No One Ever Said It Would Be This Hard - OLTL Recap for Wed., March 18, 2009

John and Tea are in a hospital break room. McBain accuses her of loving Manning and that’s why she’s covering for him in Lee Halpern’s stabbing. He feels that the same person who stabbed Lee also stabbed Wes and Blair. Tea finally admits to him that she didn’t stab Lee and neither did Todd. John agrees to keep her secret so she won’t be disbarred. She sadly concedes defeat and says she doesn’t want to be third with a man in love with two women already. “It’s over.” Before she leaves, McBain asks her if she noticed any letters (D or A) or etchings with Lee’s body.

Jack, who’s been taken to Llanview PD Jail by his Aunt Viki, begs his father to get his act together for his family. He describes to Todd his visit with Blair in ICU with all the machines hooked up. Manning tries to assure the child that the doctors are letting her sleep on purpose. Jack asks his Dad if he stabbed his mom so he could be with Cole’s mom. Todd swears to the boy he would never hurt his mother. Jack storms off and Viki tells her brother that even Dorian doesn’t think Manning is guilty. Todd tells his sister that he needs an attorney since Tea quit.

Brody arrives at the cottage to share his good news with Gigi about his discharge and finds the brunette sobbing. The vet intently listens as she tells him of Shane’s cancer. Marasco is frightened of the side effects of the chemo especially Shane losing his hair and vomiting from the treatments. Lovett hugs her and assures her that there are many people who love and will support Shane. He offers to pack Shane’s things so she can get back to the hospital.

Bo is in the hospital chapel and turns to find Rex by his side. The elder is appreciative of Balsom coming to offer his support. As the commish describes all the testing and no response in Matthew’s feet, Rex politely listens and then breaks down. Bo is in shock as Balsom tells of Shane’s cancer. He follows with optimism on how so much has been done for kids with cancer. When he hears about a bone marrow transplant possibility, he wants to be tested as a donor. Rex just can’t understand why this had to happen to two smart, decent kids. He tearfully bangs on the alter and begs God to take him instead. Bo feels guilty that he was all over Matthew for smoking dope when he was really pretending to in order to impress a girl who ended up making fun of him at the dance anyway. Rex asks his mentor how he can keep it together. “Life takes guts” the commish explains. Balsom feels if he can get through all this, it’s because of Bo. Buchanan smiles and leaves the chapel.

In Cole’s hospital room, Nora vents to Marty about how Matthew’s predicament with lifetime paralysis is entirely Marty and Cole’s fault. The DA goes at Marty by reminding her that Cole turned to drugs when she had no time for him and instead was a party girl shacking up in a motel room with Wes. Saybrooke tearfully agrees that it’s her fault Cole is messed up, and then begs for Nora’s forgiveness. Nora coldly tells her no. Marty defends Cole --- he had lost his father, then mother and his baby. She begs her former friend not to blame him --- blame her instead. Nora retorts that none of this would have happened if Marty had stayed dead! Saybrooke admits everyone would have been better off. Both women are sobbing. Nora blames herself for not recognizing Cole’s problem while she was his guardian. Saybrooke doesn’t want her friend to take blame since she should have been a mother to Cole instead of rejecting him. The two women cry and hold each other.

Nearby, in Matthew’s room, Cole is incredulous that the Buchanan boy is blaming himself for the accident. Matt admits he was in the wrong for not telling his parents about Cole’s drug use, getting a teacher when he found Thornhart so high, for getting in the car with him, not putting on a seatbelt and insisting Cole take him away from the school dance. When the nurse offers Matthew a painkiller, Cole intently stares at the bottle. On the way back to his room, Cole finds a pill in his pocket and puts it to his mouth.

Thornhart enters his room and is handcuffed. When he’s escorted out, Marty and Nora follow as John sadly looks on. Matthew reads a sports magazine, and then throws it across the room. Bo walks in, picks up the digest, puts it away and takes his son’s hand. In the chapel as Rex prays, Gigi quietly sits down beside him. In the hallway, Tea deletes Todd from her contacts in her cell phone. At the jail, a young man walks up to Todd’s cell and introduces himself as his new attorney. He’s already filed to have charges dismissed. “I want my kids back,” Manning demands.