Ashley is quickly wheeled into the delivery room. Brad tells Jack and John that the baby's heartbeat has stopped. John wants to know if Ashley knows what's happening with the baby. Brad says after the one time Ashley woke up from the accident, she has been unconscious ever since. Brad doesn't know if Ashley and the baby are going to make it. Nick and Nikki come into the hospital. Jack tells them about Ashley and the baby. Nick wants to know why Ashley was out driving in the first place. He thought she was staying at a resort so she wouldn't be involved in the stressful competition struggle over the Tuvia and Safra launch. Nick thinks Jack and Nikki are not telling him the whole story. Nick remembers that Victor told him that Ashley called today and that she was really upset about the Tuvia sales. Nick begs his mom to tell him his dad doesn't have something to do with this. Jack says it's true, Ashley was going to see Victor because of Tuvia's sales, but they all should be thinking of Ashley right now.
Damon is meditating in his apartment when a knock comes at the door. It's Victor and although Damon tells him he was in the middle of a meditation, Victor lets himself in anyway. Victor demands to know what's going on with Damon and Victoria. Damon says Victor's questioning is a serious matter, especially when it's about a black man and a white woman, even in this day and age. Victor tells Damon that his question has no racial overtones whatsoever. He is just concerned about his daughter. Damon says Victoria is a lovely woman, but Victor shouldn't get carried away. Victor says he will not let anything happen between Damon and his daughter. Damon tells him that he is wasting his time coming here, that whatever relationship Victoria and him have is theirs all alone. Victor says Michael Baldwin told him Damon said he wants to get to know Victoria better. Damon asks Victor if Baldwin reports to him. Victor is interrupted by a phone call. As he leaves, he tells Damon that as long as he works for Jabot, he'd better stay away from his daughter. Damon doesn't say a word, just bows his head with his hands together respectfully. "May peace be with you," Victor says threateningly.
Phyllis sits alone at Yves, drinking wine when Drucilla shows up. Dru asks Phyllis is waiting for, could it possibly be her favorite Jabot chemist Damon? Phyllis says no, she's not here to meet anyone, as Dru orders herself a drink and plops down next to Phyllis, eager to hear some gossip. Yet Phyllis turns the tables on her and starts mocking Dru about how well Safra is doing, especially compared to Tuvia. Dru becomes angry and gets ready to leave, but then Phyllis tells her that she actually is there to meet with Damon, so Dru orders another drink. Phyllis laughs, she's not here to see Damon, and she tells Dru that her and Damon are not hanging out anymore. "He dropped me like an old shoe and moved onto greener pastures," Phyllis says. Phyllis tells Dru if she has a problem with the more successful company playing footsie with Jabot's chemist, maybe she should check out and see what Victoria is doing tonight. Dru hints that maybe the reason Phyllis is telling her is so she can go free Damon and make him available again. Phyllis says she would never cheat on Jack, he is the only man for her, and as a matter of fact, she is going to go see him right away.
Victoria walks into Victor's office and Michael sneaks in, startling her. He tells her that he would like to give her some advice. When she asks if it is business or personal, he tells her it's personal. He warns her to stay away from Damon. Victoria wants to know how Michael knows about her and Damon. At first she thinks Phyllis told him something, but he trashes that idea, saying he is merely concerned about her as a friend. He tells her that he is not an ogre, and she laughs at him, but he continues. He tells her to call him Michael, and then asks her if he may call her sweetheart? Victoria can't believe it. "Oh my god, you're flirting with me!" she says. Michael turns the tables on her and asks how does he know she's not flirting with him. He goes on to tell her that of course Damon likes her, any man would. But maybe he is spending time with her for other reasons. Victoria is shocked at his rudeness, and with nothing more to say to Michael, storms out the door.
Sharon helps Cassie with her math homework. Sharon says that Nick and her are very proud of Cassie for working so hard to catch up with school. She reminds her it's time to go find a dress for the gala. Cassie seems nervous and Sharon reassures her how much fun she is going to have. She says she called Lauren and arranged for some dresses to be waiting at the boutique for Cassie. Cassie seems impressed that Sharon would do that for her.
At the boutique, J.T. rolls out a rack of beautiful dresses for Cassie to choose. Sharon tells J.T. it's Cassie's first date, and Cassie gets a little shy. "Don't tell him that mom," she hisses as she goes off to the dressing room. Their mother-daughter bond is slowly starting to piece its way back together. Sharon tells J.T. maybe he should come to the gala. He says his parents are more into that kind of thing and, no offense, it's for older people. Sharon says that's exactly what she is trying to change about it; she wants to make it more hip. J.T. wishes her luck. Then Frank, Cassie's father walks into the boutique. Long time no see, he tells Sharon. Sharon is shocked, wants to know why he's in Genoa City, and he tells her it's to see how his little girl is doing, that he found out that she is living with Sharon again.
Brad is overwhelmed with grief. He blames himself for caring at all about Tuvia sales when now that means nothing to him. His thoughts keep going back to Victor. Even John admits he cannot believe Victor would do this, saying that Victor probably doesn't even realize what his actions have resulted in. Brad says he is going to make sure Victor knows what he has done. Colleen comes in, telling Brad she got his call and wonders how Ashley is. Brad finds it hard to fight back the tears to tell his daughter what has happened. Colleen knows by the look on his face and hugs him. He tells her that Ashley is going to deliver the baby early, but he stops before telling her the whole story. Brad turns away, and John tells Colleen he is happy that she is here, that her dad really needs her right now. Colleen goes to her father and tells him it's okay, Ashley and the baby are going to be fine, and she's so happy she's going to be a big sister. "I won't even complain when I have to change the diapers," she says. She tells Brad how much she loves him and Ashley, and thanks him for all the love they have given her. She says she wants to go to the chapel and say a prayer for Ashley and the baby. It is just what Brad needs to hear. Colleen puts some hope into Brad's heart.
Hospital:
Victor walks in wondering what happened to Ashley. Brad sees the man he feels is responsible for Ashley's condition and lunges at him enraged. It takes Jack, Nick and John to hold him back. Vic is stunned at this and demands an explanation. Nikki manages to get him out before Brad tears him apart. The guys calm Brad down by getting him to focus on Ashley's well-being and not his anger. They are all frustrated with the lack of news. Brad worries about all Ashley had to go through to have this baby. It's all Victor's fault. Jack cautions him to let that go for now and focus on Ashley. He vows that if Ashley and his baby don't make it through Victor is a dead man. Brad relates to Nick how Victor has destroyed his family over the years. He's an egotistical, arrogant, manipulating, cheating human being with no regard for anyone else but himself. Nick offers to leave if Brad wants but he'd like to stay. Brad is angry at himself for not being there with her. Jack tells him it is not his fault. There's no way for him to know that she would have left herself. Olivia emerges with news: Ashley is in recovery and stable. It was touch and go but they delivered the baby. Brad asks about his child. Olivia tells him that the child WAS a boy. The baby didn't make it. The shock hits Brad hard. They were going to name him Robert after Jack and Ashley's paternal grandfather Robert. Ashley doesn't know yet. He will never have a chance to hold his little boy and tell him he loved him. Brad keeps tearfully muttering "Just a few more days...." Olivia tells him the trauma of the accident caused him to be stillborn. Jack advises Brad to give it time. He knows what Brad is going through. They will help each other get through this and they will also help Ashley deal with the loss. Brad insists on telling her himself. Olivia takes Brad to her room. Later Jack asks Nick how he is doing. They can't believe Brad lost his boy. Both he and Jack can relate to that kind of loss. It changes everything. In fact that's when all their problems started. Jack can't believe Ashley could go through all that hell of the cancer and almost losing her marriage, only to have her baby torn from her. It's just not fair. Jack keeps thinking about how if she had left 5 minutes later or earlier everything would be different. Nick feels ashamed to be a Newman.
Ashley's Room:
Ash is still out of it and slowly comes to. She sees Brad and is happy to see him. Before he can say anything she slips out of consciousness again. She awakens later and realizes she delivered the baby. He tells her she had a boy. She wonders where he is and asks Brad to go get him.
Ranch:
Nikki and Victor arrive at the Ranch as Nikki explains that she didn't feel the car was an appropriate place for this discussion. He cannot fathom why Brad would be furious at him. Being worried about Ashley is understandable but what on Earth does Victor have to do with Ashley's accident? Nothing. Nikki can't believe he doesn't get it. Why on Earth would the Abbotts would want him there? He cares about Ashley and doesn't give a damn what they want. She can't believe he has no idea why Ashley was in that car. He doesn't get it, does she honestly think he had something to do with it? "YES! Yes, of course you did!" He can't believe she would say that to him. How can he not be somewhat responsible. He made a point of visiting her at the resort where she went to avoid the stress of the launch. He went there to make sure she stayed out of it and rested. Nikki wonders why he thinks that would have worked. He knows her and how she would react. He prays that the baby lives.
Boutique:
Frank (Cassie's biological dad) asks Sharon if he can see Cassie. Sharon is vehemently against it. Frank is curious about his daughter. J.T. lets it slip that Cassie is in the Boutique. He's in town only for the day and isn't there to cause trouble. Sharon doesn't trust Frank and never will. Cassie wants to know who Sharon is talking to now. Cassie meets Frank but has no idea he's anything more than an old friend of Sharon's.
Paul & Chris':
Chris returns home from the spa refreshed. She tells Paul about her days there and how at first all she did was sleep and get massages. The anger eventually set in. She couldn't put it all behind her easily. It was good for her soul (anger management classes helped). She vows to never utter Isabella's name ever again. She now has something positive to look at: her and Paul together. She wants very much to get it right this time. She sees a house with lots of kids in their future. He's not worried about the future and wants to focus on tonight. He has a surprise for her.
Nick/Sharon's: Sharon and Cassie return home. It's just them for dinner tonight. Cassie wonders who Frank is to Sharon. She knew Frank a long time ago in Madison. Cassie wonders why they were arguing but Sharon denies it and tries to change the subject. She explains that she and Frank aren't close friends. Nick knows all about Frank. Cassie wonders if Sharon will tell Nick or keep it a secret. Of course she will and doesn't appreciate the insinuation. Cassie was creeped out by the way Frank was looking at her. Cassie wonders if there will be any other guys popping out of the woodwork. Cassie wants ot know where Sharon was all that time she was away. Was she with Frank? Sharon says "no." Then who was she with? Where did she go? Sharon refuses to answer.
Jack and John commiserated with each other about the loss of Ashley's baby boy. John was worried about Ash, but Jack reminded him how strong Ashley was and how much she'd already survived. John was possibly even more sure than Jack and Brad that Victor was to blame for the tragedy. In fact, rather than advise caution, as he usually did, he urged Jack to get to the bottom of Victor's machinations regarding the Tuvia and Safra launches and make the tycoon pay if he'd done anything illegal. Jack promised to investigate until he found evidence of Victor's wrongdoing.
Ashley was devastated when Brad told her their little boy, to be named Robert, had died. Brad explained that the baby's heart had stopped beating, so they'd taken him by C-section. Ashley sobbed helplessly and begged Brad to tell her if the baby had died as a result of the car accident.
Phyllis answered a summons from Michael and met him at his office. She reminded him that she needed to get home and try to help her husband, who was no doubt very unhappy at the outcome of the Tuvia and Safra launches. But after realizing that Michael was really upset, she agreed to stay a while. Michael said he hadn't expected gratitude from Victor or Nick for his part in a successful launch. But he couldn't believe the way Victoria had treated him. Phyllis began to tease Michael about his interest in Victoria and warned him that Miss Newman was interested in Damon Porter. Michael was well aware of that. After a few drinks, he assured Phyllis that he wouldn't drive or do anything foolish. She hugged him and told him she loved him, and Michael told her that he loved her, too.
When Phyllis arrived home to see the grim faces of her husband and father-in-law, she broached the subject of the cosmetics launches. John assured her their mood had nothing to do with the launch. He told Jack to fill her in, then he went upstairs. Jack then told Phyllis about Ashley's accident and the death of her baby. Phyllis's sadness turned to confusion when Jack began ranting about Victor. Even after Jack explained Victor's involvement, Phyllis thought it was a stretch to blame him. Jack said that he would not rest until he uncovered what Victor had done to make the launch turn out as it had, then Victor would be going down. It was even more imperative for Phyllis to leave Newman. When Phyllis refused to quit her job, Jack's anger grew. Phyllis said she had to leave. She knew that his rage wasn't about her, and right now, she felt it was best to go to a hotel until he calmed down.
When an exhausted Victoria came home, her father told her about Ashley's accident. Victoria was upset and said she'd keep the Abbotts in her thoughts, but she needed to go to bed. Victor stopped her, questioning her involvement with Damon. Victoria reminded him that her personal life was her business. Victor said that after Ashley's accident, relations between the Newmans and the Abbotts were likely to be more strained. He didn't want Victoria caught in the middle because of a personal relationship with Damon. Victoria reminded him that she was his grown daughter and would make her own relationship decisions.
Dru stopped by Damon's apartment to discuss Michael's visit to the lab and fish for information about his possible involvement with Victoria. She said she felt responsible for bringing Damon to Jabot and was beginning to question his loyalty. Damon admitted that Victor had already been by to see him about Victoria. After he buttered Dru up, she came to her senses and insisted that he didn't need to be associating with anyone from Newman Enterprises. He said he'd agree, if Dru could make the same promise. When she readily did, he reminded her about Neil. Sputtering that it wasn't the same thing at all, Dru left his apartment while Damon laughed at her discomfort.
At the Colonnade Room, Paul gave Christine a wonderfully romantic evening with champagne and dancing. She toasted him as being the man who always knew what she needed. As the pianist Paul had arranged sang for them, Paul promised her "someday," and Christine gently repeated, "someday."
Phyllis stops by Diane's hotel room to let her know that she is also staying in a room there, and that the Abbott family has been going through a lot of trauma lately. Phyllis mentions that Jack hasn't been too happy with the Tuvia sales, and Ashley has been in an accident. She asks Diane to give Jack a little breathing room. When Diane questions why Phyllis is staying in a room there, Phyllis says it's none of her business, just that Jack is going through a lot lately, and it would be better to leave him alone for awhile. Diane agrees to stay away from Jack, but from her smile it doesn't appear that she will keep her promise.
Brad goes to Ashley's room at the hospital to find that she has been out in a wheelchair with a nurse. He wonders why she went out when she needs rest, but Ashley tells him that she had to go to see her little boy. Brad says he couldn't bear to go and see the boy. Ashley tells Brad that's it's her fault that her baby did not make it. She never should have been behind the wheel, she never should have gotten into the car, and her beautiful little boy paid the price. Brad says it's not her fault, it was an accident, if anyone is at fault, it's Victor. Ashley tells Brad not to say that, Victor didn't hold a gun to her head and make her get in the car. Brad tells Ashley that she is his only concern now. She keeps telling him that she is sorry, so sorry. Brad has to get up and look away from her.
Christine has written a letter to Paul thanking him for the wonderful evening they shared together. The dinner, the candlelight, it was exactly what she needed. Christine says she feels like it's a whole new era for the two of them. Paul agrees, but admits that he still feels a little odd. He assures Chris that it's not her, has never felt closer to her, but both have been through so much lately. Christine agrees with him, and they realize they still have a lot of things to figure out.
John and Jack grieve over Brad and Ashley's loss. John blames Victor for all the devastation he has caused their family. Jack can tell John is really worked up about Victor. John says that Victor will not get away with this. Jack tells John that he needs to calm down and especially, stay away from Victor right now. When Jack asks John if he's listening, John says he is, but he is obviously still very angry. John tells Jack he will meet up with him at Jabot shortly.
Victor wants to call the hospital to see how Ashley is doing. Nikki warns him to stay away from the whole Jabot family right now. Victor tells Nikki that he went to see Damon to warn him to stay away from their daughter. Nikki says that based on past experiences she doubts that Victoria will listen to Victor. She also says judging by the way Victoria looked when Nikki saw Damon and Vicki together, it is probably too late for them to stop the couple. Nikki says Victoria is very much like herself, an independent and headstrong girl.
Victoria goes to Damon's apartment and he opens the door for her, looking very sexy without his shirt on. They discuss the fact that everyone is against them as a couple. Damon tells Victoria that Victor and Michael have both been by to see him to tell him to steer clear of Victoria, but nothing anyone has said has changed the way he feels about her. Victoria agrees and tells him whenever her father forbids something it makes it indefinitely more desirable. She says she finds it fascinating that everyone thinks they would make sure a dangerous combination. Damon asks if they are on for dinner, and Vicki agrees to meet him at Yves at 7pm. As Victoria leaves, they share a small kiss, then, Victoria pulls him toward her and tells him he can do better than that, as the two have a long and passionate kissing session.
When Jack gets to Jabot he talks with Drucilla about Victor. He tells Dru he knows that Victor has done something illegal to manipulate sales, and when he finds out, Victor is going to jail. Dru tries to calm him down and tells him he should be thinking about what to do to up Tuvia sales, after all, he's the head-finance-aficionado, they need to be doing everything they can to boost Tuvia sales.
Diane goes to see Michael to find out how it's been working for Victor. It seems what she really wants to know is everything that's going on with the Jabot family. When Michael gives her the lowdown about Jabot owing Victor a whole bunch of money and that Jabot was really counting on the Tuvia sales doing well, she seems pleased with this tidbit of information. She goes to see Jack right away, and when he tells her to leave, she says he should listen to what she has to say.
Victor hears a knock at his door. As he opens the door, John is standing there in a rage. Cursing at him, John punches Victor in the face.
Olivia came to see Ashley, who seemed to be doing better physically. She also assured Olivia that she didn't plan to wallow in self-pity and withdraw from the world. She did blame herself for her son's death. She couldn't believe she'd had a moment when anything was more important to her than the well-being of her baby. She should never have gotten behind the wheel of that car. Olivia reminded her that the accident wasn't her fault. She was hit by another car. Furthermore, she'd felt driven to confront Victor out of fear for her family's company. Ashley said that she'd had some idea that if she could just see Victor face to face, somehow she could make things right. Now she wanted to focus on the future. The baby had meant so much to Brad and had been part of their new beginning. As soon as she was healed, she wanted to get pregnant again as soon as possible. When she saw the worried look in Olivia's eyes, Ashley asked what was wrong. Olivia told her she had some really bad news to tell her.
After hitting Victor when he opened his front door, John continued to beg for a fight. Victor invited him in, but warned him not to hit him again. John accused Victor of murdering his grandson. Victor was shocked to hear that the baby was dead, but he refused to accept the blame for what had happened. John and he had been friends for a long time, and John knew that Victor would not cause Ashley any pain. Disgusted, John warned Victor to stay away from his daughter, then he left the ranch.
Nick, too, was having a difficult time dealing with his father's role in what was happening to the Abbotts. Sharon understood that Nick's feelings about losing their little girl had come to the surface when Nick heard about the Carlton baby's death. But as she went on to say something else, Nick cut her off. It would be a bad idea for her to defend his father to him. He had too many suspicions about what Victor had done. When he noticed that Sharon seemed distracted, she told him all about running into Frank Barrett while she was shopping at the Boutique with Cassie. Nick was as uncomfortable about Frank's appearance as Sharon was. However, he thought maybe it was time to tell Cassie the truth about her biological father's identity. Sharon wasn't sure it was a good time. After returning home with Cassie, it had become obvious to her that Cassie was still very angry and bitter with her. It broke her heart that the progress they'd made in working things out seemed to be stalled.
At Crimson Lights, Cassie and Frank spotted each other. Frank turned to leave, but Cassie caught him. She wanted to know the truth about why he and her mother were arguing at the Boutique the day before. Frank told her she'd misread the situation. Cassie admitted that Sharon had told her that she knew Frank many years before, in high school, but she didn't think that was the whole story. When Frank again managed to evade her questions, Cassie asked him outright if he'd been with her mother the whole time Sharon had been gone.
Jack was impatient with Diane's visit to his office, especially after he found out that she knew Phyllis was staying in a hotel. He had too many problems with Jabot to deal with Diane, and he was sure she was there to cause more turmoil in his marriage. Diane denied this. In fact, she believed him when he said that Jabot would weather this crisis and ultimately come out on top. If their problem was cash flow in the meantime, not only did she have her millions from her divorce settlement from Victor, but smart investments had increased her wealth considerably. She was willing to make Jabot a loan. Jack wondered what the catch was. Was she hoping to regain custody of Kyle? Diane said there was no catch. She was doing it because Jack was Kyle's father. His success would one day benefit Kyle, whereas his failure would hurt Kyle. She left after getting Jack's promise that he would call her after thinking it over.
Jack asked Phyllis to come to his office. She arrived, holding out a single, long-stemmed rose as a peace offering. She wondered if Jack had missed her. Jack again voiced his certainty that Victor had done something illegal to make the cosmetics launches turn out as they had, and no matter what Phyllis thought, Victor was responsible for what had happened to Ashley. So he wanted to make her an offer. There was an office next door to his with her name on it. She could write her own job description, do anything she wanted, at Jabot, if she gave up her position at Newman. That was the only solution he saw. Phyllis was angry that he seemed to be saying it was the only hope for their marriage. He was treating her job like it was insignificant. But she felt that it was her web site that had caused Safra's success, along with Neil and Victoria's hard work. Perhaps Jack just couldn't face the fact that he'd failed. She refused to give up her job. Jack told her there was nothing more to say. He asked her to take her rose and leave. Phyllis backed out of his office without picking up the flower. After she was gone, Jack muttered, "Don't say I never gave you a chance, Phyllis." Then he called Diane, who happily agreed to come by his office later and discuss the loan with him.
Lynne encouraged Paul to tell her about Christine's homecoming and how happy the two of them were. But Paul said a lot had changed in the last year. He'd realized he was capable of doing things he never would have thought he could do. When Lynne realized Paul was alluding to the night he'd had sex with Chris after Ricky's christening, she suggested he talk to someone. Paul reminded her that he was talking to her. She meant someone professional. Paul said he wouldn't be comfortable discussing such private details about his life with a stranger.
Michael went to see Christine and apologize to her for the role he'd played in bringing Isabella into her life. Christine said that was all in the past. But Michael didn't want her to just brush it aside. He'd had no idea that Isabella would bring so much pain and terror to her life, and he'd let his jealousy of Paul drive him to do things he should never have done to the only woman he'd ever truly loved. Christine again assured him that all was forgiven, and all he should remember was the love. She also intended to keep working with him in the law partnership. Michael promised to try to be more civil to Paul in the future, which Christine said made her giddy with happiness.
