oldEpisode One-hundred-ninety-three: Jack
Is Happy, Falsely Believing That Jennifer
Is no Longer Involved with Warner Bayer;
Jack Asks Her out to Dinner, She Agrees
but in Fact She Has Other Plans.

---

[Air date late September 1990]

 

SCENE ONE: WHITNEY BAKER, JACK'S PSYCHIATRIST, IS IN HER OFFICE WHEN JACK COMES IN WHISTLING. HE IS IN A VERY HAPPY MOOD, HOWEVER HE CHECKS TO SEE THAT THE DOOR DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK BEHIND HIM.

 

JACK: Heheheh. Dr. Baker you look marvelous today.

WHITNEY: Well thank you very much.

JACK: New dress?

WHITNEY: No.

JACK: Well it's chic, or trés chic as we like to say in Paris France. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the.... not that I want to be in the neighborhood mind you. There is no where I would rather be than in this tastefully decorated office.

 

HE LEANS OVER AND PRESSES THE BELL ON HER DESK THEN RACES TO THE COUCH.

 

JACK: And the clock is running. Alright let's get to it. Push me, pull me, beat me dead into the bar, shrink my mind. You know I haven't felt this good since the first time I....ate an ice cream cone. So please, take advantage.

WHITNEY: If that's your way of saying that you intend to co-operate I'm glad but first I'd like to hear why you're in this rare and incredible mood.

JACK: Aaaah, you're never going to believe it.

WHITNEY: Try me.

JACK: I finally talked Jennifer into staying in Salem.

SCENE TWO: WHILE JACK IS WITH WHITNEY, JENNIFER GOES TO SEE ALICE AND TELLS HER THAT SHE WILL BE LEAVING SALEM FOR SOME TIME AND THAT SHE IS NOT SURE WHEN SHE WILL BE BACK. ALICE IS WORRIED. JENNIFER SAYS IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND THAT IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE COIN; SHE TELLS HER THAT SHE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP IN CONTACT. SHE MAKES ALICE PROMISE NOT TO TELL JACK. CARLY AND MARCUS ENTER AND OVERHEAR THAT SHE IS LEAVING. SHE LIES TELLING THEM IT IS WORK RELATED.

SCENE THREE: BACK IN WHITNEY'S OFFICE, JACK IS IN GOOD FORM.

 

WHITNEY: So let me get this straight. You are happy because Jennifer is not going to be leaving town.

JACK: That's right.

WHITNEY: I see.

JACK: Huh? What?

WHITNEY: Well in our last session you said that you had decided not to resume a relationship with Jennifer. As a matter of fact you were adamant about it.

JACK: No, I'm happy she's going to be in Salem because it's going to keep her out of trouble, not because I want to see her.

WHITNEY: Hmmm, I see.

JACK: You know, why is it that everytime you say, I see, I get the distinct feeling you're saying, I don't believe you?

WHITNEY: No Jack that's not the point. I'm not here to judge you. It's just that I don't think you're being completely clear about the reality here. Think about it. You and Jennifer living in the same place leading separate lives.

JACK: Yeah, so?

WHITNEY: You think you can handle that?

JACK: Of course.

WHITNEY: You're sure?

JACK: Sure I'm sure.

 

WHITNEY GIVES HIM A LOOK TO SAY SHE DOES NOT BELIEVE HIM.

 

JACK: Look, I'm sure. I didn't say it was going to be easy but yes I definitely think we can develop a civil relationship with each other. As a matter of fact, yesterday I did.... with her and it was, it was, it was, it was civil, it was very, very.... civil.

WHITNEY: I see.

JACK: There you go again.

WHITNEY: Jack.

JACK: Don't Jack me, what do you think? Tell me what do you think? Do you think I can handle this relationship?

WHITNEY: It doesn't matter what I think Jack. That's not the point. I don't even know Jennifer.

JACK: JUST GIVE ME ANSWER ALRIGHT. ONE SIMPLE ANSWER. I mean you can't even give me a question. I mean I'm here going off at you day in and day out and all I ever get is I see.

WHITNEY: Jack I don't know what you're looking for. Tell me. What questions do you want me to ask?

JACK: THE RIGHT ONES!

WHITNEY: Well since you seem to know so much about what those are, maybe you should be the one asking them.

JACK: Heheheheh, you think I'm going to back down, don't you? You think I am so scared of making a fool out of myself that I'm going to slither away into a corner and.... and wait for this thing to pass over. Well you are wrong. If Tony Perkins can become his mother, Jack Deveraux can sure as hell become his own shrink.

WHITNEY: Jack, the floor's yours. Both of yours.

 

WHITNEY HANDS HIM THE NOTES SHE HAS ON HIM. HE HESITATES FOR A MOMENT THEN TAKES THEM AND SITS IN HER CHAIR. SHE HANDS HIM THE BELL AND HE PRESSES IT FIRMLY.

SHRINK JACK: And the clock is running. Alright.... let's get down to business here. Now you said that you don't want to have a relationship with Jennifer. But do you think that Jennifer wants to have a relationship with you?

 

HE SLAMS THE NOTES SHUT AND MOVES QUICKLY TO THE PATIENT'S CHAIR.

 

JACK: Ah.... yes!

 

HE MOVES BACK TO WHITNEY'S CHAIR.

 

SHRINK JACK: Why?

 

HE GOES BACK TO THE PATIENT'S CHAIR.

 

JACK: Well.... for professional reasons of course. I mean Jennifer has to have the good sense to know that I'm a veritable fountain of advice and counsel. I mean I am her mentor after all.

 

HE MOVES BACK TO WHITNEY'S CHAIR.

 

SHRINK JACK: So, Jack, you see yourself as a counsellor and teacher?

 

HE MOVES BACK TO THE PATIENT'S CHAIR.

 

JACK: Ah, no, no, no. I don't want to underestimate Jennifer. I mean she doesn't really need any help.... now. But when she started at The Spectator, those were the good times for us. Those were the.... those were the glory days, I worked here, she worked here, side by side, day after day. And it was fun. I mean with the fights, the put downs, the arguments.

 

HE QUICKLY MOVES BACK TO WHITNEY'S CHAIR.

 

SHRINK JACK: Hmmm it doesn't sound like fun to me.

 

BACK TO THE PATIENT'S CHAIR WHERE HE PICKS UP A LONG TOY SNAKE THAT WHITNEY HAS FOR CHILDREN.

 

JACK: Well I.... I guess.... I guess you had to be there. And I was there so you can take my word for it. Because.... ah.... because we knew the boundaries. We knew the limits. We knew the fine line that separates employer from employee. And when we crossed that, that was our mistake. But, I think we can cross back over and we can....we can get back to where we were.

 

HE LEAPS OVER TO WHITNEY'S CHAIR.

 

SHRINK JACK: What, back to the.... good old days?

 

HE IS ABOUT TO GO BACK TO THE PATIENT'S CHAIR BUT PAUSES AND ANSWERS HIS OWN QUESTION WHERE HE IS.

 

JACK: Yes!

 

THEN RESUMES HIS ROLE AS PSYCHIATRIST.

 

SHRINK JACK: Ah wait a minute. Aren't you making kind of an assumption there Jack? I mean why would Jennifer.... why would Jennifer want to go back to the way things were?.... Ah why would she?

 

HE OPENS THE NOTES.

 

SHRINK JACK (CONT.): I mean she'd have to be an idiot to want to have a relationship with you after the way you treated her.

 

HE LEAPS OVER TO THE PATIENT'S CHAIR.

 

JACK: Okay, wait a minute, half time, hold it, hold it, hold it. Idiot, don't you think that's kind of a harsh term?

 

BACK TO WHITNEY'S CHAIR.

 

SHRINK JACK: Well what do you want me to say, I see!

 

HE PRESSES THE BELL AND LAUGHS; THEN MOVES BACK TO BEING THE PATIENT.

 

JACK: Okay let me tell you something, if Jennifer can get rid of these romantic feelings that she has for me, I think.... I think we can just become friends.... it'll never happen. Yes it's going to happen. I'm going to make sure that it happens. I don't care what you say. You don't know what's going on. I'll prove it to you.

 

HE MOVES BACK TO WHITNEY'S CHAIR.

 

SHRINK JACK: We'll see.

 

THEN BACK TO BEING THE PATIENT.

 

JACK: That's right, we'll see. We'll see alright, yeah. We'll see, you bet your sweet bippy we'll see. We'll all see. We'll all....we'll all see.

 

HE LOOKS DOWN AT THE SNAKE HE IS HOLDING....

.... THEN BACK AT WHITNEY WHO HAS A SMILE ON HER FACE. THROUGHOUT ALL THIS SHE HAS BEEN AMUSED, BUT INSIGHTFUL TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WHAT JACK HAS BEEN SAYING.

 

SHRINK JACK : We'll all see.

 

HE LEAVES HER OFFICE AND SHUTS THE DOOR WITH A BIG SIGH.

 

JACK: We'll see.

SCENE FOUR: HE WALKS TO THE ELEVATOR JUST IN TIME TO SEE JENNIFER ENTER. SHE SEES HIM AND GETS OUT; HE FOLLOWS HER.

 

JACK: Hold it, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Never thought I'd be in an elevator.... hey wait a minute, Jennifer, what are you doing, what are you doing?

JENNIFER: I'll wait for the next car.

JACK: No, no, no. Ah.... I've been looking all over for you alright.

JENNIFER: Why?

JACK: Why, why? Ah.... well... .that's a very compicated reason.

JENNIFER: Look Jack I really don't have time okay so could you uncomplicate it?

JACK: Alright, I want to see you because I wanted to....

JENNIFER: What, what? You wanted to what?

JACK: Take you to dinner.

JENNIFER: You want to take me to dinner?

JACK: Right.

JENNIFER: Okay, is this some kind of trick?

JACK: Trick?

JENNIFER: Yeah you know the kind of stunts you pull on people, especially me.

JACK: No, no, I mean that's the reason why I want to do this. It's a kind of....kind of a peace offering.

JENNIFER: Well I didn't realize we were at war Jack.

JACK: Well we haven't exactly been on friendly terms.

JENNIFER: Right, but that's the way you wanted it, remember?

JACK: That's right.... NO, NO.... that's not right. Look, I just.... I would like.... I would like to be friends.

JENNIFER: I see.

JACK: Don't say that. Please don't use those two words together in a sentence.

JENNIFER: What are you talking about Jack?

JACK: Just use any other two word phrase in the English language, like.... ah.... like, get lost. I mean you certainly owe me words to that effect especially after I cost you the story of a lifetime.

JENNIFER: Yes, that's right, you did.

JACK: But because you trusted me so much to follow my direction, I feel like.... I feel like I owe you something.

JENNIFER: Oh salad, entrée, and beverage of my choice, Jack?

JACK: Look now that Warner Bayer is winging his way to New York, wouldn't it be nice if we could just sit down and talk about your future career plans?

 

JENNIFER HESITATES FOR A MINUTE THEN DECIDES TO GO ALONG WITH JACK'S IDEA. AT LEAST HE THINKS SHE IS.

 

JACK: Well, wouldn't it?

JENNIFER: Yes! Yes Jack that would be lovely.

 

HE IS REALLY PLEASED.

 

JACK: It would?

JENNIFER: Yes.

JACK: Oh great. I'll.... I'll pick you in about.... in about an hour.

JENNIFER: No.

JACK: No, no?

JENNIFER: No, you know what? Why don't we meet on neutral ground Jack?

JACK: Okay, you want me to.... we meet at a restaurant.

JENNIFER: No, no, you know what, why don't we meet here. It's close to your office and I have to see my grandfather anyway.

JACK: Alright, we'll.... we'll meet right here in an hour.

JENNIFER: Good.

JACK: Right here.

JENNIFER: Great.

JACK: Alright, we'll meet right here in an hour.

JENNIFER: Great.

JACK: Okay, we'll meet right here in an hour.

JENNIFER: Great.

JACK: Right here. Heh, love these elevators.

 

JENNIFER TURNS AND WAVES TO HIM.

 

JENNIFER: Bye Jack.

JACK: Bye, hey I'll see you in an hour.

 

THE ELEVATOR SHUTS.

 

JENNIFER: Just you wait Jack Deveraux, just you wait.

SCENE FIVE: AN HOUR LATER JACK ARRIVES BACK AT THE HOSPITAL LOOKING VERY HANDSOME. HE HAS CHANGED INTO HIS BEST DARK BLUE SUIT WITH PALE BLUE SHIRT. HE IS CARRYING A LARGE BUNCH OF BLUE DELPHINIUMS. HE MEETS TOM AND ALICE AS HE GETS OFF THE ELEVATOR.

 

ALICE: Well hello Jack.

JACK: Mrs. Horton, Dr. Horton, nice to see you again.

TOM: Hello Jack.

ALICE: Are you visiting someone?

JACK: Ah.... no, not exactly.

ALICE: I saw all the flowers and I just assumed.

JACK: Aaah, actually I was just going to have a little dinner with Jennifer.

TOM: Jennifer, when?

JACK: Tonight, right now.

ALICE: Jack, there must be some mistake.

JACK: What do you mean?

ALICE: We said goodbye to Jennifer this afternoon. She's leaving town tonight.

JACK IS HURT AND KNOWS IMMEDIATELY WHAT HAS HAPPENED.

 

JACK: Jennifer left town.

ALICE: Ah, yes.

 

JACK IMMEDIATELY DECIDES TO COVER HIS HURT AND ANGER (AND ALSO CONCERN FOR HER SAFETY) BY PRETENDING HE IS WAS CONFUSED AND DOES NOT CARE ANYWAY. ALICE KNOWS THAT THIS IS HURTING HIM.

 

JACK: How silly of me. I must have missed that part of the conversation. Well I guess I will be dining alone. About time I learned to cut my own meat. That's.... ah.... kind of a Freudian joke.

ALICE: Jack, are you alright?

JACK: Yes I am terrific. I couldn't be better. Listen Jennifer didn't happen to say anything about her destination on this sudden trip.

 

ALICE AND TOM LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND KNOW THAT JENNIFER MADE THEM PROMISE NOT TO TELL.

 

TOM: No, I'm afraid not.

JACK: (Trying to pump them for information) Oh well I was just curious. Nothing about.... ah.... New York?

ALICE: No. No nothing about New York.

JACK: Nothing about which airline?

ALICE: No.

JACK: Well.... well that's okay. I mean that's the way the ball bounces. I have a dinner reservation at Sand Dollar waiting for me so I guess I'll just be.... (Remembering the flowers, and not wanting to let them know they are for Jennifer he hands them to Alice) oh these flowers are for you. I got them from the flower boy in the elevator. I thought I'd save him the trip. Ah.... there's no name on them. I guess they came from some satisfied out-patient.

TOM: I thought you said you brought them for Jennifer.

JACK: Maybe I implied that or maybe you assumed that but Jennifer and I, we were just having a.... business meeting. Food tastes so good when it's a tax deductible, don't you think?

ALICE: Actually I don't.

JACK: Well.... I don't need them so they're yours.

ALICE: (Knowing the truth) They're Jennifer's favorites.

JACK: Really? I never knew. (Beat) Excuse me, I have to go.

 

JACK IS REALLY HURTING, ALICE IS WORRIED.

 

ALICE: Jack....ah, Jack, Jennifer is going on a story. She says it's the story of a lifetime.

JACK: The story of a lifetime.... damn!

TOM: Jack is something wrong?

JACK: (Angry, but trying to hide it) Wrong? No, no nothing is wrong. Everything's right. Oh....things couldn't be better. Thank you!

SCENE SIX: MEANWHILE JENNIFER MEETS WERNER AT THE PENTHOUSE AND THEY CATCH A PLANE TO NEW YORK.

SCENE SEVEN: JACK IMMEDIATELY TRIES TO GET A RESERVATION TO NEW YORK TO FOLLOW HER; USING THE PAY PHONES AT THE HOSPITAL.

 

JACK: (On the phone) Oh you can't. Well thank you very much.

 

HE FINDS ANOTHER AIRLINE IN THE PHONE BOOK.

 

JACK: Alright, West World Air. (Beat ) West World Air, yes, yes. I want to see if you can get me on a flight to New York City. You....oh great, great. Okay, another thing.... ah two very dear friends of mine, a Warner Bayer and a Miss Jennifer Horton are going to be on this flight. Can you tell me.... ah.... if.... thank you anyway. Wait a minute, you can't even get me on.... the flight.... the flight's left. Well who needs you? Oh no, no, no, no, no. I need you. I need you. It's me I'm still here. I'm still here. Listen, okay, get me on the next flight. The next flight, yes. Alright, send me in the luggage compartment, I don't care. I have to be on this flight. It's a matter of life and death.