Abby: I’m going to go with them, is that okay Cutter?
Cutter: Of course. Go ahead.
Abby: Alex?
Alex and Abby jump into the back of a black SUV.
Thompson: You should go too.
Cutter: Don’t you need help?
Thompson: They’re only dogs!
Cutter: (offers his hand to Thompson.) Nice job today.
Thompson: (shakes hands with Cutter.) You too. Temple needs you, go.
Cutter hops into the SUV and it drives off towards the hospital.
A day later, Connor wakes up at the hospital.
Abby: Connor…?
Connor: (slurred.) Where am I?
Abby: Hospital.
Connor: Oh yeah.
Abby: Do you need anything?
Connor: No…
Abby: You were lucky.
Connor: Mm. Can I have a drink, please?
Abby: Sure. (goes to get a cup of water from the table.) Here.
Connor: Thanks Abby.
Long pause.
About ten minutes later.
Connor: My throat still hurts.
Abby: You were dehydrated, so it’s only normal.
Connor: You probably think I’m such a girl now right?
Abby: Not at all. I wanted to talk to you about something Connor.
Connor: Hit me.
Abby: Okay. Me and Alex were talking-
Alex: Connor!
Connor: Alex?
Alex goes to hug Connor and forgets about his shoulder.
Connor: My shoulder Alex!
Alex: Oh, sorry!
Connor: Look, me and Abby were in a middle of something…
Alex: Oh, the Valentine’s thing?
Abby: Alex?!
Alex: What?
Connor: Valentine’s?
Alex: (singing.) Cupid will come and shoot his arrow!
Alex leaves the room.
Connor: Valentine’s?
Abby: We were just talking…you became the subject.
Connor: Valentine’s?
Abby: Yeah, the holiday in February that is celebrated by lov…
Connor: Valentine’s?
Abby: I’m just going to go and get a coffee… you’re obviously still traumatised.
Connor: Were you going to ask me… you know, about my plans for Valentine’s.
Abby: No! I was just thinking…
Connor: (as Abby’s leaving the room.) Abby?
Abby: Yep!
Connor: What are you doing for Valentine’s?
Abby: Spending it here, obviously.
Connor: What?
Abby: Well, I’m not going to leave you am I?
Connor: They’ll let me out, surely.
Abby: I’ll ask them, shall I?
Connor: Mm-hmm.
Abby leaves the room, smiling and Cutter enters.
Cutter: What was she smiling at?
Connor: I think I have a date.
Cutter: With Abby?
Connor: Yep.
Cutter: Nice!
Connor: Whatever drugs they gave me for the shoulder I thank them! They worked a miracle on the
pain and I made the first move!
Cutter: Valentine’s day is tomorrow though Connor. Are the hospital going to let you go?
Connor: They’ll have to.
Cutter: How is your shoulder?
Connor: A bit sore.
Cutter: Yeah?
Connor: Yep. I thought I was going to die Cutter. I thought we all were, I was terrified.
Cutter: I’m sorry mate.
Connor: It’s not your fault.
Cutter: Helen was my wife, I must be responsible for something.
Connor: Well except for the gun threatening…no. Don’t worry about it, the good guys lived.
Cutter: Yeah. Oh, me and Jenny are going for a meal tomorrow night.
Connor: That’s good. Where to?
Cutter: Berianno’s.
Connor: What?
Cutter: Yeah, asked her yesterday. Apparently they have an offer-
Connor: Couple’s buffet, all you can eat for a fiver.
Cutter: How did you know?
Connor: Well, a couple weeks back I was sat in my apartment and I said to myself I’ll just book a table
now, in case they’re really busy, so I did. Then if Abby rejected my offer I’d cancel and spend
the night sulking! But now she said yes, we’re going to Berianno’s.
Cutter: There is no getting rid of you is there Connor?
Connor: No Prof. I mean, even if you wanted to!
Abby: They say they need to make a few checks first, Con. Oh, Cutter!
Cutter: Abby! He’s doing well isn’t he.
Abby: Yeah.
Cutter: I hear you’re going to Be-
Connor: Belfast! No, not that Abby! The Abby in that TV show.
Abby: You two have the weirdest conversations, do you know that?
Cutter: I’ll see you tomorrow night Connor, Abby.
Cutter leaves the room.
Abby: What’s happening tomorrow night?
Connor: I have no idea, he’s the weirdest! Isn’t he? Just the weirdest!
Abby: Are you feeling okay?
Connor: Absolutely fine… I mean… Just excited, or whatever!
Abby: Right. So this thing tomorrow. Valentine’s.
Connor: Yeah.
Abby: Are you going to take me anywhere?
Connor: Anywhere?
Abby: Yeah, you know, a place. A restaurant perhaps.
Connor: Oh like Berianno’s, you mean?
Abby: Berianno’s?
Connor: Yeah. I mean… If you want to, like, I mean…no big deal.
Abby hugs Connor.
Connor: Ow! Shoulder, remember?!
Abby: Sorry! Oh, here, I think this is yours. (grabs his hand and places the necklace in it.) Jock gave it
to, from you.
Next day.
Connor is in his bedroom getting ready.
Connor: (mumbling to himself.) Tie? No tie? Tie. No, no tie. Argh!
Someone knocks on the apartment door.
Connor: Abby? Are you going to get the door?
Connor rushes out of his room and goes to the door. He opens it.
Connor: Cutter?!
Cutter: You all right?
Connor: If someone walked past now and we’re both in suites they’ll be thinking that it was either a
Godfather scene or we were two men, enjoying Valentine’s… Urgh! What do you want?
Jenny: Hiya Connor!
Connor: Jenny?!
Cutter: We were just off to Berianno’s.
Connor: Well I can say you’re at the wrong place. Berianno’s is that way.
Cutter: It was closed.
Connor: Closed?
Cutter: Water pipe burst or something.
Connor: What?!
Cutter: So we said to ourselves, we’ll go to Connor’s house to warn him, he might be grateful.
Jenny: We were wrong.
Connor: (sighs.) Get in.
The three walk upstairs. Connor first, Cutter then Jenny. Abby comes walking out of her bedroom in a dress.
Abby: Connor, I’m ready!
Connor: Wow…
Abby: Oh, there you are… with Cutter and Jenny.
Connor: Berianno’s is shut. Water leakage. Sorry Abby.
Abby: (a bit disappointed.) It’s all right. Wasn’t your fault.
Pause.
Connor: Right! Everyone sit! Sit! I am going to make this night a good one. Everyone likes cheese?
Everyone nods.
Connor: Good. ’Cause this is the only recipe I know!
Connor goes into the kitchen and prepares a meal for the four of them. Ten minutes later.
Connor: Drum roll please! I give you the ultimate… cheese toasties.
Jenny: Cheese toasties?
Connor: It’s either that or ham and cheese, because ham on its own is rather tasteless. Could have ham a
and pickle, just the pickle kind of leaks through the whole toastie and wrecks it. Then there’s
ch-
Abby: I think we’ll stick with cheese.
Connor: Okay! Eat up then.
Cutter: It’s nice actually.
Abby: This is the only thing he knows to do in the kitchen.
Connor: Hey, I’m still officially a student it’s the only thing we’re meant to know.
Abby: I was a student for a while and I knew how to do a lasagne and-
Connor: You’re a girl Abs.
Jenny: So? What’s stopping boys from cooking?
Cutter: Lack of commitment to it. I hate cooking myself. I much rather have a good old takeaway.
Tell you what I do like, a good old fry-up.
Connor: You can tell!
Cutter: Thanks!
Connor: Not a problem!
Jenny: So is this how we’re going to spend the whole night?
Connor: I have beans on toast for main course, ice cream and jelly for dessert and a game on the Wii for
afters!
Abby: Very romantic!
Connor: It’s all we can scratch from a night like this though, isn’t it. I mean everywhere else is going to
be fully booked.
Jenny: True. Let’s make the most of it, eh?
Cutter: Yeah. (lifts his wine glass.) To us.
Connor: The failures in relationships…
Jenny: The death scrapers…
Abby: The life savers…
Cutter: The time travellers!
Connor: Cheers!
They all slap their glasses together.
After they all finish eating Abby and Connor take the dirty dishes into the kitchen.
Connor: Abby?
Abby: Yeah?
Connor: Abby. I’d like you to have this.
He passes Abby the necklace.
Connor: Open it.
Abby opens the necklace and sees the picture of the two on one side. And a picture of her, Connor, Cutter, Jenny and Stephen at the ARC on the other.
Abby: Are you sure, I mean it was your mum’s.
Connor: She’s got one, hasn’t she… and I just wanted you to have it.
Abby: (kisses Connor on the cheek.) Thank you.
Connor: It was nothing.
Cutter: Where’s the ice cream?
Connor: The-uh- the ice cream, yeah. I’ll do ’em now. Yeah? Everyone want an ice cream?
Abby: Yep.
Cutter: Yeah.
Abby and Cutter leave the kitchen. Connor’s phone vibrates in his pocket. A text.
Connor: (mumbling, reading the text.) Still wondering where I disappeared to? Let’s just say I didn’t
die. In fact, this is just beginning, Temple, I shall let you know.
Cutter: Are you okay in there?
Connor: (feeling dizzy. He closes his phone and puts it in his pocket.) Um… no.
Cutter: Connor?
Connor falls to the floor. Cutter, Abby and Jenny come running into the kitchen.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Cutter: Of course. Go ahead.
Abby: Alex?
Alex and Abby jump into the back of a black SUV.
Thompson: You should go too.
Cutter: Don’t you need help?
Thompson: They’re only dogs!
Cutter: (offers his hand to Thompson.) Nice job today.
Thompson: (shakes hands with Cutter.) You too. Temple needs you, go.
Cutter hops into the SUV and it drives off towards the hospital.
A day later, Connor wakes up at the hospital.
Abby: Connor…?
Connor: (slurred.) Where am I?
Abby: Hospital.
Connor: Oh yeah.
Abby: Do you need anything?
Connor: No…
Abby: You were lucky.
Connor: Mm. Can I have a drink, please?
Abby: Sure. (goes to get a cup of water from the table.) Here.
Connor: Thanks Abby.
Long pause.
About ten minutes later.
Connor: My throat still hurts.
Abby: You were dehydrated, so it’s only normal.
Connor: You probably think I’m such a girl now right?
Abby: Not at all. I wanted to talk to you about something Connor.
Connor: Hit me.
Abby: Okay. Me and Alex were talking-
Alex: Connor!
Connor: Alex?
Alex goes to hug Connor and forgets about his shoulder.
Connor: My shoulder Alex!
Alex: Oh, sorry!
Connor: Look, me and Abby were in a middle of something…
Alex: Oh, the Valentine’s thing?
Abby: Alex?!
Alex: What?
Connor: Valentine’s?
Alex: (singing.) Cupid will come and shoot his arrow!
Alex leaves the room.
Connor: Valentine’s?
Abby: We were just talking…you became the subject.
Connor: Valentine’s?
Abby: Yeah, the holiday in February that is celebrated by lov…
Connor: Valentine’s?
Abby: I’m just going to go and get a coffee… you’re obviously still traumatised.
Connor: Were you going to ask me… you know, about my plans for Valentine’s.
Abby: No! I was just thinking…
Connor: (as Abby’s leaving the room.) Abby?
Abby: Yep!
Connor: What are you doing for Valentine’s?
Abby: Spending it here, obviously.
Connor: What?
Abby: Well, I’m not going to leave you am I?
Connor: They’ll let me out, surely.
Abby: I’ll ask them, shall I?
Connor: Mm-hmm.
Abby leaves the room, smiling and Cutter enters.
Cutter: What was she smiling at?
Connor: I think I have a date.
Cutter: With Abby?
Connor: Yep.
Cutter: Nice!
Connor: Whatever drugs they gave me for the shoulder I thank them! They worked a miracle on the
pain and I made the first move!
Cutter: Valentine’s day is tomorrow though Connor. Are the hospital going to let you go?
Connor: They’ll have to.
Cutter: How is your shoulder?
Connor: A bit sore.
Cutter: Yeah?
Connor: Yep. I thought I was going to die Cutter. I thought we all were, I was terrified.
Cutter: I’m sorry mate.
Connor: It’s not your fault.
Cutter: Helen was my wife, I must be responsible for something.
Connor: Well except for the gun threatening…no. Don’t worry about it, the good guys lived.
Cutter: Yeah. Oh, me and Jenny are going for a meal tomorrow night.
Connor: That’s good. Where to?
Cutter: Berianno’s.
Connor: What?
Cutter: Yeah, asked her yesterday. Apparently they have an offer-
Connor: Couple’s buffet, all you can eat for a fiver.
Cutter: How did you know?
Connor: Well, a couple weeks back I was sat in my apartment and I said to myself I’ll just book a table
now, in case they’re really busy, so I did. Then if Abby rejected my offer I’d cancel and spend
the night sulking! But now she said yes, we’re going to Berianno’s.
Cutter: There is no getting rid of you is there Connor?
Connor: No Prof. I mean, even if you wanted to!
Abby: They say they need to make a few checks first, Con. Oh, Cutter!
Cutter: Abby! He’s doing well isn’t he.
Abby: Yeah.
Cutter: I hear you’re going to Be-
Connor: Belfast! No, not that Abby! The Abby in that TV show.
Abby: You two have the weirdest conversations, do you know that?
Cutter: I’ll see you tomorrow night Connor, Abby.
Cutter leaves the room.
Abby: What’s happening tomorrow night?
Connor: I have no idea, he’s the weirdest! Isn’t he? Just the weirdest!
Abby: Are you feeling okay?
Connor: Absolutely fine… I mean… Just excited, or whatever!
Abby: Right. So this thing tomorrow. Valentine’s.
Connor: Yeah.
Abby: Are you going to take me anywhere?
Connor: Anywhere?
Abby: Yeah, you know, a place. A restaurant perhaps.
Connor: Oh like Berianno’s, you mean?
Abby: Berianno’s?
Connor: Yeah. I mean… If you want to, like, I mean…no big deal.
Abby hugs Connor.
Connor: Ow! Shoulder, remember?!
Abby: Sorry! Oh, here, I think this is yours. (grabs his hand and places the necklace in it.) Jock gave it
to, from you.
Next day.
Connor is in his bedroom getting ready.
Connor: (mumbling to himself.) Tie? No tie? Tie. No, no tie. Argh!
Someone knocks on the apartment door.
Connor: Abby? Are you going to get the door?
Connor rushes out of his room and goes to the door. He opens it.
Connor: Cutter?!
Cutter: You all right?
Connor: If someone walked past now and we’re both in suites they’ll be thinking that it was either a
Godfather scene or we were two men, enjoying Valentine’s… Urgh! What do you want?
Jenny: Hiya Connor!
Connor: Jenny?!
Cutter: We were just off to Berianno’s.
Connor: Well I can say you’re at the wrong place. Berianno’s is that way.
Cutter: It was closed.
Connor: Closed?
Cutter: Water pipe burst or something.
Connor: What?!
Cutter: So we said to ourselves, we’ll go to Connor’s house to warn him, he might be grateful.
Jenny: We were wrong.
Connor: (sighs.) Get in.
The three walk upstairs. Connor first, Cutter then Jenny. Abby comes walking out of her bedroom in a dress.
Abby: Connor, I’m ready!
Connor: Wow…
Abby: Oh, there you are… with Cutter and Jenny.
Connor: Berianno’s is shut. Water leakage. Sorry Abby.
Abby: (a bit disappointed.) It’s all right. Wasn’t your fault.
Pause.
Connor: Right! Everyone sit! Sit! I am going to make this night a good one. Everyone likes cheese?
Everyone nods.
Connor: Good. ’Cause this is the only recipe I know!
Connor goes into the kitchen and prepares a meal for the four of them. Ten minutes later.
Connor: Drum roll please! I give you the ultimate… cheese toasties.
Jenny: Cheese toasties?
Connor: It’s either that or ham and cheese, because ham on its own is rather tasteless. Could have ham a
and pickle, just the pickle kind of leaks through the whole toastie and wrecks it. Then there’s
ch-
Abby: I think we’ll stick with cheese.
Connor: Okay! Eat up then.
Cutter: It’s nice actually.
Abby: This is the only thing he knows to do in the kitchen.
Connor: Hey, I’m still officially a student it’s the only thing we’re meant to know.
Abby: I was a student for a while and I knew how to do a lasagne and-
Connor: You’re a girl Abs.
Jenny: So? What’s stopping boys from cooking?
Cutter: Lack of commitment to it. I hate cooking myself. I much rather have a good old takeaway.
Tell you what I do like, a good old fry-up.
Connor: You can tell!
Cutter: Thanks!
Connor: Not a problem!
Jenny: So is this how we’re going to spend the whole night?
Connor: I have beans on toast for main course, ice cream and jelly for dessert and a game on the Wii for
afters!
Abby: Very romantic!
Connor: It’s all we can scratch from a night like this though, isn’t it. I mean everywhere else is going to
be fully booked.
Jenny: True. Let’s make the most of it, eh?
Cutter: Yeah. (lifts his wine glass.) To us.
Connor: The failures in relationships…
Jenny: The death scrapers…
Abby: The life savers…
Cutter: The time travellers!
Connor: Cheers!
They all slap their glasses together.
After they all finish eating Abby and Connor take the dirty dishes into the kitchen.
Connor: Abby?
Abby: Yeah?
Connor: Abby. I’d like you to have this.
He passes Abby the necklace.
Connor: Open it.
Abby opens the necklace and sees the picture of the two on one side. And a picture of her, Connor, Cutter, Jenny and Stephen at the ARC on the other.
Abby: Are you sure, I mean it was your mum’s.
Connor: She’s got one, hasn’t she… and I just wanted you to have it.
Abby: (kisses Connor on the cheek.) Thank you.
Connor: It was nothing.
Cutter: Where’s the ice cream?
Connor: The-uh- the ice cream, yeah. I’ll do ’em now. Yeah? Everyone want an ice cream?
Abby: Yep.
Cutter: Yeah.
Abby and Cutter leave the kitchen. Connor’s phone vibrates in his pocket. A text.
Connor: (mumbling, reading the text.) Still wondering where I disappeared to? Let’s just say I didn’t
die. In fact, this is just beginning, Temple, I shall let you know.
Cutter: Are you okay in there?
Connor: (feeling dizzy. He closes his phone and puts it in his pocket.) Um… no.
Cutter: Connor?
Connor falls to the floor. Cutter, Abby and Jenny come running into the kitchen.
TO BE CONTINUED…