Bob welcomed Chris back to the staff at Memorial. Chris was overjoyed to return to work, but before Chris could start his day, Bob warned Chris to keep his distance from Alison. Chris told his dad he could not do that because he still cared for his ex-girlfriend, but Bob advised Chris to meet someone new and forget about Alison. Chris tried to convince his father that Alison was the woman for him and he wanted a future with her. Bob realized he was fighting a losing battle and told Chris to tread lightly and always consider Alison's feelings so they did not have a repeat of Alison's sexual harassment lawsuit against Chris and the hospital.
Holden brought Aaron home from the hospital and Emma happily welcomed them both back to the farm. Moments later, Alison arrived and offered to get Aaron settled in his room. With Alison and Aaron upstairs, Emma asked Holden if he was back at the farm for good, too. Holden explained he was still staying at the Lakeview, but Emma thought Holden should be there to take care of his son while he recuperated. Holden explained he needed a fresh start and time away from the farm. Emma said she understood, but once Holden went to take care of his chores, she seemed upset by her son's decision.
Up in Aaron's room, Alison tried to make him comfortable in bed, but all Aaron wanted to do was talk about their relationship. Alison explained she was not ready for anything more than friendship and did not want to lose him. Aaron agreed to respect her wishes. Alison noticed Aaron's wound was bleeding through his bandage and decided to check on it. Once she did, she noticed the injury looked infected and decided to call the hospital to get Aaron's doctor to order antibiotics. Chris answered the phone and Alison tried to disguise her voice to avoid talking to him, but Chris was not fooled. Alison explained where she was and what was going on, so Chris, in an obvious attempt to impress Alison, offered to come by and check on Aaron's wound. Alison told Aaron who was coming to examine him and Aaron was not happy.
When Chris arrived, Aaron did not want him to touch him, but begrudgingly allowed Alison to take his bandage off so Chris could see his stitches. Once Chris saw the wound he knew it was infected and Alison convinced Aaron to let Chris take a closer look. Chris gave Aaron a shot of antibiotics and then told Alison that Aaron would need four shots a day to fight off the infection. Aaron asked Alison if she was all right with coming out to the farm that often and she said she was happy to take care of him. Alison and Chris left separately to return to the hospital.
Once at the hospital, Alison saw Chris in the hall and the two exchanged smiles. Alison stopped and thanked Chris for helping Aaron. Chris asked Alison if she was still uncomfortable being around him and he offered to keep his distance if she wanted him to. Alison said she was happy to work with Chris again and did not expect him to run and hide from her.
As Meg and Paul watched, Bonnie argued Paul's case for continuing the Snyder farm development project with the Oakdale planning commission. The board was reluctant to let the building continue until Paul could get rid of all the toxins in the soil. In a last-ditch effort to save the project, Bonnie promised all the contamination could be cleaned up in 30 days. A short time later, the board returned and told Paul he had his 30 days to get the site completely clean or it would be shut down.
Mike was at the construction site, desperately trying to figure out how the contamination of the soil was so high. As Mike worried about the project, Lily arrived with a surprise picnic dinner for her new friend. However, Mike was not in the mood to eat and told Lily he was not ready to push their relationship any further. Lily was shocked by Mike's lack of interest in her and even though he tried to convince her it was work, she left in a huff. As Holden worked on the farm, he caught a glimpse of Lily as she stormed off, and chased after her.
Once he found her, Holden asked Lily if she was all right. Lily lashed out at Holden in anger and said she was fine, but did not want Holden following her anymore. Holden told her it was an old habit of his to check up on her, but one he was sure he needed to break. Holden walked off and Lily pushed the picnic basket in anger.
After the meeting, Meg and Paul returned to the worksite to share the good news with Mike, but he told them that new tests showed higher levels of contamination than they had previously found and there was no way the work could be completed in 30 days. Meg knew that if the work could not be done, Emma would lose everything. Mike explained to Paul that it would take an incredible amount of money to complete the project on time. Paul told Mike not to worry about money and do whatever it took to get the work done. Meg was not sure that Paul had made the right choice and did not want him to go bankrupt to save the project. Paul told Meg not to worry about anything and guaranteed her he would find the money.
Meg went to tell her mom that it looked like Paul was going to be able to save the project. Emma was relieved to hear that everything was moving forward and began to cry when she heard the news. She was grateful that Paul was working to help her and told Meg that she could see the good in Paul.
While Meg visited her mother, Paul went to Metro and told Henry he needed money. Paul explained to Henry that he knew Henry could introduce him to people who could get him the money for the project. Henry was reluctant to set Paul up with a loan shark, but Paul said he needed the money right away. Henry gave Paul the information he needed and warned him to be careful.
Paul returned to Fairwinds and met with Derek Coburn, a friend of a friend of Henry's, who agreed to give Paul the money he needed. Derek handed Paul a briefcase full of cash and told him he had 30 days to repay the money in full. He wished Paul luck on his venture and started to leave just as Meg returned home. After Derek left, Meg wanted to know who he was and Paul lied and said he was a new consultant to the farm project. Meg accepted Paul's answer and the two decided to spend some time focusing on their relationship.
After Mike talked to Paul and Meg, he went and found Lily in the woods and apologized for dismissing her dinner invitation earlier. He tried to explain that work had been overwhelming him, but he was ready to talk. Lily tearfully said she did not want to keep moving forward if Mike was not interested in her, but Mike said he was very attracted to her and wanted to see where their relationship would go. Lily and Mike resolved their differences and agreed to have dinner together after Lily took care of something at the farm. Lily went to find Holden and apologized for her earlier outburst. Holden accepted and admitted they needed to find a way to deal with their new relationship. Holden admitted that since he was no longer seeing Carly, he believed things would get easier between him and Lily. Holden then asked if Lily was done dating Mike as well, but at that moment Mike arrived to pick up Lily for their date. Lily said Holden was wrong and left with Mike to have dinner.
Noah and Luke arrived at the Lakeview to meet with Lucinda about Luke's charitable foundation. Lucinda explained she had found a director for the organization and introduced the boys to Brian Wheatley. Brian was enthusiastic about Luke's ideas, but told everyone he was only taking the job for Lucinda. He gushed over Lucinda's business savvy and good looks, but told the boys to look over his credentials before they made a decision about hiring him.
After their meeting, Noah got a call from work and learned he did not need to go in that night. Noah asked Luke if he would like to go on a date and the two happily planned a night of fun together.
Lucinda phoned Brian and asked him to meet her at Worldwide. Brian was impressed with the offices and was happy to learn that Luke had hired him to run the charitable foundation. Lucinda welcomed Brian to the Worldwide family. Brian offered to take Lucinda to dinner to celebrate his new position, and she accepted.
After her day in front of the planning commission, Bonnie returned to Metro to help Henry get set up for the night. Later that night, Lucinda and Brian showed up for dinner at the club, but once Brian heard the music, he pulled Lucinda onto the dance floor. As the two danced and laughed, Luke and Noah showed up ready for their romantic date and were happily surprised to see Brian and Lucinda on the dance floor. Noah decided it would be a great idea if he and Luke had a dance as well, so the couple joined Lucinda and Brian.
As Henry worked the bar at Metro, Bonnie asked him why Paul had stopped by earlier. Henry warned Bonnie to stay clear of Paul, and this bit of advice caused Bonnie to wonder what Paul and Henry were up to. Henry refused to say, but warned his friend to drop Paul as a client.
Alison and Aaron went to Memorial for Aaron's follow-up appointment. Aaron refused to be seen by Chris Hughes and demanded another doctor. Alison tried to convince her two suitors that she preferred to think of their conflict as an opportunity to get over their difficulties, but Aaron wasn't convinced. Susan stepped in and offered to examine Aaron and thus solved the problem. Aaron got a good report; his wound was healing nicely.
Emma was concerned at the farm and told Mike that her veterinarian had found that the farm-grown feed that she gave the livestock was probably also contaminated. She was also worried that the peaches in her pies were tainted. They discussed whether the toxic land might affect the children who spent so much time there, and Meg reassured her mother that Paul was doing everything possible to make sure the project was safe and successful.
Mike put in a call to Paul and asked him to come to the site for a discussion. The two of them met, and Mike was especially doubtful that the 30-day reprieve granted by the commission would be realistic for cleaning up the soil. As the men walked the property, they were surprised to meet Emily, who was in reporter mode. She asked Paul if it was true that he was building eco-friendly homes on contaminated land. Paul reminded her that she was on private property, and he assured her and her tape recorder that he was personally doing the appropriate testing and that all the homes built there would be safe. Paul also threatened to take down Emily and her Intruder if she pursued the story. He inadvertently mentioned his investors, which Emily immediately picked up. Emily asked if Paul had secret investors.
At Memorial, Alison was surprised to see Dani Andropoulos, and introduced her to Chris. Dani remembered that Alison and Chris had once had been engaged but wanted to know if Aaron was Alison's new boyfriend. Alison was befuddled for a minute, but then she answered "yes." Dani asked about Chris's marital status and honed in on him as "fair game." Susan brought Aaron back and invited them to lunch at Al's, and all accepted except Dani, who had an appointment.
At Metro, Derek Coburn, Henry's loan shark connection, came in and struck up a smooth conversation with Bonnie. Henry arrived and Bonnie introduced them. Bonnie then told Henry in front of Derek that she had heard rumors that Paul's project at the Snyder farm was in great jeopardy. Paul was running out of money, she had heard. Derek asked some pointed questions and then left.
Mike returned to Emma's house to find Meg not feeling well. She was dizzy and felt sick to her stomach. When she almost passed out, Mike volunteered to take her to the hospital, which he did. At Memorial, he left her in a waiting room while he went to find a doctor.
Paul followed Emily back to her office and implored her not to write her story on the development. They argued, and Casey interrupted the discussion as Paul threatened to sue Emily. Paul got a call from Meg at the hospital telling him she was there, and Paul hurriedly left. Emily and Casey talked about the developing story, and Casey warned her that Paul was a "scary guy." Emily felt that she needed to break this story for her own feeling of worth, however. Casey helped her find all the paperwork on the project online, and Emily went to work on her story. When she finished, she wanted to celebrate with Casey, but he passed on that and went to class instead.
At Al's, Susan, Aaron, and Alison enjoyed lunch and discussed Dani and her immediate attraction to Chris. Aaron referred to the Stewart cousin as an "in your face" kind of gal. Susan realized she was late for work and dashed for the hospital, while Aaron and Alison decided to go to the Lakeview so that Aaron could talk with his boss about returning to his bartending job.
At the Lakeview, Dani was offered, and accepted, a job compiling crime statistics for the city. She celebrated by starting to order a drink, but Chris Hughes walked in and made a recommendation for a wine he favored. Dani asked him to share it with her, and the two of them shared a table and the wine. Alison and Aaron found them there and asked what they were celebrating. Dani explained about her new job and Alison realized that meant Dani would be staying in Oakdale.
When Paul arrived at Memorial looking for Meg, he was surprised to find Mike there. Mike explained that he had been with Meg when she felt ill and had brought her in. Mike left to go back to the farm, and a doctor told Paul that Meg was stable but they were running more tests. Paul went in to sit with his wife when he received a whispered call from Mike, who had found Derek Coburn wandering around the Snyder property. Coburn identified himself as a friend of Paul's and wanted permission to look around. Mike wanted verification of all this from Paul, who gave instructions that Mike was to tell Coburn nothing and that he would be there shortly. Meg told Paul that she had gotten a clean bill of health and was released. She said she would get dressed immediately and go back to the farm with her husband. When she was alone in her room, Meg smiled and patted her belly and spoke that she would fill Paul in on the "other details" later.
Alison and Aaron returned to the farm also, leaving Dani with her newfound friend, Chris. She thanked him for helping her celebrate her first real job and causally dropped the news that Alison had said that she and Aaron were together. Chris looked gloomy at the news.
Meg told Emma the happy news that she was pregnant but that she had not told Paul yet. Paul found Derek Coburn on the property and asked him why he was there. Coburn said he was just protecting his investment, and Paul reminded him that he was in the loan business, not the investment business. Paul strongly suggested he butt out of Paul's business.
Lucinda called Lily and asked her to cancel whatever plans she had for that evening and to meet her right away at Fashions. When Lily arrived, she found her mother choosing two sexy dresses for herself. Lily suggested that Lucinda's updated image was perhaps due to a newfound interest in Luke's foundation director, Brian Wheatley. Lucinda denied this, but also asked Lily to arrange a dinner party that evening for Luke, Noah, Mr. Wheatley, and herself. Lily agreed and issued the invitations.
At the Lakeview, Noah and Luke met with Brian Wheatley to discuss plans for the foundation. Wheatley suggested that the foundation partner with theme parks to provide fun for underprivileged children. He was obviously aware of the close relationship between the two young men.
Against all parental edicts, a miserable Parker snitched Carly's phone and called Katie's phone. Liberty answered and told him that she was going to Al's for lunch with Katie and Brad. She told Katie that it was Parker on the phone and was surprised that Katie wanted Parker to know exactly where the girl would be. After the teens hung up, Parker convinced J.J. with a $20 bribe to provide him with an alibi to leave the house. J.J. reluctantly agreed, and they told Carly they were headed to the movies.
Unknown to Liberty, Brad and Katie had enlisted the aid of Leo, one of the WOAK interns, to deliver a package to them at the diner and then appear interested in Liberty. Katie's theory was that if Parker saw Liberty with another boy, he would be discouraged enough to leave her alone. Katie and Liberty went to the diner to meet Brad, and soon Leo arrived with his delivery. Brad graciously invited the boy to join them for lunch, and he sat next to Liberty. Parker hid outside the diner and peeked through the window. He was obviously upset to see his girl with another guy, and Janet spotted him lurking outside. She took pity on him and went out to tell him that Leo was not a "date" but just someone delivering a package to Brad. She encouraged him to go home before he got caught and had more problems.
Carly went to Parker's room looking for some school papers and surprised J.J., who was sneaking back into the room through the window. She questioned him, and J.J. spilled the beans about being a paid conspirator. Carly immediately called Jack, who figured out that Parker was probably at the diner where Liberty was. He showed up at Carly's, however, since Janet told him she had sent Parker home. Unfortunately, Parker did not come home.
Lily's dinner party got underway with Lucinda in one of her new dresses. Brian Wheatley learned that Lily was recently separated and shared that he had gone through a similar situation not long before. He signed the contract with the foundation with a flourish. Noah had to leave, so Luke gave him a goodbye kiss, which Wheatley noticed. When Luke and Wheatley stepped out on the terrace, the new director cautioned Luke that the philanthropic community was not as tolerant of certain behavior as others. Luke was stunned at this homophobic comment, which amounted to asking him to go back into the closet about his relationship with Noah.
After Wheatley continued his discussion about the fact that there were children involved with the foundation's work, Luke was furious that he and Noah were being considered pedophiles. After Wheatley left, Luke informed his mother and grandmother what had taken place. Lily and Lucinda were upset, but they felt that Wheatley was not homophobic himself or he would not have taken the job with the foundation in the first place. Lucinda left soon afterwards and found Wheatley in the bar at the Lakeview. She told him he had offended her grandson and asked him to explain himself. He assured her that he did not feel that way himself; he was only trying to warn Luke. Lucinda assumed a cool manner, and left.
At the diner, Liberty and Leo went by themselves to the bookstore just a few doors away. Janet realized that Brad and Katie had set up the whole scenario with Leo, and she was horrified. She called Jack again, and he came to the diner. The adults had a lively discussion about the way they had handled the situation, and Brad and Katie left to bring Liberty back to the diner to say goodnight to her mother. When they could not find the teens, Janet was upset that Liberty might be in trouble.
Liberty and Leo, followed by a skulking Parker, went to the gazebo in the park. Leo began making moves on Liberty, which she did not welcome. She explained that she still felt connected to the boy she'd had sex with recently. Leo took that as an invitation for more advances, and Liberty jumped up and ran, but Leo caught her. Parker materialized and punched Leo in the face and knocked him down. Leo ran off and Liberty hugged Parker. She called her mother, and soon all her family was there. Liberty explained that Parker had saved her, and Brad apologized to Parker and thanked him. Liberty accused Katie of not listening to her.
Carly and Jack took Parker home and Jack's talk with his son was interrupted by visitors. Janet and Liberty asked to speak to them, and Janet suggested they all relax and let the teens at least see each other and be friends, subject to some rules. Everyone agreed that the teens could spend time together as long as an adult was present. Liberty thanked Parker again for fighting off Leo and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Janet and Carly shared a surprise bonding moment in the kitchen when they hugged. Jack announced there must be a full moon that night.
Luke went back to the farm after his disturbing conversation with Brian Wheatley and told Noah all about it. Noah reassured his boyfriend that it made no difference to him, and they kissed.
Meg hustled Paul out of Fairwinds so that she could coordinate the surprise for telling him she was pregnant. Paul had a copy of the latest issue of the Intruder, which exposed the soil contamination on the Snyder Farm project. He found Mike at the site, but Mike had a lunch date with Lily and couldn't stay long. Derek Coburn appeared unexpectedly and demanded that Paul pay back the money he loaned him immediately. Paul reminded the loan shark that they had a contract, which stated he did not have to pay it back for 30 days.
Casey went to Emily's office to congratulate her on the publication of her article on the Snyder project. He told her how proud he was of her and mentioned that even his mother was pleased with it. She had invited the two of them for dinner, something that did not excite Emily.
Margo arrived at the police station to find Dani Andropoulos ensconced in an office going through Margo's files. She challenged Dani who explained why she was there and produced an authorization letter. Margo declared the authorization meaningless and demanded that Dani return all the files and vacate the premises. "Welcome back to Oakdale," was her parting shot. Margo was not enthralled to have another Stewart woman in town.
Holden brought the children back to Lily's and they wanted to know why their mother was so dressed up. She explained that she had a date for lunch at the Lakeview, and Holden frowned. Lily told Holden the sitter had just cancelled and asked him to watch the children for a couple more hours. Holden said no, and the two of them began to argue. Holden did not like being a "fill-in babysitter" for her afternoon trysts. The children overheard the argument and Natalie questioned why their dad did not want to spend more time with them. Faith confronted her parents, and both Holden and Lily backed down.
Emma arrived at Fairwinds and was shocked to find a pregnant Meg on top of a tall ladder, decorating. She scolded her daughter for taking chances. Meg had a bout of morning sickness but was eager to begin work on her surprise, which involved baking. Emma told her that she had begun to look at Paul differently, and just perhaps a leopard could change his spots. Meg wondered if it was too early to tell Paul about the baby, but Emma encouraged her to share everything with her husband.
Dani charged into Emily's office complaining that Margo threw her out of the police station, and she could not complete her first assignment for the city. She asked for help from either Emily or Casey, and Casey offered to talk to his dad to see if Tom could persuade Margo to relent. Casey found Tom at home and produced the authorization paper that Dani had showed Margo, and Tom found it in order. He volunteered to intervene on Dani's behalf and went to the Oakdale PD and recommended to Margo that she let Dani do her job.
Still at the Intruder office, Dani complimented Emily on the project article. Casey returned with the good news that Tom was going to intercede for Dani. Casey and Emily gave Dani a pep talk, and as Dani was leaving the office, Margo appeared. She chastised the three of them for trying to do an end run around her in her own precinct. She made some derogatory remarks to Emily, and Emily ordered her out of the office. Margo's final words were a denial to Dani to ever work in her department, and a reminder that Margo was responsible only to the mayor. Emily picked up the phone and muttered, "Margo asked for it."
At Lily's, Faith told Holden the kids were not hungry but would like to watch a movie with him. Paul showed up somewhat frantic, looking for Lily. Holden told him Lily was having lunch at the Lakeview, and Paul left hurriedly.
Lily met Mike at the hotel for lunch and explained about her argument with Holden. Mike was afraid that Lily was using him as a pawn against Holden, but Lily tried to reassure him that she was over Holden. Paul came to the table and asked Lily if her offer to lend him money was still good. He explained that he needed the money to complete the cleaning of the soil, and Lily asked for Mike's opinion. Mike refused to give an answer because of a conflict of interest. Lily told Paul she would think about it and get back to him. After Paul left, She questioned Mike about his reticence in speaking about the project, and then cancelled their lunch. Mike told her to decide what it was she really wanted.
Faith and her dad had a serious talk. She told him that fighting solved nothing and only upset the smaller children. Lily came home early and discussed Paul's request for money with Holden. Lily was on the horns of a dilemma because she wanted to help Emma hang on to her house. Holden recommended not supporting a lost cause. He told Lily not to feel guilty about Emma; she would understand, and he certainly would always provide his mother with a place to live if it came to that. The children came in and were delighted to find they were all going to have a barbecue.
Paul discussed the project with Barbara and then told his mother that Meg was planning some sort of a surprise at home. Lily called Paul and declined to loan him the money. Barbara suggested that Paul pull out of the deal and tell Meg the reason. Paul was fearful he was disappointing Meg yet again.
Margo was flabbergasted to find Emily, Dani, and the mayor of Oakdale in her police station. The mayor asked Margo to cooperate fully with Dani's project, and Margo had to agree. Emily, whose work there was done, went back to her office, and Casey questioned her as to how she had the ear of the mayor well enough to ask for a favor. Then Casey realized that Emily must have had contact with "His Honor" during her days as a call girl, and he let it go.
Margo went home and told Tom about Emily's interference. She, too, wondered how Emily had such a strong connection with the mayor.
Paul went to Fairwinds prepared to tell Meg that he could no longer save Emma's farm. Meg was excited to show him her surprise, and she handed him a platter full of cookies shaped and colored like blue and pink baby booties. Paul got the meaning, and the two had a tender moment. He could not bear to tell her bad news at such a time.
At WOAK, Brad and Katie argued about what had happened with Leo the intern and Liberty. Katie apologized but pointed out that it had turned out okay, since Liberty hadn't gotten hurt. Brad said Katie could only feel that way because Liberty wasn't her daughter. That hurt Katie's feelings, because Katie thought of Liberty as a daughter in many ways.
Brad apologized to Katie and assured her that Liberty needed Katie in her life, to be a role model of a sane adult. They decided they should apologize to Liberty and let her know they were proud of her for realizing that she should stay away from Parker, and they left the studio to go find Liberty.
Liberty was at a school club car wash. Janet came by and said she knew Liberty had only gone to the car wash in hopes of seeing Parker there. Carly and Jack accompanied Parker to the car wash despite Parker's objections. Janet went to talk to Carly and Jack, who pointed out how innocent and happy Parker and Liberty appeared to be. Janet said that was because they were innocent, and she thought it was time the adults stopped forbidding their friendship, because that would only make things worse.
Jack went to see what Liberty and Parker were up to, and Janet took the opportunity to ask Carly whether Carly and Jack were truly "over." Janet said she didn't know where she and Jack were headed, but Janet didn't want to "steal fruit from another girl's orchard." Carly assured Janet "that fruit's been picked" but thanked her for asking.
Brad and Katie arrived at the car wash and saw Parker and Liberty goofing around together. Brad became angry, telling the kids they had been lying and sneaking around. Liberty said they had permission to be together. Brad asked, "From who?" and Liberty replied, "From them," as Janet, Jack, and Carly came walking up.
Liberty realized her mother hadn't told Brad that Janet, Jack, and Carly had agreed that she and Parker could see one another provided an adult was with them. Brad was upset to find out about the arrangement. Janet pointed out that Brad and Katie had made decisions about Liberty and Parker without consulting her or Parker's parents. Liberty asked everyone to please not discuss the situation there in public at the car wash. She and Parker walked away, and Carly and Janet agreed with Liberty that the car wash was not the place to argue about the issue.
Janet grabbed a hose to start washing more cars. Brad told her he was trying to prevent Liberty and Parker from having sex again, whereas Janet was apparently encouraging it. Janet turned to say she was not encouraging any such thing; the hose was still on, and she ended up soaking Brad. Brad tried to throw a bucket of water on Janet but soaked Carly instead, and Katie threw water on Jack.
Liberty and Parker ran back up and asked what their parents thought they were doing, embarrassing them like that in front of their friends. Janet said it was okay, but Liberty said nothing was okay. She pointed out that Brad and Katie had set her up with a sex maniac, while Jack and Carly were treating Parker and her like prisoners because they wanted to be friends, and Janet was acting like a 12-year-old. She and Parker walked off together, and Janet ran after them.
Katie and Brad left, and Katie warned Brad that he would lose Liberty if he didn't ease up. Meanwhile, Carly told Jack that Liberty was right, and they should back off before they made things any worse.
Parker and Liberty went back to Brad and Katie's house. Parker asked whether Liberty had known about Brad and Katie's setup with Leo. Liberty said it was complicated. Parker was upset, but Liberty begged him not to hate her, and they kissed.
Janet walked into the house and found Parker and Liberty making out on the sofa. She told Parker to go home, and after he left, she told Liberty that she didn't want her to make any mistakes. Liberty told Janet that she would make plenty of mistakes, but they would all be her own mistakes, not Janet's. Janet hugged her daughter. Brad and Katie arrived home. Janet excused herself. Liberty tried to leave with her, but Janet told her to stay and talk to her dad.
Brad apologized to Liberty for being "over the top" but explained that he was still trying to learn the rules for being a parent. Liberty told him the first rule was, "Don't be a jerk." She said the second rule was to trust her. Brad said that was a tough one, and Liberty replied that she had made it without a father for years and could go back to managing without one if necessary. She left the room, and Katie told Brad to give Liberty some time to come around.
Parker arrived home. Carly was upstairs changing clothes, but Jack asked Parker what had happened. When Parker told him, Jack asked if Parker cared about Liberty. Parker said he did, and Jack told him that he was old enough to know how things worked: "Guys get props. Girls get reputations." He asked if Parker wanted his friends to talk about Liberty like that; when Parker said no, Jack told him to make sure they never got the chance.
Parker went upstairs, and Carly told Jack she'd heard them talking and liked what Jack had said. They hugged. Janet walked up to the door and saw them through the glass in the door. She knocked anyway, and when Carly opened the door, Janet asked if Parker had made it home. Carly said he had, and Jack asked how Liberty was. Janet said Liberty was still mad but was much smarter than she'd ever been herself. Carly said she doubted that. Janet thanked her, then said she was going home to change. Jack said he would go with her, and they left together.
At Fairwinds, Meg told Paul she was worried about the baby they were having, because of the toxin Rick Decker had given to her. Paul assured Meg everything was going to be fine as far as the baby was concerned. Dr. Schiller called and told Meg her test results were available. Paul and Meg went to the hospital, where Dr. Schiller told them the tests indicated that the toxin Meg had been exposed to had not harmed the fetus. The doctor wanted to run one more test, and Meg agreed to stay for the test.
Emma called Paul and asked him to come to the farm because a man was at the work site demanding to be paid. Meg told Paul to leave and take care of the problem at the farm, saying she would stay to have the medical test.
Soon after Paul left, Meg bent over in pain. As Meg crouched on the floor, Derek Coburn, the loan shark Paul had been dealing with for the Snyder farm development project, arrived and asked if he could help. Meg calmed down after realizing she was merely having muscle cramps and thanked him for his concern. Derek reintroduced himself to Meg after she asked if she'd met him before; he told her he was a financial consultant on the farm development project.
After Meg saw the doctor again, she found Derek still in the hallway at the hospital. Derek said he had waited because he wanted to be sure Meg was okay. She thanked him and said everything was fine. Derek asked if this was her first baby, and Meg said she had experienced a miscarriage recently. Derek said that explained why Meg was so concerned. He told her he would walk her to her car, but she said she was taking a cab. Derek insisted he would drive Meg back to Fairwinds instead.
When Paul arrived at the farm, Emma introduced him to the man she'd called him about, Mr. MacDougal. Paul was surprised to see a mild-mannered-looking gentleman in Emma's kitchen. The gentleman told Paul that his company couldn't give him the trucks he needed without a deposit, so he had come to the farm to get it directly from Paul, to avoid any delays. Relieved, Paul asked how much he needed and wrote him a check.
After the man left, Emma asked Paul if he had been expecting someone else, saying he had seemed scared when he rushed into the farmhouse. Paul said he was just jumpy about the project because it was so complex. Emma asked whether everything was okay with Meg and the baby, and Paul assured her it was, but he admitted he was nervous about becoming a father. Emma said the thought of Paul as a father scared her to death.
Paul assured Emma that Meg and the baby meant more to him than his own life. Emma reluctantly said she believed him. Paul then asked for a hug, and Emma, chuckling over the way Paul was asking, said she would try anything once, and she hugged him.
When Paul returned to Fairwinds, he found Derek there with Meg. Derek explained that Meg had been having some distress at the hospital, but Meg assured Paul that she was fine. Derek suggested that Paul keep an eye on Meg, because he wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her.
Paul followed Derek out, warning him to stay away from his home and his wife. Derek said Paul wasn't in a position to make threats. He cautioned Paul against doing anything to add stress to Meg's life, saying the miscarriage had obviously taken a lot out of her. Paul asked how he knew about that, and Derek said Meg had told him. He suggested Paul make sure nothing happened to upset Meg, saying it wouldn't be good for Meg or the baby.
