Season 8

Episode 821: “Forever Young”

Episode 821: “Forever Young”
Original Air Date: May 11, 2002
Written by: R.J. Colleary
Directed by: Victor Lobl
Produced by:

Martha Williamson
Jon Andersen
R.J. Visciglia, Jr.

Guest Cast:

 

Don

Gregory Harrison

Stacey

Donna Bullock

Kimmie

Bethany Richards

Justin

Myles Jeffrey

Blake

Mike Erwin

Rocco

Dayton Callie

 

One year ago the Costellos were a happy family. Now, Don is losing his touch at work, his wife Stacey is wandering the park at all hours of the day, and their son Justin has been suspended from school pending therapy. The root of the problem is the murder of Kimmie, their daughter and Justin’s sister.

Stacey shows up at one of Don’s motivational speeches so they can drop Justin off at the office of his new therapist, Gloria. Don agrees and apologizes to Monica, the company evaluator, saying that he will meet with her later at his home office. At the therapy session, Gloria tries to discover the reason for Justin’s fights at school, but he refuses to answer her questions.

Later on, Monica tells Don of the negative feedback that he’s been getting from his audiences. It seems that no one appreciates the mention of his dead daughter, it makes them feel manipulated. Before he can respond, Justin enters, telling him that Stacey never came to get him at the therapist’s. Monica offers to continue the next day, and sees herself out.

In the park, Stacey sits on the swings, reliving memories of times spent there with Kimmie. She is so engrossed, that hours slip by without her noticing. While  Monica and Gloria ponder their assignments, Tess begins tracking down a number of people to help the Costellos come to grips with Kimmie’s death.

The following day, Monica returns to apologize to Don about her previous comments. She tells him that she only wants to help and that she thinks he’s letting Kimmie’s death overrun his life. During a second therapy session Gloria finally gets Justin to talk. He admits that Kimmie is dead because of him. She takes him home to talk to his parents, and Justin tearfully admits that he told Kimmie’s ex-boyfriend where she was the day that he killed her. Don assures him that it’s not his fault, that Blake was sick and that he would have found her anyway. Stacey loses touch with reality, says that Kimmie is fine, and leaves to go find her.

At the park, Andrew confronts her with the truth.  He then brings her to Robintino’s, the Italian restaurant the family went to regularly when Kimmie was alive.  Inside they are having a private party, which she is told is for her.  Justin and Don are already there with their angels.  And so are a number of other people that none of them recognize.  These are the people that Tess found, the people who’s lives Kimmie touched.  They stand up one by one and tell how their lives, or the lives of someone they love were saved by Kimmie. Kimmie was an organ donor, and her memory lives on in the hearts of everyone present.

 

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