All My Children, May 1977

All My Children

Written by: Agnes Nixon

Produced by: Bud Kloss

 March and April 1977 are here https://daytime70s.blogspot.com/2022/04/all-my-children-april-1977.html

Waking one night, Paul Martin saw his wife Anne crooning lullabies at the crib in their bedroom, empty since the death of their brain damaged daughter. In the morning Anne refused to see Dr. Polk as she had promised, saying that Paul murdered her baby and wanted to brainwash her. She screamed that Paul probably wanted her dead too, and told him to get out and give her some peace. Later that day she visited the Boutique, the Martin house and Nick Davis' office and her varying moods of euphoria, nostalgia and detachment puzzle everyone who saw her. Paul, hearing from some of the family, asked Anne's father, Dr. Charles Tyler, to check on Anne as he would be tied up in court. That afternoon Charles met his son Linc at Anne's door. Linc had been worried about Anne since Kitty told him of her visit and he got no reply when he telephoned. As the door was locked, Linc went to the side and entered Anne's bedroom window to see her lying unconscious across the bed.

Ruth Martin phoned Paul and asked him to come to the emergency room at the hospital. She told him that Anne was found with a completely empty bottle of barbiturates and that the emergency procedures were completed some time before but Anne was not responding. Finally, as Ruth wearily put her head in her hands at Anne's bedside, Anne opened her eyes. She recognized her "dear father" and then Ruth and Jeff, but when she realized that Paul was looking to her for a sign, she asked : "Who are you?"

Kitty Tyler had been so happy and healthy looking lately that Linc asked Dr. Desmond if there might have been a mistake in his diagnosis, but the doctor couldn’t hold out any hope. Kitty had mentioned wanting to adopt a child and Mrs. Lum, troubled that Linc seemed to be considering the possibility, asked for a conference with Linc and Dr. Desmond. On the day of their appointment, Kitty visited Linc's office and saw a note on his calendar to the effect that he was to see Desmond with Myrtle Lum.

Linc told the doctor that he had told Kitty she could begin adoption proceedings. Desmond acknowledged the fact that the procedure was a long one but advised against Linc's considering anything more than going through the motions. At home Kitty was recalling evasions by Myrtle Lum and Linc that had occurred lately and when Myrtle returned, Kitty acknowledged that she was tired and asked Myrtle to sing to her.

Tara learned in confidence from Chuck that Philip had asked that Chuck marry her if Phil didn't survive. She told her brother Jeff that she was crazy to have ever considered having an abortion and told Philip that she had been neglecting him in her concern for little Philip. She intended to tell the boy about the expected baby and together they would help him adjust. However when Tara told little Philip about the baby, he was unimpressed and insisted it would not be like a real brother or sister since Philip was not his father. - Though Chuck Tyler was little Philip's legal father, married at the time of the boy's birth to Tara, Philip and Tara had agreed not to tell the child that Philip Brent was his natural father because the boy experienced severe asthma attacks when Tara and Chuck were divorced. - When Chuck talked to little Philip about the expected baby the boy said he'd rather not go along with Phil and Tara's plans to move, saying they had their own baby and didn't need him and that he wanted to live with Chuck. When she saw Philip at the hospital, Tara told him that little Philip was happy. Philip realized she was lying but decided that he had been pushing the boy too hard and expected to be good friends by the time the baby was born.

Nancy Grant stayed on and prepared a meal for Frank after his release from the hospital and Frank, who had asked Caroline over and was unable to reach her by phone, stalled and allowed Nancy to do laundry and go ahead with the cooking to the anger and embarrassment of both Caroline and Nancy. After Caroline slammed out, Frank talked Nancy into cancelling the cab she planned to take but her departure was only delayed. Despite Nancy's efforts at a reconcilliation, Frank refused to believe that her relationship with Carl Blair was not a physical one. Finally, after almost six years of marriage, they said goodbye at Pine Valley airport, agreeing only that Paul Martin should represent the both of them in the divorce action.

Paul Martin had been advised against trying to see his wife for a time. Anne's father was fearful that any further upset would cause Anne to try to take her own life again. Charles was also worried about her mother seeing Anne as she was childlike and disoriented much of the time and he was wary of the effect they might have on each other. However, when Phoebe went to Anne, she was welcomed, though she was upset that Anne seemed to think she was back at the time of her debut and Paul was her "best beau." When Phoebe told her that Paul was her husband and begged her not to blame him, Anne said she had no husband and contrived to send Phoebe out of the room while she removed and then secreted her mother's wallet. She asked Phoebe to stay with her and feigned sleep. As Phoebe was talking with Charles and Paul in Charles' office, Anne dressed and slipped out of her room. After Phoebe went, Paul insisted upon seeing Anne for a moment even though she might be asleep and discovered that she had left.

Drs. David Thornton and Christina Karras had quarreled about her determination to resign. - Christina made up her mind after being convinced by David that she had an episode where she behaved like a small girl who wanted to be a ballerina. At first David was charmed at what he believed to be a whimsical, talented performance but Christina finally acknowledged that it had happened several times before but that she was not aware of any time lapse. - David reminded her that Dr. Tyler was in a great deal of personal turmoil after his daughter's attempted suicide and Christina agreed that this was not the best time to tender her resignation was is determined that she would do so as soon as possible. David suggested that she was upset at learning that her father had, in effect, bribed a young doctor she had been in love with into dropping her. She said that she and Hadley Caldwell had something beautiful and he betrayed it for a job, but the reason she was so upset was because her father was still trying to ruin her life and she had to pay for what she did.

David talked Christina into going with him to his cabin and finally got her to confide in him what it was that she felt so guilty about. She told him that she froze during an operation when she, a surgical resident, was assisting her father. Afterwards he took her back to the operating room and insisted that she dissect a cadaver because he would not allow her to disgrace him by being a coward. He put a scalpel into her hand, and, when she still refused, began shaking her, ordering her to do as he said. Christina recalled stabbing her father and watching him fall against the table, blood staining the front of his surgical gown.

Paul Martin returned to his home to find one of Beth's stuffed toys was missing and saw Phoebe's wallet in the baby's crib. He realized where Anne probably had been gone. He and Charles found Anne at the mausoleum, asleep. When Charles woke her, she shrank from Paul, telling her father that man was trying to hurt her. Charles promised to protect her and led her out, promising a warm bed at the hospital. Anne, very childlike, agreed to go along if her daddy would tuck her in and hear her prayers. The following day, Dr. Polk pointed out that Anne had opportunity to harm herself and didn't, but if she didn’t attempt suicide, she still might need protection because she was so out of touch with reality she could hurt herself accidentally. He said Anne needed long term care and recommended that she be admitted to a private mental hospital, Oak Haven. At Charles' urging Paul signed the commitment papers and Anne was removed the following day, heavily sedated, without having seen either Paul or Phoebe.

Christina Karras woke in David's cabin after having slept peacefully for the first time in months. David asked if she still believed, in the light of day, that she killed her father. Christina insisted that she did and was glad after she saw what she'd done, that he was dead. Paul spoke of it as an accident and Christina denied this, saying it might have been a crime of passion but it was a crime, nevertheless. She insisted that Dr. MacPherson probably had covered up when he listed the cause of death as heart failure, in order to protect her father's reputation and the hospital from scandal; and that she was too cowardly and frightened to insist that the truth be told.

Kitty Tyler made an appointment with Dr. Desmond on her own and insisted he tell her what her mother and Linc were keeping from her. When she threatened to go to another doctor to find out the truth about her condition, he was forced to tell her that her disease had no known cure. He told her that the symptoms might return at any time and might include loss of vision or motor impairment. Kitty told the doctor that she'd rather her husband and mother not know that she was then aware of her condition, saying she had a right to handle it as she chose. The doctor agreed.

Mona Kane told Nick Davis that Charles had promised to look up Mark Dalton's birth record in Center City but, with Anne's attempted suicide, he had been unable to do so. She expressed the hope that Erica had learned to respect herself. Mona Kane was unaware that Nick and her daughter Erica were sometime lovers. Mona tried to get Nick to stop seeing Erica but would not give him any reason other than that Erica got involved too easily and hurt herself and others. Mona was afraid to tell Mark that he might be Erica's half-brother as she had no proof and Nick had pointed out that if they could prove it they had no way of knowing how the news might effect Mark. 

Erica had left Mark's apartment after his abrupt "tonight's the night" attitude caused her to tell him she was no pushover. Mark insisted he was right the first time; he believed Nick Davis had the inside track. Erica went to the Chateau and she and Nick spent the night together at her house.

Frank Grant told Caroline that Nancy had gone for good and she wouldn’t be back so they could make their plans and live happily ever after. When Ruth referred to the dinner Frank and Nancy attended together at Kate Martin's, Caroline realized that once again, Frank had glossed over an incident having to do with Nancy, giving a false impression about the day Nancy left, if not actually lying. Caroline told him that the fact that he wasn't completely honest showed her that everything was not over between him and Nancy, no matter what he believed to the contrary.

Linc learned from Ruth that Kitty was at the hospital. After talking to Tara, Myrtle realized Kitty's story of visiting Phil at that time wasn’t true; Kitty probably had learned the truth about her illness.

Donna Beck received word she had failed her high school equivalency test and she planned to leave Pine Valley. But Caroline was finally able to convince her she owed it to Chuck to put off her decision until he returned from his trip to Baltimore.

Dan Kennicott had been told by Brooke that she was not ready to be tied down but after talking with Benny Sago, she decided that considering that in a couple of years Dan would be a full fledged architect, she could do a lot worse. When she told Dan she wanted to go on seeing him but not casually, he told her she had come running to him before, trying to make Benny jealous. Brooke told Dan that Benny loved her in his own way: that he was not as macho as he seemed and that she was not as sophisticated as she appeared to be. Dan let her walk away but later told her that he was in love with her and just didn’t want to share her with anyone.