2×09: Savings Of a Lifetime, Part I
Previously on Liberty City:
Patricia leaves town with Cassandra.
Jamie leaves the hospital, alone.
Diane indirectly helps out Jason.
Leah and Dan decide to bring Claire home.
Scene One: The Smithson Home, 745 Brooklyn Road, Liberty City, 01948.
Dan walks himself upstairs, and into his bedroom, expecting to find Leah. However, to his dismay, she is not found in the room. He then walks over to Claire’s bedroom, to see Leah standing in the doorway. As he wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her in, he says, “Hey you. What you doing?” Leah lets out a sigh and with a smile, replies, “Looking into this room, since it’s the last time it’ll be empty.”
“You’ve been waiting forever for this, haven’t you?” “Of course I have. Your daughter didn’t get to spend her first birthday in her home, and with her second quickly sneaking up, it’s important she’s here.”
Leah turns around to face Dan and sees him fighting off tears with a smile. “What’s wrong?” Leah questions, wiping Dan’s tears away. He lets out a big grin and replies, “I can’t believe it. My daughter can finally come home.”
Scene Two: The Johnson Tack House, 609 San Quentin Avenue, Liberty City, 01948.
Jennifer is seen in the living room going through paperwork for the hotel that she had promised Donna she’d go through. A knock is then heard at the door. “Hold on a minute. I’m coming,” Jennifer says out loud, trying to escape from the pile of paperwork she had surrounded herself in.
As she opens her door, she sees Jamie standing in the doorway. “Jamie,” Jennifer exclaims. “It’s so lovely to see you! Please come in.” As Jamie enters, she says, “Thank you. I hope me dropping by unexpectedly isn’t any interruption to your day.” “No, no. It’s fine. I could actually use a break from all of the hotel’s paperwork. It seems like all I do is family business, it’ll be fine to indulge into some of my friend’s lives.”
Jamie lets out a giggle and says, “I highly doubt my life will interest you, unless you can be upfront and honest about my life.” Jennifer closes her door and says, “I heard about the accident. I meant to visit Jamie, I did. It’s just -” Jamie interrupts and says, “I know about Tim, Jennifer. I’m so sorry for you and your family’s loss. It’s incredible honorable, though.”
Jennifer lets out a slight smile, clearly still hurt by the loss of her nephew and says, “Thank you Jamie. It means a lot, and hopefully the loss is worth it in the long run, and that other families don’t need to experience our hurt. Anyway, can I get you any coffee?”
“Yes,” Jamie replies.
Scene Three: The Grove, 26 Windmill Street, Liberty City, 01948.
Adam enters into The Grove, a high-profiled restaurant. As he walks up to the front of the podium, he informs the patron of his name and that he had called in for a party of two. As he sits down at the table, the waiter walks over and asks if he’d like anything to drink while he waits for his other party.
Adam told the waiter he said a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, from Italy, sent to the restaurant for the special occasion. As the waiter walks away, Adam looks over to the entrance of the restaurant and sees Diane walk in, dressing in a form-fitted red dress, with her hair neatly done in an up-do.
As she approaches the table, Adam stands up and pulls out her chair, allowing Diane to sit down, and get comfortable in her seat. “Why, thank you. Your gentlemanly ways haven’t gone down the tubes I see,” Diane says to Adam, in a flirtatious tone.
As Adam himself sits down, the waiter walks over with the wine, and greets Diane. “Ooh, Cabernet Sauvignon. I haven’t seen this since our sophomore year at high school. Our good old days, drinking while our parents were out. What’s the special occasion?” Adam coyly replies, “Do I need a special occasion to toast the most beautiful woman in this place.” The pair shares smiles, and toast each other, before taking a sip of their retrospective glasses of wine.
Scene Four: Liberty City Memorial Hospital, 1281 Bunker Hill Avenue, Liberty City, 01948.
As Leah signs Claire’s release papers, as her legal maternal guardian, Dan goes into the room where Claire had been staying for the past eight months. Since birth, it has been discovered that due to Cassandra’s severe drug addiction, and accident, Claire had been diagnosed with premature lungs, and needed additional stay in the hospital and required rehab, as well as being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
As Dan stands in the doorway, looking at his daughter, who had come a long way since she was born, he begins to let more tears out of his eye. Leah then joins him, and they both walk into the door, and are greeted by the nurse who had been taking care of Claire since her time in the rehab. The nurse instructed both Dan and Leah on precautions they could take at home, and told the pair that it would require extra time for Claire to adjust to her new environment.
“Thank you,” Dan said to the nurse, holding Claire. “It’s no problem Mr. Smithson. Claire was the perfect patient. And a very polite girl, just like her mommy,” the nurse says, looking at both Leah and Dan. “Oh, I’m not her mother,” Leah says. “I’m her aunt. Her mother is receiving treatments since she’s in a coma.” The nurse smiles and says, “You’re the only major female presence Miss Claire has known since birth. So who’s to say that you need to have birthed her to be her mother.”
Leah smiles, and says to Dan and Claire, “Well, who’s ready to go home and get settled into their new room?” Dan smiles at Leah, giving her and Claire quick kisses as they leave the room, hand in hand, ready to bring his family home.
Scene Five: The Johnson Tack House, 609 San Quentin Avenue, Liberty City, 01948.
As Jamie sits on the couch, waiting for Jennifer to return with coffee. As she sits there, she begins to have flashbacks of times she cannot recall having. This begins the flashback…
As Jamie begins to open the door, Monica calls out “Hey Jamie!” Jamie turns around as Monica continues, “Thanks for this. I miss this, us being able to act sisterly.”
Jamie jokingly replies, “Yeah I know. Don’t get used to it. I’ll go back to hating you when I get back.”
Both sisters share a laugh before Jamie leaves the house.
Jamie comes back into present time, startled by Jennifer standing, staring at her. “Are you okay? I’ve been calling your name for a good minute,” Jennifer says. Jamie lets out a slight laugh and says, “Yes, I’m fine. Sorry, just zoning out. Anyway, how have you been? How’s Logan?”
Jennifer sits and takes a sip of her coffee and says, “Logan is as perfect as she can be in this situation. The death has really taken a toll on her. She’s become heavily disconnected by everything, she’s lashing out.” “Lashing out? Like that’s new for Logan, she’s always been the one to lash out and over-react to everything.” Both girls share at laugh, as if no time had passed or any problems had interrupted their lives.
“You know,” Jamie began to say. “I missed this. Us two, hanging out. Having girl time.” Jennifer smiles and agrees, “I know. It’s so hard to keep track of these times with everything that goes on in life. We need to keep up on this.” “We do, it would just help if I could remember everything from the past year and a half.”
Jennifer grabs Jamie’s hand and says, “Enough about me, how are you doing lady? Adjusting back into life and living with Derek?” “No. I’m living at the Liberty City Motel.” “Motel? Well, starting tonight, you’ll be staying here.” Jamie, shocked says, “No Jennifer, I couldn’t. You’re so busy with the hotel and everything I couldn’t impose.” “No imposition. I’m hardly here anyway, besides, it’ll help us catch up on each other’s lives.”
Jamie lets out a cautious smile, knowing that it was easier said than done.
Scene Six: The Grove, 26 Windmill Street, Liberty City, 01948.
As Diane and Adam continue to enjoy their meal, Adam breaks the silence and says, “I’m happy you came. I didn’t know if you would.” “Why not?” Diane asks. “Because, you’re a busy woman with duties as a lawyer.” “Well, my whole life has been about being a lawyer, I deserve some luxury time.”
“So, how is the practice? Do you just deal with divorces, or are you a full-service woman?” Adam asks Diane, with undertones of sexual desire. Diane’s facial expression becomes intrigued, and says, “I deal with divorces, custody cases, defense cases. I guess you could say I’m full-serviced in all fields. As for the practice, there is none. I’m independently run out of my home. Haven’t got the time to launch my own practice, but hopefully someday I’ll be able to.”
“You always were determined to get what you wanted.” “Not everything.”
Adam, after taking another sip of wine asks, “And your parents? How are they?” “Mother and father are living in Florida, enjoying their lives. I was able to help them purchase a condo and set them up securely. Mom quit her practice to take care of father since he wasn’t doing too well.”
“What’s wrong?” “Cancer, pancreatic. He’s passed on a few years back.” Adam reaches his hand across the table and grabs Diane’s and says, “I’m so sorry Diane. I wish I had known.” “I know, me too.”
As Adam pays the bill, Diane agrees to give him a ride back to the hotel since she drove, and he took a cab. The two leave together, hand in hand.
Scene Seven: The Smithson Home, 745 Brooklyn Road, Liberty City, 01948.
Dan and Leah arrived home, with Claire in their arms. “I’m going to take her upstairs, and put her to bed, it’s time for her nap,” Leah said to Dan. As Dan settles the bags into the living room, he picks up a photo of him and Leah. As he looks at the photo, he is quickly reminded of how he has everything he wants: the woman of his dreams, and a daughter in his life. The complete family he wanted.
As she joins Leah upstairs, he witnesses Leah humming a song to Claire, to help her to sleep. “Look at this,” Dan says. “My two best girls. Together in one place.” “Shh,” Leah says. “I just got your daughter to sleep.” Dan then grabs Leah and says, “You mean our daughter.” Shocked by what he said, Leah smiles and the two exchange a kiss.
The doorbell is then heard. “I’ll get it. You stay and watch Claire sleep in her room. And get used to it, because it’s how it’ll be for a long time,” Leah says to Dan. He replies, “Nothing and no one can ever take away this from us.”
As Leah hurries her way downstairs and upon opening the door she is shocked to see her mother standing in the doorway. “Mom, you’re back from Boston,” she says.
Scene Eight
Jennifer says Jamie her room, which is spaciously filled with a bed and vanity. “It’s yours for as long as you want it,” Jennifer says. Jamie hugs Jennifer and says, “Thank you.” “Welcome home Jamie.” As Jennifer closes the door behind her, Jamie turns around and with tears in her eyes she says, “Home.”
As Adam and Diane approach the hotel room, Adam turns around and says, “Thank you for meeting me. I know my time in Liberty City hasn’t been the brightest. But it means the world to me that you came.” Diane smiles and says, “What’s happened in the past is the past Adam.”
As Diane begins to walk away Adam says, “Diane, wait.” As Diane turns around, Adam pulls her into a kiss. Adam leads Diane into his hotel room as the two continue to kiss. He then pulls the zipper down on Diane’s dress and lowers her onto the bed, as they continue to kiss each other, both giving into their obvious remaining attraction.
With Leah still in shock of her mother’s arrival, Patricia walks into the house and says, “Yes, and the whole family is back together again.” “How did you know I was talking about Claire? We just brought her home,” Leah says.
“She’s not talking about Claire,” a mysterious female voice says. Leah quickly turns around to be even more shocked see her sister standing in the doorway. “She was talking about me,” Cassandra says standing in the doorway with a clear grudge held against her sister.