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Original Airdate: 05/19/97
Wilson arrives at the hospitals and while pretending to be Mary's brother, meets Charles. He offers to go get something for Eric and Annie to eat so they don't have to put up with things out of the vending machine. Annie finally confronts her father about Ginger and about her mother's death. Eric interrupts the argument by telling them Mary is out of surgery and in recovery.
Matt and the kids arrive at the café only to find out that it is a café for the hearing impaired. Even though Eric is at the hospital he still finds a way to trick Matt into confronting his problems. Heather walks in to the café and Matt asks the waiter how to say he is sorry. After bombing big time with Heather, Ruthie comes to his rescue and signs "he loves you" and the two are smiling again.
Charles goes back to the hotel and finds Ginger loading her bags into a cab. She tells him they should take some time off for each other for a month or two - it's for the best. The next day Charles visits Mary and tell her about Ginger. While there he meets Mrs. Bink who tells him a fictitious story about her "daughter" who did the same thing to her and she regrets it to this day. Hearing this, Charles later is escorted to Annie by Ruthie and gives her a hug. She apologizes and Charles tells her point blank that he needs to be happy again. While Annie isn't please, she finally understands her father.
At school, Lucy and Jimmy have a fight about her new hair color which causes them to break up. Meanwhile, Wilson brings Billy by the church to talk to him about his "friend" who had a pregnant girlfriend who died in childbirth. Eventually he tells Eric that Billy isn't his brother, and asks if he can continue to go out with Mary. When Matt gets out of school, he and Heather set up another date when Michael approaches Matt and says he is the one who hit Mary. A fight ensues and is eventually broken up by a teacher but can't get a straight answer about what happened. Later, Michael goes to see Mary at the hospital and apologizes for hitting her, running away, and tormenting her in school. She says he is still a jerk, but she doesn't hate him.
Matt tries to explain to Heather what happened at the school and learns that she can read lips and speak when she wants to. She gives Matt her address back East and says goodbye as Matt watches her go.
Simon goes to Lucy to comfort her about Jimmy and Lucy tells him that Jimmy went out on a date with Ashley and everything is his fault for finding that Cosmo magazine in the first place. He tells her even with her new hair color, she is still the wonderful, wacky Lucy she's always been and how Jimmy is stupid for not going after her when she ran away from him.
Eric picks Mary up from the hospital and learns some bad news from Dr. Wolf. When Mary and he get home, she asks Eric to level with her and tell her the bad news. He tells her that her leg is going to need a long time to heal - and there is no guarantee that she will ever play basketball again. She starts to cry and he comforts her in the car. Deep inside she knows she will recover and show everyone what the Camdens are made of.
The whole family throws a party for Mary in the backyard - even Ginger and Wilson turn up and join in. As hugs and applause go around for Mary's return, she wheels around the basketball court and still sinks baskets from her wheelchair. We fade out on our favorite family as they are laughing and having fun.
Together. Michael goes to see how Mary is doing and drops an unexpected bombshell on her - he is the one who hit her.