"Talk to you like a stranger?" Ryan asked in confusion as the hospital's emergency generators kicked in. Gillian explained that Ryan had treated the elderly patient like a loved one. Ryan quickly clarified that he'd treated the woman like a grandmother. He also explained that since they had never met, Ryan knew nothing about the older woman that would make him not like her. Gillian made yet another cryptic remark, saying that she wished she and Ryan had never met. Believe it or not, she had the best of intentions. What she'd wanted to say was that she wanted to be able to start over with Ryan. Unfortunately, Ryan was not open to the idea of starting anew. He stated that Gillian's mistakes could not be "glossed over or forgotten." He became mildly frustrated as he told Gillian, "What we had is dead." Gillian disagreed. "Love doesn't die," she said softly. She told Ryan that she would never stop loving him. Ryan countered by telling his wife that she would have to do just that---live without him. For the first time, Gillian realized that she really had hurt Ryan. Ryan nodded his head slightly and badmouthed himself for falling in love. Gillian claimed to have learned from her past mistakes. "So have I," muttered Ryan as he walked away. Gillian fell into a chair, her emotions simply frozen. Jake wandered into the room and crouched beside the princess. He told her that everything would work out once Ryan beat the charges against him. Gillian quietly hoped that the doctor was right. She knew that Ryan would never be in his current predicament if it had not been for her affair with David. Gillian never mentioned her affair with David to Jake, but she did remark that David was the reason she and Ryan were having problems. Jake wanted to know how or why David would want to hurt her. Gillian replied that David needed no reason---he just set out to indiscriminately hurt people. Jake told Gillian that she should feel free to call on him if she ever needed help bringing David down.
With the power still off, Mateo was forced to poke around in the dark for candles and matches. This was the first time that Raquel had been trapped in a snowstorm. It actually might have been the first time she'd ever seen snow firsthand. She became nervous and asked Mateo if they would be safe in the castle. Mateo chuckled slightly and realized that Raquel had never gotten over her childhood fear of the dark. The two exchanged a shared memory of a time they'd been trapped together in the dark as children. Mateo went to check on Max. The boy was fast asleep and had no idea that the power was out. Just in case he did wake up, Mateo left a flashlight by his son's bed. Raquel thanked Mateo for staying with her during the power outage. She said that Mateo's voice had always soothed her. The tone in Raquel's voice had changed. She was no longer merely comforted by Mateo's appearance; She was remembering an past time when she and Mateo were still lovers. Mateo remembered that he and Raquel were "best friends before [they were] lovers." Both wanted to remain friends, but of course Raquel wanted a little bit more than friendship. Mateo told Raquel that he needed to ask a favor of her. This would be no ordinary request. "I want you to let go of me," he said softly. Raquel felt like she set up because Mateo had been so nice to her. She told Mateo that she would need time to accept his request. Mateo told her to take all the she needed---but reiterated that they would never be more than friends. Mateo wanted to wait up for Hayley to return, but he was falling asleep on the sofa. Raquel advised him to sneak a few winks, assuring him that she'd wake him up before Hayley got back home. Mateo drifted off relatively quickly. Raquel covered him with a blanket and sat by his side as she gently stroked his hair.
In their private room, Adam again asked Liza if she would be his wife. The question, in Liza's mind, was "not a simple thing." Adam disagreed. He told Liza that if she was having trouble finding the words to express how she felt, she could simply, "Use [her]head. Nod or sha---nod your head," he laughed. "That would be good." Through his actions and even his words, Adam was trying to will Liza into accepting his proposal. He could not contemplate---or perhaps accept---a rejection. Before Liza could answer, the room suddenly went black. Adam cursed the power outage and scurried off to find a candle. When he returned to the room, Liza was gone. Tad helped light candles in the gallery area. He was momentarily distracted when Kit walked past him and ended up burning himself. This prompted Dixie to snap, "It's not the first time she's burned you." Jack overheard the remark and stepped in to boost his sister's bruised feelings. He assured her that when Ryan was convicted of rape, a lot of people would regret the way they'd treated her. Thanks to the marvels of battery-powered boomboxes, Marian and Stuart were still able to share their ceremonial "first dance." Liza worried that the bride and groom's honeymoon would be grounded by the storm. Neither Stuart nor Marian seemed overly concerned, saying that they would be happy as long as they were together. Adam grabbed hold of Liza's arm and asked, "Which is it-yes or no?" Liza puckered her lips and replied, "Neither." Adam enjoyed the chase as did Liza. In their own side discussion, Hayley asked her Uncle Trevor and Janet for help in getting rid of Raquel. Janet could see that Hayley was pained by Raquel's presence and asked Trevor to tell his niece about a plot he'd developed. Trevor didn't think the time was right, but he eventually parted with the details of what he called, "The Hunting Lodge Dodge." Trevor felt confident that Max had not run away and that Raquel was somehow tied to the supposed disappearance. Hayley didn't think that Raquel was capable of such a stunt. Janet bashfully reminded Hayley that she had once tossed her own sister down a well because she was so in love with Trevor. Hayley bit her tongue and said nothing more. The wedding festivities continued with the cutting of the cake. Adam once again escorted Liza to the back room and demanded an answer to his proposal. "I have to be a fool or a masochist, but when we were married I never felt more alive," Liza said softly. "We were made for each other," Adam grinned. Liza nodded her head with a look of horror etched on her face. "I'm afraid you're right," she replied only half in jest. Finally, Liza gave her answer and stunned Adam into silence. Adam had never expected Liza to accept his proposal. He hugged Liza tightly and the two kissed passionately. Stuart and Marian entered the room and shouted their congratulations to the couple. As Marian and Liza hugged, Stuart quietly whispered words of advice to his brother. "Don't screw it up this time," Stuart whispered. Back at the party, it was time for the single men and women to line-up for the garter and bouquet tosses. Adam managed to snag the red garter. Ironically, he also captured the bouquet. He stood behind Dixie and waited until the bouquet landed in her hands. Then the multi-millionaire plucked the bouquet away from Dixie and handed it to Liza. Everyone laughed at Adam's stunt---even Dixie. Liza smiled bashfully and handed the bouquet back to its rightful recipient. Stuart and Marian headed back out to their horse-drawn sleigh and their first night as husband and wife. Before anyone else could leave, Jack appeared before the guests with an urgent announcement. The police had declared a severe weather emergency and no one was permitted to go out on the roads. Pine Valley was effectively shut down---and they were all stuck in the gallery.
Erica reviewed the facts of Liza's pregnancy. She muttered that Liza had made a wise decision not to get involved in an "inferior relationship." An inferior relationship, in Erica's book, was any relationship that involved a male! David wondered why Erica suddenly showed a concern in Liza's pregnancy, reminding her that she'd recently remarked that it was none of her business. Erica agreed---and asserted that it was not any of David's business either. She accused David of having a vendetta against Liza, something that David vehemently denied. He ordered Erica to be quiet and at one point threatened to push her out of the still moving car. Erica asked David why he would want to inform Liza of her baby's real father in front of an audience. "Adam invaded her body," David snapped, comparing what Adam did to rape. In both instances, David argued, a man's sperm was introduced into an unwilling person. Erica was not at all pleased by the comparison. David said that Liza believed she was carrying Jake's child---a fact Erica did not know. Erica now realized that Adam was getting closer to Liza by claiming that he could love her child like it were his own. Erica then made an about face, calling David the biggest hypocrite she's known. She reminded David that he had illegally obtained the results of Liza's amniocenteses---and had run an unlawful DNA analysis on Adam. David flashed back in time. He remembered how he'd been set up to admit that he'd given Adam the wrong medication. The darkness of the night helped to mask it, but it looked as though tears had formed in David's eyes. Erica demanded that David drop her off at the next exit, but David refused to pull over. "Shut your damned mouth or I'll shut it!" David yelled. Erica suddenly screamed in horror as the four-by-four served off the road. The vehicle skidded through a wooden fence. Then came the sounds of twisting metal and shattered glass. When the car finally came to a stop, the damage was severe. A large wooden pole, presumably a telephone pole, crashed onto the vehicle and went through the windshield. David had a few scrapes on the side of his face, but he managed to regain consciousness fairly quickly. He looked down at the floor and noticed that his yellow file folder was covered in blood. He then turned to his right to look at Erica... and gasped.
The newlyweds returned to The Gatehouse at Chandler Mansion and found yet another of Adam's little surprises. A candlelight dinner had been set up and was waiting for the couple. After eating, Stuart devilishly glanced towards the bedroom. Oddly, Marian seemed reluctant to share intimacy with her new husband. Marian explained that she was nervous and that she felt "like a teenager." More than that, she hurriedly muttered that she felt "like a virgin." It seemed a strange comment for Marian and she was embarrassed to admit that she was nervous about having sex with Stuart. Stuart, however, saw nothing odd about Marian's feelings. He reminded her that this was their first night as husband and wife---so they were in a way making love for the first time. Stuart scurried off to another room to retrieve a wedding present for Marian. He returned with what Marian called "[two] pots of dirt." Stuart chuckled and explained that the pots contained seeds that would one day grow into huge trees. He likened the seeds to their relationship, saying that they were establishing roots. Marian now felt more at ease and she and her love shared a passionate kiss.
Ryan laid in bed with a case of insomnia. Jake entered the room and asked the patient if everything was okay. Ryan sighed and said that he was feeling better. Of course, better in this case was not a good thing. Ryan knew that it would be only a matter of time before he had to go back to prison. Jack remarked that it wouldn't be any time soon since the blizzard had shut down the entire town. Jake and Ryan briefly discussed the hospital's ability to handle emergencies while operating on emergency power. Jake went back to his rounds. Moments later, Braden walked into the room. Amazingly, the mysterious man had sweet-talked his way into Ryan's room yet again. Braden announced that he had good news for Ryan, news that would show that his luck was changing. Braden fuddled around in his pocket before producing a sheet of paper. Ryan reviewed the paper with a look of astonishment. The paper was actually a printout of the Pine Valley Bulletin's web site. The top headline featured the news that Kit had once before claimed that she'd been raped. Ryan couldn't fathom how Braden was able to get the article into the paper. Braden smiled and simply stated that he had connections. Ryan told Braden that he may have saved his life. The conversation shifted from Ryan's troubles to what Braden was doing in Pine Valley. Braden bragged about his position at Cortlandt Electronics. When asked how long he'd been in town, Braden replied, "since October." Ryan turned the conversation back to his upcoming rape trial. He mentioned that his attorney was trying to get the DNA tests thrown out of court. Ryan nodded approvingly and told Ryan that his attorney seems very capable. Braden again promised to do what he could to get Ryan out of his jam.
Adam tried to convince everyone that getting stuck at the gallery wasn't the worst thing that could happen to them. No one was buying it. Tad and Dixie put their heads together and tried to figure out why Adam and Liza were acting so peculiarly. Both agreed that it would be a mistake if Liza accepted Adam's marriage proposal. Their fears were confirmed when Adam and Liza waltzed towards them hand in hand. Neither Tad nor Dixie responded positively when Liza broke the news of their engagement. Adam headed off to rejoin the party while Liza tried to elicit some merriment from the other recently engaged couple. Hayley raced over to Liza's side and asked her what was going on. "Spill!" Hayley chirped giddily. Liza asked Hayley if she knew how to cook. Hayley shrugged and remarked that she was an average cook. Liza smiled and said that she'll be looking forward to the dinners she'll soon be having with her stepdaughter. Hayley actually jumped in the air and shouted happily. Liza cast a cold glance at Tad and Dixie and snapped that she was glad someone was happy for her. Upstairs, Jamie, Tim, and Junior huddled around Tim's laptop computer. Fortunately the storm had not knocked out the phone lines. Edmund approached the four boys and asked them if they could dial up the Internet and check on the weather conditions. When Tim finally connected, he headed for the Pine Valley Bulletin's web site. Instead of finding just the latest weather information, he inadvertently pulled up the article Braden had had placed on the front page. Kit wandered by and voiced her frustration over the headline. The headline featured a picture of Kit and one of Tad and told of the pair's rocky past. Jamie read the headline and asked his mother what "rape" meant. Brooke pulled him aside and said that she'd explain everything later. The boys were sent downstairs while Jack, Edmund, Kit, and Brooke figured out what to do next. Dimitri didn't understand why everyone was so upset. The article was, after all, the truth. The group headed back to the party to confront Tad. Not only did Kit believe that Tad had planted the article in the paper, but she figured that he'd been the one to send Braden to the hunting lodge. Tad denied any ties to Braden or the article. Justifiably, Tad claimed that he did not want his picture splashed all over the tabloids. Again Dimitri chimed in that the story would come out eventually. Meanwhile, Jack placed a call to the Bulletin to ask them not to go to the presses with the story. Even the District Attorney could not halt the newswire. The story had already been sent out across the wires to other media outlets. Jack told his sister that he'd understand if she wanted to drop the charges again Ryan to avoid having her name muddied. Kit wasn't foolish. She knew that things would get rough if Ryan went to trial. Still she was convinced that she was doing the right thing. This, she said, was only the second time in her life that she was telling the truth. The first, of course, being when she insisted that she was Christine Montgomery. Elsewhere in the gallery, Opal tried to talk Adrian into starting a private investigation firm---with Tad. Adrian nixed the idea, saying that he works alone. Adrian became very frigid and walked away. Ruth sauntered over to Opal and told her that she needs to be more patient when dealing with Adrian. Opal had had thirty years to get used to having a son, but Adrian has only know that Opal is his mother for a few weeks. Ruth was confident that Adrian would come around and was even optimistic about Tad and Adrian becoming friends one day. Sven returned to the gallery with the sleigh and agreed to whisk Joe and Ruth to the hospital.
David leaned over to check Erica's condition---it wasn't good. A piece of wire from the fence they'd crashed through had punctured Erica's chest. Not only had the wire punctured one of Erica's lungs, but it had also lodged itself dangerously close to Erica's heart and aorta. If Erica were to move, the wire could tear the aorta---and that would almost certainly be fatal. David moved in for a closer look at Erica's face. As he turned her head towards him, he gasped in horror. "No," he said trembling. The cardiologist placed an urgent call to Pine Valley Hospital. He was patched through to Jake. Despite the men's understandably rocky relationship, they were able to put their differences aside and talk business. David explained that he'd been in a car accident. While he'd received only minor injuries, his passenger was had been "critically injured." Jake was stunned when David revealed that the passenger was Erica. The storm left Jake with both hands tied behind his back. Several ambulances were stuck in the snow and the medical chopper was grounded because of the high winds. David asked Jake to have an operating room waiting for them and to alert Dr. Weiss to be on standby. Jake was somewhat confused because Dr. Weiss was a plastic surgeon. David ordered Jake to follow through with his request. David ended the call and went back to nursing Erica's injuries. He placed several gauge strips over lacerations on Erica's face. Slowly, Erica regained consciousness. She had no idea where she was or what had happened. David calmly explained that he'd smashed into a car that someone had abandoned in the middle of the road. It was not clear if David was telling the truth or if it was a cover to put Erica's mind at ease. Erica put her hand to her face and felt the gauze bandages. David neared the panic level, but did a fine job of holding on to his composure. He said that a few pieces of glass had cut Erica's face, but that the wire in her chest posed a greater risk to her health. "You'll leave me," Erica said softly. David' face turned ghostly white. Before him was a dying woman who believed that he'd simply let her die. David vowed that he would not leave Erica's side. He gave her an injection of a pain killer and Erica drifted back to sleep. David placed another urgent call to the hospital to check on the progress of the ambulance. Jake said that a plow truck was en route to their location followed closely behind by an ambulance. David feared that the ambulance would not arrive in time. Jake ordered David not to let Erica die. It wasn't an order, per se, but rather a strangely worded pep talk. Erica suddenly stirred, her body shifting in the car seat. As feared, the sudden movement caused the wire to tear into Erica's heart. As blood trickled from Erica's chest, David realized that he would have to begin operating on the woman in this, the harshest of environments.
It seemed like hours since David's emergency call had come in. Dr. Weiss paced nervously around the emergency room. He pulled Jake aside and demanded to know when his patient would be arriving. Jake knew little more than his colleague. The MedEvac chopper pilot crossed the waiting area and announced that he was headed home. Jake asked the man if he'd go back up to pick up David and Erica. The man cited numerous reasons for being unable to head back out, but none of them were substantial. Joe appeared by the man's side and ordered him to go back out. The man jumped out of his seat and headed for the chopper. Jake asked his father he he'd managed to get the man to move so quickly. "I guess I've seen more people die [than you]," Joe said glumly.
At the crash scene, David tried to will Erica back to health. "I've done my part---now you do yours!" he said encouragingly. Erica remained unconscious. David noted that her blood pressure was dropping and her breathing was becoming more shallow. The makeshift suture the cardiologist had used on Erica's torn aorta was leaking and it would be only a matter of time before Erica's condition went from bad to worse. Overhead the chopper's blades sounded and an ambulance's siren wailed in the distance.
From his office at WRCW, Tad placed calls all around town hoping to locate Braden. Tad wanted to blast the "little weasel" for leaking his past dealings with Kit to the newspaper. Adam burst into the office and plopped the morning edition of the Bulletin on Tad's desk. He scolded Tad, saying that "a man is judged by the company he keeps." Adam thought that Tad had given his story to the paper. He had failed to realize that the story was negative publicity for Tad. The two men bickered back and forth for several minutes before Adam suggested that they try to become friends. Tad grimaced and commented that friendship was not an option for them. "We hate each other's guts," Tad said, requesting that they keep the relationship since it "worked" for them. Adam headed off to locate Liza so that he could take her for an appointment with Dr. Clader. He must have just missed bumping into Liza in the hallway because she showed up in the office just seconds after Adam left. Tad locked the door behind Liza and informed her that it was time they had a talk. Tad berated Liza's decision to get re-engaged to Adam. He told her that the men with the "oversized butterfly nets" should lock her up in a mental institution! Liza defended her engagement even after Tad implied that her hormones were clouding her judgment. Liza snapped that her relationship was none of Tad's business. This was the same argument that Tad had used to keep Liza from meddling in his relationship with Dixie. Tad claimed that he was trying to return the favor Liza had done by reuniting him with Dixie. "Then buy me an expensive gift," grinned Liza. A knock on the door sounded Liza's possible release from her pseudo-prison. Dixie was permitted into the room and Liza hoped that she'd side with her against Tad. Dixie didn't want to trash the "friendly-like" association she and Liza had formed, but she did want to warn Liza of the dangers of marrying Adam again. She urged Liza to think of her unborn child. Even if the baby was not Adam's flesh and blood, Dixie was certain that Adam would interfere in the child's life---the same way he'd interfered in Max's life. Tad wasn't sure what Dixie was talking about and Dixie had no way of knowing that her newsflash was actually passé. Liza informed Dixie that she already knew about Adam's interference in Max's custody hearing. She said that since a second hearing had already been scheduled there was no reason for Hayley to know about her father's interference. If she did, Liza snapped that she would believed that either Tad or Dixie had squealed out of spite. Adam poked his head in the room and told Liza that he'd been looking all over for her. The couple headed off to the hospital leaving the other couple to decipher what had just taken place. Neither Tad nor Dixie approved of Adam and Liza's engagement. Tad wondered if it was possible that Liza felt "vulnerable" and needed Adam in her life for stability. Dixie chuckled and hoped that Liza's "mama lion" instinct kicked in before it was too late.
Mateo remained fast asleep on the sofa... and Raquel was still by his side. When Raquel heard the front door knob twitching, she had to hightail her scheme into action. She nuzzled up next to Mateo and pretended to be sleeping. Hayley walked in to the parlor area and rolled her eyes. She walked quietly towards the sleeping pair. She plunked her purse on top of Raquel's head and gently roused her almost-husband from his sleep. Mateo's eyes slowly opened. When Matt set his eyes on Raquel, he jumped. He wondered how---or why---Raquel was by his side. Raquel claimed that she must have "passed out" from exhaustion. Raquel asked Hayley why she was just getting home. It was apparent that she wanted to stir up some trouble. Hayley explained that she'd been trapped all night at the gallery. Max burst into the room and asked his father if he could teach him how to ski. Mateo smiled and agreed to take his son out into the winter wonderland. While the Santos men were frolicking in the snow, Hayley decided that the time was right for another girl talk session with Raquel. Hayley angrily told Raquel that she was on to her tricks. This, she said, was not the first time Raquel had positioned herself next to a slumbering Mateo. Raquel again denied that she had deliberately set out to sleep next to Mateo. Hayley sighed deeply. In their past discussion, Raquel had already admitted that she would do anything to win back Mateo, so this detour from honesty was a big waste of time as far as Hayley was concerned. Hayley had constructive advice for Raquel. She advised her to head upstairs and back Max's bags so that they could move out of Wildwind as soon as possible. Raquel refused to let Hayley "steal" her son from her. She snapped that the last time Hayley had been in charge of looking after Max, Max wound of disappearing. Raquel stormed out of the room after threatening to call her attorney to get the court date moved up. Trevor entered the room, his presence preceded by a loud cough. The attorney was fighting a nasty cold, but he knew that the show had to go on. Hayley informed her uncle that she now believed that Raquel had staged Max's disappearance. Raquel's demeanor and continued sarcastic remarks made Hayley realize that Raquel was capable of just about anything. Trevor already suspected that Raquel had staged the disappearance and urged Hayley to go to Mateo with her suspicions. Hayley explained that without hard evidence she feared that Mateo would think she was out to stick it to Raquel. She made her uncle promise that he would not talk to Mateo about their hunch. Trevor nodded his head. Hayley headed off to take a shower. Trevor was only alone for a few minutes before Mateo arrived. Trevor handed Matt a few papers to sign. While he inked his name, Mateo asked his attorney if he thought that Max's disappearance might jeopardize his case. Trevor shook his head and said that it wouldn't hurt their case because "that wondering off thing never happened." A look of shock crept over Mateo's face while Trevor explained his theory. He said that something about Raquel's story just didn't make sense. First, he doubted that Max could have found his way across town on his own. Second, why would the boy seek refuge at the hunting lodge when the main house was only a little further away? Mateo refused to believe Raquel would use their son as a weapon. Trevor offered to talk to Max to find out the truth about his supposed disappearance. Mateo shook his head and said that as Max's father, he should be the one to ask the questions.
Liza drove like a maniac to make her appointment with Dr. Clader. She and Adam wandered by the sun porch and Adam observed that Jake was sitting by himself. Adam wandered in and could wait to break the news that Liza had agreed to marry him. Don't be mistaken, though. Adam didn't want to spread the good news. "The best thing," Adam said, "is that [Liza's] asked me to be the baby's father!" Smiling sinisterly, Adam walked away.
Liza and her baby received a clean bill of health from Dr. Clader. As a memento of the occasion, Liza was given a printout from the ultrasound. Liza smiled and told Adam that he should have the photograph. It was then announced that her baby's name would be Colby Marian Chandler. Dr. Clader was paged away. Adam told Liza that he had a surprise for her and the couple walked off arm in arm. Moments later, Jake happened to walk into the room. The ultrasound image caught his attention. He looked at it for several moments before realizing that it was Baby Colby that appeared on the monitor. He looked sadly at the monitor, sorrow covering his face.
Erica arrived via ambulance still in very critical condition. Feeling responsible for Erica's injuries, David insisted that he be allowed to operate on Erica. He didn't anticipate having to jockey for position with a plastic surgeon. Dr. Weiss angrily demanded that he be allowed to tend to Erica's facial injuries before the wounds scarred. "Nobody's going to care was her face looks like from the inside of a closed coffin," David snapped. He told his fellow surgeon that he'd have to stand in line---because Erica would die if her injured artery wasn't fixed. As she was wheeled off to the operating room, two nurses shared their thoughts on her injuries with one another. "If it were me," said one nurse in reference to Erica's lacerations, "I wouldn't wanna wake up."
Special thanks to Rene for assisting with today's recap.
Mateo entered Raquel's bedroom in search of Max. He sat Raquel down for a heart-to-heart. Raquel again told her still-husband how worried she was about Max being lost while in Hayley's care, again saying that Hayley is incapable of taking care of their son. Matt agreed to honor Raquel's wishes regarding Max's care, but warned her that she better not have set Hayley up to look bad. Raquel said she would never use Max as a weapon. Matt questioned Raquel's explanations of what took place, vowing to find out exactly what happened in the snowstorm---even if it meant asking Max what happened. Raquel said she didn't want Max to be "traumatized" by talking about his disappearance. Raquel's evasiveness made Mateo suspect that Raquel was had made up the lost-in-the-storm saga. He pressured Raquel for the truth and she finally admitted that she had lied. She poured on the guilt by saying that while Hayley and Mateo live in a castle and have money and power, Max is the only thing she has in her life. She also admitted that the concocted runaway story had been designed to help her keep custody of Max. Raquel offered her apologies and begged Matt to try to understand why she'd lied to him, gut Matt told her he didn't even want to look at her. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the castle, Hayley blasted Trevor for telling Mateo the truth. Trevor, however, defended his position, saying that he was only doing what was best. Hayley calmed down and realized that her uncle hadn't set out to cause trouble and forgave him. After Trevor left, Hayley played pirates with Max. Suddenly, Mateo burst into the room looking very angry. He told Hayley to pack their bags, because they're "outta here."
Jake arrived at Tad's office and begged Tad to try to talk Liza out of marrying Adam. Tad told just because he had donated his sperm to Liza didn't mean that he could stop Liza from marrying Adam. Jake claimed that he was afraid that Adam would hurt Liza again, but Tad sensed something more than that. Tad asserted that Jake was really about Baby Colby---not Liza. Jake admitted that he doesn't want Adam raising Liza's baby. Jake said he had tried to remain detached, but when Adam informed him that he and Liza were getting married, suddenly he felt like he couldn't let go of the baby. Tad offered sympathy and said he hoped Liza would be able to change Adam into a good father. Jake showed Tad the baby's ultrasound picture, and Tad commented that Baby Colby had Jake's chin.
Meanwhile, Adam led a pregnant Liza through a mall, her eyes covered so as to not ruin the surprise. They arrived in front of an upscale baby boutique, aptly named "The Baby Boutique." After having a talk about Adam's role in the baby's life, Liza and Adam happily shopped for "their" baby, music-video style. Liza thanked Adam for the shopping spree, and tenderly kissed him in the mall.
Dimitri walked into Pine Valley Hospital and saw a very distraught Myrtle. She told him that Erica had been in an car accident. David told them that Erica sustained quite a bit of injury and lost a lot of blood, but that she came through the surgery okay. Then a nurse informed them that Erica had some severe injuries to her face, and that they were not able to perform plastic surgery right away. Erica laid in her hospital bed, with half of her face covered in bandages. The nurses murmured to each other that, "it's a shame. She had such a pretty face." Vanessa ran into David in the hall and commented that she found it curious that David had sustained only a few scratched while Erica had severely injured. Myrtle went in to see Erica while Dimitri stayed outside and asked the nurse questions about skin grafts and plastic surgery. Erica awoke and discovered that she was in the hospital. Still dazed, she looked at Myrtle and asked her what had happened.
With the sordid details of his personal life splattered across the front page of the Bulletin, Tad found himself on the other side of the media's magnifying glass. Phone calls from reporters flooded WRCW and interfered with Tad's work. Tad asked Rudy to man the phone lines while he handled the situation once and for all.
The news of Erica's accident was difficult for Dimitri to handle. While it may not have been much of a bright spot, Joe did have some good news for Dimitri. The doctor told Dimitri that Erica was "lucky to have one of the finest cardiac surgeons" by her side. Dimitri nodded his head and agreed that Dr. Hayward was a fine doctor. There was still the matter of Erica's facial lacerations. Joe offered to escort Dimitri to speak to Dr. Weiss, Erica's plastic surgeon. The plastic surgeon was less than optimistic during his discussion with Dimitri. "Let's be honest," said the doctor indifferently, "the possibility for scarring is enormous." Dimitri sighed heavily and bowed his head. He commented that Erica could not live with a marred face. The surgeon vowed to do everything in his power to restore Erica's face to its original beauty. But he warned Dimitri that even his best work might not be enough.
Braden hurried around Cortlandt Manor preparing to head to the courthouse for Ryan's day in court. As he was on his way out, Dixie appeared in the foyer. Dixie demanded answers from Braden, but Braden claimed to have no time for small talk. Dixie blasted her friend for taking the news of Tad's ordeal with Kit to the papers. Braden feigned ignorance, but the process of deduction made it clear that Braden was the only person who could have leaked the story to the press. Dixie was upset that "every fact [she] told [Braden] in confidence" had ended up on the front page of the Bulletin. Braden claimed that he had not seen the morning edition and denied telling Tad's story to the paper. "Why did you do it?" Dixie asked sadly. Tad appeared in the foyer and announced that he wanted to hear the answer to the question. Tad's voice cracked as he informed Braden that his office and home had been inundated by calls from the media. Two reporters had even showed up at Brooke's house looking for Jamie. Tad warned Braden that he would pay dearly if anything happened to Jamie as a result of the leak. Braden explained that he felt he had to contact the media to save Ryan. Ryan said only that he and Ryan "have a long history." Tad was furious that Braden felt he could sacrifice his privacy for Ryan's. Tad said that he would gladly have testified at Ryan's trial and told the court about Kit's bogus rape allegations. Braden announced that he had to head to the courthouse. As he was talking, however, he made an intriguing slip of the tongue. "I want to help before [they] pull to plug on my.... my friend," Braden commented. Braden started walking towards the door. Tad reached out and grabbed hold of Braden's shoulder, thereby halting the man's forward progress. He demanded to know why Braden was so interested in Ryan's case, but Braden said nothing. As Braden walked out of the house, Tad vowed to find out how Braden and Ryan know each other.
There was no single emotion that Mateo was feeling. He was angry with Raquel for lying about Max's disappearance, but relieved that Hayley had not neglected her parental role with the boy. Mateo apologized for having doubted Hayley. "Once an alcoholic, always a suspect," Hayley grumbled. The couple shared an embrace, after which Mateo asked Hayley to head upstairs and start packing her bags. Raquel entered the room in a frenzy and pleaded with Mateo not to move out. She admitted that she was wrong to have staged Max's disappearance, but she was quick to come to her own defense. "I was desperate," she sobbed. Hayley responded that even in her most desperate moments she had never hurt her loved ones. Raquel argued that she had not hurt Max by staging the runaway. Mateo, however, felt otherwise. He stated that Raquel was teaching their son to lie and disregard his role as his father. Raquel begged for one more chance to prove herself, but she'd already had too many chances. She panicked as she asked what would happen to her and her son if Mateo and Hayley moved out of Wildwind. Mateo again explained that Max would be living with him. As for Raquel, well, Hayley figured that Edmund would let her stick around for a little while---at least until her condo was available. Again Raquel pleaded for a chance to redeem herself. That proved to be the breaking point for Mateo. He accused his wife of playing mind games with their son. Unbeknownst to anyone, Max was observing the argument from the next room. He scurried into the room and sadly told his mother that he had not broken their promise to keep the game of hide-and-seek a secret. Mateo closed his eyes, ran his hand through his hair, and let out a deep breath. He hadn't wanted his son to witness a fight between him and Raquel. Matt crouched down next to his son and assured him that he'd done nothing wrong. He tried to impress upon his young son that he is always to listen to what he and his mother tell him. Mateo prepared to tell Max that they were moving out, but Hayley stepped in and asked the boy if he wanted to see Sammy's new pet gerbil. Raquel and Max scurried upstairs to watch the little critter run around in his exercise wheel. Once they were gone---and Hayley listened to make sure that they went all the way upstairs---Hayley told Mateo that they could not move out of Wildwind. She explained that Max would misinterpret their move as some sort of punishment. She asked Mateo to stay put for a few weeks while things cooled over. Then, she said, they could move without the fear of hurting Max in any way. Mateo knew that staying was the last thing Hayley wanted, but he could see that she was willing to sacrifice her own happiness for that of his son. Hayley started to cry as she told Mateo that she know longer thinks of them as a two person deal; She sees them as a trio with Max as the third partner. Hopefully, Hayley said with a teary-eyed smile, Mateo wouldn't "mind that [she's] fallen in love with another man---[his] son."
Outside the courtroom, Jack was mobbed by members of the media. Jack announced that he had no comment and that his actions in the courtroom were all he would say on Ryan's case. Inside, Trevor taunted Jack with the possibility that the DNA tests would be thrown out. The attorney's arrogance irked Jack, and he haughtily warned Trevor not to get his hopes too high. Gillian entered through the back of the room and Ryan angrily told her to go home. Gillian could do no such thing---she'd been subpoenaed by the prosecution. The judge appeared in the front of the courtroom and the hearing to argue the admissibility of the DNA test was ready to begin. Trevor argued that the test was performed "involuntarily" and without the consent of legal counsel. Jack, however, claimed that Ryan had willing agreed to take the test. Trevor explained how everything had gone down, saying that Ryan was in jail on "trumped up assault charges." The only person, Jack stated, that could tell exactly what had happened was the defendant. Ryan took the stand and painted a vivid picture of the District Attorney "hammering" him into concordance. Jack was not pleased by the implication that he had overstepped the line of what was permitted by law. Trevor noted that Jack had threatened Ryan's wife and that he'd had Immigration tail Gillian around town. Again, Jack had a quick answer. He said that he had contacted the INS to check on the status of the princess' citizenship. Once he'd learned that Gillian had received her green card, Jack said that he knew he had the green light to charge Gillian with "aiding and abetting a fugitive." Ryan refuted the DNA match, implying that the match would have been more than seventy-percent if he had really raped Kit. Jack sneered and informed that judge that he had "an eyewitness that says otherwise." The judge announced that he was beginning to believe that Jack had overstepped his authority. Seeing that his case was in trouble, Jack announced that the defendant's own wife could help shed light on the situation. Ordinarily, a wife cannot be forced to testify against her husband. Apparently the law is nullified when a witness is present---and since a lab technician had been present to draw Ryan's blood, Gillian could be called to testify. Jack asked Gillian to tell the judge what Ryan had told her when she arrived to bail him out of jail. Gillian became quiet and claimed that she could not remember. Jack continued to pressure the witness and even offered a few of his own recollections to help jog her memory. He stated that Ryan had told Gillian not to worry about the blood test because it would prove his innocence. Braden slipped into the courtroom unobserved as Jack asked Gillian if it was true that Ryan had told her that he wanted to take the test.
Myrtle asked Erica not to speak so that she could save her strength. Erica's hand slowly moved towards her bandages. Her hand shook violently as she asked Myrtle what had happened. Myrtle didn't want to tell Erica about her accident, but Erica begged for an answer. Myrtle told Erica that she'd been in a car accident and that her face and chest had been hurt. "I'll be alright," said Erica, her voice shaking. "Will I be alright?" Myrtle was silent. Finally, she assured Erica that she'd make a full recovery. "You'll always be the most beautiful girl I know." David entered the room and gave Erica a brief check-up. Erica pulled away as the doctor approached. Myrtle wasn't quite sure why Erica was acting so strangely and explained that David had helped her after the accident. David seemed relieved---and perhaps even pleased---that Erica had no recollection of the accident. She had memories of being stranded at the airport in New York, but after that everything was blank. David told Erica that it was common for trauma victims to have some form of amnesia. When her memory was blocked, David told her that she should try to focus on something good that would happen to her in the future. This was a momentary flash of how kind the doctor actually could be. Myrtle and David stepped into the hallway and Myrtle tore into David for not telling Erica that he'd been the one who'd been driving at the time of the accident. David felt that Myrtle should be berating the person who'd left the truck abandoned on the road. He also stated that it was not good for Erica to get upset during her recovery. Dimitri was allowed into the room to visit Erica. Erica had drifted off to sleep, so Dimitri gently took her hand in his. When he did, Erica stirred slightly and her eyes opened. Dimitri apologized for waking Erica, but she told him that she was happy to see him. Erica remarked that she must look horrible. Dimitri smiled and shook his head. He asked Erica if she remembered the Halloween in which she'd dressed up as the mummy. "The best part" of that night, said Dimitri, was when he unwrapped Erica. Underneath the gauze, which he mused was more than the entire yearly usage for all of Pine Valley Hospital, was the "beautiful woman [he] loved." Dimitri told Erica that that same woman was still underneath the bandages. David returned to the room and told Erica that her latest tests showed that she was "healing nicely." Erica's lips quivered slightly as they formed a smile. Erica announced that it would be only a matter of time before she was filming her television special and returning to the world of modeling.
