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PREVIOUSLY ON MT. VERNON SQUARE...

After being abducted by her estranged husband John Barnett, Ashley--in an effort to escape her captor--caused a terrible car accident in which both she and John were critically injured...a guilt-ridden Jamie apologized to an unconscious Ashley for bringing John to Baltimore and assured her that John would never harm her again...Alex planned a double date for Holly and Paul and Valerie and himself...Valerie dreaded going as Holly doubted the safety of going, telling Paul about her gut feeling that Valerie is out to get her...After being "caught" having lunch with Alex at the school cafeteria, Holly was shocked to be attacked by Valerie in the rest room...After Valerie left, Holly remembered the night when Valerie attacked her in the bathroom at The Brew...And now...Mt. Vernon Square Episode Nine....

 

EPISODE NINE:  "THE END"

 

 

    Later the same afternoon as John and Ashley's car accident, Ashley has been moved into a private hotel room.  Kyle is sitting in the chair next to her bed, sleeping with his head rested on his hand--propped up by his elbow on the arm of the chair.  After a few minutes, the hospital door opens and Brooke eases into the room.  "Kyle?  Are you in here?"  As she looks around the curtain blocking the view of the bed from the door, Kyle opens his eyes and focuses his vision on Brooke.  He stands up and walks over to her and gives her a hug as she stares at Ashley in confusion.

    "What are you doing here, Kyle?  What happened to her?"  Brooke asks, more looking for justification for Kyle being there than having actual concern for Ashley.  "Bret told me there was an accident and they called you."

    Kyle holds Brooke's arms.  "Ashley's husband came to Baltimore from New York and tried to kill her.  Something happened and there was an accident with a bus. He died.  She's barely hanging on right now," Kyle tells Brooke.  Brooke, still confused as to why Kyle was called, looks up at him and asks, "John Barnett tried to kill her?  Come on, Kyle.  And he's dead?"

    The two hear Ashley making grunting noises and turn to look at the bed.  They can see she is trying to open her eyes.  "Go get a nurse from the station down the hall, Brooke," an excited Kyle says pushing away from Brooke and running to Ashley's bedside and gripping her hand.  Brooke stares at him for a second and then turns and heads to the nurses station.

    Down the hall, she approaches a nurse at the station.  "Excuse me," she begins, "Ashley Barnett--in Room 308--seems to be waking up.  Can someone get in there?"  The nurse hurries to the phone and pages a doctor and then rushes to Ashley's room as Brooke just stands by the nurses' station and watches.  After a few moments, Brooke walks down the hall a bit further to the waiting room.  She sits on a chair and drops her head into her hands and begins to cry.

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    At The Brew, Alex is upstairs working in the office and Valerie walks in and shuts the door behind her.  Alex looks up after the door slams.  "I'm sick of it, Alex.  That little bitch just needs to back off," Valerie yells as she throws her purse onto the couch.  Alex stands up and walks around the desk to Valerie, but she pushes him away.  "You know one of these days, she's really going to do something crazy, and..."  Valerie stops as she starts to sob.  "What in the world are you talking about, Val?" he asks.

    Sniffling and still sobbing, Valerie looks over at Alex and wipes the tears from her eyes.  "Holly told me that she didn't think I was good enough for you and that she would do anything she could to break us apart," she sobs, "and then she followed me into the bathroom and...and then she grabbed my hair and told me that I should never see you again."  Valerie falls into Alex's arms and buries her head in his chest.  "I...I...was so scare, Alex."

    "Oh, honey.  You know that I love you and nothing is going to break us apart.  I can't believe Holly would do this.  We've been best friends since our freshman year at college," Alex comforts Valerie.  Still sobbing, Valerie places her chin on Alex's shoulder.  "She's a nut, Alex.  I'm afraid she's going to try to hurt me or something."  Alex hugs Valerie tightly and responds, "I'll talk to her, Valerie.  I'll tell her to back off."  Valerie continues to sob, but displays a satisfied smile across her face as she continues to hug Alex. 

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    Back at the Harbor Medical Center, Kyle stands back as a doctor and two nurses examine a now awake Ashley.  The doctor talks to her as they check her vitals and do some reflex testing on her arms and legs.  "Can you speak, Ms. Barnett," the doctor asks.  Ashley tries to reply, but cannot enunciate a single word.  "Don't strain yourself, Ms. Barnett.  You were in quite an accident this morning.  Just rest and you'll be able to speak soon."  Kyle wipes a tear from his eye as Ashley looks over at him.  He smiles at her and he can see her trying to smile through her swollen and bruised face.

    The doctor looks at Kyle.  "Mr. Barnett?"  Kyle quickly responds, "No.  No.  I'm just a friend.  Mr. Barnett was killed in the accident."  The doctor continues, "I'm sorry for your loss.  Can I speak to you in the hall."  Kyle agrees and as he walks by he taps his fingers on the bed next to Ashley.  She follows them both with her eyes as the nurses check her monitor and change her IV.

    Once outside, the doctor tells Kyle, "Ms. Barnett has suffered severe trauma to her head and isn't out of the water yet.  In looking at x-rays they took in the ER, I saw that she has some injuries that were sustained prior to the accident today.  Was Ms. Barnett in some other accident recently.  Kyle nods his head, "Not that I know of doctor.  But I haven't really talked to her since..."  Kyle stops in mid-sentence.  He remembers the night at The Brew when Ashley was waiting for him by his car.

Meanwhile, back at The Brew, Kyle is closing the bar--he is turning off the lights, arming the alarm, and he walks out of the back alley door and locks it behind him.  He walks up the alley toward his car, which is parked behind a neighboring building.   As he is walking, he is fumbling with his keys.  Once he finds the key on his keyring that he is looking for, he looks up at his car and sees Ashley leaning against his driver side door.  He walks up to the car and moves her out of his way.  He opens the car door and turns to Ashley.  "I don't know why you're here or what you could possibly want, but you need to just get in your car and go back to New York."  Kyle gets into his car, starts the engine, and looks once again at Ashley.  He sees that she is crying.  He hits the power window button and calls to her, "What?  Why are you crying?"

    "He beats me, Kyle.  He beats me," Ashley tells him, sobbing.  "I came home because I need help.  I don't have anyone else to turn to."  Kyle gets out of the car and walks over to Ashley.  She stretches her arms out, still sobbing, and wraps them around this shoulders while his arms remain at his sides.  "I had to leave or he would have killed me, Kyle.  I packed a change of clothes and just left.  I left it all.  I'm so scared," she continues.

    Kyle reaches up and pushes Ashley away from him.  He looks down at her and angrily into her tear-filled eyes.  "I don't care what kind of problems you have.  I don't care why you've come back to Baltimore.  I'm getting married tomorrow, Ash.  I'm marrying the woman I love.  I'm marrying Brooke.  So you need to pack your things up with this story and your lies and you need to get the hell out of this city."  Kyle lets Ashley go and gets back into his car.  He looks over at her through the still opened window and threatens, "The last time you were here I almost lost Brooke.  If you do anything to mess things up this time, I'll kill you."  

    Kyle speeds away as Ashley stands and watches his car drive up the alley.  She wipes her eyes and screams in the direction is which Kyle drove, "You still love me, Kyle Fletcher.  You still love me.  You still love me...."  She repeats this as she falls to her knees in tears again.

    "She wasn't lying," Kyle says aloud.  "I'm sorry," the doctor inquires.  "Oh, sorry doctor.  I think Ashley was abused by her husband," Kyle tells the doctor.  "That would explain a lot I saw in the x-rays," the doctor tells him.  "That would explain a lot to me too, doctor.  It explains a lot," Kyle says looking over at the door to Ashley's room. 

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    In Bolton Hill, at Holly and Paul's house, Holly walks into the front door and Paul is sitting in the living room watching television.  Holly walks by the living room, shouts her hellos to Paul and then heads upstairs.  She calls back, "I need to get a shower.  I'll be right back."  Paul glances over toward the stairs and then turns his attention back to the television.

    Upstairs, Holly walks into the bathroom and turns on the water.  She takes off her clothes and hops in the shower.  As she stands directly under the stream of water and rubs her hands through her hair, a clump of her hair comes out in her hand.  She looks at the hair in her hand.   "What are you so afraid of, Valerie?  What are you so afraid of?" Holly says aloud.

    Later that evening, Holly and Paul show up at The Brew.  Alex is behind the bar, obviously training the woman standing next to him behind the bar.  At the other end of the bar, Jamie is slumped over, her eyes barely opened.  Holly and Paul walk down to Jamie and Holly puts her arm around her and says hello.  Jamie slurs a hello back to Holly and Holly catches her as she almost falls from the stool.

    The new bartender walks over to the three of them and smiles at Holly and Paul.  "Alex called her friend already.  He should be here anytime to take her home.  She's been drinking since early this afternoon," the woman says to them as she places two drink coasters in front of them.  Holly and Paul just look at her and they both smile.  

    Alex, at the other end of the bar serving customers, finally notices Holly and Paul and darts over to where they are standing.  "I think it would be a good idea if the two of you left," Alex requests of Holly and Paul.  Paul just looks at Holly while Holly stares at Alex in shock.  "What do you mean, Alex?  We just got here," she replies.  Alex picks up the coasters that the new bartender had laid on the bar for them and returns them to the pile in front of him.  "I said I think you should go.  It's probably best if the two of you find another place to hang out," Alex insists. 

    As Holly, Paul, and the new bartender stare at Alex in surprise, Valerie walks through the front door.  Alex notices her and then turns back to Paul.  "Paul, please take Holly out of here.  Get her out of here now."  As Paul turns to Holly to suggest just leaving, Holly pushes by him and walks over to Valerie.

    "You bitch!  You told him I did this, didn't you?  DIDN'T YOU!!??  ANSWER ME, VALERIE!  ANSWER ME NOW!" Holly demands.  Alex makes his way around the bar and over to the two women.  At the end of the bar, Jamie and Paul are watching the argument.  "What in the hell is going on here?" Paul asks under his breath.  A drunken Jamie snickers, catching Paul's attention.  "Are you blind, Paul?" Jamie responds.  "Alex is in love with Holly and it's driving Valerie crazy."  Paul looks down at Jamie and then over at Alex, Holly, and Paul.  "What?" he asks out loud.

    "The only thing I told Alex was the truth, Holly," Valerie tells her.  "I told him about how you attacked me today and told me that I needed to get out of life or I'd be sorry."  Holly laughs out loud.  She runs her hand through the back of her head and uncovers the small bald spot where her hair fell out in the shower.  "Yeah, I attacked you Valerie.  And then why am I the one with a clump of my hair missing," Holly asks.  Bret walks into the front door.

    Holly gets up in Valerie's face.  "Why, Valerie?  TELL ME WHY," Holly demands.  Valerie's eyes well up and she fights back her tears.  "You see, Valerie.  When you attacked me today in the bathroom at school, I remembered what happened in the bathroom here that night when I was really drunk," Holly tells Valerie.  Valerie fails to hold her tears back any longer and starts to cry.  "Remember, Valerie.  Remember when you pushed me down and I hit my head," Holly continues.  Valerie looks over at Alex, who is staring at her in anger.

    "Why, Valerie?" Alex asks.  Valerie reaches out to Alex, but he pulls away from her.  She turns back to Valerie.  "I love Alex more than you could ever know, Holly.  But he loves you.  And no matter how hard I try, I can't compete with that and I can't change that," Valerie tells her in tears.  Holly looks over at Alex who is starting to cry himself.  "Get out Valerie.  Get out of here before I do something to you that I'm going to regret," Alex demands.  

    Alex just stares at her as the tears roll down his cheeks.  "No.  No.  I don't believe this," Valerie says as she starts to cry harder.  "This isn't supposed to happen.  Holly's supposed to leave.  I'm supposed to stay with you, Alex.  I'm supposed to stay with you."  Alex grabs Valerie's arms and pushes her toward the door.  "I said get out.  Get out of this bar and get out of my life.  I never want to see you again, Valerie," Alex tells her.  Alex, Holly, Bret, Paul, Jamie, and the bartender watch as Valerie turns and walks toward the door.

    "Valerie," Holly calls out to her.  Valerie turns around and Holly walks over to her.  As Holly approaches Valerie, she reaches out and slaps her across the face.  "Go to hell!" Holly tells her.  Valerie reaches up and rubs her cheek where Holly smacked her.  She looks over at Alex, as if he should defend her.  She turns and runs out of The Brew, knocking into Bret on her way to the door.  

    Holly turns back and looks at Paul and then at Alex.  Alex looks at Holly and then walks around her and heads upstairs.  Holly looks over at Paul in disbelief of what has just happened.  Bret walks over to Jamie and pulls her off the bar stool.  "I need to get her home," Bret tells Paul.  "Are you two okay?"  Paul just looks at Bret and then looks over at Holly.  Paul heads toward the front door, passing Holly without even saying a word.  "Paul," she cries out as he exits through the front door.

    "Well, I can already tell this is going to interesting," the bartender says to another patron  as she returns to work.

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    Later the same night, in Butchers Hill at Jamie and Bret's house, Bret is trying to put a drunken Jamie into bed.  "Why did you do this to yourself, Jame?  Alex said that you'd been drinking there for hours and were loaded when you go there this afternoon," Bret asks.  He takes off her shirt and her shoes and pants.  "I'm going to run to the kitchen and get you some aspirin and some water.  You smell like a brewery so you're probably going to need them."  Once Jamie is in bed and under the covers, he starts toward the bedroom door.  "I can't wait to hear why you did this to yourself?" he kind of mumbles under his breath.

    "Because I got fired today, Bret.  Because I murdered John Barnett and got fired," Jamie slurs as her eyes fall closed.  "That's right.  I let the bastard die and now I've ruined my career.  I did it all for Ashley because I almost got her killed and I owed it to her--and to you Bret.  I owed it to you."  Jamie stops mumbling and passes out.  

TO BE CONTINUED...

Coming Soon, Episode Ten:  Things Can Only Get Better...

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