Emily and Monica are coming down the stairs into the Quartermaine foyer. Emily goes and gets her coat from the closet. Emily looks sad as Monica tries to make her point.
Emily: I don't want to talk about this, Mom.
Monica: Well, I can't watch you put yourself through this, Em.
Emily: I'm late for chemo.
Monica: You know, you have such a big heart.
Emily: I can't do this right now, Mom.
Monica: You are the most compassionate person I know --
Emily: They are waiting for me at the hospital.
Monica: And I know you would never, ever, ever deliberately hurt anybody.
Emily: I --
Monica: So why -- why do you want to keep hurting Zander?
Emily: That is not what I am doing.
Monica: Do you have any idea how many times he's called? Your father and I are running out of excuses, and we happen to be very good at that sort of thing.
Emily: I know. I thought he would've given up by now, Mom.
Monica: Well, guess what -- Em, he's devoted to you.
Emily: That is why I need to protect him. If I keep shutting him down, he will get mad and eventually he'll go away.
Monica: Em, what is happening to you? Em, all of this pushing away and lying -- it's not doing you any good, and you need all the energy you can muster right now to get well. Please, please, if not for Zander, for your own sake, tell the truth. Please?
Emily sighs and walks out to the door. She opens the door and Zander is standing on the threshold.
Zander comes in and starts to talk to Emily. Emily is shooting glances at Monica as Zander gives his carnival pitch.
Zander: Hi. Did you hear about the carnival that's in town? Why don't we go there today and just forget about everything?
Emily: Oh, that sounds wonderful.
Zander: Well, then, let's go. Come on, Em. When was the last time you acted like a kid? You had cotton candy and corn dogs on a stick? I just got paid, so we can ride whatever rides we want to, even do all the Midway stuff. And if you're good, I'll get you a teddy bear or something. Watch the sunset from the top of the Ferris Wheel.
Emily: That sounds like so much fun.
Zander: I heard there's this great fortune teller there --
Emily: I can’t. I --
Zander: Em, come on. We agreed to spend some time together.
Emily: Right, but I -- I forgot that I have a therapy session that I have to go to.
The camera pans on Monica’s face at this moment, she looks disappointed.
Zander: Okay. All right. So we'll go later, you know? It'll be prettier at night anyway. The lights will be out --
Emily: I'll be tired. I always am. I'm really sorry, Zander.
Emily leaves and walks out the door.
Zander: Em, wait.
Monica: Let her go.
Zander: Monica, what is going on? I mean, I love Emily. You got to tell me. I need to know.
Still in the Quartermaine foyer. Monica is slighty stunned when Zander brings up Nikolas.
Zander: Monica, why did Emily leave? I mean, you saw her face. You know she wanted to spend the day with me.
Monica: No question.
Zander: I just -- I don't get it. I mean, one second she's in love with me, and the next she isn’t. She's supposed to be in rehab and yet she's living at home. I don't --
Monica: I know, I know. It's difficult.
Zander: And Em is such a terrible liar. You know, I could see it all over her face. I can see it -- it's killing her. And then there's Nikolas.
Monica: Nikolas? What about Nikolas?
Zander: She hasn't told you. Well, they're seeing each other.
Monica: Oh, I think that's quite unlikely.
Zander: I guess not.
Zander throws his hands up in frustration and goes to sit on the bottom step of the stairs.
Monica: Zander, he's an old friend.
Zander: Well, they're not acting like old friends. She wants to be with him. He wants to be with her. She's avoiding my calls. What am I supposed to think?
Monica joins Zander on the step and provides a reassuring comfort.
Monica: Zander -- hey -- Emily needs you. Don't stop loving her.
Zander: I can’t. I won’t.
Monica: And just -- just listen to what she has to say.
Zander: She's not making any sense.
Monica: Well -- well, then listen really hard. Sometimes, you know, the truth isn't really just literal, you know.
Zander: What is that supposed to mean?
Monica: Oh, I don't know. I know that you have, you know, plans with Em, that you want to see a future together. But she, at the moment, really can't see that far ahead.
Zander: Why not?
Monica: Oh, Zander, just please be patient.
Alice comes in right then and gets Monica, she is holding a red shawl.
Alice: Dr. Quartermaine, Dr. Quartermaine's on the phone. He sounds upset.
Monica: Oh. Okay. Really, don't give up. Emily does need you. She really does.
Alice: Did Emily leave?
Zander: Yeah, just a few minutes ago.
Alice: Oh. She was looking all over for her shawl. She wanted to take it to the hospital with her, but -- too late.
Alan walks into the Quartermaine living room to talk to Monica. Alan is upset.
Alan: Why did you let Emily go to chemo alone?
Monica: What do you mean, let?
Alan: You know that she's terrified of chemo. She needs us. Come on. If we go now, we can get there before she's finished --
Monica: Alan, Alan, we can't force Emily to lean on us. She's a grown woman.
Alan: Not to me.
Monica: Look, she knows what she's dealing with. We have to let her do it in her own way.
Alan: But she's cutting herself off from the people who love her the most.
Monica: So did I at first.
Alan: Then you know how much she needs us.
Monica: Or is it that we need her to need us, hmm?
Alan: I just can't bear the idea of her going into that chemo room alone.
Monica: Alan, we've got to trust her. She's going to find the support she needs at her own pace, in her own way, okay?
Emily gets off the elevator at General Hospital and walks to meet Nikolas. He was just getting off of his cellphone.
Emily: Hey, I’m so late.
Nikolas: I was about to call the house.
Emily: I wasn't going to skip out. Don't worry. Are you all right?
Nikolas: Yeah, I'm fine.
Emily: Right, so am I, except for the breast cancer. What happened?
Nikolas: Oh -- family stuff.
Nikolas places his hand at the small of her back and guides her to the waiting room couch. They both sit down, and Nikolas has to adjust himself to sit comfortably, we see a book in his hand.
Emily: You know, one of my favorite things about you is that you actually come from a family that is more dysfunctional and weirder than mine.
Nikolas: It's nice to know the Cassadines are good for something. Sit down.
Emily: Thanks. I shouldn't be laughing about that.
Nikolas: Oh, it's okay. I'm glad someone can laugh at my family. Uncle's only been back a few days, and I already feel like punching a wall.
Emily: You poor baby.
Nikolas: Isn't it fortunate that I can just walk away from him and come see you?
Emily: How do you always know the exact right thing to say?
Nikolas: Well, I was very well brought up.
Emily: That must be it.
Nikolas: Yeah. Do you want me to sit with you through the chemo? I brought some books.
Nikolas holds up his books to make his point…they are getting closer and closer on the couch.
Emily: You aren't going to read to me in Latin, are you?
Nikolas: Would you prefer Greek?
Emily: No, I would prefer to be somepdivider else.
Nikolas: Yeah? Where would you go, Emily?
Emily: I don't know. The desert, probably. I used to take these long walks there with my biological mom. Or maybe I’ll imagine I am in Canada in the dead of winter, in a log cabin with you know who. Kind of a "run away and get back to the land" sort of thing.
Nikolas: Yeah, plenty of wood and --
Emily: Mmm.
Nikolas: Food, wine.
Emily: Mm-hmm. Always.
Nikolas: Yeah.
Emily: And lots of chocolate, too. But mostly Zander.
Nikolas: You'd better get going before that nurse comes looking for you.
Emily: Yeah. She is kind of perky, isn't she?
They have a nice laugh.
Nikolas: Yeah. A bit unsettling.
Emily: I might have to smack her.
Nikolas: Do you -- do you want me to wait and take you home?
Nikolas pulls Emily into a hug and kisses her cheek as the camera pans out to see Zander spying on them.
Emily: Yeah, thanks. That would be really nice of you.
Nikolas: Okay. Go on, get out of here.
Emily: All right.
Nikolas: I'll be right here.
Emily: Okay. Thanks again.
Nikolas: Yeah.
Emily leaves in the opposite direction. Zander is still hiding, he pops out of the corner to confront Nikolas.
Zander: One question. Are you in love with Emily?
Nikolas and Zander are standing in the waiting room of the hospital.
Nikolas: I try not to have personal discussions in public.
Zander: You too good for that?
Nikolas: Or with people I barely know.
Zander: It's a simple question. Are you in love with Emily?
Nikolas: You're -- you're not listening, Zander.
Zander: Then what's the problem, huh? Is Em not good enough for you? Is that it?
Nikolas: You're getting this all wrong.
Zander: No, it's a simple question. Answer the question -- do you love her?
Nikolas: It's irrelevant.
Zander: No -- does the mean she doesn't mean anything to you?
Nikolas: Do you realize that Emily’s going through hell right down that hall?
Zander: Oh, yeah? What hell would that be?