"Christmas Eve provided a flurry of activity in Pine Valley. Things at Pine Valley Hospital, however, were rather calm. That, of course, was a good sign Joe and Ruth decided to work the holiday shift so that the younger nurses and doctors could be at home with their families. Ruth reminisced about Christmases of years gone by and wished that she could have just one more Christmas with all of her loved ones under the same roof. A prescription from on high was phoned in and Ruth got exactly what she wanted. Singing a Christmas carol, Jamie, Brooke, Tad, Kevin, and Kelsey entered the lobby to spend Christmas Eve with Joe and Ruth. Somewhere around the corner, Jake invited Allie to spend the night before Christmas with him and his family. Allie worried that Jake wouldn't want her hanging around now that he'd learned that her ex-boyfriend was Dr. Hayward. Jake shrugged and announced that Allie's personal affairs were none of his business. Her lips, however, must have been his business because he planted a kiss on Allie. Conveniently, though, she was standing under the mistletoe. Tad and Jamie walked in on the young doctors smooching, prompting Tad to muse that Jake was demonstrating a new life-saving technique.
Trevor searched the emergency room for signs of Tim, but the missing boy was nowhere to be found. Jake offered some good news by telling Trevor that Tim had not been admitted to the hospital. Trevor dropped off his business card and asked Jake to phone him if he saw Tim. Opal, Palmer, and Petey also spent Christmas Eve at the hospital. Palmer was emotional at seeing his young son enjoying himself. Palmer's light heart lasted only a short time. Opal told him that she'd arranged a special holiday surprise for Kevin. Palmer snapped that he ordered Opal to keep her nose out of Kevin's business. This, Opal said, was a good surprise---one that even Palmer couldn't be upset by. With that, Judith tiptoed into the hospital and surprised her son. Kevin was very pleased to see his mom. This marked the first Christmas he'd spend with his mother in recent memory. Judith recalled a present she'd been given by Kevin when he was just a boy. The present, Kevin's handprint in some Plaster of Paris, stirred up some fond memories. The handprint was accompanied by a short poem written by Kevin commenting on how one day he'd be all grown up. The two shared a hug and walked arm-in-arm to the hospital's Christmas tree.
Janet called Derek and pleaded with him to expand the search for Tim. Derek assured her that he was doing everything he could to bring Tim home. With the melodies of carolers in the background, Janet removed her star from the top of the tree and put Natalie's angel in its place. Janet got down on her knees and once again prayed for Tim's safe return. Amanda walked in on her mother's prayer and asked her what she was doing. Janet tried to say that she was looking for a lost ornament, but Amanda knew better. She admitted that she'd been upstairs praying for God to send her brother back home. Janet told Amanda that she'd asked a special angel to look out for Tim. Amanda asked if it would be okay for her to pray to that special angel, too. Janet smiled and nodded her head.
The members of the parole board continued griping about being pulled from their families on Christmas Eve. Erica felt badly for them, but she insisted that she knew how they felt. Dimitri rose to his feet and announced that he wanted to address the board. Since he was out of the country during the time that Erica had her first parole hearing, he didn't have the chance to speak out then. Erica jumped out of her chair and accused Dimitri of harboring a grudge against her for divorcing him. If she's locked up, she sneered. Dimitri will have the satisfaction of knowing that she is not with another man. Irritated by the bickering, one of the board members ordered Erica to be quiet. Dimitri was then given the green light to continue speaking. Dimitri assured the board that he was not out for revenge. His sole purpose, he concluded, was to see that Erica served her entire sentence. Jack had still not returned and the male head of the committee decided that enough of their time had been wasted. He announced that they were going to adjourn and decided Erica's fate. With that, Jack burst into the room and apologized for his tardiness. He told the board that he had a special witness to speak in Erica's defense. Edmund walked slowly into the courtroom. He said that he never expected to spend Christmas Eve in a courthouse. Erica's crime, Edmund said, was not a "victimless crime" as so many people had previously stated; His entire family was hurt. But had it not been for Erica, Edmund continued, he might never have known that Maddie was his daughter. Edmund's speech then focused on Bianca and how the young girl needs her mother. The board's makeshift leader told Edmund that his testimony, like Dimitri's, was very compelling. Edmund urged the board to turn a deaf ear to Dimitri's testimony because it's biased. The board decided that it had heard enough and adjourned to discuss their verdict. Erica thanked Edmund for helping her out. She told him that she'd always be thankful to him---even if she was denied an early release from prison. Erica also knew that Edmund might never forgive what she'd done, but pledged to work each day to earn back his trust.
At Wildwind, Isabella, Belinda, Rosa, Mateo, and Hayley showed up to celebrate Christmas Eve with Edmund, Gillian, Eugenia, and the children. They were startled to learn that Edmund had gone to the courthouse to help Erica get out of jail. Isabella was furious, but Mateo took a surprisingly different stance. He encouraged his mother try to put the hatred aside and get past what Erica had done to them. Mateo would later tell Hayley that he meant what he said, but that it would be hard to live up to his own words.
The mysterious woman in the alley lectured Tim on the dangers of being out by himself late at night. Tim knew that the woman was his mother, Natalie. Tim explained that he'd run away from home because he could no longer deal with Janet. The Nat look alike scolded Tim for running away from his troubles. Tim told her about the meat locker debacle and how he knew she'd be rooting for him to do in Janet. But that was not the case. The woman told Tim that he needs to remember how to forgive those who've wronged in the past. Tim was stunned that his "mother" was asking him to forgive the woman who threw her down a well. She told Tim that she doesn't expect him to forgive Janet overnight, but urged him to take at step in the right direction. Tim began to sob as he realized how badly he misses his mother. In a tear-filled exchange between the two, the woman told Tim that his mother is always with him---in the whistling of the wind and in his tears. His mother, she added, was his first love and his first heartbreak. Nothing---nothing---would ever change that. In the distance, Trevor's voice called out. The woman stroked Tim's cheek and nodded her head: It was time for Tim to return to his family.
At Linden, Esther informed Myrtle that Bianca hadn't eaten a thing all day---unless you count bottled water and some "no calorie" breath mints. Bianca sighed that her Christmas wish would not come true. Myrtle tried her best to comfort the girl, but nothing seemed to help. Bianca heard the sound of a door closing and knew that her uncle had returned from running his errands. Bianca whirled around and saw her mother standing before her. Bianca raced into her mother's arms and the two broke into tears. Myrtle asked Jack how he'd managed to finagle a visit. Jack exclaimed that Erica was not home to visit---she was home to stay!
Dimitri hung around the courthouse for a long time after the verdict was read. Over and over in his mind he heard Erica's accusing him of only being out to hurt her because of their divorce. If it wasn't true, Erica had asked, why was Dimitri at the hearing rather than at home with Gloria? A guard poked his head in the room and told Dimitri that he'd have to leave.
Back at Wildwind, Edmund told everyone that Erica had been released from prison. Isabella didn't fully understand why Edmund had done what he'd done, but she respected his decision. It was time to get past the hatred, she agreed, and face the fact that Erica is the one who will have to live with the guilt for the rest of her life.
Michael asked Amanda to turn in for the night, but she refused to go to bed until Tim returned home. The front door swung open and Trevor erupted in a cheerful "ho-ho-ho." Tim entered the house and was greeted with a hug from his sister. Amanda said that she knew the special angel would bring her brother home. Tim looked towards the Christmas tree and saw that his mother's angel sat proudly on the highest bow. That was right where she belonged, Janet smiled: Watching over the Dillon family. Outside, the woman who'd saved Tim's life looked in the window and smiled broadly."
- Soap Central