MARQUETTE COVE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Robert Bale stood outside the Emergency Room, where Melissa Maddock was standing next to him. Both were feeling mixed emotions of guilt and concern regarding Felicia Bale, Robert's wife. She had walked in on them having sex in Robert's office and when she tried to leave she was hit by a car.

"This is all my fault," Robert said, gripping the receptionist desk he was standing next to.

"Don't blame yourself," Melissa said. "You couldn't have know she would get hit by a car."

Robert shook his head. "I should have stopped her."

Simon Holden emerged from the Emergency Room with a solemn look on his face. He paused in front of Robert and held Felicia's chart down at his side. "She's been stabilized."

"What does that mean?" Robert asked.

"She's out of the danger zone, but she's in a coma," Simon explained. "Unfortunately, that's all I can say at this moment."

Robert nodded. "Can I see her?"

Simon hesitated briefly, but ultimately allowed Robert to enter the Emergency Room to visit his wife. Robert followed Simon inside and stood by his wife's bed. Felicia looked frail while lying the bed covered in bandages and with tubes sticking out of her body.

"Is she going to make it, Simon?" Robert asked.

"Hope for the best," Simon responded.

Alec Bale led his cousin, Sara Reynolds, to the Emergency Room where his father called and asked them to meet him. Once they arrived they found Melissa standing near the receptionist's desk with her arms folded.

"Melissa, what's going on?" Sara asked.

"Hey Sara," Melissa said. "Your uncle's in the Emergency Room with Felicia now."

"How the hell did this happen?" Alec demanded, not addressing anyone in particular. "Why would my mom have run into traffic like that? That other woman had to have been speeding."

Melissa nervously turned away from Alec so she wouldn't feel compelled to offer up an explanation, but accidentally ran into someone else. She gasped when she saw Michael Hanley standing before her.

"Michael!"

"Hello Melissa," Michael said, greeting her. "Still hanging around Robert like a puppy dog, I see."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Melissa insisted.

"I'll bet. How is Felicia?"

"She'll be doing a lot better once you're gone."

Michael turned to find Robert coming out of the Emergency Room, coldly starting at Michael. Robert brushed past his son and his niece, so that he was standing next to Melissa. "Get out of here, Michael."

"I'm concerned for Felicia," Michael said. "One of us should be."

"Get out of here!" Robert repeated. "Or I swear to God, I'll kill you!"



YORK HOTEL
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

"That's impossible!" Ryan Phillips cried. "I made her get an abortion! And we slept together almost a year ago — she'd be farther along than this!"

Ryan was standing next to his wife, Vanessa, in their honeymoon suite where on of their high school students, Alexis Lopez, had just barged into the room claiming to be pregnant with Ryan's child. In Ryan's haste to explain how she couldn't be pregnant with his child, he realized the error he had just made.

Vanessa stared at Ryan in shock, while Alexis merely watched Ryan with a confused look on her face.

"You never made me…" Alexis's voice trailed off. "What is he talking about?"

Ryan realized that he had just inadvertently outed himself. "Oh…shit."

"Oh my God," Vanessa gasped. "You slept with a student, Ryan!"

"Just before Thanksgiving break," Alexis explained. "We made love all weekend and then I got pregnant. We want to start a family together."

"Thanksgiving break?!" Ryan demanded. "Will you listen to this nutcase?! She can't be pregnant!"

"You just admitted to sleeping with a student, Ryan!" Vanessa exclaimed. "I don't want to listen to a single thing you have to say right now!"

"Vanessa…it was just a reflex," Ryan insisted.

"It's a goddamn reflex to bang one of your students?!"

"No, I meant my explanation," Ryan said. "I didn't sleep with her, it was just a reflex from the time you cheated on me and accused me of having an affair with Samantha while we were dating."

Vanessa frowned, almost feeling guilty for a moment, when she realized that Ryan was just trying to manipulate her. She was finally discovering the secret he had been keeping from her for months, and she wasn't going to let him squirm his way out of it now.

"Don't you try and change the subject with me, Ryan! Don't you try and change the goddamn subject!"

Vanessa cradled their child, Eamon, and walked him to the bed. She set her child down on the bed and then started to grab her luggage from the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm getting the hell out of here," Vanessa snapped.

"Good riddance," Alexis muttered, grabbing Ryan's arm. "Ryan, make her leave faster. Maybe we can try to make twins."

"You're sick, you know that?" Ryan demanded. "I didn't sleep with you, Alexis! Tell Vanessa the truth!"

Ryan slipped out of Alexis's hands and gripped her wrist. He pushed her toward Vanessa and twisted her arm back until she cried out.

"You tell Vanessa the truth now, or so help me God I'll break your fucking arm."



HANLEY HOME

Riley Schaefer opened the door for Jessica Reyes and smiled as she stepped into the mansion. He closed the door behind her, and then asked her what he could do for her.

"I'm looking for Vince," Jessica said. "Is he here?"

"He's upstairs, I'll go get him for you," Riley said. "I'd send you upstairs, but Michael doesn't want people roaming around the mansion when he's not home."

Jessica frowned, remembering her last actual encounter with Michael Hanley. He had badgered Jessica and her mother into dropping the assault charges Jessica filed against Vince. In hindsight, Jessica was now happy to have dropped the charges now that she had mended her fences with Vince.

As Riley disappeared upstairs, Jessica heard a commotion from inside the living room, which was closed. Jessica curiously walked over to the doors closing off the room and tried listening in. As she did, the doors flew open and she found Ariel Hanley standing in front of her.

"What the hell do you want?" Ariel demanded, glaring at Jessica.

"I'm sorry, I thought I heard Vince in there," Jessica explained.

"No, my father's charity case isn't here," Ariel snapped.

Jessica looked taken aback. Realizing that she was overreacting, Ariel regained her composure and apologized to Jessica for being rude. "I'm sorry…rough day."

"That's okay," Jessica said. "I know how —"

"Help me…"

"What was that?" Jessica asked.

"Nothing," Ariel insisted. "Probably the TV."

"There's a not TV in the living room," Jessica reminded Ariel.

"Well, then…I don't know," Ariel said. "Maybe you should wait for Vince out there."

Jessica walked into the living room and looked around. "Ariel, I'm serious, I thought I heard someone —"

Jessica cried out when she noticed one of her classmates, Michael Bergemann, lying on the floor. At first she figured that Michael had been fooling around with Michael in the living room, since he wasn't wearing a shirt, but then she noticed that half of his body seemed to be blanketed in ice.

"Help…me…" Michael moaned.

"Oh my God," Jessica gasped. "What are you doing to him, Ariel?!"

"Stay the hell away from my wife," Robert told Michael. "I won't tell you again."

"Really?" Michael asked. "Because you've been telling me that for months now, and if you're going to finally retire your idle threats I'd love to know."

Robert stepped forward to hit Michael, but Melissa pushed him back.

"Robert, it's not worth it," Melissa said. "He could have you arrested for assault."

"She's right," Michael said. "I mean…you're a danger to society, Robert."

"Shut up, Michael."

"Felicia agrees with me, you know," Michael continued. "She tells me…when we're in bed together…every night that we make love."

Unable to control himself anymore, Robert swung and punched Michael in the jaw. He tried attacking him again, but this time Alec and Simon rushed to keep Robert from doing anything else stupid. Michael leaned against the receptionist's desk, laughing.

"You're so predictable, Robert," Michael said. "Maybe that's why Felicia needed another lover."

Alec stared at Michael. "You're lying. My mother would never sleep with you. She's married to my father."

Michael smirked and excused himself. Once he was gone, Simon pulled Robert aside. He dragged Robert out of earshot and then tore into him about attacking Michael Hanley in public.

"What, are you stupid?" Simon demanded. "Do you know what he could do to you?"

"Why don't you enlighten me, Simon?" Robert asked. "You are his brother-in-law."

Simon sighed. "You need to work out your anger issues, Robert. Seriously."

Aaron Maddock stumbled out of the elevator at the hospital, nursing a bruise on his head with an ice pack. He still had several other visible bruises from the recent attack he had endured in his penthouse.

Hugh Rogers, the man currently in town looking to extort money from Aaron's cousin Melissa, had sent his thugs after Aaron when he found out that Aaron lied to him about Melissa being wealthy enough to pay him off.

"Damn," Aaron muttered. "Now what the hell am I supposed to do to protect Melissa? I can't let people find out about her past with Hugh…it would ruin her life."

"Ruin whose life?"

Aaron looked up and noticed Simon approaching him. Sighing, Aaron lowered the ice pack he was carrying and tried to come up with a sufficient answer that was also a blatant lie.



HANLEY HOME

"You stupid bitch," Ariel growled. "You should have listened to me!"

"What are you talking about?" Jessica demanded.

Instead of responding, Ariel balled her right hand into a fist and punched Jessica in the jaw. Jessica cried out and fell to the floor, unconscious. Ariel checked to make sure no one was looking, and then she walked over to Michael and lifted him into the air.

He squirmed while she held him in her iron grip, but it was futile, he wasn't escaping her. Ariel pulled Michael into a kiss, locking their lips together and sliding her tongue into his mouth. As she did so, Michael began crying out in pain as his insides were frozen like the other parts of his body.

In a matter of moments, Michael's entire body had been frozen solid. Ariel slammed his carcass onto the floor, causing it to shatter upon impact. Then she set her eyes on Jessica and pounced on her.

"Pucker up," Ariel said.

She kissed Jessica on her lips as well and began to drain the heat out of her body, leaving only a cold shell. Jessica struggled underneath Ariel, but she was pinned down to the floor. Before Ariel could freeze anything beyond Jessica's lower half, she heard Vince calling out to Jessica.

"Shit!"

Ariel punched Jessica in the face again, knocking her unconscious. Then she dashed out of the living room and into the foyer, where Vincent Moore was waiting to meet with Jessica. Ariel forced a smile.

"Hey Ariel," Vince said. "Have you seen Jessica?"

"Actually, I did," Ariel replied. "She said something came up, and she had to leave."

"Oh…really?" Vince asked. "That's a shame. Maybe I should call her and see what's up."

Ariel's eyes widened once she realized that if Vince called Jessica, her phone might start ringing in the living room. Ariel tried to come up with a reason to keep Vince from calling Jessica, when her prayers were answered. Vince's own cell phone began to ring.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ariel watched as Vince answered his phone.

"Hello?" Vince answered. "Oh, hey mom. What's up?"

Vince excused himself and opened the front door so that he could take the phone call outside. One he stepped out the door, Ariel rushed back to the living room and dug in Jessica's pockets for a cell phone. When she found it, Ariel turned the cell phone off and stuck it back in Jessica's pocket.

"That was close."



MARQUETTE COVE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

"It's not important," Aaron said. "Just one of my patients."

"I see," Simon said, surveying the visible bruises on Aaron. "What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Aaron replied. "I got mugged."

Simon's eyes widened. "Oh God, what did they take?"

"Just my wallet…look, that's not why I came here," Aaron said. "I was just coming to tell you that I need a month or so before I can start in our plans to open up a practice together."

"Oh…well, that's fine," Simon said, frowning. "Is there any particular —"

Before Simon could finish his sentence, there was an announcement over the hospital PA system asking for Simon to report to the Emergency Room immediately. Simon swore under his breath, realizing that something was wrong with Felicia.

"I have to go."

He hurried to the Emergency Room, where he found Robert standing outside the room with Melissa. Sara was standing off to the side with Michael not that far away from her. Grimacing, Simon approached one of the doctors exiting the room.

"What's happening?" Simon demanded.

"The patient has just gone into cardiac arrest," the doctor explained.

Simon continued moving into the Emergency Room without missing a beat.

"I'm on the other line with my mom, Alec," Vince snapped. "What do you want?"

"Look, I'm just trying to find Jessica," Alec said. "I wanted to give her the heads up about my mom."

"Whatever is wrong with your family now can wait," Vince insisted.

"My mom was hit by a car, Vince," Alec explained, anger creeping into his voice. "I don't even know if she's going to make it through the night."

Vince remained silent for a moment. "Alec…I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Where's Jessica?" Alec demanded, ignoring Vince's apology.

"She's…she's with me," Vince lied. "I'll tell her about your mom."

"Can you put her on the —"

"We're really busy right now," Vince said. "I'll have her call you back later."

Vince hung up the phone before Alec could get out a response. Once he heard the phone on the other end click off, Alec angrily hung up the pay phone he was using. Jessica had been so quick to help Vince after his uncle died, but now when Alec's mother was fighting for her life…she couldn't even bother to talk to him.

Alec clenched his teeth. "They can both go to hell."



YORK HOTEL
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ryan," Alexis cried.

"Tell her that you slept with one of the students at school," Ryan said. "Tell her that I tried to help you with your pregnancy, but I didn't get you pregnant!"

"Stop lying, Ryan," Vanessa said. "Stop fucking lying!"

Vanessa finished packing clothes into a bag and slung it over her shoulder. She picked up Eamon and started toward the door, but Ryan stepped in front of her and tried stopping her. "Vanessa, will you just stop for a minute! I'm trying to explain this to you."

"Get out of my way, Ryan."

"No," Ryan said. "I'm trying to explain everything to you, but you won't listen to me!"

Ryan set Eamon down on the bed again, then turned to face Ryan. She smiled at him, then before he knew what was coming; she swung and punched him in the face. Ryan fell to the floor from the force of the blow.

"Oh my God, you stupid bitch!" Alexis cried. "You hit my boyfriend!"

"Your boyfriend?" Vanessa demanded. "You're just as screwed up as he said you are, didn't he? I still want to help you, Alexis. You should have told me that Ryan took advantage of you!"

"He didn't take advantage of me," Alexis said, lunging at Vanessa. "You're a whore!"

Deciding that she'd had enough of Alexis, Vanessa swung and punched her in the face as well. Once Alexis stumbled and fell to the floor, Vanessa picked up Eamon once more and headed toward the door.

"Vanessa, where the hell are you going?" Ryan moaned, climbing to his feet.

"I'm going back to Marquette Cove, Ryan!" Vanessa cried, disappearing into the hallway. "This honeymoon is over!"



HANLEY HOME

While making sure that Vince was still outside, Ariel dragged Jessica's frozen body up the stairs. There was still energy left in her that Ariel could drain later, and so she would have to stash the body in her room.

Of course, assuming she didn't leave Jessica frozen long enough for it to become a moot point. Ariel reached the top of the stairs and walked to her room, carrying Jessica in her arms. When she opened the door, she set Jessica's body in her closet and closed it.

Ariel left her room and returned downstairs as Vince returned to the foyer.

"I tried giving Jessica a call, but her phone's off," Vince muttered.

"Huh," Ariel said, shrugging her shoulders. "Imagine that."