Lynda Hirsch on Soaps

ALL MY CHILDREN: After a run-in with a cop, Tad manages to make it back to the house with the baby before Jake and Liza's plan goes up in smoke. Jake and Liza fool everyone into thinking she gave birth in the basement. Liza fears Amanda will recognize the baby as her own when she sees him but is greatly relieved when she doesn't. Tad fakes chest pains to draw attention away from Liza in order to stop the paramedics from taking her to the hospital. Liza tells Colby she's decided to name the baby Stuart. JR confesses to Marissa that he was thinking about Babe when he kissed her and apologizes. Aidan and Ryan are working together to prove Annie killed Stuart. Tad begins to have flashbacks to the night of Stuart's murder and remembers seeing a woman running from the terrace. Amanda asks Jake to tell her whom he gave her baby to. Jake makes Amanda feel better when he spins a story about what a great life her son will have, saying he placed him with a loving, young couple. Tad urges Jake to tell Amanda the truth, but Jake remains confident that everything will work out. Liza becomes emotional when Colby tells her she wants to live with her and help raise the baby. Madison confirms to Zach that North cheats on her and lets him know her husband is planning a weekend getaway. North drops in on Randi, who refuses to give in to his threats and go out of town with him. Aidan gives Annie his theory of how she killed Stuart when she catches him spying on her. Kendall has terrifying visions of her loved ones being forced to testify against her. Zach and Ryan fear Kendall might do something that will only add to her troubles. Erica confronts Annie, who reaches her breaking point and lunges for Erica's throat.

SNEAK PEEK: Erica gets her younger man.

AS THE WORLD TURNS: Riley kneels beside an unconscious Margo, who has been shot by Col. Mayer. As she revives, he quickly stops referring to her as mom and calls 9-1-1. Riley admits his face became disfigured after a bombing in Afghanistan and he thought his new face could give him a new chance at life. Casey is upset that Margo hasn't told Tom and threatens to do it himself. Riley appeals to him, explaining that taking on a new identity was an accidental circumstance that started with the military misidentifying him. Alison consoles after he learns his mother has died. Susan tells Emily that the eggs Larry "found" are not hers and warns her about trusting him. Emily starts to put the pieces together and goes after Larry. She confronts him about whether he knew Aurora Hunter. He's affected by news of Aurora's death, and by the fact that Hunter could be his son. Emily tracks Hunter down and tells him she's his mother. She then tracks down Larry and rails at him for his betrayal, saying he knew all along that she was Hunter's mother. Larry begs forgiveness, says he was Aurora's lover and she was desperate to have a child. Hunter's miserable because he can't change how he feels about Alison. Mayer wants to take Noah away and live happily ever after, but Noah won't abet a fugitive. Damian suggests Noah turn his father in, so Noah can find some peace. Lily and Dusty meet some potential clients at Worldwide, but they are unable to secure them as investors when they discover the computer storing their presentation has been stolen. Damian is implicated thanks to a setup by Paul.

SNEAK PEEK: Carly seeks a new life.

BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL: No longer able to keep his secret, a guilt-ridden Ridge confesses to Brooke about his night with Taylor. Stephanie urges a hopeless Taylor not to give up on pursuing a future with Ridge. Brooke angrily confronts Taylor and accuses her of trying to steal Ridge by overmedicating him. Ridge turns to the comfort of Taylor and their children after his painful break-up with Brooke. He asks if he can move back home with them. Rick apologizes to Brooke for being the reason why she and Ridge broke up. Stephanie breaks the news to Brooke that Ridge and Taylor have reunited. Brooke is horrified by Ridge's confession and blames Taylor for what happened. Owen asks Jackie to marry him while they are on the island. Bridget is stunned when she runs into Owen on the beach and advises him to leave before Nick sees him and Jackie. Believing that Owen and Jackie are returning to the mainland that night, Bridget does her best to distract Nick. Jackie agrees to marry Owen in a traditional Hawaiian ceremony. When Bridget realizes what is going on, she confesses to Nick that Owen and Jackie are on the island and are about to get married. Nick rushes out in a fury to stop the wedding.

SNEAK PEEK: Owen is running scared.

DAYS OF OUR LIVES: Nicole does a good deed by secretly taking Johnny to see Sami. Meanwhile, EJ and Stefano meet with Judge Fitzpatrick regarding the upcoming custody hearing. Later, when Nicole returns home with Johnny, she tells him their visit to see Sami has to remain their little secret just as EJ enters, possibly overhearing.

Stephanie appeals to Father Matt for advice about her living the Kiriakis lifestyle, and with his help, she makes up her own decision about her life with Philip: She breaks things off with Philip. Sami goes to the graveyard to see Grace but is thrown to find Rafe at another grave. Sami questions Rafe about Nicole and, more importantly, Emily. She seems to let it go, only to ask Arianna about her later, and is shocked to find herself the object of Rafe's wrath when he catches her. Rafe vows to help Sami get Johnny back. After taking a bite of the poisoned fruit left by Kate, Chloe grows increasingly ill before collapsing in Daniel's arms.

SNEAK PEEK: Daniel is desperate to save Chloe.

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Carly tells Sonny she wants Michael to live with the Quartermaines. Jason explains to Edward why he can't move back into the mansion with Michael. Alexis faces the press after Mayor Floyd announces they had an affair. Diane proves to be a good friend to Alexis. Spinelli tries to keep a seductive Maxie at arms' length, reminding her that their previous lovemaking only led to heartache and remorse. Rebecca agrees to move into Wyndemere but has to make a hasty getaway when Ethan threatens to go there if she doesn't meet him in her room. Ethan accuses Rebecca of actually wanting to be with Nikolas, but she assures him the con is still on. Lulu and Nikolas don't realize they're both being set up for a fall, as they both think Rebecca and Ethan are misunderstood. Coleman asks Spinelli and Maxie for ideas on how to make Jake's more profitable. Spinelli plans to serenade Maxie at the new karaoke night at Jake's. Spinelli, however, sounds awful while practicing his singing in the shower.

SNEAK PEEK: Alexis loses her job.

GUIDING LIGHT: Mallet realizes that Shayne is Henry's father. Josh tells Shayne he didn't know Dinah was with Jeffrey. Reva tells Josh to get a hobby besides watching her. Reva rocks Colin and tries to stay strong while she waits for Jeffrey to come home. Lillian gets instructions from Ed on how to treat someone with a rare terminal disease. She is shocked that Phillip is the one she'll be treating. Phillip tells Lillian that Ed thought she'd be the right person to tell and he doesn't want his family to know yet. Alan tells James to prove to Phillip that James is already on track to surpass everything Phillip has ever done. The Bauer Fourth of July barbecue is on. Everyone is excited to see Billy and Mindy arrive. The group sets up games. Danny and Michelle get happy greetings from everyone. Billy takes a picture of the four musketeers: Mindy, Beth, Rick and Phillip. Mel admits to Michelle that it's strange not being a Bauer anymore and says she loved the family they had. Rafe asks why Frank is giving up on Natalia. Father Ray suggests that Natalia go to a retreat to think things through.

SNEAK PEEK: Natalia runs from her troubles.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE: Gayle Collins, the nurse from the clinic, confronts Roxy and snatches the bag of blood she'd been saving in case Shane has a relapse. John tells Bo he'll return to the police force under the condition that Bo arranges for Cole to go undercover to bust the drug ring in Llanview instead of going to prison. Todd insists he has real feelings for Tea but isn't able to put those feelings into words. Despite their sparring, Todd and Tea fall into bed together. Dorian has her work cut out for her when she tries to convince Viki, Charlie, Moe and Shaun to attend the dinner party she's throwing in order to try and repair the damage she caused for Langston with Markko's parents. Meanwhile, Markko has his hands full convincing his parents to attend Dorian's dinner. Jessica encourages Brody to apply to the police academy.

SNEAK PEEK: A wedding is on hold.

YOUNG AND RESTLESS: In his room, Adam continues to work Rafe in order to distract him from finding evidence that he has set up Estella. Adam seems so sincere that Rafe responds. Rafe is confused after making love to Adam. Nick finds Phyllis and Summer at the hospital just as the doctor tells them that Summer is in a coma from the allergic reaction to the peanuts. Sharon waits at the chapel for Nick, rejoicing in the news that the baby is Nick's, when she sees his message that Summer is in the hospital. Sharon arrives outside Summer's hospital room and is tortured to see how much pain Nick and Phyllis are in. After hearing Nick with Phyllis and as he promises to stand by her and Summer through everything, Sharon makes the decision to lie to him. Sharon claims Jack is her baby's father. Victor lets himself into Mary Jane's suite at the G.C.A.C. and is disturbed when he finds Mary Jane's dead cat. Mary Jane sees how deeply bonded Phyllis and Jack still are and starts making plans to keep Phyllis from Jack. Mary Jane lets Heather overhear her "suspicions" that Phyllis was the one who hurt Summer in order to get Nick's attention. Heather immediately starts investigating Munchausen syndrome. After Phyllis is arrested, Nikki is given custody of Summer. Amber tells Michael that she thinks that everything that has happened to Daniel is connected to her. After Kay has a mini stroke, Mac tells Billy that she loves him and wants to be with him. They fall into a passionate kiss. A distraught Nina becomes determined to find Phillip's body and find out who he truly was. Paul tells Nina that he learned from the lab there was something wrong with Cane's blood test. Cane realizes he can't lie any longer and admits to everyone that he is not Phillip Chancellor III. As Cane tries to explain himself to a heartbroken Lily, Jill and Kay, the real Phillip arrives and states that Cane didn't do anything wrong; Phillip is the one to blame.

SNEAK PEEK: Lily leaves Cane.

To find out more about Lynda Hirsch, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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