Episode Theme song: "All You Wanted" - Michelle Branch

Previously on One Day at a Time
- An ill Reese went to the doctor, where he learned that he has symptoms of early HIV.
- Leah and Jeff discussed dropping the charges against Meggan. Meanwhile, Brett learned that Meggan was recovering from her fever and would be transferred back to jail
- Cassie arranged for Natasha to walk in on her marrying Shane. Natasha was devastated as the two said “I do”.
- Kim grew closer to Ryan, Jackson’s brother

Scene One -- Capers

Kim and Natasha sit across from each other with beaming smiles across their faces. The two friends haven’t had a moment to catch up in a long time, so their lunch together has been a wonderful time for the two to reconnect.

Natasha takes a drink of her chardonnay, “So how are you coping now that you have left Jeff?”

Kim takes a bite of her chicken caesar salad before replying to her friend. While she knows dumping Jeff was the right thing to do after she realized that he is in love with Leah, it was hard to deal with at the time. She did care a great deal about Jeff, so she was upset with ending the relationship. However, she quickly met Ryan and has become smitten with him. Apart of her wonders if she is so attached to Ryan is another indication that her relationship with Jeff was not all that it was cut out to be. Still, she also worries of how people will react to her being attracted to Jackson’s brother.

“I’ve been okay. Some good days, some bad days, you know how it is,” Kim says back to Natasha. Something in Kim’s eye catches Natasha’s. Natasha knows her friend so well, so she knows something is going on.

“What was that look for?” Natasha asks with a sly grin on her face, reading her friend.

“What look?” Kim asks playing dumb.

“Is there someone else? A new guy, perhaps!?” Natasha notices how Kim blushes and quickly looks away. “There is! Tell me! I can’t believe you’re holding out on me!”

Kim’s eyes meet her friends. “Okay, okay. There is. But, it’s nothing. We’re just friends. Nothing has happened.”

“But you clearly want it too…”

“I… I don’t know. I don’t want to rush into anything again, you know? And…”

“And what?”

“He’s Jackson’s brother,” Kim admits to Natasha.

Natasha freezes and starts to cough on her food. Once she has regained her composure she takes a drink of her wine and then looks at Kim. “Jackson’s brother? Are you serious? I didn’t even know he had siblings!”

“Neither did I,” Kim quickly replies. She knew that telling that last part would gain some kind of reaction from her friends, especially her best friend. “He is really cool though. Ryan, he’s nothing like Jackson. He’s normal and doesn’t have the mental issues that Jackson had.”

Natasha sighs. She can tell that Kim is seemingly happy with the way things are progressing with Ryan, even though nothing sexual has happened yet. “Are you happy?”

“So far. I mean, like I said, I’m not rushing into anything Nat. I learned my lesson with Jeff. We are supposed to get together later today.”

“Then I’m happy for you. I’d like to meet him one day,” Natasha grins to her friend. If there’s one thing Natasha has learned its to trust her friends with their personal relationships. She doesn’t want to interfere, and she is okay with it as long as Kim is happy.

***

At the bar, Cassie looks over and spots Natasha and Kim having lunch. Cassie is only at the restaurant because she is doing the schedules for the employees as she is preparing to go on her maternity leave. While she isn’t due for a few months, the increasing cramping she has been suffering has made her realize that she should step away from work until after the baby is born. She has hired an assistant manager who will run Capers while she is away, all the while still getting all of the news about the on-goings.

She glances at her hand and sees the wedding ring on her finger. She grins as she thinks back to seeing Natasha at the back of the church watching her and Shane get married, something she secretly arranged. Looking back at Kim and Natasha, she decides to head over and say hello to them.

***

“So who called you and told you to go to the church?” Kim questions Natasha, back at the table as Natasha has just recounted the story of Natasha getting a mysterious call from a member of the church informing her to rush over just in time for her to see Shane marry Cassie.

“I have no idea,” Natasha admits to Kim. “I was going to talk to Father Murphy about it, but I’m thinking of just letting it go.”

“Are you sure you want to do that? Someone wanted you to see Shane and Cassie get married.”

“I have to Kim. I have to put him in my past. He’s married to Cassie. They’re having a baby. I’m not going to pine over someone that is unattainable. Plus, I have a lot of work to do and I should spend more time with my Mom and Dad.”

Kim looks at Natasha and sees water swelling in her eyes. She knows her friend far too well to know that Natasha is just accepting Shane’s marriage to Cassie without the bat of an eye. “Hey, it’s me. You can not be okay with this if you’re not.”

Natasha fights a tear and grabs Kim’s hand. “Some moments are tougher than others, but I’m trying to be strong.”

Before Kim can reply, Cassie emerges at the side of their table.

“Ladies! I saw you from the bar and thought I would come say hello. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you too,” Cassie says as she flashes her smile. She also makes sure her left hand is featured on the table.

“Cassie, hey, it’s good to see you too,” Kim says awkwardly up at her then back over to Natasha. Both women can’t help but notice the diamond wedding ring.

“I hear congratulations is in order as well,” Natasha replies as she takes another drink of her wine. Inside, Natasha wants to scream, but she knows that Cassie has done nothing wrong; she and the baby are innocent in the mess.

“Yes! Thank you,” Cassie happily replies as she shows them the ring. “Isn’t it beautiful? Shane is such a wonderful guy,” she says as she pats her belly. “I’m sorry though, Natasha. I shouldn’t have said that…”

“No, it’s fine. Shane made his bed. If you’ll excuse us though, I’m ready for the bill,” Natasha says unable to stand anymore of the conversation. Kim follows in Natasha’s lead and stands up. Cassie watches as they walk out of the restaurant and gets a grin on her face. Throwing her marriage into Natasha’s face is exactly what she wanted to do. To be sure that Natasha knows her new found place in Shane’s life. Suddenly, she feels a sharp pain in her stomach. She braces herself on the table side as she kneels over. When the pain doesn’t stop right away, she walks back over to the bar.

“I have to get to Olivia,” she says to herself as she grabs her purse, thinking her doctor ‘friend’ will be able to help her with the pain she is experiencing.

Scene Two -- Twin Peaks Fitness World

Shane and Will sit on the bench outside the boxing ring after sparring for the last 30 minutes or so. The two friends agreed to meet to spar as they both wanted to take out some frustrations in the ring. Shane wipes his face with the towel and thinks to how he saw Natasha enter the church as he was marrying Cassie. How she discovered he was marrying Cassie that night is still a mystery to him, but it pained him to know that Natasha was watching that moment of his life. He realizes that while Natasha walked away from him, that she still cares deeply for him and he feels the same way about her. He isn’t sure what he will do in this loveless marriage, but he does know that he is with Cassie for the sake of their unborn child. After all, Natasha thinks it is the right thing to do as well.

Will, meanwhile, takes a drink of his water to hydrate after the workout. He has been trying to rack his brain to come up with a way to get rid of Ryan from his life. His old lifestyle of selling drugs and being in with the wrong crowd has seemingly caught up with him. To make matters worse, Ryan has discovered his affair with Olivia and is threatening to tell Madeline if he doesn’t cooperate. Will recalls agreeing to help Ryan, only until he can think of a way to get out of the situation.

“Nice work out,” Shane says taking a drink from his water bottle.

“You’re upper hook is wicked Shane,” Will replies holding his jaw slightly. Shane grins as that is a shot he had been working on.

“Thanks. So what’s your plan for the rest of the day?”

Will pauses not knowing how much he should reveal to his friend. He knows that he wants to continue to think of a way to rid Ryan from his life. “Not much, maybe call Madeline and see what’s up with her. How about you? How’s your new wife?”

Shane gulps and turns away putting his water bottle into his bag. “She’s good. Baby is in good health too, that’s the most important thing.”

Will senses that his friend isn’t completely happy with his situation. “You know Shane, you don’t have to be with Cassie to be a good father. You only get one life, don’t waste it with someone you don’t really want to be with.”

Shane turns to his friend. “Thanks. I’m with Cassie because it’s the right thing to do. Once the hurt of losing Natasha leaves, who knows what’ll happen, you know?”

“Yea. Just take care of yourself, okay? Call me, we’ll spar again soon.”

Scene Three -- Twin Peaks General Hospital; Olivia’s Office

Reese pauses outside of Olivia’s office door. He quickly recalls how he asked to see both of his parents at Olivia’s office. While they haven’t had the best relationship lately, mostly because Reese learned of their criminal history, he is scared to death since his doctor appointment that he had a few days earlier. He may have HIV due to his poor choices in the last few months as he has had random sex with various men in trying to cope with his heartbreak from Andy. While he is awaiting the test results, he knows that he needs his parents.

He opens the door and sees Olivia and Preston talking on her leather sofa. They both look over and see Reese enter and stand up immediately. They both look at their son and wonder what is wrong; they can tell something is going on just by the look in his eyes.

“Reese, is everything okay?” Olivia asks as she approaches him slowly. When he doesn’t resist her, she hugs him. To her surprise, he replies with a hug of his own.

Reese shuts his eyes and tries not to get emotional. “I’m fine. I’m just…”

“Just what son?” Preston asks, as he takes his turn hugging Reese.

“I’m tired of the fighting. I’ve been feeling so … lost lately. Not getting along with my parents is only adding to that.”

Olivia looks at Preston and tears fill her eyes. She has longed for Reese to come around, so hearing him say those words is emotional for her. They take hands and invite Reese to sit with them.

“We will always be there for you Reese,” Preston reassures him as they sit across from Reese.

“I know Dad. I guess I just needed to remind myself of that.”

“So what’s going on? You look like you haven’t got much sleep,” Olivia presses Reese for more information. “Did you see Craig Benton?”

Reese gulps. While he was enjoying the privileges of having a doctor mother to get the doctor appointment, the downside is that she could get his information regardless. He remembers Dr. Benton saying that he couldn’t reveal the nature of his appointment. He doesn’t want to worry his family until he gets confirmation that he has HIV, because it could be anything. At least that’s what he’s hoping for.

“I did. I had some tests done. Nothing major,” he replies to them. “If I’m tired it’s because I haven’t been playing a lot of volleyball lately. I need to get back into the swing of things.”

Olivia and Preston look at each other, thinking that something more is going on with their son. They don’t want to press him though as he is just coming around to them again. Still, the fear something bad is about to happen with their son, yet they know he has to be the one to reach out to them.

Scene Four -- Twin Peaks General Hospital; Meggan’s Room

Brett stands close to the door as Meggan stands in her orange jump suit by her bed. They both knew that this day was coming, but to both of them it has come to soon. Meggan has been given the medical okay to go back to jail. Her good deed of donating her kidney to Leah has come and now she must return to the way things were before the surgery.

Meggan looks at “Vinny”, and tries to keep her composure. She hates the idea of saying good bye to him, yet again, but she knows that she has to go back to jail. She has never forgave herself for killing Noah and she knows that nothing will ever bring him back. Brett thinks he catches her looking his way. He offers a brief smile, but he hates that she has to go back to jail. In the recent months, he has grown tired of masquerading Vinny and he would love to have Meggan around to help keep him grounded.

“I guess this is it?” Meggan finally speaks breaking the silence in the room.

Brett looks back over at her and shrugs. “I’ll be up visiting soon, I promise.”

“I know. I am looking forward to getting my book back,” she says managing somewhat of a smile. She is trying to look at the positives, and she did leave her novel in her cell before she left to come have the surgery.

Brett finally walks over to her and hugs her. “I love you,” he says softly as he holds her.

“I love you too,” she whispers back as she notices the guards entering her hospital room. Brett and Meggan exit the embrace as they enter.

“It’s time,” the guard says to Meggan. “We are supposed to cuff you, but we won’t tell we get to the prison.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that,” Meggan replies to the guard. “See you soon,” she says to Brett.

Brett nods and they begin to walk to the door. Just as they are about to open the door, Leah and Jeff emerge at the entrance.

“Leah, Jeff what is going on?” Meggan asks taken aback at their presence.

Leah looks over at Jeff. He hands her a legal document and then turns away. He doesn’t want to see what happens next, because apart of him isn’t sure he can stomach it. Leah passes the document to Meggan.

“We are dropping the charges against you. You won’t have to go back to jail,” Leah explains softly, trying not to get emotional over the situation. While killing Noah is something she’ll never be able to forgive Meggan for, she knows that Meggan did a wonderful thing by saving her life.

Meggan’s jaw opens as she reads the court order saying that she will not have to go back to the prison. Her eyes immediately fill with water. She looks up at Leah, who remains very stoic. “I… I don’t know what to say,” Meggan says as a tear falls down her cheek.

“You don’t have to say anything at all,” Leah replies. “I don’t have anything else to say either. Good luck.”

Meggan watches Leah slowly turn and walk away. Jeff immediately comes up and embraces her. Leah finally allows her tears to flow. She has no idea if she did the right thing, but it seemed the right thing to do after Meggan saved her life. They know that nothing will bring Noah back, but they wanted, they needed, a clean break.

Brett hugs Meggan and he laughs. “I can’t believe this!”

“I know, me either,” Meggan says wiping her eyes. “Oh my gosh! Let’s go home!”

Scene Five -- The Calimo Mansion

Bob and Sofia sip on some brandy in the large den. The fire place is roaring, even though it’s not cold outside. They both like having the fireplace on as it’s a comfort for them. Together, they have been sitting enjoying each other’s company for hours. Sofia, however, knows that she has to tell him some news. Troubling news: Dominick knows about their connection to Eva McCloud. She quickly remembers meeting him on the docks a few nights earlier and him cryptically telling her that he knows the truth. She finishes her brandy.

“Would you like another glass my love?” Bob asks as he stands up and pours himself another glass.

“I’d love one,” she replies handing him the glass. “Thank you,” she says as he hands it back to her. “I would offer a toast, but I fear we should discuss something rather important.”

Bob sits next to her and takes a drink of his brandy. “This sounds serious,” he replies to her. He looks at her hoping to read her facial expression, but he is unable too at this moment which is odd because he has become very good at reading Sofia.

“It’s about Dominick Robertson,” she begins, although she can already see Bob roll his eyes in disgust.

“What has that vile man done now?” Bob says sternly as he takes another swig of his brandy.

“He knows Bob,” Sofia says looking into his eyes with fear. “He knows about Eva.”

Bob arches his eyebrow. “What does he know? He can’t possibly know the truth.”

“I’m afraid he does. He asked me to the docks a few nights ago. He told me he knows the truth. He said I don’t have to confirm or deny and he will be in touch with what he wants to do soon.”

Bob stands up and throws his glass into the fireplace. The alcohol on the flames engulfs them for a brief moment. “Damn it! Why the hell did you agree to meet him on the docks!?”

“What was I supposed to do? Ignore him?”

“Precisely! He only gets this far because you let him!”

“How dare you! He is attacking us, he is attacking our family. I only agreed to meet him because I wanted to shoot him down before it began again. I was just … appalled that he found out the truth. That’s all irrelevant now, what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry I yelled at you. This man, he’s just,” Bob begins has he pounds his fist into the bar. “…he’s been a thorn in our side for far too long. Far too long.”

“Bob! Promise me you won’t do anything crazy,” Sofia warns her hubby, as she knows how he can get when he’s pushed into a corner. “He is the Leah’s father. The same woman that is married to our son. Anything that we do to Dominick will hurt her. We can’t hurt our family.”

Bob looks at Sofia lovingly. He adores how she is always looking out for the best interest of the family, regardless of the situation. “I know my love. Together, we will figure this out though. We just have to plan our next move carefully.”

“Very carefully,” she agrees with him.

Scene Six -- The Tower’s, Floor One; Kim’s Condo

Kim opens the door to her condo and sees Ryan standing there. She smiles and greets him into her place. After she left Capers with Natasha, she came home and invited Ryan over for the afternoon since they hadn’t seen each other since their date night at Wild Night.

Ryan looks at Kim as they sit on the sofa and smiles. He is glad he has found a girl that he thinks he can trust with some of his darker secrets. After all, if Kim was understanding and supportive with Jackson, why wouldn’t she be the same with him, Jackson’s brother?

“It’s so good to see you,” she says sitting next to him. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, everything I want is right here on the sofa,” he smiles back to her. Kim blushes a little. She knows that it’s nice that a man is wooing her, and is actually interested in her, unlike Jeff who was all about Leah for the majority of their relationship. Before Kim can respond, Ryan moves in and kisses her passionately on the lips. Kim responds and puts her hand through his hair.

Things continue to get heated as Ryan’s hands move down and caress her body. Kim lefts out a soft moan. “Should we go into the bedroom?” she asks in-between kisses.

“I’d love that. I’ll be right there,” he smiles at her. He watches Kim walk into the bedroom. Ryan quickly grabs his cell phone from his pocket and sends Will a text message reading “Tonight’s the night. You’ll sell at Bar-Code.”

He puts his phone back into his pocket and rushes into the bedroom, where he finds Kim wearing her lace black bra laying on the bed. He takes his shirt off and crawls onto the bed and kisses her passionately.

Scene Seven -- The Sugarbowl

Natasha sits in the corner sipping her hot chocolate. After her lunch with Kim, she decided to come to the Sugarbowl and just enjoy a nice hot chocolate and some quiet personal time. Of course, the noise of the coffee house doesn’t bother her as she just sits in thought.

Thoughts of Shane and his new marriage to Cassie. For some reason, she can’t stop thinking about Cassie at Capers earlier in the day. She came across so sweet and innocent, almost too sweet and innocent. Natasha shakes her head, almost scolding herself for thinking something negative about Cassie. She is innocent in this entire mess, just like her baby. She could blame Shane, but he was single and free to see whoever he wanted too while she was married to Cory. It’s just a horrible twist of fate, she thinks to herself.

Her eyes move to the doorway as Shane enters the coffeehouse. Shane immediately spots Natasha in the back booth and smiles. He walks over to the bar to place his order, even though he is watching Natasha. After he gets his latte, he walks over to the booth.

“Hey, how are you?” he says looking at her.

Natasha turns and acts surprised to see Shane. “Oh hey, I didn’t see you come in. I’m good. How are you?”

“I’m…I’m okay. Do you mind if I sit for a moment?”

“Sure,” Natasha replies making a gesture for him to sit across from her. “I saw Cassie earlier at Capers. She’s looking good. I love her ring.”

Shane gulps and feels himself blush a little. He takes a drink of his latte before he responds. “The baby is healthy. That’s all that matters.”

“Mmmhmm,” Natasha replies to him.

“Nat, I married because it was the right thing to do. That’s what you said. I’m…I’m just trying to do the right thing by everyone,” Shane responds trying to justify his actions to her. His heart inside is breaking though as he can see how upset Natasha is by his marriage to Cassie.

“I know,” Natasha says trying not to cry. The last thing she wants to do is cry in front of Shane. “I’m sorry I said anything. I want you to be happy and I want you to do the right thing, for Cassie and for your baby.”

Shane reaches across the table and grabs Natasha’s hand. “I love you,” he blurts out quickly. “Never forget that I love you. I always will.”

“Sometimes love isn’t enough,” Natasha replies pulling her hand out of his embrace. She grabs her purse and exit’s the booth. “Take care of yourself and your family Shane.”

Shane turns his head and watches Natasha exit the coffeehouse. He puts his head down and composes himself. How will he ever get over Natasha? He asks himself. He shakes his head, unsure of the answer, but he knows that he has too. For the sake of his unborn child. He has to make his marriage to Cassie work.

Scene Eight -- Twin Peaks General Hospital; Olivia’s Office

Olivia sits at her desk with a warm smile on her face. She hasn’t felt this good about things for sometime, as Reese reached out to her and Preston. She isn’t sure what happened to make her son reach out to them again, but she is pleased that he has. She has missed her connection with her son; now she just has to get Madeline to come around again and her family would be complete again. As she racks her mind trying to think of how she and Preston can get Madeline to come around, her office door flies open and a cramping Cassie enters.

“It’s bad Olivia, it’s really, really bad,” Cassie whimpers as she shuts the door to the office and makes her way to the sofa.

An alarmed Olivia gets up and helps Cassie lay down. “What’s wrong Cassie?”

“The cramping! It’s…ahhhhhh!” Cassie yells as a sharp pain attacks her abdominal again. “I… I don’t know what’s happening. Please, please help me,” she says as tears stroll down her face.

“I will see what I can do,” Olivia says looking down and noticing blood on Cassie’s white skirt. “What happened? Did you hurt yourself?”

Cassie looks at the blood on her skirt and feels her face go pale. “No, I don’t think so. Oh god, another pain is coming … I can feel it … ahhhh!”

Olivia spreads Cassie’s legs and looks up her skirt for a moment. She looks back at Cassie for moment, her face full of concern. “You’re bleeding. Just spotting. It can be very normal for pregnant women still. But this cramping…”

“Ahhhhh!” Cassie screams interrupting. “Please help me! What’s wrong! What’s wrong with my baby?”

Olivia looks at Cassie, who is now sweating and tearing all at the same time. As much as Olivia wishes she did, she isn’t an OBGYN. “Everything will be okay. I promise. You’ll be fine,” Olivia claims, trying to reassure her, even though she has no idea what is about to happen to Cassie or the baby.

Next on One Day at a Time
- Adam and Helen go to a check up
- Bob confronts Dominick
- Sofia “meets” Eva