Yes, thank you. Uh, charge it to the room?
Stephanie Simmons.
-Dr. Stephanie Simmons? -Yes.
As in dear friends with
Dr. Olivia Winters?
How do you know Olivia?
She would be my mother.
Nate?
Nate Hastings!
-[laughing] -Oh, my goodness!
Olivia's son? Lily's cousin?
Yeah.
Come here! Oh, wow!
[both laughing]
Oh, my goodness!
Holden. Hi.
Lily, hey.
Are you meeting someone?
Um...no.
I'm on my own.
If you'd like to sit...
Um...
yeah, yeah.
Awesome. Thanks.
So, uh...
Have you...have you heard from Malcolm or your kids?
Um, no. Malcolm's in LA with them,
but the test results aren't in yet.
Which means, at this moment,
Malcolm does not have a match.
No. But, I mean, there could still be good news.
Yeah.
He really got hit with it, didn't he?
New son and life-threatening
disease all at once.
Yeah. Well, if anyone can handle it, he can.
It's weird.
What?
How well you know him.
Of course, you do. He's your biological father.
You know, it just takes...
it takes me a second to remember
that he is mine too.
Even if I don't know him at all.
♪♪
What time is it?
PB and J time.
With the distance, you got
two different jelly options there.
-You cut off the crusts. -Yeah.
Figured I'd use my time wisely
while we waited for the second pregnancy test.
Yeah.
And?
It's positive too.
Okay.
So that's for sure.
Yeah.
Now the question is...
What do we do next?
How you feeling?
My...stomach has settled.
I'm actually hungry.
[both chuckle]
That's cute, but I was...
I was talking about here and here.
Oh. That's what you meant.
All feelings matter right now.
So, there's that.
What about you?
I could eat.
Look...
Billy, you have been so sweet and attentive.
Thank you so much for fluffing my pillows
and tucking me in my blanket.
But you are a part of this equation too.
I know. It just feels weird to talk about myself right now,
-that's all. -But I'm asking you.
Kay.
Well, not what I expected when I woke up this morning.
No. I mean, considering
we're supposed to be in London right now.
Timing was probably the night that you came back
after you moved out.
Yeah. Yeah.
That would make sense.
You didn't think that...
maybe before today?
I'm...mm. Not really.
I mean, m-maybe.
And what made you think maybe?
I've just been feeling so different.
Mm-hmm.
I mean, the exhaustion is like I ran a marathon and...
my stomach.
And you've been here before.
I have, yeah.
So what's going through your head now?
I don't know. The thoughts don't really slow down...
enough for me to process them.
They're just kind of whizzing by.
And you don't have to answer anything right now.
Okay? You have--you have time.
Yeah, the brain is one thing, but...
when it comes to a kid it's...
Straight to the heart.
I'm glad you came over.
I would have never recognized you.
What, you think I've changed?
What, since you was yay high?
Absolutely.
Olivia bragged about you, but she never told me
that you grew up to be such a fine-looking young man.
[chuckles] I heard your name,
but I'm pretty sure I would have recognized your face anyway.
Some of your lectures are online.
Don't tell me you've seen 'em.
And read your papers on blood diseases.
Oh! Was that before or after
you stepped away from medicine?
Before, but I'm still a fan.
My heart ached for you when I heard about your injury.
Having to give up surgery must have been agony.
But leaving medicine altogether?
That was a choice.
A hard one, at that.
Wow. My mother really told you all that?
Mm-hmm. Medicine is what brought us together.
It's part of our bond.
You do know how proud of you
your mother is, don't you?
She adores you.
Do you two talk often?
Mm, not as much as I'd like.
But when we do, it's partly about work.
We mostly spend time chatting about our remarkable sons.
-Ah. -Cheers.
Cheers. [chuckles]
It sounds strange to...
to talk about our father.
I know it's a lot to process,
so we can go at whatever speed you want.
Well, we, uh, might as well dive in.
You're the expert here.
Meaning you wanna know more about Malcolm?
Uh, yeah.
Okay. Um...
well, he is my biological father,
but my dad will always be Neil Winters.
The, uh, portrait in the jazz lounge.
Yes. And Malcolm was at the dedication because
he is my dad's brother.
Sounds like there's a story there.
Yeah. There always is.
We could--we could circle back,
-or...or not. -No, I mean,
I think the important thing for you to know
is that Malcolm... he's a really good man.
My mother said the same.
It's pretty much all she said. That...
that, and they lost touch.
Well, I mean, that can happen with Malcolm.
Not because he doesn't care. It's just...
you know, he's drawn to adventure.
Which I think is why he chose photography,
so he could travel the world.
Well, how is he gonna handle not being able to travel?
I mean, with all the treatment that he'll need,
if he gets a match...
when he gets a match,
he won't be able to jet off.
I mean, honestly, I think he sees
this treatment as its own kind of adventure.
I mean, that's just the kind of optimist he is.
Which I think you kinda have to be
to face the unknown the way that he does.
I mean, look how he handled you and I not being a match, right?
I mean, he just...
keeps the faith and just...
believes that things are meant to work out
the way they're supposed to.
Yeah, but, you know...
some things don't work out.
Yeah, but Malcolm doesn't see the world that way.
You know? He just believes that
things can be better, people can do better.
And, I don't know, I think he thinks that because...
of his own life.
He's had a lot of rough spots that he's not proud of.
That's something else that we can circle back to.
Well, you know, you two will have your own conversation,
I'm sure, where you can both talk about who you both are.
If that's...what you want.
Yeah, well, he's got a lot going on right now,
and I assume that his...
his treatment will be in, uh, New York?
Yeah. I mean, I wish he would get his treatment here.
-I told him that. -But is there any way
that you could talk him into it? Or maybe once he's well,
he could move back to Genoa City.
Isn't this a treat?
Dinner with Olivia's son.
So, what brings you to town, Dr. Simmons?
Oh, no, you didn't!
Now, you don't have to call me Aunty Stephanie,
but you're definitely not calling me Doctor.
Understood. [chuckles]
What, uh, brings you back to Genoa City, Stephanie?
Thank you.
It was time.
So you haven't been back since you moved away?
Feels like forever.
After all, I mean, this is where my life started.
My career took off.
Lifelong connections.
Then memories are what brought you back.
Uh, only partly.
I'm actually here to see my son.
You might know him. Holden Novak.
-Holden is your son? -Yes.
-Have you two met? -Uh, a few times.
Oh. That's wonderful.
I don't know him well, though.
Well, maybe that can change down the road.
All right, so, uh, what should we have?
Look, Malcolm is...
a free spirit.
He has always been that way.
But he doesn't have to be in physical proximity with someone
to feel close to them.
You know, his love and affection can be there even if he isn't.
But you do still wish that he got his medical care here.
Yeah, but, I mean, doesn't matter what I think.
You know, at the end of the day, he has to feel comfortable.
I've dealt with my own medical issues,
and I understand how important it is
to be comfortable in your surroundings for your recovery.
So, you know, if that's New York for him,
then so be it.
But at the end of the day,
we still have to find him a match.
That's what it all goes back to.
Yep.
Makes sense, though, that...
you want him to be close to you.
I was just...I was just asking since you mentioned it.
Okay, well, then, I'll just ask you directly.
Are you hoping to have a relationship with him?
Mint tea. Easy on the stomach. No caffeine.
Thank you.
It's a far cry from sipping champagne on the jet, isn't it?
And I promise you, I will not have sushi until you're able to.
You're avoiding me.
I'm right here.
But you're not telling me how you really feel.
Look, I get I can't make you open up,
and I know it's a lot to process, but...
I'm just feeling really alone right now,
and that is not a judgment or a criticism on you at all.
I just...
maybe it's a request.
Can you please be here...
in this...with me?
So Audra didn't come over for work today, did she?
She brought you a test? Is that what happened?
I just needed an answer before I said anything.
And then you kicked me out because you needed a friend.
Yeah.
I get it.
You wanted that friend to be you.
It's a thought.
Billy...
I...
I don't know, okay? I-I-I...
I thought I was protecting you.
I just didn't want you to go on this roller coaster with me
until I knew for sure.
-We don't have to talk about it. -No, we--we...
we do, okay, because we're both in this together.
You woke up this morning,
and you had your suspicions, and you called Audra.
And I get that. I understand why you would...
wanna wait to tell me that you were pregnant.
It was all out of love.
I'm not being defensive, okay? I'm really not.
But you were afraid to tell me that you were pregnant.
And if that's the case,
then what does that say about us going forward?
I wanna be someone you can count on.
You are, Billy.
And I do, okay?
I-I absolutely know what a wonderful father you are.
You don't have to bolster my ego.
-It must be coming out wrong. -Hey, I'm not doing that, okay?
I'm not. I'm just telling you what I see.
And I see a very loving and sweet and protective man
who looks after the children in his life--
Johnny and Katie.
And Connor--even after everything that happened
with Chelsea and Adam.
Well, I love them.
And when you love something, you take care of it.
I love you. And I wanna do that for you.
You have been such a gift to me, one that I did not expect.
And of course you're brave and you're strong,
but it's your heart, it's massive...
and it's open even though it's been knocked around
more than once.
But you need to know that you're never gonna be alone...
again, okay?
Unless you want to, unless you need to.
Then I'll be right there, supporting you and watching you
do your thing.
But if you need someone...
I'm not going anywhere.
Come here.
One...
One of the things
that I talked to Audra about,
one of the reasons why I didn't tell you
when I woke up this morning...
[whispers] Ava.
I'm sorry, Sally.
You've al--[exhales] you've already been through
so much with Delia.
And we...
lost the two most precious little people.
I mean, how can we face that chance again?
A relationship with Malcolm.
[chuckles]
I-I don't even know what that looks like.
Well, makes sense that you would want one.
Does it?
I guess it's a little late. I mean, the...
the man is sick, and he has other things on his mind, so...
Yeah. That doesn't mean that you're not too.
He wouldn't want you to think that way.
I-I don't resent him, and I don't blame him.
It's nothing like that. But my mother...
my mother holding this back
and not telling me until Malcolm needed something--
I don't know how to feel about that part.
Look...
I know that Stephanie
feels like a weight has been lifted,
but she also feels a lot of remorse too.
And I hate to be mad at her, but...
and I know, I know how heavy that secret is to carry.
It's okay. It's your life.
You can feel however you wanna feel.
Except I'm not sure what that is.
I get it, okay?
You're feeling a lot of emotions, and it's scary.
Because when you've spent your life trying to
keep things drama-free,
feeling all this anger, it's uncomfortable.
Well, if you're trying to tell me that it's okay for me
to be angry at my mother...
I'm not sure I could fight it if I tried.
Tell me about your new career.
You look like a man who's pretty happy with his life.
Uh, business is great.
Working at Winters with my family--that's going well.
But, uh, growing up, seeing what people like my mom and you
brought to this world-- I couldn't wait to do the same.
And I loved being a doctor for a long time, but...
I'm not sure I ever developed the layer that...
gets you through the loss of a patient.
Yeah. A painful fact for all of us.
Maybe that's why when surgery was no longer an option,
I was able to move on.
People get saved through medicine without surgery
every day.
-But I love what I do now too. -Good.
Get to work with my family, you know, building a legacy.
Creating jobs where people can pay the mortgage,
go to a doctor, buy groceries.
I found satisfaction and purpose,
and like you said, I'm happy.
And I have great appreciation
for medical professionals still in it,
-fighting the good fight. -Against...
disease, fear, injury.
Neglect. Also time.
But when it works...
when you get to keep another soul in this world
to watch another sunset...
to have one more day with the people in their hearts...
it's science, yes,
but it's also magic.
But you're right. When it doesn't work,
when you can't pull it off,
when the universe doesn't respond to our efforts...
there's nothing worse.
How am I supposed to feel when I look back at my childhood?
I hated being the kid whose dad was dead,
and that is exactly what I was.
My teachers knew it. Students knew it.
Their parents knew it.
And, sure, there were a bunch of parents who were divorced
and maybe some kid's parent traveled for work,
but there was no one else like me--
the kid with the dead dad.
And, sure, you know, I heard all of the stories
about the great Dr. Jerry Novak
and I saw the photos.
But when I heard other kids talking about their fathers...
when I saw how their dads
would show up to their school performances
or their games...
My mother doesn't know this.
I used to lie about my father,
pretending that he was alive...
that he was this amazing guy.
I'm making up all these stories about the...
the things we would do together.
Fishing. Playing catch.
It must have been really lonely
feeling like you had to hide the truth about your life.
It was easier than being pitied.
Having a dead parent--
it's the kind of thing that kids worry is contagious,
as if it's something that they could catch
and that could happen to them.
Look, you can't...
undo those moments of loneliness.
But Malcolm is a good person.
He's someone you can talk to, you know,
and he'll want what's best for you,
whatever that will look like.
But we won't get those years back, will we?
And we don't know how many more we have left, do we?
I mean, that is the reality we're talking about here, right?
That Malcolm and I were both robbed.
And that won't ever change.
Remember when we were just two people that didn't
know each other very well
but we had too much in common?
Yeah. We had a lot of talks
when Adam and Chelsea were in Baltimore.
Telling ourselves and each other
that everything was gonna be okay.
And stories.
And Ava.
And you understood.
'Cause of Delia.
I still dream about her.
The age that she was, the age that she would be now.
Do you ever?
Yeah.
Ava would be turning three.
Sometimes I swear I...
I can hear her in my dreams.
Her laugh. Her...talking.
And my whole body just knows it's her.
I like to think that D's with Katherine.
I hope she's proud of me.
How could she not be?
Well, because I failed her siblings.
I don't need you to defend me.
I'm just saying it's true, you know?
I mean, I've made mistakes.
I've said things, I've done things. I've...
reacted in ways...
and I cared more about myself than I did them.
And I'm not beating myself up,
but I'm also not letting myself off the hook.
I mean, I'm human, you know. I'm gonna make mistakes, but...
I'm a father, so I need to try harder.
I'm so afraid of failure sometimes, but...
You know, when you're a father, you--when you're a parent--
you quickly realize that it's not about you
and you gotta get the hell out of the way
for their sake.
So that's me.
That's where I'm at.
But you gotta trust me when I tell you
it's your feelings that matter the most.
-It's not just me. -No, listen.
Your heart takes priority, okay?
'Cause you carried Ava and you didn't get to raise her.
So you gotta be thinking about that again.
I'm telling you that we can do everything right,
and still...
Are you willing to risk that again?
So I really think that Devon and Nate
need to know.
-About me? -Yeah. I mean, they're family.
Nate and I have a biological connection
because his mom and my mom were sisters.
And then my family adopted Devon when he was a teenager.
So I'm not blood-related then.
Blood, no, but...
Malcolm was married to Nate's mom, Olivia.
So they're gonna see you as extended family.
You don't--you don't know that.
Yeah. That's just the way it is with our family.
But there's no guarantees that that'll be the case this time.
Well, I do think that they need to know.
And I would love to tell them as soon as possible.
Like now, if that's okay.
And you want me to be there when you tell them?
I mean, I think that's best, don't you?
I mean, best is beyond me right now,
and so is the worst, for that matter.
I just know that I, uh...
I wanna be in the loop from now on.
Okay. So...
can I call them right now?
There's, uh, no time like the present.
So I heard the movie theater's now a café?
[phone rings]
I'm sorry. Do you mind? This might be work.
Oh, sure, go ahead.
Hey, Lily. What's going on?
Hey, I need to see you and Devon, if you have time.
Everything okay?
Um, a family meeting. Not business.
But sooner is better, so, uh, can you come to Society?
Uh, yeah. Gimme a few.
I'll see you soon.
-Everything okay? -Yeah.
Sorry about that, Stephanie. Uh, that was my cousin Lily.
I need to head out to meet with her.
You've been wonderful, Nate.
Look, I hope I run into you before you leave.
That would be lovely.
Well, don't you be late on account of me.
I'll take care of the check.
It's already taken care of.
You shouldn't have.
You're my mother's dear friend.
We're practically family. Come on.
-Thank you. -Any time.
-See you soon? -Yes.
-NATE: Hey. -LILY: Hey.
I, uh, thought this was a family thing.
Yeah, uh, I'll explain.
Okay, so, what? It's the four of us?
What's up, Holden?
Um, can we sit down?
Just 'cause this is an important conversation,
-so sit, sit. -DEVON: Sure. All right.
I won't drag it out. I promise.
Um, so Holden and I found out
some...news recently.
Um, it turns out that
Malcolm is his biological father.
So we are half-siblings.
Malcolm?
-Malcolm is your father? -According to who?
That would be my mother, Stephanie Simmons.
She used to live here, and she--she knew Malcolm.
And your parents and Nate's mom.
So you're saying this happened while Malcolm
was still married to Olivia?
-He wouldn't. -He didn't.
My mother was, uh, she'd left town
by the time Olivia and Malcolm got together.
That's why she was in town.
Your mother.
I was just with Stephanie.
Sorry. Dr. Simmons.
Because of her connection to my mom.
She mentioned Holden but she never mentioned Malcolm.
So hang on. You just found this out?
Yeah. My mother came to tell me.
Malcolm just found out as well.
And he just happened to be in town too?
That's a lot of coincidences.
Well, Stephanie has her reasons for sharing it.
But the point is is that
Holden is family to me now, so he's family to all of us.
Look, I'm sure you have a lot of questions,
but you know almost everything that we do, so...
Oh, we know almost everything?
That'll have to be enough for now.
Now that you all have the headlines, I will...
I'll give you some privacy.
-No, you don't have to leave. -No, it's fine.
My mother would like an update. And I'm sure...
I'm sure you would all like to talk.
So tell me how you really feel.
You've always known
what losing Ava did to me.
Feeling like I was never gonna be whole again.
Feeling like I was marked.
Like people would just look at me and they would just know
that I was...broken.
[whispering] When I lost Ava...
I lost myself.
And a million little moments
that we were never gonna get to have together.
And I know
that I would have messed up as her mom.
I know it, and I would have tried to do better.
But either way, I would have loved her with all of my heart.
But I never got that chance.
I survived.
And I felt so guilty and ashamed for surviving.
I'm grateful you're here.
How do I do it again?
I mean, what if all I feel is fear?
I mean, what does that do to the baby?
You know, what if I can't dream or what if I can't hope
or what if I can't... get excited?
And if I do get excited and I do dream and I do...
...fall in love before she or...
[laughs] he...
even has a name, I mean, what--
What if it happens again?
But I...
I do know that you're gonna...
you're gonna be there.
Being with you, Sally...
is all I can ask for.
You didn't tell me that you were seeing Nate.
I didn't know it myself.
I was at the bar having a drink. He heard my name.
-We just started talking. -And he didn't say anything
about how I rubbed him and Devon the wrong way, huh?
When. [laughs] How?
Son, are you just making assumptions?
Because he didn't say anything like that.
That's fair. It's just that I have a history
with some people here, which means I might not be
on the invite list for the family dinner anytime soon.
If ever.
So you're calling Holden family,
but, like, Tucker's technically our family.
So you hear where I'm going with this, right?
-Yes. -Okay.
What are you thinking where Holden's concerned?
I don't know. I mean, there's time to figure that out.
I say this with love and respect,
but Damian is proof that time isn't infinite.
And I'm not trying to push you
one way or the other, Lily, but...
You know what? Forget I said anything.
This is your decision.
No, I agree about the time thing, but I just...
I have a lot that I'm thinking about right now,
so everything else will have to wait.
-Is this about Cane again? -What's he done now?
No, it's not Cane.
Well, then, it's gotta be about Malcolm.
The guy shows up to town and then leaves right away
even though he has a son he didn't know about that's here?
Is Devon right?
We can't help unless you tell us.
[phone rings]
Oh, it's Malcolm. I have to take this.
Malcolm, hi. Um, did you get the information?
What were the results?
You know, people don't mean any harm...
But when you lose a child and someone says, "I can't imagine,"
they're right, they can't.
There might be a fear in the back of your head, but...
it's a million times worse than that fear.
Yeah, that's true.
But if the best happens instead of the worst...
and you get to carry that little life in your hands...
You get a chance to do everything right...
But you're still gonna fumble every now and again.
Well, "being human means making mistakes."
"Being a parent means trying to do better."
No, that's good. I mean, that's profound.
Who said that? I'm gonna steal that one.
I will write it down for you later.
Appreciate you.
Can we do the rest of this later too?
Talking, thinking, figuring out what comes next?
Heck, yeah.
We'll go side by side as a team?
You make that sound like a question.
That's a certainty.
We will go side by side.
As a team.
Always.
This is none of your doing or choice--it was all mine.
So if you need me to help you to smooth things out--
What does that say if I need my mother
to handle this for me?
And whatever happens... it'll be okay.
Now you sound like Malcolm.
I sound like a man I don't really know.
But you will.
And this family of his, they--
Your family.
They have a lot to deal with.
-So do you. -Mom.
I am not one of them.
And...and maybe it's better that way.
Give yourself time to work through this.
As I imagine they will do the same.
Neither of the kids?
No, I mean, that--yeah. It's okay. We'll just--
We'll move on to the next option.
Yeah. I'm actually-- I'm here with Devon and Nate,
and it would be a lot easier...
Yeah.
I love you.
You okay?
Hey.
It's okay.
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Captioning provided by Bell Dramatic Serial Company,
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