#115 RUNNING SCARED     (Original air date: 02/04/97)
 

Written by:	Michael Glassberg
Directed by:	Burt Brinckerhoff
Produced by:	Martha Williamson, Jon Andersen & R.J. Visciglia, Jr.

Guest Cast:

Allison Rhodes	Thora Birch
Linda Paxton	Lorraine Toussaint
Barbara Manning	Mariangela Pino

Dinah and Hattie get lost in a bad part of town (Wahington State) on the way home from the market and stumble across a teenage girl named Allison sleeping on the streets. They bring Allison back to the trailer to learn that she is a runaway who has been separated from her brother Tommy through the bureaucracies of the local children's services agency. Russell and Claire contact an overworked social worker named Linda Paxton to help reunite Allison with her brother. Russell pays a visit to Tommy's last foster parent, Barbara Manning, who informs him that Tommy is dead. Russell and Claire break the new to Allison. Allison convinces Josh to take her to Barbara Manning to find out how Tommy died. Barbara tells Allison that her brother took his life. She tries to fill in some of the missing pieces but is finally at a loss to explain what led Tommy to take his life. Allison runs off and hitches a ride to the rail overpass where Tommy committed suicide. Nathaniel manages to distract Allison long enough until his family arrives to intervene. Thora Birch gives a memorable performance as the troubled Allison.

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