oldEpisode Four-hundred-twenty-three: Jack
Decides to Tell Jennifer the Truth, and How
Much He Loves Her and the Baby; However,
Broken Hearted, Believing He Plans on Leaving Her
Jennifer Goes Home to Alice. Jack Returns to Find Her Gone.

[Air date early June 1992]

 

SCENE ONE: JACK HAS JUST LEFT THE APARTMENT WITH THE DRESS AND HE GOES OVER TO JO'S. HE IS SCRATCHING HIS FACE AND SEEMS TO HAVE A RASH.

 

JACK: Dammit, what's the matter with me?

 

HE THROWS THE BOX ON THE COUCH.

 

JO: Jack, what happened? Did you talk to Jennifer? Did you tell her the truth?

JACK: No! I mean yes, yes I told her some of the truth. But I tell you something, even I told her truth, the whole truth and nothing but she still would've said it was a pack of lies.

JO: Son would just slow down. You're talking so....good lord, what's wrong with your face?

JACK: Nothing. What's the matter, is it food, dirt, something? Don't just stand there and stare at me. Take it off.

JO: Well I can't take it off Jack. It's a rash. Doesn't it itch?

JACK: Well it does now. Thank you for telling me.

 

HE LOOKS IN A MIRROR.

 

JACK: Oh great, just another symptom of my great disease.

JO: Well now, I don't know about that but it's got to be a symptom of something. I mean it could be contagious.

JACK: No, it's not contagious.

JO: Listen you need to see a doctor about this. You don't want to go exposing Jennifer and the baby, now do you?

JACK: I....no I don't. As a matter of fact I don't know enough about this. I better get right over to that hospital right now.

JO: Okay, now wait. I'll drive you. Jack, I'll drive you.

 

THEY BOTH RUN OUT THE DOOR.

SCENE TWO: MEANWHILE JENNIFER IS REREADING THE LETTER.

 

JENNIFER: (Reading) "But in the end there was nothing I could do but say goodbye."

 

THERE IS KNOCK AT THE DOOR AND SHE HIDES THE LETTER. IT IS BRIAN AND HE BRINGS HER A BAGEL. HE NOTICES THAT SHE IS VERY UPSET AND SHE GIVES HIM THE LETTER TO READ.

SCENE THREE: AT THE HOSPITAL, JACK IS SCRATCHING MORE AND MORE AS THEY ARRIVE.

 

JO: Would you try not to scratch? Stop that.

JACK: It's an evolutionary process. If you itch you must scratch.

MARCUS: Hey, Jo, Jack....WHOA, look at that rash.

JO: (To Jack) Stop it.

JACK: Jo could you excuse us for a moment. We need to talk.

JO: Yes, I'll be waiting right here.

JACK: This way please.

 

JACK TAKES MARCUS INTO THE DOCTOR'S LOUNGE.

 

MARCUS: That's one angry rash there my man. Does it itch?

JACK: Does it itch? Of course it itches. It's driving me crazy.

MARCUS: Well what is it?

JACK: I don't know what it is. You're the doctor, you tell me.

MARCUS: Well it looks like an allergic reaction to something. Have you eaten anything unusual lately? I mean anything that you're not used to.

JACK: I don't know. I think....you know I think I changed brand of gum from mint to cinnamon. Do you think that could be it?

MARCUS: Of course not, no. Well maybe it's nerves.

JACK: Nerves, nerves, yes maybe that's it. Yeah, nerves.

MARCUS: No?

JACK: NO! Would you just stop it? Come on, stop it with the baffled doctor routine. You know it's just another one of the symptoms.

MARCUS: Symptoms of what?

JACK: Of what? Are you trying to drive me crazy? You know of what I speak. please don't treat me like some naive little patient. At least....don't tell me I'm going to live forever. That's all I ask. Just....let me know that it's going to all be over soon and that the time I have left is going to be spent scratching this damn rash.

MARCUS: Ah, yeah, Jack just stay right there for a moment.

JACK: I'm not going anywhere.

MARCUS: I'll be right back.

SCENE FOUR: AT THE APARTMENT, BRIAN READS THE LETTER AND THINKS IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. HOWEVER JENNIFER CAN ONLY SEE ONE SIDE OF THE PICTURE.

 

JENNIFER: You know Brian, it's never been easy with Jack.

BRIAN: Ah....

JENNIFER: He's not very romantic. But I didn't care. To me he was very romantic. He could say anything. He could say something stupid, something ordinary and I would think that he was romantic. I'm serious.

BRIAN: Jennifer, I'm serious too. Did you ever think that maybe this letter was not for you?

JENNIFER: Brian who else would this letter be for?

BRIAN: Well excuse if I'm wrong here but I don't ever recollect him calling you baby.

JENNIFER: That's right, he doesn't.

BRIAN: Well then why would be put it in the letter?

JENNIFER: Because he feels guilty. He thinks if he uses some term of endearment that it will be less hurtful to me or something.

BRIAN: Oh I don't know. That may be possible but it just....Jack and Ginger, they don't seem to go together.

JENNIFER: You mean like you and Ginger.

BRIAN: Okay look I'm not saying that nothing is going on.

JENNIFER: Because you know that there is Brian.

BRIAN: Okay for your sake, say that it is, say that something is going on. It does not mean that Jack doesn't love you.

JENNIFER: Oh come on Brian.

BRIAN: Listen to me Jennifer, listen to me. He is crazy about this child you're going to have.

JENNIFER: No, no, no, that is where you're wrong. Jack is absolutely terrified about having a child, alright. And I kept thinking that the more he got used to the idea, the more he wouldn't feel that way. But that's not true. Alright, every morning that I wake up I think this is the morning that Jack is going to take me in his arms. He is going to tell me how happy he is about this baby, how nothing is more important in his life than this baby. But that's not going to happen, alright. The only thing that I see when I look in Jack's eyes is anxiety and I see resentment about feeling pressured. Pressured to be a good father, pressured to be a provider and I guess that's just too much for him.

BRIAN: I'm sorry.

JENNIFER: Yeah, me too.

BRIAN: What are you going to do?

JENNIFER: I don't know but I tell you this much. I am not going to stick around and take it.

SCENE FIVE: MEANWHILE BACK AT THE HOSPITAL, JO IS WAITING WITH JACK. HIS RASH IS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE BY THE MINUTE. AT LAST MARCUS RETURNS WITH A NURSE.

 

JO: Jack stop.

JACK: It's just....it's just....

MARCUS: Jack.

JACK: Oh Marcus, what the hell took you so long?

MARCUS: Well I've been talking to our dietitian here. She recommends that you change some foods in your diet.

JACK: Oh really, well that ought to save my life.

DIETITIAN: Well it'll certainly clear up your rash.

MARCUS: Yeah, you know most rashes like yours are caused by an allergic reaction to food.

JACK: I CAN'T BELIEVE this. Why do you keep saying it's a rash. You know what it is.

MARCUS: Jack, Jack, would you calm down.

JACK: Look I HAVE HAD IT. I have had it up to here. I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE. No more of those lies and those phony little smiles and those....those silly little cures that don't work. I'll tell you something, I am not going out easy. I'm going out big. No one's going to kick around Jack Deveraux anymore. I'm telling you that right now. I'm going out with dignity.

JO: Jack wait, I'll drive you.

 

JACK STORMS OUT WITH JO FOLLOWING.

 

MARCUS: You know the guy has a case of sympathetic morning sickness followed by a rash and he thinks he's going to kill himself. He thinks he's dying. Do you believe that?

 

MARCUS WALKS OUT OF THE ROOM.

 

DIETITIAN: I believe it, I believe it.

SCENE SIX: BACK AT THE APARTMENT, JENNIFER IS PACKING HER BAGS AND NOTHING BRIAN SAYS CAN CONVINCE HER TO STAY. SHE CALLS ALICE AND ASKS IF SHE CAN STAY WHICH OF COURSE SHE CAN. JENNIFER THEN FIRES BRIAN AS HER BODYGUARD.

SCENE SEVEN: ALICE IS EXCITED WHEN JENNIFER ARRIVES.

 

ALICE: Honey, what's wrong?

JENNIFER: Oh I really don't want to talk about it right now. Right now I would really like if you'd just hold me.

 

ALICE GIVES HER A BIG HUG.

SCENE EIGHT: MEANWHILE JACK HAS GONE BACK TO JO'S PLACE AND HE IS PACING UP AND DOWN.

 

JACK: I have to go back over there and just patch things up with Jennifer, that's all.

JO: So go. What are waiting for?

JACK: What am I waiting for. I'm waiting to see....I just don't want to blow it, alright. I don't want to mess up this whole thing with Brian Scofield and still I want her to know....I want to figure out a way to tell her that I love her and that there's nothing in the world that's more important to me than her and our coming child.

JO: Oh son, all you have to do is just tell her as simply as that. Just tell her. Just as simply as you just told me.

JACK: That's right, that's all I have to do. Just tell her.

 

JO: Oh good luck. I do love you.

 

JO THEN HUGS JACK. HE GOES TO THE DOOR THEN PAUSES.

 

JACK: That's all I have to do. Just tell her.

JO: Yes.

SCENE NINE: JACK LEAVES AND GOES ACROSS THE HALL TO HIS APARTMENT.

 

JACK: JENNIFER! (Beat) Jen....hello, Jennifer.

 

HE REALIZES THAT SHE HAS GONE. A SONG BEGINS TO PLAY AS JACK ROAMS THE EMPTY APARTMENT.
oldEp423A
Spending all my nights,
All my money going out on the town.
Doing anything just to get you off my mind.

AT ALICE'S, JENNIFER IS READING JACK'S LETTER.

When the moning comes
I'm right back where I started again.
Trying to forget you was just a waste of time.
Baby come back.
Any kind fool could see
There was something in everything about you.

JENNIFER LOOKS OUT THE WINDOW.

 

JENNIFER: How could you do this to us Jack?

 

JACK ROAMS THE APARTMENT.

Baby come back. You can blame it all on me.
I was wrong and I just can't live without you.
All day long we're in a mess of false bravado.
Trying to keep up a smile that hides a tear.
But as the sun goes down
I get that empty feeling again.
I wish to god that you were here.

Baby come back.
Any kind fool could see
There was something in everything about you.
Baby come back You can blame it all on me

I was wrong and I just can't live without you.
Now that I've put it all together,
Give me the chance to make you see.

That you used up all in the love in your heart
And there's nothing left for me.
Nothing left for me.

JACK LOOKS AT THEIR WEDDING PICTURE.

Baby come back Any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Baby come back You can blame it all on me.
I was wrong and I just can't live without you.

JACK PICKS UP ONE OF JENNIFER'S DRESSES AND GENTLY RUBS IT AGAINST HIS CHEEK.

oldEp423B

I was wrong and I just can't live Baby come back....

JENNIFER CONTINUES TO STARE OUT THE WINDOW.

 

[Transcribed by Carol Vaughan
added material by Sally A. Wilson]