SOMERSET EPISODE 33

Original airdate: 08/29/07

Written by: Steve Ungrey

SCENE ONE

Day has turned to early evening in Somerset, and this episode opens up with Mike returning to the hospital and running into Victoria at the nurses’ station.

VICTORIA: (Looks up) Hey, Mike. Did you manage to get away for a bit and rest?

MIKE: What do you think?

VICTORIA: (Shakes her head) Me neither. I spent the majority of the day worrying and when I came in here the first thing I did was check on her.

MIKE: How is she? Any change?

VICTORIA: No. At least nothing drastic. Patrick took a break from here to catch a nap and he’s coming back in later to check Alana out. He told me her fever dropped about a degree and that’s a good sign.

MIKE: What about complications? Do they still think anything serious could happen?

VICTORIA: No, the viral kind of meningitis usually runs its course without serious aftereffects. Mike, she’s going to be fine. It just may take a bit for the fever to break.

MIKE: Can I see her?

VICTORIA: Yes. They’ve moved Alana to a private room and she’s resting. It’s a little dark in there, I’ll warn you. One of the symptoms of meningitis is an adverse reaction to light, so they don’t want to take any chances.

MIKE: I’ll be down there if you need me. And Tori?

VICTORIA: Yeah?

MIKE: (Smiling) You’re going to make a fine nurse when you pass your last exams.

Victoria hugs Mike as Zachary walks in. Victoria’s face brightens, and she goes over to hug Zachary as Mike goes down the hall.

ZACHARY: How’s Mike? Is he holding up all right?

VICTORIA: Yes. He’s worried sick about Alana. Now I know he really cares about her.

ZACHARY: About as much as…

VICTORIA: Yes?

ZACHARY: (Sheepish) Uh – are you free for a coffee break?

VICTORIA: You bet. (Puts down charts) I have to relax. And Zachary – if you say you care about me, I won’t be offended.

ZACHARY: No?

VICTORIA: No, I think it’s sweet. (Takes hand)

Victoria and Zachary go down the hall to the nurses’ lounge as the scene changes.

CUT TO: Interior hallway of the Somerset Inn

The Somerset Inn, one of downtown’s landmarks, was restored several years ago. It is a cozy six-story property with nice rooms and a quiet setting in the midst of the hustle of downtown.

Nick is going down the hall with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, and he’s looking for Donna’s room.

NICK: Hmm. 440… 442… 444… ah, here we go. 446. (Knocks on door) Hey, beautiful. (Knocks on door again)

DONNA: (Yells from inside) Just a second!

As the door to the room opens, Nick hears another door close. When Nick enters, he sees the bathroom door is closed.

NICK: Is it something I said?

DONNA: Everything you said. (Laughs) I’m almost dressed, I’ll be right with you. I’m just putting the finishing touches on the package.

NICK: You make it sound like I get to unwrap it.

DONNA: Don’t go that far. I spent a lot of time putting myself together just for you.

NICK: Ah, good. (Notices the Paisley’s bag in the corner) I see you made yourself at home at Paisley’s.

DONNA: Opened an account, in fact. Hey, a girl’s gotta do her shopping.

Donna emerges from the bathroom, suitably dressed for an evening out. Nick eyes her from head to toe and nods.

DONNA: What do you think? (Twirls in place)

NICK: I like.

DONNA: (Notices Nick’s left hand holding flowers) Ooooo… orchids! You remembered!

NICK: There’s some things a guy doesn’t forget. Especially a favorite flower.

DONNA: (Takes flowers and notices the water tubes) Even good for transport back to Washington. (Kisses Nick’s cheek) I’m impressed. So where are you taking me?

NICK: Someplace where you can get a sprig of parsley and a few sprouts?

DONNA: (Gets a look of disgust on her face) You’re kidding, right? Where can a girl get a good steak and a beer in Somerset?

Nick looks like he can’t believe his ears that Donna said the word steak – not that he’s a vegetarian, by any means. The Somerset theme begins.

We see an overhead shot of downtown, with the camera slowly pulling away from the buildings. The Somerset logo pops on the screen and goes into position at the center.

This… is Somerset. Part 1 of Somerset is brought to you today by Pampers. Doesn’t your baby deserve Pampers dryness… And by fresher than ever Lemon Fresh Joy. A nice reflection on you and your dishes.

SCENE TWO

At Giovanni’s, Jack is at the bar enjoying a glass of wine as Rose brings out a plate of chicken Vesuvio. Giovanni emerges from the back as well, putting his arm around Rose and pointing at the plate.

GIOVANNI: Eat up, my friend.

JACK: Mmmm. Your Vesuvio recipe hasn’t changed one bit in all these years.

ROSE: And it certainly won’t as long as we’re around.

JACK: Good. Did you guys hear I had a little excitement around my office today?

ROSE: No. How’s the hiring process going? I hear you’re down a few employees.

JACK: Well, I wanted to beef up my legal staff… and I hired someone this morning. Remember Nick’s mystery girl from Washington?

GIOVANNI: Yes, yes – the one that put him in the hospital?

JACK: Well, in so many words, yes. She’s now on my legal staff. She was my first interview today.

Rose turns to look at Giovanni. Shaking her head, she smiles.

ROSE: Isn’t that the dumbest luck? Nick has to be beside himself.

GIOVANNI: I’m sure he’s been giddy all day.

JACK: It kind of reminds me of a long time ago. I’m having Susannah check on the People’s Building and seeing if I can’t purchase the property to get the X ball rolling.

ROSE: That building is important to you, isn’t it?

JACK: You think? I’m trying my hardest to make sure this renovation goes off properly. I want Somerset to be bursting at the seams with growth in the next few years, and this is only the beginning.

Rose and Giovanni continue chatting with Jack as the music builds between scenes.

CUT TO: Somerset Hospital’s employee parking lot, where Patrick is parking his car. He gets out and is about to head for the door when he hears Susannah.

PATRICK: Hey there! (Hugs Susannah as she approaches) Come to relieve my stress?

SUSANNAH: Can you relieve mine instead? I came to see how you were doing and if you wanted to catch a coffee in the cafeteria before you went back to work.

PATRICK: Can we have coffee in my office instead? I wanna quiz you about this date you went on last night.

SUSANNAH: Oh boy. Word travels fast, huh?

PATRICK: Relax. It was just a business dinner, I heard. And who am I to say who you can and can’t go out with for dinner?

SUSANNAH: Well, it probably won’t happen again. Nick’s mystery woman is our newest employee.

PATRICK: (Mouth drops) You’ve got to be joking. How the hell did that happen?

SUSANNAH: Dumb luck. Anyways, I met Donna – that’s her name – and she’s a sweetheart. I wholeheartedly approve.

PATRICK: Well, come on in. You can help take my mind off of Alana’s illness.

As Susannah and Patrick go inside the hospital, the picture fades to black.

We’ll return to Somerset in just a moment.

A Hand of Hearts and Diamonds. The new soap opera dealing with the Delmedico family and the trials and tribulations of everyone who deals with them. Now part of the MySONTV lineup, weekdays on SONBC.

We see a still shot of the Somerset logo with the accompanying music.

And now the second half of Somerset, brought to you today by Gillette Fusion, the new razor with multiple blades for a smoother, cleaner feeling face.

SCENE THREE

The scene opens with an exterior shot of a steakhouse. The Cattle Ranch is a steakhouse out on the highway several miles away from Somerset, and Nick has taken Donna there for dinner.

NICK: (Pouring a glass of beer for Donna) So did you enjoy your little tour of Somerset?

DONNA: I know I have to see more of the city, but I loved what I saw. I couldn’t believe it when you said how much this city has grown.

NICK: It used to be around 25,000 about 40 years ago. Add a one to that. We’re well over 100,000.

DONNA: What brings people here?

NICK: Well, the low crime… the quality of family life… people like you…

DONNA: If they’re coming because of me, then boy are people going to be disappointed. (Drinks) By the way, you never did tell me today why you thought I wasn’t real when we were in the office.

NICK: Well… (hangs head) You’re going to laugh…

DONNA: I promise I won’t laugh. I might giggle, but –

NICK: Very funny. Seriously, a couple days after I saw you in Washington, I went into a bar here for a drink and I heard your voice coming from the back. I turned around and there you were sipping a vodka tonic and wearing a silver cocktail dress.

DONNA: A silver… (Catches on) Why, Nick Barclay – did you dream about me?

NICK: Yeah, I’m afraid so. Did you?

DONNA: No. (Sees Nick’s face) Don’t get a sad face. I rarely remember my dreams. I could dream about George Clooney and it wouldn’t register.

NICK: Suuuuuuure you could. Anyway, I ran back to see you and I hit this wall – which turned out to be my head hitting the nightstand as I fell out of bed.

DONNA: Oh, poor baby. (Reaches up and kisses forehead) Do you feel better?

NICK: Much. Thanks.

DONNA: Don’t mention it, handsome. What time is it, anyway?

NICK: Do you turn into a pumpkin at a select hour? (Checks watch) It’s only 8:30.

DONNA: Good. I wanna be back to my room by 11ish, because I’ve got a long drive back in the morning. (Smiles) But I don’t want to go back just yet.

NICK: I’ll take that as a compliment.

DONNA: Good.

As Nick and Donna enjoy their last bit of dinner, the soft music plays and bridges the transition between scenes.

CUT TO: The nurses lounge at Somerset Hospital, where Zachary is having coffee with Victoria.

ZACHARY: Looking forward to your final exams, I take it?

VICTORIA: It’s the last test I have to take. It’s not going to be a disaster if I don’t ace it, but it will prevent me from joining the full-fledged staff just yet.

ZACHARY: You’ll do fine. How worried could you possibly be?

VICTORIA: It’s the last test. I’ve aced some and done a little poorer on others.

ZACHARY: But you passed them all, right?

VICTORIA: Oh heck yes. I’ve done well enough for the hospital staff. They’re waiting to bring me aboard full-time and if I don’t pass this one, I can always take it again.

ZACHARY: Well, don’t worry. You’re going to do just fine.

VICTORIA: Somehow… having you here telling me that makes me feel better.

Zachary and Victoria finish their coffee as the music plays out and the picture fades to black.

We’ll return to Somerset in just a moment.

SCENE FOUR

In the darkened room, Mike is watching Alana asleep. He looks over at the IV bottle hanging there and down at Alana. He feels Alana’s forehead – she’s still burning hot, but her temperature has cooled a bit from before.

Mike begins talking to no one in particular, hoping Alana can hear him.

MIKE: Hey, gorgeous. (Leans down) You know, with my job I often thought I’d be the one coming in here to have you take care of me. (Pause) You never know. Maybe I might have gotten shot or something – or hit over the head with a bat. Heck, I might have ticked you off enough to have you swing a rolling pin at me.

Mike straightens up and looks down at Alana.

MIKE: I never thought you’d be the one lying there fighting off an illness and facing death. I know, I know – Patrick said you’d be all right eventually, but it’s just the waiting. It’s agonizing. I didn’t sleep much earlier this morning. All I could think about was you. You this morning, saying you wanted to take a rain check. (His voice is now breaking) And now you m… you might not get that chance.

By now Mike’s eyes are starting to mist.

MIKE: Here I am, this macho investigative reporter. I can talk trash with the best of them. I can shoot a basketball pretty well for someone who hasn’t played competitively in years. Yet put you in front of me in a hospital bed and I melt. (Takes Alana’s hand) I’m not sorry to admit it.

Mike breathes in, pauses and squeezes Alana’s hand.

MIKE: I’m not about to admit defeat here. You’re precious. I want that cup of coffee. I want more than just coffee. I want us to admit we have chemistry. (He’s losing it) You can’t leave me. Not now. Not before I get the chance to vent about why you’re in that bed. Heck, I’m already doing that.

For a final effect, he pauses before finishing the thought.

MIKE: All I want to say is I love you.

The camera pulls back with no music as the picture fades out over Mike sitting by Alana. The Somerset theme plays following the commercial break.

Join us again each weekday afternoon at this time for the continuing story of Somerset.

And don’t forget to stay tuned for Salem Lives, coming up next over most of these SONBC stations.

This program was pre-recorded.