"Opening night arrived for Holidays and the restaurant was beautifully decorated in red, white, and blue. Everything was in place to make a good impression with the soon-to-be-arriving customers. Things were going a little too smoothly---and then it happened. The air conditioner stopped working and the temperature inside the restaurant was slowly approaching unbearable levels. Albert had no idea what to do. Kevin explained that every time the unit had broken down in the past, Mateo or Hayley were able to fix it with some carefully placed kicks. Lee suggested that they phone Hayley and ask for her help, but Albert was against the idea. He knew that Mateo didn't want Hayley at Holidays and decided to carry on in the heat. Lee noticed that Tad and Stuart had arrived and quickly scampered into hiding. Donned in a hot pink outfit, Marian arrived at the party. She caught Stuart's attention immediately. Marian lowered her head and looked down at the floor so that she could walk by Stuart without having to look at him or talk to him. Tad could see that Stuart was mesmerized by Marian, but he just stood still with a goofy look on his face. Tad nudged Stuart with his elbow and encouraged him to talk to Marian. Stuart reluctantly agreed to walk over to Marian. Stuart told Marian that she looked beautiful. Marian nervously replied that she hopes John (Lee) feels the same way. From behind a corner, Lee muttered for Stuart to take Marian outside for a walk. Marian decided to track down John so that Stuart could finally meet him. Trevor, Amanda, Janet, and Tim arrived and Trevor immediately groused about how hot it was. Belinda arrived a few minutes later and also remarked that it seemed unusually hot. Albert realized that he had two choices---to call Hayley or risk having Holiday's flop on opening night.
Hayley helped Ryan apply some ice to his bruised lip. She commented that she wouldn't have held it against Ryan if he'd decided to go blow to blow with Mateo rather than being treated like a punching bag. Gillian sashayed onto the veranda and couldn't help but notice her husband's bloodied lip. When she learned that Mateo had been the one to inflict the wound, she naturally assumed that Mateo had clobbered Ryan for the way that he drools over Hayley. Hayley insisted that was not the case, but before she could make her point, her cell phone rang. A frantic Albert begged Hayley to tell him how to fix the temperamental cooling system. Hayley explained that there wasn't a magic switch to flip. Gerty, the name she and Mateo had given the air conditioner, was quite gretzy and required a great deal of work to get her back up and running. The fix-it was just as Hayley had said---confusing! She told Albert that a series of well-timed kicks and pats were needed to coax Gerty back into service. Albert knew that he wasn't going to be able to figure it out on his own and pleaded with Hayley to make a quick appearance to fix the system. Hayley didn't want her husband to blow his fuse, but she also didn't want Holidays to suffer because of a problem that she could easily fix. She hung up the phone and asked Ryan and Gillian to cover for her while she dashed off to Holidays. Ryan was all for helping out Hayley, but Gillian wasn't so thrilled by the idea. A few seconds later, Mateo and Edmund arrived on the patio. By this time, Hayley had already left. Mateo could've sworn that he'd heard Hayley's voice, but both Ryan and Gillian insisted that Hayley wasn't home. That led Mateo to wonder where his wife had gone. Hayley had picked the wrong twosome to lie for her. Gillian and Ryan fumbled for an answer. They eventually concocted a tale that had Hayley heading out to the ATM machine for some cash. The explanation was weak: Hayley needed money so that she could go on a day-long shopping trip in the morning. Needless to say, Mateo saw through their lie. Ryan accused Mateo of being a "Neanderthal" who could let his wife out of his sight for more than two minutes. Those two minutes, Edmund interjected, "could kill her." Gillian worried that Hayley was in danger and decided that she had to tell Mateo where Hayley had gone.
At Pine Valley Hospital, Ruth had phoned Allie and asked her to drop by for a chat. Ruth had been awarded a fellowship at a nursing school in Mexico. She would be teaching new nurses and helping guide them in their careers. The purpose of Ruth calling Allie to the hospital was to make sure that she had a chance to say goodbye to Allie before leaving. There was also another, more personal reason for the chat. Ruth wanted to make sure that Allie knew that she and Joe approved of her engagement to Jake. Since they didn't have time to celebrate the day of the announcement---Allie, if you recall, had been carted off to the police station---Ruth want to take time out to set things straight. The moment should have been enough to put a smile on Allie's. It didn't. Instead Allie found herself fighting back tears. Naturally wanted to know why Allie looked so glum. Allie didn't need any prodding. She blurted out that Joe and Ruth might become grandparents before they become in-laws. Ruth had a puzzled look on her face and asked Allie if she was pregnant. Allie shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. She told Ruth all about Liza's plan to enlist Jake in her baby-making process. "Over my dead body," Ruth snarled. Allie asked Ruth not to say anything to Jake. Allie knew that Jake wouldn't appreciate the way she'd blabbed his business to Ruth. Ruth insisted that she had to confront Jake because "that's what mothers are for."
On the sun porch, Jake was noticeably distracted. He could barely operate his mini tape recorder. Liza slowly walked towards his table. She told Jake that she wanted to thank him again for his offer to father her child, but she didn't want her situation to cause so many problems. Jake was rather nonchalant about everything, perhaps too nonchalant. He stated that Allie was having a rough time since she lost her license to practice medicine and that in time she'd come around. Liza wasn't so sure and wondered what would happen if Allie didn't come around. Ruth burst into the room and yelled, "Joseph Henry Martin! Have you lost your mind?" Jake looked in Allie's direction and flashed her a piercing glance. Liza assured Ruth that she was "unnecessarily upset." Ruth concluded that Jake's decision to be a sperm donor was the worst mistake he's ever made. "Why not colonize Mars?" Ruth asked of Liza and Jake. "You're both obviously lost in space!" Jake was no longer patient with his mother and surprisingly, he raised his voice to her. He told her that she'd crossed the line. Since he was an employee of the hospital and she was the Chief of Nursing, there was no reason for her to be yelling at him in public. Ruth argued that as his mother she could do whatever she wanted. Jake saw it differently. He motioned to Allie to follow him to another room. Joe appeared a little while later and asked what was going on. Liza rolled her eyes and urged Joe to leave before he got wrapped up in the mess. Ruth accused Liza of wanting to wreck Jake's happiness. Liza explained that Jake had offered to be the donor and that it was not her idea. Ruth didn't believe her. Liza also insisted that she wanted Jake to love Allie. She added that she wishes them well. Before departing, Liza warned Ruth to stop treating her children like toddlers. After Liza left, Joe admitted that he agreed with Liza. Ruth had planned to shelve her trip to Mexico so that she could play matchmaker for Jake and Allie and help Tad and Jamie during Brooke's trial. Joe knew that his wife would regret the decision and encouraged her to go on with her plans. Ruth worried that somehow her children and grandchildren wouldn't be able to get along without her. More than that, she worried that Joe might suffer during her absence. With a warm embrace, Joe urged Ruth to go on her trip.
Down the hall, Allie and Jake went head to head over Allie's decision to tell Ruth about Liza's planned pregnancy. Allie claimed that it had "slipped out," but Jake didn't believe that his sperm came up in everyday conversation. Allie wondered why Jake wouldn't tell his mother about his decision if, as he'd claimed, he was proud of his decision to help Liza. Jake explained that it wasn't his mother's business. Jake wished that Allie had told him about her opposition to the plan from the beginning. Had he known, he never would have offered. Allie noted that Jake had already made his offer even before he'd discussed it with her. Jake worried that Allie would never be able to open up to him. Allie laid those fears to rest. She opened up the floodgates and let loose with a plethora of accusations. She claimed that Jake's naiveté prevented him from realizing that Liza had bought him. Why else, she asked, would Liza have gone to such lengths to get rid of David Hayward? Obviously, she stated, Liza knew that she was going to get Jake to father her child many months ago. Jake no longer felt that he and Allie were on the same team. For that matter, they no longer seemed to be on the same playing field. He wondered if their engagement was a bad idea. Allie's eyes welled with tears. She turned and walked away.
Camille finally regained consciousness. She slowly sat up and looked around the cabin. She realized in a matter of seconds that she'd been locked inside. The windows and door had been boarded up---from the outside. There was no way out. She pounded frantically on the doors and windows and called for help, but it appeared that no one could hear her.
At Holidays, Stuart and Marian shared another awkward conversation. Stuart asked Marian if she enjoyed fireworks. Marian nodded and noted that one of the men she used to date worked on fireworks displays. Stuart asked her if the man had been present at the party that Adam had arranged. Marian obviously saw the comment as insensitive and walked away. Tad wandered over and asked Stuart how things were going between him and Marian. Stuart smiled slightly and told Tad politely that his advice "stinks." Tad promised that he wouldn't interfere in Marian and Stuart's relationship woes again. Keith offered to buy Belinda a drink. Belinda accepted, but the drink offer soon turned into a nonstop gab about Brooke's trial. Keith went on and on about the trial and Keith made no effort to listen to Belinda's request to change the subject. When Adrian arrived, he confidently strutted in Belinda's direction and offered to "rescue" her from Keith's company. Belinda explained that she didn't need to be rescued---but she quickly noted that Adrian could buy her an iced coffee. Adrian took Belinda's arm and escorted her across the room.
In the basement, Hayley was offering her assistance in getting old Gerty back online. Her repair tactics were a bit unorthodox; they were comprised of a lot of thumping and kicking on the cooling unit. Lee asked Hayley why Mateo had barred her from returning to Holidays. Hayley didn't have an explanation. She assumed that Mateo was worried that Camille would try to harm her. Hayley explained that Camille did not pose a danger to anyone. With a final kick, Hayley got the air conditioner running. Albert thanked Hayley for her help and begged her to stick around for a little bit longer to make sure that the evening didn't "end in a disaster." Hayley reluctantly agreed to stick around for another hour. Any longer, she said, and Mateo would have her "murdered." Albert and Hayley returned to the party. Lee hung around in the basement for a little while longer. He tinkered around with the boiler. He shut off one of the valves that allowed the pressure to escape so by shutting off the valve it meant that pressure would gradually build up inside the unit. When that happened, the entire place would blow up and send everyone "to an early dirt nap." Slowly the needle on the pressure gauge inched towards the danger level."
- Soap Central