Episode #114
Shortly After #113

TEASER

EXT: KING’S BAY PARK
AFTERNOON

RYAN has resumed walking, but he gets no further than fifteen feet before he comes face-to-face with CLAIRE, who is pushing the stroller holding a sleeping SAMANTHA.

RYAN: Hey there.

CLAIRE: Hi.

Things are absolutely silent between them for a few seconds, but it is this silence that makes it clear that neither of them knows exactly where their relationship stands now.

CLAIRE: Look, I—

RYAN: Hang on. I just really want to thank you for the other night.

CLAIRE: Thank me? I’m the one who should be praising you! You saved my kids’ lives!

RYAN: I had to try, Claire. I’m not that coldhearted. And it’s me who owes you the thanks.

CLAIRE: Why?

RYAN: For introducing me to Tim! That means so much to me.

CLAIRE: Ryan, I can’t hide you anymore. Believe me, the old Ryan never would’ve jumped into that fire and pulled the kids out. He would’ve gotten himself out of there as quickly as possible. But you … You did the right thing. You showed me that you’ve changed.

RYAN: I have. And now I don’t think there’s anything standing in the way of us getting back to the friendship we used to have.

***

NEW YORK
INT: POLICE STATION
EVENING

ANDREA marches in from the connecting jail and immediately catches sight of STEVE, who is looking right in her direction. In a flash, she is in front of him.

STEVE: Andrea …

He reaches a hand out and places it on her cheek. It sits there uncertainly for a moment before Andrea brushes it away.

ANDREA: Don’t even start with me. What the hell is going on?

He shrugs noncommittally. He is unsure just how much she knows, or even why she’s here. Did Sarah call her?

ANDREA: Don’t play dumb with me. Sarah told me everything.

STEVE: How?

ANDREA: I was here to see Matt. She came in and told us that you confessed.

STEVE: It’s not how it sounds …

ANDREA: Oh, really? Just exactly how is "it," then?

***

INT: HOTEL HALLWAY
AFTERNOON

DON is appalled by COURTNEY’s accusation that he doesn’t care about the recent crumbling of their family.

DON: You think I don’t care? Courtney, I want more than anything to put my relationship with your mother back together. But I can only do so much if she’s not going to budge at all.

Courtney leans against the wall, her arms folded. She scowls at her father.

DON: That’s why I need your support. You believe me, don’t you? You believe that nothing happened between Sally and me, right?

She does nothing but continue to direct her hardened eyes straight at him.

DON: Courtney, you’re all I’ve got now …

COURTNEY: Yes, I believe you.

Her response rips into the awkward silence.

COURTNEY: But how is Mom going to if you keep seeing Sally?

DON: I’m doing my best to stay away from her, but it’s impossible. She’s like a damn bloodhound.

COURTNEY: I know. Something about that woman is very strange.

DON: Strange? Courtney, she’s out of her mind!

***

INT: HOTEL ROOM
AFTERNOON

While the Chases are outside talking, ALEX and SALLY have gotten into their own heated argument.

ALEX: What are you doing here?

SALLY: I just wanted to see how Don was doing. He hasn’t been feeling well—

ALEX: Yeah, whatever. You were trying to cozy up to Don, weren’t you?

SALLY: Where are you getting this attitude from? Why is this any of your business, anyway?

ALEX: Because, Mom, I see that girl hurting every single second because her family’s been ripped apart. She’s angry at her mom, she’s uncomfortable with her dad, she’s pushing her boyfriend away – this is killing her. Can you blame me for wanting to make things better for her?

SALLY: I see what this is about.

She pauses briefly for effect.

SALLY: Let me get this straight: I’m supposed to just let the man I care about fall by the wayside because you’ve got a crush on some girl you hardly know?

ACT ONE

NEW YORK
INT: POLICE STATION
EVENING

STEVE and ANDREA are squaring off in the middle of the crowded lobby.

STEVE: I can explain. This is all just one big misunderstanding.

ANDREA: What, you accidentally confessed to a felony?

STEVE: Why are you suddenly on their side? Don’t you even trust me?

ANDREA: Trust you? How? They’ve got your confession on record – how can I trust you? You’ve been playing mind games with me for months.

STEVE: I did it because I love you—

ANDREA: No, you did it because you’re a nasty, vindictive man. God forbid the whole world doesn’t revolve around you … Did you really not trust me around Matt? Did you think I’d just jump in bed with him if I had the chance?

STEVE: No, it was him I didn’t trust.

ANDREA: You know, that’s really too bad. But it all makes sense now.

STEVE: What?

ANDREA: Your attitude, everything. You’ve been pushing Sarah and Brent towards Matt since the day they began working on this case. I knew you didn’t like him – but this?

STEVE: I had no choice.

ANDREA: Oh, you had plenty of choice, and you blew it. You blew everything.

STEVE: Just let me—

ANDREA: Forget it.

She stomps out, leaving him behind for good.

***

EXT: KING’S BAY PARK
AFTERNOON

RYAN looks hopefully at CLAIRE.

RYAN: Do you think that would be possible now?

CLAIRE: I don’t know. I mean, just because I accept that you’ve changed and can acknowledge your existence in front of my husband doesn’t mean it’ll be easy for us to be friends.

RYAN: I know that, but if there’s one thing we have in common, it’s that we’re both fighters.

CLAIRE: We were raised to be. Our families were nuts.

The very mention of family makes Ryan uneasy. It is impossible for him to forget that he has continued to hide his mob involvement from Claire.

RYAN: And that’s another thing. I understand you like no one else can, Claire. I’m the only one who understands just how things were for you growing up.

He takes her hands in his.

RYAN: So come on, what do you say? Friends?

***

INT: HOTEL ROOM
AFTERNOON

SALLY challenges ALEX with her enraged face, but he doesn’t miss a step.

ALEX: I don’t have a "crush" on her, Mom. And you’re wrong – I know her damn well. Courtney and I have gotten to be good friends in the last few months.

SALLY: So all of a sudden you’re on their side? Why can’t you just support me in this?

ALEX: Why should I? What’s you’re trying to do is horrible!

SALLY: Why? Why should I have to spend the rest of my life alone, Alex?

ALEX: You don’t have to. You’re just looking for stability in the wrong place.

SALLY: I have looked for it everywhere, Alex! How many men have I dated over the years? Plenty. And how many of those relationships had the potential to be anything substantial? None of them.

ALEX: You don’t have to give up, Mom – and for that matter, you don’t need a guy to be happy.

SALLY: Yes, I do. I don’t want to be alone anymore, Alex. I just want someone to spend the rest of my life with, someone who understands me and I feel totally at peace around. The only time I’ve had a glimpse of that was during the time I was married to Don!

Alex is at a loss for words. His mother’s passionate discourse has obviously had some effect upon him.

SALLY: Why can’t you just support me in this, Alex?

ACT TWO

NEW YORK
INT: JAIL
EVENING

SARAH and MATT are speaking quietly as the guard watches them. After all, Matt is still technically a prisoner.

MATT: I hate to see Andrea going through this.

SARAH: There’s nothing we can do about it. Steve dug his own grave, and she’ll have to deal with that however she sees fit.

MATT: I know, but I feel like there’s something I could’ve done. I mean, I’ve known something was up with that guy all along. If only I’d known …

SARAH: But you didn’t – and you couldn’t. You can’t blame yourself for this.

MATT: I know. I just wish I could help her.

Just then, the topic of conversation, ANDREA herself, returns.

SARAH: Did you find Steve?

Andrea’s hostile nods confirms this.

SARAH: And what did he tell you?

ANDREA: Basically, everything you told me, but it sounded so much worse coming from his own lips.

MATT: I’m sorry it had to turn out this way, Andrea.

ANDREA: So am I. I can’t believe I fell for that jerk and all his garbage!

MATT: There’s nothing any of us could’ve done to see this coming.

ANDREA: I know. It’s just so frustrating – and I feel so stupid. Matt, can you ever forgive me for turning against you the way I did?

MATT: Consider it done. Besides, you let Sarah come inside to search the house earlier today.

He turns to Sarah.

MATT: Did you ever find what we were looking for?

SARAH: No. But I managed to pull a confession out of Steve nonetheless.

ANDREA: What exactly were you looking for?

SARAH: An old bank statement with the cancelled check he used to pay off Ed.

ANDREA: I still don’t believe any of this.

She sighs, though it does nothing to force all the anger and stupidity she feels out of her.

ANDREA: I just want to thank the both of you. In a roundabout way, you did me a great favor by exposing that bastard.

MATT: Don’t thank me – thank Sarah.

He flashes Sarah an appreciative smile.

MATT: Thank you so much. You didn’t have to do any of this for me, but you really came through for me.

Before she can respond, he pulls her into a hug.

***

EXT: KING’S BAY PARK
AFTERNOON

CLAIRE removes her hands from RYAN’s.

CLAIRE: I don’t know … How can I have you in my life without bringing back all of that stuff from when I was younger? You have no idea how much that all hurts me.

RYAN: But I do! I know exactly how you feel. Claire, it’s never going to stop hurting – but the only way to dull that pain is to confront it.

CLAIRE: Maybe you’re right.

It is quite obvious that there is something she has wanted to say, but has stifled. Finally she pushes it out of her lips.

CLAIRE: You yourself bring back one terrible memory for me, Ryan.

RYAN: I know. I will never forgive myself for taking advantage of you the way I did, Claire. You may have consented, but it was rape.

CLAIRE: How am I supposed to ever forget about that?

RYAN: You can’t – but renewing your friendship with me can make their memory so much less painful. It’ll just be a horrible chapter of the past, not a looming threat.

As if to assure her of this, he draws her into a hug. Surprisingly, she doesn’t push him away.

***

INT: HOTEL ROOM
AFTERNOON

Before ALEX can say anything further to SALLY, DON and COURTNEY reenter the room.

DON: If you two wouldn’t mind, I’d like to spend some time alone with my daughter.

SALLY: No problem. It won’t hurt for me to hang out with my son a little, either. Come on, Alex.

She makes her way to the open door, with Alex following behind her.

DON: It was so great to see you, Alex.

ALEX: Yeah, you too.

DON: We’ll be in touch, alright?

Alex nods as he and his mother exit. He pulls the door shut behind them.

DON: I feel terrible for that kid. I can’t imagine how unstable life was growing up with Sally.

COURTNEY: She’s definitely got a few screws loose. But yeah, he’s a great guy. He’s been so terrific to me these last few weeks.

DON: Is that so?

COURTNEY: Yeah. Like, the other day, I just couldn’t deal with seeing Jason. I had to make him leave. But then Alex came over and he was able to calm me down.

Don alarms Courtney by shaking his head disapprovingly.

ACT THREE

INT: TIM & CLAIRE’S APT. (LIVING ROOM)
AFTERNOON

TIM is talking on the phone when the door opens. CLAIRE, pushing SAMANTHA in the stroller, enters. She begins to utter a greeting, but pauses when she sees that her husband is on the phone. Tim raises a hand to acknowledge her and, moments later, concludes his telephone conversation. He turns to his wife as he lifts his infant daughter out of the stroller.

CLAIRE: Who was on the phone?

TIM: Andy – you know, Danielle’s boyfriend. He wants Jason and I to go over there and hang out tomorrow night.

CLAIRE: Oh, that’ll be nice.

TIM: Yeah. So how’d your walk go?

CLAIRE: It was fine – it certainly calmed the princess down.

She lovingly rubs her forefinger on Samantha’s cheek.

TIM: You were gone longer than I expected. Anything exciting happen?

CLAIRE: No, I just ran into someone and stopped to talk.

TIM: Who?

CLAIRE: Ryan.

TIM: Oh. It’s nice that you’ve got an old friend around.

CLAIRE: Yeah.

TIM: It sounds like you two were close back in the old days. Why didn’t you ever tell me about him?

Claire suppresses the urge to say, "I did" as she recalls the morning she confessed her rape to Tim. Instead, she plays it safe.

CLAIRE: No particular reason. Now if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go change her diaper. I think she, uh, dropped a bomb somewhere along the way.

She reaches out to take Samantha from him.

TIM: Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.

With that, he heads off with the baby.

Claire presses a hand against her face, allowing it to slide down. How did she get into this situation? She knows she won’t ever be totally comfortable having Ryan around – particularly in her relationship with Tim – but she also doesn’t know how she can just turn Ryan away.

***

NEW YORK
INT: POLICE STATION
EVENING

Near a wall, SARAH is standing alone, since Andrea left several minutes ago. She runs a hand through her hair as she waits for Matt.

It’s finally over. She can hardly believe it. It seemed like they’d never find an opening to pull the truth out from – but they did it. At last, the struggle is over. Matt is free.

As if on cue, MATT emerges from the jail. The broad grin on his face is unmistakable. Sarah notices that she’s hardly ever seen him happy since they met; something has always been troubling him – but no longer.

MATT: I can’t believe it! This whole mess is over!

SARAH: I know! How does it feel to have your freedom?

MATT: Amazing. Now I know what they mean by, "You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone." Come on, let’s go make some plane reservations.

SARAH: What?

MATT: You’re going home, aren’t you?

SARAH: Yeah … But why "we"?

MATT: I think I’m gonna come to King’s Bay for awhile. It’s time I had a fresh start.

SARAH: What about Andrea? Won’t you miss her?

MATT: Yeah, but one friend isn’t enough to keep me around here. I’ve been through too much.

He becomes aware of her hesitance.

MATT: What, don’t you wanna get home to Brent?

SARAH: Yeah … Yeah, I do.

She begins to follow him out of the building. Nonetheless, as she thinks of returning home, she thinks of Brent. They haven’t spoken in so long – she’s been trying to get in touch with him, but to no avail.

As they walk, Matt’s words echo in her head: "You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone."

***

INT: HOTEL ROOM
AFTERNOON
COURTNEY can’t understand why DON is suddenly acting so deprecating.

COURTNEY: What?

DON: Don’t do this, Courtney.

COURTNEY: Do what?

She watches as her father tries to put his feelings into words.

COURTNEY: What, Dad?

DON: Don’t do this to Jason – or to yourself.

COURTNEY: What am I doing that’s so wrong?

DON: You’re pushing him away, Court. Listen to what you just said: You didn’t feel like dealing with Jason, so you made him leave and then hung out with Alex. How does that sound?

Finally she sees his point.

COURTNEY: Not too good, I guess.

DON: My point exactly. Courtney, I promise you: I will do everything in my power to fix things between your mother and I. Just promise me something in return.

She looks up at him.

DON: Promise me you won’t let this ruin your life.

Courtney nods as she wraps her arms around her father.

END OF EPISODE #114

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