"The situation with Jake still very much on her mind, Marian traveled to WRCW to tell her daughter that she'd come up with a plan to get Jake out of the picture. Liza listened carefully as Marian suggested that they try to find a girlfriend for Jake---preferably one with a child. Marian rationalized that Jake would then be less preoccupied with Liza's baby. Liza rolled her eyes and muttered that she'd pull out her magic lantern and make it happen. This was one wish that really didn't require any sort of magical incantations. She reached for a piece of paper in her pocket and read off a personal ad she'd written on Jake's behalf. Liza was astounded by her mother's gall and even more shocked when she learned that Marian had had the personal ad run in the morning edition of the Bulletin. The ad mentioned that an attractive male doctor was interested in finding a woman with a child (or one on the way). Interested parties were urged to drop by Liza's office for a face-to-face interview! Liza scolded her mother, but at the same time thanked her for her concern. She convinced Marian that she should go to the newspaper and have the ad pulled before it was run again.
Later, Stuart dropped by Liza's office for a brief chat. Liza wasn't around so he pulled up a chair and waited for her. While he waited, a young woman entered the office and asked if she could speak to Liza. Stuart smiled and invited the woman to wait with him. The woman looked admiringly at Stuart and told him that he looked a lot different than she imagined. Stuart cocked his head to the side and asked the woman why she'd been imagining him. She didn't reply, instead she pulled out a picture of her baby for Stuart to review. Meanwhile, a second woman filed into the room. The woman looked to be in the later stages of her pregnancy and she asked Stuart if he wanted to feel her baby kick. The first woman jostled for position. While all of this was going on, Marian returned and demanded that the "two hussies" unhand her husband!
A white teddy bear in hand, Adam stared off into the distance as his attorney, Barry Shire, entered his office. Barry had been summoned to help draw up a new will for his client. Adam snapped back into reality and thanked Barry for dropping by. Barry commented that he was surprised by Adam's generosity; Adam had reworked his will so that the majority of his assets went to Liza---with much of the rest being divided among Hayley, Skye, Junior, and Colby. Adam mentioned that he was a bit concerned by Jake's reassertion in his life. Initially, Barry feared that Jake once again had romantic interests in Liza. Adam shook his head and explained that Jake had a sudden case of "parental possessiveness." Barry listened to Adam's rants and came to a sudden determination: Jake was not the father of Liza's baby. Adam's mouth dropped. He demanded to know how the attorney had figured that out. Barry reminded Adam that he had helped him buy---and subsequently dump---the fertility clinic where Liza had become pregnant. Adam swore Barry to secrecy and proceeded to tell him the truth. Adam feared that a paternity case would prove that Jake was not the child's father. Barry nodded. The attorney agreed that the paternity test would rule out Jake as the father, but that did not mean that it ruled in Adam as the father. This was good in theory, but Adam worried that Liza would figure everything out in a matter of time. Barry suggested that Adam consider moving to the West Coast. That, he smiled, would surely deter Jake's desire for weekend visits. The idea might have worked, but Adam was not about to uproot his life. Then came the idea that Adam had been searching for. Jake, he informed Barry, was in California on business. What if he were to be offered the job of a lifetime while on the other coast? Adam picked up the phone and made a few calls. All of his finagling ended just seconds before Liza showed up in his office. Barry quickly excused himself and Liza immediately demanded to know more about Adam and Barry's brainstorming session. Adam confirmed Liza's suspicions that the meeting had something to do with Jake. He then added that he'd had his will redrawn to include Liza and Colby. Liza mulled the idea of having her will revised so that Adam would get most of her estate. Adam chuckled and teased Liza about her estate having been built mostly from the money he'd given her following their divorce. Liza told Adam that she'd been playing the stock market and made a pretty penny on some high tech stocks. Suddenly, Liza realized that she was late for her first Lamaze class. Adam pleaded with Liza to let him be the coach, but she worried that since he hadn't read an information packet that he'd been of no use. Still, Adam was insistent that he be allowed to tag along.
Ryan was not at all pleased by Jack's decision to charge Gillian with aiding and abetting. The prisoner proclaimed that he would revoke his confession if Jack did not back down from trying Gillian. Trevor warned his client that he was not in a position to make demands, but his words of warning had little impact on Ryan. Trevor went on to imply that Ryan should blame himself for Gillian's predicament. The comment had nothing to do with Ryan's guilt or innocence, but rather his guilty plea. Had Ryan said nothing, Gillian could always have claimed that she was trying to help the man she loved---a man who was innocence. But since Ryan had now pleaded guilty, Gillian's bargaining power had gone up in flames.
Upstairs, Belinda escorted Gillian into Jack's office. There was no need for formality or an explanation of why they'd dropped by. Jack instantly knew that Belinda wanted to strike up a deal. He saved his colleague the time, pre-emptively informing Belinda that he intended to hold Gillian accountable for her wrongdoing. Belinda pleaded with Jack to go easy on her client, offering a compromise of community service. No deal would be struck. Belinda asked Gillian to stand out in the hall for a few moments while she had private discussion with Jack. Belinda reminded Jack that she'd been in a similar situation a few years prior when her mother, Rose, had returned to town. Rose had been accompanied, or rather stalked, by Grady, a very shady character. Belinda was overzealous in her attempt to get justice, similar to the way Jack was acting now. The advice fell on deaf ears. Coldly, Jack told Belinda to keep her advice to herself. Before the discuss could continue, Trevor called and told Jack that Ryan wanted to talk to him.
Jack headed down to the cell area and waited for his chat with Ryan. Ryan came out swinging. He told Jack that he would rescind his guilty plea unless Jack dropped the charges against Gillian. Along with the warning came promises that Kit's sordid past would be known to everyone when the case went to trial. "Don't threaten me," Jack snarled. He offered a warning of his own. If Ryan did back out on their agreement, Jack said that he would make sure that Ryan spent the rest of his "natural life" behind bars. Since his confrontation approach had failed, Ryan decided to appeal to Jack's love of his sister. Ryan reminded Jack that his guilty plea meant that he would serve jail time. He was the one who'd hurt Kit---not Gillian. Ryan stated that he wanted to protect Gillian in much the same way that Jack wanted to protect Kit. Jack took a deep breath and told Ryan that he'd drop the charges against Gillian. Jack rose from his chair and headed towards the exit, saying that he'd make the appropriate phone calls as soon as he got back to his office. Ryan nixed that, ordering Jack to make the call immediately on his cellular phone. Jack stopped in his tracks and reached for his phone.
Back upstairs, Trevor got the news of the charges being dropped and told Gillian that she was a free woman. Gillian knew instantly that Ryan had played a part in getting her off the hook. She scurried downstairs to thank her husband. Ryan spoke softly to Gillian when she arrived. He told her that he did not think it was fair for her to be punished for something he had done. Gillian grabbed the cell bars and urged Ryan to admit that his confession was bogus. Ryan would do no such thing. Gillian told Ryan that Myrtle had urged her to continue fighting for their love. She promised Ryan that she would remain vigilant and wait for his release from jail. That wasn't what Ryan wanted of his bride. "You're free now," he said, his voice sounded as though it would crack at any minute. He explained that he had not kept her from doing jail time so that she could waste her time waiting for him. When Gillian refused to see Trevor about a divorce, Ryan stated that he would start the proceedings. "I want you to forget about me," Ryan said as tears welled in his eyes. Gillian shook her head and pleaded with Ryan to reconsider. "Goodbye, princess," he said. Ryan turned his back to Gillian to avoid her seeing the anguish on his face. Before leaving, Gillian had an emotional parting comment, "Don't ever expect me to stop loving you."
"You've obviously been misinformed," Erica said in disbelief. She repeated her claim that her face had only a few scratches and bruises. Vanessa backed off. She walked back and forth around Erica's bed commenting that she must have misunderstood the gossip that was flowing around the hospital. Erica was horrified that people were talking about her condition. Vanessa urged Erica to have her public relations person start doing damage control before people learn the truth about her condition. At that moment, Opal entered the office and found herself in the hot seat. Erica immediately asked Opal if she knew anything about her condition. Opal was unable to look her friend in the eyes. Instead, she looked down at the floor and said that, as a volunteer, she would not privy to confidential patient information. Since she'd gotten no answers from Vanessa or Opal, Erica summoned a nurse into her room with the hopes of getting David to tell her the truth. Unfortunately, the nurse informed Erica that David was in surgery and unable to talk to her. She assured the patient that her doctor would speak to her as soon as his schedule permitted. Vanessa left with the nurse and Opal tried to leave too, but Erica asked her friend to stick around for a few minutes. Erica asked Opal if she was holding something back from her regarding her injuries. Opal again stared at the floor. She lamely offered that she knows nothing more than Erica, commenting that she's unable to see through the bandages to look at the wound. Erica became very distant and told Opal that she was free to go. Vanessa waited until Opal left before heading back into Erica's room. Waving the white flag, Vanessa insisted that she did not mean to upset Erica in anyway. Instead, she said that she felt Erica deserved to know the truth about her injuries. "Get out!" Erica yelled. Vanessa bowed her head and left the room. Erica struggled to get out of bed. She walked slowly to the closet and once again checked out her face in the mirror. She heard David's voice telling her how dangerous it was to remove her bandages. The seriousness in his voice deeply disturbed Erica, but she remained optimistic that everything would be okay. Turning away from the mirror, Erica gathered the photographs of her from around the room and placed them on her bed. She laid the pictures down in such a way that the right side of her face in each photograph was covered---the same side of her face that had been injured. "There," she said softly, her voice barely audible. Erica reached for her jacket and headed for the door."
- Soap Central