Episode 53, originally published 20-Jul-97

Cross Purposes

Nick is reading a book on the living room couch. The camera zooms in on the book--perhaps to show us the title is "Advanced Business", or perhaps just to prove to us that Nick is holding the book right side up. Mercifully, we are spared from this difficult decision as the phone rings. Nick picks it up. "Hello?" "Nick, this is Jack Abbott! I wondered if you could do me a little favor..." "Sure, Jack. What is it?" "Well, it's really a favor for Newman Enterprises." "Jack, you know I--" "Now, wait, I know you don't want to be working for your dad, but I can assure you this is NOT that. In fact, it's just the opposite. Something is brewing in Copenhagen and your dad's already sending someone to deal with it." "So what do you need me for?" "Well, like you, I don't always see eye to eye with your dad businesswise, and I was hoping you'd agree to head over there `under cover' just to make sure things are cool." "Oh, neat. You mean like--latex mask, fake passport, and all that?" "Well, maybe not quite that elaborate. Just be yourself and tell 'em you're there on vacation. Scout around and report back to me--only to me, ok?" "Ok, I will. Thanks, Jack. I really appreciate the trust you've shown in me." "Don't mention it, sport. I'm sure you'll do great."

Sharon enters the living room just as Nick hangs up. "Honey? Who was that on the phone?" "Uh, ... that was Jack. He needs me to ... run some errands for him." Nick scurries up the stairs and Sharon follows him, talking to him as he throws a suitcase together. "Nick, you're packing," she observes. "Well, the errands are in Copenhagen. I'll be back in a few days." "But Nick, what about the heavy workload you're taking at school. Are you sure you can--" "Piece of cake. I'll just take my laptop and I can work on my homework during the meeti--uh,--while I'm doing stuff there." Sharon adopts a demure, wifely pose and says "Nick Newman, you are such an amazing person. Noah and I will miss you." "Well, kiss the little guy for me, ok?" he says, kissing her. "I gotta run." He rushes out.

Phyllis is at her house when the phone rings. Joanie answers, "Romalotti residence... Yes, she's here." Joanie hands the phone to Phyllis, adding "It's somebody named Brian...?" Phyllis is immediately in a panic, waving Joanie out of the room. She says into the receiver: "Brian? Why are you calling me? I told you we were through-- Emergency? How can ex-friends have an emergency?" We cut to Brian far away, who says, "Phyllis, I have to ask you: when we--well, did we use protection? I'm afraid I was too out-of-it to remember." Cut back to Phyllis, who replies: "We didn't have to, honey--I was already pregnant by my husband Danny at the time. So we did it in the raw, if you know what I mean. And it was GREAT. It's just SUCH A PITY you don't remember it," she says, laying it on thick. Then she adds, "Now, is there anything else? I haven't got all day..." Brian has a grave look on his face. "Yes, there is, Phyllis. I'd hoped I wouldn't have to tell you, but... I found out today I have AIDS... and so if we didn't use protection, you've been exposed. You must go to the doctor, and you MUST tell your husband." Phyllis grimaces. "Look, I only want to say this once: I'll get checked, but I'm really SURE I'm fine. Trust me. I'm fine. Now I've got to go. And I don't want you calling any more. Have a nice life...uh, such as it is. Bye."

It's the evening. Nick boards the overnight flight to Copenhagen. Grace, presumably the official representative of Newman Enterprises to the Copenhagen affair, has already boarded. She sees him coming down the aisle and hides underneath a blanket hoping he won't notice her. When he sits in the seat next to her, she says nothing and remains silent beneath the blanket.

Joanie, hearing the slam of the phone, comes back into the room. "Is everything all right, Mrs. Romalotti?" "No, it's not all right. Brian's been diagnosed with AIDS." "That's too bad. But you haven't been cheating, have you, Mrs. Romalotti?" "Nooo, Joanie, I have NOT been cheating! ... But I did kind of let Brian think I was." "Huh?" "It's a little complicated--anyway, he thinks he made love to me and that I've been exposed, so now he's all worried for my safety. But there's nothing to worry about. Still, I can't explain that to him or he'll know something is up. Ohh--why can't you just wad up a guy like kleenex and throw him away when he gets old and stale?"

Sharon paces the living room. "Oh, Nick, why'd you have to go away tonight. I don't feel so well. I think I have the flu." She goes to the phone and calls Grace's. Tony answers. "Hello?" "This is Sharon Newman. Is Grace there?" "Nope. She's away at a business meeting." "For Crimson Lights?" "No, for that new job you got her at Newman Enterprises. Can I help you?" "No, that's ok, Tony--I was just going to ask her to come by--I'm feeling delirious from the flu, and I thought maybe she could look after Noah." "Oh, it's no problem. I could do it. I have to look after Cassie anyway--I'll grab some extra donuts and pizza and be right over." "Oh, Tony. That's so sweet. Thank you! I'll probably just be asleep in the nursery. Stop by the main house and Miguel can give you a key." "I'm on my way, Sharon."

Danny is at his rehearsal hall, looking over some material when the phone rings next to him. "Danny Romalotti," he says, only half paying attention. "Hi, Danny. You don't know me, but I have a very important message for you." "Who is this?" "Hello? Are you listening to what I'm saying? You don't know me. But I know your wife--we had a little fling, recently, and--" "Listen, I don't know who you are, but--" "That's right Danny, I just explained that you wouldn't. But the point is, I just found out I have AIDS and ... well, you should be checked, too. That's all I have to say. Just get checked. Please." The line goes dead and Danny hangs up. "AIDS? That's ridiculous. Phyllis would never--" He punches out a number on the phone. "Lab," a voice at the other end of the phone. "This is Danny Romalotti. I had a DNA test recently there--I was wondering, can I get an AIDS test done on that same sample?" "You don't have to, Danny. We did that test as a matter of course. We've been trying to reach you about the results." "The results? What are they?" "Well, we really don't like to talk about this over the phone." "But you'd tell me over the phone if the test was negative right?" Danny asks, implying that the answer is obvious. "Um, I'm afraid we would, Danny, yes..."

The plane is in flight and Nick wiggles in his seat. He mutters "I wish Sharon was here." Then he notices the blond locks of the woman seated next to him. "Sharon?" he asks quietly. No answer. He mutters to himself, "She DID know I was on this flight..." Another pause. "But what about Noah?" he wonders. "Miguel would have taken care of him... or Grace. Grace really likes hanging out in that nursery," he rationalizes. Satisfied with this explanation, Nick snuggles up to the female form and starts pawing her, muttering "Oh, Sharon, Sharon..."

Danny comes roaring into his house. "Phyllis!" Phyllis comes running out. "Danny, hi, you're home early!" "Phyllis, I just got a phone call I don't want to believe." "Then don't believe it," Phyllis says amiably. "It was from a guy--someone who says he had a fling with you. He said I should get checked for AIDS. So I did get checked..." "And the results were positive?" Phyllis says, flinching. "They were. You knew about this?" "Well, sort of, but Danny, it's not something you need to worry about. I can explain." "Explain? EXPLAIN?? Phyllis, I have a fatal disease and it's your fault. And if it wasn't for this guy--" "Brian." "Ok, if it wasn't for this guy Brian, I wouldn't even know." Phyllis looks to be at a loss. "Well, Danny, the thing is, you don't have AIDS, Brian does." "No, Brian had it. But he had a fling with you, and so you have it, and now I have it." "No, I didn't have a fling with Brian." "You didn't have a fling with Brian?" "No, I didn't. Danny, I don't know how to tell you this, but--well, Little Daniel really isn't your son." "He's not my son?" "No, he's Brian's." "But you said you didn't have a fling with Brian." "I didn't." "Phyllis, I don't get it. First you want me to believe Little Daniel is my son, now you want me to believe he's not. Which is it? Oh, never mind. I just don't care any more. Good bye, Phyllis!" He storms out.

Back at the Newman Ranch, Tony enters Sharon and Nick's house with Cassie. He puts his finger to his mouth and makes a "shhhh" sound to the young girl. Cassie puts her finger to her mouth but makes no sound--she just nods understandingly. They tiptoe upstairs, where Tony fixes her up to sleep in the guest room. "There's a glass of water here by the bed, and a donut and a slice of cold pizza. If you need anything more, just holler, ok?" Tony says. "Ok," Cassie says. "But I don't want to be any trouble." Tony smiles and leaves the child as he tiptoes back downstairs. In the nursery, Sharon is tossing and turning in bed. Tony enters and she sees him. "Nick??" "It's Tony, Sharon." "Nick, you brought me flowers." "Hey, you're pretty out of it, aren't you Sharon?" No response. "If I told you things, I wonder if you'd remember..." "Nick, it's late, come to bed," Sharon mutters. "We'll talk about it in the morning." "What about Cassie?" Tony asks, still probing her sense of reality. "Cassie?" "Your daughter," he says. "Yes, Cassie is my daughter!" she says, smiling. Then she adds, "She's beautiful isn't she?" Tony smiles, happy that Sharon has taken the bait. "Oh, she's a doll. But she's upstairs asleep. And you should be sleeping now, too. You can check on your daughter again in the morning, ok?" Sharon doesn't answer. But after a long pause, she says, "Oh, Nick, just let's do it one more time before--" Tony shows unexpected resolve. "No more times, Sharon. Time for you to sleep," Tony says. Then he checks in on the baby and, satisfied that all is well, curls up on the floor to sleep.

The stewardess taps Nick on the shoulder. "Miss Turner, Mr. Newman. I'm afraid you'll have to separate for landing." Nick looks up, confused. "Grace?" "Hi, Nick," Grace says. "You tricked me again!" "I? Tricked you? Nick, you hadn't even had anything to drink. You couldn't have been fooled." "But the hair... you should have said something." "With all these people around? Nick, I wasn't going to make a scene. Besides, you DID say it seemed better than usual..." "I thought it was just because we were on a plane, ok?" "Sure, Nick. Sure. Your secret is safe with me. And I thought it was sooo sweet when you asked if you could call me 'Grace'..." Nick blushes and sputters. "Well, that's your name." "But it WASN'T me you thought you were with, was it? It was just me you were wishing for. Nick, you were fantasi--" Nick stops her. "That's enough, Grace. I just don't understand how I get myself into these messes. What are you even doing here, anyway?" "I'm just on my way to Copenhagen for a meeting... that new job I got with Newman Enterprises, remember? And what about you?" "Me? I'm--um-- just on vacation--you know, to do some shopping." "You know, Nick," Grace says, "given how bad a liar you are, it's a wonder Sharon hasn't figured out about us." "Us? US? Grace, there is no `us'! It's just all a bad dream, ok?" "Two bad dreams, you mean. Don't forget the other night. You're not very good at counting either, I guess." "Ok, two bad dreams."

* * *

It's the next evening and Nick returns home. Grace tags along. "Nick! You're back." Sharon says as the pair enters. "I didn't expect you for days." "Well, the meeting got cancelled, so Grace and I hopped the next Concorde back to Genoa city." "Meeting? I thought you went to do some errands..." Sharon says, puzzled. "Oh, right--Grace's meeting, I mean. Yeah, she was just coincidentally on the same plane." "Oh, so you got to sit together?" Nick looks guiltily at Grace. "Uh, yeah," he says. "Well, that's great!" Sharon says. "How was the flight?" "We had a bit of turbulence--" Grace starts to say. "But--there was nothing we couldn't handle," Nick says. "Well, that's great... Anyway, I was just making dinner--honey, do you want to help me in the kitchen?" Sharon asks. Nick nods "ok" and follows her out.

In the living room of the Romalotti apartment, Phyllis is pacing wondering what to do. Suddenly, the door opens. "Danny!" Phyllis says hopefully. "Hello, Phyllis," Danny says ambiguously. "I came to apologize," he says. "Apologize?" "I went and had some more tests done. No sign of AIDS. So you must have switched my blood sample with Brian's, is that right?" She nods cautiously. "It's true, Danny. I wanted to tell you, but--you're not mad?" "They also told me I was sterile--you knew that, too, didn't you?" Phyllis is surprised but doesn't let on. "Yes, I knew. You couldn't have any children. And--and I wanted to give you a child--so much, Danny. And THAT'S why I did all of this." "And Sasha?" "Well, she--she knew I'd faked Little Daniel's paternity, BUT NOT WHY... oh, Danny, that was why I said what she had to say about me was all lies. Half-truths, really." "And Chris and Paul?" he asks. "Well, they found out what Sasha knew. That damned bug just couldn't let it go..." Phyllis says, now playing the newly concocted story for all it's worth.

In the kitchen, Sharon hands Nick a cutting knife and motions for him to slice up some vegetables. "Honey," she says tentatively. "I had a strange dream last night..." "You did?" Nick asks guiltily. "Well, at least I think it was a dream. It seemed so real in some ways... I was really out of it--I had the flu, did I mention? But I'm better now.--Anyway, I was laying in bed in the nursery when Tony walked in and saw me there and--" Nick, thinking this story of flu and nurseries sounds all too familiar and probably completely contrived. He bursts out, "You know, don't you?!" "Know what?" "I can see where this is going--you found out somehow, and now you're pretending you learned it in a dream." "Nicholas, I don't know WHAT you're babbling about, but you're right, it did seem like a big revelation because next thing I knew, I ran upstairs to see if my little girl was ok and--" "Little GIRL?" Nick asks.

"Well, I'm sorry, Phyllis. I really misjudged you," Danny says. He goes on: "You are a wonderful, caring woman. I should never have--" He is interrupted as Michael Baldwin comes strolling out wearing nothing but bikini-brief underwear. Michael says: "Phyllis, I--" Phyllis instantly panics and tries to stop Michael from saying anything to link the two of them. "Michael--uh,-- this is my HUSBAND, Danny Romalotti." Danny scowls at Michael. "We've met." "Michael is--uh,--staying over with Joanie. Did you need something Michael?" "Yes," Michael says, picking up on the problem. "I was just--uh,--looking for a glass of orange juice. But I'll ask Joanie--she'll probably know. Sorry to intrude." He walks back down the hall. "Do you know who that man is? You can't have him here." Danny asks. "Some friend of Joanie's, I guess," Phyllis lies. "Well, he and Chris don't get along at all--he almost raped her some years back." "What remarkably bad taste," Phyllis says almost inaudibly under her breath. "I hope he's reformed since then," she says a bit louder. "Well, we'll have to tell Joanie he's not welcome in this house." "Danny, I'm not going to tell her any such thing--besides, Cricket's over here all too often anyway. It might be good for her to have a reason to steer clear. That is, unless you're saying it's open season on having our ex-lovers stop by again." Danny sighs. "Touche'. Truce?" "Truce," Phyllis says. "Now come on, let's see what I can make you for dinner..."

Grace walks in as Sharon tells Nick about the dream, but Sharon continues talking without noticing her. "Yes, Nicholas, Cassie was my little girl--the one I gave up for adoption!" "He told you!" Grace says. "No, I didn't," says Nick to Grace. "No, no one told me--I just knew--I looked into her eyes and I could tell Cassie was the one." "Oh, and I suppose now you'll want to keep her," Grace says, almost irked at Sharon. "Keep who?" Nick asks. "Cassie," says Grace. "Sharon I'd wanted to tell you for so long that she was yours but I couldn't find a way..." "Grace, I was talking about a dream--but are you saying Cassie really is mine? That you've been keeping my little girl from me all this time?" Grace nods meekly. Nick stares at Grace, then at Sharon. "Another child? Sharon, you can't. I'm--i'm not ready for another one. You can't do this to me!" He rushes from the room, with Sharon trailing behind yelling, "Nicholas! Wait!"

Sharon sits down and starts to cry. Grace sits next to her. "Oh, Grace, what am I going to do? Nicholas didn't want any children--it took him forever to accept Noah--how am I ever going to be able to get him to see reason?" Grace pats her on the back. "There, there, Share. It's ok. I've got it all worked out." "You do?" Sharon says hopefully. "Sure, that's what best friends are for isn't it? I knew when I came back and saw you still had Noah that you were going to have trouble getting Nick to accept a new child--an unplanned child--a child that wasn't his." "Exactly," says Sharon. "He's never going to understand." "Oh, sure he will, Sharon. You just have to show him it's something that could happen to anyone." "It is? I do? Grace, I'm not understanding you," Sharon says somewhat muddled. "All you have to do is tell him about the new child he's going to be having, the unplanned child, the one that's not yours... Sharon, I'm pregnant by Nick. And you just have to tell him that if YOU can accept that indiscretion of his, that HE'D better accept your past indiscretions as well." "Oh, Grace!" Sharon cries. "You're really pregnant with his child?" Grace nods hesitantly. "Grace, you're such a good friend... you think of everything!" The two hug and cry happily.

That's all for this episode. Hope you learned something. Don't miss Episode 54!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.

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