The Time General Hospital's Ned Had An Affair With Monica Quartermaine
For "General Hospital" fans, Ned Quartermaine (originated by Kurt McKinney, now portrayed by Wallace Kurth) is a staple figure in Port Charles. There have been some truly memorable storylines including his character, such as Ned's relationship with Lois back in the day and his attempt at becoming a rock star with the alias Eddie Maine. But one of Ned's storylines from his earlier days on the show is one that fans have long forgotten: Ned's explosive affair with Monica Quartermaine (originated by Patsy Rahn, now portrayed by Leslie Charleson).
Monica is one of the characters on "General Hospital" who has been on the show the longest, getting her start in 1976. Over the years, she's had plenty of scandalous storylines to her name, including her affair with Ned. The relationship itself did not garner much scandal (except for the fact that Ned and Monica were related by marriage). However, the situation Ned found himself in after the affair definitely brought the drama; upon arriving in Port Charles, Ned fell in love with Monica's daughter, Dawn Winthrop (Jennifer Guthrie), and decided to hide the affair from her during their relationship.
Ned was caught between mother and daughter in the beginning
Monica (portrayed by Leslie Charleson) and Ned (portrayed by Kurt McKinney) first met out of town in 1988 while Ned (who had been using the fake name Ward) was working at Green Meadow Spa. Monica was a guest at the spa and, unaware that he was her nephew by marriage, the pair carried on an affair for the duration of her time at the spa.
Ned was fired from his job at the spa soon after and decided to make his way to Port Charles. When he arrived, Ned tried to pursue Monica again. That plan didn't work out as well as he had hoped, since Ned's attention strayed from Monica to Dawn upon his arrival in Port Charles. Ned and Dawn fell in love and got engaged; he was so in love with her that he even bought her an island and a house to go with it.
Happy as he was in his relationship with Dawn, Ned didn't reveal the fact that he had carried on an affair with her mother prior to living in Port Charles. But secrets are never actually kept secret for long in the world of soap operas.
Ned and Monica make it out of the affair fairly unscathed
On the morning of Ned and Dawn's wedding day, Dawn overheard her mother and Ned discussing the affair and found out that they had been hiding it from her for the entirety of their relationship. Furious, humiliated, and betrayed, Dawn canceled the wedding and broke up with Ned. The affair between Monica and Ned was revealed to the entire Quartermaine family, who received the news as well as one might expect (read: not well).
The affair and secrets between Monica and Dawn caused a rift in their relationship, and Dawn left town with Decker Moss (Michael Watson) to give her mother some space. They reconciled about a year later and enjoyed a stable, happy relationship until Dawn's death in 1991.
Monica and Ned have both enjoyed many storylines since then, but now they watch each other from afar, content with keeping their side of the street clean (as much as anyone on a soap opera can).