BAY CITY FOREVER



This is a work of fan fiction, written by Rochelle Theresa Brown for entertainment purposes only, and not for profit. All characters not invented by me are the sole property of Procter and Gamble Productions.
This work is under copyright.
BAY CITY FOREVER is rated TV-14 for an occasional mild expletive.



EPISODE 33



This episode begins where the previous episode left off.

SCENE ONE

(The scene is the office of Police Commissioner Howard Walters. Joe, Josie, and Grant are inside with the Commish.)

JOE: What did you just say?

JOSIE: (between sobs) I posted a rumor on a message board.

WALTERS: My sister-in-law called the other day, and she mentioned something about a rumor. At the time, my wife and I decided to ignore it, because we thought it would die down. We haven't even mentioned it to our daughter.

JOE: Exactly what did your message say, Josie?

JOSIE: (takes a few deep breaths, stops crying.)"Is it true that a certain Bay City, Illinois police commissioner, initials H.W., has been frequenting several out-of-town places of questionable repute, and not on police business?"

JOE: Josie, you didn't!

JOSIE: I posted it after I had to testify at the hearing.

JOE: I know how hard it was for you to testify against me, Josie.

GRANT: I hope you're not excusing her actions.

JOE: No, I'm not making any excuses for Josie, and I don't think she's making any excuses for herself, either.

(Cell phone rings)

GRANT: That's mine. (Takes out phone, presses button, speaks.) Yes? (pause) Where did you see this? (pause) Who sent it to you? (pause) Well, this is very interesting. (pause) Of course I will look into it. And thank you for the information. (Puts away phone, looks at Josie) It may interest you to know, Detective Sinclair, that that call was about a certain Internet rumor about Commissioner Walters.

(Josie looks at the floor, but says nothing.)

JOE: Well, Josie, what do you think you should do about this?

GRANT: If you ask me, she should be publicly flogged.

JOE: Nobody asked you, Grant. I asked Josie what she thinks she should do about this.

JOSIE: The only thing I can think of is to go to the message board where I posted the rumor, and post a retraction.

GRANT: Well, that's a start, but let's be realistic here. There's no telling how many people may have posted that rumor on other boards, or in their blogs, e-mailed it to their friend. And let's not forget word-of-mouth.

JOE: I hate to agree with you, Grant, but you're right. There's no telling how many people have seen or heard that rumor.(Josie looks at the floor)
FADE OUT



SCENE TWO

(The scene shifts to THE JASMINE GARDEN. Nick and Remy are at one of the tables.)

NICK: I really feel for Joe. I know what it's like to be (hesitates) suspected of wrongdoing. The kicker is, he's in all this trouble because he covered for Toni and Josie back in 1997.

REMY: When they used unorthodox methods to prove that Chip Rayburn was the real rapist.

NICK: And if that dirt-bag hadn't come back to Bay City, the cover-up would never have been exposed.

REMY: Let's not call it a cover-up. My Dad withheld non-essential information, that's all.

NICK: Look, whatever we call it, I still say he did the right thing. If he had reported Toni and Josie's actions, Rayburn would have gone free, and then who knows how many more women he would have raped?

(Camera focus shifts to door; Tito walks in and approaches table.)

TITO: Hey, Remy.

REMY: Get lost.

TITO: Aw, come on, Sis, I just want to talk.

NICK: Where do you come off calling her "Sis"?

TITO: It's simple, actually. Joe is my biological father, right?

REMY: Well, yes.

TITO: And he is married to your biological mother.

REMY: Your point being?

TITO: Our biological parents are married to each other, right?

NICK: You sure like that word "biological", don't you?

TITO: Face it, Remy, whether you like it or not, their being married makes us family.

REMY: Not even close. I almost missed out on finding my family because of you.

TITO: The ironic thing is that if I'd known back then that Joe is my father, I wouldn't have had to pretend to be Paulina's son. If I had just known...

REMY: What difference would it have made?

TITO: You know how Joe feels about family. Maybe, if we'd both known the truth...(sighs)
FADE OUT



SCENE THREE

(The scene shifts to the Commissioner's office. Joe and Josie are still inside with the Commish. Grant is no longer there.)

JOE: (to Walters)There's one thing I don't understand.

WALTERS: What?

JOE: When I handed in my resignation, you said that I was never in any danger of losing my shield.

WALTERS: That's right, you weren't.

JOE: But if you didn't get any of Josie's (looks at her, lowers his eyebrows) messages

WALTERS: I had told the IA officers to clear you. Look, Joe, I never didthink that your actions back in 1997 were wrong.

JOSIE: But the hearing

WALTERS: That was Grant's idea. I had to pretend to go along with it, so he wouldn't get suspicious.

JOE: You mean you're not on Grant's side?

WALTERS: No. Actually, I've been secretly investigating Grant Harrison.

JOE: And all this time, I thought

JOSIE: Everybody at the 2-3 thought

WALTERS:(twisted smile) That I was a jerk?

JOE: That's one way of putting it. But why didn't you tell us what you were really doing?

WALTERS: I had to be sure I could trust you, and now I know beyond a doubt that you are trustworthy, because you were ready to give up your shield, rather than hold on to it by questionable means.

JOSIE: So my actions actually helped to prove that Joe is trustworthy?

JOE: (sternly) That doesn't change the fact that your actions were wrong, Josie, very wrong, and we are going to have a serious talk in my office.

JOSIE: (low voice) Yes, sir.
FADE OUT



SCENE FOUR

TWENTY MINUTES LATER
(The scene shifts to the squad room at the 2-3. Toni and Adams are standing together, talking.)

TONI: You up for a game of pinball when our shifts end?

ADAMS: I don't know. Maybe.

(Joe and Josie walk in. Joe looks grim; Josie looks worried.)

JOE: Everybody, listen up!

ADAMS: Hey! You're wearing your shield again.

JOE: That's right. I'm back. (Officers start cheering.) Now, Josie and I have a few things to discuss in my office, don't we, Josie?

JOSIE: (meekly) Yes, sir.

(Joe and Josie go into his office.)

ADAMS: (low voice, to Toni) What's up with Josie?

TONI: I have no idea.

(Brief dissolve, and then we see Joe and Josie inside his office, with the door locked and the blinds closed.)

JOSIE: Look, Joe, I know that what I did was wrong.

JOE: Did you, for even one minute, think it was right?

JOSIE: Deep down, no, sir.

JOE: Then why did you do it, Josie?

JOSIE: Like I said in the Commissioner's office, I was trying to keep you from losing your shield.

JOE: So when I told you why I resigned, why didn't you come clean right away?

JOSIE: I don't know. Maybe I was afraid... or maybe I was ashamed. I mean, you're always saying that I'm your best cop, and I turn around and commit blackmail.

JOE: So what made you finally tell the truth?

JOSIE: I suspended Edith because she slapped a perp. And then it hit me, what a hypocrite I was. I mean, who was I to suspend anybody?

JOE: You were a police captain disciplining an officer for acting improperly.

JOSIE: I never should have been the captain of this precinct.

JOE: Well, I thought you were the right one for the job. I never thought you were the one who was blackmailing the Commish.

JOSIE: Because I know how it feels to be blackmailed.

JOE: That's one reason. So why did you do it to someone else?

JOSIE: I thought it would be worth it if it kept you from losing your shield.

JOE: Would it have been? Would you really have been happy, knowing that the only reason I still had my shield was because you did something unethical?

JOSIE: No, sir. I guess I wasn't thinking straight. (hesitates) Do you have to go to Internal Affairs with this?

JOE: No, I'll leave that up to the Commish. And since he's letting me handle your punishment, I don't think we have to worry about that.

JOSIE: That's a relief. I just wish Grant didn't know what I did.

JOE: Me, too, especially since what you did was a crime. You know that, don't you, Josie?

JOSIE: (looking at the floor) Yes, sir.

JOE: And to make matters worse, you, an officer of the law, committed that crime right here in the police station.

JOSIE: I'm sorry, Joe, and I'm ready to accept any punishment you decide to give me.

JOE: You understand that I can't let you off with just a slap on the wrist, don't you?

JOSIE: I know. So what are you going to do?

JOE: First of all, you can't use the recreational computer any more.

JOSIE: I sort of expected that.

JOE: That's the easy part of your punishment. Now, this is the hard part. I am temporarily demoting you.

JOSIE: How (gulps) how far down?

JOE: Until further notice, you're a Cadet.
FADE OUT



SCENE FIVE
(The scene shifts to THE JASMINE GARDEN. Nick and Remy are eating spareribs. Tito is no longer there.)
REMY: You know, I got the feeling that Tito is really sorry about everything he did. Deep down, I think he really wants Dad to

NICK: Love him?

REMY: (Nods her head.)Exactly.

NICK: You may be right. (Thoughtfully) You know, now that I think of it, it has to be rough for Tito.

REMY: What?

NICK: Having Joe for a father, but not having him for a Dad.
FADE OUT




SCENE SIX: CLOSING SCENE
(The scene shifts to Joe's office at the 2-3. Joe and Josie still are inside.)

JOSIE: You're not serious, are you? You're really demoting me to Cadet?

JOE: You said you'd accept any punishment I decided to give you.

JOSIE: I know, but isn't that sort of a disgrace?

JOE: (a bit sternly) Well, weren't your actions disgraceful?

JOSIE: (humbly) Yes, sir.

JOE: (reassuringly) Look, it's not as bad as it sounds. You won't have to go back to the Academy.

JOSIE: Then what will I have to do?

JOE: Well, besides keeping your promise to find every place that rumor is posted, and retract it, with an apology, you will study the training manual all over again, and I will test you on each chapter. I will also give you some special assignments.

JOSIE: Yes, sir.

JOE: Your first assignment is to look up the laws on e-mail threats and blackmail, and write a five-hundred word essay on the subject.

JOSIE: Yes, sir. How soon do you want it?

JOE: In a week.(Puts both hands on Josie's shoulders and looks into her eyes.) You know I'm doing this for your own good, don't you?

JOSIE: I know. (Raises her eyes to Joe's face.) I once promised you that I would never betray my shield again, but I didn't keep my promise. (voice breaks) But this time, if I get my shield back, I

JOE: No, Josie, not if you get your shield back. When you get your shield back, I expect you to be a better cop than ever.
FREEZE FRAME

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