Temporarily forgetting that he was a married man, Ryan slinked over to Hayley and introduced himself to her. His smile showed that he was obviously enamored by the young woman that sat before him. Hayley was not nearly as impressed with Ryan. In fact, she was actually annoyed that someone else was living at Wildwind. A few seconds later, Gillian and Mateo joined the pair. Like her husband, Gillian too was ogling someone other than her spouse. Edmund entered the room and introduced everyone. Hayley and Mateo were stunned by the news that Ryan and Gillian were married. Gillian sat on the arm of the sofa next to Mateo. She looked into his eyes and told him that one of her friends had fallen into a coma as a result of a motorcycling accident. She said that her friend had strange visions and dreams and suggested that Mateo might need one of her famous massages to help him feel better. Mateo called Edmund to the doorway and asked him if he could keep an eye on Hayley while he handled some business. Meanwhile, Ryan tried to impress Hayley by telling her that he was responsible for Enchantment's new advertising campaign. Since he was new to ton, he didn't have any way of knowing that Hayley once ran the cosmetics company. When Gillian told Ryan, Ryan and Gillian began bickering. Hayley pulled Edmund aside and told him that she feels the newlyweds constant bickering might hinder Mateo's recovery. Edmund explained that he somehow hoped that having a happily married couple around the house might rub off on Ryan and Gillian. Hayley still wasn't thrilled with the idea and decided that she was going to go upstairs and find her husband. Edmund had to come up with a quick alibi for his missing brother-in-law. He claimed that Mateo had returned to the hospital for a physical therapy session. Hayley was visibly miffed. She didn't like the idea that was being so secretive. First, he refused to tell her anything about his visions and now he was coming and going without warning. Edmund assured Hayley that it wasn't anything personal. He reminded Hayley that Mateo had been unconscious for several months. He suggested that it might take some time before Mateo was "back to normal." Hayley realized that she might be expecting too much from her husband and agreed to allow him so additional time to recover fully. In the background, Ryan and Gillian started yet another feud. This time it was too much for Hayley to handle. She told Edmund that she needed to get out of the house and ran towards the door. Edmund summoned the newlyweds to the livingroom and ordered them to sit down. His patience growing more and more thin, Edmund warned the couple that they were wearing out their welcome. He informed them that they would now be responsible for "any brea.k.age," a reference to Gillian's knack for smashing antique vases and urns. But Edmund wasn't just tiring of the constant crashing, he was concerned for Hayley and Mateo. He told the couple that he had offered Mateo and Hayley a place to stay at Wildwind because he believed that the tranquility would speed Matt's recovery. He then issued a stern warning to the newlyweds to "grow up or get out." Edmund left the room without saying another word. He believed that his threat was all he needed to say. Gillian realized that their fighting had gone overboard and agreed to a cease-fire with her husband. Ryan felt that he and Gillian could never reach the same type of relationship shared by Matt and Hayley because he and Gillian, unlike the other married couple, did not love each other. Ryan was fishing for a sign that Gillian might have feelings for him. Gillian, thinking that Ryan was being truthful about his lack of feelings, also stated that she did not care about Ryan. Ryan saw a silver lining in their dark could of a relationship. "We're great in the sack," he grinned. The sexual inference enraged Gillian and she told Ryan that she had faked her pleasure in bed. She stated that she prefers a Latin man with dark hair and brown eyes. Ryan countered by telling his wife that he prefers blue-eyed blondes with money, something that Gillian no longer has. Gillian topped that with a comment about needing a man with a soul something, she said, Ryan "never had."
Even though his father expressed a desire to visit with Marian, Scott demanded that Marian leave the room. Scott felt that because his Uncle Adam had issued a request to block Marian from the room, it meant that Stuart's opinion meant nothing. Stuart asked Marian if he could have a few minutes alone with his son. She nodded her head and asked when she should return. Scott turned and looked her in the eye and told her, "how about never?" Once Marian had left, Scott told his father that he was trying to protect him from Marian's less than honorable intentions. Scott said that he had promised his mother that he'd look after his dad after she died. Stuart smiled proudly, but said that things had changed since his mother's death. Scott explained that he was only trying to honor Adam's wishes by keeping Marian at bay. "I think he's worried about you," Scott said softly. Stuart, while he cared for his brother very much, really disliked the way that Adam tried to enforce his will upon other people. "A long time ago," Stuart informed his son, "Adam tried to protect someone he loved." That was a big mistake, according to Stuart. Stuart was not, however, referring to Joy Hawkins. He told Scott that at one time Adam was very mean to Cindy, Scott's mother. Scott disliked the apparent comparison between his mother and Marian. "My mother was nothing like Marian Colby," Scott snapped. Stuart agreed, but said that Marian and Cindy had something in common---they're both nice people. Scott softened towards Marian and was ultimately moved by his father's statement that "99% of the people" are nice people. Stuart hinted that he's changed recently and asked his son to accept those changes. Scott left the room and tracked down Marian. He told Marian that she could visit Stuart---but warned her that she'd better not hurt his father. "I have no intention of hurting him," Marian replied sincerely. She returned to Stuart's room and asked him what he'd said to Scott to make him come around. "I told him that you're a friend," Stuart smiled. Marian was touched and even a bit surprised that Stuart still wanted her around after she'd presented him with the Etch-A-Sketch. Stuart grinned bashfully and handed Marian the Etch-A-Sketch. Stuart had created an incredibly life-like picture of Marian. He wanted to erase the picture so that Marian could try her hand with the apparatus, but Marian snatched it away from Stuart and told him that she wanted to keep the picture.
Erica headed to the Front Street warehouse in search of her former lover. Still dressed in her skirt and high heels, Erica tiptoed around the warehouse calling out to Mike. Erica became very concerned when she found Mike's cellular phone on the concrete floor. Suddenly a low groan sounded from somewhere behind her. She turned around and began moving some empty boxes out of the way. There she found Mike pinned against the wall by a forklift. Mike urged her to save him before it was "too late." Erica cocked her head to one side and looked carefully at Mike. He face was not pale, he hadn't broken a sweat, and he appeared to be breathing normally. Mike claimed that the forklift operated had "snuck up" on him. Erica knew little about heavy machinery, but she was pretty sure that forklifts were slow-movers. How, she wondered, did the secret agent get caught by surprise? Erica determined that Mike was not in danger and accused him of staging everything. She told him that she wasn't sure how he'd managed to pin himself against the wall, but she told him that he'd have to unpin himself because she was going home. As she walked away, Mike called out in horror. Erica's foot tripped a wire and Mike ordered her to duck. Erica followed his command---just as a knife flew past her. Had she not ducked, she surely would have been turned into a human shish kabob. This near accident made Erica rethink Mike's situation. She raced to the forklift and announced that she was going to save Mike. The stage was set for a gallant rescue. Unfortunately, Erica's lack of experience with forklifts turned it into more of a comedy sketch. She turned the key in the ignition and the forklift went haywire! The lift went up and down and boxes were scattered everywhere. Eventually, however, she was able to free Mike. Erica wanted to phone Dimitri and ask for his help in getting Mike to a doctor, but Mike refused to get Dimitri involved. He asked Erica how well she knew Dimitri. "Well, Erica replied. "I married him twice." That led Mike to ask Erica if she trusted Dimitri. "Of course not," she replied. Mike claimed that Dimitri was the one who had arranged the meeting at the warehouse. Erica found it hard to believe that Dimitri would set Mike up for an attempt on his life. Mike told Erica that she could call one of his fellow operatives and arrange for a covert rescue mission. Erica didn't want to get herself involved with other undercover agents. Mike convinced Erica to take him back to Linden. While Erica went to her car, Mike laid on the ground in pain. Once she was out of sight, however, he kicked back and laughed quietly to himself. He apologized aloud to Dimitri for smearing his name, but commented that "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." Once at Linden, Mike struggled up the steps to Erica's bedroom. Erica kept telling him that he should stay in one of her guest bedrooms, but Erica's bedroom must have been closer. Mike fell onto Erica's bed and said that he couldn't move another inch. Erica didn't question Mike because she believed that he really was hurt. She got a blanket from a bedside trunk and covered Mike. She asked him if there was anything else that he needed. He smiled weakly and asked if she'd sit with him for a while.
The coffin was unearthed and the moment of truth was at hand. As the lid to the pine box was removed, everyone's faced dropped. The coffin was not filled with rocks and sand as Adam had predicted. The coffin contained a body. The body had decomposed too much to know if it was really Joy. Apparently all that remained was a set of bones. The reverend quickly issued a prayer to apologize for disrupting the grave. Jack said that one of their questions had now been answered. But now a whole new set of questions had popped up. Who's body was in the coffin? The sheriff told Jack that the nearby university could perform DNA testing to see if the body belonged to Joy. Adam swore that the body could not belong to Joy. He asked the sheriff to contact the doctor who'd wrote the medical report on Joy's supposed death. The sheriff used his hand to block the sun's glare from his eyes and pointed further into the cemetery. The doctor, he announced, had died five years ago. Tad told Jack that Stuart had backed up Adam's story about sending Joy out of town on a bus. Camille asked the sheriff to arrest Adam on the spot. Jack urged Camille to remain calm while the investigation proceeded. In order for DNA testing to be done, the body had to be relocated. The sheriff told Camille that she might want to go somewhere else while the body was moved. Jack asked Camille if she knew who her mother's dentist was, noting that comparing dental records would help speed the identification process. Camille's face displayed a great deal of pain as she ad to tell Jack that she didn't know who her mother's dentist was---and in fact she really didn't know her mother that well. Adam begged Camille to believe his story. Now confronted with an actual body, Camille further believed that Adam had murdered her mother. Tad told Adam that he should probably leave Camille alone before they got into another argument. Camille was furious with herself for not "[killing] Adam when [she] had the chance." Tad noted that the body might not be Joy's, a move that upset Camille. She accused tad of still being on Adam's side. Tad said that he was not on anyone's side; he was simply trying to remain optimistic. Camille vowed that regardless of what the tests said, she would honor her father's dying request to make Adam pay for what he'd done.
Mateo returned to his apartment and was immediately hit by wave after wave of his visions. He recalled one of his first visions in which he saw himself and Hayley making love on the sofa. In the vision, Hayley put some flowers in a vase as she waited for him to return home. After the vision ended. Mateo realized that he was wearing the same pale yellow shirt that he had on in his vision. The similarities sent his heart racing. In another vision, he recalled seeing the telephone "bleeding." When the phone rang in his vision, he remembered calling out that no one should answer the phone. Back in the real world, the doorknob on the front door wiggled. When the door opened, Hayley entered the apartment---carrying the same bouquet of flowers that Mateo had seen in his vision.
"What are you doing here?" Mateo asked his wife. He'd beaten her to the punch because Hayley was about to ask the same thing. Hayley blinked her eyes several times before walking across the room to place the flowers in a vase. Mateo watched helplessly as another of his visions came true. This time, however, it was coming true right before of his eyes. Mateo demanded Hayley to stop what she was doing, but Hayley didn't understand Matt's sense of urgency. She told him that she hoped that the flowers would brighten up their apartment for their homecoming. Mateo's voice showed his anger. He repeated that he had no intention of returning to the apartment. "This place gives me the creeps," Matt snapped. Hayley wasn't used to Mateo barking orders and raced out of the room. When she returned a few minutes later, Mateo told his wife that he didn't want to fight with her anymore. He apologized for his outburst and could only hope that she'd understand. Hayley smiled weakly and told Mateo that it was okay. She walked towards him and offered to give him so "physical therapy." As she puckered her lips and wrapped her arms around her husband, Mateo realized that Hayley's actions were part of the same vision he'd had. He pushed her away and told her to stop what she was doing. The similarities between fantasy and reality continued as the phone started ringing. Matt ordered his wife to let the phone ring, but she answered it anyway. On the other end of the line was Matt's hospital roomie. He told Hayley that in their haste to get out of the hospital, they'd left Matt's robe behind. Mateo was furious with Hayley for disobeying him but still he asked her who was on the phone. Hayley told him that it was his former roommate. She announced that she was headed to the hospital unless, of course, Mateo had some objection to that. Mateo shook his head. Hayley snapped that she's glad he didn't object because she felt that they could "really use some apart."
At the hospital, Allie informed Jake that the board was going to hear her case later in the day. Allie expected the worst. Jake, however, told her that things were looking up since Palmer, the member who demands that the hospital's rules be followed to the letter, was out of the country. They had no idea that down the hall Palmer had, in fact, returned to Pine Valley in order to take part in the hearing. Allie and Jake were not the only ones who didn't know that Palmer had returned to the U.S. soil. Opal stumbled upon her husband at a payphone. She assumed that he was at the hospital to surprise her. Her jubilant anticipation was shot down when Palmer coldly informed her that he'd returned for business purposes, not to be with her. Opal realized that Palmer probably would not have called her to tell her that he was back home. Palmer refused to discuss the situation with Opal and walked away. Ruth gave Allie an encouraging hug and told her that things would be okay. Joe joined his wife and son, but he wasn't as sympathetic or even as optimistic as his family members. Joe told Allie that Stanford had sent Dr. Ling, one of Allie's former professors, to speak at the board meeting. He also broke the news that Palmer was also in town for the meeting. Palmer sauntered down the hall and announced that he was ready to begin the hearing.
Opal dashed to the sun porch with a book on working on marital problems tucked under her arm. As she read page after page of the book, she began to sob uncontrollably. Ruth happened to be walking by and asked Opal if she was reading a tearjerker. Opal looked up from her book and asked Ruth how she and Joe had managed to stay happily married for so many years. Ruth explained that while she and Joe have remained married, it hasn't always been a bed of roses for them. Ruth suspected that the Cortlandts must have had a fight. She never expected to learn that things were so bad for the couple. Opal said that Palmer doesn't want to be around her or even talk to her. Ruth suggested that her friend try to get Palmer to attend some counseling sessions. That is, she stated, if Opal wants to save her marriage rather than just enacting some revenge.
After Opal had left, Ruth was joined on the sun porch by Mateo's former roommate. Hayley arrived a short time later and retrieved her husband's robe. The man asked Hayley how she and Mateo were doing now that Matt was out of the hospital. "Great," Hayley said forcedly. She asked Ruth if she had a few minutes to talk. The man could see that Hayley wanted to talk in private, so he headed back to his room. Ruth asked Hayley to explain what "great" meant. Hayley confessed that things between her and Matt haven't been so wonderful since he'd woken up. Hayley told Ruth about Mateo's objection to returning to their apartment. Ruth felt it was only natural for Mateo to want to avoid the place where he and Hayley near lost their lives. Hayley agreed and said that she could understand Mateo's leeriness, but said that she wasn't sure she could handle her husband's sudden moodiness. Ruth explained that while a person is unconscious, the person's body takes the necessary changes to protect the vital organs and systems. The body cannot, she added, take care of the emotional damage that is incurred from long periods of unconsciousness. That, she continued, is up to the patient to handle---and it's not an easy task. Hayley seemed to learn a great deal from her discussion with the nurse and thanked her for her help.
At Tempo, Edmund found Brooke working hard in her office. He told her that she should consider taking a break from her work so that she can focus on her upcoming trial. Brooke called work "a welcome distraction" from her problems. Trevor appeared at the door and asked Brooke if he could have a few minutes of her time. Trevor entered the office and closed the door behind him. He told Brooke that Belinda was meeting with a judge in an attempt to have her taped confession "deep-sixed." Janet unknowingly disrupted the conference, but her intentions were truly sincere. Edmund told Brooke that he was going to return home. Janet entered the office and told Brooke that she wanted to offer her support to Brooke during her time of need. Janet could relate to what Brooke was going through. It hadn't been that many years since she was realizing the impact of killing a much-disliked man. Janet told Trevor that they should probably postpone the wedding so that Trevor could focus his attention on Brooke's case. The way Janet phrased her statement, Brooke was led to believe that Janet and Trevor were getting married. Janet quickly clarified that she was remarrying her ex-husband. Trevor told Janet that he needed to finish discussing a few private matters with his client and asked if she could wait in the hall until they were done. Janet bowed her head and apologized for interrupting. Once she'd left the office in search of a cup of coffee, Brooke asked Trevor why he was helping Janet plan a wedding! Trevor asked Brooke if she wanted to know the real story. She smiled slightly and nodded her head rapidly. Off-screen, Trevor presumably told Brooke all the details of his plan. Brooke was overjoyed and began placing kisses on Trevor's cheeks and forehead. Janet returned to the office and wondered what she'd walked in on this time. Now that Brooke was in on Trevor's scheme, she wanted to join him for some fun. Brooke told Janet that she wanted to help her organize her bridal shower. She then suggested that Janet have a bachelorette-bridal shower combo party the night before the wedding. Janet tried to convince Brooke that she should consider her court case her top priority, but Brooke insisted that a distraction would help her feel better. Janet was now quite confused and wondered how she was going to pull off the marriage charade. She left the room and told Brooke that she'd be in touch.
Back at Wildwind, Mateo told Edmund that one of his visions had come true. Edmund wondered if the ringing-and-bleeding phone in his vision might represent his dying roommate. Mateo guessed that Edmund's interpretation might not be that far off the mark---but asked him how he could explain the vision in which he saw Hayley lying dead on the floor. Mateo wondered how he alone could change the future. Edmund understood the pressure that Matt must have been feeling and came up with a way to help ease his brother-in-law's stress. "It's time to tell Hayley everything," he suggested. Mateo wasn't sure f that was an option. How, he wondered, was he going to tell his wife that he can somehow see the future---and that she's not going to be in it for much longer? Hayley returned to the castle and Edmund quickly left to allow the couple some space. Hayley wrapped her arms around Mateo and told him that she understands what he's going through.
At the hospital, Dr. Ling had the difficult task of testifying before the board about Stanford's decision in Allie's case. The doctor called Allie's work at Stanford "exceptional" and said that she and her fellow colleagues were "shocked and disappointed" to learn about what Allie had done. The doctor noted that the board of trustees "weighed all the factors" in the matter and after "long and careful consideration" had unanimously decided to revoke Allie's medical license. Jake took Allie's hand. He argued that Allie had earned her grades and that she had passed the licensing exam. Dr. Ling agreed, but said that Stanford was only following the lead of other universities that had come into similar situations. Dr. Ling told Allie that she should consider herself fortunate that Stanford was not going to press charges. The only thing Allie had to do, she stated, was to repay all of her scholarship money in a timely fashion. Allie's face drooped as she realized that replaying a quarter of a million dollars was not going to be easy. Jake and Allie rose and prepared to exit the room. Palmer, however, bellowed that the meeting had not yet adjourned. He made a motion to bring criminal charges against the now former doctor. He explained that the action would protect the hospital from possible lawsuits. Joe felt that the revocation of Allie's license was punishment enough. Palmer asked Allie to wait outside while the board discussed the matter privately. Allie left the room, but Jake asked to stay as an advocate for Allie. He told the board that Allie has proven that she's an incredible doctor, "one of the doctors who really cares." He said that he cannot defend what she did, but noted that she was only "a kid" when she altered her college transcripts. The only reason anyone knew about the mistake, he noted, was because Allie had come forward and admitted what she'd done. Jake reminded Palmer that Allie had treated Petey and saved his life. Palmer rolled his eyes and said that he was just thankful that the unlicensed doctor hadn't killed his son. Enid jumped in and said that her loyalties belong to the hospital. Palmer asked that a vote be taken on pursuing legal action. By a four-to-one vote, where Joe was the only nay vote, the board voted to take legal action against Allison Doyle.
In the judge's chambers, Belinda and Keith if he had any children. Keith mused that he didn't think Belinda cared about him in that way. Belinda let the comment slide and asked the assistant district attorney to imagine how he'd feel if one of his children had been taken advantage of by a pornographer. Keith agreed that he might want to do harm to the person who'd harmed his child, but said that he'd stop short of acting on his desire because otherwise he'd be a vigilante. When the judge arrived, Belinda told the judge that she wanted Brooke's confession to be thrown out. She explained that Brooke had not been read her Miranda rights and that anything she said could not be admitted into court. Keith argued that Brooke had not been read her Miranda warnings because she had not been arrested. Belinda said that considering her client was at the scene of a shooting and had a gun in her hands, it was only logical for Brooke to assume that she was in custody. If Belinda could prove that Brooke should have been arrested on the spot, it would mean that she should have been warned that she had "the right to remain silent" and so on. Keith stated that Brooke had offered her confession without coercion. And since the confession was voluntary, it had to be admissible in court. The judge was concerned that Brooke had gone against her counsel's advice and issued her statement. He told Belinda that he hopes that she can control her client in the future. He then sided with Brooke and agreed that the police should have read Brooke her Miranda rights at the gallery. Because of this, he agreed to throw out the videotaped confession. With that, Belinda rose to her feet and made a motion to have the case thrown out of court!
Unable to find Allie, Jake raced to WRCW to enlist Liza's help in finding his girlfriend. Jake was forced to explain what had happened to Allie. Liza was very understanding and offered to track Allie down. The pair ran into an unexpected bit of good luck when Marian strolled into the office to show off Stuart's Etch-A-Sketch portrait of her. Completely ignoring the work of art before him, Jake asked Marian to run through her list of haunts and come up with the names of any bars where someone might go to avoid being found. Jake's implication was that Marian knew all about Pine Valley's many dives. Liza stepped in to ask the question a little more nicely. She told her mother that since she is a real estate agent, she might know more about the area bars and restaurants than most other people. Liza's request sounded a lot better and Marian quickly rattled off a list of four or five raunchy bars.
Keith laughed at Belinda's motion to dismiss the case. He reminded the attorney that Brooke was found at the murder scene, hovering over a dead body, and holding the murder weapon. That was kind of hard for Belinda to explain away. She noted that there had been two conflicting accounts of what had happened---one from Brooke and one from Dimitri. Keith asked Belinda if she was trying to imply that Dimitri should be the one on trial. Belinda's attempt to get all charges against Brooke dropped was ambitious and even noble. The judge, however, refused to dismiss the case.
In Pigeon Hollow, Camille cursed the amount of time needed to perform an accurate DNA test. She wanted to learn the truth about her mother's death once and for all. She was even more perturbed by a dense fog that had settled over the small West Virginia town, one that grounded all flights in and out of the local airport. With things not going her way, every little bump in the road caused Camille's blood pressure to rise. She demanded that Adam be taken into custody. Even without the DNA results, Camille was certain that Adam had bludgeoned her mother to death. Jack assured Camille that he was conducting an unbiased investigation into her mother's possible death. Camille wondered why Adam was allowed to walk around freely. She feared that he might mount an escape to avoid prosecution. Camille asked to see her mother's death certificate. On the certificate, Camille noticed an address. The sheriff told her that the address was the location where her mother had been living prior to her death. The sheriff explained that the little house was only about a ten-minute walk from the station. Tad offered to accompany his friend, but Camille wanted to make the trip alone. Once Camille had left, Jack and Tad began to offer their thoughts on what had gone down so many years ago. They both agreed that Adam was an unlikely murderer. Tad said that he believed that Adam loved Joy very much. Jack didn't quite understand why Tad had made Camille's case his "personal crusade." He later suggested that Tad was attracted to Camille and using her to fill a void in his life that was created when Gloria left town. Tad denied the claim, saying that he can relate to having an abusive father. Tad knew that it was not going to be easy for Camille to learn the truth about her parents. "She'll have to get used to who her parents really were rather than what she wanted or believed them to be," he said with a frown.
At The Pit, the same roadhouse where Adam and Tad had gotten into a barroom brawl, Allie found herself involved in several games of "for money" pool. While she was not seen drinking, Allie's behavior indicated that she'd either had far too much to drink---or she was having an emotional breakdown from having her career taken away from her. Allie hustled at least one unsuspecting billiard player and picked up about a hundred dollars for her effort. Jake and Liza arrived at The Pit and at first saw no sign of Allie. They were about to leave until they heard a familiar voice hootin' and hollerin' somewhere in the bar. Jake approached Allie and encouraged her to go home with him. Allie claimed that she wasn't done partying just yet. Liza stepped in, her face showing obvious concern. She told Allie that it might be best if she went home and got some sleep. Allie's head bobbed around erratically as she announced that thanks to the revocation of her license, she can sleep all day or all week. A song played over the jukebox, one whose lyrics were bitterly ironic. "I'm feeling kind of restless," the song blasted. "With nothing to lose." Allie felt like she had nothing to lose. In atypical style, Allie began dancing suggestively around several of the bar's denizens. She then headed to the dance floor and started line dancing by herself. She stomped loudly and shouted that she had "nothing." She fell to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably. Jake walked over to her and tried to comfort her. He took her hand and led her out of the bar. Liza stood by and bowed her head. She could barely believe that this was the same woman who had gone to such measures to prove that David had nearly killed Adam and then rappelled into an elevator shaft to rescue her mother and former brother-in-law.
Trevor tried to impress upon Brooke how serious the charges against her were. Brooke continually brushed off Trevor's concern, saying that a jury of her peers would understand why she did what she did. Belinda returned from her meeting with the judge and informed Brooke that she had good news and bad news. Brooke asked for the good news first. Belinda felt bad about not being able to convince the judge to throw out the case. Brooke, however, assured her attorney that once the case went to trial she'd be cleared of any wrongdoing. Trevor suggested that they use temporary insanity to justify the shooting. Belinda didn't think that anyone would buy the excuse and noted that the prosecution would paint the shooting as premeditated murder. Trevor explained that Brooke could say that she "snapped" momentarily when Jim threatened to harm Jamie. Brooke wasn't open to testifying that she was a crazy woman. She told Trevor that they "might as well book [her] a room at Statesville." She wondered how she would explain to her son that she was crazy for a minute but feeling better now. Trevor countered by asking Brooke how he would tell Jamie that his mother was going to jail for the rest of her life. Belinda suggested that they try to convince the jury that the shooting was justifiable homicide. Trevor felt that it wouldn't work and he and Belinda battled back and forth to list precedents that bolstered their claims. Brooke asked Belinda to explain more about justifiable homicide. Belinda explained that justifiable homicide was "a lot like self defense." According to the attorney, instead of defending one's self, justifiable homicide implies that in a moment of "intense passion" someone committed a murder to protect someone else. That definition hit the mark for Brooke. She insisted that that was exactly what she'd been trying to do. Trevor played devil's advocate and tried to show Brooke that pleading justifiable homicide was not going to be an easy task. He asked her how she could have been protecting her son when he was several hundred miles away from Jim at the time of the shooting. Surely she would have had enough time to phone the authorities before Jim set foot in Pigeon Hollow. Belinda asked Trevor to back off a bit. Keith knocked on the door and told Brooke that he wanted to make her a deal. He told her that if she pleads guilty to third-degree murder, a crime with a sentence of five to ten years in prison, he would ask the judge to be lenient and only sentence Brooke to five years in prison. The thought of five years n jail horrified Brooke. The "mandatory minimum" laws enacted required that any homicide committed with a firearm come with at least a five-year prison term. Belinda turned down the deal, but Keith told her to make sure that her client has a say in the matter. After Keith left, Trevor suggested that Brooke considering pleading down to a "voluntary manslaughter." That crime, too, came with a five-year prison term. Brooke nixed the idea and told her two attorneys that they'd better start working on proving that her actions were justifiable---justifiable homicide.
In the house where Joy had been staying prior to her death, Adam fondly recalled making birdcalls with Joy. He wasn't very good at it and he teased Joy that her birdcalls sounded more like "ox calls." While he took the trip down memory lane, Camille entered the small house. She asked Adam why he was there. Adam smiled kindly and told Camille that Joy had been very happy in the house. He also explained that Joy lived at the house alone---not with Lee. Adam told Camille about her mother's love of opera and the Italian island of Capri. He smiled as he remembered how Joy had painted the door of the cabin blue after seeing a blue-doored house in a travel guide of Italy. "Why should I believe you?" Camille asked angrily. Adam explained that he thought Camille would want to know more about her mother. He explained that she did not have many material possessions and that her "joy of life" was her greatest asset. That prompted a memory of a time gone by. He remembered that Joy had a secret hiding place under the floorboards. He pulled up an old rug and hunted for the loose boards. Untouched for nearly three decades, Adam found Joy's treasure trove. Camille accused him of planting the box, but Adam insisted that he hadn't. In fact, he had no way of knowing that Camille was going to show up at the cabin. Camille bent down and picked up a picture from the box. The picture was one of her mother and a much-younger Adam. Adam smiled and stated that Stuart had taken the picture at the county fair. Also in the box was a handwritten letter to her mother from her Aunt Lois. Camille remembered that the letter was written right around the time of one of her haircuts. One of her locks of hair was placed in the envelope and sent to her mother. She vaguely recalled sending something else... but she couldn't put her finger on it. Adam asked her if , by chance, it was a drawing. Camille smiled and remembered that she'd drawn a picture of a flower. Since it was not in the box, she realized that her mother must have thrown it away. Adam looked calmly at Camille and told her to turn over her aunt's letter. There, in bold crayon colors, was Camille's artwork. Camille found a small egg in the box. Adam recalled the Joy had found the broken egg and an abandoned baby bird under a nearby tree. She'd nursed the baby to health and it eventually learned to fly. The bird, he said, never went far because he always heard its song in the surrounding trees. Camille asked Adam if he could re-create the bird's song for her. Adam claimed that he wasn't good at birdcalls and refused to make the call. Camille lowered her head and Adam could see that she was somewhat upset. He thought for several seconds before blurting out the bird's call. Adam said that when he returned to Pigeon Hollow he thought he heard a bird singing the same song. He added that he likes to believe that the bird is one of "Joy's bird's" descendants. The final item in the box was an old music box. Neither Camille nor Adam knew if the music box would still play its tune after so many years. But when Camille opened the box, the gentle tune began to play. Adam looked into Camille's eyes and told her that everything he's ever said about Joy was true and pleaded with her to believe him.
Jack made no effort to hide his suspicion that Camille might have been involved in tampering with the elevator at Pine Valley Hospital. Tad defended Camille even though he, too, had once wondered if Camille had been the guilty party. The sheriff returned to the police station with the coroner's preliminary report. Jack took the papers from the sheriff and gave them a thorough looking over. After he'd read the findings, a look of utter frustration took over his face. He showed the documents to Tad. At first glance, things didn't look so good for Adam. The body in the coffin was that of woman with blonde hair and a height similar to Joy. Jack pointed to a line near the bottom of the report. Tad read the coroner's scrawling and commented, "that's impossible." Jack asked the sheriff if the coroner was experienced in examining exhumed bodies. The sheriff admitted that once bodies are interred in Pigeon Hollow, they usually stay there. Jack asked if the cemetery had been flooded at any time in recent years. The cemetery was on one of the highest hills in the area, the sheriff noted, and had not been under water in recent memory. His answer muddied the waters of Jack's investigation even more. Tad asked to see a map of the cemetery plots. While he wouldn't reveal what it was that piqued his interest about the map, Tad admitted that something about the map was a little peculiar.
Jake carried a sobbing Allie back to her room at the boarding house. Allie said that she was "scared to death [that] there's no me anymore." She told Jake that her life had revolved around her medical career for as long as she could remember. Now that Dr. Allison Doyle was no more, Allie wondered what she would do with herself. Jake tried to comfort her by telling her how he'd kept busy during his suspension, but his good intentions mattered little to Allie. She explained that watching television or sleeping late wasn't what she was accustomed to doing. Jake assured her that she would always exist. He reminded her that she had been the only person who'd stood by him during his troubles. "[You're] still the woman I fell in love with," Jake said softly, yet encouragingly.
Still "recovering" in Erica's bed, Mike did his best to stay one step ahead of Erica at all times. When he heard her footsteps approaching the bedroom, Mike picked up his cellular phone and pretended to be having a conversation with one of his superiors. Mike showed a great deal of emotion as he supposedly learned that his former partner had defected from the agency. Mike hung up the phone and was immediately with a barrage of questions from Erica. Mike told her that he couldn't tell her what had happened because it would put her at risk. Erica claimed that she'd already proved that she can keep secrets and demanded to be clued in to what had happened. Mike told her about his partner and broke down in tears. He also let it be known that it was not Dimitri who'd set him up at the warehouse---it was his former partner. This, of course, cleared Dimitri's name and prevented complications down the road. Erica was surprised to see Mike in such an emotional state. She took him in her arms and did her best to comfort him. His face out of site from Erica's eyes, Mike smiled gleefully at being so close to Erica. Erica wondered why Mike, who had always been a pillar of strength, was suddenly exhibiting a softer, more sensitive side. Mike claimed that this was the "new" Mike Roy. Erica recalled a time when Mike claimed that the only time a man would show emotion in front of a woman was when he was trying to get her into bed. Mike denied that he'd said such a thing, but Erica insisted that her memory was correct. Erica told Mike that she was going to go to bed. Mike looked at her funny as she walked towards the door. She explained that she would be sleeping in the guestroom while he recovered. "Goodnight, New Mike Roy," Erica chirped as she left the room. "Damn," Mike growled. "Of all the conversations we had, she had to remember that one!"
In his sleep, Mike was haunted by painful memories. He remembered a time when he was imprisoned in a sweatbox, a torture chamber-like device where prisoners were placed to, as the name implied, have confessions or secrets "sweated" out of them. It was an uncomfortable memory for Mike, who muttered to be freed in his sleep. Erica heard her former lover's cries and raced to the bedroom.
Marian showed up at The Pit and bumped into Liza. Since The Pit wasn't Liza's typical stomping grounds, Marian assumed that her daughter was trying to escape the problems of her everyday life. Marian urged Liza not to engage in "wild sex with nameless good ole boys." Liza smiled deviously and played along with her mother. It became apparent that Liza wasn't looking for a good time. She told her mother why she'd dropped by the dive known as The Pit. Marian felt sorry for Allie, but she didn't let it ruin her fun. She noted that there are some people who "get lost in their career" and others who "just get lost." Marian said that she fell into the latter category. Her daughter, she said, fell into the former. Liza was slightly upset at the claim that she tries to lose herself in her career, Marian explained that Liza had not been the same person since her divorce from Adam. Liza confessed that while she is the "most sophisticated and worldly woman" she knows, there is still a naïve side that believes that there is still a man for her. She looked at her mother and asked her if there was ever a time that she was "truly, deeply happy." Marian smiled broadly and purred that there was definitely a time when she felt that way. "The day you were born," Marian said softly, fighting back tears. She added that she's never been happier and that she still gets "a pang" in her heart every time she looks into Liza's "beautiful face." She assured Liza that one day she'll know how wonderful it feels to be a mother. She quickly stopped and realized that she'd misspoken. "Of course," she said in embarrassment, "You already do." Two men approached the mother-daughter pair and called them the "most beautiful blondes in Pine Valley." He boasted that he'd just had his van renovated with new carpeting and mirrors and hoped that the two ladies would accompany him and his friend to the parking lot. Marian pretended to be enraptured by the man. Liza played along and said that there was nothing more she'd like to do than take a trip to the parking lot. The men offered to pay off their bar tab, a gesture that neither Marian nor Liza was about to refuse. Liza looked at her mother, who she called Roxanne, and said that it sounds like they're about to have a great time. Liza, using the alias Margo, announced that the men would be giving her her "first test drive." The two men assumed that Liza had some type of cosmetic surgery recently. Marian smiled and told the men that they were right---sort of. Until a few weeks ago, Marian gushed, "Margo" was actually "Marvin." The two men looked to Marian with one asking, "What's your story." Again Marian smiled proudly. She explained that while she was receiving hormone treatment to become a woman, she had not yet had the sex-change operation. "We're the best of both worlds," Marian chuckled. One of the men was surprisingly intrigued and still interested in pursuing things. His crony, however, wanted no part of Margo and Roxanne and said that they had to be going. After the two men let, Marian and Liza celebrate their performance with a high-five. Marian also toasted herself a few times too many. Marian was definitely too drunk to drive home, so she called a cab. When the cab arrived, Marian offered her daughter some parting advice. She instructed Liza to find herself a hobby or anything other than work that would take her mind off of Adam. Marian then dumped two bowls of "beernuts" into her purse and staggered towards the door. After her mother left, Liza sat by herself and fondly recalled how her mother said that her birth was the happiest moment of her life.
Adam wanted to shower Camille with the many gifts he'd never been able to give to Joy. Camille quietly stated that she didn't want anything from Adam. She was amazed that Adam would want to give her gifts even after she'd "haunted" his house. Adam implied that Joy would have wanted him to help Camille. The two had been getting along rather well, but Adam's desire to shower Camille with gifts set off a wave of resentment in Camille. She accused Adam of wanting to toss gifts at her so that she would forget that he had killed her mother. "You killed her because she did not want to travel tot he top with you," Camille snapped. Again Adam insisted that he loved Joy. Camille refused to listen to him and started walking towards the door. Wanting her to know that he was telling the truth, Adam grabbed Camille's arm and demanded that she stay and listen to him. Tad arrived at the cabin and ordered Adam to let go of Camille. Adam insisted that he had not harmed Camille in any way. Camille backed him up, but she didn't' let him off the hook entirely. She blasted Adam for trying to contort the facts so that she'd believe his tale. Jack suggested that Tad take Camille back to her motel room. He was thinking that any interaction between Adam and Camille might taint his investigation. Once Tad and Camille were gone, Jack demanded that Adam tell him the truth about what had happened to Joy Hawkins. Adam dully noted that Jack was out of his jurisdiction. Jack admitted that he was, but said that he still knows how to run a murder investigation. "Good," Adam smirked as he walked towards the door. "I'll call you when there is one." Jack told Adam that the body in the coffin could not possibly be Joy's because the person had died years before Joy had supposedly been killed. Adam told Jack the whole story as he had told Camille: He and Stuart had arranged for Joy to leave town so that she could escape the abuse of her now-dead husband. Both men agreed that they needed to find out who had been buried in the coffin. Adam remained behind even after Jack left. He sat in a chair and clutched the picture of him and Joy close to his chest.
Tad walked Camille to her motel room and bid her goodnight. Camille asked Tad if he could stay. Tad assured her that he'd only be two doors away, but Camille explained that it was still "two doors too many." She invited Tad into her room and asked him to make love to her.
Camille's request enticed Tad. He entered the room and he and Camille began kissing passionately. After a few minutes of kissing, Tad pulled away and shouted, "Bad dog! Down, boy!" Camille gave him a funny look and asked him what or who he was talking to. Tad claimed that he was talking to his "little friend." The "little friend" turned out to be a few-inch high Evil Tad that sits on Tad's shoulder from time to time hoping to cause trouble. He explained to Camille that he did not want to take advantage of her tumultuous emotional state. Camille realized that Tad was right and admitted that she had wanted him to stay "for [all] the wrong reasons." Tad bid Camille goodnight and while standing in the doorway of her motel room smelled the aroma of a man's cologne. He knew without turning around that Jack must have been standing behind him. Tad knew that it was too late in the evening for a social call and asked Jack what he wanted. Jack explained that he needed a few minutes to talk with Camille---in private. Camille nodded to Tad to let him know that she would be okay. Tad returned to Dixie's house, where he was apparently spending the night. Jack wasted no time in telling Camille why he'd dropped by: He was investigating the elevator "accident" at the hospital. He informed Camille that he had done a background check on her and learned that she had been a "rigger" for a magic troupe. Her rigger position was the background of the magic show and gave her a great deal of experience in working with cables and winches and pulleys. Camille vehemently denied that she'd tampered with the elevator and claimed that she was very sorry that Stuart had gotten hurt. Jack announced that he would get great pleasure out of prosecuting the person who had harmed his "good friend." Jack explained that his visit was not in the capacity of the district attorney, but warned Camille that he'd better not find out that she purchased any hardware or tools in the past few weeks. Since Jack's visit was off the record, so to speak, Camille wanted no part of an ongoing discussion. "It's late," Camille snapped. "And I've had a really bad day." Jack pursed his lips and nodded his head.
Mateo showed Hayley a piece of paper on which he'd made a list of things he needed to do. The list enraged Hayley, who was no keen on the idea of subletting their apartment or selling Holidays. She told Mateo that they do not need to start over---they just need to adjust to life after the coma. She said that she'd spoken to Ruth and learned that it would take some time for Mateo to get back to normal. Hayley demanded to know why she and her husband could not return to their apartment. Mateo had a brief flash of one of his visions. He suggested that he and Hayley take a cruise or an extended vacation. Hayley didn't want to bail out on Holidays. She worried that morale at the restaurant would drop if she and Mateo remained "absentee owners." Mateo countered by announcing that they could solve all of their problems by shutting down the restaurant. That idea didn't sit well with Hayley. She didn't think that closing the restaurant was a proper way to pay back the workers who had kept the business running while Matt was comatose. Hayley compromised by agreeing take a weekend trip to Nantucket. Mateo's anger flared. "A weekend won't work," he yelled. He then clarified that he was not asking his wife to go on a vacation---he was ordering her. He demanded her to go upstairs and back her bags. Hayley bowed to her husband's commands, agreeing to go upstairs and pack. She pulled off a surprising announcement by stating that her bags would be packed so that she could move back into their apartment in the morning. She asked Mateo to look into her eyes and tell her what he saw. Mateo kept his face turned away from his wife and wouldn't allow himself to look into her blue eyes. Frustrated and hurt, Hayley walked out of the room. Some time later, Mateo joined his wife in their bedroom. They said nothing, looking awkwardly at each other for a few long-lasting seconds. They slowly walked towards each other. Hayley pushed a silk nightie off her shoulders and exposed her white lace lingerie. "Make love to me," she whispered.
A drunken Marian eluded the late-night security guards at the hospital and stumbled into Stuart's room. "Sleeping like an angel," Marian cooed to herself. "Devilish Marian is poised to do something very, very naughty." Marian staggered to the linen closet and grabbed a pillow. She then bumbled back towards the bed, placed her pillow on the bed, and crawled into bed next to Stuart. It took a while, but Stuart eventually felt Marian's arm around him and woke up. Stuart wondered how Marian had gotten into the hospital and noted that visiting hours had entered hours earlier. "It's daytime somewhere in the world," Marian muttered. Marian remembered that she'd brought Stuart a snack. She dumped the contents of her purse, the peanuts and crackers she'd swiped from The Pit, all over Stuart's bed. Stuart continued to worry that his friend would get in trouble if one of the nurses found her in his room after visiting hours. In her drunken state, Marian had a tendency to overreact. She began sobbing uncontrollably as she realized that it was selfish of her to sneak into Stuart's room. Referring to herself as "a selfish boozehound," Marian slapped her hand and repeated "bad, bad Marian" over and over. Stuart laughed at the performance before him and assured Marian that he was glad to see her. There was only one thing she'd done wrong, he said. Marian began to cry again and apologized for any wrongdoing. "You're sitting on the nurses' call button," Stuart grinned. Marian was forced to hide under the sheets while Stuart waited for the nurse to arrive. Once in the room, Stuart told the nurse that he felt like taking a walk around his room and wondered if he had permission to do so. The nurse nodded and told him that it was good to see him out of bed. She noticed a lump under the covers and asked Stuart to explain the oddity. Everything that Adam had said about his brother's inability to lie was true. Stuart told the nurse that "a lady friend" had come to visit him after having had a little too much to drink and ended up falling asleep in his bed. The nurse laughed. She figured that Stuart had really just taken some extra pillows from the linen closet and assured him that she wouldn't tell anyone about the extra pillows. Stuart shrugged his shoulders and plopped down on the bed. He forgot momentarily that Marian was on his bed and quickly pulled down the covers to make sure that she was okay. Marian hadn't felt a thing---she was out cold. Stuart fluffed his pillows and get back in bed with a smile on his face.
The aptly named Dr. Hermoine Belleheart, host of a local call-in show on relationships and love, found herself fielding a call from Opal. Opal told the doctor that her marriage was in the dumps. She noted that her relationship was not the only one that had suddenly gone sour. She said she knew of "two young people" who were happily married until tragedy stuck and blew it to smithereens. The reference seemed to be to Edmund and Maria. Opal went on to say that she doesn't want to leave her marriage because she is still in love with her husband---even more than the day they first met. The doctor assured the caller that her marriage could be saved. The most important thing, the doctor stated, was to keep the lines of communication open. Opal had to cut the call short because Palmer entered the room. When he heard her say "doc," Palmer worried that Petey might be ill. Opal faked a sneeze and said that she'd contacted the doctor to phone her in an allergy prescription. Palmer could have cared less that his wife's allergies had flared up. Remember the doctor's advice, Opal tried to have a discussion about their marital woes with Palmer. Palmer claimed that he didn't have time to talk. "If not now, then when?" Opal growled. That opened the door for the communication. Palmer told Opal that he was "embarrassed" by her "ridiculous" clothing, makeup, and mannerisms. This hurt Opal greatly, but she knew that getting the problems into the open was the only way to fix their marriage. Palmer stated that their situation was "hopeless" and wondered how he could live under the same roof with Opal. Opal snapped that she might have to call Daisy and arrange for another makeover. Palmer turned a deaf ear and left the room. "Our marriage is in trouble," he uttered miserably, adding that he's unable to figure out how to save it. Opal sat by herself in her bedroom and feared that her marriage had come to and end. She thought that she was too old to ever start over again. She took off her makeup and combed out her curls. As she sat at her makeup table in her natural state, Palmer entered the room. He took one look at his wife and declared that she looked "positively radiant."
Erica begged Mike to tell her what he'd been dreaming about. Mike didn't want to talk about it. He tried to change the subject by asking Erica what'd she been up to during the thirteen years since they'd last been together. Erica sassily noted that everything that had gone on in her life could be read in her book, Erica Kane: Beyond the Pain. She got the conversation back on track, asking Mike why he continues to work as an undercover agent if it obviously haunts him. She urged him to "defect" so that he could return to his writing. Mike claimed that his writing talent had dried up many years before. Mike recalled how wonderful he'd felt when Erica told him that she loved him. He regretted that he'd been unable to marry her, but cited that it was "too dangerous" for the marriage to take place. Mike waited for Erica to throw one of her "famous tantrums." When she didn't, Mike actually felt slighted. He said that he desperately wanted to see her stomp her "size fives." Erica put her hands on her hips and her head snapped back. "I have never worn [size] fives. I wear sixes!" she retorted. Erica blasted Mike for not disobeying his orders to play dead. Mike said that had he gone against orders he and Erica would have had to move to some out-of-the-way spot---like a banana plantation in Paraguay. Erica softly noted that she would have loved to move to Paraguay if it would have meant that she and Mike could have been together. Mike told Erica that when he was held captive in a sweatbox, it was fantasizing about her that helped him get by each day. He asked Erica if she'd ever leaned back, closed her eyes, and fantasized about him. "Yes, I did," Erica said in a voice just above a whisper. Mike told Erica that he had promised himself that if he made it through his ordeal alive, he would one day return to Pine Valley and "love [Erica] like no one ever has before." The two gave in to their desires and memories of another time and began kissing passionately.
