Friday, June 30, 2006
Fresh from Montana, Carly hit the farm looking for Emma but found babysitter Jack instead. They traded news about Lily and angsty looks. Parker, JJ and Sage ran in from the car, lightening the mood. Meanwhile, stormy seas found the fabulous foursome seasick and Simon and Katie once again headed each other's way. At Java, Maddie tried to convince Henry to do some world traveling. "This is about Casey Hughes, isn't it?" her wise bro surmised. At the Lakeview, Casey caught up with Gwen and Johnny, confessing that Maddie "broke up with me and I have no idea why." At Memorial, Paul refused to believe that Jen might die. Barbara told him to keep his voice down and "just be a big brother!" Dr. Bob grimly told Dusty that there wasn't much more they could do for Jennifer. Dusty refused to let him discuss Jen's "options," and urged a confused Jen to rest (rowing down that River Denial). Barbara told Dusty to contact Lucinda and get her to pull in a specialist. She took strength from Kim before going in to see Jen. "I'm not going to argue with Dusty Donovan when he's in Papa Bear mode," Babs chuckled, minimizing Jen's bleak prognosis. "What is it that nobody wants to tell me?" Jen then asked Paul and Meg. Their own history was the elephant in the room as Gwen and Casey discussed why Maddie had bolted. "Maybe I can help," Gwen reasoned. Maddie got defensive with a worried Henry, who suggested she go home for the summer. "No!"

At the farm, Carly decided to let Jack make dinner for their kids plus Natalie and Faith. Cue the hijinks! Queasy Katie found herself on deck alone with Simon in the rain. Cue those hijinks, too! "You are unbelievable!" Katie cried as Simon wondered why she'd tried to warn Vienna about him. "I still think there's a little something between us," he teased. Meanwhile, green-gilled Vienna conjured up lurid Titanic scenarios, complete with Celine Dion references, and lost her lunch — in Mike's bathroom. Carly tried to explain Lily's coma to Faith, perking up the bummed girl. "Stay," an eavesdropping Jack implored Carly afterward. Back at Memorial, Will asked Kim to "make it all go away." "Would that I could," Kim sighed as Hal, too, arrived. "Without Jen, there's no family," Will angsted (jinxing things!). Paul and Meg tried to snow Jen, too, but she wanted the truth. Meg reluctantly handed over her chart and translated: "your heart has lost its pumping mechanism." And there's no cure. "Nobody's giving up!" Paul assured, but his Pollyanna act tanked. In the hall, Barbara comforted the newly-informed Hal. "Why are you clamming up, Kitten?" Henry asked, trying to get Maddie to open up — and failing. Casey and Gwen tried to figure it out from their side (with interference from Johnny). Carly agreed to stick around and help Mr. Mom and she and Jack found themselves in the middle of a food fight.

Kim gave Will props for holding it together for Hal and Barbara and then Will went off to share the bad news with Gwen. Jennifer succumbed to tears thinking about Johnny but fought to stay strong for him. Dusty arrived and tried to eject Paul and Meg. At the farm, Jack rescued the remnants of dinner as Carly washed off the condiments and shucked her shirt. On the boat, Katie sang Mike's praises and refused to step away from the rail until Simon left. Naturally, she went flying overboard. Soaked to the skin, Simon called his ex-wife's name, grabbed a life preserver and leapt after her. Meanwhile, Mike found himself trapped with Vienna and her wacky Titanic fantasies. Jack found himself face-to-face with scantily-clad Carly in Emma's kitchen. Casey and Gwen bonded as he gave Johnny his bottle. Of course, Will walked in on the cozy scene. Up on the roof, Maddie freaked out when Dallas surprised her. "We need to talk about what happened," he said. Paul and Meg left Jen's cubicle of their own accord. Dusty tried to keep the charade going, but dying Jen whispered, "I'll tell you what I really want: I wanna be married. Will you marry me?"

Thursday, June 29, 2006
At the Hughes', Casey, Dallas and Margo were a little wigged by Maddie's jumpiness. Elsewhere Maddie angsted over Dallas' arrival in Oakdale and when Casey called, she promised to explain her behavior. "Tell me what you want," he implored. At Fairwinds, Damian hid Kreeger as Holden came in looking for Luke. "Luke really doesn't want to see you," Damian told the Snyder snidely. At Java, Luke ran into Jade, confiding, "I should've just kept my mouth shut about being gay." Meanwhile, Dusty rushed Jen to the hospital. Meg and Paul tried their hand at watching Johnny (wash that fallen baby bottle, Paul!) and Will and Gwen came by. "Is something wrong?" they asked. At Memorial, Dr. Bob and Lucy checked Jennifer over. "She was discharged? I didn't authorize that!" Bob declared. "I did. I was the one who let her leave," 'fessed up Lucy. Luke told Jade about the "Scared Straight Camp," Lily's possible involvement, and her fall. "My dad hates me right now!" Jade disagreed: "There is something wrong with this picture." Over at Fairwinds, Iago...er, Damian, told Holden that Luke felt rejected. Holden wasn't havin' it. "You're trying to manipulate my son. You're trying to turn him against me," he accused. Margo gave Dallas the 411 on working for Hal and then Jessica arrived, teasingly wondering if her nephew was running away from something or someone. No, that's Maddie, who brushed off Casey's worries when he caught up with her.

Damian denied Holden's accusations but Holden was determined to prove he and Kreeger were in cahoots. When Dr. Creeper emerged, Damian told him there was only one way to neutralize Holden: "Call him." At Java, Jade reminded Luke that Holden is "the kind of dad we all wish we had." (Psst, Jade, is that why you inspected Holden's tonsils months ago?) Paul and Meg filled Gwen and Will in on Jen's condition. Gwen offered to watch Johnny so everyone else could go be with Jen. At the hospital, Dusty blasted Lucy for letting Jennifer leave and for not contacting him. Luke came back to Fairwinds, waffling about staying there and wanting to talk to Holden. Damian wasn't so happy to hear that and kept working on that wedge. Meanwhile, Holden met with Kreeger, wondering why Kreeger had been at his house. It was Jade to the rescue yet again: She made a diaper run for Johnny and Gwen introduced her not-baby to her new pal.

Jennifer's loved ones gathered at Memorial. Dusty and Lucy kept hashing out Jennifer's release and Dusty directed his ex to stay away from his current. Rattled Lucy found some understanding from Meg and then fled. Dusty assured Jen that Johnny is fine and she weakly apologized for her folly. "You're gonna get better," ordered Dusty (jinxing her!). Dallas kept mum about knowing Maddie as, across town, Maddie and Casey got hot and heavy. Unfortunately, her flashbacks got in the way again and she pulled back. Jade and Gwen discussed the baby switch and giving Johnny back. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Jade observed as they bonded. Barbara rushed into Memorial as a grave Bob came out with Jen's test results. "Cardiomyopathy," he diagnosed. Jen's heart was failing! Kreeger followed Damian's directions to the letter, painting Lily as the person who'd arranged everything and implying to Holden that the cops might need to know how angry Luke was the day Lily fell. Damian, meanwhile, played Luke like a fiddle and the confused teen agreed to stick around Fairwinds. "Are you trying to tell me something, Maddie?" Casey wondered. "You and me...it's not going to work!" Maddie lashed out, tearfully. "I am breaking up with you!" Outside Jen's exam room, Barbara boggled at Jen's deterioration while Meg comforted Paul. Inside, Jen tried to rally, asserting, "I gotta kick this thing." Pained, Dusty lied to her and assured her she's fine.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006
At the hospital, Holden read a card from Natalie and Faith to comatose Lily and Jack checked in with the skinny on the Kreeger Foundation. Was there a connection between Kreeger and Damian? Not yet. "You're just not looking hard enough!" Holden accused. "Damian is behind this!" At Fairwinds, Damian delayed Luke visiting Lily with the lure of breakfast — and doubts about Holden. At Chez Hughes, Maddie and Casey looked for motels to consummate their relationship and Casey wondered what was really bothering his gal. Margo, Jessica and Dallas caught up at Java and decided to reconvene at Margo's for dinner. Dallas looked forward to meeting Casey and his girlfriend (again). At the psych ward, Susan gave Emily props for helping baby Johnny but, "I just don't know if there's anything huge enough to make Dusty Donovan forgive you." Nearby, Meg wasn't sure Paul talking to Jennifer about Emily would be a good idea. Of course, Jen wasn't in the hospital. Meg grabbed her chart, noting Jen should've never been released. At home, sickly Jennifer begged Dusty not to call Memorial (preferring to stay home and infect her healing child). Maddie prickled at mention of her "first time" but assured Casey that she's ready. "I want it to be right," he told her. Jack apologized for implying Lily was behind the Kreeger camp idea and Holden reminded him that Damian wouldn't give up. Across town, Damian kept manipulating Luke, saying he was trying to "spare" him the guilt and sowing seeds of dissent about Holden and Lily. Then, Dr. Smarm, er, Kreeger, called from outside Java.

Meg and Paul looked over Jen's chart, seeing that Lucy had let Jennifer go "Against Medical Advice." Uh-oh. Emily and Susan, too, were wondering why Jen had left so suddenly. Susan urged Em to call Jennifer and remind her of what she'd done for Johnny. Jen gave Emily the update on the baby and promised to talk to Dusty. Damian excused away Kreeger's call and felt victorious: Luke had decided to trade the Lily visit for a visit with Natalie and Faith. Impatient, Kreeger showed up at Fairwinds. Margo brought Dallas home and caught Casey with a bag, leaving for "work." Huffy Casey was sent down to the basement to get a case of beer. When the doorbell rang, Dallas came face to face with speechless Maddie (again!). Dusty and Jen went a round or two in the Emily debate and then Paul and Meg showed up with the news of Jen's dire condition. Susan kept being the voice of Doom and Gloom but Emily refused to give up hope of going free. Meg and Paul convinced Dusty that Jen was in big trouble while infected Jen cuddled her immuno-compromised baby. "The worst is behind us," she promised, woozily. Nervous Maddie brushed off the implication that she knew Dallas.

Damian blasted Kreeger, who informed him that the police were zeroing in on him. Lily could come out of her coma and counteract anything he says. Emma dropped by the hospital and told Holden that Luke had collected more things from the house. Concerned, Holden bolted to "get my son." "Stick to the plan!" Damian hissed at Kreeger, who wasn't about to let "something like this undermine the good work that we do." Emma caught Luke lurking outside Lily's room: "Why don't you just sit down and talk to her?" Dallas told Maddie, "You don't have to be scared of me," but she didn't seem so convinced. At the Lakeview Towers, Jennifer finally keeled over and Dusty quit snarling at Paul and Meg long enough to run in and find her. Luke gingerly sat down by Lily, apologizing for letting her down. "I still need you, I still love you so much, so please, please wake up," he begged his mom. Back at Fairwinds, Damian was confident that Luke wouldn't find out he was involved in the de-programming scheme — just as Holden pounded on the door, demanding to see his son! Meanwhile, Casey, Margo, and Dallas were boggled when Maddie fled Chez Hughes in a hurry. Alone, Maddie flashbacked on nearly making love to Casey, on a strange room and a falling purse...and seeing Dallas again. Hmmm. Back at the funny farm, Emily refused to give up on Dusty. "Jennifer's going to come through for me. I just know it." Don't hold your breath, Em. At the Lakeview, Meg called an ambulance but Dusty refused to wait. He swept unconscious Jen into his arms.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Maddie spent the first part of the day at Java, flashing back and looking generally pained about her freak-out with Casey. "You're giving away food? Then you're either sick or heartbroken," noted Henry, who offered to help his sullen sister fix her guy problems. "We're so not having this talk," she said, before confiding that she is the problem, because she's a total loser. Henry, awesome brother that he is, scoffed at that notion and offered to have a "man-to-man" with Casey. Considering that he's a big brother, though, he got overprotective (and seemingly a little light-headed) when she talked about bolting at the "moment of truth" because as far as he's concerned, she's not ready. Henry then advised her to level with Casey.

Gwen showed up to find a bummed Casey drowning his Maddie sorrows in a giant bowl of what looked like Cap'n Crunch (does P&G make that?). In possibly the most inappropriate heart-to-heart between these ex-one-night-standers, Gwen offered to interpret Maddie's girl behavior for him. All of her suggestions — he didn't make his feelings clear; it wasn't romantic enough; Maddie's still smarting from past rejections — didn't fly. In a really cute series of exchanges (assuming we ignore their history), she tried to get him to leave a sixth voicemail message for his girlfriend, but Casey shot that down too. "Why don't I just get 'Loser' tattooed on my forehead?" he groaned. "That's always an option," she joked, but later assured him that Maddie is crazy about him and would surely be showing up any minute to explain. And not two seconds later, that's exactly what happened! Maddie told him that it felt weird being in his parents' house, but insisted that they try again, with her blocking everything but her lust for him out. Meanwhile, Dallas was at Java evading Jessica's questions about his decision to leave Chicago. Jess also ran into a naturally skittish Henry while getting more coffee, then filled in her nephew about the Coleman criminal history. "Did you say Coleman? As in Maddie Coleman?" he asked. "Interesting." Indeed.

Mike and Katie got ready to jump ship and start their honeymoon anew in a non-Aussie-infested locale. "I love the idea of hiding away on a tropical island," purred Katie, but that doesn't really track with her history of being stranded and/or nearly killed on them. When Mike went off to take care of something, Simon (woo-hoo!) sauntered up and teased that she didn't have to run away from him, then promised that he wouldn't bother her again. "You think the sound of your voice can erase years of hurt and anger," she scolded, noting that she's tired of his snide comments. "If memories can do that, they must be pretty intense," he needled, awesomely. Mike returned to report that a storm is preventing their escape for now, then cajoled a cheeky Simon into helping him carry the luggage back to their cabin. That gave Vienna a chance to push all of Katie's jealousy buttons. Katie frostily responded that Simon is a con man who leaves everyone miserable or lonely, but Vienna surprised her with the news that Simon is "filthy rich." Suddenly, the boat — and camera — was lurching like The Perfect Storm was raging outside, and the ladies quickly became entangled on the floor. "This is like a dream I had last night," quipped Simon as he helped Vienna to her feet. Mike showed up as well and worriedly told Katie that they should get back to their cabin.

Dusty was widely grinning through an update to Kim about how his whole family would be coming home soon, while Jen got dressed to leave between doubled-over coughing fits. Lucy walked in and tried stalling her by noting that some tests weren't back, but Jennifer stubbornly argued that she feels great and acted as is she'll die if she doesn't get to feed and hold her son this very instant. The second Lucy noted that Jen could check herself out against medical advice, Jen proceeded to walk all over her. Lucy protested that her reservations weren't about potential lawsuits or her career, but Jen was hearing none of it, and the doctor-patient rules kept Lucy from saying anything to Barbara or Dusty, despite the sublime awkwardness of the situation. But the overwhelmed young doc did make it clear, to both Jennifer and later Lucinda, that her patient made a big mistake by leaving. La Walsh comforted her by recalling that she ignored all of her cancer advice; it's up to the patient to obey or not. (Yeah, and her grandson ended up having his kidney stolen in a sketchy Mexican clinic, but whatever.) Meanwhile, Jennifer and Johnny's homecoming celebration — the most inadvertently hilarious moment of which was Dusty's response of "he takes after his old man" to Kim calling Johnny "handsome" — was well under way, but as the evening progressed, an even-paler-than-usual Jen was quickly fading. When Dusty left to put Johnny down for his nap, she sagged against the couch, her breathing seriously labored.

Monday, June 26, 2006
A shirtless Mike got the honeymoon cabin Katie-ready but opened the door to — Vienna. "We're together, maybe they are, too?" she theorized about her date and his. In the bar, Simon kept angstily strumming his guitar, bringing tears to Katie's eyes. Back in Oakdale, new guy Dallas' greeting rendered Maddie speechless (for once). She was still unsettled as Casey let her in. Back at Carly's Home for Runaway Girls, Will was creeped out by Gwen and Jade's fast friendship and decided to hit the sack. "What are you doing in this house?" Barbara demanded of Jade when she dropped by to visit. At the hospital, Dr. Bob returned to his office just in time to rouse a feverish Jennifer. "I'm just run down," she excused, saying that Dusty and Paul had gotten her "fired up." Vienna wanted to "clear the air" about Simon and Katie but Mike shrugged, "I'm not concerned." Meanwhile, Katie tried to order champagne, compose herself, and blow off Simon. "Are you that afraid to talk to me, Katie?" No. She just wasn't interested in anything he had to say. "Not even 'I'm sorry'?" At Chez Hughes, Casey assured a shaky (but determined to get busy) Maddie, "There's no pressure," as they kissed. Maddie began to have disturbing flashbacks and jerked away. Barbara blasted Jade for her myriad sins and Will appeared and jumped to her defense. At Memorial, Dusty and Paul kept snarking about Emily's hearing despite Jen's collapse. "Go home!" Dusty snapped at Paul, who didn't. A grim Bob then told Dusty and Jen that he'd ordered some tests.

"You know what they say about first love..." Vienna mused. But Mike refused to be needled (at least in front of her) and booted her out. Elsewhere, Simon said he was sorry. A lot. "It's completely bogus!" Katie dismissed. He assured her he meant it, apologizing for the Pilar Domingo scheme. They moved back a little further, covering his faked death and return but Katie reminded him she's now happily married to Mike. "Maybe Vienna and I can make a go of this, too," he countered. "You deserve better!" Katie scoffed. "Someone who would die for you!" Simon noted he'd had a wife like that once. Ruffled, Katie closed the topic and stalked off. Back at Carly's, Will and Gwen both defended Jade to Barbara. "Be careful, both of you," Babs warned them, not havin' any of it. Grateful Jade hugged Gwen (wigging out Will). Maddie opted for a change of scene — Casey's room. The kids began undressing despite her reservations. They hit the sheets, but Maddie sprang up after more flashbacks about wolves and purses and posters. "Viral pneumonia!" diagnosed Bob, wanting to monitor Jennifer's vitals and keep her overnight. Lucy came by with good (and conflicting) news: Johnny could leave in the morning! Bummed Jen told Dusty, intensely, "I have to go home with our son." In the hall, Paul tried to shake down Lucy for info and Dusty asked for Lucy's help getting Jen some time with Johnny.

Katie came back to the cabin with bubbly and much love for Mike. Bemused, Mike told her about Vienna's visit and Katie realized Simon was probably angling for Vienna's jewels. Maddie dressed and bolted from a confused Casey. In Milltown, partially dressed Will ran into Jade downstairs and they chatted about his and Gwen's defense of her and their Cheating Incident. Meanwhile, Dusty thanked Lucy for trying to help and then checked on Jen, who was pretending she felt better. "Get some sleep," he urged her, nixing any more talk about forgiving Emily. Then, an overtaxed Dr. Bob put Lucy on Jen Watch. Back on the Love Boat, Katie wanted to warn Vienna that Simon coveted her bling but Mike said they could do that tomorrow. Tonight, they'd do...something else. No, not *that*, since Katie admitted she'd run into Simon and killed the mood. Already sick of running into the Aussie, Mike wanted to get off the ship in the morning — and Katie just wanted to be anywhere he was. Vienna and Simon cuddled but his mind was on love. He needed to get back on top of "his game." In Oakdale, Gwen and Will smooched happily and evaded the Jade truth (as usual). Downstairs at Chez Hughes, an overwhelmed Maddie apologized to Casey and fled. In Dr. Bob's office, Dusty informed Paul that, for the sake of Jennifer's health, he was pretending to consider not testifying against Emily. Paul thanked Dusty for trying to keep Jen stress-free. In Jen's room, she vehemently told Lucy, "I will not let my son think that I am abandoning him again." She was going home with Johnny no matter what.

2005 recaps