oldEpisode Five-hundred-thirty-five:
Jack Works Late with Kate, She
Continues to Make Passes at Him.

---

[Air date mid-July, 1993]

SCENE ONE: CARLY HAS BEEN GIVEN A DOSE OF SOME MYSTERY DRUG BY VIVIEN AND SHE IS UNCONSCIOUS AND IN A COMATOSE STATE.

SCENE TWO: IT IS THE NEXT MORNING AND JACK IS WORKING WITH KATE IN HER OFFICE. SHE IS ON THE PHONE AND THEY ARE TRYING TO GET AN INTERVIEW. JACK IS TELLING KATE WHAT TO SAY.

 

JACK: Make sure he can prove it. Make sure he can prove it.

KATE: Okay, can you send a copy of that. Fax it as soon as you get it.

JACK: Make sure....

KATE: Great.

JACK: Make sure he can prove....

KATE: Thanks.

 

SHE HANGS UP.

 

KATE: The paper trail of the dummy corporation led us to the councilman's bank accounts on the Cayman Islands. YES!

JACK: Yes but can we prove it?

KATE: Well we're getting the proof. He's faxing it.

JACK: GOOD! GOOD! I've been after this guy for a year and now I can finally get him.

KATE: You finally succeeded.

JACK: Absolutely. Now hopefully I'll get this fax in time and I'll get it in tomorrow's paper.

KATE: You'll get it. You'll get it. You know we could have a double header, headline-wise tomorrow morning.

JACK: No, I am not going to print a story on Carly Manning yet.

KATE: Why not? Look she's unconscious because of an overdose of morphine. She's suspected of killing two patients. What more do you want?

JACK: Jennifer told me that in confidence.

KATE: Oh so this is all because she's your wife's best friend.

JACK: NO, IT IS BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS WHAT REALLY HAPPENED YET. AND UNTIL WE DO WE ARE NOT GOING TO PRINT ANYTHING. A REAL JOURNALIST WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT. END OF STORY. KATE IS SHOCKED AT JACK'S YELLING BUT SHE SITS DOWN CALMLY.

KATE: Alright, you win. Did everything go alright with you and Jennifer when you went home last night?

JACK: Eventually, yes, yes.

KATE: Well I hope I didn't cause any trouble.

JACK: Well you didn't. Believe me, you didn't.

KATE: Can I ask you a question? How did two people as different as you and Jennifer ever get together in the first place?

JACK: That's, that's.... that's a bit of a long story.

KATE: Well we've got a lot of time. We've got to wait for the fax. Come on, I'm a good listener.

 

JACK GOES ON TO RELATE HIS COURTSHIP WITH JENNIFER.

SCENE THREE: JACK HAS JUST FINISHED TELLING KATE ABOUT HIM AND JENNIFER.

 

KATE: Heheheh. I just can't imagine you getting married in Salem Arena.

JACK: Yes it was quite a day.

KATE: And you lived happily every after.

JACK: Yes we did. We do.... we do.

KATE: You're really not very comfortably talking about your personal life, are you?

JACK: No, no, I'm not. I'm.... I'm.... I'm very private.

KATE: Funny thing is your business is to invade other people's privacy.

JACK: Oooh, just so. But I do consider myself a fair man.

KATE: I tell you this much. You're bending over backwards to be fair to Carly Manning.

JACK: I can't believe we're back on this. You don't understand. I would connect her to a mercy killing in a New York minute IF WE COULD PROVE THAT SHE DID IT BUT WE CAN'T. See the press does this again and again. I've been involved in it.

KATE: Jack, Jack.... Jack. Listen.... listen to me. I've read all about the scandals that destroyed your father but you're over-reacting. Senator Deveraux.... I'm sure it must have been devastating for you.

JACK: Now wait a minute. One has nothing to do with the other. What are you up to Kate?

 

KATE JUST LOOKS PUZZLED.

 

JACK: I SAID WHAT ARE YOU UP TO? All this jumping around from the councilman to Carly then to me. Always coming back to me. What is this sudden interest in me and my life?

KATE: Did it ever occur to you that I might just like you? Look I know I don't have many friends. I just have never had the time but, I don't know, I feel a certain.... kinship with you and I'd like to think that we could be friends.

JACK: Ah certainly. I don't see why not.

KATE: Would Jennifer mind?

JACK: Why would she mind?

KATE: You know some wives get threatened if their husbands have friends of the opposite sex.

JACK: No, I don't think Jennifer would mind.

KATE: Good, good. Then I'll tell you what else is good. I tell you for two people that like to work alone, this is terrific.

JACK: Yes.... it reads as if it was written by one person.

KATE: My thought exactly.

SCENE FOUR: MEANWHILE JENNIFER GOES TO SEE CARLY AND GETS VERY UPSET AND RUNS TO THE ROOF OF THE HOSPITAL TO GET SOME AIR. AUSTIN SEES HER AND FOLLOWS HER UP THERE. SHE TELLS HIM THAT SHE FEELS SORRY FOR JACK BECAUSE HE IS HIDING FROM ABBY'S ILLNESS. THEY TALK FOR A WHILE. WHEN THEY GO TO LEAVE, THEY FIND THE DOOR STUCK AND THEY ARE TRAPPED UP THERE.

SCENE FIVE: BACK AT KATE'S OFFICE, JACK AND KATE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE FAX.

 

JACK: Look this is taking too long. I'm just going to go back to The Spectator. I'm going to have him fax it me there and I'll just finish the story....

KATE: Oh no you're not. We started this together and we're going to finish it together. Although I would like to get into some more comfortable clothes.

JACK: You can get....

KATE: You know I keep a change back here just for nights like this. Why don't you take this? Somebody sent it to me months ago. I don't know what it is.

 

SHE HANDS HIM A BOTTLE OF RED WINE.

 

KATE: Down there. There's a bottle opener in the bottom drawer. I'll be back in a minute.

 

SHE GOES TO CHANGE. JACK OPENS THE WINE AND IS SIPPING IT WHEN KATE RETURNS IN VERY CASUAL CLOTHES.

 

KATE: This is much better.

JACK: I could only find champagne flutes but the wine is quite good.

KATE: Is it?

JACK: Yes.

KATE: Hmmm it is. I love a good California wine. Funny thing is I can't even remember who gave it to me.

JACK: I did.

KATE: Oh you didn't.

 

JACK SMILES.

 

KATE: Oh you did not.

JACK: It's quite interesting to see you this way.

KATE: What way?

JACK: Relaxed. Feet curled up in a chair rather than having them firmly planted on the ground ready for another day and night of work.

KATE: I know. Everybody thinks that I'm an ice cube. The work machine. I'm just a human as everybody else. I don't care. It's good for business.

JACK: Yes it is. Keep them out. Don't let anyone in. Don't get mad, get even. That's how it was when Jennifer showed.... you know I was just thinking about this magazine. It's really not my cup of tea but there's a couple of articles in here that I was thinking, ah, they'd look good and they might draw in some of our female readers if we could put them in The Spectator.

KATE: That's a great idea. You know what, a topic just popped into my head. Infidelity.

 

JACK GIVES HER A CONCERNED LOOK.

 

KATE: What do you think?

 

JACK RAISES HIS EYEBROWS AS HE LOOKS UP AT HER.

 

SCENE ONE: JACK IS STILL IN KATE'S OFFICE. JACK IS STILL CONCERNED ABOUT KATE'S COMMENT ON INFIDELITY.

 

JACK: Are you?

KATE: Of course I'm serious. I thought you'd love the idea.

JACK: Well it's not that I don't love it. I just don't think that the readers of The Spectator would exactly love reading about infidelity in The Spectator.

KATE: Why? You're trying to find a series of articles to run in "Lifestyles," alright. Now the bulk of the material in "Lifestyles" has to do with relationships. What could possibly affect a relationship more than infidelity? I think it's a great idea. You don't?

JACK: Never really thought about it.

KATE: You're not serious.

JACK: Well I am.

KATE: Well frankly Jack.... I guess I'm a little surprised.

 

JACK LOOKS SURPRISED AT HER REMARK.

 

KATE: Well you know last year they ran a survey where 70% of the men interviewed said that they had at least considered having an extra-marital affair.

JACK: Seventy percent, really! Who were these men?

KATE: It was a broad cross section of the country. Ah, white collar workers, blue collar workers, professionals, farmers, everybody.

JACK: Seventy percent! Isn't that something?

KATE: Well and 60% of the women said the same thing.

JACK: Well I suppose that puts us in the minority then.

KATE: Speak for yourself Jack.

 

HE GIVES HER A VERY WARY LOOK.

SCENE TWO: MEANWHILE JENNIFER HAS GONE ONTO THE ROOF OF THE HOSPITAL AGAIN BECAUSE SHE IS UPSET ABOUT CARLY. AUSTIN FOLLOWS HER AND THIS TIME THE DOOR GETS STUCK AND THEY ARE CAUGHT UP THERE TALKING FOR HOURS.

SCENE THREE: WHILE THEY ARE UP THERE, IT APPEARS THAT CARLY HAS DIED. ACTUALLY VIVIEN HAS GIVEN HER A FORMULA THAT MAKES IT SEEM LIKE HER HEART HAS STOPPED BUT REALLY SHE'S IN A KIND OF COMA.

SCENE FOUR: BACK IN KATE'S OFFICE.

 

JACK: I mean everyone's entitled to their fantasies. Besides you did say the majority considered having affairs.

KATE: Many of them did.

JACK: Well what people do behind closed doors is their own business, not mine.

KATE: Well that's a very sophisticated attitude Jack but I'm afraid not everybody shares your sophistication, including your wife. As nice as Jennifer is, I don't think she'd be quite as understanding.

JACK: I suppose you're right. She was raised by Dr. and Mrs. Horton. Her formative years were developed by two people who hold very basic beliefs about marriage.

KATE: Funny thing is, Harper Deveraux, I mean from everything I've heard, wasn't exactly a model husband.

JACK: Nor was his wife a model wife. No, Anjelica would be surprised if she knew I was aware of her many liaisons.

KATE: Heheheh, oh. But you know the upper classes have always lived like that Jack.

JACK: Well I suppose you're right there.

KATE: I mean I don't think it's so much a matter of what's right and what's wrong. It's more a matter of how the people around you, your friends, your family, how they accept it. You know the wealthy have always said we're going to the sea shore in the summer to the second home. Well this attitude is accepted in the same way.

JACK: I grew up with many people who shared the same belief. (Beat) You know I'm curious about something. I hope you don't think I'm prying.

KATE: What's the question?

JACK: The gentleman that you chose not to have dinner last night. Was he by any chance?

 

JACK HOLDS UP HIS HAND AND POINTS TO HIS WEDDING RING.

 

KATE: Married? No, he's divorced. But when I was involved with him, yes, he was married.

JACK: Hmmm, it must have been rather difficult to play second fiddle to a wife and family.

KATE: Well I suppose if one had to play second fiddle, it would be, yes. But I didn't. I found it to be a satisfying experience. A very satisfying experience. Now I know some women have miserable experiences but I think it just depends on the man and how important you are to him.

 

JACK IS OBSERVING HER CLOSELY.

KATE: Well, we better get back to work. I tell you what, I keep a book here of other topics. We can try and find another topic for Lifestyles in it.

SCENE FIVE: JACK IS STILL OBSERVING HER MOVEMENTS AND BODY LANGUAGE. THEY CONTINUE THEIR CONVERSATION.

 

JACK: You know cross word puzzles and those kind of gimmicks, they're good in their place but if we want The Spectator to grow at a steady rate we have to have people looking forward to reading the paper in the morning and in the evening.

KATE: I agree, I agree, I agree. And there's no reason we can't educate them while we're entertaining them.

JACK: Well let's just expand the international section. That'll make them laugh.

 

KATE LAUGHS AND THEN THE PHONE RINGS AND SHE ANSWERS IT.

 

KATE: Your contact's on line 2 and Marie's got his fax.

 

JACK TAKES THE PHONE.

 

JACK: Oh good, alright. (Beat) Hello, Deveraux here, yes.

 

KATE RUNS TO GET THE FAX.

 

JACK: Good, good, good, good, good, good. Got everything in there? Nothing else, okay. Take care okay. Thank you very much.

 

WHILE JACK IS ON THE PHONE, KATE'S SECRETARY GIVES HER A FEW MESSAGES FROM JENNIFER.

 

MARIE: Oh and his wife's called seven times.

KATE: Oh I'll tell him and continue to hold all calls, alright.

MARIE: Alright.

 

KATE GOES BACK TO HER DESK.

 

JACK: Well he said that we have everything we should need and more.

KATE: Listen we've only got fifteen minutes left. Is that enough time.

JACK: That's no problem. We've written most of the article. We should just plug a few things in.

KATE: Well you keep writing and I'll call Vern and tell him to hold the presses. (Beat) Vern please, it's Kate Roberts.

 

SHE LOOKS DOWN AT THE MESSAGES FOR JACK TO CALL JENNIFER AT THE MEDICAL CENTER AND SHE SCREWS THEM UP.

 

KATE: This is incredible Jack.

 

THEY ARE BOTH LOOKING AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN AT WHAT HE HAS WRITTEN.

 

JACK: No, no, you know, something.... something's missing. It's not quite right.

KATE: It's perfect.

JACK: No.... the holding companies. We only have half the holding companies. There's three.... three.

KATE: You're missing three.

JACK: How much time do we have?

KATE: Ah.... thirty seconds.

JACK: Thirty seconds. Okay do you have the fax right there? I'll call it.... I'll just call it in. No problem. I'll just call it right in.

 

HE PICKS UP THE PHONE.

 

JACK: Hello. Vern, Vern, hi, yes, one more addition, alright. Paragraph six, yes. Okay, right after the payoffs were laundered through several holding companies which have been traced to Councilman Daniels, there are and I quote, Melinda Industries, Merritt Manufacturing and KLD Travel Inc. Yes! Okay I'll take care of the faxes. Don't worry about a thing. We made it, good! Thank you very much.

 

HE HANGS UP AND BOTH JACK AND KATE ARE SO EXCITED THAT THEY MADE THE DEADLINE. SHE IS SITTING ON THE DESK SCREAMING AND HE IS CHEERING FROM HIS CHAIR.

 

JACK: Thank you. YES!!!

KATE: WE MADE THE DEADLINE, YES!!! God there is nothing like the rush when you beat a deadline by seconds.

JACK: YES!

 

JACK IS VERY PLEASED WITH HIMSELF.

JACK: Yes.

 

THEY BOTH LAUGH AS THEY WIND DOWN.

 

JACK: Yes. Well I guess that's that. (Beat) You take care of these and I'm just going to.... well I'll be just getting home. Actually you can walk down with me I suppose.

KATE: No I can't go yet.

JACK: You can't go.... you're going to put me to shame now aren't you? Why do you have to stay here and work?

KATE: Jack, I couldn't work now if I had to. I couldn't sleep either. No, I'm all pumped up and I'm hungry.

JACK: Hungry?

KATE: Yes I have this tradition. Whenever I beat a deadline by seconds I order Chinese.

JACK: Really! That's very New York of you. You know I graduated from Yale and I worked in New York for a couple of years and whenever I finished a big project we'd always stop and eat.... Chinese.

KATE: Well why don't you stay? Join me and relive the tradition.

JACK: Oh no, no. It's late and I really should be....

KATE: Oh come on. I'll buy. You can order whatever you want but I want Schezuan Shrimp.

JACK: Well Schezuan Shrimp. I like the menu and I like the price.

KATE: We'll share the Schezuan Shrimp.

JACK: Alright. We'll do that.

KATE: Okay, I also want Paper Wrapped Chicken, I want Egg Roll, Wonton Soup.

JACK: Alright.

KATE: I want one of those salads with the sticky wicky dressing, whatever that's called.

JACK: No, no, I don't like any of that.

KATE: Well you don't have to eat it then. Broccoli Beef, you want some of that?

JACK: Yes.

KATE: Alright.

 

JACK IS STILL TRYING TO FIGURE KATE OUT.

SCENE SIX: AT THE HOSPITAL, JENNIFER IS GETTING UPSET BECAUSE SHE IS STILL LEAVING MESSAGES FOR JACK AND HE STILL HA NOT CALLED HER BACK. WHILE SHE IS THERE, TOM TELLS HER THAT CARLY HAS JUST DIED. BECAUSE SHE CANNOT CONTACT JACK, AUSTIN STAYS WITH HER.

SCENE SEVEN: BACK AT KATE'S OFFICE, THE CHINESE HAS ARRIVED AND THEY ARE BOTH EATING IT.

JACK: You know this sticky wicky sauce is excellent. You know I was thinking.

KATE: What?

JACK: If Lucas wanted to run for City Council tomorrow, he could have a seat because I can assure you that Councilman Daniels will be resigning by noon.

KATE: Is Lucas old enough to run for City Council?

JACK: He's not old enough to vote but I don't see why that should stop him.

KATE: Heheheh. I see. He will be soon.

JACK: Huh, uh.

KATE: You don't want anymore shrimp do you?

JACK: Well you can save me a little bit, yes.

KATE: Here.

 

SHE THROWS JACK A FORTUNE COOKIE.

 

JACK: Oh.... oooh, fortune time.

 

HE BREAKS IT OPEN.

 

JACK: You go first. What does the future hold for you?

KATE: Whatever I want.

JACK: That's a good answer.

KATE: "You are destined to do whatever you set your goals for so set your sights on the stars."

JACK: Whew! "A beautiful smile may hide many things." (Beat) Trade you. You know for my money these things hold about as much water as a horoscope.

KATE: Oh I believe in horoscopes and fortune cookies. I mean I've got just about everything I've ever wanted in my life.

JACK: As you should have. I don't think anything was exactly handed to you.

KATE: I supposed you're right. (Beat) You don't want anymore shrimp?

JACK: Oh no, no, no, no, no, please. You keep the shrimp. You take it home. You eat it for breakfast.

KATE: I love Chinese food for breakfast.

JACK: Huh, uh. Well you just carry on the tradition. (Beat) I'd.... I'd like to thank you for this evening and all your help. It's been.... it's really been something.

KATE: Well we'll have to do it again sometime.

JACK: That's a deal. We will.

KATE: Listen, congratulations, you wrote a great story.

JACK: Thank you, thank you. And you helped.

KATE: Heh. (Beat) Goodnight.

JACK: Goodnight.

 

KATE IS SECRETLY A BIT ANNOYED THAT HE IS LEAVING. HE PICKS UP HIS COAT AND BRIEFCASE AND WALKS OUT THE OFFICE DOOR.THE SECRETARY IS STILL AT WORK.

 

JACK: Goodnight, you can go home now too.

SCENE EIGHT: KATE ASKS THE SECRETARY TO CALL AND BOOK A SUITE NEXT TO HERS FOR JACK AT THE UPCOMING NEWSPAPER CONFERENCE.