Ric delivers alarming news about Heather 

Ava and Ric enjoyed drinks as they went over her case. Ava felt ready to take the stand and tell her side of the story, but Ric felt it was risky to have a defendant testify. He was still willing to put her on the stand as long as she kept to the script and did what they had practiced.

Ric bragged that he was good at defending his clients, whether they were guilty or innocent. That prompted Ava to ask Ric if he thought she was guilty or if Kristina’s fall was an accident. Ric said he thought Ava was innocent, or he would not have taken her case. “I took your case for Molly’s sake. The only way Molly is going to make her get past her anger and her drive for revenge is if she accepts that Kristina’s fall was an accident,” Ric said.

Ric left the table when he received a phone call. When he returned he told Ava that he had paid the bill, but he had to go.

An alarmed Ric later turned up at the hospital and told Elizabeth they needed to talk immediately. “I just got a call. Judge Orvis has ruled in Heather’s favor,” Ric told a shocked Elizabeth.

“Isn’t this what you wanted?” Elizabeth asked. Ric said he had been hoping she would be transferred to a minimum-security prison and not released. Ric was reeling from the fact that the judge had vacated Heather’s sentence. Ric wanted Elizabeth to join him at the Savoy for moral support when he told the Ashford clan the news.

Elizabeth refused. “This is all you, buddy. You need to take responsibility for just doing your job,” Elizabeth said.

The Ashfords and their friends gathered at the Savoy to bid farewell to Marshall as he prepared to embark on a tour with Wynton Marsalis. Curtis gave a speech paying tribute to his father, pointing out that Marshall would finally get his chance to shine. “Dad, it is time for you to step into the spotlight and show what you can do,” Curtis said.

Curtis later told Marshall that he would definitely attend one of Marshall’s shows while Marshall was on tour. Stella invited herself along before cornering Portia to see how Portia was doing. Portia admitted she was stressed waiting to find out if Heather Webber would walk free.

Josslyn and Dex sat down at a table in the corner to enjoy some alone time together. Josslyn lamented that they hadn’t been out in ages because of their busy lives, but she was happy they had found time for a date. The subject turned to Sonny. Dex noted how so many coincidences had happened in the John Cates murder case, including the gun showing up and Sonny having a convenient alibi.

Trina told Gio she wanted him to meet Marshall, as they were both musicians. Gio didn’t think he was anywhere in Marshall’s league, but Trina insisted that Gio and her grandfather had to meet. When Trina told Marshall she would miss him, Marshall made a point of informing Gio that Trina could sing.

T.J. noticed that Molly was lost in thought. Molly tried to take her mind off her troubles but was clearly worried about Sam. T.J. asked if Molly wanted to go see Sam, but Molly didn’t think her sister would want to see her, considering the argument she’d had with Kristina earlier in the day.

When Marshall sat down with the T.J. and Molly, he encouraged them to try to have a family again when they were ready. Stella noticed when Molly pulled her hand away from T.J.’s. Molly walked over to the bar, so T.J. joined her. The tension between them could be cut with a knife.

Later, Molly sat alone at the bar when Stella approached with advice. She said she saw Molly and T.J. going through the motions, but she warned Molly that she and T.J. were building a wall between them. Stella warned Molly that she and T.J. needed to listen to each other if their relationship was to survive.

Molly walked over to T.J. to give him a hug. As she and T.J. embraced, Molly spotted Ric walking in and called him over. He made his excuses so he could find Curtis and Portia. When Ric got Curtis and Portia alone, Portia knew what Ric wanted to talk about. So, she took it upon herself to make an announcement. “Hey, listen up, everybody. We have some news about Heather Webber,” Portia said.

Ric found himself the center of attention and told everyone the news. “As of tomorrow, Heather Webber is a free woman,” Ric said, devastating Trina.

Back at the restaurant, Ava invited Nina to keep her company after Ric left, so the two friends caught up over drinks. Nina deduced that Ava had a crush on Ric and warned Ava against falling for Ric.

“Ava, don’t forget that Ric cares about Ric. As long as your well-being aligns with his love of money, then you’re golden,” Nina said. She reminded Ava that Ric had married Nina for her money when she had been in a vulnerable state. Ava noted that people could change. “Ric Lansing is not relationship material,” Nina still insisted.

Sonny was surprised when Dante stopped by his office to tell them that Sam would be Lulu’s donor. Dante was feeling good about Lulu’s chances and thought that he and Sam would grow closer once the surgery was over. Sonny complimented Dante on how he and Sam handled their blended family, but Dante gave all the credit to Sam.

Dante admitted he worried that Lulu wouldn’t make it through the surgery. Sonny offered to go to the hospital with Dante for moral support, but Dante said Sonny didn’t have to. Dante also stressed that he loved Sam more than he ever thought possible.

Before Ric found her, Elizabeth helped get Sam settled in at the hospital. After Elizabeth left, Felicia visited in her capacity as a patient advocate. Sam assured Felicia that she was fine, and Lucas would go over everything with her. Maxie and Spinelli soon burst in with balloons.

Spinelli and Maxie thanked Sam profusely for what she was doing. “We all know organ donation is a beautiful thing, and so are you,” Maxie said. Sam said she just needed one favor—for Maxie to run interference if Molly and Kristina stopped by to visit. Sam’s visitors left when Lucas arrived. Sam was alarmed to hear that Lucas would not be performing her surgery.

Lucas explained that it was against hospital policy to have doctors operate on family members, but that didn’t make Sam feel more secure. She insisted she wanted Lucas to perform her surgery, and she was willing to sign a waiver to make it happen.

After Lucas left, Dante arrived. Dante and Sam shared a few tender moments as Dante made sure Sam was comfortable. “I wish I could find the words to tell you how grateful I am that you’re doing this,” a choked-up Dante said.

In the hospital halls, Maxie confided her feelings to Spinelli. It felt strange to her that Sam would be the one to save Lulu when, if Lulu were not in a coma, she and Dante would have been together for the past four years. Maxie finally told Spinelli that Lulu had been ready to tell Dante that she still loved him before falling into her long coma.

Jordan was pleased to run into Isaiah at Bobbie’s. She sat down with him for a few minutes to discuss Lulu’s surgery. Jordan thought that Isaiah had never wanted to perform transplant surgery again, but Isaiah insisted he hadn’t been able to say no to Lucky. As they spoke, Isaiah was surprised to hear that Jordan was a transplant survivor after receiving a new kidney a few years earlier.

Anna was glad when Holly walked into her office. Anna wanted to talk about what she had learned about Sidwell, but Holly didn’t let her get that far. Instead, she immediately blurted out that she and Robert had a daughter. “What did you say?” was all Anna could manage.

Holly quickly reminded Anna that Anna had also kept a daughter from Robert, “so you are in no position to throw stones.” Anna quickly countered with her own reminder that Robin had been five when Robert had learned she existed, not an adult.

Anna could barely catch her breath when Holly said that Sasha was her daughter. “This is low, even for you,” Anna said. It suddenly hit Anna that Sasha was dating Cody Bell. Holly admitted that was the only reason she had told Sasha about her paternity.

Holly cried that she wasn’t sure what to do. Anna was blunt with her answer. “Leave. If you’ve ever loved Robert, you should leave town and maybe never come back…the best way to help the situation is if you go,” Anna said. A tear-filled Holly ran out of Anna’s office. Once alone, Anna was alarmed to get an alert from Interpol showing her pics of Sidwell at the Miami airport.

As for Holly, she arrived at Sonny’s office with a business proposition. As she placed her purse on his desk, Sonny was intrigued.

Next on General Hospital

• Curtis and Portia are furious
• Ric explains himself to Molly
• Anna begs Holly to stop lying
• Sonny has trepidations