Rerun: Steele of the Day #67
Steele lays down, moaning softly.
She looks at him for a moment. "If you weren't such a pitiful wreck, I'd clobber you." She goes to the table at the window, filling the washbasin with water from the pitcher there as she continues her tirade. "Walking out on me like that. Without a note, a word- a collect call! Take off your shirt," she orders, carrying the basin to the table beside the bed and wetting a towel. "What kind of relationship did we have- or ever HOPE to have-" he can't take the shirt off, so he starts pulling it out, wincing, "if everytime I turned around, BINGO! -You were gone?" She wets a rag. "Lift your shirt." She presses the rag to his stomach.
Steele groans. "Laura, you're the one who said we needed time apart," he reminds her in a weak voice. She rinses the rag.
"So you decided to spend it a continent away?"
"I needed to find something."
"What?"
"Me."
Laura frowns, not understanding. "You were in Los Angeles last time I looked."
"What's the major stumbling block between us?" he asks.
She thinks. "Your aversion to legwork?"
Steele manages a smile. "My name. My real name. I knew how you'd feel if I wouldn't give you that. That I couldn't be honest about- other things."
Laura rinses the rag again, and places it on his wounds. "I don't care what your name is. Make one up. It'll be all right with me."
"Perhaps. But when it seemed our time together had come to an end- I realized that Remington Steele was just another name I had borrowed. And if I was gonna give it back, I should have to replace it with something that was truly mine."
"And did you?" Laura asks.
He holds up the watch. "I've come up with a name for one of the initials in the watch. Kevin Landers." Laura looks away, but Steele doesn't notice. "Only, that isn't the man's real name." He smiles. "Are you ready for this? He's the Earl of Claridge." Laura returns his smile, hiding her concern. "Wouldn't it be a cork if it turned out I was related to royalty? After spending half my life in dumps like this place. I've always been afraid of looking too deeply into the past. Afraid of-" he glances at Laura. "Never mind. Anyway- I'll pay a visit to His Lordship tomorrow morning."
Laura pats his arm. "No," she tells him, taking the watch. "You're in no condition to call on anyone. I'll go. I'll do it for you." She kisses his cheek. "But first we have to get you a doctor."
Steele Searching 1
She looks at him for a moment. "If you weren't such a pitiful wreck, I'd clobber you." She goes to the table at the window, filling the washbasin with water from the pitcher there as she continues her tirade. "Walking out on me like that. Without a note, a word- a collect call! Take off your shirt," she orders, carrying the basin to the table beside the bed and wetting a towel. "What kind of relationship did we have- or ever HOPE to have-" he can't take the shirt off, so he starts pulling it out, wincing, "if everytime I turned around, BINGO! -You were gone?" She wets a rag. "Lift your shirt." She presses the rag to his stomach.
Steele groans. "Laura, you're the one who said we needed time apart," he reminds her in a weak voice. She rinses the rag.
"So you decided to spend it a continent away?"
"I needed to find something."
"What?"
"Me."
Laura frowns, not understanding. "You were in Los Angeles last time I looked."
"What's the major stumbling block between us?" he asks.
She thinks. "Your aversion to legwork?"
Steele manages a smile. "My name. My real name. I knew how you'd feel if I wouldn't give you that. That I couldn't be honest about- other things."
Laura rinses the rag again, and places it on his wounds. "I don't care what your name is. Make one up. It'll be all right with me."
"Perhaps. But when it seemed our time together had come to an end- I realized that Remington Steele was just another name I had borrowed. And if I was gonna give it back, I should have to replace it with something that was truly mine."
"And did you?" Laura asks.
He holds up the watch. "I've come up with a name for one of the initials in the watch. Kevin Landers." Laura looks away, but Steele doesn't notice. "Only, that isn't the man's real name." He smiles. "Are you ready for this? He's the Earl of Claridge." Laura returns his smile, hiding her concern. "Wouldn't it be a cork if it turned out I was related to royalty? After spending half my life in dumps like this place. I've always been afraid of looking too deeply into the past. Afraid of-" he glances at Laura. "Never mind. Anyway- I'll pay a visit to His Lordship tomorrow morning."
Laura pats his arm. "No," she tells him, taking the watch. "You're in no condition to call on anyone. I'll go. I'll do it for you." She kisses his cheek. "But first we have to get you a doctor."
Steele Searching 1