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Previously...

• Kayla realized the truth about her husband's relationship with Liz when she spotted Liz's car at Rick's office. Desperate to uncover the truth, she stood outside his office window and overheard his conversation with Liz. Speaking about divorce and their turbulent relationship, Kayla realized that Rick was calling it quits- and Liz supported him fully. After much thought, Kayla decided it was best to leave Pac Heights and called Valerie over to watch Haylie. Without telling Val of her intentions, Kayla told her to give Rick a letter that would be on the nightstand for him to read when he got home.
  
  
• Jason and Lucas met for dinner where they conversed about Shane being HIV Positive. Desperate to tell someone, Jason realized this was the moment he had been waiting for and he divulged to Lucas that he was positive as well. Lucas was left in shock and told Jason that while he dated Shane for a period of time, that he recently tested negative. Jason realized that Lucas had been telling the truth about his friendship with Keith and came to the conclusion that nothing happened between the two.
  
  
• Braden McCullough stormed Landon Points and revealed that he was part owner of the company. After it was revealed that Hal had left Braden his share of the company, Emily was left in shock and realized her control was diminishing.  Desperate to stay on top, Emily realized that she would have to use Braden anyway that she could to render him powerless.
   
  
  
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  Scene: The Preston Residence. College Oaks District.

As the house comes into view, Rick instantly becomes aware that something is missing. The familiar white car that usually sits in the driveway is replaced by a darker and new model- the vehicle of his twin sister, Valerie . He shakes his head, becoming hesitant to even park and enter the home. After the mysterious message that was left on his machine earlier by Kayla , the lack of her presence indicated that something might be terribly wrong.

It was around three-thirty in the afternoon when he received a text message from Kayla saying that she loved him and always would. He instantly thought it was endearing, although at the same time it mystified him that Kayla would send such a message after all the fighting they had. When he tried to call her back, he was instantly redirected to her voice mail.

Now he is arriving home from work and Kayla's car is nowhere to be seen. Could she simply be out visiting family? Why was Val's car parked in the driveway? He mulls over these very questions as he steps out of his car and walks towards the front-door. He is soon met by Val who looks on with a half-hearted smile.

"Hey killer, how was your day?"

"Long as usual," Rick replies. "Where is Kayla?"

"You don't know? Well, your guess is as good as mine then. She called me over a few hours ago to watch Haylie. She said she had to take care of some urgent business. I have no idea what that's about," Valerie does her best to explain.

"Urgent business? She didn't say anything else?" Rick tries his best to probe.

"Not really.well, she said there was a note for you on your nightstand. She said to tell you to read it when you got home."

Thoughts of fear instantly flood Rick's mind. Was Kayla truly capable of leaving him? No, there was simply no way. He fights the worried thoughts with all he has- there was just no way that Kayla would leave Haylie behind.

Rick quickly paces across the room before making his way towards his bedroom. The very bedroom that Rick and Kayla slept in each would now uncover clues to Kayla's whereabouts.

He instantly spots the note on the nightstand and gently unfolds it.

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Scene: The Castro District of San Francisco. 

Jason nervously cracks each knuckle as Ashley pulls into the parking lot. He can't believe that she convinced him to actually attend one of these support groups. He could barely admit to himself that he was positive-  and now he would be forced to do so in front of a crowd of strangers? The whole concept didn't seem sane to him at all- but Ashley insisted that it was best and that it would help him find others who were going through similar situations.

"Well, I guess this is it." Ashley puts the car to a stop and turns the key.

"So have you spoken to him?" Jason does his best to avoid the subject at hand.

"Who are you referring to?" Ashley inquires.

"You know...your father- that Sam guy from South Beach. You seemed all gung-ho about meeting him last week and I haven't heard anything further."

"Yeah, well I spoke to Joe about it. I was going to catch a flight to South Beach but Joe went ballistic on me. He said flying would be bad for the baby and that I needed to wait until after I had him."

"Since when do you listen to anyone?" Jason cracks a smile.

"I know, I know...I must be losing my touch. He just cares a lot though and I suppose I do need to take it easy until the baby is born."

"Well, you don't have too much longer. You're, what? Seven months now?"

"Yeah, our little baby boy will be due in September. It couldn't happen soon enough!" Ashley sighs as she puts her right hand over her stomach.

Jason smiles back, completely hesitant to get out of the vehicle. His stomach begins to turn as he sees various people enter the building.

"Look, you need to calm down. It's going to be fine, Jason. I think this will really help you. It will really help you get various perspectives on how it is living with it. I'm sure you'll make friends easily as well."

"Okay mother," Jason replies sarcastically. "This isn't my first day of school, ya know."

Ashley returns with a smile and places her hand on top of his. "It's going to be fine, okay? I'll be back at eight-thirty. I just need to run and meet with a client real quick."

"A client at this hour? Are you hooking now, my dear sis?"

"Oh, stop! Don't ever say anything like that again. I've just needed to meet with one of my clients all week about some investments and it worked out that we could see each other this evening."

"Wow. Pregnant and still making house calls. I'm thoroughly impressed."

"I do what I can. Now get out!" Ashley laughs as she reaches over and unlocks his door.

Jason throws one last glance towards his sister before exiting the car. His legs feel numb as he does his best to walk towards the building. He realizes he is trembling and his heart soon begins to race. Does he really have the courage to attend one of these support groups? Will it do him any good to hear depressing stories from others?

Jason contemplates these very questions before his train of thought is interrupted by an attractive blonde who stands in front him. With a crooked smile, the man winks at Jason before he realizes who it is- It's the same man he met at the cafe those weeks ago. It was the same man that he learned was also HIV Positive last week- it was Shane Crawford.

"Jason? What in the hell are you doing here?"

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