DAYS #106: Nick figures out Nicole and Eric's plans, Jordan's moment of truth (07/14/14)

EPISODE 106
Written by A. Washington-Beeby
Story Consultants: ML Cooks, Nick Monarco & C. Nathaniel Richardson

Abigail stands in the field before Percy Ruggles' cabin outside Salem, with the televison camera on her, as she reports on the protests against Titan and EnerNext's plans to commence extracting oil out of the land near Salem. The crowd of protesters chanting behind her means Abby must speak loudly over the din into her microphone.

ABBY: ...And as the protests begin, many in Salem's west end are showing their support tonight, by using only sparse electricity throughout the evening hours in their own protest, aimed at encouraging EnerNext and Salem City Council to invest in more environmentally-friendly sources of power, such as wind and solar panels. For Salem's own WXIR News, I'm Abigail Deveraux.
CAMERAMAN: Aaaand cut! Great work, Abby, especially for your first time out.

Abby smiles sheepishly as she walks toward the cameraman.

ABBY: Well, thanks! Now I just have to convince the rest of Salem of that.
CAMERAMAN: You'll be fine. Besides, it's only for today while Nicole runs her errand, and if she isn't satisfied with how you covered it, she can voice over it for the news tonight.


Abby nods in understanding as they pack up. Heading for her car, she looks back over and spots Jerome looking her way. Abby smiles back him, holding her hand up in the air to give him an "ok" gesture with her fingers before stepping into the car.

Jerome, facing the crowd of protesters he's leading, smiles back, deeply intrigued by the young woman.



From the edge of the crowd, Hope, Rafe, and Roman all stand together, watching their fellow officers patrol the protest, maintaining order. Hope looks as Abby and Jerome look at each other, and continues to feel discomforted by their interaction.

---


Jordan walks into her suite at the Salem Inn with a shopping bag in hand. Hastily slamming the door, she makes a beeline for the vanity, where she lays down her purse and pulls a pregnancy test out of the shopping bag.

She stares intesnely at the pregnancy test box, sighing heavily as she contemplates it.

JORDAN: This could be everything you've ever hoped for, Jordan. But you can't tell Rafe until you know for sure. And if you are pregnant...then you might finally get the chance to have everything you thought you'd never have in your life.

Jordan smiles at the thought of potentially having a baby and starting a life with Rafe, but is so nervous the smile fades.

---


Billie puts down the phone in her office at Titan, a wide smile on her face as she looks up at Lucas and Kate, who've reassembled there.

BILLIE: It's on. Shane just gave us the go-ahead to put surveillance on Sheryl and Jordan's computers, and they'll be remotely guiding us through disabling the virus installation through live chat tonight.

Lucas and Kate beam, surprised by the good news.

LUCAS: Fantastic! So that means this nightmare's gonna finally be over.

Billie looks cautiously at Lucas, holding up a finger to remind him.

BILLIE: Might. I can't guarantee anything, but based on the evidence that one of them was responsible for hacking into the city council's server this morning and erasing the files on the expropriation of Percy Ruggles' land? We've got enough to at least make charges stick if we catch them in the act tonight.
KATE: And what about the rest of the Titan executive? Should we fill them in now on what's going on, or is it safe yet to do that?

Billie looks at Kate, a look of uncertainty remaining on her face.

BILLIE: Shane said that until we know for certain that it is Sheryl and Jordan working on this and that they aren't being helped out by anyone higher up in the company, that we should keep everything within these four walls. There are too many unknown factors at play, especially with all the rejigging and new hires they've had to do since EnerNext merged with Titan.
LUCAS: Makes sense.

Kate looks over at Lucas, then back at Billie, the whole time extremely pensive. Billie, meanwhile, begins to rummage through her bag, looking for something in particular.

KATE: Alright. So...now what?

Billie pulls out a tiny bugging device from her bag, and holds it up for Kate and Lucas to see.

BILLIE: Lucas? Wanna go on one last little mission for me?

Lucas looks on, deeply uncomfortable with this idea, knowing interacting with Sheryl will be required.

---

---

Hope, standing with Rafe and Roman, stares off from the edge of the anti-EnerNext protest as Abby and Jerome stare at each other from a distance. Concern plain on her face, but she doesn't move toward Abigail as Abigail steps into the WXIR News vehicle. Her moment of observation is interrupted by Roman.

ROMAN: Alright, so we're gonna have to just keep this contained, but I suggest we try to break this up sooner rather than later.

Rafe and Hope look at Roman, confused. Hope speaks up.

HOPE: Roman, I don't know if that's such a good idea.

Roman cuts in, curtly speaking over Hope's suggestion.

ROMAN: Hope, with all due respect, I don't feel it's right that I should have my authority overruled right now.

Rafe, stepping in to defend his partner, tries to maintain a calm demeanour as he responds to Roman.

RAFE: The protest is soon to end anyway, Roman. Besides, there's no need to escalate things. It's been a peaceful protest so far.

Roman looks at Hope, feeling cut down by Hope and Rafe. He sighs and looks down as he responds.

ROMAN: Yeah. Fine.

Roman begins to walk toward his car, while Hope quickly speaks to Rafe.

HOPE: I think we're gonna be fine if you wanna head home.

Rafe nods, also concerned about Roman, but obliges.

RAFE: Sounds good. I'll call you in a bit.
HOPE: 'Kay.

Hope and Rafe separate and Rafe heads for his car. Roman's also heading for his car when Hope pulls him aside, a great deal of concern on her face.

HOPE: Roman...I'm sorry, okay? I'm just...I'm worried about you.

Roman hisses back, agitated by Hope's concern, but trying to keep word quiet on the force about his memory lapses.

ROMAN: Don't...okay? Dammit, Hope, I don't want you treating me like I'm incompetent because of my memory lapses, okay?
HOPE: You know that's not what I'm doing. But last night was really scary, Roman. And I don't think any of us want you making any rash decisions that could cost you or one of the other officers their lives.
ROMAN: Don't you think I want to keep you all safe? Dammit, Hope, you're gonna have to trust my judgment.

Hope, thinking back to Jerome's recent false arrest, and Roman's recent memory lapse that saw him spend a frigid night in the park, looks down, a tense, pensive look on her face.

HOPE: I don't know if I can do that right now, Roman. But I'm going to try. Just know that this isn't coming from a place of disrespect or trying to...pull some kinda power play on you. I'm just concerned.

Roman looks at Hope, dejected and embarrassed.

ROMAN: Spare me your concern, Hope. I need you to trust that I know what the right thing to do is, and if my officers can't do that, then I can't do my job. And I'm not going to give up this job without a fight.

Hope looks at Roman, a look of respect and sadness in her eyes.

---

Abby steps back into the office at WXIR with her cameraman and sets down her bag. She and he laugh as they joke about the goings on of the day.

ABBY: I can't believe it all was so easy. And I am SO not telegenic, Nicole is totally gonna scrap my on-camera bit.
CAMERAMAN: Don't be so sure, Abby. You know, you've definitely got your mom's touch in front of the camera.


A voice calls out to Abby from the doorway of the office, startling both her and the cameraman.

EJ: That she does.

Abigail looks over, stunned by EJ's arrival.

ABBY: EJ!

EJ looks at Abigail, smiling warmly at her as he stands expectantly in the doorway.

---


Inside the Titan Lab, the sound of test tubes bubbling under the heat of bunsen burners colour the otherwise silent air. Nick leans back against one of the counters in the lab, playing with the prescription pad that had been placed in his laptop bag earlier in the day. He closely analyzes the pad. The name on the pad: Dr. Marlena Evans.

NICK: Dr. Marlena Evans.

Looking over at his open laptop on the desk nearby, Nick saunters over to the desk. He places the prescription pad down next to his laptop and begins to think as he stares at his screen.

NICK: Now she wouldn't do this herself...so...who is connected to Dr. Evans...Sami...but Stefano's got her right where he wants her...it couldn't be Eric...

Nick's eyebrows raise slightly when he makes a quick realization.

NICK: Nicole.

Nick quickly opens a program and pats himself down to try to find his new cell phone. Opening that up, he quickly hunts through his contacts to try to find Nicole's phone number.

NICK: Okay...23...4.

Nick waits a moment before a map of Salem appears, with a chain of red dots appearing across the map, indicating where Nicole's cell phone's been today. Nick looks up at the strings of dots scattered across the map, before changing the time parameters in the search bar at the top of the map.

NICK: Between 11am and 3pm.

Nick hits 'enter', and the chain of red dots mostly disappear, except for a small series of dots moving from the DiMera tower to City Hall, then Club TBD. Nick looks up from his screen, remembering the fleeting moment he spoke to Nicole that afternoon.

***

FLASHBACK TO EPISODE 103
 

Nick stands outside Salem U's main hall, on the phone with Nicole. He speaks to her on the phone, increasingly agitated in his tone.
 
NICK: (into phone) I asked YOU to be there, not your assistant. And I don’t appreciate you trying to pull one over on me. Or ignoring my phone calls.
 
…
 
Nicole rolls her eyes, as she drives down the road to meet up with Eric, already exasperated by Nick’s constant demands, she fights hard not to snap at him.
 
NICOLE: (into phone) Oh, get over it. You’ll get your story, Nick. Abby’s not exactly an amateur, you know. Look, I gotta go. I have an appointment and I have to meet Eri—I gotta go.
 
Nicole hangs up quickly, kicking herself for slipping up as she presses “end call” on her phone, and carries on driving.

***

Nick snaps out of his memory, and immediately smirks, realizing he has a good idea what the meeting was about.

NICK: City hall. Eric Brady.

After a moment of clicking his mouse and frantically typing, Nick accesses the Salem City Hall server, and searches through their database for Eric Brady.

After a moment, a result, from today.

Nick looks it over and starts to laugh to himself.

NICK: Gotcha!

---

Lucas gets up from his seat in Billie's office, enraged by his sister's request.

LUCAS: Dammit, Billie! No! I'm not going to do anything else to keep this charade going between me and Sheryl. I'm done.

Billie gets up from her seat, trying desperately to calm Lucas down.

BILLIE: Lucas! It's...woah...it's just one last thing. It'll just take five minutes and it'll give us everything we need to get this whole operation over with today.
LUCAS: No! Okay, I'm done.

Kate, still in her seat, goes to touch Lucas' hand, but Lucas flinches and draws his hand away from his mother.

KATE: Lucas, calm down! Hear Billie out.
LUCAS: Na--come on, both of you! I have been the bait in this operation for way too long, and I'm so fed up of it.

Billie walks around to the other side of her desk and looks at Lucas, standing close to him. She reaches to him to put her hands on his shoulders, but Lucas starts to back up.

BILLIE: Look...Lucas. All I need is for you to call down to Sheryl's office and ask her to come to your office. Once she's there, I'll slip into her office and get the bug planted and I'll be right back out. She won't even know I'm there. All you need to do is distract her for a few minutes in your office. Make it something simple, and something believable so she doesn't get suspicious, and we'll be in and out.

Lucas looks at Billie, knowing she's right, but still reluctant to agree. He finally nods.

LUCAS: Yeah, sure. But this is the LAST TIME, I'm telling you, Billie!

Billie raises her right hand, smiling goofily at her little brother.

BILLIE: Promise. Now! Lucas, give me a call on my cell the moment you've got off the phone with Sheryl and confirm to me that she's alone in that office, okay?

Lucas, already headed for his office, responds as he opens Billie's office door.

LUCAS: Got it.

Kate gets up from her seat, and grabs the bottle of champagne she'd left in Billie's office earlier. Holding it as she walks over towards Billie, who's now gone back behind her desk.

KATE: And hopefully, by the end of tonight, we will be toasting to the downfall of Jordan Ridgeway and Sheryl Connors.

Billie smiles and nods in agreement with her mother.

---

Jordan emerges from her suite's bathroom, pregnancy test in one hand, her cell phone in the other, as the timer ticks slowly down. She looks on, nervously anticipating the result. She thinks of the possible future she would have with Rafe, and begins daydreaming.

...

In her dream, Rafe and Jordan stand in the opposite corner of the room peering lovingly into a bassinet. Rafe looks up at Jordan and smiles warmly.
 
RAFE: You know...I never imagined I'd ever be this lucky.
JORDAN: Neither did I. I can't believe that this is my life. A wonderful man like you to love and cherish me...and our beautiful baby. It's...Rafe, it's everything I ever wanted in life.
 
Rafe and Jordan stand up, looking deeply into each other's eyes as they lean in closer. Jordan wraps her arms around Rafe as they kiss.
 
RAFE: It's everything I've ever wanted...and so much more.
 
Rafe immediately kisses Jordan again, as they begin to kiss passionately.

...

Jordan's knocked out of her dream by her cell phone's alarm noise. Shutting off the alarm, she holds up the pregnancy test, shutting her eyes in nervous anticipation.

JORDAN: The moment of truth.

Jordan opens her eyes, and looks at the result, the shock is plain on her face.

JORDAN: Oh my God!

---