Episode #640 > Scene 8 |
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ROYALE INN Jason waits anxiously for some indication of how things are going inside the hotel. Unable to remain in the car, he stands outside and listens for voices, or yells, or the sound he is dreading: a gunshot. But he hears nothing and knows nothing until two police officers escort a goateed man in a gray sweatshirt out of the building. Then comes the only sight he truly cares about: Sophie. Whatever anger he feels about her being in Helen’s arms pales in comparison to the euphoric blend of relief and joy that seeing her safe brings. He runs to the building’s entrance. “Daddy’s here,” he says, stretching out his arms to take her. “Daddy!” she yells out. Jason eases her out of Helen’s hold and hugs her tightly, though he is not sure it could ever be tight enough. Brent and Eric Westin follow Helen out of the building, but Jason hardly notices them. “You’re okay, kiddo,” he says, running his thumb over Sophie’s tear-stained cheek. “I’m so sorry. But you’re okay. You’re with Daddy now. I’m never leaving you.” Brent holds out the duffel bag. “You probably want this, too. I can have my guys pull the counterfeits and give you back what’s yours.” “Yeah, that’s fine.” The money seems absurdly unimportant right now. He has Sophie back in his arms. She is safe. That is all that matters. Somewhere in the distance, Jason hears the slam of a car door. The other two officers return, minus the handcuffed man. “I’ll take him down and book him,” the male officer says to Brent. “Okay,” Brent says. “But there’s something else we have to do first.” Jason has not allowed himself to look Helen or Eric in the face, but now, the glance that he steals makes it clear that Eric knows what is about to happen. “Eric Westin, you’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit kidnapping,” Brent says before rattling off the Miranda warning. Uncharacteristically, Eric does not protest, nor does he resist the locking of the metal rings around his wrists. One of the officers leads Eric to a separate squad car. “You might want to take Sophie to the car,” Brent says to Jason. “I don’t want her to see this.” Helen stands stiffly, knowing what must be about to take place. “I’m so sorry,” she says. “I never meant for any of this to happen.” Her features distort as tears threaten to push through. Courtney would hate to see this, Jason thinks, and for a moment, he sees Helen for what she is: an old woman who made a very, very stupid choice out of desperation. But then he thinks about how he felt today, how he felt waiting for word from inside that hotel, and how Sophie must have felt to be alone with a stranger in an unfamiliar place. “I won’t cry for you, Helen,” he says, and with that, he turns and brings Sophie back to his own car. He buckles her into her carseat and climbs behind the wheel. “We’re gonna go see Grandma and Grandpa and everyone else,” he tells his daughter. In the rearview mirror, he watches as Brent places Helen in handcuffs. END OF EPISODE #640 What will happen between Jason and the Chases now? |
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