What I Watched Today

(Weekday bites, Friday’s whole GH enchilada & media minutiae)

General Hospital

🥢 Weekday Bites…

Monday:

Portia and Curtis basked in the afterglow. Curtis said there was no looking back, only moving forward, and Portia said, together.

Agent #1 said that there were discrepancies in the patient referrals and authorizations, and Felicia asked if she could help, but he said their questions were limited to Stella. Jordan and Isaiah tried to intervene, and Felicia suggested calling a lawyer, but Stella said there was no reason.

Brook went to Home & Heart where Flora apologized for what she’d gone through. It wasn’t the forum Lucy should have chosen for a mother/daughter reunion. Brook said there wasn’t going to be one, and Flora said she spoke with Lois and had a better understanding of the situation. She got the impression Brook giving away her son was heartbreaking for all involved. Brook asked if Flora thought she was being unfair.

Martin met Maxie backstage, and she wondered if she could be kicked out of Deception if she went against her partners.

Sidwell showed Lucy the view from the turret after dinner, and she said she had to get to the studio for a product launch with Maxie. Sidwell said he’d be watching, but she said he could see her anytime. He said he couldn’t get enough of the beautiful and talented Lucy Coe.

Drew said he had witnesses and unless Sonny agreed to his terms, Michael would go straight to prison. Turner listened in.

Jason and Britt locked eyes, and Britt said Pascal needed to come with her now.

Josslyn shot at the assassin struggling with Vaughn, and the assassin dropped. She asked who he was, and Vaughn checked the assassin’s pockets as he struggled to breathe.

Portia said she was committed to putting their marriage first, and Curtis said what they had was worth fighting for. It was over. He’d seen the formidable woman he’d fallen in love with when she’d refused to bend to Drew’s demands, and it reminded him of how good they were together. Her phone rang and it was Jordan.

Flora said Lois was suffering, and Brook said she hated it too, but couldn’t get over Lois lying to her. Flora said she could see both sides. but Lois’s mama was the one really steering the ship. Brook said she could understand why Gloria wanted to keep the baby in the family, but her mom had misgivings and said nothing. Flora said Lois was stuck between the, but Brook said Lois should have been honest with her. Then it could have been her decision when and how to approach Gio. She could have spared him the pain and betrayal. None of this would have happened and they might have had a relationship. Now her son wanted nothing to do with her.

Maxie asked if she could be forced out, and Martin said there were whistleblower laws that would prevent that, but she had personal relationships that might not survive.

Lucy said only Deception could lure her away from Sidwell, and he said he was pleased they hadn’t gone to the police about Sonny. He kissed her goodbye for luck, when Marco came in. She left, and Sidwell told Marco about Home & Heart and how he was looking forward to watching Lucy’s company. Marco asked if he was getting serious about Lucy.

Drew said Michael assaulted him in the MetroCourt. Even Diane couldn’t change Michael’s criminal past, including bludgeoning a woman to death when he was 17. It made a conviction more likely, and Willow would get her kids back. He wanted Sonny to get Willow generous visitation, sell his piers to Sidwell, and take an extended vacation anywhere but there.

Vaughn asked, who sent him? as the assassin gasped for air. Vaughn put a pillow over the assassin’s face.

On the side, Britt said she needed Pascal, and he told Jason have a drink, compliments of the hotel. Britt told Pascal that the AC wasn’t working. If the computers overheated, they’d crash. She’d have to start from scratch, and he wouldn’t like it. She’d be in her room until he was done. Pascal apologized to Jason.

Flora said she’d overstepped, but Brook said if Flora had insights, she’d listen. Flora said Lois hadn’t been truthful and Brook felt like if Lois had handled it differently, she’d have a relationship with her son, but it was pure conjecture. She had no way of knowing what would have happened. Aside from this issue, there had always been trust. Brook had to figure out if it could be repaired or if it was damaged beyond repair. A producer told Flora it was time, and Brook thanked her.

Jordan told Portia that Curtis’s phone was off and asked to speak to him. She was at GH. Portia gave him the phone, and Jordan said two state investigators from the Insurance Fraud Division had shown up and wanted to talk to Stella. Stella was with them now and she thought he should know. He said he was on his way, and he told Portia, Aunt Stella might be in trouble. Portia said she’d come with him.

Drew said Michael lost it and all it took was him talking to Wiley, and Sonny said Drew had used his grandson to get to him. Drew said he might want to remind Michael that 50% was better than nothing, what he’d get in prison, and Sonny said all Drew cared about was him being the one to get Willow’s kids back, but his hero ship had sailed. Willow knew what a loser he was. His desperation was showing, and even if he got everything he wanted, he’d never get Willow back.

Vaughn said their cover was blown and they had to go, but Josslyn said, what if they made Britt tell them who Dalton was working for? Vaughn scoffed at Britt telling them what they wanted to know, but Josslyn said Britt might tell her.

Pascal said Jason’s excursion had been booked and suggested he make a trip to the bar where there was live music. Jason said, lead the way, and followed Pascal.

Britt went to her room.

Drew asked if Sonny was letting his son go back to prison, but Sonny told him that he didn’t say that. Drew asked if Sonny was giving him what he wanted, but Sonny told Drew, he didn’t say that either. Drew’s head exploded said, whatever happened next was on Sonny, and he left. Turner came out, and said, that was the legal definition of extortion. She didn’t think Drew was capable of it. Sonny said she’d gotten a chance to meet the real Drew Cain.

Maxie told Martin that she couldn’t have anything hanging over Deception and needed to exonerate the company of any wrongdoing. She wondered if she could schedule a meeting with the DA and didn’t know if she should warn the others, but Martin said, absolutely not. Lucy came in and told Maxie, whatever Martin was advising, do the opposite. She’d just come from having a wonderful, romantic evening with Sidwell. Martin left and Brook arrived. She asked why he’d been there, and Lucy asked what he and Maxie were talking about.

Curtis and Portia arrived at the hospital, and Jordan said Stella was still being questioned. Portia said she’d see what she could find out, and Curtis said he’d put a stop to it. Isaiah said that wasn’t a good idea.

Vaughn said Britt was Cesar Faison’s daughter, but Josslyn said Britt was more than her father’s daughter. Britt risked her life to save her. They could get real intel. Seeing Josslyn looking at the dead assassin, Vaughn asked if she was good, and she said this had to count for something. He said they could buy themselves 24 hours if no one knew the assassin had tried and failed. They could make him disappear. Their bungalow was close to the cliffs. If he killed the lights on the path, no one would see them throw him off the cliff. It was that or bail. Josslyn said they’d get rid of the body, and Vaughn left.  

Lucy went to get her makeup touched up, and Brook told Maxie that she was passing on the camera stuff. Maxie said she didn’t want Brook to do something that made her uncomfortable, and Brook said Maxie was the best. Maxie said she hoped Brook always thought so. Brook asked, why? and Maxie said she was just nervous about being on camera.

Isaiah said Stella agreed to the questions and thought she could clear things up, but Curtis said, she shouldn’t be in there alone. Martin arrived and said he couldn’t agree more. He thanked Felicia for calling him and said he’d handle it.

Martin walked in, and Agent #1 said they were in the middle of questioning Stella, but Martin said it was illegal for them to question his client. He introduced himself as Stella’s attorney, but Agent #1 said he couldn’t represent her. Martin said she was allowed representation, and Agent #2 said, Martin specifically couldn’t represent her. He was a person of interest, and they had questions for him too.

Marco asked if Sidwell was serious about Lucy, since he’d gotten the impression she was serious about him. Sidwell said he wasn’t sure. He found her charming and beautiful, and she possessed a demonstrably good heart. She was a woman worth cultivating. He asked, how was Lucas? and Marco said Lucas was a good man who had no illusions about his sister’s ex-husband. Drew came in and said he had good news. He just strengthened Sidwell’s position with Sonny.

Back in the room, Josslyn said the assassin was heavier than he looked, and Vaughn said it was good that the tide was going out. Josslyn looked at the blood on her hand, and he told her to clean herself up. He’d get the room. He owed it to her for saving his life. He’d tell Brennan that they hit an obstacle, but were carrying on.

Lucy and Maxie joined Flora, who said it was Maxie’s first appearance. Maxie said she was excited about Deception’s newest product. Their Youth Truth serum had been so successful, they created an entire line. Lucy said people were looking younger in the blink of an eye. They were dedicated to helping people feel and look their best.

Drew told Sidwell that he’d accused Michael of lying to the kids, Michael lost it, and clocked him in front of witnesses. He’d assaulted a member of congress, which was a federal offense. Michael’s prison record would increase his chances of being found guilty. Marco said, not necessarily, and Drew said, when Sonny was preoccupied with Michael, his piers would be seized by Eminent Domain, but Sidwell said they’d get better use of them as a threat of leverage. Drew said he thought so at first, but then realized the best way to get Willow’s kids back was sending their father to prison. She’d get full custody and Michael would get nothing. Sidwell said annihilating Michael would be counter productive. It would remove Sonny’s incentive for cooperating, and if Drew took out his son, Sonny was going to retaliate. It would not be good for any of them.

Vaughn saw a text from Brennan saying, enjoy the beach. He heard the shower running.

Turner said Drew had bragged about goading Sonny’s son into hitting him and while extortion was difficult to prove, she was a credible source. Sonny said she wouldn’t be if anyone found out she’d had dinner with him and his daughter. They’d come for her and kill her career. She’d be accused of corruption. Drew would say he bribed her. She said Sonny was right. Neither of them could do anything. Sonny couldn’t retaliate.  

Stella came back and asked what Martin was doing there. Jordan said she’d called him, and Stella said they were reviewing the claims she’d submitted since January, but the patients had all deserved the compensation. Martin asked if she’d ever had this scrutiny before, and she said, no. He wondered, why now? and the agents came out. Portia introduced herself and said their legal department had known nothing about the investigation. What right did they have to talk in and questions her staff without proper protocol? Agent #1 said it was coming from higher up and she’d have to talk to their supervisor.

Turner told Sonny to promise not to take the law into his own hands and asked if this is what it was like. The op-eds said he was a menace, but he was being menaced. He said life wasn’t black and white, and she said knowledge was power. She was glad she was there and saw Drew in action. She’d be watching and when he did something else – which she was sure he would – she’d be ready. She promised she’d have Congressman Cain brought to justice. He said, if anybody could do it, he knew she could, and she left.  

Drew told Sidwell that he’d have to deal with Sonny in some other way. Everybody blamed him for Willow losing her children and he was going to be the guy to give them back. He’d be in touch. He left and Marco said, it appeared Congressman Cain’s interest was diverging from their own. He wouldn’t be of use for much longer. Sidwell said Drew was a bit of a loose cannon. He may become a liability.

On the air, Lucy said she knew what busy was like and went on about being in charge of the Nurses Ball. She continued talking about herself until Maxie interrupted, saying, as women, they were always busy, so they’d created a product that worked while you were sleeping – Youth Truth night mask. They’d added nutrients that nourished and rejuvenated while you were sleeping. Flora asked if you washed it off in the morning, Lucy said, exactly, and Maxie keeled over.

Josslyn sat in the shower with her clothes on. She remembered shooting the assassin and Vaughn putting a pillow over the assassin’s face. Vaughn asked if she was okay, and when he got no answer, he said he was coming in. She looked up at him, and he got in the shower, fully clothed. He sat next to her, and she leaned close to him. He put his arm around her and put her hand to his lips.

In bed, Britt heard something. She sat up and saw Jason in her room.

Tuesday:

Maxie passed out after doing a Deception promo on Home & Heart, and Flora said, someone call an ambulance.

Carly told Lulu that Obrecht seemed to have Rocco’s best interests at heart, but Lulu wasn’t buying it. Carly said it was about Rocco, and sometimes supporting your kids meant making a compromise you wouldn’t otherwise. She saw Nina and said, and some people you never compromise with.

Michael went to Sonny’s and Diane was there. She asked for details about his assault on Drew.

At the hospital, Drew wanted to see a doctor to document his injury, but Elizabeth said he’d have to wait since it wasn’t an emergency. He said he wasn’t here just for his own sake, but for Willow too.

Anna called Jack about his radio silence and left a message for him to call her back. Turner came by and asked her to open an investigation into Congressman Drew Cain.

Josslyn and Vaughn kissed in the shower.

Britt was in bed when Jason came into her room. She asked what he was doing there. (I love how her first words weren’t, hey, you’re dead.)

The EMT said Maxie seemed to be having a heart attack, and Brook called Spinelli. Lucy told them that Maxie had a heart transplant a long time ago.

Carly told Nina to stay out of the hotel except for her office. Nina had watched Willow ruin everyone’s life while she was sleeping with Drew. She didn’t have the decency to tell Willow the truth and so much could have been avoided if she’d just done the right thing.

Elizabeth said HIPPA prevented her from sharing Drew’s visit with Willow, and she wasn’t working, but Drew said it would be solid evidence that Michael was violent, and Willow would get custody. Elizabeth said she’d get someone to document it.

Michael asked how they knew about him slugging Drew, and Sonny said Drew had stopped by. Diane wanted all the details. Details could keep him out of prison instead of bending to Drew.

Turner told Anna that Drew was as dirty as they came and she wanted to prove it. She wasn’t at liberty to share the details. Anna said she had to have something legal or legitimate. If Drew got wind of it, she could lose her job, and she needed more to go on. Turner said, despite Drew’s position against organized crime, he was running roughshod against others’ rights. Anna asked if she was backing off Sonny, and Turner said Sonny needed to go down, but so did Congressman Cain.

Jason said he was here for her, but Britt said she didn’t recall asking him to come. How had he found her? He told her about seeing her in Paris and tracking her. He’d wanted to respect her decision, but when he found out her mother had no idea she was alive, he wondered if being dead was her choice. She said, what if it wasn’t? Was he going to rescue her? He could go. He said she could come home, but she said she was never going back to Port Charles. And now she could no longer go to Paris, or she’d run the risk of someone recognizing her. He asked why she was concerned about Paris. What was going on? Was she in danger?

Vaughn and Josslyn made their way to the bed and got busy. There was a song part.

Nina said Carly didn’t give a damn about Willow, and Carly said she did until Drew twisted Willow into someone she couldn’t trust. Nina said Willow loved her kids, and Carly said, until Drew showed up. Nina had been too busy covering her own ass, and everything Willow lost and everything Willow was today, was on her.

Gio wondered if he should step in, but Lulu said, definitely not. Her phone rang, and Brook said Maxie was in trouble.

Jason said he was here help if Britt wanted him to, but she said he’d helped her when she was on the run. He’d helped her when she’d confided her greatest fear, and again when that fear came true and she tested positive for Huntington’s. She’d been terrified, but felt like she wasn’t going through it alone. Then he left her to marry Carly. Sonny reappeared and he came crawling back, but when her mother needed rescuing from Victor, she’d crawled back to ask for his help. He said he’d always help her, but she said, not always. But he did save her and her mother and died in the process. She’d felt grief and guilt, but he was fine and very much alive. He said, so was she. How did she survive Heather’s attack?

Michael told Diane about how Drew had approached Wiley. Drew had crossed all the lines. Diane asked if he hit Drew in front of Wiley, but he said he had Tracy take Wiley to the pool. She said it spoke to Michael’s conscientiousness as a parent, but suggested premeditation. Now, it might cost him.

Felicia’s phone rang, but she turned it off and gave Drew his paperwork. He left, and Elizabeth said he was trying to redeem himself in Willow’s eyes by goading Michael to punch him in the face. Felicia said she didn’t think Willow should be separated from her kids and hoped she had enough sense not to fall for Drew’s games. Lucas asked, who gave Drew the shiner? when Maxie was wheeled in. Lucas and Felicia ran to the gurney.

Josslyn got out of bed and got dressed, and Vaughn asked if she was having second thoughts. She asked if he’d given Brennan all the details about what happened, but he said, only that they’d hit a snag. If he knew how compromised they were, he’d abort the mission. She said, if they left now, the operation would go underground. They had one chance to find out what was really going on.

Anna said she was wondering how Turner came up with the notion that Drew abused his power of office, but Turner told her that she couldn’t say. Not yet. Anna said if she was going to investigate a member of the House of Representatives, she’d need more than assurances, when Drew came in. He said seeing Turner there was convenient. He’d been the victim of a crime perpetrated by Michael Corinthos.

Michael asked what they should do, and Diane said, gather evidence that proved Drew approached Michael’s son without his consent and said inflammatory things that did actual harm to his son’s mental well-being. It could get them a plea deal. Sonny said Drew wanted him to sell his piers and leave town. He also wanted him to go to Michael and get visitation for Willow. He’d use the situation as leverage. Michael said that wasn’t going to happen, and Diane said Michael could petition the court to allow Willow visitation. There was no guarantee it would be granted. Michael said it would be on record that he approved and he didn’t. Diane said Drew was out of Willow’s life and the kids missed their mother, and Michael said he hated it, but didn’t trust Willow to raise their kids anymore. Sonny asked what was going on, and Michael said Willow was out of control. He thought she was responsible for the incidents involving Daisy.

Elizabeth and Lucas worked on Maxie. Lucas said she was in VFib, along with more medical stuff. He used the chest paddles as Felicia watched through the window. Lucy gave Felicia a hug, and told her that Maxie was giving a demonstration, got quiet, and collapsed. Felicia said Maxie appeared to have had a heart attack, and Lucy said Maxie had the strongest heart she knew because of Felicia. She would be a fighter. Spinelli ran in and asked, where was Maxie?

Britt told Jason, go first. How did he survive? He said the cave collapsed, but he found a way out. When he got out, he was picked up by the FBI. One of the agents had evidence of RICO violations, so he made a deal to be an informant. She said he’d never agree to that to save his own skin. He might for Sonny, but he did it for Carly, didn’t he? He said, yeah, and she said, all roads lead back to Carly. He asked how Britt survived, but she said he didn’t deserve to know a damn thing. She’d grieved him. She’d stood by his grave and forgave him, but she was taking it all back. He was a selfish son of a bitch, and she didn’t forgive him for anything. (To be fair, he did think she was dead. How would he have told her?)

Carly said Willow cheated on the husband who loved her, and Nina said, he had a baby with another woman. Carly said, he took responsibility for his choices. Nina helped Drew. Nina said she’d hired the escort, but Carly said all she needed to do was tell Willow the truth. Nina said she couldn’t do that without losing Willow. Willow needed her mother. Carly said Nina wanted Willow to need her, and Nina said that Carly and Michael had denied her the opportunity of being a mother, but Carly said she had months to get this right. Any real mother would have told the truth and handled the fallout, but Nina only cared about herself. Nina said, shut up, and moved toward Carly, who pushed her in the pool.

Vaughn said, Britt could have made Josslyn, but Josslyn said Britt didn’t know she was WSB. Britt had saved her life before. Why would Britt do something to get her killed now? Vaughn said somebody might not have liked him talking to Britt. The manager wasn’t happy. Maybe he was worried she said too much to a civilian. She said, Britt was their best lead and might open up about what she knew, and he said they had a slim window before another assassin was sent or they disappeared. She said she’d go get Britt.

Britt said she’d wasted enough of her grief, time, and life on Jason. She wasn’t wasting another second. He said she let her family think she was dead, and she said she made a choice not to let them watch her deteriorate. She took an opportunity and ended up here. She lived in a five-star resort in Europe. Despite Paris, she still got to explore the rest of the continent and her Huntington’s was in remission. He said he thought there was no treatment, but she said he’d lost the right to ask questions. He could go now. That’s what he was good at. He said something big was going on there. The WSB had the resort flagged and she was in danger.

Lulu hugged Spinelli and asked if he’d told the kids. He said, no. He’d told them something important came up and Georgie was watching them. He thought she was too young for that and wondered if he was a bad father. Lulu said she’d call Emma and see if she could watch them.  

Brook came into the hospital with Flora, who wanted to offer support. Brook went over to Spinelli, and he thanked her for calling. Felicia thanked Brook and said she wished she’d picked up. Brook asked if there was any word on Maxie, and Spinelli said they were working on her now. He cried and said he loved Maxie so much. He couldn’t imagine life without her. Brook said he wouldn’t have to. Maxie would get through this.

Lucas used the paddles again and said, charge them to 300.

Britt said working for Sonny had made Jason paranoid. Her only danger was staying in the jacuzzi too long. He said he could tell she was covering and couldn’t fake her own death without help. Did whoever helped her give her a choice? He could get her out tonight. She said, put away his cape. She didn’t need saving and if she did, she’d do it her own damn self. Go before she called security. He asked, what happened if she did?

Vaughn said Josslyn couldn’t wander around at night, and she said they’d maintain their cover. He said it was risky. The only way for it not to go south was to make contact safely. They’d use their window of opportunity to find Britt. He guessed there was nothing left to do except go to bed. They looked at the messed up bed.

Drew told Anna and Turner that Michael having Wiley taken to the pool showed premeditation. After that, Michael sucker punched him, which was how he sustained his injury. Anna said, so he was a decorated Navy SEAL, who was viciously attacked by his nephew, and he said, unprovoked, in public. Anna asked if he had any injuries of substance, but Turner said, assault was assault. She’d want his statement along with any other evidence. Anna said Drew was trying to manipulate the law to get on top of a family squabble, but Turner said it was a potential misdemeanor. Because of Michael’s record of violent crime, it could easily rise to a felony assault.

Sonny asked if Michael thought Willow was capable of messing with someone else’s kid, and Michael said, Sasha not only gave birth before the custody determination, but Willow delivered the baby. Diane said, if he thought Willow had targeted him, why not go to the police? but he said he had no evidence. He wasn’t 100% certain. It was just a suspicion. Diane said that didn’t help with Drew, and Sonny said they couldn’t let Drew use this to take Michael’s kids away. How could they fix it? Diane asked, who saw Drew talking to Wiley? and Michael said, him, Tracy, Stella Henry, and Martin, who was with Drew. Diane said they had nothing. Tracy’s hatred of Drew was a matter of public record and Michael worked closely with Stella’s nephew Curtis. Martin would just parrot everything Drew said. What about the patrons? Michael said he didn’t think any of them saw what was going on, and she asked, how many noticed the punch? He said he didn’t think the staff saw anything, and she said they had to find someone objective who saw Drew talking to Wiley or they were going in unarmed.

Elizabeth said there was no change, and Lucas used the paddles again. Maxie flatlined.

Lulu said Emma was with the kids, and Spinelli said Maxie had to be okay. Lulu said, she always is. He trusted Maxie and had to trust she was coming back to them now,

Flora said she was sure Brook wanted to be with her loved ones, but Brook said they were Maxie’s loved ones and Spinelli needed Lulu. Flora said Maxie seemed important to Brook, and Brook said they’d hated each other’s guts, but now Maxie was the best friend she’d ever had.

Elizabeth did chest compression, and Lucas said he needed Maxie to plan his wedding. Maxie’s heartbeat started and Elizabeth said, and she’s back. (The magic words, plan and wedding.)

Lucas told everyone that Maxie was stable. She’d been having a heart attack, and her heart did stop, but they were able to restart it. Spinelli asked if she was awake, but Lucas said, not yet. He could sit with her though. Lulu said Maxie would be okay. The crisis had passed, and they’d wait until she woke up. Spinelli hugged Felicia, and Brook asked to talk to Lucas. She asked if he had any idea what brought it on, but he said, not yet. Did she eat or drink anything unusual or inhale something? Did the cream give her an allergic reaction? Lucy joined them and said, no. Maxie had used the product a thousand times. They all had when they did the initial product testing. Lucas said, as far as he knew, Maxie was in perfect health. (I think someone put something in the product. The camera lingered on it too long after Maxie collapsed.)

Nina got out of the pool and Gio gave her a towel. She said she could have broken her neck, and Carly said Nina was the one who kept coming at her. Do it again and she’d drip dry in jail. Nina said Carly had done enough, but Carly said Nina had. Both she and Drew had made Willow a disaster, and neither one of them was getting near her grandchildren ever again. Nina left.  

Michael said, obviously, Drew thought he’d be Willow’s hero by sending him to prison and getting her kids back, and Diane said, regardless, he had a case. Sonny said Drew wasn’t going to let it go.

Drew thanked Turner, but she said he had no case yet. All she had was his statement. He said he had documentation of his injury, and Anna said Michael would have his own take and statement.

Diane said, the best way to bolster their case was to prove Drew deliberately provoked Michael by approaching Wiley. Ultimately, it came down to witnesses.

Turner told Drew, ultimately, it came down to witnesses.

Diane asked if there was anyone else willing to contradict Drew’s account.

Drew said Michael assaulted him in a restaurant full of people, including his lawyer. Martin saw everything.

Vaughn told Josslyn that they’d sleep in shifts in case they had another visitor. He’d take the first watch. She got in bed, while he sat facing the door, gun in hand.

Jason asked, what if Britt called security? and she said, go. She opened the door and said, now was good. He left and she made a call. She said they had a problem and needed to put a stop to it immediately.

Wednesday:

Alexis met with Curtis, who told her about Stella being questioned and said, something is off. Portia spoke with the legal department. They were unaware of the investigation and only Stella’s claims were being investigated. Stella came in, saw Alexis, and said, this is not happening.

Elizabeth said Maxie’s vitals were good, and Lucas hoped the tests showed what caused the heart attack. Maxie should be awake by now.

In the hallway, Lulu asked if there was any change, but Spinelli shook his head. They hugged.

Cody told Mac and Felicia that the kids were fine and with Emma. Mac said he didn’t understand why Maxie’s heart would suddenly fail out of nowhere.

Drew saw Gio at the pool and said, life without the Quartermaines agreed with him. It was good he cut ties. Gio said it was none of Drew’s business, but Drew said they had a lot in common. Their family let them down. Gio said he didn’t know what was going on with Drew and the Quartermaines, but Drew had tried to have the family crypt bulldozed, slept with Nina, and was after Sonny. Martin said he sounded like Tracy, and she was wrong about a lot. Gio said, not about them, and walked away. Drew said Gio was just as arrogant as the rest of the Quartermaines, but he’d sing a different tune when Sonny was gone, and Michael was in prison. Martin asked how he intended to accomplish that.

Turner was surprised to see Sonny and Michael at the station, and Sonny said it was her lucky day. Two for the price of one. He wanted to have a word with Turner before they started, and they went into the interrogation room. Diane asked if Michael had any idea what Sonny was up to, and he said, none whatsoever, but Sonny could handle Turner. Diane hoped he could handle his temper. She couldn’t represent both of them today.

Sonny said Drew’s allegations of assault were bogus. He provoked Michael and was blowing it out of proportion. They both knew Michael was innocent. Turner said, actually, she didn’t.

Lucas told Spinelli and Lulu that Maxie’s test were clean. There was no sign of blockage or scarring, and her preliminary blood panel was good. There was no indication she was rejecting the heart and her vitals were strong. They didn’t know the cause yet, but there were no ongoing issues. Spinelli said, all Maxie had to do was wake up and come back to them.

Cody said Lucas saved Maxie’s life, and Felicia said she was getting the best medical care possible. Cody said she’d be fine, and Mac said she had to be. Anything else was unimaginable.

Alexis said Stella was family once and she wanted to help, and Curtis said he wanted the best for her and that was Alexis. Stella said this was a huge overreaction to a paperwork issue, but Curtis said it was a fraud investigation from high up and was only focused on Stella. Stella said hiring a lawyer would make it look like she had something to hide, but Alexis said Stella was too smart not know better. She could end up unemployed, or worse, face criminal charges.

Drew said he’d told Anna and Turner that Michael needed to be arrested and prosecuted for assaulting a public official, which came with a nice long prison sentence. Martin asked what assault Drew was talking about, and Drew pointed to his face. Martin said, he called that assault?

Stella said she hadn’t done anything criminal, but Curtis said the investigators weren’t pencil pushers. This wasn’t standard procedure. Alexis said they could look Stella’s claims over and move on, but if it turned out to be more than that, she wanted to make sure Stella’s rights were respected. Get a lawyer. It didn’t have to be her. Stella said if it gave them peace of mind, Alexis could be her lawyer. Tell her what she was being accused of.

Drew said Martin was right there when Michael attacked him out of nowhere, but Martin said he saw Drew approach Wiley and say something that upset him. Then he accused Michael of lying to his son. It was hardly an unprovoked attack. Drew said, Michael hit a sitting member of congress. He couldn’t be father of the year in Pentenville and it would increase Willow’s chances of getting her kids back. Martin said the whole thing was strategic, an attempt to get Willow to forgive him, and Drew said he lost Willow because she lost her kids. If he got them back, she’d realize everything he did, he did out of love for her. Martin said, including sleeping with her mother?

Martin asked Diane to promise to block Willow getting custody. She wasn’t stable. She said she’d do her best, but he had no actual proof. He said he was working on it, and she said if he wanted to protect his children, don’t get charged with assault. He knew the rule. He said, volunteer nothing, and she asked why he and Sonny insisted on making her life difficult.

Turner said, Michael punched a sitting member of congress in a restaurant full of witnesses, and Sonny told her that she couldn’t say Drew didn’t have it coming. Slow down and take her time. She said she couldn’t abuse her power. It would make her no better than Drew. He asked if she was going after his son, but she said he knew damn well that she couldn’t.

Lucas went to update Mac and Felicia, and Spinelli told Lulu that he was being selfish. He had to tell the kids, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Lulu said she’d talk to the kids. He should be the first person Maxie saw when she woke up. Spinelli went into Maxie’s room and said, fear not. I’m here… always.

Lulu told Emma that Maxie was stable, but still unresponsive. They were clinging to anything positive. Emma asked if Lulu knew what she was going to tell the kids, but Lulu said, not yet. Emma said if they needed her, just call, and Lulu thanked her. Emma left and Lulu sat down, putting her head in her hands.

Stella told Alexis that there were two main reasons insurance companies denied a claim – a preexisting condition before the date of coverage and the claim not being filed in a timely manner. As if that was a reason to bankrupt a patient with medical bills. Curtis asked if she sometimes intervened, make adjustments to make sure they were approved, and Alexis said a lot rested on specific wordage. A lot rested on choosing your words carefully. Did she change the facts? Stella said she’d think it over and find out if it wasn’t an arcane reason, and Alexis said, then she’d step in? Stella said, it was lifesaving care, and Alexis asked if she altered the dates. Stella said, yes. Rarely, but she’d done it. Alexis said, by the insurance company’s definition, that was fraud. (I’m glad they’re tackling this issue. I’m on Stella’s side. Something similar was done for me once, and God bless those people.)

Drew told Martin that he and Nina were a mistake even before he and Willow fell in love. No judge would look favorably on a guy who’d been convicted of bludgeoning a woman to death and then attacked a congressman. Martin said it might not go as easily as Drew thought. Michael was already a sympathetic figure, and he had controlling interest in Aurora Media. If he and Curtis put their heads together, they could make Michael look like a saint. Drew said, don’t worry. Curtis would be busy defending Stella about insurance fraud. Martin asked how Drew knew about the investigation, and Drew said he was a congressman. He heard things. When he reported the assault, he told the Police Commissioner and the ADA that Martin was a witness. Martin just had to confirm the statement was accurate. Martin asked if Drew included the fact that he approached Wiley and upset him. If it didn’t, it was inaccurate, and he couldn’t sign it. Drew said Martin was looking at it all wrong. He was a congressman and Martin’s biggest client. Martin couldn’t afford to alienate him.

Sonny asked if Turner wasn’t charging Michael, but Turner said there was a strong enough case for him to be charged, but she couldn’t prosecute him herself. She couldn’t disclose she’d been at Sonny’s house and overheard Drew. She didn’t want to be the reason for a mistrial. The PCPD was investigating Drew’s claim, and her investigator just arrived.

In the squad room, Chase said he interviewed everyone present. All but one. Drew asked how many witnesses there were, and Chase said, nine.

There was a knock at Maxie’s door, and Lulu opened it to Obrecht.

Lucas told Elizabeth that inside, he was panicked that Maxie hadn’t woken up. He didn’t know why and kept thinking about how long she was in VFib. He was focused on not losing her like he did Sam. He thought he saved someone he loved, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Spinelli talked to Maxie about James’s swim meet and said she’d promised to do back school shopping with Georgie. It terrified him to do it. He would be a terrible substitute on his best day. She had to wake up because she is irreplaceable in so many ways. He’d been remiss that he didn’t do it sooner, but as soon as she opened her eyes, he was going to ask her to marry him. Please, open your eyes.

Anna asked how Felicia was, and Felicia said, barely holding it together. Anna said, Lucas was encouraging. There were no signs of heart issues. Felicia wondered why Maxie wouldn’t wake up and said she had to stay positive and be strong for Spinelli, Mac, and Cody. Anna said, not here. Here she could feel the way she wanted. Felicia said she kept remembering Maxie when she was six. She got a miracle, but what if the miracle had run its course?

Emma was sitting with her feet in the water, when Gio popped up from the pool. He asked where she was last night. She and Anna were gone. Emma said she was babysitting, and he said, the whole night? What was going on? She said Maxie was in the hospital. It’s really bad.

Elizabeth told Lucas that sometimes the body needed time to heal, and they were on Maxie time. Maxie wasn’t a textbook anything and they’d have to wait for her to come back to them. Lucas said Elizabeth was a good nurse and his mom would be so proud. She said he ran all the tests and looked at everything. Now it was up to Maxie.

Mac watched Spinelli with Maxie through the window, and Cody asked if he wanted to go in, but he said he wanted to give Spinelli more time. Cody said Mac really was a good man, and Mac said, if he was, he had Robin, Maxie, and her sister Georgie to thank. Raising the girls was the greatest privilege of his life. Cody said Maxie told him that she’d driven Mac crazy, and Mac said a lot of his grey hairs had her name on them. Why look when you can just leap? But he couldn’t stay mad at her. Cody said, back when he was lying about being Mac’s son and afraid to face him when Mac knew the truth, Maxie was the one who stopped him from leaving town. She’d always treated him like a member of the family. She believed in him when he couldn’t. He’d convinced himself that he didn’t need family, and Maxie made him want to be part of hers. Mac said he was part of her family, and Cody said because she never gave up on him.

Obrecht told Lulu that she came to check on her grandson. She didn’t want trouble. Lulu said, please come in. James would be happy to see his grandmother. Obrecht asked what Lulu told the kinder about their mother, and Lulu said she was just gearing up to tell them. Georgie chased James into the living room, and said their mom was in the hospital and he was acting like a brat. James said, what?

Felicia told Anna, Barbara Jean’s heart gave Maxie her life. She’d had three beautiful children. She found love with Nathan and her heart was broken when she lost him. She found love again with Spinelli. Her heart had done so much. What if it was tired and starting to wear out? Transplants lasted decades. Maxie had been young, and it had been decades. Anna said she didn’t think miracles had expiration dates. Maxie loved life and her kids. She loved Felicia, Mac, her friends, and Spinelli, and they loved her back. Love was powerful and she believed Maxie wanted to stay with them. Felicia asked why she didn’t wake up then, and Anna said the doctors would figure it out and Maxie would hang around until they did. Maxie was strong like her mother.

Alexis asked how many times Stella altered dates, and Stella said, seven in the past five years. She went over her cases in her mind. She’d worked in social services for over thirty years and knew the intricacies to get insurance claims covered. Alexis said, there were just seven she couldn’t get to concede about denied coverage? and Stella said, it was critical care, but they didn’t care if the patients lost their houses. So she altered a date or two. Curtis asked if it could work in Stella’s favor that it wasn’t for personal gain, and Alexis said she’d make that case if necessary. Stella said they paid their premiums month after month, year after year (preach!), and she agreed they should be covered. Even Martin didn’t know his insurance had lapsed. Curtis said, Martin?

Chase said he spoke to everyone, when Martin and Drew came in. Drew asked why Michael wasn’t in handcuffs, and Michael said he’d come in voluntarily to answer questions. Drew said, Michael assaulted him. This was proof. He pointed to his eye, and Martin said, and the medical report. Drew said his statement and the eyewitnesses should be enough to arrest Michael, and Chase said he spoke to the bartender, the waitstaff, Tracy – who only saw him approach Wiley – Stella, and two other people. No one remembers Michael hitting him.

Obrecht said that James’s sister wasn’t lying, and Lulu said she wasn’t. She came to tell them that their mom went to the hospital. Spinelli was with her. James said, why? and Obrecht said his mom got sick at the Home & Heart studio and was taken to the hospital. James asked if she was okay. What was wrong? Lulu said the doctors were still figuring it out. Obrecht said humans were complicated and medicine wasn’t simple. Sometimes it took a while to figure things out. Lifesaving was like a mystery. They looked at all the clues. But she did know that his mother was strong and in excellent health.

Emma told Gio what happened and said James was still oblivious. Gio said it was awful. He remembered being scared when his mom went in the hospital. He wanted to know, but didn’t if the news was bad. Emma said her grandmother’s job as a grandmother was to make things better, be strong and calm. She was at first, but Emma saw how worried she was later. She remembered seeing her worried a few times, but she’d never seen her truly scared until today. She was scared too. Gio put his arm around her.

Stella said Martin was one of the patients she helped, and Alexis asked if his claim was being questioned. Stella said they told her that he couldn’t represent her because they had questions for him, and Alexis asked if she’d altered the dates on his claim. Stella said she did, and Curtis said Martin’s biggest client was Drew.

Diane asked if they were done, and Drew said it was impossible. Turner said the witnesses denied there was an altercation, and Chase said, no physical contact was mentioned. Drew said they were lying, or Chase was. Why did she send him? Obviously, he was covering. He lived with the Quartermaines and it was a conflict of interest. Chase asked if Drew was accusing him of witness tampering, and Drew said, what about Carly? She owned the hotel. Her employees wouldn’t say anything bad about Michael. Sonny said, what about Tracy and Stella? and Drew said Sonny paid them off. Sonny said that was a false accusation, harassment, and Diane said, noted. Turner said she’d have the statements typed up, but she wouldn’t have Drew impugn the character of Detective Chase. His personal animosity for Michael Corinthos was public knowledge. It was a false claim that no one else observed. Drew said, Martin was there and saw the whole thing.

The kids left and Lulu thanked Obrecht, and Obrecht said she tried to use language the kids would understand without being unduly alarmed. Lulu said she hoped they diagnosed Maxie quickly, and Obrecht said her too. Lulu asked what Obrecht wasn’t saying, and Obrecht said it may be difficult to hear, but the longer Maxie didn’t respond, the more likely she was to slip into a coma.

Emma said she was sorry to bring up bad memories, but Gio said they were friends and she’d helped him. Even when it was hard to be around, he’d still be there. He took her hand.

Lucas said Maxie’s tox screen came back and there was an anomaly in her blood. There was an unidentified enzyme that was possibly what was keeping her from waking up. He was running another test. They needed to figure out what it was and where it was coming from. When they did, it would help decide the best course of treatment. Felicia asked if she could see Maxie, and he said, of course (🍷). She left, and Anna followed Lucas to the desk. Cody told Mac it was the first step to getting Maxie back.

Anna said, Lucas had no idea what the enzyme was? and Lucas said he’d never seen anything like it. She asked if there was any chance Maxie had been poisoned. (Told ya. Me and Anna 🤞)

Alexis asked if it was possible that Martin told Drew, but Stella said she told Martin to keep it to himself. He wouldn’t hurt her like that. He was too grateful. Curtis said, the other day at the pool, they saw Drew speaking to Martin, and Stella reminded him about a form. What if Martin innocently mentioned something to Drew? The orders were from higher up and what’s higher than a sitting congressman? (Probably a lot of things, but okay.) Drew did this. He set up the investigation. Drew was targeting someone he loved dearly to get to him.

Turner read the statement and asked Drew if the account was true. Drew said it was, and signed it. She said Martin was cited as a witness. Does the account accurately reflect what he saw? If so, sign here. Drew held out the pen to Martin.

Thursday:

Ava and Nina had lunch at the pool. Ava saw Ric walk in with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth said lunch was on her. It was the least she could do after he took on Willow’s case pro bono.

Curtis said Drew was now targeting his auntie, and Alexis said, nothing Drew did surprised her. Curtis said it was unacceptable. Drew was abusing his power, and he was going to expose him through Aurora Media. Alexis said if he did, there would be consequences, and Stella said, absolutely not. He needed to let this go. This time, Drew won.

Drew told Martin to put his John Hancock right there, and Turner said only sign it if he believed it was true. Drew said every word was true and Martin saw it all happen. Martin threw the pen down and said, I think not.

On her laptop in Bobbie’s, Molly fantasized about the western romance she was writing as we saw it unfold. Her heroine Delilah was in the arms of Clint Buchanan, but Cody pulled her away and told her to run for it. Molly snapped out of her daydream when Cody’s name was called for take-out.

Brook went to the stables and found Tracy, who asked what was wrong.

Obrecht apologized for mentioning the coma diagnosis, but Lulu said it didn’t mean Maxie would be in one like she was for four years. Her family couldn’t suffer the way Lulu’s did. Maxie had to come back to them.

Molly asked Cody, how would a horse react if they were separated from their trusted companion? and he told her, google it. He got his order and left.

Brook said there was no change with Maxie, and Tracy asked why she didn’t stay. Was it Lulu? Brook said she loved Maxie, but they became friends as adults. Maxie and Lulu were raised like family and she felt it was Lulu’s turf. Lulu belonged, not her. Tracy said Brook couldn’t be more wrong.

Lulu told Obrecht that when she woke up, she wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Then she saw Rocco, and it hit her hard. It felt surreal. Obrecht said she wouldn’t wish it on her worst enemy, and Lulu said that’s why she was so protective and why she reacted the way she did when Rocco reached out to Obrecht. Now she wondered if her reaction was unfair.  

Nina said she warned Ava that Ric was a terrible person. Worse, he was a good lawyer, which was why she hired him to represent Willow. Ava said she was glad Nina and Willow were talking again, but Nina said Willow didn’t want anything to do with her, so Ric told Willow that he was representing her pro bono. Ava said, so he didn’t do it out of the goodness of his cold black heart like Elizabeth must be thinking.

Ric told Elizabeth that Molly benefitted from both parents being in her life, and Willow’s children deserved the same. There was some ego and pride involved, since he’d exposed Michael’s affair, but she still lost the custody case. Elizabeth said Drew did so much damage, it was hard to undo.

Curtis said Stella should want to expose Drew’s abuse of power, but Stella said it didn’t change the fact she was guilty. She still believed the people needed help, but she believed if you did something wrong, you apologized and accepted the consequences. She didn’t think she was committing a crime, but she did what she did. She would accept the punishment that came her way even if meant saying goodbye to a job she loved. Alexis said that was noble, but it was still fraud, and she could end up sentenced to prison.

In the stairwell, Drew asked what the hell Martin thought he was doing, and Martin said he was Drew’s lawyer, not his whipping boy. Drew said he was sorry, but Martin needed to tell the truth. Michael attacked him. Martin said Drew had no other evidence except his hazy memory. He was crystal clear that he’d confided in Drew and Drew stabbed his friend in the back and set the dogs on Stella. He’d make Drew a deal. Call them off and stop the investigation and he’d sign the statement.

Molly kept starting to write, then deleting it. Kristina came in and asked if everything was okay. Molly said she’d been in the zone, working on her… brief, but she lost the groove. It was Cody’s fault. He came in to pick up food and blew her off. Kristina said she knew she’d warned Molly about Cody, but maybe she should go easier on him. He spent all night at the hospital. During a live segment on Home & Heart, Maxie collapsed.

Cody asked if there was an update, but Felicia said they still didn’t know what the enzyme in Maxie’s blood was. They were hopeful they’d find out soon. He said they were the best, and she agreed. Lucas said she should talk to Maxie, and it would help her find a way back to them. He said, you never know, it might help her, and they hugged.

Tracy said hiding wasn’t doing Maxie any good, and Brook said she wasn’t only guilty about leaving. She’d also said some awful things to Maxie about Lulu since Lulu came back. What if she had no chance to tell Maxie that she was sorry? Tracy said she would. She knew how much Brook loved Maxie – as she did – and how much Maxie loved Lulu – as she did. Maxie could see the good in both of them. Brook and Lulu were more alike than Brook cared to admit.  

Obrecht thanked Lulu and said she never meant harm to Rocco. Lulu said she wanted to believe that. She’d never acknowledged that Rocco looked for Obrecht; she didn’t seek him out. Obrecht said she should have told Lulu and Dante that Rocco reached out. She got swept up in the moment. Lulu said she did too. She came out swinging and regretted it. She didn’t want Obrecht to share something that she couldn’t from that time in his life. Obrecht said, it must have been devastating to miss that, and Lulu said it still was. She thought about what she’d missed when she hadn’t even realized Rocco existed. Even if they could come to an understanding, Obrecht’s daughter was the reason she missed out on that time and she couldn’t forgive that.

Drew asked if Martin was turning on him because of Stella, and Martin said, damn right. She never did anything but help him. So what was it going to be? Drew said nothing, and Martin said he didn’t think so. It was good old-fashioned revenge, not justice. Drew said, consider himself fired. Good luck paying his ex-wives. Martin said, there is that, and they went back to the squad room. Martin said he owed Turner an apology. He wasn’t signing. He didn’t remember seeing anything and regretted wasting her time. He left, and Diane said Sonny wasn’t answering any questions. Turner told Drew, sorry. There were no witnesses or footage. The case was closed.  

Lulu said she’d be happy to stay with the kids happy while Obrecht visited Maxie, and Obrecht thanked her. She said Maxie would get a kick out of them not being in the same room, but at each other’s throats, and Lulu said she was right. Be sure to tell her. Obrecht left.

Brook said she and Lulu were nothing alike, but Tracy said they both made colossal mistakes and refused to be defined by them. They were fiercely loyal to the people they loved and were two sides of the same coin. Brook said she saw Tracy’s point, and Tracy said her concern for Maxie should outweigh her discord with Lulu. They could keep hating each other after Maxie was out of the woods. Be there for the family or she’d never forgive herself. Brook said she hated when Tracy was right, and Tracy said she loved it. Now she had to feed the horses and Hades was already in a mood. Brook left, and outside, her phone rang.

Elizabeth said she had to get back to work and thanked Ric for helping Willow. He said he was happy to, and Elizabeth left.

Ava said Elizabeth thought Ric had changed and wasn’t going to be happy to find out he was the same liar, but Nina told her not to say anything. Willow couldn’t know she hired Ric. She might reject the help. Ava said she’d have to come up with another way to sabotage Ric, and Nina said Ric was giving her updates on Willow. Drew did nothing but leave a trail of destruction and she wished there was a way to get him out of Willow’s life for good.

Stella said she could face criminal charges? and Alexis said, yes. Curtis said they wouldn’t let that happen. It was only a handful of cases, and it would take time for them to come up with something concrete. Alexis said, if they did, they’d handle it and give her the strongest defense possible. Martin came in and said he had important news. He knew who was behind the insurance investigation. Stella said they already knew it was Drew, and Martin said he thought he was to blame because he mentioned she was helping him. He hoped she realized he’d never knowingly put her in harm’s way. Curtis asked why he still worked for Drew, but Martin said he didn’t. He tried to get Drew to call the investigation off, and Drew fired him. He was going to quit anyway and now Drew made an enemy of him.

Drew said Turner would never fill Robert Scorpio’s shoes. He’d never botch a case. Unless she was on Sonny’s payroll. She said she didn’t appreciate the accusation. Without a witness, she had no further options and suggested he go back to serving his constituents. She left, and Drew said congratulations were in order. Michael got away with assault. Michael said, stay the hell away from his kids, but Drew said, no chance. Willow would get back her kids one way or another no matter what he had to do or who he had to take down to do it. He left.

Molly told Kristina that she should have realized something was wrong. She misjudged Cody again. There was more to him than people thought. He’d shown up for her and she wished she’d shown up for him.

Cody arrived at the stables and Tracy said the horses were fed and she finished the other chores. He thanked her and she said she enjoyed it. The horses were the only creatures on the property that didn’t argue with her. She was sorry about Maxie. How was the family holding up? He said, not great. He spent all night with them and brought them food, but it wasn’t enough. She said he was being a son to Mac and a brother to Maxie, and he said he was thinking about the time he’d wasted. The months they could have spent as a family. Instead, he was living a lie. What if that was all the time they got?

Felicia told Maxie, the last time she was this scared, the last time she talked to Maxie like this, Maxie was a little girl fighting for her life. She was so small and sick. Felicia never left her side and wouldn’t now. She bargained with God to take her, not Maxie. Maxie’s babies needed their mama, and she needed her daughter. Mac and Spinelli needed her. She was the center of the family, the one who brought them all together. She couldn’t lose Maxie. Come back to her. Come back to them. She kissed Maxie’s hand.  

Brook asked Lulu, how were the kids? and Lulu said they were worried about Maxie of course (🍷), but hanging in there. She thanked Brook for answering her call, and Brook said she was going to call Lulu. They both started talking at once, and Lulu asked if she could go first. A few months ago, Maxie tricked them into coming there because she wanted them to come to a truce. She wasn’t ready then, but she was today if Brook was.

Tracy told Cody that she was well-acquainted with regret, and it was a complete waste of time. What’s done, is done. The only choice was how to proceed, and the only question was, what was he going to learn from this experience? Cody said, no more lies, no more scams, and she said it was a good place to start, and she left.

Ava told Ric that she’d tried to withdraw money, and the account was locked down. He said he locked them for a couple days to prevent suspect purchases. She said it was her money, but he said it was their money. Just a couple days. She’d have access soon. She left and he called Alexis.

Alexis stepped into the hallway and asked what Ric wanted. He told her, get to the MetroCourt pool. She’d want to hear this.

Turner told Michael to consider himself fortunate and suggested he be on his best behavior. Michael thanked her and left. Sonny said he wanted another minute with Turner, and Diane advised against it, but he said he’d be fine. Diane said she’d wait outside, and Turner said, this should be good.

Drew approached Willow at the hospital, and she said it would help if he’d leave her alone, especially at work. He said, something important happened that she needed to hear. Michael assaulted him at the MetroCourt in front of a lot of people because he told Wiley that she missed him. He understood things were over between them, but he wasn’t going to stop helping her. Seeing Michael’s family take advantage of the legal system was enlightening and he was afraid she’d never see Wiley and Amelia again.

At the hospital, Nina asked if Elizabeth had seen Willow. She knew Willow needed space, but wanted to make sure she was okay. Elizabeth told her, try the breakroom, and Nina left.

Willow said she didn’t know if she could trust Drew, and he said he wanted to tell her the truth, but Nina begged him not to. She’d threatened him and said she’d bribe her political connections. He knew she loved her mother, and they’d come so far, but she deserved to know the truth. He had no right to ask, but could she please try to believe him?

Lulu said all that mattered was that they both loved Maxie. She was fighting for her life. Felicia, Mac, Spinelli, and the kids needed them. She noticed Brook had left early. Was it because of her? Brook said Lulu might have something to do with it, and Lulu said Maxie needed all of her people. Brook said she felt guilty, and Lulu said they didn’t have to be friends. They needed to show up together for the Scorpios. Brook said she felt the same and that’s what they’d do.

Obrecht brought flowers to Maxie’s room and told Felicia that she’d just drop them off and be on her way. She knew Maxie loved them. Felicia said, don’t be silly. She was family and always welcome.

Alexis met Ric and asked what he wanted. He said he had good news, and she said his good was always her bad news, but he said, not this time. He and Ava were souring. She said she was so sorry, and he said, one more payment and they were done. No more blackmail. Alexis flashed back to Ava telling her to open an account only she could access, and told Ric that for once, he was right. This is good news.

Molly looked at her laptop and flashed back to being with Cody on the horse and at the Nurses Ball. She picked up her stuff and left, running into Michael at the door. He asked if she was okay, and she said she wasn’t. She thought she had feelings for Cody.

Ava went to the stables, but Cody said it wasn’t a good time. She said she heard about Maxie. She was so sorry. How was she? He said he’d rather not get into it right now, and she said she understood. Would he like some company? She’d like to cash in her raincheck. He said he was just thinking about her, and Ava asked if he missed her. He said he was sorry. He knew she thought he was a good guy, but she was wrong about him.

Sonny thanked Turner, but she said she was just doing her job. Overhearing the congressman at his house was eye opening. He was using his power to blackmail. She believed in the justice system and wouldn’t see it twisted by men like that. He asked if she understood that she made an enemy. That crack about her being on his payroll wasn’t the last she’d hear. She said she wasn’t afraid of Drew Cain. She’d faced men far worse and come out standing. She had nothing to hide. Now he knew why she turned down his gifts. He said, if he sent them, and she said, yes, if it was him. He left and she smiled.

Outside, Diane said she knew what Sonny was doing, and he said, what’s that? She said, cultivating the acting DA. One question. Was he working Turner or was she working him?

Stella told Martin to stop beating himself up. It wasn’t his fault. It was hers. Curtis said there was only one person to blame – Drew. He targeted everyone in Curtis’s family and Curtis had enough. Drew had to be stopped.

Willow told Drew that she just wanted to get her children back. It was a complete nightmare. He said he’d do what he had to in order to fix it for her if she’d let him. He promised he’d get her kids back and held her. Nina came to the door and saw them through the window.

🫔 Friday’s Enchilada…

Dubrovnik, Croatia. Britt sees Jason sitting near the pool, and he sees Greta. He says, there she is, and Greta says she’s sorry she’s late, but he says she was worth waiting for.

In their room at the resort Josslyn says, this isn’t working, and Vaughn says he knows. She says they’ve checked the pool, the spa, the restaurants, the courts. They’ve got to look somewhere else for Britt. He says, they can’t. They’re out of time.

Molly asks if they can just pretend she didn’t just say to Michael, and anyone else who walked by, that she has feelings for Cody, but he says, it’s too late. She doesn’t have to be embarrassed in front of him he’s the master of inconvenient feelings. She says, there’s no way that’s true. He’s always so in control. He says, it’s funny she should say that to him today, and she says, dare she ask? He says he was just at the PCPD because he may or may not have taken a swing at Drew and given him a black eye. But right now, he wants to hear about her feelings. That way he can give her the full benefit of his expertise in matters of the awkward heart. Spill it. How bad does she have it for Cody?

Ava asks, in what way is she wrong? and Cody says he wasn’t being a good guy when he returned her sunglasses. He didn’t come to discuss art either. She tells him, you don’t say, and he says, that obvious, huh? He’s not just not a good guy. He’s also not a smooth one. She says she’s sorry to disappoint, but if they’re making confessions, she really should tell him that she had ulterior when she encouraged him.

In the kitchen at Bobbie’s, Carly says, thank God, Jack is here, and he says he wishes more people would say that when he walked into a room. He got here as fast as he could. He didn’t even stop to say hi to Michael and Molly, who are right outside. She says, they don’t care. Don’t worry about them. Did he bring it? He puts his briefcase on the counter, opens it, and takes out a wrench. He says, never leave home without it.

Nina sees Willow at the nurses’ station and sighs. Ric sees Elizabeth and says, long time no see. She thanks him again for lunch. It was fun. He says, yes, it was. Maybe they could try for dinner next time. Elizabeth watches as Nina approaches the desk and says, that can’t be good. Nina tells Willow that she’s just here to sit with Maxie’s family. The last thing she wants is to bother her. But she wants Willow to know that if she ever needs anything, she’s always here for her. As she walks away, Willow says, wait.

Lulu is vacuuming when there’s a knock at the door. She opens it to Laura and invites her in. Laura says she thought stop by to see how everything is going, and Lulu says, it’s going okay. She’s just trying to keep everything as normal as possible for the kids while Maxie is at GH and Spinelli is at her bedside. Laura says she’s sure Spinelli and the kids are very grateful. Tell her how everybody is doing. Lulu says, Brook took James to baseball practice, Georgie is doing her homework, and she actually got BJ down for a nap. So all things considered, she’d say everyone is hanging in there. Laura says she’s glad to hear that, but what about Lulu? and Lulu says she’s so scared. Laura holds her.

Lulu says she’s trying to stay positive, but she’s so afraid the doctors will say Maxie slipped into a coma. Laura says, it’s so understandable, especially since Lulu, more than anyone, knows what Maxie is experiencing right now. Lulu says, maybe, maybe not. She remembers being incredibly disoriented, and very impressed by how great her nails looked. Laura says, that was Maxie. She did Lulu’s nails every week. She wanted Lulu to know the moment she woke up that she was cared for and never forgotten. Lulu says, it worked. What if she doesn’t get the chance to hold Maxie’s hand the same way Maxie held hers?

Willow tells Nina, sorry about Maxie. It’s kind of her to be here to comfort the family. But she thought she made herself perfectly clear – stay away from her. Nina leaves, sees Ric and Elizabeth, and keeps on walking. Elizabeth tells Ric, it could have gone worse, and he says, Willow seemed to keep her composure, which is a good sign. Excuse him for a minute. She says, sure, and he says he’s going to follow up on that dinner. He walks over to Willow and asks how she’s doing over here after that lovely visit from her mother. She seemed to handle herself well from his vantage point. She says, it wasn’t easy, but she has to be on her best behavior after that incident with Lucas. He asks if she’s heard from HR on that, and she says, no, nothing. She knows how lucky that makes her. He says he hopes her luck holds, and she says, it might be. Dr. Park agreed to be a character reference for her. He says, that’s helpful, but in a perfect world, they want someone from her family who knows her and has seen with the children. Someone who can vouch for what a good mother she is. His phone dings and he says, sorry. He’s got to take this, but keep working on that character reference. No more colleagues. Family is key.  

Cody says, wait a minute. When he tried to kiss Ava in her gallery, she slapped him. That may be encouraging to some, but not to him. Ava says, come on. There are slaps and there are slaps. She gave him more of a forceful caress. He says, is that what the kids are calling it now? and she says, after which she asked him to stay at the gallery and finish the work. He says, so she encouraged him so he could hang the art on a wall, but she says, not exactly. At first, she just enjoyed having him around. Then she saw that it made Ric jealous. It also made him more attentive. Cody says he saw the tension between her and Ric, so he did the best he could to make it really bad, and she says she knows. She found it gratifying. He doesn’t have to feel bad or apologize. She had more fun with him than with Ric, and frankly, she has only one reason to stay with Ric. Cody says, why is he feeling scared? and she says, the only reason she stays with Ric is to drive Alexis and her darling daughters completely insane.

Molly tells Michael, Cody is funny and charming, in a weird way, and annoying. So annoying. Michael asks, how? and she says, he’s always going on about how uptight and controlling she is. Michael says, the two of them definitely have different styles, and she says she doesn’t know, but it’s something surprising. Cody can be a standup guy. He’s come to her rescue a few times, but then other times, he makes her life a nightmare. Like that time he locked her on the roof of the hospital in the freezing cold. Michael says, sorry? He locked her on the roof? She says, no… Well, yes, technically, but it wasn’t actually his fault. Then eventually, he got them off the roof by taking off his pants… (Ha-ha! Michael’s face.) No. It was sweet. I guess you had to be there. Michael says, if she thinks what she just described is charming, he hates to be the one to break it to her, but she definitely does have feelings for Cody. She says she’s afraid to say it, but it doesn’t have to be bad. She thinks, in fact, it could be good. The real question is, what does she want to do about it?

Carly says she wants to go on record that she knows it’s totally inappropriate to ask a WSB Bureau Chief to fix a garbage disposal. But her regular guy isn’t available until tomorrow and she has a wedding at the MetroCourt. Then tomorrow she has a post-wedding brunch at the MetroCourt and she doesn’t have Josslyn because she’s in Australia. Jack keeps trying to interrupt, and finally says, he’s happy to do it, especially if it takes something off her very full plate. There’s one condition. She says, anything, and he says, she cannot disclose his plumbing parties not currently in this room. She says she’ll consider it confidential, and they kiss.

Vaughn tells Josslyn that they shouldn’t stay in the room too long. They should have notified Brennan about the assassin. Josslyn says, no. They agreed they had a window of time to find Britt before anyone found out about it. He says, that window is closing, if it’s not shut already. They combed every inch of the resort and can’t find Britt anywhere. Josslyn says, no, they haven’t. Not every inch. He says, staying any longer is too risky. They made an attempt and came up empty. Now it’s time to cut their losses and inform the WSB. She says, they can’t leave without a lead. By the time the WSB sends anybody else, whatever is going on – Britt Westbourne or not – would been covered up or gone.

Jason suggests he and Greta have a seat and says he’s so glad she agreed to have dinner with him. She asks if he’d be interested in having a glass of champagne out here in the garden before they go in, and he says he’d like that. He calls the server over, and asks if he can get two glasses of champagne, please. Britt listens in, and Greta says, when they were talking on the beach earlier, he never said what brought him to Croatia. He says, vacation, and she asks, from what?… Or perhaps, who? He says he’s a contractor for ELQ. He manages large scale construction projects. Actually, he just finished this incredible project in Montenegro and decided he needed a break. One of his colleagues stayed at the Five Poppies and he recommended it. What about her? She says, there’s not much to tell. She travels a great deal for business and needed to take a breath and stay in one spot. Pascal sees Britt eavesdropping and asks what she thinks she’s doing.

Ric asks what hell Nina was doing approaching Willow like that. Didn’t she know if Willow has one more public meltdown, it will hurt her case? Does she want that on her conscience? Nina says, add it to her list. They have a much bigger problem to deal with. He says, what now? and she says, he needs to tell Willow that if she wants Wiley and Amelia back, she cannot speak to Drew Cain again.

Kristina  tells Elizabeth that she has flowers for Maxie, but doesn’t want to intrude on the family. Would she mind bringing them in? Elizabeth says she’ll make sure Maxie gets them and takes the flowers. Willow asks if Kristina has a second, but Kristina says, no. Willow says she wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.

Molly tells Michael, what does she want to do about her feelings for Cody? Nothing, right? Kristina already told her that he was a con man and a hustler. She’d be a fool to go anywhere near a guy like that, right? Michael says, it’s true Cody has a colorful past, but he’s been working at the Quartermaines for over a year. He’s super reliable and the kids love him. Tracy considers him a friend, like a real one. She says, he has his moments, and Michael says, does she mean like the night of the fire at Charlie’s? She got the call and wanted to make sure Kristina was okay. He offered to drive her. She says, he did more than that. She was completely freaking out and he said all the right things. He talked her down. Michael says he didn’t know anyone could do that, and she says, but isn’t that a skill a conman would have? They make you feel safe… Michael says he was there. He saw it for himself. Cody’s only concern was helping her.

Cody asks if driving people crazy is really a good reason to stay in a relationship, and Ava says, it’s an entertaining one. Why not? Ric is using her. Why shouldn’t she use him? Cody says he doesn’t have a good answer for that, and she says, all those Davis women. They’re all so sanctimonious, one worse than the other. Alexis is smug and self-righteous. Kristina has the gall to judge her after everything she’s done, and whenever Kristina is going to face any type of consequences, Alexis swoops in and cleans up her mess. To be honest, it’s a disturbing display of co-dependency.  He says, Alexis can be pompous, and Kristina is like a handful for sure, but Molly is nice, like honest, good person nice for real. She says, high and mighty Molly. Come on. Please tell her he’s not taken in by Molly’s act. She’s just as bad as her mother and sister. She may even be worse.

Vaughn tells Josslyn, fine. They’ll keep looking for Britt, but he’s informing Brennan. She says, he’ll just order them to come home, and Vaughn says, if he does, then that’s what they’ll do. They’re out on a limb. This is the job. She says she knows and opens the door. He asks where she’s going. They just agreed to call Brennan. She says, he’s calling Brennan. And while Brennan is yelling at him, she’s going to do one last sweep of the grounds. She’s not giving up on finding Britt until she has to. She leaves.

Jack looks at his phone and says he sees. Carly asks if everything is okay, and Jack sends a text to Vaughn saying he needs an update asap. He tells Carly, it’s just work.

Britt tells Pascal that she’s been working in the lab all day and no matter what maintenance is telling him, the air conditioning is still not working. She processed all the data and what does she find here in the garden? A courier hitting on a guest. Pascal says, what exactly does she propose he do about it? and she says, peel Greta off that guy and send her back to Port Charles. He says, Greta is still on the clock. He asked her to get to know Mr. Moore. Britt asks, why? What does Pascal think he’s up to? He says, perhaps nothing, but he needs to be sure. It seems the WSB has infiltrated the Five Poppies. She asks how he knows that, and he says he has sources everywhere. She says she guesses so, and he says, it’s nothing for her to worry about. It’s handled. He’s having the staff run a security review of the guests just to be on the safe side. Jason and Greta clink glasses.

Jack tells Carly that he’s glad to switch gears from Bureau business to an actual emergency for a change, but please tell her staff to stop put potato scraps in the garbage disposal. The starch gets caught in the blade and disaster is ensured. She says she would if it was their fault, and points to herself. She says she should have known better. Her friend Maxie is in the hospital, and she’s been a bit distracted. He says, Maxie Jones? What happened? She says, they don’t know. She collapsed and hasn’t woken up. They don’t know what’s wrong and it’s all she can think about.  

Laura says she thinks Lulu is right where Maxie would want her to be, in her home taking care of her children, and Lulu says, they are always Maxie’s first priority. Laura says, she’s right, and the thing is, it’s still early on. They weren’t given any definitive information about her condition, and things really could change at any moment. She might wake up later today. Lulu says, she better. She can’t shake the image of Maxie in her hospital bed. The thought of Maxie losing years of her life in a coma like she did is unbearable. Laura says, here’s the thing. Maxie has the same strong will and determination Lulu has. She believes it’s that quality that brought Lulu back to her and thinks it will be the same with Maxie. Lulu says she wishes there was something more she could do, and Laura says she’s doing it. Maxie never gave up on her, so she knows Lulu will never give up on Maxie.

Michael says he doesn’t think Cody could fake the level of concern he showed for Molly the night of the fire at Charlie’s, and she says, it did seem genuine. Is he saying he thinks Cody has feelings for her? He says he doesn’t know Cody well enough to know and if he did, it wouldn’t be his place to tell her. It seemed like all he wanted to do was right by her. Molly says, maybe he’ll laugh. This is silly, but she thinks she actually needs to get over whatever it is she’s feeling for Cody and just forget it. Forget him and move on. Michael says, don’t take him the wrong way, but does she think she can just get over Cody? If she could, wouldn’t she have done it by now?

Ava tells Cody, Molly hides behind a very carefully crafted front, but she has the worst qualities of both parents. Molly is as disingenuous as Ric, and as judgmental as Alexis. And she’s going to teach every single one of them not to mess with her. She’s stayed with Ric as long as she could. She just wants to watch them squirm, especially Molly. He says, it sounds like a lot of work. He can think of better ways for her to spend her time and better people to spend it with.

Ric asks why Nina wants him to tell Willow to stay away from Drew. It’s not like the court will hold who Willow associates with against her. (Does he know anything about the custody hearing?) Nina says, because she’s paying him and he’ll do what she wants him to do. He says, so she wants him to lie, and she says, that’s correct. She wants him to lie. However will he manage?

Willow says, Kristina knows how much she loves her children and knows she’s a good mother. She needs Kristina to be willing to say that in court. Kristina says, why her, of all people? and Willow says she has colleagues who are willing to testify on her behalf, but according to Ric, she also needs a family member. All she has to do is tell the truth. Kristina says she’s sorry. Michael is her brother. She thinks Willow should find someone else. Willow says Kristina’s brother is keeping her children from her. Can she not see how painful that is? Kristina was almost a mother herself. Kristina said she still is and always will be. So for Willow to suggest otherwise… Willow says she’s sorry, so sorry. That was… Kristina says, Willow doesn’t want her to testify. She should be glad, because if she did, she’d tell the judge that Willow should never see her children again. Willow says Kristina was the only one who treated her with any decency when Michael got hurt, and Kristina says, what choice did she have? Willow was withholding treatment. She pretended for his sake. She didn’t trust Willow, and she was right. When Michael was in Germany, she had to arrange for the calls so the children could speak with their father because Willow was too busy with Drew. Willow says she told Kristina that she was being kept out of the loop. She admits to making a mistake. Kristina says, a mistake that she was more than willing to continue making until she found out Drew was sleeping with her mother. Then she showed up at Carly’s house, a complete mess, screaming and crying. She knew the children were there. She knew Wiley could see her like that. Does she have any idea how much she upset him? Willow says because Michael is turning the kids against her. That’s why. He’s been keeping them from her. Kristina says, no. Michael hasn’t been keeping the kids from her. The judge is and for good reason. She’s a terrible mother. Willow walks away and Elizabeth asks Kristina to come with her.

Jason tells Greta, that’s crazy because he was thinking about renting a motorcycle and taking it for a ride along the coastline, and she says, the views are incredible, but the roads can be treacherous. He says he can handle that. He’s got some experience. What about her? He doesn’t meet many women who ride. She says she’s not many women, and he says he can see that. Josslyn almost walks out, but sees Jason and backs up quickly. Jason and Greta leave and Josslyn jets.

Cody tells Ava not to waste her time with Ric. She’s moved on to something better. She says she certainly hopes so, and he says when he first got here, he was feeling blue, but not anymore. She says, he makes her smile and she’s happy to return the favor, and he says there has to be something he can do to thank her. They kiss and he says, she’s not going to give him another forceful caress? She says she has something much better in mind.

Molly tells Michael that she misspoke when she said she needed to get over Cody. That’s not the right word. It’s not like she’s head over heels or something. Michael tells her that he didn’t say that she was, but Cody did seem to be living rent free in her head. He and Molly are a lot alike. They think before they act and think of every possible outcome and prepare accordingly. That’s a huge asset in their professional lives, but a little paralyzing when it came to their personal lives. Molly says, that’s probably true, but it’s not something she can change. It’s not something she wants to change. That methodical, logical thinking has made her who she is. He tells her that he’s not saying she should change. He’s just saying maybe she should look at the situation with the same keen eye she uses on others. She says, keep talking, and he says, right now, she’s living in the land of hypotheticals. She’s thinking of every possible way things could go wrong with Cody. What if she spent some time with him in real life instead and see how she feels?

Kristina says, Willow has some nerve asking her to be a character reference, and Elizabeth says, she’s desperate. She’s terrified she’s going to lose her children because of bad decisions she made. Kristina says, terrible decisions, and Elizabeth says, decisions that she made without thinking, in the heat of the moment. She thought Kristina would know something about that. Kristina says she would never throw her family away for someone like Drew, and Elizabeth says, maybe not, but she would make the rash decision to cut someone’s brake lines for her family. She would have thought Kristina would have a little empathy. Willow is fighting to get her life back. Kristina would have been in the same exact position facing legal consequences, but she didn’t because some people showed empathy and didn’t go to the police. Kristina asks if Elizabeth is saying, if she doesn’t testify for Willow, she’ll turn her in.  

Michael suggests a coffee date, and Molly says she hasn’t done this as an adult. She and TJ got together when they were young. Then they were together a long time, so she thinks she’s just going to get big signal and… Michael says, it’s just coffee. It’s one cup and then he has the feeling she’ll know what she wants to do. She says, okay. She can do that. She thanks him, and he says, one more thing. He knows they’re the risk adverse type, but he doesn’t regret any chances he took for love. It helped him land the best thing in his life, his kids. After a long day, all he wants to do is come get an iced tea and go home to see them. And now, he doesn’t even care about the iced tea part. Good luck. He leaves.

Carly tells Jack that she and Maxie have a very complex emotional connection. Her mom had a daughter named BJ. She was killed in a school bus accident when she was little. At the same time, Maxie needed a heart transplant. BJ’s heart saved Maxie’s life. Jack says, that’s an incredible story. Is Maxie having trouble with her heart? Carly tells him that they said she had a heart attack, but now her heart was working perfectly. So something else has to be going on. He says he can see why she’s so worried. Losing a child? He can’t imagine it. It must have been terrible for her mom. She says she didn’t know her mom until after she lost BJ. Her mom grieved her daughter, but moved on in spite of the pain. She didn’t let that loss steal the joy that made her who she was, right? She had no idea how hard it must have been for her mom until she lost Morgan. He says, her resilience is nothing short of astonishing, and she says she has a lot to live for. Michael, Josslyn, and Donna. That’s why she’ll always be grateful to him. He says, all he did was fix her sink, but she says, he got Michael into the clinic. He gave Michael his life back, which means he gave her her life back. There’s nothing more important to her than her kids. He says he was happy to help. Anyone can see how she lights up when she talks about her kids. She says she’s spoken to Michael and squeezed the stuffing out of Donna. Now she just wants to wrap her arms around Josslyn.

As they fold laundry, Lulu says she can’t imagine what it’s been like for Laura. All those years. Four years of visiting her and never giving up hope. She doesn’t understand how Laura did it. Laura said she wanted to see Lulu. She wanted sit with her. She wanted hold Lulu’s hand and talk to her. She wanted Lulu to know how much her family loved her. Lulu says she did. She has no conscious memory of it, but she thinks she could feel Laura. Laura, Maxie, Dante, Rocco, and Charlotte, they were a beacon that helped her find her way home. Laura says that’s exactly what she’d always hoped for because she always believed Lulu was going to wake up and come back to them. If Lulu could just believe that now for Maxie, it might help her find her way back too. Lulu says she’ll try, and Laura says, good. She knows it won’t be easy, but it will be worth doing. Lulu says she doesn’t think she fully understood how hard a time it was for Laura until now. All those years at her bedside and not giving up. She only hopes she has half the strength Laura does.

Elizabeth says, this isn’t blackmail. She’s just asking Kristina to consider Willow’s request. Kristina says Elizabeth is asking her to testify against her own brother, but Elizabeth says she doesn’t really see it that way. It isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about doing what’s best for the kids. Kristina says, what’s best for the kids is for Michael to have full custody. End of story. Elizabeth says, Willow is the kids’ mother, and she thinks Willow deserves a second chance. She knows Willow has demonstrated terrible judgment. She’s made mistakes, just like Kristina. The only difference is that Kristina was shown some grace. All she’s asking is for Kristina to pay it forward.

Laura tells Lulu, look at all the things she’s been through, and she’s always come through with flying colors. Lulu asks if Laura is looking at her through mom-colored glasses, and Laura says, maybe a little bit, but she thinks her point still stands. It was hard to see her beautiful daughter lying in a hospital bed, but not so hard that she didn’t want to come back and visit again. And it certainly never made her give up hope. Lulu says, why not? and Laura says because she loves Lulu. If Maxie needs Lulu to hold her hand and be a beacon, she’ll be able to do it because she loves Maxie. Lulu asks how Laura is so wise, and Laura says, that is one of the universe’s great mysteries.

On the phone, Willow tells Drew that she needs him to help get her kids back, and Elizabeth overhears.

Molly walks into the stables and calls for Cody. She goes in the back and finds Cody and Ava getting busy. She says, sorry, and runs out.

Kristina goes back home and flashes back to her altercation with Ava in the hotel room before her fall. She paces then sits down, and remembers cutting the brake lines on Ric’s car, thinking it was Ava’s. There’s a knock at the door and it’s Ric.

Carly tells Jack that she knows Josslyn is fine, even though she’s one the other side of the world. She knows how lucky that makes her. Felicia is just sitting next to her daughter, unable to reach her. She can’t imagine what that feels like. Jack says he thinks she probably can, and Carly says, Felicia already lost a daughter. She lost Georgie. She knows from experience, a mother can survive losing one child, barely. If she lost another, that would be the end of her. She couldn’t go on. She wouldn’t want to go on. He says, she’ll never have to find out. That’s never going to happen. He holds her.

Josslyn goes back to the room and calls Vaughn’s name, but he’s not there. She turns to find Pascal in the doorway holding a gun. He says if she’s looking for her husband, otherwise known as Agent Vaughn, he’ll be more than happy to facilitate her reunion.

Jason is about to make a call in his room when there’s a knock at the door. He tosses the phone on the bed and opens the door to Britt.

Ha-ha-ha – Agent Vaughn! I’m pretty sure he has a last name. It sounded like he was a pediatrician or a youth minister.

🧼 All the Soap News Fit To Print…

My guess is that Maxie will encounter Nathan while she’s unconscious.

https://ew.com/ryan-paevey-is-returning-to-general-hospital-after-seven-years-11792848

If you didn’t watch then or need a refresher course.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/general-hospital-rewind-remembering-b-j-s-death-30-years-later/

Tony’s tribute. Great photos!

https://ew.com/general-hospital-star-anthony-geary-mourns-tristan-rogers-11794887

I just wish they’d get on with honoring Monica already.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/its-only-my-opinion-why-gh-days-and-other-soaps-should-honor-beloved-stars-when-they-die/

Interesting cross over. I’m a big fan of Beyond the Gates, but only watched Y&R for a brief time when Marc Singer was guest starring, but Kristoff St. John was on one of my favorite kickboxing fitness videos, Kick Butt. He was gone all too soon.

https://ew.com/bryton-james-tribute-young-and-the-restless-dad-kristoff-st-john-11789053

This sounds like a good time. It starts on Halloween.

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/get-tickets-for-the-2025-general-hospital-fan-celebration-at-graceland/

💉 A Dose Of Reality…

Below Deck

The boat needed a part – from Miami – which was taking its time getting there, and the guests decided it was a good excuse not to tip. One of them told Captain Kerry that a lack of tip wasn’t a reflection of their group and while he did it in the nicest of ways, the captain shamed him, saying it wasn’t the staff’s fault. Truth. If I was with someone who tried to pull that, we’d be done. Chef Anthony pitched a fit when asked what time lunch was, but after Captain Kerry divvied up the pittance of a tip, $19K, the chef successfully completed the task.

Below Deck Season 12 Episode 12 Recap: One Stuck Superyacht

The Real Housewives Of Miami

Larsa unfollowed Marcus. According to Guerdy, pigs flew. No surprise, there was an argument in public at dinner, this time between Adriana and Kiki, who called Adriana old. In Marysol’s interview, she said karma had come to roost on Adriana, and we flashed back to Adriana calling Marysol an old whore. From the preview of next week, it looks like they’ll move onto the next leg of their journey and no doubt the next argument.

Real Housewives of Miami Season 7 Episode 12 Recap: Stephanie Can’t Handle the Drama

The Real Housewives Of Orange County

Shannon was late to some alligator tour which caused Gina to have a meltdown over having too many things. Shannon said she’d had an anxiety attack. Tamra said she was gone, but not really. We were forced to watch her therapy session where she said she was afraid of not being liked. Then she met Fancy Pants for lunch and bitched about Gretchen. Emily freaked out over her son’s eating disorder and as usual, her husband thought she was overreacting. And at this point, I wish they’d just let go of the whole Katie/blogger/Gretchen thing. Gretchen seems to have a memory like Swiss cheese and really, who cares?

Real Housewives of Orange County Season 19 Episode 7 Recap: Is Katie Protecting Gretchen and Slade?

Random Reality Items

This dude has become the definition of ingrate. What a shame.

Denise Richards Asks Judge To Kick Aaron Phypers Out of Their House

I miss this show… sniff…

Where Juliet Angus and Caroline Stanbury Stand Years After Ladies of London (August 2025)

Boy, bye.

America’s Got Talent: Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras Get a Red Buzzer — Watch

Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Jax Taylor Dropped From BravoCon Lineup

👀 Last Weekend’s Watch…

Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser. Netflix. Three-part documentary. I’m pretty sure I watched some of this show at the beginning, but lost interest. Or possibly I couldn’t stand the humiliation, the whole reason I refuse to watch things like The Bachelor. I’ve been at my fighting weight for a while, but like many women have always fought the battle with my weight. I can tell you this, 800 calories a day and working out 6-8 hours a day is not a sustainable plan. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the challenges were nothing but embarrassing, with contestants running around with donuts in their mouths they were forbidden to eat. While the embarrassment is real for the over-the-norm weight, I’m pretty sure no one would have to meet such a challenge in real life. There was too much purely for entertainment and too little of real education. No surprise, nearly all the contestants gained the weight back and then some afterward. Fascinating and sickening at the same time.

https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/fit-for-tv-documentary-release-date-news

https://www.slashfilm.com/1945855/netflix-the-biggest-loser-doc-fit-for-tv-exposes-evil-show/

47 Meters Down. Netflix. Truth be told, I love sharks IRL and think they get bad press, but they’re still high on my list of horror film sub-genres I love to see. In the deep sea, there are more terrors that lurk than the aquatic residents, like running out of oxygen. While there was definitely a shark to be feared, probably the biggest scares came from other sources. It was good, but I have to admit, I kind of felt like my father when we saw one of the Jaws sequels – bring on the music and the shark already.

’47 Meters Down’ takes underwater terror to new depths

The Phoenician Scheme. Peacock. Another thing my father used to say was, if someone wasn’t killed in the first ten minutes, he was leaving the theater. He was joking, since Sound of Music was staple in our household, but he would have loved this film. An industrialist has decided to make his estranged nun daughter his heir, hiring a tutor to help her make her way through new territory. Many cameos, fun weapons, and dry hilarity ensue. It took me a minute to get to this one, but it wasn’t a waste of time and it’s definitely something different.

https://theconversation.com/the-phoenician-scheme-a-fun-watch-even-though-its-the-same-journey-in-a-different-vehicle-257658

🪄 Upon Another Time…

I loved this show, but I’m torn as to whether a return would be the best idea.

https://ew.com/lana-parrilla-open-returning-to-once-upon-a-time-exclusive-11792004

👠 We Call Her Bernie…

I was sad to hear Terence Stamp passed away. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is one of my all-time favorite films and a tradition for me to watch on New Year’s Eve if I’m celebrating at home. He was my favorite character, and I’m disappointed that the future sequel (still on the drawing board) won’t include him, but I assume it will begin with Bernadette’s funeral, like the original began with Trumpet’s. It’s only fitting.

https://ew.com/terence-stamp-dead-superman-and-the-limey-star-was-87-11792425

🐾 Promotion, Parents, and Persuasion…

🐕 Hmm… Pet Island perhaps?

https://people.com/ariana-madix-joins-aspca-to-promote-pet-adoption-11795710

🪸 As it should be.

https://people.com/photographer-captures-rare-moment-female-seahorses-pass-eggs-to-their-mates-to-carry-11794551

🐈 I still think it’s hilarious that he told the kids cats were poisonous.

https://people.com/taylor-swift-says-it-was-great-challenge-introducing-jason-kelce-s-kids-to-her-cats-11790902

https://people.com/kylie-kelce-taylor-swift-might-help-convince-jason-kelce-to-get-a-cat-11790770

✒️ Quotes of the Week

We do not remember days, we remember moments. The richness of life lies in memories we have forgotten. – Cesare Pavese

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. – William Feather

In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story. – Walter Cronkite

There is only one way to avoid criticism. Do nothing. Be nothing. Say nothing. – Aristotle

When I don’t make a catch, it doesn’t bother me. It’s not part of my metrics for my self-worth. – Taylor Swift

If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes. – Andrew Carnegie

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. – Oscar Wilde

I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday. – Eleanor Roosevelt

You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength – Marcus Aurelius

On every reality show, people say lame things that we can never say. No fist bumping, no high fives. You can’t tell me to bring it, shut it down, or put our cupcake business on the map. You can’t tell me to go, girl or bring my A game, and we don’t got this. Cool? – Max Black (Kat Dennings), 2 Broke Girls

🏄‍♀️ Drinking In the Wild Air…

Until next week, stay safe; stay never swimming where they’ve planted red flags on the beach – seriously, don’t do it no matter how strong a swimmer you are; and stay being a beacon wherever you can be.