Victor, Nicholas and Victoria were all silent when Nikki demanded to know what was going on. Vicki tried to sway everyone's attention to the fact that they should be concentrating on Cassie right now, but Nikki had no plans on taking no for an answer. She asked where Sharon was, and finally they told her she had left. Incredulous at hearing that bit of news, she asked if she knew about Cassie, and everyone just shook their heads no. Once again, Vicki tried to sway the conversation and asked for everyone not to get into, but Nikki was not having it. She asked one more time what was going on, and this time she directed the question at Vicki. She replied "no way," that she was not going to get in the middle of everything and that Nick should tell her. When Nick began to open his mouth, Victor jumped in and tried to gently explain the situation. He stressed the fact that he had taken the pain pills and had a few shots of liquor and went on to tell that Nick saw him kissing Sharon. Nikki was totally aghast and kept repeating what she had just heard to make sure she was not losing her mind. After hearing the whole story she reared back and slapped Victor, calling him a bastard and storming out of the waiting room. Victor looked old.

When Isabella walked into the apartment and saw Chris, she immediately demanded to know what was going on. Chris stuttered and said they were just chatting and tried to leave, but Isabella was livid. Paul looked on curiously, as he didn't know the situation between Kelly and Isabella. She screamed at Paul that she couldn't believe he was letting her get away with this, and Paul quickly said he felt it best if Kelly left immediately, which she did hastily. After she left, Isabella told Paul she had spoken with Michael Baldwin about the situation, which set Paul off. He asked why she just didn't come to him, a private detective, and she screamed to him that he hadn't exactly been there for her lately. She also admitted to telling Michael what had happened between Paul and Chris, which did not make Paul happy at all. She stopped everything by telling him she didn't want to fight—she was there to see her son and to return to her home. They agreed Paul would be the one to sleep on the couch.

At Chris's apartment, she told Lynn what had happened. She asked Chris if she was glad the whole Kelly Simmons thing was over, and told her Isabella had told Michael about her and Paul the night of Ricky's christening. Her immediate reaction was "Poor Michael!" but Lynn gave it to her with both barrels, saying Michael was getting what he deserved. That didn't sit well with Chris, but Lynn didn't care; she was happy Michael was in pain.

Colleen and Lily were at the coffee house talking about Lily's home situation. Lily told her the latest, and commented that it didn't seem like the adults were doing what they really wanted to be doing. As she was speaking, Neil and Dru were frolicking around the apartment and sharing some cheesecake. As they were eating, the phone rang—it was Jack asking Dru to make an appointment to discuss a new proposition. The call made her happy and she and Neil continued to celebrate. Meanwhile, Olivia and Wes were both in shock at what they had done, and were in the bed talking about it. They teased each other about their respective performances and then just decided to enjoy the moment.

Ashley came back into the office and went to go visit Jack. He was smiling because of a phone call he had gotten—Jabot was about to acquire an African American cosmetics company. He gleefully mentioned the coincidence of Drucilla paying him a visit looking for a job, and Ashley immediately vetoed the idea implying Dru was too old. Jack took a moment to look at her, and noticed how good she looked. He asked what was going on in her life and she told him she and Brad had recommitted themselves to their marriage, and that she was pregnant. He looked absolutely thrilled, but mentioned the Abby-Victor situation. She stopped him, saying she just wanted to be happy about this, and he dropped the subject right away.

Drucilla went to see Ashley at Jabot, hoping that the company was going to offer her a modeling job. Ashley agreed that a potential new acquisition on the horizon might mean an opportunity for Dru, but before she would give Jack her support in hiring Dru, she needed to know she could trust her. Dru assured her that Jabot would not regret hiring her, and Ashley said she wasn't talking only about work. She reminded Dru that she'd betrayed her trust once, and she needed to know that wouldn't happen again. Dru said she'd already apologized for that, and Ashley had no reason to think she would expose Victor's paternity of Abby. Ashley said she didn't even want to hear those words out of Dru's mouth, ever again. She then left, saying she would consider everything before she made her decision, and Dru seemed sure that she would have another job soon.

Nikki joined Nicholas in Cassie's room after having spent the night in the chapel all night. The two of them talked about their disappointment in Victor, and Nikki said that with everything she'd learned lately, sometimes she felt she didn't know him at all. Once she implied that she knew a secret which, if Victor knew it, could mean the end of their marriage, Nicholas told her perhaps it was best if she told Victor the truth and let that be the end. He felt she'd be better off without Victor. It hurt Nikki to hear Nick talk that way about his father, and she said it wasn't fair to blame him for things he didn't even know. She also had a few harsh things to say about Sharon, including calling her a tramp. Nick told her that he didn't want to hear any criticism of his wife. If his father had not instigated it, the kiss never would have happened between Sharon and Victor. In any case, he wanted Sharon to come home because Cassie needed her, and her presence might make a difference in whether or not Cassie got well. Nikki finally noted how exhausted Nick was and told him to go home and sleep. She promised she would call him if anything changed in Cassie's condition, and Nick left after kissing his daughter good-bye.

Neil came to see Victor at the hospital, offering his sympathy and prayers. When he realized that Victor was blaming himself for what happened to Cassie, Neil reminded him that Victor might be powerful, but he wasn't that powerful. Victor agreed, but regretted the way events were tearing his family apart. Later, Ashley arrived at the hospital to offer Victor support, having heard that something had happened to Cassie. She questioned why Victor's family wasn't there with him, and Victor admitted that he'd set in action a chain of events that had caused a terrible rift between him and Nicholas. When Ashley found out Victor had information that might change things, she encouraged him to be honest with his son. But Victor said doing so might destroy any chance Sharon and Nick had of a reconciliation. He would rather have Nick blame him than cause any barrier between Sharon coming back to her husband and daughter. Although Ashley understood his words, she didn't understand what they meant. Nonetheless, she embraced Victor to offer him comfort, and Nikki came from Cassie's room to see the two of them holding each other.

Andy went to see Diane and was distressed to see what terrible shape she was in. He told her it was time for her to start living again and suggested that she start working as a positive means to that end. Diane said that it was too soon; she couldn't bear the pain of having been manipulated by Jack and Phyllis into giving up her son, who was her entire life. Andy said that if she didn't get herself out of the state of mind she was in, she'd be letting Jack and Phyllis win. When he asked if that was what she wanted, Diane said that she wanted revenge against them. Andy reminded her that kind of thinking hadn't worked for her in the past. She was becoming a woman he didn't know anymore and didn't want to be around. He would rather see the Diane who was strong and good.

Jack and Phyllis were exhausted after several nights of listening to Kyle cry for his mother. Kyle's behavior was making Phyllis doubt if what they'd done was right. She also had no confidence in her own ability to be a mother to Kyle. The only chance she'd ever had at that had ended up with her loss of Daniel. Jack assured her that this was a temporary adjustment for Kyle. He believed in time, Kyle would be okay. Nothing that was happening was any reflection on Phyllis's ability to be a good mother. Even the court had been willing to give her and Jack custody. Phyllis countered that maybe she'd just been the lesser of two evils. Jack then said their best solution might be to get Diane's help with Kyle, which was the last thing Phyllis wanted to hear.

John Abbott went to see Katherine to discuss the situation with Jill and Liz Foster. When he expressed sympathy for what Jill was going through, and how finding out she was adopted had been causing her to reassess her life, Katherine said it was just something Jill wanted to use as an excuse. For every rotten thing that Jill could remember doing, she now would say she couldn't help it; she was adopted. John didn't agree.

As Jill was thinking of the day she'd humiliated herself with Frederick and Anita, Larry came into her office. He was surprised to find her in another bad mood. He'd hoped their romantic interlude at the Colonnade Room had helped her get over that. But Jill insisted that her preoccupation with the news that she was adopted wasn't going to go away. She needed to know the truth. Larry didn't really understand that and warned her to be careful what she wished for. After getting her agreement that they would see each other later, he left. Shortly thereafter, Frederick came in. At first Jill was embarrassed, remembering their last meeting that Anita had interrupted. Frederick admitted that Anita had reserved a room at the Lodge so they could try to recapture something that had been missing from their marriage for a long time. He didn't intend to apologize to Anita on Jill's behalf again. If she hadn't been able to forgive them, then Frederick was just going to let it go. When he questioned what was going on with Jill and expressed sympathy for her mother's illness, Jill finally admitted that she'd just found out she was adopted. She couldn't understand why no one could see how that made her feel, or why she would want to know the truth about her biological parents. Frederick said that he understood; after all, lots of adopted people tried to find out about their birth parents. In fact, if she decided to look for answers, he would help in any way that he could. Jill was touched by his offer of help, especially since she felt that no one else in her life understood.

Outside Cassie's hospital room, Ashley and Nikki argued about whether or not Nikki should tell Victor about being the father of Abby. Nikki was very serious about just getting it over with and Ashley pleaded with her not to ruin the lives of others as well as her own.

Inside the room, Victor spoke encouraging words to his granddaughter. He told her that the two of them had something in common. They both met their mothers later in life and were very strong fighters. He begged her to be strong and come back to them.

Jack and Phyllis tried to work something out that would help Kyle adjust to living with them. Phyllis was sure that Diane didn't really love her son because she was not insisting on being with him. Phyllis related her own feelings when she lost Danny and Jack understood. As they talked, Andy encouraged Diane to reach out to her son. She was suspicious of Jack and Phyllis and just knew that Phyllis would gloat at her and hold her son in front of her to make things worse. Diane was a wreck – her hair was a mess and she hadn't been out in days. Andy talked her into calling the Abbott's. Phyllis answered and Diane didn't have the courage to say anything.

Larry walked in on Jill and Frederick talking about finding her birth parents. He realized that Jill had been influenced by Frederick when they talked. He wanted her to go out with him that night, but she wouldn't go. She had something to do. He left, somewhat disappointed and headed for the bank.

Meanwhile, Jill asked her mother to come to her office. She wanted to know what Elizabeth knew about her birth parents. Liz kept telling her not to do it – when people give up their children, it means that they have problems. She was not help anyway – her husband had brought Jill home one day and had offered not other information about her parents. Jill was convinced that she had to look, no matter what Liz said.

Anita came to the bank to take Frederick to lunch. He hadn't remembered those plans and was too busy to go. He was also too busy to go out for supper and be home alone together that evening. He had a conference call with people in Singapore taking place. She was suspicious about him spending more time with Jill and knowing too much about her personal life. She walked off angry.

Soon Larry arrived at Frederick's door. He stated that he and Jill were very tight and that he believed that it was best that she not look for her birth parents. He wanted to know what Frederick had said to her.

Jack was annoyed when Andy came to his house and began questioning the way Jack was handling the situation with Kyle and Diane. Jack was sure Diane had manipulated him into getting involved, but Andy said she didn't know he was there. He accused Jack of only being able to see how Diane had wronged him. Though she had made mistakes and chosen bad methods, all she'd ever wanted was to build a family for her little boy. Now she was devastated over the loss of him, and Andy refused to see her vilified just so Jack could justify what he'd done to her. Jack, in turn, believed Andy's true motive for being there was to stick it to him for their past together, when Jack had once taken Diane from him. He said he'd done Andy a favor. If Diane was capable of loving anyone, including her son, she'd have shown an interest in him. Andy said that Diane was staying away so Kyle could bond with Jack and Phyllis. She wanted her baby to adjust to his new surroundings. When Andy asked how Kyle was doing, he could tell from Jack's reaction and the dark circles under his eyes that things weren't going as well as Jack was pretending. He advised Jack to let Diane be a part of the transition, for all of their sakes.

Phyllis brooded on the patio of Crimson Lights, trying to figure out another way to help Kyle adjust without getting Diane involved. When Diane joined her, Phyllis said she'd rather be sitting with Saddam Hussein. Diane reminded Phyllis that she had won; why wasn't she acting that way? When Phyllis continued to gripe, Diane told her that life was too short; she needed to lighten up. She then pretended like she was doing well, refusing to give Phyllis the satisfaction of knowing how upset she was. She said she had time to devote to her career, and she'd be able to travel anywhere she wanted. When Phyllis said things were going great with Kyle, Diane said they might not always go so well. Phyllis then accused her of hoping that Kyle wasn't adjusting well. At that point, Diane finally lost her composure. In a trembling voice, she told Phyllis that she only wanted what was best for her son but she was in a lot of pain, and Phyllis of all people should understand that.

Larry Warton went to see Frederick Hodges about the situation with Jill. He said that Jill had been okay with letting the subject of her adoption die until after she'd talked to Frederick. Now she was determined to find her birth parents. Larry thought that was a bad idea. She was looking for people who'd given her up, and he felt that in the long run, what she could find out might hurt her even more. She had a family that she needed to be happy about having, including a mother who had loved her. Thus Frederick was doing the wrong thing by telling Jill to go ahead with the search. Frederick, in turn, wondered if Larry really knew Jill at all. For one thing, she was not the kind of woman who could be talked into anything. For another, this was something that was important to her. She was trying to answer some questions about her identity. When he quoted Socrates, saying the unexamined life is not worth living, Larry accused him of trying to put him down. Frederick said he wasn't doing that. He merely understood where Jill was coming from and supported her. She needed closure. Larry wondered when Frederick and Jill had become more than business colleagues. Had Frederick remembered to wear his wedding band when he talked to Jill? Frederick told him that he didn't like what Larry was implying and dismissed him with a "good day."

At the Chancellor house, Jill asked Esther if it would kill her to help her out a little by doing her laundry. Katherine came in and heard them arguing, and told Jill she wasn't to take her frustrations out on Esther. Esther worked for her and was doing a good job; that was all that mattered. After Esther left, Katherine was appalled to hear that Jill was going to search for her birth parents. She said it was an insult to Liz, who'd given her life to raising Jill. Jill said she wasn't doing it to hurt Liz, but she needed to have answers about where she came from. She thought it was wrong of Liz to have withheld information from her all these years. Katherine said that now it was common for adoptive children to get information, but when Jill was a girl, people didn't talk about those things. Before they could begin to argue again, they were surprised by the arrival of Jill's two brothers, Snapper and Greg Foster. Jill was delighted to see them, but she knew there was more to their visit than just coincidence. They admitted that Katherine had called them. Jill was annoyed with Katherine, who left so the three siblings could talk. They then told her their mother was scheduled for surgery in Genoa City the next morning. When Jill told them what she'd learned about her adoption, she saw that neither of them was surprised, which angered her even more. Snapper said Liz lived with his family; he was going to play things the way she wanted them played. Greg protested that he'd only just found out, but his first reaction was that he loved Jill as much as he ever had; she was his sister. Rather than argue, perhaps the three of them should be praying together for their mother. They were startled to hear Jill say that while she loved Liz and respected her, and she knew she owed her everything, she still wanted to find out who her birth mother was.

At the ranch, Nick was disappointed after talking to Doris on the phone and finding out she hadn't heard from Sharon. Victoria arrived to find out what was going on. Nick said Nikki had stayed with Cassie so he could get some rest. He was full of despair because the doctors said the next seventy-two hours were critical, and Cassie had shown no signs of coming out of her coma. When Victoria criticized Sharon for walking out on them without leaving any word about how and where to reach her, Nick said he didn't want Sharon blamed for what was going on with Cassie. She had no idea her daughter was in danger or she'd be there with her. In any case, he blamed their father and his pass at Sharon for her leaving. If it weren't for Victor, Nick and Sharon would not only have reunited, but Cassie wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed. Victoria was appalled to hear him say that. She wondered if Nick would take Sharon back if she came through the door. Nick said he wasn't thinking about all that. His only concern was Cassie. He desperately needed for his little girl to pull through, and he believed the sound of Sharon's voice or the feel of her arms around her would be all Cassie needed to wake up. Victoria apologized for striking out at him and held him, both of them hoping for Cassie's miraculous recovery.

Nikki watched as Victor tried to will his strength into Cassie as she lay in a coma. When he stood up, he asked her to sit with him and talk to him. Nikki said that Ashley had gone. When Victor wondered what they'd talked about for so long, Nikki said secrets, and the destructive power they had. Victor couldn't understand why Nikki was so hostile about Ashley. Didn't she know there was nothing going on between them? Ashley was merely being a supportive friend. Nikki said for him not to worry; she was sure Ashley would be coming around again, as she always did at any sign of trouble with the Newmans. Dr. Walker came in and told them how grim Cassie's prognosis was. He said he'd been trying to give Nick hope, but they needed to be prepared for the worst. After he left, Nikki remembered how Victor's strength had helped pull her back from death. Victor said that's what they needed to give Cassie now. Nikki told him that if it wasn't for their current family crisis, she'd be at the ranch packing now. Victor told her that he didn't blame her for being upset by what Nick had told her, but she didn't know the entire situation. What had happened wasn't significant and certainly wasn't the end of the world. Nikki said to spare her the details. She'd already taken all she could take. Their son believed that Victor's actions were responsible for the events that led to where Cassie was at that moment, and it very well could be the end of that little girl's world. Victor then demanded that she listen to him. He told her that he had not kissed Sharon. It had been the other way, in fact. Sharon had kissed him. Nikki stared at him, stunned by his words.