Wilson West tells Eric that Billy is his son, unplanned but not unwanted, whose teenage mother died giving birth to the angel, which his parents help him raise. Dating privileges are maintained 'for observation'. Michael Towner bravely owes up being the one who accidentally hit Mary when she dashed after Annie, who realizes she's the guilty one but only tells off Matt's overprotective vindictiveness. Sign language in a deaf-run restaurant helps Matt patch up with Heather. Jimmy Moon dumps Lucy on account of her endless hair wining. Charles Jackson nearly lost hope Annie would turn round and Ginger imposed 'a break', but both women come to their senses after some surprising 'counseling' and fibs. Mary is released home, but recovery up to basketball level is far from certain.

Terminally-ill preteen Steve's overprotective parents keep him constantly in hospital under permanent supervision, and despite Eric's objections, Matt takes a job spending time with him and gives their 'wiser elders' a courageous demonstration in true altruism. Meanwhile,Simon sells cards to save up for his favorite comic-book action figure, and subcontracting to Ruthie yields remarkable results; and bakery-company chief David Friel wants to commercialize Annie's family muffin recipe, and the girls push her to accept as feminist self-evidence, only to share in the bitter experience of self-inflicted job-household overload.

After a failed table-spread trick before the arrival of his new magic kit, the 'Great Simoni' can't convince Ruthie to act as his assistant because she'd rather wear the cape even without aspiring to become a magician; Lucy's grades slip as she starts hanging out with 'the laid-back crowd'; Eric's church is in the running for weekly local TV broadcasts if next Sunday's liturgy goes well, and he obsesses over writing the perfect sermon; Mary considers quitting basketball when Coach Koper is focused on a new star player; while Annie spends a long day running errands, Matt bows out of keeping order at home. After Ruthie answers a phone call from the Colonel and tells him what's going on, he turns up unexpectedly to 'assume domestic command.'

Little Sarah James is found wandering on the streets. Warmly welcoming Simon wins her confidence while Eric and a cop friend search and find her pa, Joe, an unrepentant lush and decide a more stable educator is required. Matt meanwhile tiptoes, realizing ma makes a last ditch stand to talk him out of 'moving out' to a Tennessee college, and rudely intruding pest Ruthie first diverts, then scares off his older date Mollie.

All Eric's planning and fussing proves pretty pointless, with the whole family pacing and worrying in hospital, while Annie is in labor and the animals are left unattended at home. Matt painstakingly works up the courage to donate blood, a phobia. Meanwhile Lucy breaks up with Jordan.

Simon lets school friends convince him he should kindly handle a crazy girl who signed his first name all over a notebook but keeps sending mixed or rather contradictory signals. When his roommate gets a cool job, Matt is fed up with his menial one in the cafeteria. Kid patient Adam's attempts to help seem to backfire. The Camdens really need a new car, but when Eric is seen test-driving a sports-car and Lou sees furnishings arrive for the extra bathroom Annie helps the girls install for their 'attick suite', the board votes against his annually scheduled raise.

Simon sees no harm in accepting a 'non-date' with Diane until his girl Deena and her pa see them in the pool-hall. Lucy's joy to get her drivers license is spoiled by the silly picture. Cute, car-less Andrew Nayloss's proposal to pick him up for a movie cheers her up, but he expects the whole courteous, generous treatment girlfriends usually expect, plus a grilling from his dad. An apparently stray kitten seems to choose Ruthie to provide a home, but after lots of hiding the truth catches up. Matt tags along when Eric comes to hospital and takes Hank to dinner to discuss why pregnant Julie is with Annie, jealous about the gynecologist's female patients, including a supermodel. Thus they are out of reach when contractions start weeks early.

Matt is terrified when summoned stat for a psychological session, standard for med students. After an unsatisfactory attempt to be 'coached' by therapy-experienced Mike, Matt lands with Doc, who turns out to be fraud and yet a godsend. Simon wants to break up with older, yet immature Sasha, but lets various advice how to go easy on her complicate things for him. Eric confronts a rather blunt hospital doctor about what to tell terminal patients like Harold Mann about their life expectancy and why.