Theunmask

May 29, 1989

SETTING: The CHURCH SANCTUARY and VESTIBULE. Such pandemonium has broken out with the shooting of PHILLIP, that for a while nobody pays attention to the masked intruder in the middle of the floor. In fact, quite a bit of this episode is taken up with shots of people running around the church in hysterics, with RICK and MEREDITH trying to restore order and get PHILLIP to the hospital.

Finally, as the church clears, HOLLY and ED are standing in the vestibule. ED puts a hand on her shoulder.

ED: Okay?

HOLLY: That man is a maniac! He’s completely deranged! Why? Why would anyone do that? What would he gain by that?

ED: I don’t know. I intend to find out, though.

HOLLY follows ED back into the sanctuary.

ROSS: Thank God you’re here. I was about to come after you.

ED: Why?

While they talk, no one notices ROGER looking up just in time to see the chest with the “bomb” fall open harmlessly on the floor. ROGER lies on the floor.

FLETCHER: Well, this guy’s been shot too.

ED: What?

ROSS: Well, they did have Alan out in the vestibule and he did have a gun. A second ambulance has been called but it isn’t here yet.

ED: What happened?

FLETCHER: I don’t know. There’s a lot of blood. I’m not sure how bad it is, though.

ED: Give me a little room here, okay.

ED tries to turn ROGER on his back.

ROSS: Holly, how’s Phillip?

HOLLY: Everything’s gonna be okay. They took him on to Cedars.

ROSS: All right.

ROGER stirs and moans, but his face is covered.

ED: Relax, relax. I’m a doctor. I’m not gonna hurt you. I think this bullet’s gone all the way through. His abdomen is woody; he’s bleeding internally. I hope this ambulance gets here pretty fast.

HOLLY walks past to talk to ADAM THORPE.

HOLLY: Blake is all right.

ADAM: The gunshot? The blood?

HOLLY: She wasn’t hit. Phillip was. But he’s gonna be okay. They took him to the hospital.

ADAM: Thank God!

ED: All right. Look, we’ve missed the ambulance.

FLETCHER: There’s another one coming. I could kill this guy with my bare hands—I could just kill him!

ROSS: Just relax. The law is gonna take care of it.

FLETCHER: Alexandra’s family! How could he do this after all she’s done for him?!

ROSS: Where is Alexandra?

FLETCHER: I sent her away before the ceremony. I just had this feeling.

ED is taking ROGER’S pulse.

HOLLY: My poor family. I thought all this chaos was over long time ago. After—

ADAM: Not any more, Holly. It’ll never be the same again.

At these magic words, ROGER stirs, and mutters, “Christina!”

Everyone else looks stunned.

A horrified HOLLY steps closer.

ED mutters to ROSS and FLETCHER: Get Adam out. Keep Holly away.

HOLLY: Ed?

ROSS: I’ll take care of it. [He goes to HOLLY] Holly?

HOLLY [Breathless horror]: Ed?

ED [Trying to be offhand]: Listen, you should wait outside. I need some room.

HOLLY: You heard it?

ED: It’s okay. Listen, listen—just go!

HOLLY won’t leave. ED pushes against her a bit, and ROSS lays a hand on her shoulder, but neither of the men have the willpower to forcibly remove her. They are too shocked by what they are living. As HOLLY kneels beside ROGER, reaching for the cloth over his face, ED tries to pull her arm back.

HOLLY: You heard—look at him. Look at him! Look at him!

ED: It can’t be, Holly!

HOLLY: Look at him! Look at him!

ED: Fletcher, get her out of here!

HOLLY: No! No! NO! . . .

ED looks at HOLLY. Then he pulls back at the black cloth to reveal—ROGER THORPE!

ED [Mutters]: Roger . . .

HOLLY [Kneeling on the floor]: No, no, no, no. NO! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! [The episode ends with a scream that cannot be transcribed.]