"The diagnosis for Erica was both good and not so good. Joe and Jake discussed her status amongst themselves and revealed that Erica's chest injury had almost fully healed. The prognosis for her facial lacerations was not so good. Jake was about to return to his rounds when he suddenly became quiet. He asked his father if he had a few minutes to talk. Joe sat down on the edge of his desk and told Jake that he always had time for him. "Something happened," Jake began, "and I'm not sure what." Joe listened intently as Jake worked his way to telling him that he'd developed feelings for Liza's baby. "I think I've been kidding myself about Liza's child," Jake muttered. "You mean your child," Joe interjected. Jake shook his head and sighed heavily. He said that he'd suddenly felt different when Adam bragged that he and Liza were getting back together. Again Joe went into listening mode. Jake struggled to find a way the best expressed his opposition to Adam asserting himself into Baby Colby's life. Joe admitted that he and Ruth both knew that the day would come when their son changed his mind about the life he'd helped create. Joe stated that a father's responsibility does not end at conception and isn't composed of monthly child support checks or biweekly visits.
Gillian sat quietly in the witness box. She thought deeply for several minutes before recalling that Jack had threatened to put Ryan in jail with serial killers. Gillian scratched her chin and flashed Jack a quizzical look asking, "What does murder have to do with porridge?" Jack and the judge looked at each other in amusement. The judge then looked towards Gillian and asked her to answer Jack's question. Gillian looked down at her feet and softly mumbled, "Yes. My husband wanted to take the blood test." Jack smiled arrogantly and announced that he had no additional questions. Final arguments were heard, but no new information was offered. Jack insisted that he'd played things by the book and denied that Ryan was coerced into taking the blood test. Trevor, on the other hand, argued that Jack used every dirty tactic in the book to make Ryan believe that he had no other choice but to submit to the test. The judge retied to his chambers to mull over his decision. Trevor and Jack both left the courtroom. Once they were gone, Gillian scurried to her husband and apologized for her damaging testimony. Ryan told Gillian that he could not fault her for telling the truth. Ryan stopped short, however, of giving Gillian what she really wanted---an announcement that he'd forgive her for sleeping with David. Jack and Trevor returned to their seats and awaited the judge's decision. The first words out of the judge's mouth signaled his impending verdict. He announced that he did not approve of the way that Jack had approached the DNA test, but in the end he concluded that Ryan had willing agreed to the blood test. With that he stated that Ryan's trial would begin in exactly three weeks. Jack rose from his desk and beamed at the verdict. He flashed a condescending look in Trevor's direction and left the courtroom. Ryan has handcuffed and taken back to a jail cell. Trevor promised that he would immediately get to work on some new angles. Gillian sat in the courtroom for several minutes, her head in her hands. Braden pulled up a chair behind her and remarked that Ryan was "a jerk" for agreeing to take the DNA test. Gillian responded angrily to Braden's remark. The princess claimed that it was her fault that Ryan had taken the test. Had she arrived sooner with the bail money, Gillian felt that Ryan would not be in the predicament he was currently in. Braden assured Gillian that all hope was not lost.
Tad and Dixie discussed Braden's mysterious link to Ryan. Neither knew how or why Braden cared about the accused rapist. They also realized that there was something else they didn't know about Palmer's assistant---his real name. "Only lounge acts and pop stars have only one name," quipped Tad. Dixie concluded that they might be able to learn more dirt on Braden by rummaging around Palmer's home office. The pair headed into the basement, but their search mission failed to turn up anything---no Social Security numbers, no pay stubs, nothing. Finally, Dixie decided that it might be best to call Palmer and find out if he knew anything about his personal assistant. Palmer wasn't in the office, so Dixie decided to use her name to elicit information from the accounting department. She was connected with a woman by the name of Mrs. McDougal. The woman retrieved Braden's personnel records, but the file was marked "confidential." Dixie knew that she had to put a sense of fear in the accountant in order to get anywhere. Dixie used a very convincing growl to threaten the woman's job, saying that if she failed to get her any information on Braden she'd see that she was relegated to the ranks of night manager at the Burger Barn. The woman promised to get back to Dixie within the hour and she did keep her word. When Mrs. McDougal returned Dixie's call, Dixie asked the woman to start at the beginning and not to leave out any details.
In his jail cell, Ryan received yet another blast of bad news. Trevor informed him that his pleas of innocence might get him ten years to life in a state penitentiary. Trevor's suggestion? He told Ryan that he should think about claiming that he and Kit engaged in consensual sexual intercourse. Ryan refused. Trevor let out a deep breath and said that there appeared to be only one other course of action: a plea bargain. Ryan wondered why Jack, a man he claimed hated him, would agree to a plea bargain. Trevor hinted that Jack might agree to a plea in order to keep Kit's name out of the tabloid headlines. Still, a plea would probably result in a ten-year prison sentence. Ryan couldn't believe what he was hearing; he might have to spend time in jail for a crime he still says he did not commit.
At the pond, Edmund, Kit, and Sammy prepared for an ice skating session. Kit and Sam had some time alone to talk about their session. Sammy wondered if his mother could see him from Heaven. Kit smiled warmly and assured Sam that his mother was watching him with a proud smile. Edmund watched from behind a tree as the two shared a tender moment. Sammy remarked that knowing that his mother was watching him wasn't the same as having her by his side. Kit urged Sammy to hold on to his mother's memory, remembering the sound of her voice and the way she smelled. "My mommy smelled like apples," the boy gushed bashfully. Edmund made his appearance known as Sammy was headed back to the pond for another lap about the ice. Jack appeared and broke the news that the DNA evidence had been permitted into the trial. Kit jumped into the air and gave her big brother a hug.
Their whirlwind shopping spree behind them, Liza and Adami returned to the condominium. Adam began talking about plans he had for Baby Colby's nursery. Liza scrunched her face and told Adam that he was jumping the gun a little bit. There were not, lest he be reminded, husband and wife just yet. Adam touted Chandler Mansion as a haven for extra "crawl space" for the baby. He then sneaked in his real message: He wanted to marry Liza before baby Colby was born. That wasn't quite the way Liza had envisioned things. She told Adam about her fantasy wedding. In her perfect world scenario, Liza would carry Colby down the aisle instead of a bouquet of flowers. After the ceremony, Adam would be able to adopt Colby as his daughter. Adam told Liza that he wanted her to have a wedding with "all the trimmings." In his fantasy wedding, church bells would ring at sunrise to announce the start of the wedding. Marian, he said, would arrive on a horse-drawn sleigh. "You will arrive drawn by a team of peacocks!" Adam chirped. Liza laughed hysterically at the exaggerated imagery in Adam's vision. Adam told Liza that he would give her anything she wanted---but he wanted to marry her in April before the baby was born. Liza smiled, tears welling in her eyes. "Yes," she said softly. "I'll marry you in April." Adam nearly burst into song, shouting loudly at the top of his lungs. He hugged Liza tightly and thanked her for making all of his dreams come true. The pair then sat down to talk about plans for the wedding. Liza mused that she would need a "tentmaker" rather than a dress designer. Liza suggested that they somehow incorporate Jake into the wedding ceremony, noting that without his help they would not have their daughter. Adam tried to talk Liza out of it, but he promised to keep an open mind. Adam decided that he would head back to Chandler Mansion to work on more wedding plans. He smiled wryly and claimed that he might try to "reinvent" himself as a wedding consultant. Shortly after Adam left, Liza told Baby Colby how wonderful her father was. A knock sounded on the door and Liza quickly made her way to the door. She opened the door and found a frowning Jake waiting to speak to her."
- Soap Central