January 05, 2007

Kayla: Oh. Steve. How's John?

Steve: He's not good.

Kayla: Well, that's no answer. What are they saying?

Steve: They're saying his brain might be damaged beyond repair.

Kayla: Oh, no.

Steve: He's supposed to be completely unresponsive.

Kayla: What do you mean, "supposed to be"?

Steve: You remember what happened when the EMTs brought him in with me?

Kayla: You mean the way he reacted when you came up?

Steve: Yeah. The same thing happened again last night. His heart rate went up, and the monitors went crazy. What do you think that means, Kayla?

Kayla: I don't know. If the doctors say that his brain is basically dead, then he shouldn't be able to react that way. But...

Steve: But what?

Kayla: Miracles happen.

Steve: Yeah, that we both know. So, you think John might come around?

Kayla: He's obviously responding to you.

Steve: Yeah, but why me? Why does he only react that way when I'm around -- his hand shaking and adrenaline spiking?

Kayla: I don't know. Maybe it's as simple as you're his friend. I want to stop by the chapel on the way home, light a candle for John.

Steve: Okay.

Beverly: Mrs. Kiriakis, I've got a court order allowing me to take the child -- Claire Kiriakis.

Steve: Hey, hey. Let me see that.

Beverly: Who might you be?

Steve: Well, I might be Shawn Brady's uncle, and this is his aunt. Kayla Brady Johnson. Steven earl Johnson. Who the hell are you?

Beverly: I'm a licensed social worker with child protective services.

Kayla: There must be some mistake.

Beverly: I assure you, I'm well within my rights.

Steve: Taking a baby away from its mother?

Kayla: On what grounds?

Beverly: I'm not at liberty to discuss the case. But if your nephew and his girlfriend won't cooperate, I'll instruct officer Santos here to remove the chapel door.

Steve: Come on. Take it easy. You got a scared couple of kids in there. You got a father trying to protect his family -- that's all.

Beverly: I'm just here to do my job.

Steve: Yeah, I bet you sleep like a baby.

Kayla: Listen, please, let us talk to them.

Beverly: It's not going to change the outcome.

Steve: No? So give us 10 minutes. Will that kill you?

Beverly: All right. You have five minutes.

Steve: Oh. "Five minutes."

Kayla: Steve...

Steve: Hey, Shawn, Belle. This is your Uncle Steve. Aunt Kayla's out here with me. Can we come in?

Shawn D.: I'll let you and Kayla in, but Healy and the cop stay outside.

Beverly: How do I know what you two are gonna do once you get in there?

Steve: You have my word. I'll get Claire out of there safely. That is your job -- protecting children -- right? Okay, Shawn, come on. Open up. Just me and Kayla are coming in. It's all right.

Kayla: Belle. It'll be all right, Belle. Shh! Hey, baby.

Shawn D.: So, did you see the court order?

Steve: Yeah.

Shawn D.: What did it say?

Steve: Victor's filed for full custody of Claire.

Shawn D.: How can he do this? This is wrong, Steve. You know it is.

Steve: It doesn't make any sense to me, either, dude, but that cop out there tells me that Kiriakis is serious.

Shawn D.: I don't give a damn who is outside. I am not letting anyone take our baby.

Kayla: Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! Shh! It's okay.

Shawn D.: I knew this was gonna happen. I should have had a plan.

Kayla: You know what, Shawn? When you get out of here, we'll get you an attorney.

Belle: I'm not going anywhere without my baby.

Beverly: Your five minutes are up!

Steve: Hang on! Nobody's going anywhere!

Shawn D.: Steve, I need you to distract the cop and the witch from protective services while I get Belle and Claire out of here.

Steve: And then what?

Shawn D.: I drive.

Kayla: Where are you gonna go?

Shawn D.: Far away from here, where nobody's ever gonna find us.

Steve: Listen, Shawn, we understand how you feel. You're trying to protect Belle and your daughter. But running away is just gonna dig you in deeper. It's not the answer, man.

Shawn D.: Well, then give me something else, Steve? What would you do if you were me?

Steve: Well, a few years back, I probably would have done what you're thinking about doing now -- turned a lousy situation into a train wreck.

Shawn D.: So, that's it? We just hand Claire over and let the system work things out?

Steve: Right now that's what you have to do until we can get you a lawyer to look into this thing and find out what Kiriakis has actually got.

Belle: We didn't break any laws. We didn't do anything wrong.

Kayla: Nobody is disputing that, but you cannot ignore a court order. It is gonna be a temporary thing. There is no way that they're gonna take a child away from its biological mother.

Belle: But it does happen. There's no guarantee that victor won't win. They're gonna say we're unfit. They're gonna say Claire is better off with Philip.

Steve: Then you prove to them that you are fit, that you're both loving and responsible parents. That's what you do.

Shawn D.: You say the word and we're out of here.

Steve: You do that and you're giving Kiriakis all the ammunition he needs.

Kayla: Not to mention the fact that he'll catch you. Steve and I lived a life on the run. We remember what it's like -- looking over your shoulder every minute of every day. You're just trying to disappear into the crowd. You lose a big part of your life when you're running away. What about poor Claire? What kind of life is that gonna be for her?

Steve: Listen. Kids --

Belle: [Sniffling]

Steve: Oh, yeah, it's all right. It's a rotten situation. You can't trust the system. But trust the people who love you. We will fight like hell with you to make this thing right. You're not alone. You got family, friends around you. They're ready to support you every step of the way. But it's your call. What's it gonna be?

[Pounding on door]

Beverly: Your time is up! Come on! Open the door! Your time's up!

Steve: They're not gonna wait all day.

Shawn D.: I know.

Steve: What's it gonna be? Okay. It's gonna be all right.

Beverly: I could charge you with obstructing justice!

Kayla: You're in a chapel, and you're gonna scare that child. Cut it out.

Beverly: I have a court order allowing me to take this child. Don't make this any more difficult.

Beverly: I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask the officer to intervene.

Kayla: Wait. Wait. Wait. Belle, listen to me. Listen to me. Please, just make it as easy for Claire as you can, all right? Come on. Come on. Be brave.