Drs. Rick Webber and Monica Bard are fictional characters and a formerly engaged and adulterous couple from the original ABC Daytime soap opera, General Hospital.
Rick was portrayed by Chris Robinson and Monica is portrayed by Leslie Charleson.
Prior to 1976, the couple were engaged but it was eventually broken. They then carried on an adulterous affair from 1977-78 and again from 1979-80. Rick passed away in 2002.
Monica's late son A.J. Quartermaine was thought to be fathered by Rick for the first year of his life.
Storylines[]
Just prior to her arrival in Port Charles, Dr. Monica Bard had been engaged to Dr. Richard "Rick" Webber. However, he had broken up with her and flew off to Africa where he became caught up in a civil war and was presumed dead. Monica turned to Dr. Jeff Webber, Rick's brother, for comfort and married him, not knowing that Rick was still alive. Their marriage collapsed when Rick was revealed to be still alive and Monica cheated on Jeff with him.
Throughout this time, Rick had grown close to Dr. Lesley Sullivan and planned to marry her. Monica was devastated, and tried to put a stop to it, blackmailing Lesley into turning down Rick's proposal. If Lesley didn't, Monica would tell the hospital board of Monica's affair with Rick, denying him the opportunity to become Chief of Cardiology at General Hospital. During the argument, a pregnant Lesley fell down the stairs and miscarried. Lesley was despondent, and called off her engagement to Rick, hoping to save Rick's career. Meanwhile, Monica and Rick talk about how important the promotion is to Rick, and Monica realizes she cannot go through with her threat, but doesn't tell Lesley as much. Monica's found out when Lesley's daughter Laura Webber's tape recorder is found to have caught Monica's threats to Lesley. Lesley and Rick are married in October 1977.
Rick and Monica's relationship becomes embittered, and Monica nearly loses her job, though Lesley sets aside her personal feelings and vouches for Monica's talents as a physician to Dr. Steve Hardy, saving her job. Monica claims to be moving on, but she and Rick are forced to work together with Dr. Alan Quartermaine on plans for a new wing at the hospital. Monica makes a last ditch effort to bed Rick while trapped in a remote ranger station overnight during a storm while working on the project, but is turned down. While Monica continues to antagonize Lesley and Rick, she soon begins a relationship with Alan, though she's still very much attracted to Rick.
Within a year of her second marriage in 1978, Monica once again fell into Rick's arms and the two had a one-night stand. Monica became pregnant and didn't know who the father was. Monica gave birth to a son, Alan "A.J." James Quartermaine, Jr. Monica believed that Rick was the father.
After Lesley confronted Rick he left town to think about his feelings for both Lesley and Monica. He came back when little A.J. developed a heart problem and divorced Lesley so he and Monica could be together. It was discovered that Alan was the father. A devastated Rick went back to Lesley.
Rick and Ginny Blake married in August 1984, and left town on November 26, 1986 for New York City, as he had accepted a job at New York General Hospital.
In 2002, Rick returned to town to be part of his adoptive daughter Laura's upcoming wedding to Luke Spencer. Alan was livid to see his wife in several animated conversations with Rick and even more upset to see them dancing together at Luke's Blues Club during a party for the hospital. He warned Rick to keep his hands off his wife, and Monica reveled in Alan's attention. Alan and Monica later reconciled after Rick was killed during that visit.
