"After a whirlwind trip to New York City, Tad and Dixie returned to Pine Valley and broke the happy news of their engagement to Brooke, Jake, Junior, and Jamie. The boys were overjoyed that they'd once again be "brothers." Tad apologized for having doubted the boys' optimism that he and Dixie would get back together, but the apology didn't near carry as much weight as the thought of sharing the same bunk beds again! Dixie explained that it was "mostly [her] fault" for the delayed reunion because she didn't want anyone to know that she was sick. Jake cringed as Dixie mentioned that Dr. Hayward was nursing her back to health. Tad pulled his brother aside and asked him if he could help him with one more favor. The two men slipped out of the house unnoticed as Dixie and Junior sat down for a heart-to-heart talk. It was easy to see that Junior was still very worried about his mother. He became concerned when she'd show too much emotion, obviously fearing that the extra excitement would compromise his mother's health. Dixie assured her son that she'd never been happier. Junior grinned broadly and chirped that everything appeared to be returning to normal.
Liza headed for the gallery to check up on her mother and Stuart. When she arrived, there was no sign of anyone---only a muffled moan coming from across the room. Liza stepped in to investigate and realized that the moans were coming from inside the crate. She knocked on the crate with a smile on her face and called out to her mother. "There's nobody here but us packing peanuts," Stuart replied giddily. The couple eventually emerged from their styrofoam paradise. Marian started to explain how she and Stuart had ended up in the crate and what they were doing. Liza held up her hand and wittily told her mother that she did not want her to share her story. Liza looked around the gallery in amazement. She had not expected Adam to come through in such grand style. Marian and Stuart both detected a bit of reluctance in Liza's voice. Liza explained that she had promised to give Adam a response to his marriage proposal after the wedding. She added a bit of a disclaimer, saying that she held her impending response over Adam to assure that the wedding would go off without a hitch. Marian knew that her daughter wasn't dejected for no reason; She knew that Liza wanted to accept Adam's proposal. Marian smiled warmly and told Liza that she would not object if Liza decided to get married to Adam again. "Your happiness is the most important thing to me," gushed Marian. Liza was moved to tears and gave her mother a big hug. Liza decided to return to her condo to get ready for the wedding. Soon after she left, Marian and Stuart headed back to their love nook inside the crate!
The revelation that Vanessa Bennett was David Hayward's mother came as a shock to Erica. She could not believe that David had left a woman to die in the parking lot---and the fact that he'd walked out on his own mother was totally incomprehensible. When Erica voiced her doubts over Adam's information, Adam handed over a dossier he'd had written up on David. Erica review page after page of the file and realized that Adam was telling the truth. With the help of a private investigator, Adam managed to learn a lot about the renowned cardiologist. He'd had a life of privilege, attending the top boarding schools and colleges in the country. One thing that his childhood lacked, however, was close ties to his parents. Throughout David's teenage years, Vanessa was out of the country, hobnobbing with bigwigs in Europe and enjoying her wealth. Only one thing was missing from the information package: details about David's father. David's father had passed away when David was still in high school. How he'd died remained a mystery. Even the death certificate failed to mention the cause of death. Adam looked at Erica and asked her how they were going to fight back against David. Erica placed her hand on her chest and asked Adam how she'd gotten roped into Adam's revenge scheme. Adam smiled wryly and pointed out that Erica had come to him for information---so it seemed only natural that she'd want to be a part of a payback scheme. Erica shook her head and said that she'd keep Adam in mind if she heard any information that could be useful to bring David down. Erica sensed that Adam was holding something back from her. She seemed to have overlooked that Adam might want to stick it to David---after all, he had nearly killed him! Still, Erica perceived that David was holding something over Adam. Adam wasn't about to admit that he'd done something shifty and told Erica that she was just being overly concerned. After Erica left, however, Adam leaned against the front door and quietly hoped that Erica managed to dig up some dirty on David---and quickly.
"I was wondering when my famous cardiologist son would pay me a visit," Vanessa said with an amused smile. David shook his head and informed his mother that she'd gotten things mixed up. He would be the one who was getting paid for the visit, a forced attempt at sardonic humor. Vanessa looked at David and asked him if he would really make his own mother pay for medical assistance. David grew tired of his mother's company and told her that he had to check on other patients.
Hayley kept her promise to Gillian and showed up at the hospital. She immediately embraced the princess and asked if there was anything she could do to help. Gillian bowed her head and asked Hayley if she could help get her back in Ryan's good graces. Hayley hadn't been kept abreast of the latest developments in the Ryan and Gillian saga, so she had no way of knowing that the couple was once again on the outs. Hayley asked Gillian to start at the beginning and tell her everything that had happened. Gillian feared that Hayley would judge her mistakes. David strolled up to the two women with a sly smile. He told Hayley that she was looking good and informed Gillian that he was going to run some addition tests on Ryan. Gillian leapt from her seat and clawed at the doctor. The guard that had been stationed outside Ryan's room quickly moved to break up the altercation. Hayley out two and two together and determined that David must have been the man with which Gillian had had her affair. Gillian bashfully admitted that Hayley was correct. Slowly, she told Hayley the long, painful story about how she'd slept with David not once, but twice. Hayley claimed that she understood why Gillian decided to sleep with David to earn Ryan's bail money. More than that, she said that she believed that Gillian was doing what she thought was best for Ryan. Gillian was overcome with emotion as her former "enemy" had now become a staunch ally. Gillian begged Hayley to do what she could to make Ryan forgive her.
David headed back to his office. He stopped in the hallway in front of his office and rummage through his pocket for his keys. After unlocking his office door, David slowly walked into his office. He froze in his tracks when he saw two pairs of eyes staring back at him. "What's up, doc?" Tad quipped as David entered. David looked angrily at Tad and Jake and demanded to know how they'd gotten inside. He read them the riot act about thinking they could so what they wanted since they were the sons of the Chief of Staff. Tad stood up and looked the sometimes evil doctor in the eyes. He firmly stated that he knew all about Dixie's health woes and asked for a prognosis. David looked to Jake and asked his colleague to remind Tad about the doctor-patient confidentiality agreement. Tad informed David that he and Dixie were engaged and that he would find out the information one way or another. David sighed and walked to his computer terminal. He tapped in a few commands and Dixie's medical file pulled up on the monitor. Jake reviewed the chart and determined that everything was on the up-and-up. It couldn't help but be noticed that David seemed irritated that there had been an assumption that he hadn't been on the level with Dixie's care. Tad was unable to follow all of the medical lingo and asked for a plain English explanation. David's choice of words was interesting. "Once Dixie turns the corner," David said, "she'll probably make a full recovery." Tad never once doubted that David was good at his job---he just didn't like him as a person. Tad and Jake left, fully convinced that Dixie was in good hands. David turned his attention towards a locked filing cabinet that held the results of Adam's DNA comparison to that of Liza's unborn baby. As he held the yellow file folder in his hands, he received yet another unannounced visitor. "Our conversations always appear to be cut short," Vanessa grinned. She helped herself to a seat in front of David's desk. David was unamused by Vanessa's appearance. Vanessa claimed that David was just like his father---cold and unappreciative. She blamed herself for "overindulging" David during his formative years. David cringed at being compared to his father---or perhaps it was just the mention of his father. Vanessa scolded David for not being concerned about her health. "Even God enjoys a good show," David said icily. His implication was that he enjoyed seeing his mother sick. David went on a lengthy tirade about how women need to be kept in line. This was not the first time he'd made such a remark. With that, David walked out on his mother.
Back at Brooke's house, Dixie still had regrets about her videotaped farewell. Brooke noted that had it not been for the tape, she and Tad would never have found their way back to each other. Dixie was stunned when Brooke informed her that Liza had been the one who'd discovered the tape and forced Tad to watch it. Tad returned from his trip to the hospital and asked Dixie if they could head to Cortlandt Manor and fill Opal in on the good news. Dixie told Tad to go along without her because she had someone that she needed to see first.
At her condo, Liza looked at her matron-of-honor dress with a smile. A knock sounded on her door and Liza called out Adam's name. When she opened the door, however, it wasn't Adam that was standing on the other side. It was David, with an urgent warning for Liza.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Trevor visited with Ryan to keep his client up to date on his legal battle. Trevor handed the patient a note that Gillian had written. Ryan took the letter and threw it on the ground. Trevor didn't question why Ryan was upset with Gillian. Trevor explained that things were sort of looking up for Ryan---but not by much. Witnesses at The Pit would bolster Ryan's story that Kit had been a willing participant in their steamy dance session. Now, the attorney was going to search for experts that would be able to testify about the drawbacks and inaccuracies of DNA testing. It was a long shot, but it was all that they had going for them. Hayley entered the room. Trevor had gotten her name placed on the list of permitted visitors. Trevor left so that his niece could have a few minutes alone with Ryan. Ryan claimed that he'd been worried about Hayley. Hayley laughed slightly and said that it was odd for Ryan to have been worried about her. Hayley asked Ryan if there was any way that he could ever forgive Gillian. Ryan put his hands over his face and remarked about the quirks of falling in love. He said that he'd lived his entire life without experiencing love. And when he finally did, his life "[went] down in flames." Hayley pleaded with Ryan not to give up---on himself or his love for Gillian. Before leaving, Hayley told Ryan that Gillian had vowed to clear Ryan's name no matter what. Hayley went outside and told Gillian that her session with Ryan hadn't reaped the desired results. Gillian remained vigilant. She walked up to Ryan's room and shouted, "I love you Ryan!" The guard grabbed Gillian and escorted her to the exit. During the distraction, Braden managed to slip inside the room. Ryan had been reading the letter that Gillian had written. He put down the card and looked at his visitor. "It really was you," Ryan said in awe. "Yes, Ryan. It was," Braden smiled."
- Soap Central