Mon, Jan 3, 1972
Steve returns to work at Hope Memorial. Matt informs Steve that he helped Karen find an apartment and a car, which surprises Steve since he had offered to help her. Matt also tells him that due to the complications surrounding Stephanie's birth, Carolee may be unable to have any more children, news that Matt will leave to Steve to break to Carolee. Adam visits Carolee and says that Steve's legal file is officially closed. He returns Dan's personal journal, adding that Carolee probably never wants to see it again, but it's now her property. After Adam goes, Carolee can't help but have another look at it. Adam sees Matt and mentions that he passed Maggie in the hallway but didn't speak to her because she wasn't smiling. Emma brings Carolee an azalea, sent by Mr. Winters, the hospital florist. Emma suggests that she check with real estate agents to find a new house to start her life with Steve. Steve stops by and finds Carolee perusing the journal. He vows that they'll burn it together when she leaves the hospital since everything in it is part of their past. Carolee tells Steve that she wants a house full of kids, but he doesn't mention Matt's news that she can't have another child. Matt is on the phone with Maggie when the line suddenly goes dead.
Tue, Jan 4, 1972
Maggie is having a bad morning in the kitchen. She puts orange juice in the scrambled eggs and jumps when Greta quietly enters the room. Noticing that Greta isn't wearing the skirt she sewed for her over the weekend, Maggie becomes enraged, ordering her to go back and change immediately. Matt comes in during Maggie's tirade, and she launches an attack on him after he points out that she's being too strident with Greta over something so insignificant. Later, at Hope Memorial, Matt assigns Hank to neurosurgery and Mike to pediatrics. Mike mentions Mary Nell Jarrett and his suspicions that she's being abused, but Matt repeats the same hospital policy that Hank mentioned in the emergency ward. Hank sarcastically wishes pediatrics luck since Mike obviously knows more than anyone else at the hospital. Afterward, Mike goes to tell Maggie about his new assignment, but when he mentions Greta, Maggie accuses him of being in cahoots with Matt and begins screaming hysterically at him. Matt, having overheard the incident from the hallway, tells Mike that something's happening with Maggie that they can't ignore any longer.
Wed, Jan 5, 1972
Matt apologizes to Maggie for what happened earlier in the kitchen, but he still wants to meet with her in his office. An irritated Maggie grouses to Althea about Matt allegedly helping Karen find an apartment and a car, and she's ticked off too that Karen is telling different stories about Greta's behavior. Martha shares with Toni a stormy past between Nick and Althea. Toni makes plans to go to New York in her search for more information about Barbara and Webb Sutherland. Nick offers to take Mrs. Hamilton out for a dinner while she's in town visiting and says he's grateful that Althea hasn't reminded her of the ugly details of their divorce. Maggie goes to Matt's office but is very cool since she believes he sent Mike to talk to her about Greta. Matt quietly suggests that it's time for neurological tests with Dr. Hendryx. Maggie asks point blank if he suspects she has a brain tumor. He replies that he wants to make sure that she doesn't.
Thu, Jan 6, 1972
Hospitalized for an EEG and other brain tests, Maggie asks Dr. Hendryx what could be wrong with her if she doesn't have a brain tumor. John speculates to Matt that Maggie isn't showing symptoms of psychiatric neuroses; however, he agrees that something is clearly wrong with her. Karen drops by Maggie's hospital room to gush about having Matt's help in her selection of a used car. Later, Matt walks out when Maggie says sarcastically that she doesn't need his help. Nick and John meet in the staff lounge. Nick discusses his plan to eliminate any future strife between them all. After he leaves, John says to himself that there won't be any strife unless Nick asks for it. Maggie becomes unhinged by a ticking clock, which seems to grow louder. When she reaches for a carafe of water, she accidentally knocks it off the table. Her screams bring Nurse Duncan running, but when Maggie insists she heard the carafe shatter, Nurse Duncan shows her that it's solid plastic and still intact. Dr. Hendryx enters and doesn't comfort Maggie with his joke that she's too young for dementia.
Fri, Jan 7, 1972
Maggie shares with Althea the preliminary test results, which don't indicate a brain tumor. John tells Althea that he doesn't think Maggie is neurotic or psychotic. Steve and Carolee engage in a discussion of the future and their fears that if they marry too soon, it will result in more gossip and scrutiny. Cathy visits Carolee to drop off a baby gift, monogrammed baby spoons for Stephanie. When Cathy notes that she had them monogrammed with an "SA", for Stephanie Allison and later Stephanie Aldrich, a defensive Carolee asks where she heard a rumor of their marriage. Cathy quickly says that she overheard Dan and Steve quarreling over Carolee and just assumed that they would be together, as they've always meant to be. She apologizes again for her role in keeping them apart, but Carolee won't hear of dredging up the past. Cathy notes Carolee's radiance and how attractive a woman must be to a man when she's the mother of his child. John and Althea cross swords over Nick's desire to take Edna to dinner. Steve visits Karen and Erich in their new apartment and almost catches Karen in the tale she told about the hospital in Berlin. Emma insists that Carolee not let anything, especially hospital gossip, stand in the way of her finally being Steve's wife.
Mon, Jan 10, 1972
Maggie is tormented by the sounds of a ticking clock and Dr. Hendryx's voice telling her that she's too young for dementia. Dr. Hendryx and Matt examine the results of Maggie's neurological tests. Hendryx insists that he couldn't find a physical problem for Maggie's symptoms, leaving Matt to sigh that psychiatry is the next step in her case. Carolee and Steve agree to a March wedding. After Maggie refuses to go and visit with Carolee, Matt goes instead. With Carolee out of the room, Steve admits that he hasn't told Carolee that she probably will not be able to have any more children as a result of the problems during Stephanie's birth. Matt declines Steve's offer to make him the best man, suggesting that it would be uncomfortable since he was Dan's best man. As an alternative, he offers the Powers home for the wedding ceremony. In Matt's office, a disturbed Maggie reads about dementia praecox, a disease whose symptoms are the same as hers. Matt returns to the office and tells her that he hopes John can help her. Maggie yells that she knows exactly what's wrong with her now, and therapy sessions can't help her.
Tue, Jan 11, 1972
Matt wonders what Maggie meant when she told him that she found what she needed in his medical book. Carolee asks Althea to be her matron of honor when she marries Steve, and Althea is joyous at being named Stephanie's godmother. Later, Althea is perplexed by Maggie's drained behavior and assertion that it's been a particularly busy day in the clinic when it hasn't. After Maggie leaves, a concerned Althea calls Matt, who follows Maggie home. Maggie continues to act irrationally with Matt. When he goes to get ice, she falls into a strange fantasy in which Frank chastises her for her brusque behavior with family and friends, then he tells her that she's "loco." Matt returns to find Maggie screaming at Frank's taunts, and she finally agrees to see John tomorrow.
Wed, Jan 12, 1972
Matt talks with John about the recent developments in Maggie's ever deteriorating mental state. Althea and Steve discuss Karen, who Althea thinks is using Steve to get to Matt. Hank shares with Nick that he believes Dr. Hendryx is Nick's enemy. Althea and Steve wonder if Karen's letter from Berlin was a lie she created as an excuse to stay in America. Steve asks Nick to be his best man at the wedding. Matt and John agree that Maggie's neurological tests should have shown a brain tumor if she's physically ill. Matt tells John that Maggie has agreed to see him professionally, and he hopes that Maggie will be candid enough for John to diagnose a problem.
Thu, Jan 13, 1972
Worried because she is now seeing visions of Frank during the day, Maggie recounts the symptoms of dementia. Althea informs Maggie that Karen turned to Matt only after she had refused Steve's offer to help her shop for a car. Nick tells Althea that John wants to find out more about the circumstances leading to their divorce. Maggie is unmoved by Karen's overly solicitous behavior. In a therapy session with John, Maggie admits that she thinks her problems are due to subconscious hostilities toward Karen and her past with Matt, but when John suggests that she stop playing psychiatrist and stop putting up smokescreens, Maggie walks out in a huff.
Fri, Jan 14, 1972
John confides in Althea that he thinks Maggie's responses in their session were rehearsed. After Althea shares the good news that she's to be Carolee's matron of honor and Nick will be Steve's best man, John mopes off to his study. Steve thanks Emma for standing by him through the worst of times. When an unhappy Carolee appears with Dan's journal, Steve encourages her to burn it in the fireplace. Later, he suggests that they leave the Allison home and all of its unhappy memories behind. Cathy suggests to Nick that he's going to be uncomfortable at the wedding when he has to stand by Althea, but he counters that he isn't bothered. Meanwhile, John voices the same concern to Althea, who replies, "I sleep in your bed, sir, but I do not lie on your couch."
Mon, Jan 17, 1972
Matt ponders whether or not John can make a diagnosis in Maggie's odd, irrational behavior. When Mike drops by and tells Matt about his conversation with Maggie in which she screamed at him, Matt reveals that he found Maggie terrified in the living room, but she refused to explain why she was upset. Toni confides in Martha more details of her affair with Vito. Mike offers Toni one of his ring, asking that she consider it an engagement ring. She puts it on a chain around her neck to carry for good luck next to a locket containing a photo of her father. At the Powers home, Matt's questions irritate Maggie, who lashes out at him, blaming him for ruining her sewing. Frustrated, Matt snaps back at her, pointing out that she hasn't sewn anything since he arrived home.
Tue, Jan 18, 1972
Maggie can't escape thoughts of dementia and how her symptoms fit the disease. Greta's questions about having an uncle make Matt and Maggie nervous. When Nick tries to get rid of her, Cathy pretends to lose her gloves so that she has to stay longer. Carolee suggests postponing the wedding until she and Steve can start their new life away from the Allison home, but Steve refuses. Matt and Maggie discuss Maggie's Uncle Bill, who had dementia. Maggie privately realizes that her symptoms mimic his, and she prays that she hasn't inherited the disease.
Wed, Jan 19, 1972
Karen attempts to place more doubts in Matt's head about Maggie's relationship with Greta. Later, Karen is delighted when Maggie phones Matt then hangs up on him in a spat over the caterers for Steve and Carolee's wedding. John tries to get ballet tickets to ingratiate himself with Edna. Maggie can't stop thinking about her Uncle Bill's dementia. Karen's annoying discussion of the upcoming wedding sends Maggie running from the outpatient clinic. Having witnessed Maggie fleeing, Althea confronts Karen. John confides in Matt the failed therapy session with Maggie, and John resolves to gain Maggie's trust.
Thu, Jan 20, 1972
After experiencing more cognitive problems in the clinic, Maggie remembers that her Uncle Bill also couldn't perform routine tasks. Althea mistakenly believes that Karen was responsible for Maggie's odd behavior. When she tries to talk to her about Steve and Carolee's wedding, Maggie runs out of the clinic. Later, Althea confides in Nick that she thinks something is seriously wrong with Maggie. In New York, Toni visits the apartment of Maria Avanzo. Noting that Toni isn't married, Mrs. Avanzo insists she say hello to Vito while she's in town. Toni is disappointed to learn that Mrs. Avanzo hasn't seen Barbara in twelve years. She knows nothing about Barbara's whereabouts or Webb Sutherland. Martha cautions Nick about the wedding because as best man and matron of honor, he and Althea will spend a lot of time together. Mrs. Avanzo phones Vito at the hospital and invites him over for a surprise. Maggie vows to fill her head with as much as she can so that there won't be room for piercing sounds.
Fri, Jan 21, 1972
Vito arrives at Mrs. Avanzo's apartment and is pleasantly surprised to be reunited with Toni. Toni is hopeful when Vito claims that the name Webb Sutherland is familiar, but when Mrs. Avanzo leaves them alone to go to the store, Toni becomes nervous. Matt tells Mike about Uncle Bill and the history of dementia in Maggie's family. Mike shares with Hank that he gave his class ring to Toni for good luck but would rather have given her an engagement ring. Still alone with Toni, Vito admits that he's familiar with Nick's research and knew that Toni was working for him at Hope Memorial. Toni dodges all of Vito's overtures to escort her around New York, and then he says that he remembers hearing Barbara call out Webb's name when a man with a guitar case showed up on her doorstep. After Vito says that he knows lots of musicians who might have a lead on Webb, Toni gives him her phone number.
Mon, Jan 24, 1972
While discussing the wedding with Carolee, Maggie experiences the high-pitched sound. Steve shows Carolee design plans for their new dream home. Maggie schedules an emergency appointment with John. Althea tells her mother that Nick is taking her out tomorrow night for a special dinner, but unknown to Althea, John has managed to get tickets to the sold-out ballet performance for the same night. In a session with John, Maggie loses her temper. John encourages her to do whatever she wants just so long as she tells him the whole truth about what she's experiencing.
Tue, Jan 25, 1972
Maggie fails to convince John that her problem is an inability to be a good wife and mother to Matt and Greta. Later, she tells herself that her symptoms might not be dementia at all and she'll just concentrate on acting sane. At Pete's Bar, Steve tells Nick about the plans to build a new house and leave their unhappy memories in the Allison home. Nick recalls that he and Althea couldn't stay in their old apartment either following their divorce. Althea takes Maggie to lunch at Pete's, where Althea notes Maggie's strange behavior. Althea learns that John managed to get tickets to the sold-out ballet and starts to call Nick to cancel his dinner date with Edna, but John insists upon giving Nick the news himself.
Wed, Jan 26, 1972
Maggie apologizes to Matt about their disagreement over having the wedding catered and says she'll take his advice, but she becomes angry and slams his office door after finding out that he and John discussed her failed therapy session. Witnessing the tension between Matt and Maggie, Steve offers to move the wedding to City Hall, but Matt insists that he and Maggie want the ceremony held in their home. Later, Steve visits Karen and Erich in their new apartment. For once, Karen is very congenial and professes a desire to bury all the old suspicions between them, starting with her speculation that Steve is the father of Carolee's baby. Maggie begs Matt to forgive her for her mercurial behavior and promises that everything will be all right as long as they continue to love one another.
Thu, Jan 27, 1972
Martha teases a jealous Cathy with news that Nick has a date tonight with another woman. Cathy is relieved when Nick reveals that he's actually taking Edna Hamilton out, but then Cathy begins to nag him about not being invited to Steve and Carolee's wedding when John will be going with Althea. A pleased Nick makes a very special reservation at the Chanticleer Room for dinner. Emma is adamant that Carolee not postpone the wedding so that Steve won't have to sleep in the same bed Carolee once shared with Dan. Later, Emma secretly phones the superintendent in her old apartment building. A smirking John visits Nick in the lab and gleefully informs him that he'll have to reschedule his dinner with Edna because John scored tickets to the final ballet performance of the season and will be taking her there instead.
Fri, Jan 28, 1972
Maggie confides in Althea that she couldn't bring herself to tell Greta about Uncle Bill, who died from dementia after being committed to a mental institution. Toni and Vito visit a jazz club to find a friend who might know how to contact Webb Sutherland. While waiting, the two discuss their past. Visiting Mike at the hospital, Greta admits that she wishes Mike were still living at home because Maggie's mad at her all the time. Mike reassures Greta that Maggie loves her and is actually mad at herself. Martha receives a call from Toni, who says she's taking another day before she comes back. Althea is incensed to learn from Nick that John waited until the last minute to tell him about the change in plans with her mother. Alone in the clinic, Maggie has another vision of Frank taunting her about being as loco as her Uncle Bill.
Mon, Jan 31, 1972
Althea angrily confronts John over his tactics with Nick, and John goads her into admitting that she once considered Nick the villain in their marriage. Emma reassures Billy that Carolee still loves him even though she's giving all of her attention to baby Stephanie. Later, Emma asks Billy if he'd like to live with her, just the two of them. Billy wonders if Steve will adopt him, as he intends to do with Stephanie. Maggie admits to John that she saw Frank in the clinic and fears that she just invented him as a way to punish Matt. John draws a parallel between the trouble of Matt and Maggie's marriage and the problems Nick and Althea had in theirs. Then he manipulates Maggie into telling him that Nick once accused Althea of being a failure as a wife, a mother, and as a woman. After her session with John, Maggie phones George Cadman at police headquarters.
Tue, Feb 1, 1972
Maggie arranges a meeting with Detective Cadman. Matt and John discuss Maggie's latest session, and Matt realizes that he's always at the center of Maggie's troubles. Althea apologizes to Nick for John's behavior and reassures him that she hasn't discussed with John intimate details of their marriage. After Althea confides in him her fears for Maggie's growing instability, Matt considers taking Maggie away on a vacation. Maggie meets with Detective Cadman, who informs her that they haven't made any progress in the kidnapping case. He reminds her that Frank still has her keys and identification and stresses that he doesn't doubt her story, adding that only a very sick person would make up a tale of being kidnapped and assaulted.
Wed, Feb 2, 1972
Mike learns from Martha that Toni stayed an extra day in New York. Toni goes to Vito's apartment in anticipation of meeting his friend who might know the whereabouts of Webb Sutherland. Cathy talks with Steve about the upcoming wedding and learns that he's going to adopt Stephanie legally. Toni finds that Vito's friend has already gone, but he left behind a record album featuring Sutherland. Vito questions Toni about the current man in her life, and when she tells him about Mike, Vito grabs and kisses her. Angry, Toni pulls away from away from him. He says that her kiss was just like old times, and he thinks she's lying about having a man in her life. He kisses her again, but this time, she kisses him back passionately. Matt surprises Maggie with brochures to a tropical paradise, and he suggests that a vacation is in order just as much for his nerves as for hers. Toni phones Vito to tell him that she lost Mike's ring and wonders if she left it at his place. Vito pretends to look for the ring then says he couldn't find it. After they hang up, Vito smiles smugly. He's holding the ring and chain in his hand.
Thu, Feb 3, 1972
John arrives home to find a note from Althea, who has gone over to Carolee's for a ladies only night. Steve brings Nick home with him, and Nick and Althea reminisce about good times from their past. Emma tells Steve and Carolee that she's giving them the gift of starting their married life alone. She has gotten her old apartment back and plans to live there with Billy. When Carolee says that they can't afford to pay rent on two places, Emma reveals that she's been hired by Mr. Winters to work in Hope Memorial's floral shop. John phones the Allison home to speak with Althea, and Carolee innocently tells him that she and Nick just left. Steve suggests that Carolee hold off on thoughts of another child when she jokes about filling the bassinet again once Stephanie outgrows it. Back at home, Althea notes John's hostile mood. He tells her that he knows she was with Nick, despite her claim that she was having a ladies night with Carolee. When she tries to explain that Nick came home unexpectedly with Steve, John accuses her of having a double standard where people's feelings are concerned: one for Nick and another one for him.
Fri, Feb 4, 1972
Matt plans a vacation in the Caribbean for himself and Maggie. Maggie's mood is elevated by not having any dementia symptoms for 24 hours. Althea shares with Edna the problem she's having with John, who is upset over her being with Nick at Carolee's house, but Edna fails to understand why Nick's presence bothered John. Toni arrives home from New York and cries to Martha about her experience there. A confused Martha tries to understand what Toni means when she says that Mike might be able to forgive her, but she can't forgive herself. Drifting off to sleep, Maggie has another vision of Frank, who says that she can't get rid of him because he's the only person who'll tell her the truth. He asks if she's really going to burden her nice husband with a crazy wife for the rest of his life.
Mon, Feb 7, 1972
Althea realizes that John isn't going to get over her accidental meeting with Nick. Maggie tells Matt about her latest dream of Frank, but she resolves not to stick Matt with an insane wife. She then chooses a random travel brochure, selecting Trinidad as their vacation. Toni confides in Carolee about meeting Vito in his apartment. Althea is delighted to see a joyous Maggie, who tells her all about her upcoming trip to Trinidad with Matt. Toni shares with Carolee that she kissed Vito and was reminded of Dan's accusation that she's a tramp just like her mother Barbara. She admits that although she ran out when she finally came to her senses, she wanted to stay with him. She didn't get any closer to finding her mother, but ironically, she found herself.
Tue, Feb 8, 1972
Vito phones Toni at Hope Memorial. He presses her about how she responded to his kisses, and while playing with the chain and ring, he continues to deny finding it. When Hank comes into the lab, Toni abruptly ends the call, pretending to Hank that she was speaking with someone else. She tells Hank that she found out that his old girlfriend Laurie walked out on her recording contract a few months ago, and reveals the few details she learned about Webb Sutherland, downplaying her encounter with Vito. Emma makes preparations to move back to her former apartment. At lunch, Carolee suggests to Steve that her biological clock is ticking, and she notes that he seems to avoid any discussion of having another child. Toni makes a phone call in attempt to trace Sutherland, but it's unproductive. Mike visits Toni, who admits that she lost his ring. He brushes off her guilt, arguing that it's OK if that was the worst thing that happened to her in New York. He kisses her repeatedly, but is unsure when she insists that nothing else happened on her trip.
Wed, Feb 9, 1972
Edna and John disagree about the incident in which Nick and Althea met at Carolee's house, but Althea didn't call John and tell him. Edna defends Althea by saying that it probably never occurred to her to phone her husband, and John says that's exactly the point. Karen asks Eric if he'd like to call Matt "Daddy" and thinks to herself that she could offer Matt real happiness if he only he didn't have to keep up the pretense of a happy marriage with Maggie. However, Karen is later annoyed to learn from Steve that Matt and Maggie are going to Trinidad for a second honeymoon. Nick stops by to pick up Edna for their dinner date, and while she readies herself, he and Althea laugh about old times. At dinner, Edna notices when Nick tries hard to diplomatically dodge her questions about John. John phones Althea from a patient's home and says curtly to expect him home when she sees him walk through the door.
Thu, Feb 10, 1972
Toni won't tell Martha what happened in New York. Nick offers to help Toni in her search for Sutherland, who is also from Chicago. Martha has an ill feeling about Steve and Nick's plan to be married by Reverend Wheeler, the minister who also officiated at Nick's wedding to Althea. Toni meets Mike in his intern quarters. Mike senses that she's upset about something other than the lost ring, which he offers to replace with an engagement ring. Toni turns down the ring, arguing that she won't accept an engagement ring until she's ready to accept a wedding ring, too. Alone in Matt's office, Maggie tries not to reread the entry on dementia in Matt's medical book. Later, she encourages him to make peace with Nick so that Nick won't feel uncomfortable in their home for the wedding. Toni finally breaks down and confesses to Martha what happened in Vito's apartment. She fears that Dan's accusation was right. She is a tramp and worries that she won't remain faithful to Mike if they get married.
Fri, Feb 11, 1972
Having conned the super to let her in Nick's apartment while he's out, Cathy replaces his shelf paper and experiences a dizzy spell. Nick, arriving home, is annoyed to find her there and quickly leaves. Afterward, Edna drops by with an Apple Brown Betty for Nick. Cathy seizes the opportunity to sing Nick's praises, adding how nice it was of him to visit her in the hospital despite John's feelings. Nick talks with Althea regarding Edna's constant questions about John. He warns her that Edna is getting close to realizing that he and John aren't friends at all. Nick assumes a defensive stance when Matt goes to the lab but calms down when Matt says that he only wanted to make Nick feel welcome again in their home. Cathy attempts to convince herself that everything will work out if she's pregnant with Nick's baby. Matt plans a romantic Valentine's Day dinner at the Chanticleer Room for Maggie. Edna returns to Nick's apartment with more questions about his relationship with John and Althea, and she isn't fooled by his lies. After she leaves, he phones Althea to arrange a meeting.
Mon, Feb 14, 1972
Althea uses the pretext of going to the deli to slip away from Edna and meet Nick. Nick tells Althea that their lies have only made things worse for Edna, and since it's all for John's benefit anyway, Nick no longer wants any part of their schemes. When John arrives home with a bag from the deli, Edna tells him that Althea just went out to the deli, too. Matt and Maggie enjoy a lovely evening at the Chanticleer Room. They decide to wait until Easter for their trip to Trinidad so that they can take Greta with them. Maggie is feeling her old self again, until she suddenly begins to hear the high-pitched sound. Edna presses John for information about his "friendship" with Nick, and John says that Dr. Venable was the one who suggested they deceive Edna for her own good. When Althea arrives home and isn't wet from the rain, John knows that she never left the apartment building. She confesses that she went to see Nick, adding that they'll talk about it later. John replies that she can take her time; he knows it will take a while to think up another excuse.
Tue, Feb 15, 1972
Mike admits to Hank that he's afraid Toni discovered in New York that she hasn't gotten over Vito. Maggie tells Greta that they're taking her with them on their Easter trip to Trinidad. Matt's decision to look for what's right with Maggie instead of what might be wrong resonates with Mike, who resolves to use that strategy on Toni. John confronts Althea about going to see Nick, going so far as to say that the situation smacks on a ménage a trois. They continue to argue about the situation until Althea resolves to tell her mother the complete truth. John saves his best for last, shocking her with the assertion that she shouldn't be surprised that Nick wants to leave her holding the bag since he once accused of her being a failure as woman, forcing her to run out in the night and become the victim of Philip Townsend. Althea demands to know how he discovered that information. John admits that Maggie inadvertently told him during a therapy session. Althea defends Nick, saying that she was equally responsible for what happened. She orders him to forget it. She wants it buried in the past. But John thinks to himself that one doesn't throw away a weapon when it can be used for protection.
Wed, Feb 16, 1972
Althea comes clean with her mother about the deception she, Nick, and John engaged in the last few months. Althea explains John's behavior as being a result of his marriage to Jessica, but Edna says that his reaction to Nick has been extreme, and there comes a time when people should stop blaming others for their own actions. Steve and Carolee discuss Karen's reaction to the news of Matt and Maggie's second honeymoon. Carolee reiterates that she wants more children. Karen drops by Matt's office wanting to babysit Greta while he and Maggie are in Trinidad, but she's irritated to learn that Greta is going on the trip, too. After Carolee vocalizes being worried that John was upset by being left out of their impromptu gathering the other evening, Althea lies that John is a very understanding man.
Thu, Feb 17, 1972
Toni learns from Nick's connection that Webb Sutherland was living in Memphis in 1969. She also receives a special delivery letter from Vito who theories that fate brought them back together. Carolee wonders if Toni is still in love with Vito. John warns Nick not to concoct any more excuses to see Althea since Nick has removed himself from the situation with Edna. Toni reads Vito's letter but decides that she can't subject herself to that kind of heartbreak again. Nick tells Althea about his encounter with John and cautions her that John isn't a Sir Galahad. Althea suggestively counters that just before everything came to a head with her mother, Edna had spoken with a very chatty Cathy at Nick's apartment. Nick quickly phones Cathy and demands to see her immediately.
Fri, Feb 18, 1972
Maggie tries to be as loving as she can with Greta and manages to keep her temper in check when Greta goes on about wanting a $5 dart board. But later, while on the phone with the caterers, Maggie is overcome by the high-pitched sound. Nick verbally accosts Cathy in the research lab, yelling at her for causing trouble with Edna. Cathy angrily screams back that she would have kept her mouth shut if Nick had bothered to tell her about the situation, adding that they should share their lives and not just Nick's bed. She runs out crying that she's only guilty of thinking that Nick's a great guy. Outside the lab, she thinks to herself that Nick wouldn't come down on her so hard if he knew that she's going to have his baby. Maggie finds $5 missing from her purse, and automatically accuses Greta of stealing it to get the dart board she wants. Her relentless behavior makes Greta cry, but after finding the missing bill on the floor, Maggie says she must have been insane to think Greta stole it. Althea suggests that she and John take a second honeymoon to help their marriage, just as Matt and Maggie are doing, but a defensive John instantly decides that Althea must have an ulterior motive. After she mentions that Cathy talked to Edna at Nick's apartment, John speculates that Nick used Cathy to turn Edna against him, and decides to straighten his mother-in-law out immediately.
Mon, Feb 21, 1972
Matt tells Althea how much Maggie has improved since he proposed taking her on a second honeymoon. Nick informs Althea that he told off Cathy for interfering with Edna, and admits that he was sore because Althea put him into a position where he had to be dishonest. John rushes to confront Edna while she's alone. He does everything he can to debunk the myth that Nick is godlike. John tells her that Nick ruined his own marriage by belittling Althea as a wife, a mother, and as a woman. He suspects that Nick is not only primitive, but violent as well. When Edna refuses to believe his accusations, John says he's going out for tobacco but doesn't know when he's coming back. Maggie seeks solace from Matt, revealing to him the incident in which she accused Greta of stealing money from her purse. Matt dismisses it, arguing that Maggie has been under incredible stress lately. Maggie counters that no pain in her head should make her react so irrationally with her own child. Althea arrives home to find John gone, and Edna packing her bags to leave.
Tue, Feb 22, 1972
Edna tells Althea that she's going back home because Althea's marriage is already threatened without her presence. She elaborates by revealing John's hostility toward Nick as well as his speculation that Nick is not only primitive but violent. Edna says that unlike Althea, John appears to hold grudges, and the two of them have to settle that difference if they're going stay married. Steve describes Karen as an iceberg, you never know what's going on below the surface, and Carolee wonders if she might let Erich visit them so that he can get to know his little sister Stephanie. Karen daydreams of a romantic life with Matt, who promises that he's taking Maggie to Trinidad to say goodbye. Karen thinks to herself that she wouldn't stay in the United States for 10 minutes if she thought she didn't stand a chance of taking Matt away from Maggie. As Althea prepares to take Edna to the airport, she leaves a note for John, telling him that she's furiously angry.
Wed, Feb 23, 1972
Toni throws Vito's letter in the trash. Martha tries to assuage Toni's fears of being a tramp like Barbara by reminding her that she's also Paolo's daughter. Toni remembers kissing Vito. Carolee jokes with Steve about needing a bigger desk to hold all the pictures of the children they'll have, but then she remarks that Steve gets a grave expression on his face every time she mentions children. After Carolee leaves the room, Steve confides in Emma the extremely dim chance that Carolee will ever bear another child. Mike visits Toni with a pledge to stop badgering her. He gives her a pearl engagement ring and as he proposes marriage, she hears Vito's voice arguing against marriage. Toni decides to accept Mike's proposal. When Martha phones to say that she's having car trouble and will be spending the night with a friend, Mike promises that he won't leave Toni alone.
Thu, Feb 24, 1972
Matt receives a call from Hank reporting an influx of patients from a nearby explosion in an apartment building. Mike and Toni enjoy their time alone in Martha's house. Althea returns from the airport before John decides to go home. When he finally arrives, Althea lights into him for going home early so that he'd have a clear field to say bad things about Nick to her mother. John defends his actions, arguing that all of his points regarding Nick's brutish behavior are true. Althea counters that Nick wasn't solely to blame. He said things that night in the heat of anger, and she provoked his temper. John coldly suggests that Althea has an uncontrollable compulsion to protect Nick no matter what he does. It's a flaw in herself that she denies. As their argument escalates, John packs his bags. Leaving the apartment, he snaps that he's going to stay in a hotel and wait for Althea to sort herself out. Matt phones Maggie from Hope Memorial to say that the explosion crisis is over. He reassures her about the incident with Greta and the missing $5. Shocked by John's departure, Althea calls Nick and asks if she can come talk things over with him.
Fri, Feb 25, 1972
Maggie thinks to herself how wonderful Trinidad will be since she'll be with Matt and Greta, the two people she loves most. Her positive thoughts are interrupted by another vision of Frank. Frank wonders what kind of mother would accuse a poor little girl of being a thief without bothering to look for the lost money. He asks her to remember a similar incident when she was a girl. Her Uncle Bill falsely accused her too, just before he was locked up in the mental institution. As the vision continues, Frank wonders why she keeps putting up a smokescreen with John by not admitting that insanity runs in her family. He comes up with a plan. Maggie should make up a fictitious patient whose symptoms are the same as her own and asks John for a consult. Frank warns her to hurry; she's running out of time. After Frank vanishes, Maggie begins to create a case file for the fictional Jane Collins. Steve is surprised when Cathy turns up unexpectedly at his apartment. She hedges until he's on the verge of asking her to leave. Eventually she admits that she needs an OB because she suspects she's pregnant. Althea goes to Nick's apartment, where she recounts her quarrel with John. She says that John's coldness frightens her. Suddenly she and Nick embrace then kiss. Coming to her senses, she pulls away him and leaves. Later, she phones the garage to have her car gassed and brought around front. Despite the rain and slippery roads, she plans on taking a long trip.
Mon, Feb 28, 1972
Althea drives in a storm to Greenville. She recalls her fight with John and realizes that she needs Edna desperately. Matt comes home from working at the the hospital and has a quiet talk with Greta about Maggie. In spite of the incident with the missing money, he says that Maggie is getting better. Still on the road to Greenville, Althea remembers the time that John gave her a list of his shortcomings and promised to change anything she didn't like about him. Then she recalls Nick's anger when he proposed marriage a second time, only a day after she secretly married John. Cathy confides in Steve that she's certain she's pregnant; her period is eight weeks late. When Steve appears shocked to learn that Nick has no idea, Cathy assures him that Nick wants children. Steve doesn't agree, but most of all, he doesn't want to get caught in the middle of a sticky situation between the two of them. He does agree to secretly examine Cathy tomorrow on her lunch break. Althea continues to remember Nick and John. She wonders to herself if she's married to one man but still in love with another one.
Thu, Mar 2, 1972
After examining Cathy, Steve thinks she is pregnant, but they have to wait for confirmation of the AZ test. Noting that she doesn't seem as elated as yesterday, he reminds her that although he can't perform one, abortion is legal in some states. Cathy instantly rejects the idea, arguing that she wants the baby, and Nick will too. Carolee and Nick discuss Stephanie and Carolee's desire to have another child. Nick jokes with her that babies just aren't his scene. Mike wonders why he ever worried about Vito after Toni suggests they get married on the day his internship ends. Steve tells Carolee that two years between pregnancies is recommended by most obstetricians. Nick recounts for Steve his earlier conversation with Carolee and urges Steve to tell her that she can't have more children. When Steve mentions Cathy's desire to attend the wedding with him, Nick says that Cathy isn't that special. She's just fun and games.
Fri, Mar 3, 1972
After remembering his meeting earlier with Althea, Nick phones Steve and suggests they go out and get drunk the night before Steve's wedding. Althea calls John, who says she acted like a child in running home to mother in Greenville. Edna reminds Althea that they only have John's word about the problems in his marriage to Jessica. Althea wonders if John projected his own negative feelings of resentment and jealousy on to Jessica. When Althea speculates what would've happened if Nick had proposed to her first, Edna replies that she would've married John anyway because she believed she was in love with him at the time. Alone in the living room, Maggie envisions herself speaking with John about her fictional client Jane Collins, but John won't listen when she screams that the file is really hers. Then John taunts Maggie with the news that there's no cure for dementia. Back in reality, Frank phones Hope Memorial from a distant phone booth and asks if Maggie still works there. Matt finds a dazed Maggie in the living room. He tells her that he's glad she's getting back to normal and reassures her that their trip will be wonderful for them. Still on the pay phone, Frank tries to find out how much farther east he can go on $8.50. He hangs up, takes a swig of whiskey, and is pleased that he's about to get closer to Maggie again. Nick arrives home and can still smell Althea's perfume. He resigns himself to being alone and having to live with it. Althea realizes that she has to face John, as well as Nick, and has no idea what's she's going to say.
Fri, Mar 10, 1972
As the ceremony gets under way, Maggie experiences her own private hell, certain that she is losing her mind and ultimately Matt. Matt notices Maggie's crying jag, but she simply dismisses it as sentimentality for the situation. After more than a year of being kept apart by unfortunate circumstances, Steve Aldrich and Carolee Simpson are finally joined in holy matrimony.
Mon, Mar 13, 1972
After the wedding, Nick escorts Althea back to her apartment, where she finds it's been ransacked. Steve carries Carolee and baby Stephanie over the threshold to begin their new life together. A jovial Matt is oblivious to Maggie's torment that she has to leave him in order to spare him from being tied to a crazy wife. Unaware of Cathy's pregnancy, Carolee asks Steve if Nick really cares for Cathy, and he tells her that Nick admitted to still being in love with Althea. Althea discovers that a gold pin, a gift from Nick, has been stolen. The two talk about always being there for one another, and Althea impulsively confesses that she made a mistake in marrying John, whom she isn't sure she ever really loved.
Tue, Mar 14, 1972
Nick and Althea discuss her deteriorating relationship with John. When she comments that her mother holds Nick in very high esteem, he cautions her to leave him out of her marital problems. Vito turns on the charm at the nurse's station and cajoles Miss Frobisher into giving him Toni's home telephone number. Before Vito can leave, Hank passes by and recognizes him as his old buddy "Mac" from their New York hospital days. Maggie debates whether or not to confide in Matt her fear that she's slipping into dementia, but she realizes that she can't leave him unless there's someone else to take her place as a wife and mother...someone like Karen.