PORT CHARLES

 Q:        I’ve tried to keep up with your column, because many times it helps me catch up on things I’ve missed, but lately I haven’t seen anything on Port Charles.  We’ve been in the process of relocating and I missed a lot since the end of September.  Could you include this in your next column so I can finally find out what’s been happening with Livvie and Rachel??  Thanks.  Bonnie M.

Q:        As I live in NYC, my soaps were constantly interrupted by election updates.  Therefore, I have yet to learn how evil Dr. Boardman (played by Jeffrey Byron) was found out to be a drug dealer, and also whether he lived or died.  Can you provide any info? Karen H., New York 

A:        I’d be glad to give you both as much information as I can find.  Let’s go back to October and work our way up to the present. 

            Eve began working closely with Ian at the clinic and they were both baffled by unexplained events concerning some of the patients, especially Bob Green.  One day, Ian was knocked unconscious and his clinic notes were stolen.  Eve stayed with him through the night to make sure he didn't suffer any complications from his concussion.  

When Ian learned that Mr. Green was dying, he and Eve decided to treat him with an alternative herbal medicine against Boardman’s orders, hoping this would solve their medical mystery.  Ian received a delivery of narcotics at the hospital and was promptly fired.  He knew he had been set up, and Eve promised to help him clear his name.  

Eve told Ian that Mr. Green was deteriorating rapidly.  When Boardman found Ian with a dead Mr. Green, he accused Ian of killing him.  Boardman called hospital security and PCPD, claiming that Ian had murdered Mr. Greene.  Det. Garcia questioned Ian, then told Boardman that he had no real grounds to make an arrest until after an autopsy was performed.  Boardman then confronted Eve and threatened to relieve her of her job if she didn't cooperate with the police. 

Eve later accused Ian of not fighting for his job and he ended up by asking her to help him fight for his patients' lives.  Eve brought him files on Mr.Greene and Ian warned her to be careful because he didn't want anything to happen to her.  As Ian was getting ready to leave the hospital, Dr. Boardman brought a security guard in to escort him from the building. 

Rachel sent for Dr. Boardman to take care of Estelle who was near hysteria. Estelle feared that people were coming who would hurt her.   Ian was listening outside Estelle’s door when Boardman went in to see her.  Ian heard Boardman describe Estelle's condition, which was similar to what Mr. Greene had.  Ian met with a pathologist who told him that Mr. Greene had to have been deliberately given the disease that killed him.  

Ian allowed Eve to help him look for more information on his patients, including Estelle.  Meeting inside a supply closet, Ian told Eve that he thought Boardman was giving people the disease by injecting it into the back of their necks. Then Eve was paged, but when she tried to leave, she realized that she and Ian were locked in.  Since neither one of them could get out, they decided to make good use of the time by looking for information on Estelle in the computer.   As they searched the computer, the system shut down unexpectedly.  Eventually, Ian was able to get them out of the closet.   

Meanwhile, Kevin thought he was going crazy when he started hearing Ryan's laughter and saw him in the mirror.  Ryan taunted him about Livvie and the fact that she had a serial killer for a father. Kevin vowed to protect her and Ryan just laughed. Suddenly Kevin woke up and realized it had all been a nightmare. He rubbed the back of his neck in pain. 

Karen's later tried to help Ian to restore the computer files they had lost when the system had shut down, but she couldn't get to them either, so when Eve returned, she searched through the charts.  While they were in the room, someone slipped a note under the door, telling them to go to the park at sundown if they wanted more information.   

            Eve and Ian went to the park and waited for the person who had information on the mystery patients. The informant turned out to be Iris, who told them to stop looking into the cases or everyone would be in danger. As she was talking to them, Ian discovered that the mark on her neck had disappeared.  Iris told them that she had been taken to a clinic and given injections several months ago. She also said that Bob Greene had helped her escape, but they had gotten separated. And, Iris remembered hearing doctors talking about the head doctor at the clinic being a very important figure at GH, which led them to believe it was Boardman. Then she said that she probably wouldn't be contacting them again. Lucy watched them in the park, but before she got the chance to come out, someone knocked her unconscious.   

Rachel found Lucy and took her to the hospital, and Lucy accused Rachel of hitting her, but admitted that she really didn't see what happened. When Kevin found out, he was furious that Ian indirectly put Lucy and Eve in danger, and both Lucy and Eve were concerned over his anger. Later, Ian warned Rachel to keep Estelle away from Boardman.  Boardman walked in as Eve and Ian were trying to find out information about what he was up to.  Eve started to worry that Boardman knew they were on to him, which put them in danger. Eve found information on a new patient who had been injected with the disease and Ian speculated that the patient could be Kevin. Eve and Ian overheard Boardman on the phone, quietly warning his co-conspirator that he’d come under suspicion. Ian later followed him into the parking garage where Boardman confronted him with a gun, but they both ended up ducking as a car screeched by and shots were fired at them.  When Ian realized that Boardman had been shot, he took him to the hospital, and helped to repair him, in order to find out more information.  

            Lucy tried her best to make Kevin see that he was in danger and needed help in dealing with his feelings. He yelled at her and said that he never even had the chance to know Livvie before he lost her. Kevin lost control and began throwing things around, with Lucy watching helplessly, unable to do anything.  Then he rubbed the back of his neck and fell apart in Lucy's arms. When Eve came home she saw the mess that he had made and asked him to let her examine him, but Kevin just told her she was trying to find an excuse for not dealing with their problems. When Eve checked his neck she didn’t find anything suspicious. At the same time, Lucy ran to the hospital looking for Chris, while massaging the back of her own neck, which revealed a blue dot.  

            Back at GH, Boardman was still in critical condition after surgery, as Ian and Eve awaited news on his condition. They were hoping to talk to him about the deaths and hopefully find out the next victim.  Det. Garcia showed up and told them that they had searched Boardman’s house and found an entire drug laboratory, which led them to believe that he was involved in a drug running ring.  

            Ian received a call from Iris, who told him that the doctor who treated her was a woman.  She said that this doctor was evidently very fond of someone at Hillhurst, because she made frequent visits.  Ian began putting two and two together and connected Estelle to Hillhurst and naturally, Rachel to Estelle. This news started them speculating that Boardman had nothing to do with their mystery patients, and that Rachel was the doctor who had been treating them.  

            Kevin forced his way into Rachel's apartment and told her that she wasn't taking his daughter out of town. He demanded that she keep Livvie in PC because he was ready to tell her the truth, that he could be her father.  Rachel argued with Kevin and when he refused to back down, she stabbed him in the neck with a hypodermic needle and Kevin collapsed to the floor.  

            Rachel called Livvie and told her to get ready because they were leaving for Phoenix that night. Ian and Eve tried to figure out why Rachel would inject people with the disease and Eve realized that Rachel might have been trying to find a cure for Estelle. They wondered what to do to stop her and Ian suggested that they see Estelle.  Livvie heard them and refused to let Eve see her grandmother unless she was there. Ian and Eve then told Livvie that Rachel had been experimenting on humans. They all went to Rachel's apartment and Eve found a watch that she had given Kevin, on the floor. Eve told Livvie and Ian that she was frightened that Rachel might have done something terrible to Kevin.  Livvie told them that Rachel must know that Kevin is really her father and that's why she wanted to leave town so quickly. Eve was certain that Rachel meant to "take care" of Kevin before they left.   

They finally found evidence linking Rachel to all the diseased and deceased patients and found out that Lucy was her next target. After getting a lead on where Rachel could have taken Kevin and Lucy, Eve and Ian ran out, followed by Livvie.  Ian began searching through the trash, in an attempt to find more evidence, when he discovered Iris’s body.  She was clutching an ID bracelet that gave them an address to where they might find Rachel.  

Rachel had strapped Kevin to a chair, while Lucy remained unconscious.  She had Kevin hooked up to a sensor that was sensitive to his movements and the sensor was attached to an IV in Lucy's arm.  If he moved too much, Lucy's body would be flooded with a concentrated dose of the disease that was killing Rachel’s mother. Rachel told Kevin that Grace had suffered from the same disease.  She then confessed to him that she came to Port Charles specifically to ruin his life. Kevin tried to bargain for his and Lucy's lives by telling Rachel that he knew she wasn't a bad person and that he understood her motives. Rachel was on the verge of believing him until she saw that Lucy was awake.  She became enraged, and moved the sensor so that the disease started flowing into Lucy. Just then, Eve and Ian snuck into the lab and Lucy saw them. A few seconds later, Livvie burst in and begged Rachel to let Kevin and Lucy go. Ian made a lunge for Rachel and Livvie panicked and turned out the lights.  

            Rachel and Livvie both escaped from the lab, while Kevin and Eve tried to help Lucy. Eve called GH and told them to get a room ready for Lucy. Ian ran out, attempting to find Rachel and Livvie, but was unsuccessful. Lucy became short of breath and they rushed to get her to GH.  Ian found what could be a potential cure, in Rachel's lab, but it wasn't quite ready. The work he needed to do to finish it could have gotten them all into legal trouble and Eve hesitated to put the hospital at such a risk. They finally decided to go for it, but Ian hit a stumbling block.  He realized that if he couldn't decipher Rachel's notes, they would have no way to save Lucy. 

            When Chris found them trying to recreate Rachel's experiments, he threatened to shut them down, but Eve managed to sidetrack him by convincing him to leave and find Livvie. Ian and Eve finally got the right chemical combination that could save Lucy's life. They went to Lucy and asked her if she was willing to take a risk on a drug that they wouldn’t be able to test first, and she told them to do whatever it took because she wasn't ready to die. Later, when Kevin called, Lucy told him she would be fine, but she said goodbye to him just in case the drug didn’t work.  

Meanwhile, Rachel and Livvie had found a place to hide, but when Livvie asked her to let her go, she refused.  Livvie tried to soothe Rachel when she began crying and told her that she never loved her as much as Grace. When Rachel calmed down, she told Livvie to meet her at the docks after she took care of a few things so that they could leave town. 

            Victor and Kevin found a necklace that had belonged to Livvie, and Kevin got an idea of how they could find Rachel.  He went on television and pleaded with Rachel to let Livvie go.  After Rachel left the hideout, Livvie went to the hospital and found Kevin. She asked for his help and they left the hospital together. After Ian and Eve gave Lucy the antidote, they were relieved when it looked as though Lucy was recovering. Suddenly, she took a turn for the worse and stopped breathing.  Ian managed to stabilize her, but they both knew that Lucy wasn't out of the woods yet.  Scott, Karen and Serena all went to be with Lucy.  Serena kept talking to her until she finally woke up, and they all rejoiced when her blood work showed that she was okay. 

            Det. Garcia showed up and wanted to talk to Lucy after the police found Iris DeMarco's body.  He told the hospital staff that the police had arrested a nurse who worked for GH and was at the station giving a statement that Rachel was behind everything.  

Livvie found Kevin and asked him to help her with Rachel, but didn't want her mother hurt.  Kevin then begged Livvie to take him to Rachel.  They overheard Chris telling Garcia to do whatever it took to find Livvie and he didn't care what they had to do to Rachel in the process.   

Rachel was waiting for Livvie on the docks, when she began talking to Grace, telling her everything would be alright.  As she looked into the water, she smiled as a vision of Grace appeared.  When Livvie showed up at the docks with Kevin, Rachel was livid, and accused Livvie of betraying her. She yelled at Livvie and told her that she was an ungrateful and selfish person. Kevin stopped her and told her to leave Livvie out of their feud. Livvie begged Rachel to let Kevin help her.  As Kevin sat beside Rachel on a bench, Rachel hit him with a piece of wood, and knocked him unconscious. Livvie was furious with her mother for hurting Kevin and Rachel turned on her and told her that Grace had never wanted her and if it hadn't been for Rachel, Livvie wouldn't even exist. Livvie told Rachel she hated her and that she should have been the one to drown instead of Grace.  Rachel told her she was going to leave her one final gift to prove how much she loved her, and with that she jumped into the river. Livvie begged Kevin to save Rachel because Rachel couldn't swim, so Kevin jumped in after her only to have Rachel try to strangle him underwater. 

             As Rachel tried to pull Kevin under with her, he had flashbacks of Grace and Ryan.  He remembered his reunion with Ryan, and the night that Ryan died. Kevin eventually resurfaced without Rachel, but because he was driven by memories of Grace and her drowning, Kevin refused to let Rachel die.  Livvie begged him to save her in spite of all the horrible things Rachel had done to him.  Kevin remembered the first time he met Livvie as well as everything that had happened between them since then. He dove back into the water and finally found Rachel unconscious, and brought her up on the dock.  Rachel was then taken to GH, where she remained in serious condition. 

            Eve was outraged when she learned that the D.A. wouldn't prosecute Rachel in her present state. She told Kevin about Lucy being near death's door when he was looking for Livvie and he rushed off to talk to Lucy. Kevin yelled at her for not telling him the truth and not caring about what would have happened to him if she had died.  She made him understand her reasons and he calmed down.  He revealed that Rachel had told him about Livvie being his daughter and Lucy assured him that he was going to be a wonderful father. Livvie confronted Eve about her feelings for Rachel.  She accused Eve of wishing that Kevin had let Rachel drown. Eve said that she didn't wish Rachel any harm, she just wished everyone could get along.  Livvie replied by saying that Eve also wished that she wasn't Kevin's daughter.  Livvie blamed Eve for everything before Ian came in and interrupted her.  He defended Eve and told Livvie to stop being angry and do something useful like helping her grandmother. He then told her that he had given Estelle the cure for her disease.  

Lucy gave Ian the good news that she had him reinstated at GH.  She also told him that she had found backing for the clinic through the coming year. He realized that she was actually just trying to keep him busy and away from Eve.  

            With Livvie being all alone, Eve told Kevin to invite her to live with them right away.  Meanwhile, Livvie questioned Chris over why he told the police that he didn't care what happened to Rachel. Chris told her that it was the heat of the moment and his concern for her that prompted his statement.  

Eve tried to stop Lucy from checking out of the hospital, but Lucy was ready to leave. She thanked Eve for saving her life, but took the opportunity to warn her to stop spending so much time with Ian. Lucy was afraid that Eve was jeopardizing her marriage and she also didn't want Kevin to be hurt, but Eve assured her that her marriage was her number one priority. She and Lucy agreed that although they would never be friends, they would work together to keep Kevin and Livvie's best interests at heart.  

Livvie said her goodbyes to Rachel before she was transferred to a medical facility out of town. Rather than impose herself on Kevin and Eve, Livvie decided to go home with Lucy. 

 

ALL MY CHILDREN 

Q:        On AMC, can you give me some history of Brooke English?  She’s been on the show for years and years, and wasn’t she once married to Adam?  Chris    

A:        Brooke first arrived in Pine Valley when she showed up on the doorstep of her aunt, Phoebe Tyler, in 1976.   She was followed by hoodlum, Benny Sago, who had hopes that he and Brooke would continue their affair. But Brooke wasn’t satisfied with having just one man, as she soon began dating clean-cut Dan Kennicott.  After she took Dan's virginity in 1977, Brooke moved on to football star-turned-restaurateur Tom Cudahy.  

            Brooke began a rivalry with another young troublemaker, Erica Kane, that came to a head in 1978 when Erica caught pneumonia, and Brooke stole her job at Tom's restaurant, The Goalpost, and tried to steal Tom from her as well.  Erika recovered and married Tom, but Brooke ended up marrying him a few years later.  In 1984, Brooke left Tom after she discovered that he'd had a one-night stand with Erica on the night before Erika was to marry Adam Chandler. Later on, when Brooke married Adam, Erica had to laugh at all of her hand-me-down men that Brooke picked up.  

            Erika and Brooke also locked horns over Jackson Montgomery, who was the brother of Erika’s ex, Travis.  Then in 1979, Brooke managed to give her more grief when she had an affair with Erica's half-brother, Mark Dalton. 

            As Brooke got older, she also became wiser, but her life didn’t get any calmer. In 1984, while she was with Mark, she went into labor with her and Tom's daughter, Laura, who was run over and killed four years later by Josh Waleski.  

            In 1987, Brooke was shocked to learn that her biological mother wasn't Peg English as she thought, but rather, a homeless woman named Jane Dobrin.   As shocked as she was upon learning this news, she was later very much relieved when she found out that Peg was actually a drug dealer known as Cobra. 

            Brooke married Adam Chandler in 1989, and they hired Dixie Cooney as a nanny for Brooke’s daughter, Laura.  When Laura was killed by a drunk driver, Dixie decided to stay on with them.  Meanwhile, Adam desperately wanted Brooke to give him a son.  When they found out that she was unable to, Adam swept Dixie off her feet, which wasn’t hard to do considering she was crazy in love with him.  He took her to the boathouse and made love to her.  When Dixie told him she was pregnant, Adam secretly schemed to adopt her baby when it was born, without Brooke ever knowing it was his, but when the time came, Dixie refused to give up her infant son.  After Brooke realized how Adam had deceived her she moved out of the mansion and divorced him.           

Brooke soon became involved with helping the homeless, and eventually became head of a shelter that was named the Brooke English House.  In 1995, when she was being honored at a Woman of the Year banquet, she happened to see Laura Kirk, a young homeless girl who Brooke eventually took into her home to become part of her family, along with Brooke’s son, Jaime. 

Brooke met and fell in love with Pierce Riley in 1996.  She found herself having to choose between Pierce and Adam Chandler, and she eventually chose Pierce, only to give him up for her family, as she felt she needed to devote herself to Jamie and Laura. 

In 1998, Brooke was aboard a plane headed back from NY to Pine Valley, when it crashed, killing Edmund Gray’s wife, Maria.  Brooke found herself comforted by another passenger, Jim Thomason.  Jim ingratiated his way into Brooke’s life and home because he knew that she was a very wealthy woman.  As time passed, Brooke discovered that he was actually a child pornographer who had taken pornographic photos of Laura. By that time, Laura had left to study in China and Brooke was glad to be able to protect her from Jim. Brooke also discovered that he was responsible for the plane crash.  After gathering evidence against Jim, Brooke confronted him with his past. But this didn’t scare him, as he then threatened to go after Jaime. This pushed Brooke over the edge and she shot and killed him. She went on trial for murder, but was eventually acquitted.  

Brooke devoted the next few years focusing on Jaime and her work as editor and co-owner of Tempo Magazine. During this time she had a brief relationship with Erika’s ex-husband, Dimitri Marick, which galled Erika to no end. 

            In the spring of 2000, Brooke met Rev. Eliot Freeman, who was doing volunteer work at the community center.  After Hayley’s mother, Arlene Vaughan admitted to causing an accident while driving drunk, Brooke began having flashbacks of the death of her daughter, Laura, when she was run over.  Eliot tried to comfort Brooke, but she wasn’t ready to deal with her emotions yet.  All through this time, Brooke and Eliot became closer and developed a friendship.   What Brooke didn’t know was that Eliot was keeping a painful secret he knew would destroy his and Brooke's relationship.  Eliot was actually Josh Waleski, the  driver who had killed Brooke's daughter, Laura.  When Brooke learned the truth she was devastated, so Eliot, thinking he would be doing the best thing for Brooke, told her he was leaving Pine Valley.  Brooke confronted him about his running away and told him he should stay and face up to it like a man.  Although he wasn’t sure it would be the best thing, Eliot decided to remain in Pine Valley but his friendship with Brooke was over.  

            After the truth came out, Phoebe called Laura and asked her to return home to support her mother.  Brooke was thrilled to have Laura back home again, but she is still unsure about her ability to forgive Eliot.
 

Q:        How did the Marick family get from Hungary to the United States?  Didn’t Dimitri say something about Wildwind being the family home “for generations”?  Yet, there’s Eugenia and Gillian, who both came to the U.S. only recently.  Jo, Spring Ridge, FL 

A:        Castle Vadsel in Budapest, was the ancestral home of the Marick family.  I don’t recall anyone ever mentioning exactly how or why they came to Pennsylvania, but it’s possible that preceding the war (the big one..WWII) when life in Eastern Europe became a nightmare for so many in the late 1930's, some members of the family may have emigrated to the U.S., where Hugo eventually settled in Pine Valley and had the Marick Estate built.  Of course, we’re speaking of a purely fictitious town and family here, but this would lend a bit of realism to their story. 

 Gillian was sent to Pine Valley to live with her second cousin Dimitri, after disgracing her family, the Von Voynavitch’s, by having an affair with a married foreign ambassador.  And as for Grandmama Eugenia, for whatever reason she came to Wildwind, I’m glad she did.  

 

ONE LIFE TO LIVE 

Q:        Why did Hank and Nora ever break up?  I know their marriage ended before either showed up in Llanview, but they’re still very good friends and I don’t think I ever remember hearing why they’re not married any longer.    Sylvia, Bordentown, NJ 

A:        Hank first met Nora while they were both students at Midwestern University.  They fell in love and were married, but Hank never knew that during that time, Nora slept with his younger brother, R.J.  

They eventually had a daughter, whom they named Rachel.  Unfortunately, their marriage was put under a lot of strain because of financial problems and the fact that they could no longer spend enough time together.  Five years later, when their problems had only gotten worse, they divorced.  Hank was extremely bitter when Nora was granted full custody of their daughter.  

            After Nora came to Llanview, she and Hank were able to put the past behind them and now remain extremely close friends.

 

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Q:        Can you please give a kind of “family Quartermaine tree”, like where does Tracy fit in?  Is she Alan’s sister or what?  If so, are they the only two children of Lila and Edward? Hope you can shed some light on this for me.     Mickie, Shreveport LA    

A:        Tracy is Alan’s younger sister.  Edward has fathered five children over the years, but Alan and Tracy are the only two that he shares with Lila.           

In 1980, Edward decided to see for himself just how loyal Tracy was to him. After pushing him to the limits, as she usually did, Edward decided to have a new will made up that would disinherit Tracy, but before he signed it he collapsed on the floor and begged her to give him his heart medicine.  Tracy stood her ground and refused to help him unless he gave her his word that he wouldn’t sign the new will.  Hearing that, Edward jumped up, chuckling at Tracy having failed the test. 

          Three years later, Jimmy Lee Holt showed up at the Q’s.  He was Edward’s illegitimate son from an affair Edward had years ago with Beatrice LeSeur.  Jimmy Lee had proof that when Lila divorced her first husband, Crane Tolliver, it was never finalized.  Before Crane died he gave this proof to Jimmy Lee, which meant that Alan and Tracy were both illegitimate.   So Edward and Lila were legally remarried a year later.  Everyone thought the matter was closed until Beatrice showed up in Port Charles in 1984 and threatened to expose their cover-up.  When Beatrice dropped dead at a charity event, Edward was suspected of poisoning her, but he hadn't, as Beatrice unknowingly killed herself when she sipped Lila's heart medication by mistake.

           As time passed, Edward became so fed up with Alan and Tracy's constant bickering that he rewrote his will, and left everything to Tracy's son, Ned.  Then he went on a one way    fishing trip to the Bermuda Triangle.   The family presumed he was dead, until two years later when Tracy found him living the life of a beach bum in the Bahamas and dragged him back to Port Charles. 

 In 1993, Tracy ran down Ned’s wife, Jenny, because she was jealous of the relationship between her and Tracy’s husband, Paul.   When Edward found out, he banished  her once again. 

A year later, when Luka and Laura found a body that had been buried for years in their garden, they found out it was town councilman, Bradley Ward.  Now, Edward was accused of murdering him.  Just when it looked like Edward would be going to prison, Bradley's mother, Mary Mae Ward, revealed to everyone that Edward couldn’t have killed him because he was Bradley's father.           

Later on when Edward caught Tracy working with Jax on a bid to take over ELQ, he banished his daughter for a third time.  

Edward has always meddled in the lives of his family and will continue to do so, insisting that it’s in their best interests.  And he is ruthless when it comes to business, but when it comes to Lila, he’s putty in her hands, as she is the true love of his life.  

 When all is said and done, the branches of this tree may be twisted and broken, but it will continue to thrive and the leaves will continue to weather many storms, as Lila is its heart. 

           

Q:        Am I right that Jason is not Monica’s biological son, but AJ is?  And that would make AJ their only biological child together?  Please fill me in on the details as I’m confused.   Carole Vanderdam