A letter drenched in lilac essence arrived in the mail for Scott. Marian gently teased the teenager about a possible female admirer. Scott, however, paid little mind to the letter which he said came from a girl named Julie. Julie, he claimed, was a friend---"with an emphasis on friend." Marian asked Scott if he could play the tape he'd made for his film class, but Scott played down the film. The topic was less than exciting; it was a documentary on bugs that ravage the California vineyards. There was something peculiar about the way he was acting, but it was nothing that anyone could put a finger on. Scott forced a yawn and dashed upstairs. Marian concocted a plan to arrange a gala premiere for Scott's first film project. She envisioned a glitzy opening at the local theatre where guests would arrive by limo and eat catered food. The plan seemed less realistic when she thought about the amount of money they'd have to shell out. Marian asked Stuart about his finances---in particular how much money he had. It seemed rather crude, but this was a normal question for a wife to ask her husband. Stuart shrugged and replied that Adam takes care of all the finances. Marian also toyed with the idea of playing matchmaker for Scott, but Stuart urged her to let Scott work his own magic.

The wedding reception had now come to an unofficial end. Janet returned from her outing to Enchantment and was miffed that she'd missed the fun. She briefed Trevor on the details of what Vanessa was up to and he urged her to return to Enchantment to take care of Vanessa. He, meanwhile, would tend to some legal matters. Janet nodded and the pair agreed to meet later.

Across the room, Ryan told Jake and Gillian that he was going to call it a day. He smiled proudly and commented that Tad and Dixie truly deserved to be happy. Reflex action took over and Gillian told Ryan that he was also deserving of happiness. The two awkward tried to work their way out of the situation. Ultimately, Ryan said goodbye and Gillian tried to pull her foot out of her mouth. Jake and Gillian sat down at a table. Once seated, Jake asked Gillian why she and Ryan were not still together. Gillian took a deep breath and told Jake the sordid details of her affair with "the other man." The explanation, which took place off camera, included the details of sleeping with the unnamed other man in order to raise Ryan's bail money. Jake was able to deduce from what he called "tell-tale signs" that the other man was actually David Hayward. Gillian was stunned that Jake knew who she was talking about, but even more surprised that Jake was not "disgusted" by what she'd done. She also spilled the beans about keeping the money that she'd acquired from David. Jake said that since Gillian no longer had money of her own, he doesn't see anything wrong with her decision to keep it. Jake offered Gillian a ride back to the boarding house, but Gillian said that she was "too awake" to go home. She invited Jake to join her for a night of dancing at Sounds of Salsa. Jake agreed, but said that he'd have to meet her there because he was scheduled to visit Colby.

Ryan dropped by the gym to take out his aggression on an unlucky punching bag. A woman observed his technique and asked him if he gives private lessons. Ryan didn't know who the woman was, but the woman was a familiar face in Pine Valley; she was Leslie Coulson. Ryan helped the woman work on some squats, but they had yet to introduce themselves. Ryan stopped the workout when he noticed that Scott was standing behind them with a video camera. Leslie angrily asked the teen if he was "some kind of sicko." Upon learning that Scott and Ryan knew each other, Leslie warmed slightly. She did, however, warn Scott that he could get himself into a lot of trouble by sneaking up on people with video cameras. Scott sheepishly informed the pair that he did have a consent form for them to sign. Leslie took the paper and carefully scanned over it. She advised Scott to have it checked by an attorney because the agreement gave her "wiggle room" to cause him a lot of headaches later. The woman flashed a smile and explained that she was an attorney. Among her clients, she said trying not to brag, are Juanita Ramsey and Dr. David Hayward. Ryan blew up when he learned that Leslie represented David. He apologized for his outburst, in which he ordered Leslie to tell her client to "stay away from [his] wife." Leslie told Ryan that he was not the first man to fly off the handle at the mention of David's name. Leslie was paged away, but before leaving the trio finally introduced themselves by name. Scott knew that David must have been the reason for Ryan and Gillian's split. He offered to help Ryan get even with David, but Ryan felt that there was no need to enact revenge. He and Gillian were through.

Vanessa assumed her perch behind Erica's desk at Enchantment. She took to the phone when a man by the name of Donald Steele called. "We're going to be co-conspirators," purred Vanessa. She cleared her throat and changed her statement to "collaborators" instead of "conspirators." She asked the man to drop by the office later so that they could "get to work." Somehow Vanessa had gotten her hands on the journal that Erica kept when she was staying at The Betty Ford Clinic. She poured over ever page, taking careful notes on anything that she thought she could use against Erica. Janet burst into the room and asked angrily asked Vanessa why she hadn't left town yet. "Be gone," snapped Vanessa, "before a house falls on you." Janet reminded Vanessa that she was not in the position to give orders. All it took was the pressing of the play button on her tape recorder and Erica would know all about Vanessa and Jerry Reeves' relationship. Janet also accused Vanessa of hiring the second accountant to try to dirty her reputation. Vanessa accused Janet of being paranoid. "How often do you have to go in for a sanity check?" she growled. "Are you due now?" Janet took a deep breath and looked coldly into Vanessa's eyes. "Maybe I've slipped," Janet mused. She said that there was a little voice in her head repeating, "Janet Dillon took an axe and gave Vanessa forty whacks. When she saw what she had done she clicked her heels and cried 'Oh, what fun!'" Vanessa rolled her eyes. Janet mentioned that Vanessa was lucky that a crowbar wasn't lying around. She thought for several seconds and realized that even a piece of standard office equipment could be used as a deadly weapon. She picked up a stapler and circled the desk. She held the stapler over her head and toyed with the idea of stapling Vanessa to death. Of course, she was joking---but Vanessa was definitely shaking in her boots. Janet asked Vanessa what she'd done to Erica. Vanessa shrugged and claimed that she had no idea what had happened to Erica. Perhaps Erica was at the mall giving another impromptu interview or maybe she had a prisoner locked up in the basement of her house. "That is so sick," groaned Janet. "You're not funny." Janet was quickly rushed out of the room when Donald arrived. Vanessa shushed the writer when he started to introduce himself, so Janet was unable to figure out who he was. After Janet left, Vanessa and Donald sat down on the sofa to get to work on their masterpiece: a tell all book about Erica. Donald would act as ghostwriter and only Vanessa's name would appear on the cover.

David worried that Erica's healing might be compromised if she didn't maintain her regular cleaning regimen. Erica called said that David was "so earnest, so noble." She lowered her head and walked away. She returned later with a towel and a turnkey that she would later use to release the vise's grip on David's hand. For the first time, Erica showed signs of remorse. As she grip on David's hand released, his pain continued. His right hand was purplish and he had trouble moving his fingers. Erica extended her hand to the doctor and offered to help him by running his hand under warm water. Eventually, David was able to put on a pair of latex gloves and tend to Erica's wound. The process was quite intensive. Erica winced in pain several times as David used swabs to apply some sort of medicine of balm to her face. Still, though, the actual wound was not shown. David placed a protective layer of gauze over the wound and the process was complete. He looked at Erica for several moments before telling her that she was "so beautiful." Erica was stunned by David's spontaneous remark. Erica froze in place for some time before asking the doctor to hand her her mask. Erica struggled to put the mask on her face, so David stepped in to help. As he did, he gently caressed her face.

"A rough evening" is how Mateo described the type of night he and Hayley were having. Raquel smiled and gently informed Mateo that young boys can be expected to make a mess if left unattended even for a few minutes. Mateo explained that Max hadn't made a mess---he'd destroyed the entire condo. Raquel was shocked to learn that her little boy had gone ballistic. She was even more concerned when she learned that Max had lied and said that the destruction was "an accident." Hayley stepped forward and told Raquel how Max had put his hands over his ears when she tried to talk to him. There was a reason for telling Raquel what had happened, but it was difficult for Mateo to come out and say what that reason was. He finally mustered up the strength to suggest that they all attend family counseling. Raquel was protective of her son, saying that she did not believe that a stranger could really understand her son. Hayley quickly noted that the decision to see a therapist in no way reflects on the type of parenting job that Raquel had done. Everyone, Hayley explained, needs help from time to time. Raquel was still unsure, but a first-hand exhibit of Max's troubling behavior would eventually convince her to green-light the therapy sessions. Max wandered out of his bedroom claiming that he was unable to sleep. Max refused to consider any sleep aids other than a bedtime story read by his father. Mateo tried to explain that he had to go to the club and close up. Max stomped his foot and demanded that Mateo read him a story. Hayley whispered that she would lock up. She felt that having Mateo leave would only cause more problems. Max fell asleep in his father's lap. Later after the boy was tucked into bed, Raquel expressed a fear that she was somehow responsible for Max's bad behavior. She worried that being laid up had caused Max to seek out other avenues of getting attention. Mateo assured her that that was not the case, bolstering his claim by reminding Raquel how much Max needs her. That need, he said, was the reason that he did not contest the terms of joint custody spelled out in their divorce agreement.

Jake paid an unannounced visit to Chandler Mansion to see Colby. In the future, Liza suggested that Jake phone ahead so that he'll know whether or not Colby is asleep. As has been the case with his past few visits, Colby was once again fast asleep. Liza told Jake that she was mulling the idea of sending a gift basket to David to thank him for delivering Colby. Jake took a deep breath before drinking a mouthful of water. After swallowing, Jake told Liza that he doesn't want David anywhere near his daughter. Adam entered the room and voiced his agreement. Liza burst into a fit of laughter. She never thought she'd see the day that Adam and Jake agreed on something. Liza left the room to take Colby to the nursery. While she was gone, Adam asked Jake if David had done something to arouse the renewed hostility. Jake wasn't forthcoming with the details, but he did admit that he'd come into new information about David. Try as he might, Adam was unable to get Jake to spill the beans. Jake explained that he would not tell Adam anything because he would only use it to stick it to David. Adam felt he had a right to see David run out of town. Jake, however, left without saying anything further. Alone, Adam placed an urgent call to Barry and asked him to have someone tail Jake. Adam was certain that Jake knew something that could be used against David. "With a little luck," Adam told his attorney, "the young Doctor Martin might pave the way out of this hell I'm in."

The meeting between Vanessa and Donald failed to yield any major developments for the book project. The purpose was more to lay down the groundwork for the book rather than to begin writing anything down. Donald was troubled by the degree of humor Vanessa was finding in Erica's pain. More troubling was Vanessa's lack of concern for her son. Vanessa explained that seeing her son as Erica's prisoner was enjoyable for her. Rather than explaining why, Vanessa said that the gory details might one day make it to the pages of another tell-all book. The book's beginning had not yet been written, but Vanessa already knew how the book would end. "All Gone," she said suggesting a possible title for the book. The title referred to the loss of Erica's "beauty, fame, and fortune."

Gillian took Eugenia> to Sounds of Salsa. Ryan greeted them at the door. Gillian claimed that she had no idea that Ryan was going to be working, but Ryan reminded her that he works at the club every night. Gillian made a point of telling Ryan that she was going to have a gentleman friend joining her later in the evening. The continued mention got the desired results: Ryan was going crazy. Things got even more heated when Eugenia showed off the new brooch that Gillian had bought her. Ryan wondered how Gillian could afford the expensive piece of jewelry. Unaware that it would cause problems, Eugenia told Ryan that Gillian had answered an ad in the newspaper and been given a pouch full of money. Eugenia excused herself to go to the restroom. While she was gone, Gillian asked Ryan if he was mad at her for taking the money. Ryan gritted his teeth and told Gillian that she could do whatever she wanted with the month. He, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it. Eugenia returned and Ryan stormed away. Jake showed up a little while later and was immediately given a mug of beer. Jake was surprised by the quick service. This was nothing special. Gillian had, after all, dropped numerous hints that her gentleman friend would need a beer when he showed up. Ryan headed into the back room and took out his frustration on some empty boxes. Not content to leave it at that, he hurled a roll of toilet paper against the wall. Hayley entered the room and asked him what was wrong. Ryan admitted that he was not having as easy a time with seeing Gillian with another man as he'd thought. Hayley warned Ryan about the dangers of keeping his anger bottled up. She had promised that she'd not dispense any advice about Ryan and Gillian's relationship and she kept her word. Back out in the club area, Jake knew that Gillian was using him to make Ryan jealous. Gillian apologized and told Jake that she really does enjoy spending time with him. She asked the doctor to dance with her. With a smile, Jake mused that they could always wait until Ryan returned before they started to dance.

"Now's your chance to get away," Erica said softly. David shook his head and told Erica that he'd promised that he would not try to escape. He walked back to the vise and placed his hands between the clamp. He then ordered Erica to tighten the vise's grip on his hand. Erica bowed her head almost subserviently and did as David requested. Unexpectedly, she cranked the turnkey in the other direction and once again freed David's hand. He asked her why she'd changed her mind. "Fight back!" he yelled. "Destroy me!" David reminded Erica that he was the one who'd caused the car accident. Erica nodded. She hadn't forgotten. Torturing David had made Erica realize something. No matter what she did to David, it would make the scars on her face go away. In fact, taking her anger out on David only made Erica feel worse. Erica told David that he was free to go. David didn't budge. He was concerned that Erica wasn't well. He also worried that Vanessa might inflict still more pain on Erica. Erica asked David if he planned on going to Liza and telling her the truth about Adam's part in her pregnancy. David said nothing. He gathered his belongings and simply walked away.

Before their scheduled meeting with family therapist, Dr. Samantha Erle, Mateo and Hayley briefly discussed the recent events leading to Max's meltdown. Hayley was certain that Dr. Erle could help them because she was the same doctor that had helped Bianca in her battle with anorexia. Mateo had a few minutes to slip away and phone Ryan at Sounds of Salsa. He asked Ryan if he could "do something for Hayley." Ryan nodded, but what it was that he was going to do was never revealed. In the therapy session, Mateo told the doctor of Max's reaction to the news that he and Raquel were getting a divorce. Dr. Erle said that it was natural for young children to have difficulty understand and coping with their parents separating. She became more concerned when Hayley told her that Max had run away and just recently trashed their condominium. The doctor thought that it would be best to meet with Max and Raquel. She asked that the pair drop by her office as soon as they could. Mateo explained that a back injury forced Raquel to remain in bed. So instead, Dr. Erle thought that it might be best to drop by Raquel's place for a visit.

Technology is not something that Edmund willingly embraces. He sat before a brand new computer and carefully typed his latest editorial column. Midway through, the computer crashed and he lost his work. Edmund puckered his lips and rose slowly from his chair. He hoisted his "old reliable" typewriter into the air and plunked it down on his desk. Trevor and Janet poked their heads into the office and asked Edmund if he had a few minutes. The coupled told Edmund that they needed to know everything they could about Donald Steele. Since Janet had only gotten the man's first name, Trevor phoned one of his old buddies who just happened to work on the security staff at Enchantment. The friend looked in the guest registry and found the man's full name. As Edmund was telling them that Mr. Steele is an author of trashy tell-all books, Brooke arrived in the office. She was surprised that Trevor and Janet were still in Pine Valley. This, after all, was their wedding anniversary. Janet explained that they didn't want to go anywhere until after Amanda was out of school for the summer. Brooke added her two cents, saying that she wouldn't even line a birdcage with the pages of Donald's books. Janet and Trevor headed on their way. Brooke, meanwhile, teased Edmund about his clunky old typewriter. The device did, though, lead to a wonderful segué to the purpose for Brooke's visit: "vertical integration." Brooke explained that Tempo needs to explore multimedia offerings so that it doesn't get left behind. Edmund smiled and warned Brooke that she's been working too hard. He told her that she should try to return to the dating pool and gently pried for information about her relationships with Jack and Dimitri. Brooke duly noted that Edmund was burning the midnight more often than not himself. The two decided that one of them has to try to get a date. But who? "I'll flip you for it," Brooke smirked. Edmund called the coin in the air. Both waited nervously for the coin to land. When it did, they looked at one another and laughed. It had gotten stuck and landed in its edge. Neither one of them had to go out on a date.

Janet and Trevor tracked Donald down to a room on the sixth floor at The Valley Inn. Janet wore a leopard-print blouse and a short, black wig so that Donald would not recognize her from their meeting at Enchantment. The get-up gave Trevor "the willies," because she looked reminiscent of "Mean Janet Green." They knocked on the door and were greeted later by Donald. Trevor claimed that he was a big wig in Pine Valley and that he wanted to hire Donald for a project. The writer explained that he was currently working on a project and could not take on any additional work for at least another few weeks. Hoping to get the man to admit that he was working with Vanessa, Trevor asked Donald why he was in Pine Valley. There are no celebrities in town unless, he said, you could "quasi-famous" Erica Kane. Donald's arrogance got the best of him. He smiled and confirmed that he was working on a tell-all book about Erica Kane. While the two men talked, Janet carefully looked over a stack of floppy disks. She was about to snitch one of them, but Donald caught her in the act. Janet quickly explained that she was hoping for a sneak peek at Donald's work. The write blushed slightly and said that no one---not even his publisher---gets to see anything other than the final product. Trevor once again mentioned that he had work for Donald, but Donald said that he needed twenty-four hours to determine if he could ice the Erica Kane project. Outside in the hallway, Janet and Trevor knew that the needed to find Erica and warn her about Vanessa.

Max was dressed and ready for school, but a tummy ache prompted Raquel to keep him home for observation. The nurse tending to Raquel went off duty, but Raquel was sure that she would okay until the other nurse arrived. Raquel told Max to drink some of "the pink stuff" to aid his bellyache, but Max wasn't too thrilled about the taste of the medicine. Max saw a copy of the signed divorce papers and threw a fit. While he's still young, he managed to put the letters in "divorce" together in his mind. Max thought that the papers meant that his father hated him. Raquel explained that the divorce papers had nothing to do with Max, but it was difficult to explain to the youngster the meaning behind the papers. Max wandered behind Raquel's bed and rummaged around for something on a shelf. Raquel was unable to see what he was doing and became concerned. Her fear was well placed. Max returned to her line of sight toting a box of matches. He struck a match and set the divorce papers on fire. Raquel panicked and pleaded with Max to get away from the fire, but there was nothing she could do but sit helplessly in bed and watch the horror. Luckily, Ryan happened by the condo and came to Raquel's rescue. He used a pillow to snuff out the flame. "I wanted the divorce papers to go away," Max said softly. Rather than scream and scold Max, Ryan suggested that one day they might go to a fire station and talk to firefighters about the dangers of fire. Raquel smiled warmly and thanked Ryan for helping her. Mateo, Dr. Erle, and Hayley returned a little while later. Hayley asked Ryan why he was there, to which he replied, "putting out fires." Dr. Erle recalled seeing a chipmunk on her way in and asked Max if he'd like to try to help her find its hole. Max was reluctant to go, but Raquel and Mateo both nudged him along. Hayley noticed blisters on Ryan's hand and ordered him to seek immediately medical attention. Ryan left and Raquel filled Mateo and Hayley in on the reason behind the fire. Dr. Erle and Max returned a short time later. Max went into another room to draw a picture of the chipmunk. When the coast was clear, Dr. Erle had a not-so-surprising analysis of Max's condition. "I'm afraid that [Max] has a real problem," the doctor said.

Erica returned to the basement and reflected on what she'd done to David. The sound of footsteps approached and Erica ducked into a hiding place. Vanessa slowly walked down the steps. Erica popped out of hiding and demanded to know why Vanessa was spying on her. Vanessa tried to concoct a bogus tale about needing to check on something, but Erica demanded the truth. Finally, Vanessa confessed that she'd seen Erica tormenting David the day before. Erica was stunned that Vanessa had made no effort to save her son. Vanessa tried to make it look like she was on Erica's side. She said that Erica was justified in wanting to stick it to David. She turned her back momentarily to clear her throat. While he back was turned to Erica, Vanessa pressed the record button on a mini-tape recorder that she was carrying in her pocket. Vanessa carefully set out to get something she could use against Erica in the tell-all book. She posed concise and leading questions to Erica. Nothing was left to chance. Vanessa did her best to sound squeaky clean and at one point claimed that it broke her heart to see her son tied to a carpenter's vise. The thought of her son not being able to save any more lives kept Vanessa awake all night. At least that's what she alleged. Erica became angry and blasted Vanessa as a "vicious killer." She told Vanessa that David had told her everything about his father's death. Vanessa said that she was unable to discuss what happened on that, the "worst night of [her] life." Erica countered with, "or the luckiest." Vanessa's breathing became quick and her voice shaky as Erica recounted the story that she'd been told. Vanessa bowed her head and raced up the staircase. Erica remained behind for a little while, haunted by David's voice explaining how Vanessa had goaded her husband into shooting himself. Vanessa sat upstairs on the sofa, her head in her hands. Erica approached her and told her that it was time for the truth. Vanessa said that she preferred not to talk about that night, but Erica took her comments as a sign that David was telling the truth. Finally, Vanessa broke down and told her side of the story---although she vehemently claimed that it was "the truth" and not just her version. Vanessa claimed that she loathed the idea of having a gun in her home. While she and her late husband were fighting, David was said to have entered the room waving the loaded gun. David approached his father and somehow the gun went off. Vanessa feared that her son would go to jail for murder and concocted the tale that her husband had committed suicide. She said that she believed David hated her because she was there the night that he'd taken his own father's life. Erica was stunned, but she wasn't sure who was telling the truth and who was lying. Vanessa excused herself so that she could take one of her pills. While she was gone, Janet and Trevor appeared on Erica's doorstep. Janet blurted out that she was glad that Erica was alone because "big trouble" was brewing. As she uttered those words, Vanessa returned.

Hoping to capitalize on a rare moment alone, Adam met with the private investigator Barry had hired. Adam briefed the man on the duty at hand: following Jake and finding out what he knew about Dr. David Hayward. Adam warned the would-be tail to remain in the shadows so that no one would see him. He nodded his head and assured the multi-millionaire that he would be professional. Within seconds of the man's departure, Liza appeared behind Adam and asked who he'd been talking to. Adam tried to dodge the question by asking if Colby was still sleeping. Liza shifter her weight onto one leg and told Adam that she knew that man was a private investigator. Adam was taken aback by his wife's observation skills. Liza, on the other hand, thought the man's "cheesy suit" and beat up car was a dead give away of his occupation. She also correctly deduced that Adam had hired the man to find out what Jake had on David. She asked that he call off the pursuit. Adam had no other choice but the agree to Liza's demands. Liza didn't see David as a threat any more. Liza went upstairs to check on Colby. Meanwhile, Marian arrived and scolded Adam for treating Stuart "like a child." She said that she found it mean for Adam to give Stuart a "weekly allowance" rather than letting him handle his own finances. Adam swore that he did everything in Stuart's best interest. Adam explained that he doesn't even handle his own finances. "That's what business managers are for," he said matter-of-factly. Adam had to dash out on business. Marian, who'd come over to see Colby, was surprisingly grumpy when Liza brought the baby downstairs. She looked at the Colby and told her that her "stepfather is mean, old ogre." Colby burst into tears. Liza scolded her mother for talking like that about Adam. After Liza managed to soothe the infant, she voiced her support for Adam's way of handling finances. Stuart, she said, is a marvelous artist, but he's not a financial wizard. "Adam would never short-change Stuart," she said confidently.

The emergency room at Pine Valley Hospital spilled over with patients. To make matters worse, the hospital was understaffed. Gillian reported for volunteer duties assuming that she could help out in some way. A nurse pointed her to the computerized registration system and told her to enter patient information into the system. Gillian had no idea what to do, but she felt obligated to give it a try. Her first test came rather quickly. An unnamed man wandered up to the desk and stated the nature of his medical emergency: he'd gotten his finger stuck in a bowling ball. The computer glitch that had struck Edmund earlier in the day now struck Gillian. As she was entering the man's information into the system, the computer crashed. Out of the corner of her eye, Gillian saw Ryan enter the emergency room. She panicked when she saw the burn on his hand. She flew past the patient she'd been registering and raced to her husband's side. "What about me?" asked the man with the bowling ball attached to his hand. "You have a bowling bowl," Gillian replied curtly. "My Ryan has a noble wound." The man noted that he had gotten their first. "With me, Ryan always comes first," Gillian responded. Gillian took hold of Ryan's arm and escorted him into a cubicle. She asked Jake, who was in the middle of checking out another patient, to tend to Ryan's wound. Jake asked Gillian to have Ryan sit in the waiting room. That wasn't good enough for Gillian. Jake directed her to put an ice pack on Ryan's hand to take away some of the stinging. Jake finished with the patient a short time later and checked on Ryan's hand. Gillian told a spectacular tale of daring, bravery, and near-death; it was an account of how Ryan had rescued Max and Raquel from a blazing inferno. Jake was taken into an examining room. Meanwhile, the private investigator hired to follow Jake poked his head into the emergency room. He told Gillian that he thought he recognized the man with the burns to his hand. Gillian mentioned that the man, Ryan Lavery, was her husband. The investigator then realized that Ryan was the man that had been accused of raping the District Attorney's sister. Gillian became furious and ordered the man never to use the words "rape" and "Ryan" in the same sentence. Gillian returned to work, finally helping out the man with his thumb stuck in the bowling ball. Gillian applied some petroleum jelly to the man's fingers and to the ball. She carefully twisted the ball and with an audible pop, the ball came flying off. The man was thankful, but wondered if he'd be getting a bill for the service. Gillian sort of shrugged her shoulders and said that since she wasn't a doctor she saw no reason for him to be charged for her services. As Jake tended to Ryan's injured hand, the private investigator eavesdropped from just outside the door. He heard every detail of the men's conversation---including numerous references to the trouble that David had caused for Ryan and Gillian. Never was it mentioned that Gillian had had an affair, but the eavesdropper knew that David had done something nefarious.

Erica scolded Trevor and Janet for dropping by unannounced. Trevor noted that another thing Erica doesn't like is her "friends holding out" on her. Janet asked to speak to Erica in private, but Erica insisted that Janet speak freely in front of Vanessa. "I think I know what this is about," Vanessa said with a slight laugh. Vanessa stated that Janet and Myrtle had "made a tape on the slide," a tape that claims that she is trying to "exploit" her friendship with Erica. Janet proudly stated that she'd tried to use the tape to run Vanessa out of town. Erica wasn't amused. "Blackmail, secret tapes, ultimatums," Erica said shaking her head. "Next you're going to tell me that you've taken hostages." The small talk tired Erica and she asked that Janet play the tape. The tape was every bit as incriminating as Janet had promised. In the taped conversation, Jerry Reeves thanked Vanessa for tipping him off to Erica's appearance at the grand opening of Sounds of Salsa. He also urged her to keep in touch so that he could track down Erica in the future. Erica turned to Vanessa and blasted her for tipping off the reporter. Surprisingly, Vanessa made no attempt to distance herself from the charges. She admitted that she'd called Jerry. The admission was quickly followed up by a new spin. Vanessa claimed that she'd only contacted Jerry after Erica had decided that she would not attend the opening. She said that she thought that it would keep Jerry off of Erica's scent. Little did she know that Erica was going to change her mind and show up at the club anyway. Janet didn't buy. She recalled that Vanessa had flashed a "thumbs up" to Jerry as he was leaving, er, being escorted out of the club. Vanessa said that the signal was her attempt to appear friendly with Jerry so that they could keep in contact in the future---and so that she could feed him more false leads. Vanessa had an explanation for everything. Trevor announced that they'd found out that Vanessa was working with Donald Steele to write a tell-all book about Erica. Erica again was stunned. And yet again Vanessa acknowledged that what Trevor and Janet were saying was the truth. Vanessa walked across the room and retrieved a manila envelope. She handed the envelope to Janet and urged him to review its contents. Janet passed the envelope to Trevor and Trevor to Erica. Erica carefully read the papers inside and learned that Vanessa had been writing a book---but the book was hardly the "hatchet job" that Janet and Trevor had claimed. The book's dedication read, "To Erica Kane, the truest, bravest, most beautiful person a friend could have." Janet and Trevor jumped all over Vanessa, accusing her of having a bogus copy lying around just in case someone caught on to her scam. Erica shook her head and made her way towards the door. She grabbed her purse and told the trio that their bickering was enough to drive her out of her own house. Erica stormed out of the house, leaving The Dillons and Ms. Bennett to assign the blame for running Erica off.

Dr. Erle said that Max was "extremely unsettled." The diagnosis came as no surprise to anyone in the room. She explained that Max was fearful that he was going to lose Mateo. Mateo assured the doctor that he'd told Max over and over that he wasn't going anywhere. "Max is afraid of losing the perfect family... the family he never knew he had," said Dr. Erle. By that she meant that Max had such high expectations for what life would be like with a mother and a father, that it was impossible for anyone to measure up. Any change in Max's daily routine could potentially cause problems. Her advice was to set up and maintain a rigid daily schedule. That meant that Max was to wake up at the same time every day, go to bed at the same time, and see Mateo at the same time. Any deviation would only worsen the problems. Hayley walked Samantha to her car. In the courtyard area, Hayley asked how long it might take before Max adjusted to everything. There was no easy answer. Hayley explained that she and Mateo were trying to have a baby and she wondered if having a baby would further complicate matters. "I don't like to tell people what to do," the doctor replied, "but [having a baby] would be very hard on Max." Hayley had hoped that a brother or sister might be good for Max. Actually, the doctor said that it was just the opposite. A baby would divert Mateo's attention---even if it was only slight---and Max would perceive that as losing his father. Hayley was devastated. She somehow managed to hold herself together, but a lone tear escaped and rolled gently down her cheek. Dr. Erle assured Hayley that things would get better in time and continued on her way. Hayley's knees buckled slightly. She sat down on a bench and looked into Raquel's condo through a window. She saw Mateo and Max sitting at the dining room table. This hammered home the disappointment of not being able to have a child of her own. Mateo wandered outside a little while later and asked Hayley if she was okay. Hayley again fought back tears, but struggled to find the words to tell Mateo that they had to put their plans for a baby on hold. Before she could get out the words, Mateo told Hayley that she was "becoming an excellent mother" and promised that things would get better soon. Again Hayley struggled to tell Mateo about Dr. Erle's advice. Another interruption prevented her from breaking the news. Nurse Kelly arrived for her shift. This time, Hayley decided that she'd keep silent and told Mateo not to worry about what she was trying to say. Mateo told Hayley to stand up and close her eyes. He led her across the courtyard to their condo. Once inside, Hayley was permitted to open her eyes. Mateo had recreated a park setting inside their condo. Hayley smiled broadly as she realized that Mateo had remembered their "wedding" anniversary.

Erica walked determinedly through the corridors of Pine Valley Hospital. She entered David's office and took a deep breath. The back of David's chair faced out into the room, but Erica wasn't going to let a little thing like not being able to see the doctor' face deter her from speaking her mind. "David, I need to talk to you," she said. "No, Erica," said a voice as the chair slowly swiveled around. "You need to talk to me." Erica was taken aback when she saw that Adam had been waiting for her.