Episode 96, originally published 02-May-98

Pick Nick

Jack is in Nick's office. "Jack," Nick says, "before you go--I need to ask you something." "What's up?" "Jack, I need some time away..." Jack says, "Of course--to be with your mother--I don't know why I didn't think of it myself." "No, Jack, it's not that--it's Sharon. I need to get away from her for a while." "Away? Nick, are you sure?" Nick cuts him off. "Jack--I'm sure, ok?" "Well, all right, I'll see what I can come up with." Jack turns to leave. "Jack," Nick says. Jack turns to him. "Thanks."

Trisha is trying on a very sexy lace teddy that she's gotten from a catalog store when she hears keys in the door and rushes to open it. "Surprise!" she says. Phillip looks up at her, his eyes wide. Trisha says, "Oh, Phillip. I was expecting Ryan." Phillip starts to turn away, but she pulls on his arm and turns him back around. She leans over and just about spills out of her outfit. "Phillip, wait," she says. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. I'm happy to see you. Please don't go away. I REALLY want us to be friends."

Later, Jack is on the phone to Nick. "Nick, I found just the thing. You remember that guy you went to interview with a while back in Seattle--Mr. Barrington?" Nick looks a little worried. "Yeah?" "Well, polish up your resume, Nick. You're going to apply for a job with him." "Oh, a little undercover work, eh?" Nick asks. "Something like that. Look, I'll fill you in on the details later--for now, grab your bags and Wally will take you to Seattle." "Ok, Jack. You can count on me."

Cassie enters Olivia's with a shoebox containing some kidneys. The box itself is covered with dirt. "I dug them up from our garden," she says helpfully. Olivia looks surprised. "Your garden?" "Uh, huh. We buried Joshua there." "Well, sweetie," Olivia explains, "they haven't been kept at the right temperature and they aren't any good any more." A tear goes down little Cassie's cheek. "I tried to tell them. They just left him there for days and no one was saying anything about him," Cassie explains. "I kept saying didn't he need to be buried or something? And they kept saying, `Don't worry about it. What's important now is Nikki and whether she gets better.' But I didn't see why they couldn't do both. So I eventually buried him in the garden, in shoeboxes. Miguel and Miguel's girlfriend Veronica helped. And then, Miguel and Veronica and Cindy (that's my doll) and me said nice things about him for a while. But when we were burying him, we found his organ donor card... I guess it was just too late... and I shoulda known from the smell. But Miguel said we could grow kidney beans so I thought when Danny lost his kidneys maybe we could grow a whole kidney." Olivia sighs and holds the girl. "That was a very conscientious thing to do, Cassie," she says. "It didn't work this time, but it was good of you to think of it. Now you should go put this back in your garden and maybe some day you will have kidney beans, ok?" Cassie starts to leave with the box and Olivia says, "Oh, and Cassie?" "Yes?" "You seem like a bright little girl, so I'll give you one extra hint, ok?" "Sure!" Cassie says excitedly. "It might not hurt to put some kidney bean seeds in the ground too, if you really want to grow beans. They grow better from seeds." "Ok," Cassie says happily. And she leaves.

The phone rings in Jack's office. It's Nick. He's at a pay phone in a building somewhere; the camera angle is tight not to reveal more information. "Jack, thank God I reached you!" "What's up, Nick?" "Well, that interview with Barrington? It was a setup." "A setup?" "I told them I'd left Dad again and was setting out on my own, and they laughed at me again--AND they called the police." "The police?" "Well, I kinda made a scene the last time I was here. I beat up a few of them. But Jack, I was mad--what else could I do?" Unseen by Nick, Jack shakes his head sadly. "Nick, do you know that if violence were the only option for upset people, you'd be an orphan?" "I'm not following you, Jack," Nick says. "What does my having to beat someone up have to do with my father?" Jack sighs and responds. "What does your business performance have to do with your father?" "I'm a Newman. Newmans always succeed in business. Wait--are you saying that because I'm a Newman, I can always succeed in boxing, too? That's good to know, Jack. Next time I won't back off so easily." Jack is shaking his head but Nick isn't seeing him. He stops and makes an exasperated look. "Look, we'll talk about the violence thing when you're back--for now, I need you to focus on the job I sent you there for. Now, Barrington may just be testing you to see what your allegiances are, so just hang in there for now. If we don't hear from you in another 24 hours, we'll send someone to post bail for you, ok?"

Barrington himself enters the area where Nick is on the phone. As is appropriate to typical Seattle weather, he is dressed in a raincoat and carrying an umbrella. He listens to Nick saying, "But--but--a whole day? that's a long time. Can't you send someone sooner?" Barrington interrupts saying, "Oh, is the rich boy calling home?" "Gotta go," Nick whispers and hangs up. He says "I was just--" "Spare me," Barrington says. "It was obvious you weren't talking to a lawyer--one doesn't plead with a lawyer. One pleads with family. And that's good--because I needed to know you weren't cut completely off from family, so they can pipe you the information you'll be needing if you come to work for us." "But, I thought--" Nick stutters. "Yes, I can see that," says Barrington. "Do less of that. You're not in Genoa City any more. This is Seattle. And in Seattle, who always gets his way?" Nick looks puzzled for a moment and then starts to say "Bill G---" but is cut off by the sound of Barrington snapping his umbrella in half. Barrington says to him, "Nicholas, that is a VERY tired joke around here and not well appreciated. So if you want to keep your job, I will remind you that I, Walter Barrington, am the true ruler here in Seattle. Now do we have an understanding?" Nick shrugs. "Sure, that's cool," he says.

Jack and Diane are in bed asleep when the phone rings. Diane says to Jack, "What time is it?" Jack picks up the phone and says into it, "This better be good." "Jack, it's me," Nicholas says. Jack sits up in bed. "Nick, you're out of jail!" "How did you know?" "Because they only give you one phone call while you're in jail." "Right, but this isn't that phone call." "Which is how I knew you weren't in jail." "Really? Wow. Hey, sometime can you teach me how you figured that out?" "I'd like to, Nicholas, but I'm honestly not sure I can. Anyway, what's up with Barrington?" "Well, that's the thing. Barrington wants this big report on Newman Enterprises--what it's up to, what its plans for the future are." "Then that's what you should do," Jack tells him. Nick is unsure. "But they want numbers, ... details,..." Suddenly, in a rare flash of insight, Nick asks, "Jack, this isn't your way of getting back at my Dad for what he did to Diane, is it?" Jack laughs quietly and mutters to himself "If only it were so easy," but then says aloud to Nick, "No, it's not that. Listen, you just do exactly as I say and Newman Enterprises will be safe. Now don't give them ANY original memos--those are Newman Enterprises confidential and it would be unethical for you to pass those along. Just share your memories, your analysis, your Total Business Savvy." "But--you don't want me to change anything?" "Trust me pal, if there were something that needed to be changed to safeguard the company, I'd have already taken care of it." "I'm not sure if I understand, Jack," Nick says with relief, "but you can count on me."

The next day, Mary Williams arrives at the hospital with her church friends Louise, and Pearl following behind her. Louise and Pearl are carrying a large cooler between them. "Going on a picnic?" Olivia asks, as they burst into her office. "Actually," Mary Williams announces, "we just got back from the monthly church luncheon. We asked for Kidney donations and got quite a number of them." "Kidney donations?" Olivia repeats. "For Danny," Mary says. They open the cooler to show several recently-removed kidneys. "Pearl here," Mary says, pointing to the only black woman among the three who have entered, "used to be a skilled surgeon some decades ago." "I haven't done a lot of surgery since then," Pearl admits, "but I've tried to keep my fingers limber with the Ladies knitting circle at the church. And, of course, when Thanksgiving comes along, I'll often get to advise whoever's carving... But it's true what they say, about surgery and riding a bike--you just climb on and--well, you can see here. Fourteen kidneys and a few other things--an appendix and--what was that other thing--oh, I've never been good at names, but it was just itching to come out, I could tell that." Olivia raises an eyebrow at the collection. "So," Pearl says, "shall I scrub up and help or can you take it from here?" Olivia says, "Uh, I think we can take it from here... but, uh, ... thanks!" The ladies march out proudly as Olivia gets on the phone and tries to find someone to help her deal with the unusual shipment.

Phillip and Nina are home, talking. "Mom? Can I go over to Ryan's?" "It's pretty early in the day, Phillip. He won't be home for hours." "That's ok. Trisha will be there to let me in. I don't mind waiting." "I'm glad you're finally getting used to her being there, Phillip. I think it's important for you not to be afraid to visit your father." "Yeah, I agree. It was stupid of me before. But I think I'm finally growing up and starting to understand the adult world much better." "Well," Nina says, "have fun."

Another day and a half passes. Nick arrives back in his house. It's late and it's dark, and he is stumbling slightly from the champagne he consumed in his dad's jet on his way back to Genoa City. He peeks in on Noah and is surprised to see someone sleeping in the bed next to Noah. "Is that you?" he asks quietly. "Honey?" comes a whispered voice in response. "Shhh, don't want to wake the house," Nick replies. Then he adds, "I'm sorry I had to go away--and especially sorry that I didn't ask them to send you along with me... I've missed you sooo much." The whispered reply is, as expected, "That's ok. I understand. I'm just glad you're back safely." "Thanks," says Nick. "You're the only one who does understand me." "Nick?" "Yes." "The last few months--there's been such tension. Can we go back in time and start over?" "Start over?" "Yes. I want you to make love to me again... not like you just got back from a trip, but like--like LAST summer." Nick's voice softens slightly, as if he is smiling inside. "I remember that time..." "Things were simpler then weren't they?" "I loved making love to you then!" Nick says proudly. "That's why I want us to go back--to then." There is quiet for a moment, and then the sounds of passion rising slowly.

Later into the middle of the same night, Nick slips out of bed and goes upstairs. When he gets to his and Sharon's bed, it is empty.. He looks perplexed. He wanders the hall, wondering where his wife has gone. Finally he peeks into the guest room, where he is surprised to see Grace sleeping. She looks up at him. "Nick! You're back." "Sorry, I just got up to get a glass of water and--what are you doing up here?" "I'm staying with Sharon and Cassie--I don't understand the part about the glass of water. You've been away for two days looking for water? I thought Jack sent you away on business." "He did, but I came back and I found you in Noah's room and we--" "No, not me, Nick. I've been up here all evening." "Then that was--" Grace nods. "That was your wife, Nick. You slept with your wife." "But, but--it was an accident, I--" Grace stares at him in disbelief. "Don't give me that `it was an accident' thing. That lame line may have played well with your stupider-than-can-be wife last summer, but I don't believe it for a moment. People don't sleep with each other by accident, Nicholas. They sleep with each other because secretly they subconsciously want each other--like you and I did last summer. Only now you don't secretly subconsciously want me any more, so you just--just--get out!" Nick starts to leave and then peeks back in. "Grace? You won't tell my wife, will you? I don't want her to know." Grace says, "Don't want her to know what, Nicholas? That you slept with her? Or that you secretly subconsciously wanted to?" He pauses for a minute to think. "The second." "Nicholas, what do you think she's going to think?" "That I consciously wanted to?" he says, now very unsure of himself. "But maybe she'll think that secretly subconsciously I didn't want to." "Out!" Grace says. "Just get out."

Neil comes into the office to find Nick there. Without warning, Nick tosses something to Neil. "Hey, what's this?" Neil asks. "Kidney beans," Nick says. "I read in the paper that your sis-in-law was treating Danny Romalotti, and that he was short some kidneys. So I poked around in the store and look what I came up with? Looks like these are grown on a vine or something, so they may not be compatible, but I figured hey--worth a shot, right?" Neil doesn't know how to respond. "I'll, uh, see that she gets these, Nick. Thanks." "Hey, don't thank me," Nick says. "Thank my Dad. He's the past master at finding innovative ways to save people's lives. I guess I'm just a chip off the old block, if you know what I mean." Neil looks like he's in pain having to watch this, but tries to retain his composure as he turns to leave. But on the way out, Neil's mind flashes images of future family situations involving Victoria--each is initially pleasant, but ultimately ruined by the entrance of Nick. Neil sighs.

Victor is reading the newspaper while talking to Jack. The paper gives him a good opportunity not to level eyes with Jack. Suddenly he comes across something in the pages he's reading and says, "Well, I'll be damned." "What's that, Victor?" Jack says. "Looks like that intelligence we got about how Barrington Marketing and Advertising was about to make its move was offbase. Look at that, it's almost as if they're self-destructing. And their stock is falling really fast." Just then, Nick walks in, and Jack says, "Victor, I think you have your son to thank for that." "M'boy?" he says, raising his eyes to periscope depth to see if th'boy has entered the room. "Huh?" says Nicholas, not sure what he's walked into. "I was just telling Victor how you singlehandedly neutralized the threat from Barrington using your innate business savvy." "Well," Nick says shyly, "Jack masterminded the whole thing--I just did my part." Jack shakes his head. "Come on, Nicholas, don't be modest. If there was any brainwork involved, it was all yours. I barely mentioned the option and you were all over it." "Well," Victor says with a smile, "I'm prouda you m'boy. You're a great asset to this company. We've obviously just not been employing you in the right way."

Phyllis calls Michael on the phone. He is preoccupied, but she explains to him that she's going to be staying at Danny's for a few days. He starts to say "ok" but then asks, "Why?" "Why?" she repeats. "Because Danny has been mugged and is in the hospital, so he can't take care of Little Daniel." "Mugged?" Michael asks, breaking out of his stupor for a moment. "One of his many fans finally coming to collect after being disappointed by his recent albums?" Michael muses. "Ha, ha, very funny, Michael. For your information, Danny is very seriously injured and might die." "Die?" "Yes, die. Apparently his kidneys are failing and if they can't find a match... well, why am I telling you--you're the last person who's going to care." She hangs up. When she does, we go to black and white to flash back to a time in Michael's childhood when he is told that his brother has been in an accident. They need one of Michael's kidneys or he may not survive. Little Michael isn't sure, but before he can answer, he is told his brother has died. We see images of his mother and father telling him it's `his fault, his fault, his...' Michael gets up and moves toward the door.

"I can't believe it," Olivia says to another doctor in his office. "All of those kidneys and not a single match? Those poor picnickers." "Well, we'll find other hosts for them," the doctor says. "They won't go to waste. But we have to find someone compatible." "Any idea what the main point of incompatibility is?" she asks. "Well, as you know, we've got pretty complete genetic maps these days, so it should be possible to tell, and I--" The phone rings, interrupting him. "Yeah? ... uh, huh... that's tough... ok...." He hangs up. "That was the lab--they've narrowed it down. There's a rare gene for `capability of extreme violence' that Danny seems to have and none of these churchgoers have. No wonder! We're just looking in the wrong place."

At the hospital, Michael enters Olivia's office. "Mr. Baldwin, isn't it?" Olivia asks. "That's right." "I saw your picture in the hospital magazine. You're our new patient ombudsman, right? Something I can help you with?" Olivia asks. "There just might be," Michael says. "I understand Danny Romalotti might lose a kidney. If he does, I wanted to donate one of mine." Olivia looks surprised, "That's a very generous gift," she says. "Are you sure you understand the issues involved?" He nods. "I do. But there's one condition." "A condition?" "It has to be completely anonymous." "Anonymous?" "Yes." "Danny and I are not good friends. For all I know, he thinks I hate him--but I don't. He is a very good friend of two of my friends---their lives would be devastated without him. So if there's something I can do to spare them that pain--" "Well," says Olivia, "it's an unusual request, but then--I have to say, at this point we're very desperate. I'll see what I can do. Oh, and, uh, Michael, could I get a sample of your blood--for compatibility tests?" "Sure," says Michael. He puts out his arm, which she swabs and then draws the blood from. "What are you looking for?" he says. "Unfortunately," Olivia says, "we need the gene for `capability of extreme violence', so..." "So there should be reason for optimism," Michael says brightly. "There's a silver lining in everything," he adds. She looks confused, and he answers her implied question. "I've done time in prison for attempted rape. Paid my debt to society, and all that, but still, maybe, I'm just the kind of guy Danny needs right now... Anyway, I'll be around the hospital," Michael says. "Here's my beeper number." He writes it down for her on a small slip of paper and hands it to her. She stares in stunned amazement as he leaves.

Phyllis is walking down the hall to the ICU to visit Danny when she catches on Michael's image in bed in a regular room. She look around, sees Olivia standing nearby looking at a clipboard, and goes to her to ask, "Excuse me, but is that Michael Baldwin in that bed across the way?" Olivia nods. "I'm a very good friend of his and had no idea anything had befallen him--can you tell me what he's in for?" "Nope, I can't," Olivia says. "He's asked that it be kept confidential." "Confidential? Or anonymous? Word is that an anonymous donor has been found for Danny Romalotti's kidney. That wouldn't by any chance be Michael would it?" "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say," Olivia says. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to tend to a patient." She walks off.

At Legal Aid, Phyllis enters Cricket's office and after the usual "Phyllis, what are you doing here" interchange, Phyllis says "Look, Christine, I didn't come here for me, I came here for Michael. The man is doing everything in the world he can to prove himself to you and you're ignoring him." "I've spoken to Michael already about this. There's nothing I can do." "Do you know where he is right now?" Cricket looks at her watch. "Hopefully he's at work--unless he's gone back to his life of crime, and then he could be anywhere." "Right now he's being prepped for surgery--he's asked to give a kidney to Danny." "And he's asked you to hype the fact to me?" "No, I'm not even supposed to know--I just found out by accident--neither of us was supposed to know, and Michael would be mad if he knew I were talking about it. But I felt that you SHOULD know." The phone rings and Cricket takes it. "This is Christine Williams... they have? ... I'll be right there." "Well?" Phyllis says. "They've found a donor ... an anonymous donor ..."

At Nina's house, Phillip is milling around quietly. "Mom?" Phillip asks Nina. "Yes, Phillip?" "Do you think maybe it's because of me that Ryan broke up with you?" "Why would you say that?" "Well, do you have any fancy lace underwear?" "Phillip! Why would you ask that?" "Well, because Trisha does. And she wears it around the house all the time now." "Phillip!" "It's ok. I've really learned to like it. But I was thinking--maybe you thought I wouldn't like it, and so you stopped wearing it. And then maybe Ryan got bored and moved away. So I was thinking, if you wanted to wear stuff like that around the house all the time, it would be ok with me. And then maybe Dad would want to move back in, too."

Cricket enters Michael's room where he is waiting for surgery. "I found out about your little ploy." "My what?" Michael asks. "To endear me to you, by donating a kidney to Danny. But it's not going to work, so you might as well not bother," she says. "I don't know what you're talking about," Michael says. "Yes, I do," Cricket says. "And so do you. So you might as well give up. This is pretty low of you, don't you think? Resorting to manipulating my emotions this way?" "It was a condition of my donation," Michael says, "that no one was to know. I told no one, and Dr. Winters promised not to tell anyone either. I'm sorry you found out, I truly am--because I figured you would probably think this of me. And I agree with you, some topics are just too personal for people to use them for private manipulation. It also wouldn't require very much imagination on my part, since I saw the same storyline on The Bold and the Beautiful just a few weeks ago. Just so you know, I'm doing it for very personal reasons--because I lost a member of my family long ago for hesitating too long--and because, while Danny and I are not the best of friends, both you and Phyllis are people I hold very dear in my heart. And I just couldn't live with myself if Danny died for reasons I knew I could have prevented. So I'm sorry that you found out, because I know you'll always suspect me for my motives, but I'm not going to be dissuaded just because you'll take it out on me. At least I'll still know I helped save a life, and that will help make your later jabs at me easier to tolerate. I know I've done awful things to you, Christine, and understand and accept that you've not forgiven me for them--and perhaps you never will. But I still have to do this, because I love Phyllis and because I love you, and because I couldn't live with myself if I didn't." She is silent, a little misty. He breaks the silence saying, "If you don't mind, Christine, I'd rather be alone now." She nods and backs out.

Later on, Olivia enters and says to Michael, "All set for surgery?" He nods. "No second thoughts?" "Nope," he says. "Oh, this letter came for you," she says, handing him a letter. Michael opens it. Inside are two pages. The first is a note from Christine. It says simply, "Michael, Thank you. I contacted Victor Newman and told him what you'd done. He's a powerful man and knew what strings to pull to get you this. I thought it might help you get safely through your surgery." The second page is a joint decree from the Dominican Republic and the State of Wisconsin attesting to, based upon conversations with Christine Williams (one-time victim) Michael Baldwin's full rehabilitation, and granting him a full reinstatement to the Bar of the State of Wisconsin "with honors". He smiles and hands the paperwork back to Olivia, who seems to know what this is about. She wraps the papers in a zip-lock bag so they won't get bloody and tucks them under the sheets next to him as they wheel his bed off to surgery. Outside, Cricket, Paul, Lynne, Mary, Louise, Pearl, fourteen churchgoers bandaged at the hip, Cassie, Diane, and even Gina (who's finally been informed of her brother's problem) stand smiling outside the door and they all applaud as Michael is hauled down the hall to surgery. As Michael is left to ponder the irony of Victor's having empowered him just in time to be Diane's lawyer, we tie things up (so to speak) with a voiceover by Danny of Bless The Beasts and the Children.

That's all for this episode. Hope you learned something. Don't miss Episode 97!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.

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