Wed, Jan 7, 1998
Charlie continues to feel weaker from chemotherapy, and when at a point of total weakness, he asks help at home and at the restaurant, putting Bailey in charge of Salingers. But a hapless Julia, taking charge of the household chores while working her new job as a waitress at the restaurant, has a miserable time, in which Bailey has to let her go from the restaurant. Meanwhile, Claudia seeks companionship with Reed to get away from the household problems, but when she finally tells him her true feelings for him, he coldly pushes her away. Also, Charlie decides to help Sarah with a college project in building a miniature theater set.
Wed, Jan 14, 1998
With Kirsten's help, an ever increasing sickly Charlie meets with an herbalist and even tries out meditation which seems to help his state of mind, but not his cancer. Julia and Griffin, unable to help each other during crises, come to realize the distance between them due to Julia's busy work schedule and Griffin's continuing back luck at his bike shop over loss of business and confiscation of his property over not paying up on the rent. Meanwhile, Bailey tries to seek more time to be with Annie, while she ponders whether or not to tell her seven-year-old daughter, Natalie, about her and Bailey. Also, Claudia tries more than ever to get Reed to like her, but to no avail for he clearly states that he's not interested in her, leaving her more alone and sad than ever when no one else at home wants to listen to her problems.
Wed, Jan 21, 1998
Inspired by his friendship with Kevin, a fellow cancer patient, Charlie embraces a new attitude and adds some adventure to his life by going with Kevin to a batting cage and planning a fishing trip and hand-gliding which takes both Julia and Claudia by surprise. Meanwhile, Julia becomes friendly with a co-worker, name Jennie, at her new typist temp job, while her marital difficulties with Griffin become a battle zone. Sarah also has problems with her boyfriend, Elliot, whom she fears that he's losing interest in her. Also, Bailey tries to bond with Annie's daughter, Natalie, even though the youngster wants nothing to do with him.
Wed, Jan 28, 1998
Kevin's joyous reaction to his latest news about his cancer in remission does nothing to quiet Charlie's fears. Meanwhile, Griffin's pipe dreams over saving his failing bike shop leaves Julia with a lot of doubts about putting on a TV commercial with her as the spokes person. Elliot soon regrets revealing his true feelings to Bailey that he may be gay, which leaves him in a dilemma over whether or not to tell Sarah. Also, Claudia is hard-pressed to complete a school assignment on a time capsule that requires her to look to the future.
Wed, Feb 4, 1998
Charlie prepares himself for the worst after he's hospitalized for pneumonia and begins to lose hope in his will to live. Kirsten then tells her husband, Paul, that she cannot go away on a vacation with him and must be by Charlie's side. Bailey, overwhelmed by responsibilities to Annie, managing the restaurant, and going to college, comes to a major decision when he decides to quit school. Meanwhile, Claudia begins to retreat into a world of truancy as a result of being ignored by her siblings who are giving all their attention to the sickly Charlie. Also, Griffin finally cuts his losses and decides to sell his bike shop to get rid of his and Julia's debts.
Wed, Feb 11, 1998
With Charlie still in the hospital, Bailey and Julia continue to remain oblivious to what's happening on the home front due to their continuing life problems and daily visits to the hospital to be with Charlie. As a result, Claudia and Owen end up what most people consider neglected. When a visiting Social Services man makes a routine visit and finds Claudia and Owen alone, and the house in a drastic state of disarray, he has them removed to the state services. Meanwhile, Charlie makes out a living will and asks Kirsten a major favor: to care for Claudia and Owen if he dies when she agrees to look after them for Social Services. But Paul tells Kirsten that he's against the idea of raising someone else's children. Griffin begins his new job at his former bike shop, now an auto repair garage, and tries to help the attractive manager, Rosalie, make a deadline to repair one motorcycle.
Wed, Feb 25, 1998
Bailey slowly discovers Annie's relapse into alcoholism on the 2nd anniversary of her sobriety, which also threatens his sobriety as well. Julie rediscovers the academic world in a college literature class she begins taking to cover for Bailey. With Julia away, Griffin discovers he can no longer fight his growing attraction to Rosalie and caves into her advances towards him. But Julia later becomes more angry than ever when she discovers a love note that Rosalie wrote to Griffin. Meanwhile, Claudia gets help from a psychologist over her depression and uncertainty which leads her to ask Charlie to spend more time with her in teaching her how to drive a car.
Wed, Sep 30, 1998
Charlie delights in learning the sex of his unborn child, but Daphne has no interest in anything about the baby. Meanwhile, Julia seems incapable of interacting with Josh, especially after finding out that Griffin is trying to move on with his life without her when he moves into the Salinger house while looking for a new place to live, and pretends to have a new girlfriend. Sarah tries reconnecting with her birth mother, much to Bailey's chagrin. But after Sarah learns of her birth mother's sudden death in an accident, she instead tries seeking out the woman's parents. In Massachusetts, Claudia takes little interest in rebelling at her school with her more outgoing classmates.
Wed, Oct 28, 1998
Charlie and Kirsten are nothing but supportive of Daphne when her doctor orders her to bed rest for some time. Meanwhile, Julia hopes to avoid Ned at a Halloween party, but realizes that she can't get him out of her mind, while she continues to avoid Maggie. Bailey's old friend, Will, pays an unexpected visit to him and Sarah's loft and brings a lot of excess emotional baggage with him over running away from college, and a pregnant girlfriend named Hannah following him there. In Massacusetts, Claudia's former boyfriend, Jamie Burke, arrives at her school for a visit, but she wants to leave him in the past in order to fit in more with her new friends.
Wed, Nov 4, 1998
Charlie struggles to remain strong for Daphne, whose complications with her pregnancy has landed her in the hospital and jeopardized her life and that of the baby. Meanwhile, Julia and Ned decide to tell Maggie about their blossoming relationship, but they are delayed by her announcement of her dead pet dog. Bailey helps Hannah make an important decision about her future with or without her baby, or Will in her life. In Massacusets, Claudia hits every imaginable delay while waiting to catch a plane back to San Francisco to be with Charlie in his time of need.
Wed, Nov 11, 1998
While Charlie, Kirsten, Bailey, Julia and their friends take turns for a bedside vigil for Daphne who's still in the hospital, Claudia delays returning home to her boarding school to help Charlie around the house. Meanwhile, Maggie's anger overflows at both Ned and Julia after she learns from her visit to the Salinger home about their affair. Also, Sarah begins to have second thoughts about intimacy with Bailey over the pregnancies of Daphne and Hannah.
Wed, Nov 18, 1998
Fearing that little Owen has been abducted grips Charlie to a point to panic, who lost the youngster at a mall on Thanksgiving Day. Meanwhile, Daphne tries to prepare the dinner for everybody... alone at the house. In Massachusetts, Claudia feels alone at not being able to travel back to San Francisco for Thanksgiving, and fears something's wrong due to Daphne's tone of voice over the phone. Bailey tries to ease Sarah's fears over missing Owen, while Griffin and Ned verbally square off against each other over Julia. Also, Kirsten and Paul have a minor argument over them staying with the Salingers for Thanksgiving.
Wed, Dec 2, 1998
As a new father to Daphne's baby, Charlie is afforded little quality time with Owen, which brings out jealousy in the five-year-old. Meanwhile, a would-be-competitor has Bailey running scared with threats to open a trendy new eatery across the street from Salingers. So Bailey resorts to an all-out war to prevent the restaurant from opening near Salingers, much to Sarah's and the former restaurant owner, Joe's chagrin. Julia thinks that Ned is not all he says he is after catching him in a lie, and discovers that he's trying to prevent her from meeting his visiting parents and autistic older brother, Richie, all of whom make a good impression on Julia, but not to Ned. In Massacusetts, a homesick and lonely Claudia resorts to drastic measures at her school after a curfew is imposed.
Wed, Dec 9, 1998
Kirsten steps in once again when Daphne seems unable to handle the tasks of motherhood in responding to the baby's constant crying fits and Charlie's demands. But Paul finally puts his foot down after Kirsten misses a few too many nights of them together to be with the Salingers. Meanwhile, Julia's efforts to get to know Ned's autistic brother, Richie, upsets not only Ned but Richie as well. Griffin flies to Boston to come to Claudia's rescue when the rest of her siblings won't. Also, Bailey goes on a wild spending spree after receiving a large tax refund check. But his generosity to Sarah makes her feel like a kept woman.
Wed, Dec 16, 1998
The week before Christmas, Daphne's routine of quiet desperation is interrupted by an unannounced visit from her parents. Although Daphne is dubious, Charlie insists that her parents stay. But Charlie has other things on his mind when he gets angry at Claudia and Griffin after he brings her home for the holidays and she refuses to go back to her school. Meanwhile, a dejected Owen stays with Bailey and Sarah which leads to an incident when Owen is suspected of stealing a baby doll from a nativity scene over his growing resentment over Daphne's baby. Also, Julia tries helping Ned with a term paper due before the holidays. But Julia later finds out that Ned only wants her around as company since he does not want to spend Christmas with his dysfunctional family.