A severely hurt Raul is brought into the emergency room on a stretcher. His face is bloody and cut up. He's unconscious. A worried Brittany runs along side the gurney assuring her boyfriend that he's going to be okay. The nurse tells Brittany that she needs to be checked. Brittany declares that she is fine, she wants to stay with Raul. The medics wheel Raul away as a helpless Brittany watches. After Brittany is checked the nurse tells little princess she's okay, maybe just some bruising or soft tissue damage, but she should be fine in a couple of days.
Brittany uses the phone to call Mac for support. Upon hearing that Brittany and Raul were in a terrible accident, Mac tells her friend to hang on she'll be right there. Once Mac arrives she does her best to comfort Brit and to keep her from spinning everything out of control. When Mac asks what happen Brittany supplies that she and Raul were arguing and she was very angry and upset and got into the car-- Luckily, no other cars were involved, Brittany ran into a tree or a light pole, she's not sure which. When Mac questions why Brittany can't remember what she hit, Brittany chalks it up to the fact that everything happened so fast. She blames herself for the accident and Raul's serious condition, she should have kept her cool. Dr. Walker updates the women on Raul's condition-"he's stable for the moment, but it's too early to tell whether or not he'll be okay." This news rocks Brittany.
The police have been observing Brittany and they cross over to question her. Officer Roper asks how the accident happened, and both officers pay keen attention as a slightly unstable Brittany makes a concentrated effort to tell her story. She's not sloppy drunk, but it's apparent that her thinking is not clear. Officer Roper pulls Brittany aside to give her a breathalyzer test. Brit says that's not necessary, she only had one glass of wine, she's not drunk. The officer informs Ms. Hodges of her right to refuse to take the test, but should she refuse it will mean automatic suspension of her license for six months, plus the officer will testify that Brittany was unsteady and that she smelled alcohol on her breath. Brittany swears that she is in control, her boyfriend is seriously injured and she needs to get back to the waiting room. The officer tells her to take a deep breath and blow into the breathalyzer... after a moment of hesitation, Brittany does.
When Brittany returns to the waiting room, Mac informs her that Raul's parents are on the way. Mac is surprised when Brittany says the officer gave her a breathalyzer. Brittany asks Mac for her support "Tell them I wasn't drunk." Mac says she can't do that because she wasn't there. The Breathalyzer results are complete and it is clear that Brittany's blood alcohol level was above the legal limit. The male officer begins reading Brittany her Miranda rights -- She pleads with the cops to let her stay at the hospital with Raul, but they tell her no and continue reading her rights. Brittany is escorted into the elevator by the officers, it's apparent from the look on her face, that her arrest is quite sobering. The doors shut.
Juice uses the stolen keys to let himself into Neil's place. Upon his entrance he finds Dru, Olivia, and Neil's daughter Lily. There is a moment of recognition between Dru and Juice. Juice: "Drucilla Barber, long time no see." Dru: "Not long enough." Juice comments that he can see that Dru has cleaned herself up, Dru can see that he hasn't. Olivia orders him to leave, he tells the ladies he'll leave when he gets what he came for. Drucilla tells him he'll be leaving now, because she's about to call the cops. As she heads for the phone, Juice gets control of the situation by heading for Lily-asking "Is this your daughter?" When Dru tries to protect Lily, Juice pushes her down and makes a move in Lily's direction. He spots a bottle on the counter, grabs it, cracks it open against the counter, making a weapon out of the jagged neck. He orders the women to back off. Dru: "You're not going to get away with this." Juice: "You just watch me."
Meanwhile, Serena is helping Neil clean up his cuts and bruises from his altercation with Juice. There's a lot of blood on the wash cloth she is rinsing in the sink. She adds the cloth to an ice pack and takes it to Neil who is sitting on the couch. Serena's sorry for what Juice did to Neil. Neil says he recognized him from the bar, but didn't know his name was Juice... he recalls having known someone named Juice a very long time ago, but can't imagine it's the same guy. Neil wants a drink, but Juice broke his bottle. Serena says it's just as well, Neil is doing good, he's going to break this addiction. Neil realizes that Juice stole his watch along with his money. Serena figures she's responsible for that, if she hadn't the watch into the bar that one day, Juice would have never known about it. Neil then realizes his driver's license is out on the floor, Serena figures it fell out of his wallet when Juice stole his cash...Neil starts to put the I.D. back into his wallet, and realizes his keys are missing as well. He knows that Juice must be robbing his place. His first instinct is to get over there and fight, but Serena pins him down by straddling herself across his lap. She tells him that he doesn't need to go off looking for a fight, he needs to chill. His battle is with the bottle, not with Juice. Beating Scotch is the thing he needs to beat. Besides he doesn't even know if Juice has a gun. Neil doesn't care if he has a gun, he feels he has to defend himself. Serena warns him against the macho-bravado, encourages him to focus on battling his addiction. Neil pretends to agree. Serena gets off of his lap. He gets up pretending he's going to go to the bathroom. After he gets a couple of feet away from Serena he heads for the front door. Serena shakes her head in disappointment... "If you want to go play Lone Ranger, then go..." Neil just looks at her, then exits.
Back at Neil's place, Juice is stuffing his stolen goods into a bag. He demands that the women give him their wallets and jewelry. Dru tries to fight back, threatening to call the police-Juice Slams her against the couch, holding the jagged glass in her sight-Juice: "Don't make me hurt you, because I will." When Juice takes his hands off of Dru, Lily races to comfort her mother. Juice proclaims to be losing patients with them, Dru tells him that he should leave and go harass someone else. Juice then says he has an idea-maybe he can get Dru's daughter to help convince them to help him out. Dru shield's her daughter with her own body, Dru: "Put your hands on my little girl, and I swear I'll kill you." Juice: "Bring it on, that way I can see if you're as tough as you talk." Right then Olivia attacks Juice from behind and Dru jumps him from the front. He struggles to get the women off of him, he finally pushes Olivia away and grabs Dru, twisting her arm behind her back. Olivia gets up, preparing for another assault-- Juice: "Come any closer and I'll break her arm." Lily is screaming for Juice to stop, just as Neil bursts through the door. Neil pleads with the crook to let Dru go, he points out that Juice's problem is with him and not the women. Juice: "You better back off, you drunk." Lily sort of whimpers, looking at Neil in shock. Neil realizes he's looking at his daughter, equally shocked, Neil: "Lily?"
At the ranch, Victoria, Nicholas, Sharon and Cassie are enjoying a nice dinner out by the pool when Nikki comes in pretty happy. Victoria can't help but question her mother's good mood. Nikki attributes it to "seeing her family so happily enjoying a balmy evening by the pool," as well as to the fact that she is about to marry her soul mate. She counters by asking her daughter what her excuse is for being so happy. Vick supplies that she's just happy to see her mother so happy. Nikki detects that there's more to that story, but Victoria heads off before Nikki's inquiring mind can gather any information.
Sharon tells Cassie that it's time for bed, and the young miss heads off with Miguel to get ready for bed, just as Victor is coming in. Victor is in a wonderful mood as well, and he and Nikki share their plans to buy a Castle for the wedding with Nick and Sharon. Sharon thinks the idea is quiet romantic and offers her help in organizing things if Nikki should need help. Nicholas can't help but note that this sounds like it's going to be the wedding of the year. Victor: "I thought if Paul McCartney can do it, Victor Newman can do it."
Later, Nikki reminisces about her first wedding to Victor, she shares her happy memories with her fiancée. Victor asks if Nikki would rather not go to England for the wedding-he senses some reluctance on her part. He thinks that maybe she would prefer to stay in Genoa City and get married at the Colonnade room like they did for their first wedding. She asks if he would be upset if she said "yes, that is what she would prefer." Victor is a little disappointed, but he assures his bride to be that it's okay. He wonders though isn't she concerned that getting married at the Colonnade Room would be a jinx. Nikki questions if Victor is worried about it because of what happened in their first marriage. He says, yes. Nikki isn't worried about it, because to her this would be saying that they've put the past behind them. Victor agrees, he tells Nikki that he doesn't care where they get married, he is getting his princess, and he will be happy wherever they decide to have the ceremony.
Once Nikki and Victor head in for the night, Sharon and Nicholas chat by the pool. Nick is happy to note that his parents seem happy. Sharon agrees, their joy seems to be rubbing off on the whole family. They discuss Cassie for a little bit, not surprised-but still saddened that she has informed them that she's too old for bedtime stories. Nick: "She's growing up." Sharon: "She's not our little girl any more." Nick: "She will always be our little girl." Sharon notes what a good father Nicholas is. He agrees, feeling very happy and content at the moment. Sharon asks if she could make him happier... he tells her he really doesn't think so... he is "one happy dude." Sharon asks if she could try. He tells her sure. Sharon then suggest they have another baby.
Once away from the family Victoria heads to the stables. Diego is surprised to see her, he wasn't expecting company. Victoria: "Kind of surprised me, too. My feet just started walking and brought me here." Diego: "Well, thank you feet. I'm glad you stopped by." The duo then shares a kiss. Victoria informs Diego that she's not sure how long she can keep quite about... whatever it is... they refuse to label it... that is going on between the two of them. He asks her if she wants to go public? She shares that she might have to whether she wants to or not, she can't seem to keep the smile off of her face, and pretty soon people are going to be asking why she is so happy. It seems fine to Diego either way, he doesn't want to get into labeling the relationship, because labels only bring judgments. Vicki shares that her main concern is that once their relationship is public knowledge Diego will become part of the Newman Fishbowl. She actually has pity on him for what he will have to endure. Vicki: (Imitating Victor) "Young man, are you making my daughter happy?" Diego counters by saying that he would tell Victor to ask her. Vicki says that her father might accept that at first, but makes it clear that once Victor knows they are seeing each other he will make it his business... to make Diego his business. Diego: "So what you're saying is I'm the small fish in the food chain." Yes, but Victoria also notes he's the fish that she wants. In that case, Diego wants to be that fish, and will accept his spot in the fishbowl. The two melt into a hot kiss.
Over dinner Lorie wants to know what Max's plan is to break up Victor and Nikki. Max doesn't have a concrete plan just yet, but he's working on it. Lorie is kidding when she asks what Max hopes to accomplish by breaking up their engagement. Lorie: "you think you'll run off with Nikki and the two of you will live happily ever after," there is a beat of shock as Lorie realizes that is exactly what her ex-husband is hoping. She sets him straight telling him that his having Nikki is just a fantasy, it will never happen. Max tells her he just needs help formulating his plan, her expertise. At first Lorie is offended, the way she hears it Max is accusing her of being a major game player. He assures her he did not mean to insult, it's just that she's the only person "who ever played a hand against the great Victor Newman and won." Lorie notes that was 20 years ago, and it is not a page in her history that she is proud of. She has no desire to hurt Victor. Max is aware of this, he knows that her beef is with Nikki. Lorie: "Who has grown a little too high and mighty for someone who was born with no class." So, yes, if Lorie did join forces with Max it would be for the purpose of bringing Nikki down. Max wants Lorie to use her unresolved feelings for Victor to show Vic's true colors. Lorie is not sure if Max knows Victor's true colors. Max says he knows what a ruthless, cruel, deceptive man Victor is... Lorie asks how he is so sure, Max supplies that he got a great deal of his information from Leanna Love's book, Ruthless. Lorie blows that off as a scandalous rag. Max agrees that it's scandalous, but say that he's checked into it, and a lot of the facts hold up. Lorie thinks the ship on her relationship with Victor has sailed. Max reminds her to never underestimate her power, "because it is substantial." Just then, Max comes up with his plan to break up Victor and Nikki. Max: "I got it. Something that will satisfy your needs and mine."
Neil burst into his apartment to find Juice inside highly agitated and threatening Dru, Lily and Olivia. Neil jumped on him, punches him a few times and Juice ran out. Dru, in hysteria, began yelling at Neil and Olivia stepped in to try to calm her down and stop her. Meanwhile, Serena showed up and Neil quickly escorted her into the hall to talk with her privately. He begged her to get him a drink, and then asked her to get the women out of his apartment because he thought he remembered a bottle stashed inside. Serena didn't do what he asked, instead she pointed out that he had an entire day sober and that he should try for another day. Olivia approached them and asked them both to come back inside.
Neil started yelling at everyone that he needed a drink and shoved Dru away when she tries to touch him. He stopped yelling and looked ashamed once he caught the eye of Lily, who looked petrified. Olivia and Serena gently led him to the couch and told him that everyone in the room loved him. His reply was that if they loved him, they should get him a drink. He got up and told Lily that he is sorry and that when he gets it together, they can go out and spend some time together. When he hears her reply—"Whatever!"—he te tries to run out the door, but Serena stops him. He tries to convince everyone that he is in control of the drinking, but Serena quickly corrected him, telling him that he no longer just wants a drink, that he needs one.
He sits down, defeated and shaking, while the women offer him encouraging words. Dru asked Lily if she had anything to say to her father and Lily started screaming that Neil was not her father and that she didn't ever want to see him again, and then stormed off into another room. That proves to be the breaking point for Neil. He looked at Olivia and asked if they were going to lock him up, and she assured him they weren't. He told everyone that he was afraid, and then at Olivia's suggestion, admitted out loud that he needed help.
Nicholas looked shocked and concerned at Sharon's suggestion to have another baby. He told her his hesitation was stemming from the rough year they had just had, and that they really need to face the loss of their baby daughter. Sharon said she is dealing with it, and she thinks of the baby every single day. Nicholas told her he loved her, and that he would like to have another baby too.
At Memorial Hospital, the doctor tells Mac and Raul's parents about Raul's condition. He said he had a minor concussion and is concerned that his back may be broken. J.T. arrives at the hospital and privately Mac tells him that Brittany was driving the car when the accident occurred. She told him Brittany was at the police station, and J.T. correctly guessed what was really going on. The doctor approached them again, telling them there is no change in Raul's condition, and not to assume the worst. Mac is obviously shaken, and J.T. kindly comforted her.
Brittany was taken downtown to the police station and booked. Not understanding the severity of the situation, she is shocked when the officers tell her she is going to jail unless she comes up with bail money, which is $2,500. They tell her she can only make one phone call, so she calls her parents, but gets the voicemail and had to leave them a message. They allow her to make one more call, and she calls Mac and asks her for the money. Annoyed, Mac tells her no, and that she also refuses to ask her grandmother for the money. After Brittany hangs up with Mac, the police escort her to a holding cell. The other inmates try to give her a hard time about her designer dress, but Brittany holds her own, barking at them to back off.
At the Newman ranch, Nikki set up the bedroom with candles and romantic music. The two of them enjoy a romantic evening together. Meanwhile, at dinner, Lorrie and Max talked about his scheme and she told him that it would all appear highly suspect. He disagreed, told her the entire plan, and after hearing everything, she agreed to help him.
Finally, Victoria and Diego had a conversation about making their relationship public. Diego voiced his concerns about Victoria being with a "guy like him," and worried about the scrutiny her family would examine the situation with.
Brittany woke up in jail after a hard night. She yelled for the guard when the other girls started in on her again -- that didn't help but somehow her parents showed up in no time. J.T. had given them a call after checking in with Mac that morning at the hospital. Her mother tried to blame everything on Raul, but Brittany was adamant that she was the only one who was drinking and driving. She yelled to them that if anyone's parents should be concerned about their child's friends, it was Raul's parents. They bailed her out and went back to their busy lives, while Brittany hurried to the hospital.
Victoria and Diego woke up together and toyed with the idea of calling in sick. She decided that she HAD to go to work, so she headed for the main house to shower. Diego received a call from Mac telling him about Raul's accident. He sped to the hospital.
Raul's parents were devastated about the accident, and were even more upset when they found out that Brittany had been drinking when she drove her car into the tree, hurting Raul. Brittany tried to apologize, but Mrs. Guittierez wouldn't accept her apology. Diego and his father finally talked her into going home to get some rest, then Brittany went into Raul's room against the doctor's advice. He was conscious and totally beat up -- his face swollen and bruised terribly. He was glad to see her and she apologized profusely. She told him that she didn't deserve him and he told her that he was the one who was lucky. He told her that they would get through it because they had each other. She never thought that she would meet someone like him -- he had changed everything in her life. . .
Nikki and Victor shared an intimate breakfast after their "evening to remember". They talked about the wedding and wondered where Victoria had spent the night, since she never came home. Victoria walked in and they teased her about working too hard at the office, thinking that it may have been a man instead. She didn't come right out and say it, but she did tell her mother that she was very happy, and that was the main thing that Nikki was concerned about.
At the Genoa City Hotel, Max arrived at Laurie's suite to find her prepared for their deceptive plan. She had audio-visual equipment ready and had rented the adjoining suite. The headline in the paper about the upcoming wedding was enough to give her the resolve she needed to go through with the plan. They taunted each other about which one might not have the guts to actually do it, so Max picked up his phone and asked Nikki to meet him one last time before he left town. It took some fast talking, but she agreed to meet him in 30 minutes. Now it was Laurie's turn. . .
Phyllis was glad to find Jack downstairs -- he had risen early to make some international business calls. She mentioned how nice and quiet it was with Diane staying away from the house and repeated her disdain about the whole situation. She questioned once again whether or not Diane could live with the rules. Just then, who came through the door from the kitchen, but Diane herself! Phyllis went ballistic, of course -- Diane just wanted to give Jack his morning paper and ask about milk for Kyle's cereal. Phyllis compared her to a Golden Retriever and Jack had to admit that he had given Diane permission to use the kitchen that one time. Diane asked about the truck in the driveway -- it meant that the workers were finishing up on the guest suite. She had gathered the information that she wanted and successfully incited Phyllis' rage, so she returned to the pool house.
Isabella paid Diane a visit shortly thereafter -- Diane wanted to tell her about how she was slowly but surely proving to Jack that Phyllis was unstable and not able to be a mother to Kyle. The plan would be to ask again if she could move into the guest suite, thus adding one more stone to the pile that would bury Phyllis in her own rage.
Back at the house, Phyllis went into a fury about what Diane was doing to make things worse for them. She was trying to make her look bad, and it was working!! She screamed that she couldn't stand it and that he HAD to get her out of there!! Phyllis ran upstairs and Jack paid Diane a visit. Diane tried on her innocent act, but Jack wouldn't buy it. He did admit that Phyllis had something to do with the problems, but the bottom line was that, as soon as the cast was off, Diane had to move out altogether.
Max told Laurie it was her turn to lure Victor into the hotel and she replied that it was already handled. Next thing you know, a fax arrived in Victor's office inviting him to a Premarital Adventure. He jumped right up and came running with a big bouquet of flowers. Nikki had already arrived at Max's suite and he had chicken Caesar salad -- her favorite for one last goodbye lunch. Victor was annoyed and wasn't buying Laurie's act about how she still had feelings for him. She went on and on about how it would be a shame not to share their true feelings and act upon them. . .
John Abbott found Colleen in the coffeehouse and wanted to have breakfast with her. She told him that she had study plans and wouldn't tell him with whom she was meeting. He left as she asked, but noticed that J.T. was the one who sat down at her table as John left the premises. John went directly to Jill's office and found her daydreaming and looking out the window, wishing that she could see Louisiana from there. He asked about J.T.'s character -- he was worried that Colleen had a huge crush on him and that he may not have the morals to resist her advances. They decided that he must have learned something from the tragedy with Billy a few years back, but weren't sure what he might do when he had the chance. . .
J.T. and Colleen tried to study, but he lost it when she offered to score some beer for their study session because he wasn't going for anything else that she was offering him. He apologized and explained the situation with Raul and Brittany. He was still tired from spending the night at the hospital, so she encouraged him to take a nap at the boutique before work and she promised to wake him up before work began that afternoon.
Jack talked to Diane about moving out as soon as the cast was off. She pretended to agree, giving him a little bit of a bad time when he suggested that she was making trouble in the situation. She knew that Jack was good for Kyle and wouldn't take him out of town. Jack offered to help her find a place and to take Kyle during the transition time, if necessary. He left the pool house and told Phyllis about their conversation. She wanted to believe that it could really happen, but just could not. She kissed Jack, then had to leave. The painter came down the stairs and had finished up with the guest suite. Before he left the house, Jack came up with an idea and asked him what his schedule was like for the next few weeks. . .
Back at the pool house, Diane told herself that Jack was crazy if he thought that she was going to move out with out a fight. Before too long, the painter, Arnold, came knocking at her door. He had orders from Jack to store the paint and thinner in her apartment. She wasn't going to let him, but didn't seem to have any choice. . . .
Larry sat down at the bar and recognized Phyllis a couple of seats away. He asked her about the "hair of the dog" (martini) that she seemed to be drinking and she told him that he should mind his own business. Then she recognized him and apologized for her initial reaction. She mentioned the "person" that was making her life miserable and he tried to sympathize with her. She congratulated him on turning his life around, then started asking him if he knew any hit men from prison. He tried to avoid the subject, but she pushed it. She needed a "human exterminator" who would "fumigate her life", cleaning up the vermin and pests. Larry thought that it was a little extreme, but no, she was at the end of her rope. . . .
Neil woke up disgusted in the hospital, hooked to an I.V. and with nothing to watch on TV. Serena soon appeared to see how he was doing and he immediately insisted that he didn't need to be there and that he could do it on his own. She offered to help him get out and go back to the Olive Tree for a few drinks -- he didn't have an answer for that one.
At Olivia's apartment, Dru told her sister about her boyfriend back in Paris -- Wesley -- a shrink who was a wonderful man. He had been in their lives for a couple of years and could do no wrong in Lily's eyes. Olivia kept trying to find out if something was amiss with Dru's life in Paris, but Dru would divulge nothing extraordinary to her sister. Soon Lily entered the room and wanted to talk to her mother about leaving for Paris as soon as possible. She even started calling the airlines for return trip tickets. Her mother stopped her, insisting that she would decide when they were leaving. Dru took off to do something and Olivia left the cousins in the apartment to play Ping-Pong. Lily had tried to recruit her aunt's help in getting them out of there, but Olivia remained neutral. Once they were alone, Lily sent Nate packing and made a distress call to Wesley in Paris. . .
Back at the hospital, Serena and Neil talked about her recovery as well -- she said that she wasn't so much stronger than he was, and that helping him stop drinking was helping her to do the same. She wondered about their future and he talked tenderly about how much she meant to him, but couldn't focus on any plans quite yet. As they talked , Dru overheard their conversation from outside the door. . . .
Colleen met her friend Katelyn, at the coffeehouse. She hinted that she had plans to rev up her relationship with J.T. Her friend warned her that she may be getting herself into more than she could handle. Colleen ran off to the boutique to see J.T. anyway and soon John Abbott arrived wanting to talk to Katelyn. He gave her the 3rd degree about what was going on between his granddaughter and J.T. Hellstrom. She vowed that she didn't know very much, but did admit that Colleen was helping with his college reading list before school started. He asked her not to mention their conversation to Colleen and left. Katelyn thought to herself, "Boy, Col, you had better be careful. They are watching you like a hawk!"
At the boutique, the topic of Don Quixote led Colleen to share a bit of her frustration about how her family didn't understand her. She apologized for getting so serious, but J.T. told her that friends do that sometimes and that he could relate to her feelings. He refused to live his life like someone else wanted him to, and his parents had finally quit giving him a bad time about it. He also apologized for calling her a kid and admitted that she was more than just a kid to him. He thanked her for coming through for him when he needed her and told her that he enjoyed getting to know her. She asked if their getting closer was a good thing, then she moved closer to him and kissed him. He slowly backed away after enjoying the kiss for a moment, and told her that he had to go. He walked out the door without looking back, and Colleen had a smile on her face thinking about what had just happened. . . .
Nikki admitted to Max that she was glad that he was leaving town, hinting that she was attracted to him to some degree and didn't need any distractions in her relationship with Victor. She noticed how intense he was getting and wondered what was up. He told her that he was just realizing how beautiful she was and how much she meant to him. He admitted that Victor had won and Nikki took a last drink of her iced tea, then left for the restroom before their time was over. She turned off the television that he had on a blue screen on her way by, and left. Max wondered what was taking Laurie so long in the next room.
Laurie continued to work on Victor's sympathy for her, crying softly and telling him that her life had not been the greatest the past few years. She had broken up with her husband and her novel was giving her fits. She kept asking if there was any potential for them to rekindle what they once had and wanted to build on that now, before it was too late. Victor softened after his initial wariness, and told her that she was beautiful woman and that they did have something special at one time. She played on that one, moving closer and holding his hand. She talked about the old times and wanted to reconnect with her roots in order to feel better. He mentioned Nikki and she wanted to know if he was so sure about that -- wasn't there any potential for them? He asked what was going on in that beautiful head of hers and she took advantage of the situation by bringing up the diamond ring that he gave her and the words he had said to her about teaching him to open his heart and learning how to love. He told her that he has never known anyone like her. . .
Back in the other suite, Nikki's hand lay on the floor near a towel and a newspaper. The last thing the viewer saw was the hidden camera in the leaves up above. . .
