Episode #10,369
Tape date 6/30
Director Herb Stein

Salemites continue to stay cool in more ways than one, as the A/C breaks down again in the lofts, Sami is pressured to open the note left by the black glove, and Jack teeters on the edge of life and death.

THE LOFT DWELLERS

Shawn sits shirtless, sweltering, as Mimi complains that every time the termperature hits 90, the A/C breaks down. They can hear Claire crying, thru the vents (who needs to bug any of these apts., and this is ridiculous that everything can be heard so easily from across the hall). Shawn can’t stand it, goes over to help. He manages to quiet Claire down within about 5 seconds, amazing man! Now cue Belle to go into her “You are great father, we should raise our baby that I am carrying together” mantra. Shawn tells her Philip will be the baby’s father, he is a great one. (By the way, Philip is at hospital getting his prosthesis fixed after the accident) She argues, he talks about the vows they made to spouses, and that she has a baby with Philip. Yada, yada. Meanwhile, Mimi has called Patrick over for support, he urges her to tell, they go out in hall, and hear all of the conversation between Shawn & Belle. (Gee, how come they cannot hear thru vents, lol). She goes walking in, & Shawn says he wants to set up a fan to circulate some air in the room. Patrick offers to help. (Gee, 2 big, strong guys to carry a fan from another area and then plug it in. How come I can do that very easily all by myself….Ha) Now, Belle doubles over with cramps, Shawn rushes to her side, insists on taking her to hospital, with Mimi & Patrick staying behind to watch Claire. Shawn helps her walk out, but carries her into hospital, asking for help with her.

THE HOSPITAL

Lexie sponges off a rather lifeless Jack, strokes his forehead, telling him she is so sorry. She leaves the room. Jack’s spirit leaves his body, and goes to stand by the window. Abby comes rushing in, laying her head on her father’s chest, as spirit Jack watches. She begs her dad not to die, that he has come back to them before. She cries as she tells him he promised to be at her wedding, walk her down the aisle and dance with her. Spirit Jack has a fantasy of dancing with Abby in her wedding dress (she looks absolutely beautiful, just gorgeous) and remembers that he did promise this. (Abby is wonderful in these scenes, heartfelt & emotional) Outside in the hall, Jen rails against it all, as Lexie tells her they are losing him. Frankie chooses this time to give Jen a letter Jack wrote, that he asked Frankie to keep and give to Jen at this time. She silently reads it, as we hear Jack’s voice reading it aloud. He talks of his journalistic dreams, and how Jen made him a better man, and he has all he has every wanted with the wonderful family they created together. There is a page 2, a p.s. to Frankie, telling him he is the best friend anyone could want, and Jack knows he will take care of Jen and be a wonderful husband and stepfather to Abby & Jack, Jr.

Inside the room, Abby continues to beg her dad not to leave them. Spirit Jack asks God to help him here. Abby talks of how he left them other times, and she always had faith, and she has faith now, saying he hasn’t used up his 9 lives yet. Spirit Jack now flashes back to the various times he “returned from the dead” to Jen, …….on Abby’s birthday in the hospital with the cake, Hope & Bo bringing a disheveled Jack into the house to Jen, Indiana Jack rescuing Jennifer on Melaswen……he realizes he really has not used up his 9 lives yet. Now the monitor is beeping, and spirit Jack realizes he, himself, has to fight, so rejoins his body. Abby wants to know if he can hear her, he squeezes her hand. Now the monitor flatlines, an intern rushes in, calling Code Blue, and yelling for a crash cart. He chases Abby out, as Lexie arrives and rushes into the room. Frankie comforts Jen & Abby. Finally, Lexie comes out with her doom & gloom face, but then tells them that Jack’s fever broke, the experimental drugs seem to be working, and she thinks he is going to be o.k. Jen & Abby rush into Jack’s room, as Lexie says she doesn’t know what to say (to Frankie). He replies that this is how it was meant to be. He watches Jack & his family thru the window, saying….Way to go, Jack.

SAMI’S APT.

The quartet, which actually is now a quintet, watches as Sami’s opens the note the Black Glove left, and ask her what it says. Sami, who always thinks fast on her feet, it seems, says she can’t tell them, because it is a surprise. EJ says her name, wanting her to be truthful, but Sami insists it concerns a surprise she was planning for Austin, and that EJ was helping her. But that things were changed because of Austin’s surprise. EJ tries to get her to own up to no avail. She goes to get some wine for everyone, as Lucas follows, telling her he knows something is up. Sami denies it, and they talk a bit about Sami saving Lucas’s life, for which he is greatful. Austin now pressures Carrie to continue their talk. Lucas goes to check the hallway and lobby. Austin & Carrie argue over whether she would have married Lucas had she not been pregnant. Carrie tells him he is engaged to her sister. Austin says he only stopped going after Carrie when she turned up pregnant. But she never was. EJ reads the note, which is quite lengthy, and describes how Sami blackmailed Lexie to come up with a way to have Carrie not choose Austin, the genetic marker story that Lexie told her, the whole ball of wax. (yes, I know, we have heard it all before, again, and again, and again. Nothing new, folks.) Lucas returns, saying he thinks the person he saw came thru an open window on fire escape, intending to try and rob the apts. (rolling eyes here) and he shut the window. Carrie says she is going to take a bath before bed, and leaves, as Lucas retreats to the bedroom. Austin says he is going to go to the roof to clean up after the dinner, and tells Sami to stay behind, relax. He leaves. EJ warns Sami once more to tell Austin herself. That the note was purposely delivered while everyone was there so they would all know she got it. She says she will think of something in the morning. He leaves. Lucas comes out of his room, in a bathrobe that is open, and knocks on the bathroom door, telling Carrie to hurry up. Sami & he talk a bit, as there seems to be a bit of sexual tension between them, but he goes to his room. Sami goes to hers. Carrie comes out of the bathroom, moves a chair over to the window and climbs out the fire escape and up to the roof. Austin says, you came. Carrie replies, "You seemed to want me to come." They kiss…passionately. And the previews roll….

Sami: You know I haven’t thought about that in a long time
Lucas: Seems like it was yesterday, doesn’t it?

Austin to Carrie: You are keeping something from me, and I want you to tell me what it is

Mimi: Oh, my gosh, I don’t believe this
Bonnie comes over: Good Lord almightly. (I think they are looking at a computer screen)

Belle to Shawn: We’ve never stopped loving each other and even if we tried to stop it, we couldn’t. That’s just the way it is.

Barb