"Worried that Dixie's fainting spell could be a sign of a more serious problem, Tad placed a frantic call to the paramedics. Before the ambulance arrived, Dixie slowly came around. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to regain her presence. She sat up carefully and assumed Tad that her chest felt fine. Tad wasn't willing to take any chances and told Dixie that he still wanted her to go to the hospital and get a thorough check-up. "I just got you back," said Tad tenderly, adding that he was not going to play "fast and loose" with Dixie's life.
Across town, Adam pampered Liza with a back massage on a new "pregnancy table," a table that was apparently specifically designed for expecting mothers. Liza again thanked Adam for reaching a cease fire with Jake. Adam touted his reformation and, at one point, stated that he felt "like Scrooge after [a visit from] the third ghost." The pair made love, but the "after glow" was abruptly ended by an urgent business call. Adam took to his cellular phone and blasted his associates for their incompetence. To rectify the botched up business deal, Adam was forced to schedule a meeting in St. Louis. He looked at his pregnant fiancée and wondered if he should cancel the deal. "So much can happen," Adam said of the two-days he planned to be away. Liza pursed her lips together and reminded Adam that her due date was not for another three weeks. Perhaps only half in jest, Liza told Adam that he should try to negotiate an agreement with Colby. Adam promised Colby that he's bring her a souvenir from his trip. He mused that the Gateway Arch would look great in her nursery. Adam pressed his ear to Liza's belly and grumbled that Colby was holding out for a pony before agreeing to let him go away. Liza fell asleep on Adam's lap and when she awoke, she immediately apologized for drifting off. Adam smiled warmly and told Liza that she should go back to sleep because he enjoyed having his "two beautiful ladies" in his arms.
Shortly after the debacle at the library, Erica asked to have David pulled from caring for her. In his place, Joe was set-up at Erica's primary caregiver. Even though he'd been yanked, it was still David's responsibility to determine when Erica should be released from the hospital. Against his better judgment---and Erica's complaints must have spurred him on---David signed Erica's release papers. Joe was surprised when David asked him to sign off on Erica's release. David explained to his boss that there is no physical reason to keep Erica in the hospital.
In her room, Erica continued to pack her bags. Her dress, a sport jacket and black turtleneck, looked more suited for a business meeting rather than a hospital release. Dimitri entered the room and told Erica that he was glad to see her up and about, but Erica continued about her business like she was the only one in the room. From her silence, Dimitri correctly inferred that Erica was angry at him. "You can leave," Erica snapped. "And I never want to see you again." When pressed for an explanation for her anger, Erica told Dimitri that she was furious with him for keeping the truth about her injuries from her. Dimitri was part of a "liars coalition," according to Erica. Erica labeled her supposed friends "liars and assassins." Dimitri tried to explain that the doctors had advised him not to tell Erica about the seriousness of her injuries, but it did little good. Myrtle had been silently observing from the doorway for several minutes. Myrtle urged Dimitri to save his breath because she knew that Erica wouldn't listen to him. Clipboard in hand, David entered the room and informed Erica that her request for a discharge had been approved. Dimitri argued that Erica was not ready to leave, but David stated that there was no reason to keep her in the hospital. Dimitri and David quietly bickered back and forth. Erica remarked that she did not approve of the way they were treating her "like a child." Myrtle offered to get the car so that she could drive Erica home, but Erica coldly replied that she'd arranged for a limousine service to take her home. David sighed heavily and filed out of the room.
In the hallway, David took a double-take when he saw Tad pushing Dixie around the corridor in a wheelchair. David took Dixie to an examining room and gave her what he called a "preliminary examination." The check-up showed that Dixie's heart had suffered no damage in her fainting spell and David chalked up the spell to hyperventilation. During the exam, however, David did find something encouraging; Dixie's heart had been responding to her new medication much better than he'd anticipated. In short, Dixie was on a speedy course back to health.
Dimitri and Myrtle hung around Erica's room even after she left the hospital. The duo tried to come up with a way to reach Erica. Myrtle hated the idea that Erica was alone in a new house with no one around to take care of her. She then decided to place a call to the one person that Erica would listen to. After placing the call, Myrtle and Dimitri received a confusing but of advice from David. David asked that they check in on Erica in the morning just to make sure that she's okay. This was a far cry from the attitude David had had earlier in the day when he signed Erica's release papers. David admitted that he didn't want to let Erica go, but he explained that there was no medical reason to keep her in the hospital.
Ryan's lip split open and a steady trickle of blood streamed down his chin. He fell to the ground after taking another of Braden's attacks. Braden hovered tauntingly over his brother and urged him to fight back. "C'mon dad," Ryan sneered. "Hit me again." Braden's face suddenly became pale. He struggled to find the words to ask Ryan to repeat himself. Ryan looked up at his brother in disgust. He accused Braden of being no different than their father---venting his anger on people who didn't deserve to be hurt. Braden claimed that he was better than their father because their father would have continued beating them even when they were on the ground begging for mercy. Ryan managed to get back on his feet, but he'd soon find himself on his back yet again. Ryan begged his brother to get help in dealing with his anger. He commented that when Braden's anger builds, he "comes out swinging." And swing he did. Braden unleashed another barrage of punches, jabs, and beatings on his brother. As Ryan quivered on the ground, a sudden wave of reality washed over Braden. His face turned ghostly white and his jaw suddenly dropped. Braden looked down at his batter brother and realized that he was more like his father than he cared to admit. Ryan told Braden about the counselor Brooke had referred him to when she believed that he'd raped Kit. Ryan warned his brother that if he did not meet with the counselor, he'd contact the police and tell that Braden had assaulted him and threatened Dixie. Braden doubted that Ryan would call the police, saying that he still "owed" him. But just to be on the side, Braden clobbered Ryan a few more times... until he lost consciousness.
Joe showed up at the Tad's house, but no one was home. He found the hidden spare key and let himself into the house. Moments later, an out of breath Jake showed up at the house nearing bursting from the seams. Jake was a bit miffed that the entire family wasn't together to hear his good news, but at least his dad was there. "Get ready to welcome Colby," Jake beamed. "My daughter." Joe was overcome with emotion and embraced his son. Tad and Dixie returned home from the hospital just in time for the celebration. SO as not to worry anyone, Dixie claimed that she'd had a late-night check-up at David's office. When he learned that Dixie's recovery was progressing nicely, Joe cheered that this was a day of good news for the Martin family. Jake proudly announced that his name was going on Colby's birth certificate. Tad hugged his brother and praised him for a job well done. Dixie didn't want to quash the celebration, but she had to know how Jake had gotten Adam to back down. Jake said that the Adam's concession was "the path of least resistance." He figured that Adam didn't want to deal with a long, drawn out court battle. Dixie scrunched up her face and noted that Adam usually loves a good court battle. The group agreed to keep their minds clear of negative thoughts and focus on a celebration. Joe and Jake headed to the kitchen to round of a bottle of Orsini champagne. While they were gone, Jamie and Junior returned home and were filled in on the good news. Tad remarked that a "new twig" would be added to the Martin family tree. Junior's eyes lit up and he asked his mother if she was having a baby. Dixie laughed nervously and clarified that Jake was the one having the baby, not her. Junior looked down at the floor for a little while before looking up and commenting that it was "impossible" for his Uncle Jake to be having a baby!
With nowhere else to go, Ryan showed up at the boarding house. He was immediately taken in by Gillian, who set out to nurse her husband back to health. Gillian prepared Ryan a bowl of soup and spoon-fed it to him. She then took Ryan to one of the bedroom's and allowed him to fall asleep in her arms.
The chauffeur dropped Erica off at her new home, but refused to let Erica pay him for his services. He explained that Erica had helped save his life---well, sort of. The young man's sister had been forced to raise him after their parents died. She picked up a copy of Raising Kane and was inspired to make a better life for herself and her brother. Before leaving---and passing on the top Erica was going to give him---the chauffeur told Erica that she was "more beautiful in real life." This in spite of Erica's effort to mask her bandages with a black scarf. Alone, Erica moped around the house, her head haunted by the chauffeur's seemingly innocent praise. Erica stopped in front of an ornate full-size mirror and removed her scarf. As she looked at her bandaged face, Erica's fury grew. She picked up a crystal candy dish and threw it against the mirror. Shards of glass flew everywhere. Erica continued on a rampage, destroying every mirror in the house. When she was done, debris little the floor of the house. Erica might have sat in a daze for the rest of the night, but she was drawn back to reality by the incessant ringing of the phone. Erica picked up a shard of broken mirror and took a quick look at her face. Inadvertently, she gashed her hand. She quickly wrapped it in a towel and raced to answer the phone. Myrtle had placed a call to Bianca and asked the young girl to call her mother. Bianca seemed concerned about her mother, but Erica took every opportunity to assure her daughter that she was fine. When asked why she was alone, Erica said that she needed some time alone so that her friends would not wear her out. She did her best to muster a jubilant voice, but the sadness on her face showed when Erica claimed that she'd probably have all of her friends over in a few days for a welcome home party. Erica didn't want to talk about herself and learned that Bianca had made the honor roll at school. As the phone call wound down, Erica said that she was going to curl up in bed and work on some of her backlog of Enchantment work. Bianca warned her mother not to work too hard, prompting Erica to joke that she, not Bianca, was the mother. Erica hung up the phone and walked around the house to look at the damage she'd caused. She put her hand to her chest and took a deep breath. "Slow down," she told herself several times. Then, it happened. Erica suddenly was cast back in time to the night of the blizzard. She remembered that she'd asked David to slow down while driving back to Pine Valley. "David lied to me," she said softly. "He was the one in such a hurry to get home---not me.""
- Soap Central