David reports to the free clinic to begin his community service and immediately demands attention from a staff member who is on the phone. He is confronted by the clinic doctor, Dr. Anderson, who tells him to be more respectful of the staff. Calling her by the first name on her nametag, Marilyn, David shoots back: "You obviously don't know who I am." Dr. Anderson says she does know who he is and orders him to call her Dr. Anderson. Maggie enters the clinic, looking for David. Dr. Anderson gives David his first duty, sterilizing some instruments. David is appalled he is given such a menial job, saying scrubbing instruments would be a waste of his time. Maggie approaches them and asks to talk to David. Dr. Anderson reluctantly permits it, but says their conversation will not be counted in David's 500 hours of community service. Maggie tells him she is there for moral support. She sees Laurie walk into the clinic with her father, who has a badly cut forehead. Maggie recognizes Laurie. Dr. Anderson takes Laurie's father to another room to fix him u.  David comments how this place is a pit. Maggie advises him to listen to Dr. Anderson, since she is the one who will sign his community service slip every day. A middle-aged woman enters the clinic with her husband, who is grasping at his heart. As they enter, the man collapses. David rushes toward him and tries to help him and notices he is in full cardiac arrest. David begins CPR and asks for Maggie's help. She complies by giving the man mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. They get a pulse and the man revives. The wife thanks David for saving her husband's life. Laurie's dad now has a bandage over his wound. Maggie approaches Laurie and talks to her. Laurie begs her not to tell anyone she was there and Maggie agrees. Laurie confesses that her dad sometimes drinks too much and gets into fights. Dr. Anderson hands Laurie a brochure and tells her to try to get her dad to a meeting. David tells Maggie he should be at the hospital, not here. Maggie tells him he can make a difference here. Dr. Anderson approaches and tells Maggie she could be of use at the clinic. She asks her to volunteer. She tells David again to sterilize the instruments. David says at the hospital instruments are thrown away after they are used. Dr. Anderson says here they are sterilized and reused. David asks if the clinic even has a defibrillator. She says it's on her wish list.

Hayley goes to see Adam. She tells him that she accepted a job to syndicate her show. He is happy for her and realizes it won't be in Pine Valley. He says she can commute from New York. She tells him it's not in New York either. The show will be shot in Los Angeles. She expects him to be angry and tells him she is very sorry, but he is happy for her. He says you don't apologize for success. Hayley confesses she is surprised by his reaction. He tells her about all the strange things that have happened to him and how he and Liza have agreed to give their marriage another go. He says he hopes she is not leaving to escape the insanity. She says she is not. He says he'll be fine as long as he knows she is happy. Hayley expresses concern about how she won't be around for JR, and Mateo will have to leave his family and his business. Adam reassures her.

Mateo is playing with Enzo and Edmund's kids at Wildwind when Edmund enters the room. Maddie tells her father about Mateo's plan to leave. Edmund tells Mateo that he is concerned that his leaving will make it harder to reach Maria. He says he feels like he's losing her and that there is something she's not telling him. He says when he looks at Maria it's not Maria, it is Maureen. He wonders if it will ever get back to the way it used to be. Mateo tells Edmund to give Maria more time. Edmund tells Mateo that Maria had to "think about" whether she was going to spend Christmas with them. He says she shouldn't have to think about being with her kids at Christmas. Mateo says his mother is in Pine Valley, and if he needs him, he'll get on a plane immediately. Mateo leaves to meet his wife at Adam's house. Adam tells Mateo that he realizes he's giving up a lot for Hayley. He tells him he's a good man and that he's proud to have him be his son-in-law. Mateo is surprised, saying "I thought Maria coming back was a miracle."

Maria is tending to Aidan, who has been shot in his side. Aidan orders her to shut the blinds in the room. Maria wants to take him to the emergency ward, but Aidan says if she calls a doctor he'll be killed. Maria asks him what he's talking about. She wants to know who did this to him. She notices Aidan is going into shock. He tells her to get a surgical kit and perform surgery on him. She says she cannot because while she may be a doctor, she doesn't remember anything about it. He is insistent, and she agrees. She prepares to leave for the hospital to get some instruments, grabbing a bag of Christmas presents and a plate of cookies. She goes to the hospital, where a nurse greets her and asks her why she's there on her day off. Maria says she came to bring them some cookies and wanted to give the presents to the children at the hospital. She goes into a hospital room, dumps the presents on the bed and searches through drawers for instruments. Opal walks in on her and asks her what all the presents are for. Maria tells her they are for the children. Opal says that is just the kind of thing Maria would do. She asks Maria to coffee so she can tell her more about the old Maria. Maria says she cannot because she has a headache. Opal notices blood on Maria's shirt, but Maria says it is red paint. They walk out of the room together and when Opal is gone, Maria goes back in. She stuffs some instruments and supplies in her bag and sneaks out of the hospital. She returns to the Pine Cone to find Aidan is unconscious. He wakes up when she approaches him and tells her to let him die. Maria says she won't let him lay there and bleed to death. He says he'll talk her through the surgery. He learned something about this while in the Special Forces. He tells her to clean the wound, and she pours some liquid over it as he grimaces. She apologizes. She then takes an instrument and some sterile gauze and enters the wound. Aidan tries his best to endure the pain.