PREVIOUSLY ON SUNRISE BAY…

*Gabi told Todd she knew why he's always turned down her advances.

*Derek couldn't help but think about his comatose younger brother Jake, who was injured in a hurricane that swept Sunrise Bay a few years back.

*Gary flipped out completely on Brice and punched him in the nose. Brice told Barbara and Creg that Gary was reacting because of his "bruised ego."

*Melissa lied to her captor Mason about a son Mark that she never had.

*************************************************************************

The tropical Florida wind steadily blows against all of the people that are walking along or are near the stretching docks. As the tide steadily comes in, various people are getting into their day and enjoying different activities that the ocean waters will provide such as surfing, boating, and swimming. Derek and Tara, both clad in their swimwear, walk towards where their lifeguarding shifts were assigned.

"What a beautiful day!" Tara smiles and exhales in the fresh air.

Derek seems to be busy with his thoughts and he doesn’t hear what Tara has just said. He walks and stares at his feet closely as they leave footprints in the wet sand behind him.

Tara notices that he is zoning out and she questions, "Derek, what’s up with you lately? It seems as though you’re thinking really hard about something."

Derek puts his gaze to Tara’s and nods his head in agreement. "There has been something on my mind. It’s about Jake."

"Jake? Wait a minute; has he finally woken up from his coma? Please tell me he has." Tara’s interest is fully peeked.

Derek sighs and continues, "No, well, I don’t know. It’s been a while since I’ve visited the hospital he’s in. I’m a horrible brother."

Tara taps his tanned chest, "Don’t say that, Derek! Jeez, my unnecessary guilty conscious thing is rubbing off on you. I know exactly why you haven’t visited Jake in so long."

"Why is that?"

"Because you hate seeing him hooked up to all of those machines. I know you, Derek. When it comes to seeing people suffering, you can’t look at them without feeling extremely horrible. As a matter of fact, I think that is exactly why you became a lifeguard. It’s part of the reason I became one, too. You want to do your part in helping people not go through any suffering." Tara crosses her arms over her black bikini top and awaits Derek’s response. Her ultra-curly blonde hair is flying in every direction as the wind picks up.

Derek thinks for a moment and then says, "I guess your sorta right. I always want the best for people. It kills me inside when I see someone so helpless like Jake has been since Hurricane Amanda."

"Then it’s decided, you are not a horrible brother!" Tara then giggles and continues, "Anyway, before we went through this psycho-analysis of you, you were going to tell me something about Jake. What about him?"

Derek scratches his head saying, "I have this gut feeling that Jake is going to make progress or even completely wake up soon. I don’t know what it is. Maybe this feeling is just because of my desire for something good to happen after what’s going on with Tom and Melissa. All’s I do know for sure is that ever since I got this gut feeling I can’t get it out of my head."

Tara gets a confused look and questions, "Then why haven’t you called the Miami Intensive Care Facility? That’s the only way you’ll find out anything about Jake. Come on, Derek, you silly thing. Just call and see if he’s getting better!"

Derek puts on a smile and then says, "I guess I haven’t called just because I don’t want to find out any more bad news. I know that it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if they told me that Jake was still deep in a coma. It’s just the fact that all’s I want to hear any more is good news. I’m sick of all of the wars going on around the world right now and the horrible feeling of how we have no damn idea where Melissa is. Plus Tom’s in a coma right here in Sunrise Bay! There is so much bad news and all’s I want to hear is the good stuff going on."

Tara looks star struck as she studies Derek’s eyes. Tara, how did you get so lucky and find such a caring, compassionate man? I don’t even deserve him! She extends her arms and squeezes his hands, "You know what good news goes through my head every single day, Derek? The fact that I am going to be married to you. Yes, I am feeling horrible about Tom and not knowing where Melissa is but through all of this chaos I just hold onto the fact that you and I are in love and that we’ll always be there for each other."

Tara is surprised when Derek suddenly bursts out laughing, "What in the world is so damn funny about what I just said?"

Derek quickly stops the laughter and grins saying, "I don’t know, that just sounded like something you’d hear in one of those cheesy soap operas."

"Cheesy soap opera, huh? I happen to love soap operas. Well, I love Days of Our Lives. Anywho, that’s not the point. Enough joking, I want you to call that hospital immediately. You should never ignore gut feelings."

"Fine, I’ll call the hospital on our next break." He begins to turn towards the lifeguard stand up ahead.

Tara runs to catch up with her man. "Then it’s settled. In the meantime, let’s go and spread some good news by saving someone’s life!"

Derek bursts into laughter once again. "Now you’re saying stuff that would be on one of those cheesy super hero shows!"

Tara playfully slaps Derek’s six-pack stomach and gives him a wide grin, "You are really testing me today, aren’t you?"

Barbara and Creg's eyes are fixed upon Gary Jackson.

"Go ahead, brother dearest! Tell them all about your bruised ego." Brice is squeezing tightly on his injured nose as he says this.

"Leave my home right now!" Gary points to the door. He is shaking with fury in each and every bone of his body.

Brice just rolls his eyes and heads for the door. "I guess you're right. We can revisit your miserable past another time. I guess there is no need to spoil all the juicy details in one morning. I’ll be calling you tonight. We have business matters to discuss, if you know what I mean." With that, Brice opens the kitchen door and makes his way out. He makes sure to give his brother a wide grin before making his exit from the fancy kitchen.

Gary feels like tearing him apart again but manages to somehow have constraint. He can't stand how it seems he can never get the best of Brice. Brice always seems to stay cool and collected in every situation. He, on the other hand, flies off the handle on more occasions than one.

Gary can feel his son and girlfriend's eyes weighing on him. He suddenly explodes, "What are you two looking at?! Go and do whatever you guys were doing! I’m going to my study and I don’t want anyone bothering me! That includes you, Barbara!" Gary then leaves, slamming the door behind him.

Once Gary is out of sight, Barbara is enveloped with frustration. "Oh my heavens! What is up with that man sometimes?!" Barbara crosses her arms while shaking her head. "Creg, I really have to figure out why him and Brice can't stand each other so much. I can't handle living under the same roof with a man who is so apparently threatened and loony at the mere mention of his youngest sibling! It's driving me crazy, I tell you! Do you have any idea what Brice means when he talks of your father's miserable past?"

Creg just shrugs his shoulders as he heads toward the big silver refrigerator. "I haven’t a clue but I’m sure they’ll work things out. How about you go be Nancy Drew and figure it all out and report back to me? I wouldn't mind getting a good laugh about things my dad has done. It would be a great source of entertainment, without a doubt."

Barbara Winthrop gets lost in thought as she taps her manicured nails upon the counter. "Well I really don't have time to be Nancy Drew right now because I have an appointment to get my hair done but I do plan on figuring this whole mess out. My sanity depends on it!"

With that, she makes her exit from the kitchen. This leaves Creg to his own set of thoughts. "Speaking of detective work, I have matters of my own to think of." He states quietly, as he twists open a jar of Mayonnaise. The image of Todd's hand on Gabi's leg flashes through his mind. I can't believe how damn stupid the two of them are! Thinking they can get away with having an affair behind Creg Jackson's back? How naïve can two people be?

"I know exactly why you have been turning down my advances, Todd." Gabi says as she gives him a calculative look in the eyes.

There’s no way that she knows, he thinks. "What in the hell do you mean, Gabi? I’ve already explained things-- We shouldn’t be more than friends." Todd then turns his back to her. He suddenly develops a "fascination" with the pictures that are magnetically attached to his refrigerator. There is one of him and his sister Annie, happily hugging each other and posing for the camera.

"No. The reason you’ve never gave into your passion for me is because you are scared." Gabi states bluntly.

His picture fascination is cut short, "Scared?" Todd turns around and looks Gabi directly in the eyes. "Are you kidding me?"

"I never kid, Todd Lansing. Your family has messed you up so badly that you are incapable of acting on your love. I know that’s what is going on!"

"So you’re saying that I am so in love with you but being mentally screwed up by my mom and dad has caused me not to be able to act on those feelings? That is a whole load of crap." Todd is getting frustrated. Why can’t Gabi just let us be friends?

"So you really just want to be friends with me? Todd, I think that sounds like a whole load of crap. C’mon, guys and girls can never just be friends. Trust me, I know it. The only guy a girl could be friends with is someone who is gay." Gabi then reaches for the package of Oreo cookies. "I actually wish I had a gay friend to talk about things with. Something like Jack and Karen on Will and Grace or Will and Grace’s friendship for that matter. Anyway, that’s not the point." She rolls her eyes before ripping her Oreo and licking off the cream.

"Let’s just drop this subject, Gabi. I think that you should just accept the fact that I don’t want us to be any more than just friends, OK? And it has nothing to do with some secret love that I can’t express because of my dysfunctional family or whatever messed up theory that you mentioned moments ago." Todd shakes his head and lets out a laugh as he reconsiders the theory Gabi spoke of.

"Whatever you say, Todd. We working together at the Sentinel will give me plenty of time to get into your pants. Don’t you worry! I’ll get you past those fears of yours and we’ll have a good old time!" Gabi laughs, sarcasm covering it.

Todd just shakes his head, That was a close one. When she mentioned that gay thing I thought I was a goner for sure! Don’t worry, Todd. She won’t find out. She hasn’t found out after all of our time in New York and everything, so she sure as hell isn’t going to find out now! He then smiles to reveal his large dimples and, sure enough, Gabi’s eyes are locked right on them.

There's just something about you, Todd. Something that I can't get out of my mind. Thinks Gabi as she looks him over. She almost feels like crying. How can she stand more years of being only friends with the man before her?

"Police are continuing the ongoing search for Melissa Jones though they have yet to get a word out of the hired assailant. There are no clues as of yet as to where her location is. However, police are sure that they are going to get the assailant to crack in no time. For now, this is the latest in our ongoing coverage of the New Years Ball fiasco. This is Hot 101, home of today’s hottest songs!" The radio news report ends and then kicks into the sound of an accordion as Jewel’s latest hit "Intuition" begins to play. Mason reaches for the off button.

"That bastard better keep his mouth closed." Says Mason firmly. He then flashes back to Melissa telling him about their son. "I can’t believe I’m a dad. I don’t think I can wait that long to see him. I have to meet him." He then picks up a tray of crackers, meats, and cheeses that he arranged before the radio news report and makes his way to the door of the room that Melissa is locked in.

He is greeted with the view of Melissa sitting on the side of the bed crying her eyes out. When she notices Mason she jumps as though she has just seen a frightening ghost. "Mason, you scared me to death!"

He hurries up and places the tray of food on the stand next to the bed and he hurries to hug Melissa. "Everything is going to be alright, Melissa. Don’t worry."

"How are things going to be right? Huh, Mason. Look at what you did! You hired someone to shoot my husband and then you kidnapped me! You kidnapped me, Mason! There are people out there looking for me and they are going to find me. Please, do the right thing and take me back home!"

"Melissa, settle down right now! I love you more than anything in the whole world and even though I have yet to meet our son Mark. I love him, too! Soon you are going to realize how much I’ve changed for you. My love for you is greater than ever."

"If you loved me so much, what was this I heard about you having an affair with this woman named Shayla? Yes, I know about her! If you loved me so much you wouldn’t have done what you did with her!"

Mason seems like he has been flashed to the past as he suddenly thinks of Shayla. "I didn’t know that you knew about her. I can explain, Melissa. For a while, I actually gave up hope on being with you again. I felt that there was no use anymore. That is when I met Shayla Hetricke. She was lonely too and we got to know each other so well. I fell in love with her but…"

"But what?" Melissa knows that Keith has always wanted to place the pieces of the events leading to Shayla’s suicide so she decides to get as much info from Mason about his part in destroying Shayla and Keith’s marriage. Keith has stated in the past that he knows this man was the reason Shayla took her own life.

"But she then filled me in that she had a husband and that she was torn between her feelings between the two of us. I was so angry at her and furious. I thought I had finally gotten over you and found someone else but she ended up ripping my heart out just like you did." He wears a scorned expression as he relives that part of his life.

"Tell me more." Melissa says as calmly while she rubs her puffy eyes. "Why did Shayla end up committing suicide, Mason?"

Mason reads Melissa’s face and suddenly gets a look of confusion. "Why do you want to know so much about Shayla, Melissa?

Melissa then swallows hard. "Because—because I love you, and I want to talk to you about it."

Mason’s eyes sparkle with happiness when he hears Melissa profess her love for him. Melissa doesn’t realize that she may have made things worse for her by lying about her feelings.

 "Come back to shore!" screams Derek before he blows on his red whistle. A couple of kids have made their way far out in the ocean waters. He raises his arm and frantically motions the two children to come back in. "Where are their parents, anyway? They look like they're only 9 years old!"

Tara shakes her head in disgust, "So many parents nowadays don’t seem like they give a care about their kids. But, who knows? Maybe the kids just look younger than they really are."

The two kids follow Derek’s orders and quickly scurry to the shore. Derek notes that the waves are bigger than usual and he decides that it isn’t safe for anyone to be swimming in the water.

Derek then makes his way off of the lifeguard stand and puts up a sign that reads: "No lifeguard on duty! Swim at your own risk!" Tara does the exact same thing as she lowers herself off of her lifeguard tower as well.

"It's now our break! You know what that means." She looks Derek in the eyes, "You have to call the hospital in Miami right now. Who knows? Maybe they will tell you that Jake has awaken from his coma and is asking for his big brother to see him."

Derek heads towards the lifeguard station and doesn’t have the same hopeful look that his girlfriend is wearing. "Tara, I am not going to get my hopes up. Just because I have a gut feeling, it doesn’t mean that it's right. It’s probably just wishful thinking more than a gut feeling, anyway."

Tara shakes her head vigorously. "You know what, Derek? Ever since you told me about this premonition or whatever you want to call it, I suddenly felt the same way. So stop being so down and make the phone call, for Pete’s sake!"

Derek smiles as he and Tara make their way up the winding stairs that lead into the station. He opens the sliding glass door and pauses before reaching for the phone that is attached to the wall. "Here goes nothing." He quickly dials the number and puts the receiver to his ear.

"Hello. Miami Intensive Care Center. How may I help you?"

"Hi, this is Derek Anderson and I’m calling about my brother Jake who has been in a coma for a couple years there."

Tara turns her gaze outside of the windows and at the amazing view of the ocean and the dock that seems to stretch for miles. She has her fingers crossed and she is hoping more than ever that Derek is going to give her good news when he hangs up the phone. She then hears the receiver being placed back on its base and she quickly spins to look Derek in the eyes and says, "So?"

Derek lets out a huge sigh and then scratches behind his left ear. "Well…They said that Jake. Umm…"

"Just say it already, Derek! Is Jake out of his coma?"

Suddenly a huge grin adorns Derek’s face. "Yes, He just woke up 2 days ago!"

Tara jumps up and down in excitement and then hugs Derek tightly, "This is absolutely amazing! I can’t believe that he has finally woke up! We are going to go and buy the first round-trip flight to Miami tomorrow morning to go and see him!"

Suddenly Derek’s looks saddened.

"Why in hell’s name do you look sad, Derek? What’s wrong now?"

Derek swallows before saying, "That isn’t all the woman on the phone told me, Tara."

Tara looks perplexed, "What else did she say?"

"They said—well. They said that he’s not the same person he used to be, Tara." His eyes get teary.

Tara’s heart feels like it dropped to the floor. "Oh." She says weakly as though she has just been defeated. A thick melancholy then lies between the couple. The sadness is so strong that you could slice it with a knife.

THAT CONCLUDES THIS EPISODE OF SUNRISE BAY!

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