Episode 23, originally published 14-Feb-97

Arrivals and Departures

Nicholas is in the hospital room where Sharon's baby is being delivered. He paces back and forth. Joshua is holding Sharon's hand and acting as her Lamaze coach. There is a lot of huffing and puffing and Joshua telling Sharon to "breathe, breathe, breathe,..." "Shouldn't I be doing some of that? It doesn't sound so hard to say `breathe' a bunch of times," Nick complains. "Sorry, Nick. You didn't take the classes," Joshua explains. "But it looks like it won't be much longer..." "Here it comes!" says the Doctor, causing another frenzy of activity. "Look Nicholas, here's your baby boy!" Nick looks impatiently at his watch. "Uh, could we get that wrapped to go?" he asks. "I said we'd be out of here the instant you had the baby, and that's done with, so..." Sharon whispers something to Dr. Landers and he nods. A moment later, Dr. Landers injects Nick with something. "What the--?" Nick asks. "Just a little something to calm Sharon down," Joshua explains. "But you injected ME!" Nick protests before collapsing unconscious into the chair behind him. "Exactly," Joshua says. "Thanks, doc," Sharon says, winking. "I feel much calmer now."

The phone rings at the ranch and Nikki answers. A voice says, "Nikki? It's Mitchell Sherman here." "Well, hello, Mitchell. I suppose this isn't a social call, though, is it?" "No, Nikki, I'm afraid not. I'm told that Victor has been taken to Genoa City Memorial and--" "Oh my god! Is he ok?" she asks, petrified. "He's able to talk, and he's asked to see you. Can you--" but there is a clunking sound on the other end of the line as Nikki drops the phone and leaves it hanging without hanging up. "Miguel!" she cries. Miguel rushes hurriedly out. "Yes, Mrs. Landers?" "Miguel, get the car and bring it around front." "Right away, Mrs. Landers," he says and hurries off. She heads for a nearby bathroom--"Oh," she frets, "No time to do my hair--I'll have to just throw on a wig." She enters the bathroom and returns moments later with new hair. Rushing toward the door, she stops only to grab a fresh daisy out of a flower pot in the front hall.

"Nicholas, can you hear me?" Sharon's voice calls to him from the hospital bed adjacent to the one where he is resting. He comes to and looks around. "How did I get here?" "You were being overactive in the delivery room, so we had you sedated. Worked pretty well, too. I'm going to see if I can get refills." Her point eludes him, so he turns to other matters. "The baby?" he asks. "Little Nicholas?" she asks, as if there might be some confusion. "He's right here." Nick looks over and sees that the child is in her arms.

An orderly pokes his head in the door and asks, "Nick Newman?" "That's me," Nick says. "Your father is calling for you." "Tell him I'm done talking to him and to stop calling me," Nick says. "No, not calling you--calling for you," the orderly says. "He's checked into the hospital one floor up." Nick pauses, uncertain of what to do. Sharon looks at Nick, painfully aware that he is actually still contemplating ignoring his father. "Nick! He must be sick! Go to him. Now!" Nick sighs. "Oh, all right." Nick climbs down from his bed and leans over his wife to kiss her and the child. "Cute kid," Nick says. "He gets it from his father," Sharon says humbly. "Yeah, right," Nick says. "Well, I'll be back in a few minutes after I go see what this thing with Dad is about."

Victor's room. Nikki is there, sobbing. Ashley, Hope, Victoria, and even Jill and Mitchell Sherman are also present. A heart monitor beeps weakly and somewhat erratically in the background. Nick enters and sees his father, then asks tentatively, "Is he....?" Victor opens his eyes and says quietly, "No, my boy, I am not dead. Not yet. But I have something I wanted to say to you." "Sure, Dad, what is it." Nick says, trying to leave his hostilities aside for the moment. "I have come to the conclusion ... I have decided ... it is time that I step down at Newman Enterprises, and transfer full control of it to my son." "Hey! What about me?" Victoria says, suddenly huffy. Victor looks at her for a moment, "I'm sorry, my pretty, but you haven't been to college like your brother." "Well, I don't have to put up with this! I'm out of here," Victoria grumbles as she rushes out. Nikki rushes after her, yelling, "Victoria! Victoria!" but to no avail. She is gone, and Nikki returns to the room to be at Victor's side.

"My boy, I am sorry you have failed to understand how much I feel for you, and this is the only way I could think to show you. Left to myself, I might have waited longer, but circumstances make this the time. Mitchell has all the papers for you to sign. Newman Enterprises will be yours, and yours alone. If I am still around, it will be only as advisor. The company will be yours." The drama of the event is increased as Victor's eyes close again and there is silence for a moment. Then, suddenly, the heart monitor drops to a level line. Nikki shrieks and starts yelling "Victor! No!" while the other women rush to call for a doctor. Mitchell picks up the phone and punches a few digits then says into it "Code Blue--room 307". "Mitchell!" says Ashley, "This is room 305, not 307!" Mitch hangs up the phone and tries to calm them. "Don't worry, it's under control. What can be done is being done," he says, as emergency technicians converge on the room next door. "Over here," Jill says to one of them. "Sorry, lady, we have an emergency in 307," the technician yells as he keeps going past her.

Finally, Victor's eyes open again and all present give him the familiar "I just saw a ghost" look we haven't seen since Victor's second coming. He laughs heartily. "Well, well, well," he says. "That wasn't something we'd planned but I must say it certainly did liven things up a little, didn't it." Mitchell laughs, too. Hope says, "Will someone please explain what's going on? Is Victor ok or isn't he?" "He appears to be fine," Nikki says, somewhat angry now. Victor says, "I'm sorry my beauties, but I wasn't sure if Nick would come hear me even one more time if I didn't stage this little event at which I yielded up my company." "So you're not--?" Jill asks. "I'm afraid not, Jill," Victor says. Mitchell chimes in, "We borrowed the heart monitor from room 307 and ran an extension cord into here." "We had no idea Mr. Anderson was on the brink of death that way--looks like he didn't make it," Victor explains. "And the company?" Nick asks. "That part was real, Nicholas. It's yours if you'll have it. At any rate, you at least know how much I respect and trust you, my boy. But I'm afraid my death is not part of the package, so you'll have to put up with my offering occasional opinions as your personal advisor." "Thanks, Dad. That means a lot. And I'm sorry I had to put you through all of that. I accept." The two shake hands, and Nadia's Theme plays.

That's all for this episode. Hope you learned something. Don't miss Episode 24!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.

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