Ric Lansing reunited with Molly; General Hospital Recap for Thursday, August 22, 2024

At All Saints Chapel, Molly and T.J. stood by their baby's little casket as the guests walked into the church for the funeral. When Kristina saw the casket, she was overcome with emotion and swayed on her feet. Sam (temporarily played by Lindsay Hartley) had to hold her sister up and escort Kristina to her seat.

As T.J. greeted his family members, Molly ran outside to get some air, and she was shocked to see her father, Ric Lansing. Ric called out to Molly. She immediately smiled before flying into his arms. Molly said she hadn't known Ric would be there, so Ric told her that Alexis had informed him that Molly needed him. "I'm so glad you're here. I feel so alone," Molly tearfully said.

In the church, Kristina stood by the coffin with Dante, Sam, and Michael, commenting that nobody should have to make coffins that small. Kristina said she had known the baby would be a girl, so she had called her Adela, after Sonny's mother. Alexis summoned Sam over to warn her that Ric would be there soon. Sam asked where Sonny was, so Alexis told her that Molly had told Sonny off the night Kristina had fallen. He was staying away from the funeral out of respect.

Soon, the minister wanted to begin the service, but he was confused as to who the baby's mother was. As Molly walked in with Ric, Alexis explained that Molly was the child's mother, and Kristina was the surrogate. T.J. approached Ric and thanked him for coming, while Alexis and Sam stood back, hoping Ric didn't cause trouble. "It's probably best that Sonny isn't here, after all," Alexis remarked.

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Alexis approached Ric after Molly and T.J. sat down. Ric informed Alexis that he had found Molly alone outside in tears.

The service got underway. After the minister recited some prayers and kind words, Jordan got up to give a reading. Kristina also got up. "I have something I want to say," Kristina announced as she walked to the casket.

Kristina referred to the baby as Irene, as Molly and T.J. had wanted, and stressed that Irene's life had had an impact, despite how short her life had been. "Even though none of us had the chance to meet Irene, we knew her...For eight months, we shared every second together," Kristina tearfully said, and she detailed Irene's food likes based on Kristina's cravings.

Molly and T.J. were also in tears, but T.J. appeared to be frustrated and angry. Stella spoke next, declaring that "Irene was now in the hands of her namesake, my sister." When the service ended, Molly and T.J. stood up, with Ric and Jordan by their sides. Kristina then broke down, loudly crying as Alexis took her daughter in her arms. A tear-filled Molly appeared incredulous at Kristina's weeping.

Michael and Willow slipped away and went to visit Willow's son's grave. Afterwards, they sat on a bench near Jonah's grave and talked about grieving a child. Willow had given her child up for adoption but said it had still been extremely hard when she'd learned that he had died. Michael remembered what he had felt like when he'd believed Wiley had been dead. "Look at us now. We have two happy, healthy kids, and maybe Jonah brought us all together," Michael said.

Elsewhere, family members placed roses on Irene's grave. Molly and Kristina left a stuffed teddy bear by the grave as they cried. When Kristina placed her rose, she called the baby Adela. Molly quickly turned around with a question. "What did you call my daughter?" Molly asked.

Kristina explained that she had just named the baby that morning, infuriating Molly, who told Kristina that "she was my baby." Kristina insisted that the baby was a part of her, saying she knew Molly didn't know what that felt like. Hearing Kristina say those words only set Molly off more. "I know I'll never know what it feels like to carry a child, but I refuse to let you carry out this grieving Madonna act for the rest of my life," Molly said.

Kristina said she was devasted, but that didn't mean much to Molly. "I hope so, because you're the reason she's dead," Molly angrily announced. Kristina wondered how Molly could say such a thing. Molly pointed out that Kristina had had a choice. "You could protect my unborn child or your criminal father, and you chose Sonny. In order to protect your father, you sacrificed my baby's life," Molly said.

Earlier, Trina and Stella embraced just as Josslyn walked into the church. Josslyn looked at Trina but didn't say a word before walking away. Stella wondered if everything was okay between Josslyn and Trina.

After the church emptied, Trina stayed behind, so Josslyn sat down to keep her company. Trina and Josslyn apologized to one another for their argument at Ava's gallery. Josslyn admitted that she didn't have the right to tell Trina who she could and could not be friends with. Trina said she understood why Josslyn felt the way she did about Ava.

At the gallery, Sonny reminded Ava that she deserved to pay for what had happened to Kristina. However, he wasn't there to make her pay. "I'm not going to take your life. I'm here to save it," Sonny said before asking Ava to come with him.

Ava refused to budge because she didn't trust Sonny, who had a warning. "Jagger Cates wants to end your life, not me," Sonny insisted. Ava was shocked as Sonny explained what he thought John was up to. Ava deduced that Sonny thought John would kill Ava so that her statement against Kristina seemed legit. Sonny also felt that John was going to frame Sonny for the murder.

Ava still refused to leave with Sonny, so Sonny asked if he would be there trying to help her—on that day of all days—if he wasn't sincere. Ava realized that it was the day of the baby's funeral, but she still argued with Sonny. "John and I are closer than you know, and he would never hurt me," Ava reasoned.

"He just put handcuffs on Kristina, and she was in a wheelchair. Not because he wanted to get her, but he wants to get at me," Sonny pointed out. Ava still insisted that John was protecting her. Sonny angrily countered, "He's using you."

Ava told Sonny she was rich and could disappear on her own. Sonny didn't care and told Ava he was her only safe way out. Ava shouted at Sonny to leave her alone just as John walked in. John ordered Sonny to get away from Ava.

John informed Sonny that he would protect Ava, calling Sonny "toxic" and "radioactive." Ava tried to defuse the situation before John summoned another FBI agent. John ordered Agent Linda Boyle to take Ava into protective custody, and Sonny warned Ava not to go. "You know I'm right," Sonny said. His pleas fell on deaf ears as Ava left with John.

Lucy and Natalia arrived at the Home & Heart studio. They worried that Lois would not be able to pull off a TV appearance promoting Deception.

Lois met with the makeup artist to get ready for her debut. Brook Lynn approached her. Lois worried that she looked too "demure," but Brook Lynn assured her mom that she looked beautiful. Lois noticed that she didn't have her earrings, so she searched for the makeup artist and overheard the woman telling another crew member that Lois' Brooklyn accent was giving her a headache.

When Lois retrieved her earrings, Brook Lynn could tell her mother was upset and asked her what was wrong. Lois admitted she had last-minute stage fright after hearing criticism of her accent. Brook Lynn assured Lois that the accent was part of her charm.

Maxie and Tracy were the next to arrive. Tracy still lamented Sonny's Deception investment. Tracy still didn't want Natalia to be CFO, but Maxie pointed out how meticulous Natalia had been during Blaze's contract negotiations. Maxie believed those were good qualities in a CFO.

As Tracy watched Lois greet Haven de Haviland, she asked if Maxie was sure Lois could pull the appearance off. Maxie pointed out that Lois was a hit at Deception trunk shows, so she expected her to be a hit on TV. Just before Lois was to go on, Brook Lynn noticed her mother had a broken nail. Lois insisted her nails were her "brand," and she couldn't appear on TV that way.

A crew member shoved Lois onto the set, where she was clearly distressed, thinking about her nail. While Haven talked up Deception's latest skin serum, Lois played with the nail. Haven informed Lois it was her time to speak. Lois told the audience to order the new serum known as the Deceiver, but she sounded like she was reciting from a script. The Deception women stood to the side, cringing.

Finally, Haven engaged Lois in a little banter, bringing Lois to life. The Deception ladies breathed a sigh of relief. Soon, Lucy got a text from Scott, telling her he had been called out of town on a new case. Lucy left to see if she could get more information out of Scott before contacting a new lawyer.

As the spot on Haven's show continued, things seemed to be going well until a caller told Lois she needed to lose the accent and "speak properly."

In the Quartermaine stables, Cody and James got ready for James's riding lesson. Cody insisted that James wear a helmet for safety, but James wanted to keep Cody's cowboy hat on. Cody surprised James with a kid-sized cowboy hat but also brought the helmet out on their ride.

After James's riding lesson, Cody and James sat down for a chat. James asked what Cody had done to make "Grandpa Mac" so mad at him. Cody told James that he had lied to Mac, but he regretted it. James warned Cody that he wasn't supposed to lie. Cody said he knew and wished he hadn't. James confessed that he'd lied about small stuff, like telling his mom he had brushed his teeth when it wasn't true.