An inebriated Luke and a tipsy Anna played strip roulette on the Haunted Star then set up a hanging swing. Anna reclined in the swing, while both she and Luke admitted that they did not want to get older. They were quaffing shots of liquor when Robin, Patrick, and Tracy arrived on board. Robin and Patrick convinced Anna to go home, leaving Luke with a disgruntled Tracy.
After Robin and Anna got back to Robin's apartment, Anna complained of a sore back and talked to Robin about her fears of becoming a grandmother. Robin said that she was glad Anna was there, even if she was hanging upside down drunk in a swing, because Robin needed her mother. They discussed their fears. Robin told about her fears of pregnancy and Anna's dangerous job, and Anna worried about getting old and Robin's health. Robin was grateful when Patrick arrived with food, but Anna wanted to know when Patrick and Robin were getting married.
Lulu was working for Kate in the Crimson offices. She got a call from Devlin, who demanded to speak to Kate. When Kate took his call, he threatened to return to Port Charles and kill Sonny if she did not put more money in his account. When she refused, he threatened to tell Sonny that he had shot Michael and that Kate had known and paid him to get out of town. Kate could not decide what to do.
Outside in the reception area, Claudia arrived and started questioning Lulu about Logan's character. Lulu tried to evade Claudia's questions by saying that she and Logan were just friends. While they were talking, Kate left her office. When she told Lulu that she was going to visit Michael, Claudia ripped her to shreds verbally, telling her how insensitive she was to Carly's feelings and implying that it was Kate's fault that Michael had been hurt. Kate was unable to respond to Claudia's attack because there was a grain of truth in Claudia's accusations, and Kate could not dismiss it. Claudia called Kate "selfish" and threatened her with bodily harm if she went near Michael again, before stalking out. Kate sent a stunned Lulu home before she went back into her office and collapsed in tears.
Jason and Spinelli were on their way to Canada to find Dr. Devlin. Unknown to them, Maxie was a stowaway in the SUV and heard them discuss Devlin's shooting of Michael, his illegal drug sales to Nikolas, and the transfer of money from the Crimson account to Devlin's. When Spinelli, who was driving, braked for a moose, Maxie was discovered. Jason took back the keys that she had used to get in the car and left her at a bus stop. As he and Spinelli pulled away, she yelled at them that she would tell Mac about everything she had heard if the money that had gone into Devlin's account was not returned to Crimson's within 24 hours.
Back on the road, Spinelli admitted to Jason that he was in love with Maxie. Jason told him to be careful. Back at the bus stop, Maxie heard a noise and hid in the bushes, moments before Devlin appeared where she had been standing. She sent a text message to Spinelli to tell him about the deadly doctor just as the doctor spotted her and grabbed her.
At the Zacchara mansion, Johnny stood up for Claudia and pointed out all her good qualities to Anthony. Even so, he told Trevor, who supported Anthony's reasons for excluding Claudia from the business, that Anthony was the boss and had the final word. Anthony was impressed with Johnny's loyalty and said so. Ric jumped in and said that loyalty was important. He wanted Trevor to prove his loyalty to Anthony by signing over the piers to the Zaccharas. Trevor said that doing so would draw undue government attention if they did it so soon after Anthony's release from prison. Anthony wanted Johnny's opinion.
Johnny noted that while he did not like Trevor, Ric's motive was revenge. He thought it was better to keep a low profile, so he sided with Trevor. Trevor and Ric went outside. Trevor gloated and urged Ric to get out. He warned Ric against Anthony and told him that family would always be more important to Anthony than anyone else. Ric did not heed Trevor. In the office, Anthony told Johnny that he had made a good decision, but he warned that Johnny had made an enemy of Ric.
Sonny stood by Michael's hospital bed when Jax arrived to comfort Carly. She told Jax that the specialists had told her that Michael was in a permanent coma. She still wanted to believe that Michael would wake up. Sonny told Jax that the doctors had give Michael a one in 10,000 chance of waking up. Jax told Carly abut a long-term care facility that he had been visiting that he thought would be a perfect fit for Michael. Carly was hurt that Jax did not have faith in Michael's ultimate recovery. When he and Sonny tried to talk her into putting Michael in a long-term care home that would give him 24-hour state-of-the-art care, she resisted. She questioned why they should keep Michael alive if no one believed that he would beat the odds and recover.
Sonny went to visit Luke on the Haunted Star. He asked Luke what had happened when Lucky had been in a coma. Luke shared his experience, while Sonny questioned whether or not Michael should be kept alive if he would be in a permanent coma. Luke said that Laura, who was currently catatonic, was in virtually the same position, but she believed in miracles, so he would keep her alive. Sonny said that Carly also believed in miracles. Claudia, who wanted to talk about her father, interrupted their discussion. Luke asked if she meant to talk to him or to Sonny.
Carly and Jax went to their home. When Jax followed Carly to Michael's room, he found it fully equipped with everything that Carly would need to care for Michael at home, including state-of-the-art monitoring equipment.
Robin was mortified when Anna asked Patrick when he was going to marry her daughter. Robin tried to explain that her mother was having a nervous breakdown. Anna felt they should get married, since Robin and Patrick clearly loved each other. Their happiness was important to her, and they did have a bun in the oven. Patrick pointed out that he preferred to call it a muffin in the oven, but Anna didn't get the joke. Patrick left to get a drink from Luke, who offered him another after Patrick explained the conversation with Anna.
Patrick tried to get some advice from Luke and mentioned moving to the "burbs." Luke offered the Spencer house to Patrick. If Patrick wanted to move in, Luke would ask Lucky to move out. The house wasn't special without Laura there anymore. Luke was reluctant to dish out any relationship advice, though. He only stated that relationships would not work with people who wanted different things.
Meanwhile, Robin tried to explain to her mother how she first met Patrick. Anna thought Patrick had changed, but Robin said she didn't want to make a wrong decision and make her child pay for the consequences later. Robin wanted Anna to speak with Patrick, but Anna had to delay the conversation after receiving an urgent text message.
Sonny talked to Claudia about how she had lied in court after realizing her father was going to be released. Sonny said Anthony wouldn't even suspect it when Claudia killed him, just like the way she had called a truce with him and then shot at him. Claudia mentioned she had been with Carly when Michael had been shot, but Sonny knew Claudia wouldn't get her hands dirty by actually being the shooter. He realized she had hired someone. Claudia said it could have been Anthony, or even Ric, who had shot Michael -- and Sonny had cursed himself.
Jax and Carly fought over taking Michael home. Jax felt there was a facility that could handle Michael's needs better than Carly could. Bobbie went to see Michael and ended up comforting Carly after her fight with Jax. Sonny entered to say goodnight to his son and asked Bobbie about the institution Jax had found. Bobbie thought it was a good place, but said she was in no place to give advice on who should care for Michael. Sonny and Jax both felt Michael should be institutionalized so Morgan would not be negatively affected.
Carly was upset that both her husband and ex-husband were ganging up on her. Sonny said their son's body was in the bed, but his spirit was elsewhere. Carly thought Sonny was making excuses so he wouldn't have to take responsibility for his son any longer. Sonny said he would take Carly to court if it meant getting Michael into a better place than Carly's home. Carly said she would tell the judge about Sonny protecting his girlfriend and not his son. That hurt Sonny, and he told Carly he would live with the consequences of those actions until the day he died. He would continue to do what was right by her and Michael, though. Carly told them both to go to hell, because she would take her son home.
Jason tried to get Spinelli to focus on Ian and forget about Maxie's text message. Meanwhile, Ian threatened Maxie's life with a scalpel. He yelled out that her friends should emerge from the shadows. Spinelli played along and entered the room at Ian's request, but Jason emerged from the shadows, shooting. Ian explained to Jason that he hadn't wanted to shoot Sonny's workers when he had been taking aim at Sonny that fateful night. Jason didn't care; he just wanted to know who had paid Ian.
Maxie managed to get away from Ian, and Jason took his shot and killed Ian. Maxie was upset at Jason for how long it had taken to shoot Ian, and she called Mac to tell him what had just occurred. Mac arrived at the scene, where Maxie talked up Spinelli's actions and bravery. Mac decided to have Jason arrested and taken to the station.
Jerry approached Alexis at the hotel restaurant and kissed her. He wanted to fire her as his attorney so she would stop denying their obvious chemistry together. Diane yelled at her from behind the bar, and the two women engaged in an exchange about their "bad boy" boyfriends. Diane lied and said she and Max had not been making out, but instead they had been talking about the Dodgers. Diane made a fool out of herself when she couldn't even name the players without Max's help. Diane made a good point, though, when she stated Alexis was dating the Metro Court kidnapper. That bit of information far outweighed the fact that Diane was sleeping with Sonny's bodyguard.
Diane and Max started to go upstairs to a room, when Diane's phone started ringing. She decided to let it go, though, and she left with Max. Meanwhile, Alexis' phone also started ringing. She, however, took the call and realized she needed to take a statement from Jason about the shooting of Ian Devlin. After Alexis left, Claudia approached Jerry at the bar, and the two talked about Jason shooting and killing Ian. Claudia mentioned how amazing it was "in this day and age" to have a hit man that could actually hit their target. Jerry said she shouldn't be so confident because Ian could have ratted them out before he died.
Nikolas saw Liz one last time in the Port Charles park. They talked about the surgery. Nikolas said that he was not backing out, but he wanted to spend the last few moments with Emily, reminiscing about their life together, before he went in for the procedure. Emily kissed him and told him that when he was a very, very old man, she would be waiting for him.
Claudia called Jerry and told him that they had to talk. Before she could leave her bedroom in the Zacchara compound, daddy Anthony came in and told her that he knew that she had set up the hit on Sonny. Anthony offered to help her. Claudia denied any involvement in the shooting. Anthony continued to taunt her, especially about sleeping with Sonny. When he told Claudia that Sonny was not right for her, she asked Anthony who would be right for her. A look passed between them before Anthony answered, "Well, I think you know."
Johnny interrupted with a message from Vaughn, so Anthony left to take care of business. Johnny comforted Claudia after she said that she hated Anthony and it was difficult to continue being nice to him. Johnny told her to be careful. She told him that she could handle anything as long as the two of them hung tough together. Later, Claudia met with Jerry, who told her to keep quiet about their involvement with Devlin.
Alexis questioned Jason at the Port Charles Police Station. She tried to get him to tell her what Devlin had said before he'd died, but Jason kept mum, even when Alexis said that Jason had been cleared in Devlin's shooting because he had acted to save Maxie. Diane arrived as Alexis threatened Jason with prosecution if he took the law into his own hands and killed Devlin's, as yet unnamed, accomplice. Jason continued to be mute, and Alexis reluctantly released him.
As Jason left, Jerry entered the police station. Alexis took him into the interrogation room. Jerry thought she was flirting, but Alexis was serious. She had financial information linking Jerry to Devlin, and she wanted to know the truth of the connection between Jerry and Devlin. She asked him point-blank if he had any knowledge of Michael's shooting.
At the hospital with Michael, Carly told him that he was going home so that she could take care of him. Jax tried to persuade her otherwise, but Carly was adamant about caring for Michael at home while they waited for the ambulance that would take him there.
Meanwhile, at the nurses' station, Liz told Epiphany that she was taking a half-day off for Jake's first birthday party. When Robin and Patrick stopped by, she invited them to the party. Robin took Patrick aside and apologized for Anna's behavior the day before, when Anna had asked Patrick when he and Robin would marry. Robin explained that she had set Anna straight - that, in fact, Anna understood that they would never marry. Patrick said little, and the conversation turned to Nikolas' upcoming surgery.
Instead of being angry that she had been pulled from the surgery team, Robin was relieved and thanked Patrick. She left for Jake's party. Patrick performed surgery on Nikolas, who survived. Patrick commented that if Nikolas had waited only one more week to have the surgery, it would have been too late.
At the park, Lulu and Spinelli put up decorations for the birthday party and talked about Jake. When Spinelli started taking pictures to show Jason, Lulu stopped him. She told him that he had to stay away and not draw any attention that would let other people infer that Jason, not Lucky, was Jake's father. Lulu worried about Jake's life if the facts of his paternity were known. A reluctant Spinelli understood and left the park. Bobby, Robin, Lulu, Liz, and Cameron gathered in the park to celebrate Jake's birthday. Johnny stopped by and spoke with Lulu then left. Patrick also went to the party but stayed to enjoy the festivities and familial atmosphere.
While Jax and Carly waited in their home for the ambulance that would take Michael home, Jax tried to reason with Carly, who was entirely fixated on caring for a comatose Michael at home, by herself. When Michael arrived, Carly spent her time by his bedside, talking to him and imploring him to return to her. Jax interrupted her to tell her that Morgan was on his way home. She explained to her other son that Michael had suffered a serious head injury and would sleep until he healed.
Morgan insisted on seeing Michael. Carly took him upstairs and explained about the machines that monitored Michael. Later, while Jax and Carly talked downstairs and Carly assured Jax that Morgan understood and that the worst was over, Morgan went into Michael's room and tried to wake him up so they could play together. Jax told Carly that he loved her and hoped that her dream was realized. When she went back upstairs to Michael, she found Morgan poking Michael and calling for his brother to wake up.
When Claudia arrived back at the Zacchara compound, Jason was waiting for her. He wanted to know who had hired Devlin to kill Sonny.
At the Port Charles Police Station, Alexis questioned Jerry about his association with Ian Devlin. Jerry denied having any involvement with the deceased doctor. He insisted that he was a changed man because of Jax and Alexis. Alexis went on the defensive and called him a liar. She didn't think people like Jerry could ever be truly rehabilitated.
Jerry disagreed. He claimed that he was a better man compared to the one he had been, when he first arrived in Port Charles. He asked Alexis for a chance to prove it by taking her out on another date later that evening. Alexis reluctantly agreed to the date. After Jerry left, Mac stepped into the interrogation room. Alexis let Mac know that she suspected that Jerry was hiding something about Ian Devlin. She was determined to find out what it was by whatever means necessary.
Jason surprised Claudia with an unexpected visit to her home. He wanted her to provide proof to back up her allegations that Anthony had arranged the hit on Sonny. Claudia tried her best to convince Jason to trust her lies, to no avail. Jason wanted definitive proof of Anthony ordering the hit on Sonny. Claudia was forced to admit that she didn't have any. Later, Claudia met Ric at the Metro Court. She was surprised when Ric offered to be her conduit to Anthony.
At the Metro Court, Tracy was too distracted to think about business. As her associate left the restaurant, Luke strolled up and joined his wife. Tracy was not happy to see him. She was upset over Luke's shenanigans with Anna, which Luke felt were harmless fun. Tracy didn't see it that way. She was tired of his cheating ways.
Luke claimed that he couldn't remember the last time he had cheated on Tracy. He told her that he loved her and wasn't interested in other women. Tracy didn't believe him. She told Luke that she was tired of trying to compete for his attention and then stormed out of the restaurant.
Nadine checked in on Nikolas shortly after surgery. She was perplexed when she noticed that he was holding a diamond ring. As Nik slowly regained consciousness, Nadine remarked on it. She found it odd that he had been holding the ring throughout his surgery, and no one had noticed it. Nik looked at the ring and realized that it was Emily's engagement ring. Instead of explaining how it had ended up in his hand, Nik asked how his surgery had gone.
Nadine started to tell him but then stopped herself. She felt that he should speak with his doctor first. Nik sensed that she was holding something back and pushed for answers. Nadine relented and told Nik that his condition had been dire. Had he waited even a week, he might not have survived.
After Nadine left, Nik looked down at Emily's engagement ring. A short time later, Luke stopped by for a visit before going to physical therapy for his knee. Nik seemed to appreciate the visit. He asked Luke how he had been able to go on without Laura. Luke confessed that in the beginning he hadn't been able to cope with the loss. He had spent a lot of time in denial, but eventually the truth had become stronger than hope. He had been forced to admit that Laura was beyond his reach. He had learned to accept his loss and deal with the pain until one day he had found himself on the other side of his grief.
Nik seemed to take the words in. He admitted that he still couldn't see himself falling in love again. Luke told Nik that each love was different and new. Then he talked about his feelings for Tracy. Luke believed that eventually Nik would find someone to love again. Several hours later, when Nadine stopped by to check on Nik, he asked her to put Emily's ring in his suitcase. He felt that it was time to put it away.
Carly rushed into Michael's bedroom when she heard Morgan trying to wake his brother up. As she tried to explain to Morgan why Michael couldn't wake up, Sonny walked in. It was clear that Morgan didn't understand what Carly was telling him. He continued to plead with Michael to wake up until Sonny was forced to kneel down and tell Morgan that Michael would never wake up. Carly glared at Sonny but held her tongue while Morgan was in the room.
The minute they were alone, Carly let Sonny have it. She blasted him for his cruelty, accusing Sonny of hurting and confusing Morgan. Sonny defended his actions. He felt that Morgan was too young to comprehend the situation and shouldn't have to deal with it on a daily basis as Carly intended. For the sake of his children, Sonny threatened to file for emergency custody of Michael so that he could place Michael in the facility that Jax had found.
Carly dared Sonny to follow through with his threat. She said that she would welcome the opportunity to tell a judge how Michael had ended up in a coma. Before he left, Sonny suggested that Carly put aside all of her excuses and denials the next time she went into Michael's room so that she could look at their son and realize that he was already gone.
Jason paid Carly a visit. At first Carly suspected that Jason was there on Sonny's behalf. Jason assured her that he wasn't. Carly visibly relaxed. She told him about Morgan's visit with Michael earlier that day and Sonny's threat to file for emergency guardianship of Michael.
Jason suggested that they should all do what was best for Michael. Carly insisted that being home with her and Morgan was what was best for Michael. Jason gently pointed out that Michael would not want his presence to hurt his mother or brother. Sadly, that was exactly what had been happening since Michael had arrived home.
Jason went on to tell Carly about his regrets over the decisions that they had made for Michael since he had been an infant. He felt that he and Carly were ultimately responsible for Michael being in a coma because they had raised him in a life surrounded by violence. Carly didn't dispute him. She quietly listened as Jason pleaded with her to think of Morgan. He didn't need to grow up with a brother in the next room who could not move or talk.
Diane was waiting for Sonny when he arrived home. He told her that he had decided to file for emergency guardianship of Michael and explained why. Meanwhile, Kate had walked into the room. When she heard that Sonny planned to take Carly to court, she spoke up. Kate thought it was a mistake for Sonny to push for custody and turned to Diane for help. Diane was forced to admit that in all likelihood, Sonny's petition would result in a long, drawn-out court battle. The worst-case scenario would be the judge deciding that Michael should be made a ward of the state.
Sonny felt that he didn't have any choice, but Kate disagreed. She asked Sonny to remember that Carly was a good mother. He should trust in that and give Carly time. Eventually, Carly would be forced to face the painful truth about Michael. Sonny appreciated the advice and agreed to leave Carly alone. As they kissed, Carly walked in. She announced that she had decided to move Michael back to General Hospital until a room became available at the facility that Jax had found to care for Michael.
Jason sat down to visit with Michael. He poured his heart out, apologizing for all the mistakes that he made and for failing to protect Michael as he had promised. Jason vowed that he would not repeat the same mistakes with Jake.
Jax convinced Carly to go visit the facility he had found for Michael. She flew out that day, and Sonny took the opportunity to see his son. Epiphany was in the room, caring for Michael when Sonny entered. She blasted him for his choice in careers. Sonny's mob wars had caused them to both lose someone they loved, meaning Michael and Stan.
After Epiphany left, Sonny broke down and cried, telling Michael he would never forgive himself for allowing Michael to be hurt. Jason entered, also, and Sonny soon left to allow Jason time to say goodbye to Michael. Jason spoke very emotionally to Michael, saying he was most worried about Carly. He was sure the new place would be more comfortable for Michael, though.
Meanwhile, Carly toured the facility with Jax, and it appeared to be everything they could hope for and more. There were no set visiting hours so they could visit whenever they wanted, and each client received personal care from their team of doctors and nurses. Jax and Carly were left alone to discuss the arrangements, and Carly had a breakdown.
Diane went to see Kate at her office, but Kate wasn't in yet that morning. She decided to wait and ended up rummaging through clothes and found a dress she wanted. Max walked into Kate's office not long after Diane, who was shocked to hear he needed to see Kate. When Kate finally arrived, she sent Lulu off for fresh coffee before offering the dress to Diane. Kate was also shocked to see Max, but he explained he needed her help in convincing Sonny to allow him and Diane to date.
Later, Max and Diane met up at Sonny's place, where they started to make out. Max wanted to make sure Diane had no regrets, because Sonny had threatened to terminate them if he caught them together again. Diane asked if Sonny would be expected home soon, and Max explained that Sonny was at the hospital with Michael. They realized they were being immature by sneaking around in Sonny's house while he was with his brain-damaged son. They sat down and talked about how Michael had drawn them together and what a good kid he was.
Claudia met with Jerry on the docks to discuss Dr. Devlin. Claudia said her and Jerry's alliance was over. Dr. Devlin was dead, so she didn't ever want to see Jerry again. Jerry said she might want to reconsider that after she heard what he had to say. He bribed her by telling her she would be at his beck and call for Zacchara family business, or he would tell Jason she had hired Devlin to shoot Sonny. Claudia and her life were in Jerry's hands.
Johnny stormed out of a business meeting with his father and Trevor after realizing Anthony was back in charge. Trevor told Anthony he needed to get his son in control before Johnny's temper tantrums caused more trouble for them. Anthony said he had it under control and made a phone call. Anthony's men apprehended Lulu while she was on the docks. They took her to Anthony, who bribed her to get back together with Johnny. Anthony told Lulu he would rat her father out and inform the police about the money he was laundering if she didn't distract Johnny. Lulu agreed and met Johnny in his car, where she told him she wanted to get back together with him.
Jason met with Spinelli to discuss Kate's transfer of money to Devlin. Spinelli transferred the funds back before the cops could find it, but they were still confused as to why Kate was giving Devlin money. Jason decided to go see Kate, and he walked in her house and demanded to know why she had paid Devlin.
