At his coffee warehouse, Sonny assured Michael that the coffee business was legitimate and that if Michael handled it correctly, he would never have to use a gun. Michael told Sonny he loved him. Michael and Sonny shared a light-hearted laugh between father and son. As they parted and Sonny moved towards Kate, a shot rang out. Sonny covered Kate, but Michael was wounded in the head. Dr. Devlin, the shooter managed to leave the warehouse unseen. The EMTs were called. Michael was rushed to the hospital with Sonny by his side. In the ambulance, Sonny showed himself to be a loving father. He talked to Michael and encouraged him to fight. Kate stayed behind to answer police questions. She tried to tell Detective Harper and Lucky that she had not seen anything, but they continued to question her, rather than let her go to Sonny.

Claudia and Carly exchanged barbs in the Metro Court. Claudia accused Carly of being jealous, because Sonny was interested in Claudia. She told Carly that she was not woman enough to hold on to both Jax and Sonny. While they were arguing, Kate called Carly to tell her that Michael had been shot. An obviously stunned Claudia started issuing orders for a car to take Carly to General Hospital.

At Jason's place, Jason and Liz kissed. He told her that he wanted to share a life with her. He told her their relationship could be whatever she wanted. She wanted to know what he wanted, so Jason told Liz that he wanted to get married. She told him that she wanted to marry also. Their happiness was short-lived. Both received emergency calls. Liz was called to the OR and Carly called Jason to tell him about the shooting. Both rushed out to the hospital.

Jerry was driving too fast and ran Alexis off the road. She thought it was because he had a crush on her. He said it was merely an accident. As they bickered, Alexis received a call informing her of Michael's shooting. Jerry overheard and was shocked to hear that Michael, not Sonny had been shot.

Patrick went to the nurses' station looking for Robin. Epiphany pointed him toward the lounge where he found Robin napping. He encouraged her to go home early, and she was on her way until the call came in about Michael.

On the Haunted Star, Johnny broke away from a passionate kiss with Lulu. They argued loudly. She accused him of leading her on and sending mixed signals. He accused her of having issues to work out. Spinelli interrupted them to bring news of Michael's shooting. Lulu accused Johnny of the shooting. Johnny vehemently denied involvement. Spinelli pointed out that Johnny could have hired a hit man. When Johnny vowed to get whoever shot Michael, Lulu told him that using violence to stop violence was not the answer. Johnny retorted that violence was a way of life for people like Sonny and him, and that if Michael survived, that would be his legacy also. Lulu responded that people could change and she did not understand why Johnny did not want to try. Johnny and Lulu did not resolve their issues before Lulu and Spinelli rushed off to the hospital.

Jerry interrupted Jax's Houston meeting to tell him about Michael's shooting. Jax immediately cancelled the meeting, but was prevented from flying back to Port Charles because of the weather. He made an impassioned plea to the tower urging them to let him go to Michael and Carly before the airport was closed down.

Carly and Jason arrived at the hospital just before the ambulance bearing Michael did. As Sonny and the EMTs rolled Michael in, Carly grabbed Robin and told her to save Michael. As he was wheeled to the ER, Carly told Michael how much she loved him. Both she and Sonny were prevented from entering the sterile area. While the doctors worked to save Michael, Carly wanted to know what happened. Sonny told her that he had Michael come to the warehouse to participate in the legitimate business. Sonny told her they were laughing and happy one minute and the next second he noticed a flash of light and then shots rang out. Sonny kept saying that everything would be okay and that Michael would survive but Carly was not comforted.

Alexis arrived at the crime scene. After questioning Kate, she let her go. She made a passionate speech about the kind of people who hurt children and who fire guns around children to Detective Harper and Lucky. She was shaken up because her daughter Christina also had "go to work with daddy" days with Sonny and she feared that Christina could end up like Michael.

Patrick told Sonny and Carly that Michael needed surgery. Jason comforted an inconsolable Carly. Carly was allowed to see Michael alone, while he waited to be taken to OR. She urged him to hang on and reassured him of her love. In the waiting area Robin and Jason shared memories of the time that they had cared for Michael. Robin remembered how Jason had read travel books to Michael and the calming effect that reading had.

Claudia lurked around the hospital. She cornered Dr. Devlin with the excuse that her "stitches" needed looking at. He was relieved to be called away because he did not want to explain his mistaken shot to her.

Kate arrived at the ER to comfort Sonny who recalled a time when Carly had been shot, was in a coma, and recovered. He held firm to the belief that if they believed hard enough that Michael would also recover. A distraught Carly took comfort in a hug from Jason, but cast narrowed eyes on Kate and Sonny. Lulu and Spinelli also arrived. Jason and Spinelli immediately started making plans to scan surveillance video for a clue to the shooter. Lulu started making phone calls to family and friends to alert them to Michael's predicament.

Jerry was more successful than Claudia at convincing Dr. Devlin to take a ride. When they reached the car, Jerry wanted to know what happened. Devlin denied responsibility and blamed the ricochet. Jerry pulled a gun, pointed it at him and told him that it would not matter to Sonny, who would not rest until blood ran in the streets. Jerry told Devlin that his only chance to survive was to kill Devlin and dump his body on Sonny's doorstep.

Johnny confronted Claudia in the hospital about the events that led to Michael's shooting.

An increasingly agitated Sonny started threatening violence on those who hurt Michael. Kate pointed out that revenge would not help Michael. Sonny turned his anger on Jason and told him that it was his fault that Michael was injured because Jason had not done his job. Carly jumped to Jason's defense. She told Sonny that Michael had been with him and because of that, Michael's safety was Sonny's responsibility. "It was on you to protect him," she snarled. "It's not Jason fault, it's yours!"

Patrick pulled rank and would not let Robin participate on the surgical team. He felt that her relationship to Michael, as well as her pregnancy made her too vulnerable to be objective. Robin was left speechless.

Nikolas was frantic when he couldn't get Emily's ghost to appear. He had Leyla page Dr. Devlin, but Ian was not answering his pages. Nikolas threatened to fire Leyla, but she called his bluff and told him that a doctor not answering his page was not grounds for firing a nurse. When Leyla later voiced her frustrations at the nurse's station, Jolene decided to go to Nikolas' office and demand that he stop harassing the nurses. He wasn't in the office, but she quickly ducked down when she heard him and Ian coming into the room.

Jerry threatened to kill Ian but instead hit him with the butt of his gun. Jerry told Ian to pack his bags and get out of town. Jerry was appalled at Ian's lack of remorse for shooting Michael, but Ian said Michael could still survive. Ian didn't think anyone would connect him, the town healer, to the shooting. Jerry pointed out that if anyone accused Johnny of shooting Michael, Claudia would rat out Ian. Jerry told Ian to get out of the car, and Ian left and finally met up with a frantic Nikolas. They went into Nikolas' office, not realizing Jolene was hiding behind the desk. Jolene overheard that Nikolas was buying illegal drugs from Ian, but the drugs were not a cure-all. Nikolas would still need the surgery or he would die. After Ian left, Nikolas walked behind the desk and found Jolene. He accused her of spying on him, but she called him selfish for ultimately killing himself and leaving Spencer an orphan. Nikolas went home and went into Spencer's room to watch him sleep.

Johnny yelled at Claudia for her sloppiness with the hit on Sonny. He threatened to go to Sonny and take responsibility for the shooting. Trevor approached them and recommended that Johnny tell Sonny that Claudia was responsible for the shooting. Johnny said the only person he would be ratting on would be Trevor. Alexis overheard their conversation and asked Johnny if he would be willing to give a statement. Johnny admitted that Trevor had threatened to shoot Sonny many times in the past and he believed Trevor was capable of this shooting. Trevor told Alexis he had an alibi and told her about his dinner with the mayor. After Trevor left, Alexis warned Johnny not to be using the shooting as an opportunity to get back at Trevor for personal reasons. When Alexis took her leave, Johnny told Claudia he had bought them time but she needed to fix the situation. Claudia left and confronted Ian on his mistake. Ian tried to explain what happened, but Claudia wasn't interested. He told her they could both walk away from it and no one would be the wiser. Claudia didn't answer and just walked away.

While Patrick, Robin, Epiphany, and Liz operated on Michael, his anxious parents waited outside the OR. Jason tried to calm Carly down, while Jax called to say his flight was grounded but he would get there as soon as possible. Carly was mad at Sonny and Kate for putting Michael in danger. Kate told Carly she wasn't being fair, but Jason sided with Carly and told the group that Carly was a worried mother and was entitled to her opinion. Jason and Carly suggested Kate leave, but Sonny said he needed her to stay with him. Once the surgery was finished, Patrick and Robin came out to tell the family that Michael would live. He said little else, and Carly waited anxiously to be able to be with Michael. Later, Patrick tried to tell Carly that although Michael survived the surgery, they did not know the extent of the damage yet. Carly didn't want to hear any bad news and said Michael would be fine.

When Robin and Patrick were alone in the locker room, Patrick told Robin it would have been better if they had not done the surgery and let Michael die. The both saw where the bullet was, and they both knew Michael would never wake up.

Maxie tried to prepare Spinelli for what could happen to the people he cared about if Michael died-a child's death tore people apart. Spinelli decided to go to the chapel, which surprised Maxie. He said he believed in a higher power and hoped there was a place where Coop and Georgie were smiling down on them. Later, Sonny and Kate also went to the chapel. Sonny confided that he thought he had paid his debt for all his past sins. He never expected Michael to be shot, though.

Nikolas called Nurse Nadine into his hospital office and apologized. She babbled on about how she would not tell what she had overheard-that Dr. Devlin was supplying an illegal drug to Nikolas-a drug, which would shrink his tumor, and allow him to delay surgery and continue his hallucinations of Emily. Nadine talked nonstop until Nikolas interrupted her and told her that she had made him think, especially about his son, and he wanted to thank her. Nadine accepted Nikolas' invitation to see his horses at Wyndemere. There she met Spencer, Nikolas' son, and they spent an idyllic afternoon together.

Aboard the Haunted Star Luke confronted Claudia about Michael's shooting. Lulu overheard them talking. She gave Johnny an alibi, but Luke insisted that the Zaccharas might have hired a hit man. Claudia defended herself vigorously. She claimed that she would never hurt a child. When Luke appeared to believe her, she offered him compensation to defend her to Sonny before exiting the Star. Luke told Lulu that he did not want her to get caught in the middle of a bad situation.

At the hospital, Patrick told Robin that nothing had changed in Michael's condition. Liz saw the closeness between Carly and Jason as they sat by Michael's bedside. Carly thought Michael was improving. When Robin and Patrick came in to check on Michael, Carly asked when he would wake up. Patrick evaded answering by telling Carly that they needed to run more tests. The doctors departed and Jason went for coffee. Bobbie dropped by to comfort Carly and tell her that she would take care of Morgan. Carly told Bobbie that Jax's plane was grounded in Houston, but that he called her hourly to check on Michael. As Bobbie hugged Carly and they hoped for Michael's recovery, outside, at the nurses' station, Liz overheard Patrick tell Robin that Michael would never wake up.

Bobbie went to the Haunted Star to see Luke. She was not optimistic about Michael's chances. She was bitter about Carly's involvement with Sonny. Luke pointed out that decision-making was difficult and everyone had to learn to live with the choices they made.

After a conversation in the lobby with Sam, who offered him her deepest and sincere best wishes, Jason rejoined Carly in Michael's room. She convinced him to talk to Michael about Africa, like he used to do when Michael was a baby, while they waited for Patrick to return with the test results. Jason made a heartfelt plea to Michael imploring him to wake up. Liz watched from the doorway.

Sonny's absence was noticeable, but Carly did not want him around Michael, and he acceded to her wishes. Carly treated Jason like Michael's father as she reminisced about the events they had shared together. Patrick and Robin arrived with the test results. Carly was stunned when Patrick told her that he did not expect Michael to ever recover from the coma.

At the Quartermaine mansion, Tracy had a conversation with Alan, who accused her of lying to Edward when she said she was calling Monica to tell her about Michael, but instead called Claudia Zacchara. Alan recognized that she was jealous because Luke had spent the night on the Haunted Star and she was afraid that he had been with Claudia. Tracy denied that she was jealous. The reason that she had not called Monica was because she did not want to further burden her. Alan said that it would be worse if Monica learned about Michael from another source. Before Tracy could frame a response, Claudia answered her summons. Claudia allowed Tracy to think that she had something going on with Luke. She responded to Tracy's snobbery with insults to Tracy's wardrobe, and sexual innuendos. Tracy tried to buy Claudia's interest in the Haunted Star. When Tracy told Claudia to name whatever price it would take to get rid of her, Luke walked in and wanted to know why anyone would want to get rid of Claudia Zacchara.

Alexis was in her office when Lucky came in to report no progress on the investigation into Michael's shooting. He told Alexis that he had a little more insight into Liz's plight and her reasoning about keeping Jake safe. After Lucky left, Ric also came to visit Alexis and offered his support. Alexis said her first instinct was to run. Ric told Alexis that if she did run away, he wanted her to take Molly also. He wanted to know that their child was as far away from Sonny's violent world as she could get. They bonded as parents concerned for their child.

Lucky returned to the office with the ballistics report. Before they could discuss it, Jerry dropped by. Alexis begged him to help her run away. Jerry pointed out that it was impossible to get away in the modern world. Jerry told her it was better to be honest with Christina about her father than to keep him away from her, because Christina would resent Alexis.

Ric dropped in at Kate's house. He wondered how she could carry on "business as usual." She told him it was because she could not do anything to help. Carly would not allow Sonny to be by Michael's bedside and Sonny felt so guilty that he would not allow Kate to comfort him. Kate shared her own fears and told Ric that, despite loving Sonny, she did not want to die for him. Ric said he understood and comforted her. As he was leaving, Kate offered to tell Sonny about Ric's visit. Ric told her it would be better for all of them, considering his past history with Sonny and Carly, if Kate did not mention his visit.

Lulu breezed in for work three hours late, telling Kate that she had a "family emergency." Kate did not accept Lulu's excuses for not delivering Kate's coffee and instead delivered a scathing set down to Lulu, whom she called "spoiled" and "self-involved" in a soft voice that had a cold, sardonic tone. Kate let Lulu know that she considered Lulu's actions in the emergency worse than useless, since Lulu could not point to even one action item, such as stopping the incipient mob war, that she had accomplished. Without allowing Lulu to respond, Kate was all business as she ordered Lulu to get a designer on the line for her. Lulu was fuming as she dialed the requested number.

Patrick and Robin told Carly and Jason that Michael was in a permanent coma and wasn't expected to ever wake up. Carly refused to accept their prognosis for Michael and told them that she knew her son was doing better. Carly dismissed Robin after she told Carly that the reason that Michael's coloring was better was because his blood pressure was higher, not because he was coming out of his coma. Carly told Patrick that if he didn't believe Michael would get better she would find another doctor who did. Carly told Jason that he shouldn't believe Patrick and Robin because doctors were wrong all the time, and that they had been wrong about Jason's head injury many years ago. Carly blamed herself for what happened to Michael because of the choices she made as a mother by allowing Michael to grow up as Sonny's son. Jason told her that he helped her make some of the decisions that concerned Michael. Mike showed up to see Michael and thought Sonny was at the hospital. Carly told him that Sonny hadn't been around since the night of Michael's shooting.

Sonny went to Kate's house to see her. Lulu answered the door while Kate was on the phone. She told Sonny that she was praying for Michael and informed him that Johnny wasn't behind the shooting since he was with her at The Haunted Star that night. Kate gave Lulu a list of errands to run for her so she could be alone with Sonny. She asked him how Michael was doing. Sonny told her he hadn't seen Michael since the night he was shot. Kate asked him why he hadn't gone to see his son. Sonny told her that he couldn't go to see Michael because he wanted to give Carly some space since she blamed him for what happened to Michael. Kate tried to explain to Sonny that Carly just lashed out at him out of fear and pain and didn't mean what she said. Sonny told Kate that Carly was right about him-he was to blame for what happened to Michael because he did everything all wrong.

Mike showed up at Kate's and told Sonny off for not being by Michael's bedside at the hospital. Sonny told him that he didn't want to upset Carly by being around there. Kate stepped in to defend Sonny and told Mike he could leave her house if he couldn't talk respectfully to Sonny. Mike apologized to Sonny for yelling at him. Mike explained that he didn't want Sonny to have any regrets about not being there for Michael the way Mike regretted not being there for Sonny when he was growing up. Sonny told Kate about the first time Michael called him "Dad." He said he loved Michael, and felt like his chest was going to explode from the joy of hearing that.

Jason went to the rehab facility where Monica was staying to tell her about Michael's shooting. Monica was very upset to hear the news and she and Jason tried to comfort each other. Sonny and Kate showed up at the hospital to see Michael. Carly told Kate she wasn't family so she shouldn't be in Michael's room. Kate started to leave, but Sonny stopped her and asked Carly to let Kate be there with him since he needed her support. Carly left the room to stretch her legs. Kate went after her and told her that she was there to support Sonny and cared about Michael. Alexis and Detective Harper showed up to question Sonny about what happened at the warehouse when Michael was shot. Sonny went over what happened that night. Carly came back from her walk and overheard Sonny tell the detective that he saw a flash of light and realized it was a flash of gun and pushed Kate out of the line of fire so she wouldn't get shot again. Carly approached Sonny and accused him of caring more about protecting Kate than their own son.

Luke came home to find Tracy talking with Claudia. Claudia told Luke that Tracy invited her over so Tracy could offer to buy Johnny's share of the casino from him and to keep Claudia away from Luke. Tracy told Luke that she was trying to keep Johnny away from Lulu before she ended up like Michael, shot and in a coma. Luke told Tracy that he didn't interfere in Lulu's love life. Lulu came home to find them all discussing her. Lulu told Claudia that she told Sonny that Johnny was with her the night that Michael was shot. Claudia thanked her for doing that and left. Luke told Lulu off for acting stupidly by trying to act as a go-between for the mob by relaying messages between Sonny and Johnny. Lulu told Luke she wasn't scared of Johnny or her feelings for him and stormed out.

Nikolas and Nadine spent time together at Wyndemere putting together a toy train set for Spencer. Nadine educated Nikolas about tools and how to assemble the train set. Nikolas had never learned to assemble things in school because he had been tutored privately his whole life. They showed Spencer his new train set and helped him play with it. Nikolas was surprised when he suddenly saw "Emily." He called for the nanny to come and get Spencer for him. Nadine could tell by the look on his face that he saw Emily again. She didn't argue with him and left quietly. Emily told Nikolas that he shouldn't have sent Nadine and Spencer away since they were having a good time. Nikolas approached her and told her that he missed her and started kissing her.

Diane and Alexis went to Jake's to have a drink. Diane confessed to Alexis that she had fantasies about having sex with Coleman, the proprietor of Jake's. Alexis admitted that she'd had them, too. They discussed their poor taste in men. Coleman made Diane a strong drink but Alexis ended up drinking it instead of her own glass of wine. They decided to leave the bar and share a cab home since they were too drunk to drive. Patrick came into the bar and approached them. Alexis asked Patrick how Michael was doing. Patrick told her that Carly had her own version of what Michael's prognosis was, and he wasn't going to argue with her. Patrick got drunk and called Robin at home. Robin guessed that he was at Jake's just by hearing the background noise. Patrick asked her if she needed anything from him, like ice cream and ribs. Robin told him she was fine but thought he was getting drunk. Patrick ended the call before she could talk to him more.

Claudia approached him and offered to buy him a drink. Patrick defended Robin's decision to have a baby of her own after Claudia accused Robin of being selfish for risking giving her baby HIV. She suggested to Patrick that they could have adopted a baby or had a surrogate mother. Patrick admitted to her that he didn't want to be a father and that was why he and Robin had broken up to begin with. He told Claudia that he and Robin conceived a baby because of a ripped condom and a night of comforting each other. Claudia told Patrick that Robin probably planned the whole thing so she could get pregnant by him. Patrick defended Robin again and told Claudia that Robin wouldn't do something like that. Robin showed up at Jake's to find Claudia cozying up to Patrick.

Patrick tried to explain his relationship with Robin to Claudia. Robin told him he was wasting his time talking to Claudia. Robin asked why he was even talking to Ms. Zacchara, and he told her that Claudia wanted to thank him for saving Michael's life. Before they left, Robin and Patrick told Claudia that Michael's surgery wasn't all that successful. He was in a permanent coma. Claudia appeared bothered by the news. When Robin and Patrick got home, Patrick confided he was drinking because the thought of what Michael's father was going through was too much for him to handle. They talked about Carly, Michael, and Sonny and the choices they made. Patrick was deeply disturbed by Carly wanting to take Michael away from Sonny.

Claudia went to Michael's hospital room and apologized for hurting him. It never occurred to her that he would have been there with his father. It should have, though, because she had been there herself with her father. She gave Michael a piece of her mother's jewelry, and asked if he would hold on to it for her. Carly walked in and yelled at Claudia to leave her son alone.

In the middle of the hospital, Carly yelled at Kate and Sonny, and blamed them for Michael's injury. Carly was furious that Sonny protected Kate instead of Michael. She told him he didn't deserve to be a parent and he would no longer be Michael's father. She said Michael was her son and Sonny wasn't to come near him ever again.

Jason continued to blame himself for Michael's injury, but Monica made amends with Jason and tried to comfort him. She told him she forgave him, and she hoped he could forgive himself. They were interrupted when Liz called and told Jason that Carly needed him right away. When Jason got to the hospital, Carly told him about Sonny seeing the rifle. He knew the shot was coming, and he allowed Michael to stand there unprotected. Carly felt she was ultimately responsible for Michael being in the warehouse, because she married Sonny and brought her children into his destructive world-it was all her fault. Carly said she would do anything if it could change things and her son would be all right. Jason had a sudden realization and told her he needed to go take care of something.

Liz and the boys arrived home, and Cameron started to rush off to play. Liz pulled him back towards her and kissed him. She told him she loved him and she thanked God every day for being his mom. Jason showed up at their door and told Liz they couldn't be together. He saw what happened to Carly and her grief over Michael. He wouldn't allow himself to put Liz and the boys in that kind of danger.

Sonny left the hospital and went back to the warehouse. Kate found him there, kneeling down in the spot where Michael was shot. Sonny told her that Carly was right. He should have protected his son. Kate tried to tell Sonny that he did nothing wrong. He couldn't blame himself for what happened. The gun was aimed at Sonny. If he had turned toward Michael, he would have brought the gunfire to Michael. Sonny's son was shot by a bullet that ricocheted. It was an accident. Sonny told Kate he needed to be alone. Every time he looked at Kate, it reminds him of what he didn't do for his son. Sonny asked Kate to leave, and she reluctantly walked away.

Nadine vented to Leyla about Nikolas. She explained that she had gone to meet Spencer and initially they all had a good time. All of a sudden, Nikolas asked her to leave. Nadine said she was done with Nikolas. Leyla thought it all sounded very similar to her own relationship with Patrick. Nadine said she wasn't as serious about Nikolas as Leyla was about Patrick. Leyla told her to stop lying to herself.

Nikolas lay on the couch with Ghost Emily, who tried to convince him that Dr. Devlin's medicine wasn't working. Emily told Nikolas he was killing himself just to spend more time with her. She asked if he was scared to live without her. Nikolas told Emily he loved her too much to live without her. He thought the medicine was working and buying them time. Emily said he was going to have to let her go. He had to live for Spencer. Emily and Nikolas continued to talk very emotionally until Nadine came in. She asked if Emily was there, and started throwing things in an attempt to hit Emily. Nikolas told her that Emily wasn't there. Nadine said Emily was gone. She died the night of the Black and White Ball. Nikolas was using her memory as an excuse to die, and it was a pathetic excuse. Nadine wasn't going to allow him to do that, so she was going to get rid of Emily. Nikolas was pushing Nadine and Spencer away for a dead woman. Nikolas told her he didn't expect her to understand true love. Nadine turned to leave and sprained her ankle. Nikolas took pity on her and sat her down on the couch.

Diane stopped by Sonny's house and decided to check on Max. Sonny's bodyguard was distraught over Michael's injuries. He blamed himself for not shadowing Sonny and Michael. Diane tried to explain that Max only worked for Sonny and he couldn't blame himself for his boss' decisions. As they talked, it became clear that Diane also felt she was responsible for Michael's injuries. Max and Diane came together, sharing in their grief, and kissed. It wasn't long before Alexis showed up and interrupted Max and Diane having sex.