General Hospital Recaps: The week of August 11, 1997 on GH

Alexis laid the groundwork to break up Stefan and Katherine. Carly drugged A.J. Audrey advised Sarah to choose between Lucy and Nikolas. Rivera was killed, and the charges against Sonny and Brenda were dropped.

Monday, August 11, 1997

by Alexandra Anastasio

Alexis gave Stefan an envelope that contained photos of the family. In one of the photographs, there was a picture of Mikos, Stefan's father, along with his mistress, Kristen. They both knew Kristen, not Helena, was truly the love of Mikos' life. Alexis told Stefan a little bit about what she knew about Kristen. The woman had given birth to a little girl named Natasha, but both were believed to have died during childbirth. The other rumor was that Helena had had something to do with their deaths. Alexis then suggested that they have a family dinner at Katherine's; Stefan agreed that it was a good idea. Alexis had laid the groundwork for her plan and called on Leo to help her with the next step.

Nikolas told Katherine about Sarah. She promised not to tell his uncle.

Sarah talked to Audrey about her feelings for Nikolas and asked a few questions about his family. Audrey said Sarah would have to choose between Lucky and Nikolas, or she would cause problems between the two. She also suggested telling Lucky how she felt, but Sarah was not ready to do that.

Liz met Lucky outside of Ruby's, but he didn't know she was Sarah's sister. She suggested they go for a beer, and he laughed her off. Her smoking was also a turn-off. Liz insulted Ruby for not having served her, and Lucky let her know that Ruby was his aunt. She apologized for what she had said and then unknowingly insulted his family again. The two said goodbye, and it was obvious she was interested.

At home, Audrey gave it to Liz for stealing the car and lying to her. Liz apologized for what she had done and said she had just needed to get away and sort things out. Liz then told her grandmother that she had decided to stay in Port Charles. Later on, Sarah let her sister have it.

Sonny insults the Tin Man and tried to call Rivera's bluff. The security alarms went off and when they went to the front, V. was at the door. She claimed she had fallen asleep at the wheel, her car had gone in a ditch, and she just needed to use the phone. While that was all happening, Jax sneaked in, and Brenda was excited to see him. Jax uncuffed Sonny and, as the others returned to the room, Jax hid. The Tin Man threatened to kill V.; he wanted to know how she had gotten in.

Jax tackled the Tin Man, and Rivera held a gun on Sonny and Brenda. Jax, V., and Sonny got into a fight with Rivera's men, taking them down. Just when they thought it was over, Rivera pulled a gun out of his jacket and as he was about to shoot Brenda from behind, Sonny yelled to her to get out of the way and he shot Rivera, who died. Brenda was in shock. The Tin Man opened his eyes and looked at the gun laying right in front of him.

Tuesday, August 12, 1997

by Alexandra Anastasio

Dara went to the Outback to practice her singing. She thought she was alone, but Mac showd up.

Alan surprised Jason at his apartment; Jason pulled a gun on him. Alan begged Jason to leave his apartment and go somewhere else because he was not safe there. Alan said he was there to check Jason's progress out, and Jason says he wanted Alan to leave once he has finished. The checkup was fine and Alan said that he'd had the hospital run an HIV test; Jason flipped out and said Alan probably wished Jason was HIV-positive so then Alan would have to take care of him, and Jason would have to be dependent on his family.

Jason told his father to concentrate on AJ. Alan recalled a passage from the Bible about a man and his two sons, claiming it fit them in a lot of ways. He said that Jason was still his pride, and that he was still perfect and golden; AJ would never earn Alan's love, and Jason would never destroy it. Jason just said he couldn't help his father. Alan walked out, crying.

Rivera was dead, and V. left to call the police. The Tin Man got up and grabbed Jax, threatening to shoot him. Sonny held his gun on the Tin Man and told him to just leave. They exchanged gunfire, and the Tin Man ran out; Sonny ran after him. Brenda was worried, but Jax put her at ease. The two shared a tender moment with Brenda asking him why he had gone there. He told her she needed him, and that was why he had gone.

Brenda talked to Jax about her feelings for Sonny and tried to tell him Sonny had changed. She also said that she had known what she was getting into when they had gone to see Rivera and that before they left she had wanted to call Jax and thank him for all he had done for her. Brenda told him she remembered all their times together and that it was because of him she was a better person. She told him he was her best friend, and Jax said she was his. The two then found a stack of surveillance tapes and there was one with the Tin Man admitting to killing Dormen; that would help exonerate Brenda.

Sonny caught up with the Tin Man and held a gun to his back. V. showed up and told Sonny to drop his weapon; he would only agree if she would hold her gun on him until the police arrived. V. did so, and the Tin Man pushed her and ran away. He ran right into quicksand and begged for the two to get him out. V. was ready to help him, but Sonny told her to leave the Tin Man there and let him sink, which he did. The two returned to the house to let Jax and Brenda know what had happened. Brenda and Sonny embraced, and Jax was hurt by what he saw.

Ned showed up at the house for a snack and asked Monica where Alan was. She told him she had no idea and let him in on what had been going on with her and Alan, thanks to Ned. He tried to make Monica see that what they had done was all for Emily and that Alan should get over it. She told him that she felt she and Alan might be headed towards a divorce, again, and she was not even sure of what she wanted anymore. Later on, when Ned was gone, Alan returned home and just walked past Monica upstairs.

The police eventually showed up at Rivera's.

Wednesday, August 13, 1997

by Alexandra Anastasio

Lucky called Sarah to make sure they were still on for the evening. Liz returned home from clothes shopping and asked Sarah's opinion. Liz was going job-hunting at Kelly's.

Alexis invited Katherine out to dinner for a celebration in honor of Stefan's birthday. She also hinted about the concert and fireworks display in the park, which was incidentally right next to Katherine's penthouse. Taking the bait, Katherine invited them both up after dinner to watch the fireworks and have coffee and dessert.

Bobbie overheard the waiter at the Outback call Carly "Mrs. Jones" by accident. Carly didn't correct him, and Bobbie approached her to pick yet another fight. She asked if Carly had missed anything while she was away. She then went on to accuse Carly of using everyone in her life just to get what she wanted and told Carly she was also curious about AJ, since he had defended Carly to Bobbie only a few weeks before.

Carly told Bobbie that Tony was the only man for her and that she and AJ were just friends. Bobbie said she felt sorry for the baby when the baby realized Carly did not know how to love. Carly told Bobbie not to tell her how to be a good mother. As Carly was about to maybe say just a little too much, Tony walked over to break it up. Bobbie left, and Tony comforted Carly.

Carly told Tony what had happened, including the misunderstanding with the waiter. Tony told her if she wanted to be the next Mrs. Jones then she would be; however, he was not asking her to marry him right away. He felt they needed to focus on themselves as a couple and build back their trust in one another. He wanted Carly to really believe he wanted to be with her because of her, not just because she was carrying his child.

Keesha and AJ ran into each other at General Hospital and she told him she was there for a job interview. She was excited about the interview and had a good feeling about the career choice. AJ told her that her happiness showed and that she looked really good; she said the same for him. He told her that Carly had been a really good friend and credited Carly with helping him stay sober.

Nikolas asked Stefan if he could have a friend over later in the evening to go riding with him. He later asked Sarah to meet him during lunch. They met at the spot where they had first bumped into each other, and he started talking to her about family and the many differences between how they had both grown up. He then asked her to go riding that evening, and she was upset to tell him she couldn't because she had made other plans and didn't feel right canceling at the last minute. He asked if it was with someone he knew, and she told him it was with Lucky. Nikolas was hurt, but he didn't say so. He just told her he had to get back to General Hospital. Sarah tried to explain to him that it was not really a date, but he really didn't want to hear it. She asked him if they could do it another time, and he said he'd see.

Liz showed up at Kelly's and tried to make amends with Ruby. She said she'd like a job, and Ruby was against the idea. Lucky convinced Ruby to let Liz fill out an application. Lucky was curious to know who she really was, but she didn't tell him. He also told her about the concert in the park, and she wondered if she should also go; he told her it was free and anyone could go, although it was not an invitation to join him. She figured she was going to go anyway. Liz also learned that Lucky didn't work in Kelly's, and she was a bit disappointed, but when he told her he was there almost every day, she was back into action. Ruby said she'd try Liz out, and Liz was excited.

Bobbie presented Stefan with the divorce papers and gave Katherine a few words of advice.

Carly was having dinner with AJ later on. AJ thought Tony would be joining them. Carly had a plan. As she was going through Tony's medical bag, he walked in, curious as to what she was doing.

Thursday, August 14, 1997

by Linda Torrence

Liz was telling her grandmother, Audrey, about the job and her change in plans. Sarah walked into the room, almost knocking Liz down. Sarah was feeling very bad about turning down Nikolas. She called him on the phone and he answered. With surprise, she hung up on him without saying a word.

Over on the couch, Liz was buttering up Audrey so that she could go out that night. The doorbell rang. Liz answered the door and saw that it was Lucky. She said, "You found me," because she didn't realize that he was there for Sarah. A little upset, Liz went outside and had a cigarette, talking to herself about "little miss perfect" Sarah.

Over at Tony and Carly's, Carly got caught going through his medical bag, so to distract Tony, she ran into the bathroom, pretending she had morning sickness again. When she emerged from the bathroom, Tony confronted her about the bag. She made up a lie, telling him she was looking for something for her stomach. Tony believed her, and headed back to work. After he left, she took some medication out of the bag.

Carly made a phone call, and told the guy at the other end to have everything ready. He said for a C note, he wouldn't forget. She then headed over to AJ's apartment and let him know that there had been a change in plans. She asked him for something to drink, and he gave her some juice. She asked him if he was going to have any. He said he would when he was done with his shower.

In Florida, Brenda and Sonny were told that the murder charges against her had been dropped, and also the drug charges against Jax. Everyone was happy. Brenda thanked Officer J. for putting her life on the line for people she didn't even know. The officer told Brenda that it was Jax she should be thanking. In the meantime, Sonny was thanking Jax for saving his and Brenda's lives, and said that he owed Jax one. Jax told Sonny to be good to Brenda, then Sonny extended his hand and the men shook. In a strange coincidence, they had all are booked the same flight back to Port Charles.

Back in Port Charles Nikolas hadn't told anyone that Sarah had turned him down. He went on acting like he still had a date. Katherine knew that something was bothering him though. Just as Nikolas was getting ready to leave, Stefan and Alexis showed up. They exchanged a few words, then Nikolas went upstairs to his room. Katherine made a sad attempt to make a toast in Russian. Stefan laughed, but told her that it was not what she had said, but the thought behind it.

When the toast was done, Katherine tossed the glass into the fireplace like Russians did, and Stefan and Alexis followed. After dinner, Alexis was out on the terrace while Stefan and Katherine were getting a little personal. Alexis walked into the room, interrupting them. Alexis knew that Katherine's mother was the woman in the picture with Stefan's father. She got Katherine to show her a picture of her mom. She showed the picture to Stefan. He looked at the picture, then turned and looked at Alexis.

At the park, the concert was in full swing. Sarah, Lucky, and a couple of other kids were sitting together. Lucky decided to go and get them something to drink. Just as he was leaving, Nikolas showed up at the park, although nobody saw him. A few minutes later, Lucky returned, explaining that the line was too long. He asked Sarah if she was cold, and she said a little. He took his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Just as he was doing it, Nikolas saw and sadly left.

Friday, August 15, 1997

by Linda Torrence

Monica ran into Jason at the park. She expressed to him that she was thinking of leaving Alan, and added that she probably never should have been a wife, let alone a mother. He talked to her about Robin. He was heartbroken; he asked her how long it would take for the pain of Robin leaving to go away. Monica just looked at him, but couldn't answer him, because she didn't know. Jason sadly took off, and Monica sat in the park for a while, contemplating her own troubles.

At the Quartermaine mansion, Alan and Emily were having a father and daughter talk. Emily expressed that she felt the problems that he and Monica were having were all her fault. She told him that she was just a leftover of Monica's cancer. Alan hugged her, telling her that it was not true, that she was the only good thing left between him and Monica. He added that he loved her very much and that he forgot to tell her sometimes. They gave each other a big hug, then Emily said she was going upstairs. Alan turned around and saw Monica.

They both sat down on the couch. With sadness, Monica looked him in the eyes. She told him how much she loved him. She further stated that if he wanted to know the real reason why she and Ned got along so well, it was because they were both liars. She said she and Ned hurt the people they loved to the point that those people didn't want to have anything to do with them. She saw an anniversary gift by the phone, and asked why, if they were going to break up, he had bought her a gift. They talked, and as usual, they decided not to get a divorce.

At Carly's place, her plan to get rid of AJ was in motion. She had already put something in his juice, and he was out like a baby. She had taken the laundry cart to his house and put the passed-out AJ into it. She covered him up so that nobody would see him. Just as she was getting ready to leave, there was a knock on the door. It was Jason.