08/06/1997



"Tad was jailed overnight. In the morning he met with Belinda and pleaded for her to get him out of jail He'd do anything---later he proved that he really wouldn't do anything. Belinda told Tad that the judge in charge of setting his bail was playing a round of golf. She advised him to hope that his honor had a good game and felt generous enough to let him out of jail.

A few hours later, Belinda returned. She told Tad that the judge shot a below-par round of golf (as opposed to a sub par performance, I suppose). Tad was released from bail. And about that promise Tad made to do "anything?" Belinda asked Tad to steer clear of Dimitri. Tad replied that he would not make any promises that he knows he cannot keep.

Scott, Kevin, and Kelsey sunbathed near the boathouse. While the three enjoyed the rays, a bikini-wearing classmate of Scott invited herself to the party. Ginny proudly announced that she and her good-for-nothing boyfriend had just broken up. After her statement on her eligibility, she quickly asked Scott if he was still seeing Laura. Scott said that he and Laura were still together. Kelsey offered to apply some suntan lotion to Ginny, but Ginny preferred to have Scott's hands massaging her body. And as Scott applied the lotion, Laura happened upon the party and assumed the worst. Kevin chased after Laura and told her that Scott and Ginny were not involved in any hanky panky. He was simply applying some suntan lotion. Laura claimed that she didn't care what Scott was doing because they "aren't married." Back at the party scene, Ginny asked Kelsey if she and Kevin were an item. With a bashful smile, Kelsey said that she and Kevin are boyfriend and girlfriend. Kevin and Laura returned to the scene. A few yards away, the Pine Valley University men's rowing team began its daily practice. Ginny's drooled as she described every inch of the men's bodies. Kelsey did some quick thinking and created a story about one of the rowers. She said that the man had just separated from his girlfriend and said that he is everything that Ginny could want. Ginny quickly dashed away to talk to the object of her desire. Scott and Laura went off to talk privately. Laura apologized to Scott for acting so foolishly. She told Scott that she wants to put her past behind her and start a new future with Scott. The two patched up their differences with a kiss.

Brooke, Edmund, and Maria had breakfast together even though Brooke's mind was elsewhere. Not knowing that the man who confronted Laura the night before was eavesdropping on them, Brooke told the Greys about Laura's past and how she lost her mother. Janet saw the trio sitting together and walked over to their table to say hello. Brooke told Janet that Laura had returned to Pine Valley because Holidays was short-handed. Janet looked confused and said that when she left Holidays had had more than enough help. That was enough to cause Brooke to worry. She apologized to Edmund and Maria for acting like an overprotective parent. Maria wouldn't accept the apology. She told Brooke that she had every right to be worried and told Brooke that she was justified in wanting to return home to check on her daughter. Brooke left to pack her things and Maria and Edmund were left to consider whether they should return home to spend time with Sam. They both agreed that returning home would be a good idea. The man, whose name will soon be revealed as Jim, called the airport and made a one-way reservation to fly to Pine Valley.

Dimitri took the stand to testify against Erica. He told the jury how he learned of Erica's faked Russian adoption and how easily Erica concocted the Esther-it-the-mom story. Jack decided that Dimitri's testimony had done enough damage to Erica's defense and asked no further questions. This enraged Dimitri, who wanted to see Erica crucified. He rose to his feet and implied that Jack was purposely trying to lose the case. He also announced that Jack and Erica had been intimate recently. The judge warned Dimitri that he was once again out of line and advised the jury to disregard everything Dimitri had said after Jack turned him over for cross-examining. Upon cross-examination, Dimitri began to look less credible. His believability had already been tarnished by his outburst but now he was forced to tell the jury about his affair with Maria. After Trevor was finished asking questions, Jack rested his case. Court recessed for several minutes, but there were still fireworks. Erica and Dimitri locked horns in the hallway outside of the courtroom. Dimitri told Erica that he wants to make sure that Erica gets what she deserves. Trevor warned Erica that she would be grilled when she took the stand in her own defense. Erica claimed that she was ready for it and the two went back into the courtroom.

At the airport, Jim readied to board the plane. Brooke tried to exchange her ticket, but she was told that there were no more seats left on the commuter flight to Pine Valley. Fortunately for her, Janet had been scheduled to return on the flight. She offered to swap tickets with Brooke so that she could return home to be with Laura. The flight boarded and Brooke and Jim walked down the hall to their plane.

Erica took to the stand in her own defense and painted a self-portrait of a woman confused by events she had no control over. She told the court how she was devastated by the loss of her child and how she felt a strong need to hold a baby after the miscarriage. She said that she knew it might not have been the best idea, but she needed to pursue the Russian adoption. She explained how she and Maria had come to their infamous confrontation at Willow Lake as well as how Erica's car crashed into the icy waters. The next crucial bit of testimony involved the intended return of Sonya to Edmund and Maria. She told the jury the already familiar story of how she overheard Dimitri say that the baby was better off dead than with Edmund. That brought Erica's childhood and her father's abandonment into play. Erica said that she "honestly felt that [Maria's] baby's future was in my hands." Sonya was a "gift from God," Erica continued. She concluded by saying that when she gave the baby back to Maria, Sonya seemed to ask "Why Mommy? Why are you giving me up?" At least one juror was moved to tears by the testimony. Jack rested his head in his hands, knowing that he had is work cut out for him. The question still left without an answer was to ask how Erica could justify stealing another woman's baby. Erica said that she could not justify what she had done. "When I lost my baby," she sniffled, "I lost my mind.""

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