Previously…
– Zane asked Diane for help getting an I.T. job at KBAY.
– Molly continued to cope with her unexpected pregnancy, as she and Brent remained at an awkward distance from one another.
– Jake’s doctors told his family that his fall so severely injured his kidneys that he would need a kidney transplant.

On the 18th story of Winston Tower in downtown King’s Bay, Molly Taylor sits cross-legged on the floor of her expansive office. In all her years of working here, she has seldom sat like this to work, but today, neither her desk nor the plush sitting area felt appealing. She tries to enjoy the stretch in her hips as she tests out the fabric samples resting before her, trying each for pliability, tautness, and a variety of other factors. And she is enjoying the change of pace, getting lost in her work, until the intercom connected to her phone buzzes.

She scrambles to pull herself to her feet, ever aware of her growing belly, and reaches the phone by the third buzz.

“Hi,” she answers as she picks up the receiver.

“Your, um, Mr. Taylor is here to see you,” her assistant says politely over the line.

“Oh.” Molly freezes, racking her brain to see if there’s any other Mr. Taylor who would be coming by the office. But she already knows it must be Brent. “Go ahead and send him in.” 

Moments later, she is collecting the fabric samples from the floor when there is a light knock at the office door.

“Come in!” she calls, and then Brent Taylor is standing before her with a paper grocery bag in his arms.

“Hi,” he says, sounding as awkward as Molly feels.

“Hi.”

They stand uncertainly for a long moment before Brent closes the door.

“Sorry to come by unannounced like this,” he tells her. “I’ve been thinking a lot, and… I haven’t known exactly how to come at this.”

“We have to face it eventually, one way or the other,” she replies coolly.

“I know. That’s why I brought a peace offering.”

He approaches the desk and hands her the grocery bag. Unsure what to expect, she accepts it and peers inside.

“Oh my god,” she says with a hint of a chuckle. “You didn’t.”

“I have no idea if you’re having the same cravings this time, but I remember during your pregnancy, it was always–”

“Cheese puffs and chocolate pudding.” Amused, she lifts the two items from the bag. “Thanks.”

“It’s still a disgusting combination.”

“I don’t combine them. I alternate eating them.”

“So you are craving them again.”

“A little bit. Yes.” She feels her body relaxing ever so slightly. “Thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do,” he says, his nervousness still apparent. “But I want to apologize for the way I’ve handled this so far — and let you know that you have my support. You have whatever you need from me.”

“We need to tell the boys soon. It’s getting…” She gestures at her bulging stomach, which is somewhat concealed by the loose tunic top she is wearing.

“Lucky for us, they’re self-involved teenagers. But we’ll tell them soon. Together.”

Molly isn’t sure how to respond. As thankful as she is that he is finally being open and active about the pregnancy, the past several weeks have been remarkably stressful.

“I didn’t expect that I’d be pregnant again at this point in my life,” she says, “but I really never thought I’d be going it alone.”

“You aren’t.”

She regards him skeptically before answering, “You coming here with snacks doesn’t mean I’m not alone.” 

“I’m here now. And I’m going to be here. For the doctor’s appointments, setting up a nursery, the delivery — whatever you need.”

“And what about Claire?” she asks, setting the groceries down on the desk more roughly than she intended. “How does she fit into all this?”

As she makes her way down a corridor in the basement of KBAY’s studio, Diane Bishop uses her thumb to flick through an e-mail on her iPhone. She is in the midst of mentally ranting to herself about people who abuse the reply-all function when she hears her name being called from somewhere behind her.

“Ms. Bishop,” the male voice says, causing her to stop and turn as she identifies it.

Sure enough, Zane Tanaka stands just outside an office door. He wears a dark suit, white dress shirt, and blue tie, and he has a messenger bag slung across his body.

“Zane,” she says with a scowl, for lack of anything more meaningful to say to him.

Nevertheless, he takes that as an invitation and hurries toward her.

“Just had my second interview,” he says excitedly. “They offered me the I.T. job.”

“Wow. Um, congratulations.” Part of her had hoped that she could do away with this entire situation simply by getting him in for an interview and letting him blow it himself.

“Thanks. I really can’t thank you enough for all your help.”

“I didn’t do much,” Diane says, lowering her phone to her side. “I brought your résumé to H.R.”

“I’m sure the push from one of the morning show’s hosts was a big help. I start Monday.”

“That’s great, Zane. I’m sure you’re very happy.”

“I am. Huge relief. Freelancing has been really cool, but I need the security, especially if I’m gonna be supporting Tori–”

Diane holds up a hand to stop him cold.

“Don’t forget that’s why I agreed to help you,” she tells him. “I’ve known Tori since she was a baby. She’s Samantha’s cousin and my best friend’s daughter. That girl has been through hell the last couple of years — in no small part thanks to you.” 

Zane’s expression darkens, and his lips part to protest, but again Diane cuts him off:

“I want you to keep that at the forefront of your mind every single moment. I don’t like what you’ve done to her or to Sarah, but my life would be a lot different if people hadn’t given me second chances. Now’s your chance to prove that you’re capable of changing.”

“I’m gonna prove it,” he says eagerly.

“Good. And if you don’t…” She allows the loaded silence to finish the thought for her, and she can tell by Zane’s face that he gets the message.

“Congratulations on the job,” she says, and without giving him the opportunity to respond, she turns and makes her way around the corner.

“Thanks,” Marcus Gray says to the waitress as she sets down his root beer in front of him.

Seated across the table from him in a leather-upholstered booth, Tori Gray holds her menu in one hand but doesn’t bother referencing it as she asks the waitress, “Could we have an order of chili cheese fries, please?”

With a gracious smile, the waitress nods, takes the menu from Tori, and departs. A song by Kelly Clarkson plays faintly over the speaker system of 322 Bar & Grill, which is relatively calm given that it is mid-afternoon.

“That sounds good,” Marcus tells his cousin, who is taking a sip of her just-delivered iced tea.

“I figure a snack can’t hurt,” Tori says. She places her glass back down on the table. “I’ll do some extra time on the elliptical tomorrow.”

“I’m never gonna say no to chili cheese fries.”

“Good. I’m glad we’re hanging out. The last few months have been…” Her gaze drops as she twists her lips together.

“Yeah.” Marcus drums his fingers against his glass. “I just wanna tell you again how sorry I am. I keep thinking about that crash–”

“Marcus, don’t. That was an accident. I shouldn’t have been having you drive at night in an area you didn’t know.”

“I should’ve known better. I keep thinking, if I’d been paying better attention, I would’ve stopped at that sign, and…” Again he trails off, pained by the memories. “I’ll never forgive myself for what happened to your baby.”

“It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. I’m the one who’s sorry. I should’ve made time to hang out with you sooner. Everything has just been so complicated.”

He accepts that with a sad nod before asking, “How’re you doing now?”

“Okay. Really. It gets easier every day. It hurts to think about Chiyo, but it has gotten easier.”

“Why’d you name her that?”

“It was Zane’s grandma’s name. It means, like, ‘a thousand generations.’ It felt right — like, we never got to know her, but she’ll be with us forever in her own way. I’m never going to forget about her.”

“That’s a really nice way to think about it. I hate that you have to go through this, though.”

“I’ll say it one more time: I don’t want you to blame yourself for any of this.” She reaches for her iced tea. “If anyone is to blame, it’s my dad. He caused the whole thing by deleting that text from Zane.”

“You guys really aren’t talking or anything?” Marcus asks.

“Not really. I don’t know how to start trusting him again. Between him and my mom, everything that’s happened since I met Zane has felt like one lie on top of another.”

“Still… maybe you shouldn’t waste the time you have with them. They won’t be around forever.”

Tori watches the way that her younger cousin’s eyes cloud with distress, and she suddenly feels like an idiot.

“I know you’ve gotta be so worried about your dad,” she hastens to say. “He’s gonna be okay. It sounds like the doctors have everything under control.” 

“If they can find someone to donate a kidney to him,” Marcus says glumly.

“They will.”

“I hope so. I got tested, but I haven’t heard back if I’m a match yet.”

“And if you are…?”

“Then I’m gonna do it,” he says with determination. “My mom was worried about me even getting tested — but I need to do it for my dad. If I’m a match, I’m donating a kidney to him as soon as I can.”

In the Intensive Care Unit of King’s Bay Memorial, Matt Gray stands a few feet from his brother’s bedside. The room is eerily quiet and still, save for the steady beeping of a few machines. Their rhythms are somehow ominous and soothing all at once; each sound is reassuring until it is over, leaving anticipation over whether the next iteration will be the same, reliable beep — or a more frantic, panic-inducing one.

But, at least for now, the machines remain regular, and Jake continues to lie in the bed, unmoving. It pains Matt to see him this way. He can’t shake the recollection of their last encounter. He can still see Jake in his mind, growing more heated, more frustrated. He can feel his own desperation to get through to his brother, to bring their latest feud to an end. And he can picture the horrific sight of Jake tumbling out the attic window, followed by the sickening sounds of him hitting the driveway below.

With a shudder, Matt attempts to shake off the memory. But the sight of Jake lying in this bed, unconscious and suffering from kidney failure as a result of his fall, is hardly any more pleasant.

“Matt,” he hears from the doorway. When he looks, he sees his sister-in-law standing there in surprise.

“Sorry,” Matt says. “Didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”

She remains in the doorway and folds her arms across the front of her leather jacket. Matt can see the anguish clearly in her eyes, too.

“I’ve been trying to come at off times,” he says. “So I wouldn’t be in your way. I’ll get going.”

He grabs his own Carhartt jacket from the nearby chair and moves for the door, but Mia doesn’t step out of the way.

“Wait,” she says instead. “You’re not in the way.”

Matt hesitates. “You sure?”

“Yeah. You’re Jake’s brother. Whatever has gone down between the two of you — you’re here when it counts. And I know he would appreciate that, too.”

“Thanks, Mia. I’m not so sure Jake would feel that way, but…”

“He’s not an unreasonable man, Matt. But after Marcus’s accident, he turned. It was like he couldn’t see through the rage or the blame.”

“I know. Maybe there was no point in me trying to talk him out of it.”

“I tried, too. Even as Marcus got better, Jake was — it was like he was operating purely out of fear.”

Matt draws in a sharp breath through his nose. “Because of what happened to Nicole.”

Mia responds with a sad nod. The machines continue their soft beeping.

“All I want is for my brother to be okay,” Matt says. “Even if he never forgives me, I need him to be okay. For you and for Marcus.”

—–

Tori hurries to insert the key in the front door of her and Zane’s apartment. When she turns it, however, she finds the door already unlocked. Excitedly she pushes it open.

“What’s the big news?” she asks even before she spots Zane, who is stationed at the counter of their small kitchen.

He beams as he announces, “You are looking at the newest employee of King’s Bay’s own KBAY radio station.”

“What?” She rushes over to give him a hug. “Are you serious? How?”

“There was an opening for an I.T. specialist. I asked Diane for help getting noticed my H.R.”

Tori draws back and screws up her face. “And she actually helped you?”

“She says she did it to help you. But yeah.” 

As she is still processing the news, Tori lets out a squeal and embraces him again. “Zane, that’s awesome. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks. Me having full-time work will really make a difference around here.” He uses a nail to pick at the peeling paint on the nearby half-wall. “And it gives you some breathing room to figure out what you wanna do.”

“You’re the best.” She stands on her tip-toes to reach up and peck him on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They remain rapt for several more seconds.

“I can’t believe Diane actually helped you,” Tori comments, still holding Zane’s hands in hers. “Maybe this is the start of everyone finally coming around. First my parents coming by on Christmas, now this.”

Zane frowns. “I don’t know about that. It was almost like she wanted me to remember that this puts me in her debt.”

“Still — it’s miles away from all of them trying to split us up.”

“I guess,” Zane says, wrapping his arms around her again even though he cannot wipe the concerned look from his face.

—–

A dark cloud seems to settle over Brent as soon as Molly asks her question.

“Claire won’t even take my calls,” he says at last. “I can’t say that I blame her.”

“I’m sure she’s hurting. I wish this had all gone differently,” Molly says.

“Me, too. But I can’t change what’s happened.” He shakes his head sadly but then looks up at Molly, focusing on her. “I don’t want you to think that me being upset about Claire means that I’m upset about the baby. They’re two different issues. I’m– I’m disappointed in myself for being so careless.”

“I understand that. And you’re right. Claire has every right to feel hurt.”

“For this to happen again… your family is going to hate me.”

“They won’t,” Molly insists. “And this isn’t like what happened with Sarah.”

Brent widens his eyes. “Mol. I fell in love with you while I was married to your sister.”

“No, we fell in love, and Sarah got competitive and manipulated you into marriage — and then got pregnant by another man and tried to pass the baby off as yours.”

All Brent can do in response is exhale loudly, though it does little to relieve the intense weight that he feels. He has been combing through both the dissolution of his marriage to Sarah and this recent mess over and over, as if there might be some secret clue that enables him to solve it all, but it only brings him back to one conclusion: that his own poor choices have put him in these situations.

“I’ll handle Claire, whenever she’s actually ready to face this,” he says. “In the meantime, I guess we have to start telling family.”

“Actually… someone does already know.”

“What?” he asks with alarm. “Who?”

“My mom. I broke down and told her. She came to my last doctor’s appointment with me.” Seeing his unhappy reaction, she quickly adds, “I couldn’t keep doing this alone.”

He swiftly chokes back his instinctive reply, knowing that he is in no position to criticize Molly’s choices right now — even if he dreads having to face the wrath of Paula Fisher as much as Claire’s vitriol.

“How does she feel about it?” he asks instead.

“She was shocked, obviously. But I think she understands that the way this all happened — the way our marriage ended and us never totally dealing with that — is complicated, and that what’s important now is making sure this baby is okay.”

Brent watches as she touches her hand to her stomach, and the reality that they are expecting another child together hits him all over again.

“That is what’s most important,” he says, though the storm of discontent continues to rage inside him. “And we’re going to make sure that this baby has as good a life as Christian and Caleb have had.”

“That’s all I want,” Molly says, tilting her head as she looks at him appreciatively.

—–

Marcus’s backpack bounces against his body as he rushes into his father’s hospital room.

“Mom,” he calls out before he even crosses the doorway. “I have–” But he stops short when he sees that his mother is there with his uncle.

“Hi, Marcus,” Matt says solemnly.

Marcus regards his uncle with uncertainty. “Hey.”

Mia forces a bright expression across her face. “Hi, baby. How was Tori?”

“You were with Tori?” Matt asks.

Marcus nods. “We had fries and stuff. But I had to come back here ‘cause I got a call–”

“What call?” Mia asks with concern.

“The doctor. They said my test — it was a match. I can donate my kidney to Dad.”

His mother inhales sharply. “Marcus — that’s a huge sacrifice. There could be a lot of consequences–”

“I don’t care. He’s my dad. And I’m the only match so far.”

Matt clears his throat, drawing their eyes toward him.

“Actually, you aren’t,” he says. “That’s what I wanted to tell you, Mia. I got tested, and I’m a match, too.”

Marcus and Mia both stare at him in surprise.

“If it’s okay with you guys,” Matt continues, “I’d like to be Jake’s donor.”

END OF EPISODE 1006

Will Mia and Marcus consent to Matt’s proposal?
What will Jake’s reaction to Matt’s offer be?
Can Molly and Brent find a way to navigate this pregnancy?
Discuss all this and more in the comments below!

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