like them are entitled to a defense and there's nothing I can do about that. I wish there were."

"I just can't fathom that whoever did this could get away with it. And they're laughing right now, at me, at the investigation, at my children, at all of it, and it makes me nauseous to think about it. I can't help it though- I think about it before I go to bed, in my dreams, every second of every day I think of this person and the kick they must be getting out of the misery that they have made my existence into. And until they're caught, until somebody is held responsible, I can't rest, no I WON'T rest, the same way Cruz would do if it were me that was set up. If these two low-lifes think that they're walking out of that jail tomorrow, they're in for a rude awakening. Because they haven't met Eden Capwell Castillo, yet, maybe don't even know who I am. But I promise you that after that hearing tomorrow morning, they'll be sorry they ever heard it."

(EXT: London, England- Edmund's Castle)

---Edmund finishes wrapping his hand up with gauze. He walks by the bedroom and sees "Loretta" sleeping in their bed. He goes in their room and gently strokes her cheek. She wakes up and is startled.

"My God, you scared me."

"You used to like it when I stroked your cheek to wake you."

"Yes, well, I was having a nightmare and........ do I feel warm? I almost feel feverish..."

Edmund puts his hand on her forehead. "You feel fine. I don't understand why you're acting so nervous around me today. There's no need to be, you know."

"I know that."

"Oh? Then why is it that you haven't seen fit to tell me that Marcello Armonti was here this afternoon?"

Sophia is stunned that Edmund knows about Marcello. She claims that the whole conversation was mostly a blur, since she wasn't feeling well. He again asks her why she never mentioned it.

"I didn't see any reason to- you came home and immediately, you were whisking me off to Greece. When was there time for me to tell you about a visitor that I had today?"

"Perhaps, but I don't want you to feel that you have to hide anything from me, Loretta. You're my wife for heaven's sake, I want you to feel that you can tell me anything."

He looks at her and kisses her on her forehead. He begins to walk out of the room when she stops him.

"There is something I'd like to ask."

"Oh? What's that?"

"How long was I in that coma for?"

"Now why would you ask something like that?"

"Dr. Armonti told me that Lady DiMonde was having me investigated and they found no records of my existence in London. How can that be, if I've been here with you throughout?"

Edmund explains that when he brought her to England, her condition was quite grim. The doctors who were treating her thought there was little to no hope and eventually, the hospital refused to continue its involvement in her case. Not being licensed in England at the time, it would have been illegal for him to treat her, so he kept everything off of the records and never declared her as a British citizen.

"But you're licensed now...."

"Yes, but that doesn't make what I did then any less illegal. You couldn't have been saved without proper treatment. So if you were alive 5, 10, even 20 years afterward, it proves I treated you then. I did what I had to do because I loved you and knew one day, you'd return to me, that I could save you if I persevered. And I did."

"Wait, wait a minute. I've been in this coma for how many years?"

"37 years, Loretta. 37 years. Why do you think I want to take you on this excursion? To get you away from all this? My God, I've lost out on all that time with you. All I want is to try and make up for even a fraction of what we lost. Is that awful? Maybe you don't understand. Perhaps to you, you might feel like you were only out for a few weeks. But for me, for me Loretta, it was a lifetime!"

----Downstairs, Christine is fixing Loretta's tea when she hears the doorbell. She walks into the foyer and looks around for Edmund and Loretta. When she doesn't see them, she opens the door, stunned to see who's there.

"Oh my God! Ashton? Little Ashton? Is it really you?"

"Hello Christine. Lovely to see you again."

"And who's this you have with you?"

"This, this Christine, is my sexy, beautiful, intelligent, sophisticated wife. Kelly Capwell, meet Christine Gorrow."

Kelly extends her hand. "How do you do?"

THE END........................for now