Previously…
– Jaq accepted the job in Portland and left King’s Bay.
– Claudia Bishop arrived in town to see her comatose granddaughter, Samantha.
– A letter from the late Dr. Longo made Molly and Brent believe that their child had actually lived and was a girl.
– Stunned by Molly and Brent’s theory that Gabrielle could be their child, Travis agreed to do a DNA test on her.

“Whoa!” Trevor Brooks exclaims.

Finn Campbell, who is holding open the front door of the house that he rents from Trevor, reacts with surprise. “What?!”

“Those plants in the corner. They’re new. And tall!” Trevor says.

“Yeah, I thought a snake plant and a small tree would be a nice touch in here.” Finn closes the door. “I hope it’s okay I have some plants.”

“Of course it’s okay. It’s just weird seeing different stuff in my parents’ living room — I mean, not that it’s theirs anymore, but…”

“I get it. Can I get you anything?” 

“A coffee would be great,” Trevor says. “If you have some.”

“You’re in luck. Follow me.” Finn leads the way down the short hallway that leads to the eat-in kitchen and adjoining family room. He picks up a steaming mug of coffee from the counter. “With a splash of oat milk and half a packet of Splenda.”

Wide-eyed, Trevor accepts the coffee. “How’d you know that?”

“I’ve seen you make it enough times at the office! Duh.”

“Well, thanks.” Trevor leans against the kitchen island and blows on the hot coffee. “Jaq‘s already gone?”

“Yeah,” Finn says as he pours himself a cup of coffee. “They said they texted you just to say thank you and to let you know they were going. But they had to leave today to start the new job.”

“That was fast.”

“Very. I’m sad to see them go — they were a great roommate, for one–“

“Aside from the whole getting-arrested thing,” Trevor says dryly. Before Finn can respond, he raises one palm. “I know you two were friends. And I’m sympathetic to Jaq, I am. But Samantha is a close friend, and Tempest is basically family. None of what Jaq did was cool.”

“I understand. Really. I appreciate you even letting Jaq stay here after that all went down. I know they did, too.”

Trevor nods and takes a careful sip of coffee.

“But Jaq leaving is what I want to talk to you about,” Finn continues. “I know they weren’t actually on the lease–“

“We’ll find you another roommate.”

“That’s the thing. I’m going to try my best. But to find someone and get them in here before rent is due again — not only someone I’d feel comfortable living with, but someone you’d feel okay about having in your family’s home…”

“You’re worried about making rent?”

Finn draws in a breath before answering, “Yeah. This is awkward… but I really can’t afford to cover the full rent, at least not on such short notice. I know I can find someone else given some time…”

“You don’t need to stress about this,” Trevor says. 

“I mean, I am stressing.”

“Well, don’t.” Trevor sets down the coffee mug. “You’re a great tenant. And you’re a friend. It won’t kill Alex and me to eat half the rent for one month. We’re renting this place out as much out of sentimentality as out of financial need.”

“Are you serious? Trevor, that’s… that’s so generous.”

“One hundred percent. Don’t worry about it this month.”

“Oh my god. Thank you!” Finn surges forward and throws his arms around Trevor gratefully. 

The close contact takes Trevor by surprise, but he feels the strength of Finn’s arms — despite the other man being a few inches shorter and a bit slighter of build — encircling him. And he has to admit that it feels good. He closes his arms around Finn’s back in return.

“I promise. Not a big deal,” Trevor says, quickly dropping his hold. Finn lets go and takes a step back, as well.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Finn tells him.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to Alex today, and I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

Finn smiles warmly at him. “You’re the best.”

“I don’t know about that,” Trevor says with a laugh as he reaches for his coffee again.

—–

Travis Fisher paces back and forth in the apartment’s small living room, holding his cell phone to his ear. He looks down at the soft prints his feet have left in the carpet as he talks.

“Great. We’ll schedule an appointment soon,” he says. “I just need to check with my wife.”

He hears a key in the front door lock and tenses up. 

“I’ll let you know as soon as possible,” he says into the phone. “Thanks. Bye.”

Quickly he ends the call, just as the door opens and Rosie Jimenez steps into the apartment. She is still in her dark blue KBPD uniform, her hair tied back in a neat but casual ponytail. 

“Hey,” she says, but before she even finishes speaking the syllable, her gaze intensifies. Travis feels himself tightening up even more as she looks him over; he knows this focused, investigative mode of hers all too well.

“What’s going on?” Rosie asks, simultaneously dropping her bag onto the floor and clocking the phone clutched in his hand.

Travis hesitates, and Rosie moves toward him with urgency. 

“Is it Samantha?” she asks, her voice rising with panic. “Did something happen?”

He shakes his head. “No. No. I actually heard from my mom before — Sam’s condition is the same. Nothing to report.”

“That’s good.” Rosie exhales and then refocuses on him. “So what’s going on?”

Travis opens his mouth to speak but finds he has to force the words out. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Travis?” she says, furrowing her brow. “What’s going on?”

He lets out a sigh. “It’s about Gabrielle.”

“This is all so crazy,” Claire Fisher says in a hushed tone. She and her ex-husband stand in the hospital room where Samantha Fisher has been lying comatose for weeks; despite the seriousness of their conversation, Claire and Tim are doing their best to speak quietly, as if Samantha might hear them and be roused from her sleep.

“You’re telling me,” Tim replies. He has his arms folded, and the sleeves of his blue checked shirt are rolled up to the middle of his forearms. “The idea that Travis and Rosie could have been raising Molly and Brent‘s baby all this time…”

“Well,” Claire says, hands in the pockets of her blue scrubs, “we don’t know that that’s the case yet. The test could also prove that Gabrielle isn’t their child. What are the odds that our son and his wife just happened to adopt the same baby that your sister was told died at birth?”

Tim shrugs. “What are the odds that two babies were abandoned in King’s Bay during the same week?”

In the doorway of the hospital room, Claudia Bishop, who is carrying a paper cup of hot tea, stops short when she realizes that she is about to intrude upon a private conversation. She lingers just outside the entrance.

“I still don’t know that we can believe anything Dr. Longo said,” Claire tells Tim. “He was clearly shady and up to something.”

“You make a valid point,” he says. “At any rate, the DNA test should resolve this. I’m glad Travis agreed to have it done.”

“But someone is going to get their heart broken, whether it’s Travis and Rosie or Molly and Brent. And Gabrielle… she is as much our granddaughter as Peter is, you know?”

“She is,” Tim agrees, sighing sadly.

In the bout of silence that follows, Claudia takes the opportunity to step back into the doorway and clear her throat.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” the older woman announces. “I was hoping to spend a little more time with my granddaughter today.”

“Hi, Mrs. Bishop,” Claire says with a forced smile. 

“Hello,” Claudia greets her.

“Go ahead and sit with Samantha,” Tim says. “I should get something to eat.”

“And I need to finish my rounds,” Claire says. 

“I’ll be back to check in on Samantha a little later,” Tim adds, before he allows Claire to exit the room and then steps out after her. Claudia pulls a chair toward Samantha’s bedside and seats herself next to her motionless granddaughter.

—–

“Junk… junk… yet another statement from the pediatrician’s office,” Trevor says as he tosses pieces of mail onto the dining room table.

His husband stands across from him in the dining room of their cozy bungalow. Alex picks up the white envelope printed with the return address of their son’s doctor.

“I’ll mentally prepare to open this and then call them in the morning to debate it,” Alex says with a laugh.

Trevor flips through a few more mailers and other pieces of junk mail. As he gathers the ones he has strewn on the table, he says, “I stopped by the house earlier.”

“Is Jaq all moved out?”

“Yeah. They left earlier today. I guess the new job starts right away.”

“That was fast,” Alex says. “Does Finn have any leads on a new roommate? Or should we be posting ads?”

“He’s going to work on it,” Trevor says, letting the end of his statement dangle in the air in a way that Alex knows quite well.

Alex cocks his head to one side. “What does that mean?

“Just that he’s going to start looking for someone.” Trevor busies himself with stacking the mail in a neat pile. “But… I told him not to stress out if he can’t find someone for this coming month.”

“So you told him we would eat half the rent?”

“I said it wasn’t the end of the world if he couldn’t find someone that quickly.”

“How much effort do you think he’s going to put into finding someone if he knows he can live there for the month and still only pay half?” Alex asks, his tone growing sharper.

“Well– also–” Trevor stumbles over his response. “I don’t want just anyone living in my parents’ house. “This isn’t some dump we’ll rent out to any old college student.”

“Of course not. But you should’ve asked me first.”

“And what would you have said? That we should make Finn go broke over this? He’s an executive assistant — I know what he makes–“

“He’s also our tenant,” Alex says. “Yet you’re prioritizing him over me.”

“I am not!” Trevor retorts.

“Really? Because it sounds like you made a unilateral decision about our family’s finances without even checking with me.”

“I’m sure he’ll find someone. And I’m going to put up some ads–“

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re putting Finn and his situation ahead of ours.”

“He’s a friend,” Trevor says. “And a coworker. Not just some random tenant.”

“It sure sounds like the two of you have gotten really close,” Alex says. 

“What’s that supposed to me?”

The spouses remain locked in a staredown for several seconds.

“I wish you had asked me first. That’s all.” Alex swallows the lump that has formed in his throat. “I have to go pick up Chase.”

Trevor checks the time on his Apple Watch. “That birthday party isn’t over for, like, two more hours.”

“Well, I could use some fresh air.” Alex grabs his keys from peg by the front door. “I’ll see you later.”

“Alex–“

“I’ll see you later,” Alex repeats as he quickly opens the door, steps through it, and closes it behind himself. 

Trevor lets out a groan and tosses the mail over the table again, causing it to scatter in every direction.

—–

A heavy silence fills the air inside Travis and Rosie’s apartment. They sit on opposite ends of the sofa, facing toward one another. 

“I don’t know what to say,” Rosie declares at last. 

“I’m still in shock, too,” Travis says. “When my aunt and uncle showed up here, I had no idea what it could be about.”

“There are some pretty big leaps in this story of theirs.”

“I know. It’s– it’s all so farfetched.” 

Rosie slaps her hands down on her uniform-covered legs. “So we’ll just tell them no. End of story.”

“What?” Travis replies with surprise. “We can’t…”

“We can! We’re her parents.”

“Elly made it very clear they’d go through the courts if they had to.”

“Then let them go through the courts! I’m not subjecting Gabrielle to a DNA test on some crazy whim of your aunt’s.”

“They assured me it would only be a swab,” he says. “And besides — I know it sounds nuts, but it’s not a totally unreasonable thing to think.”

“That some doctor was being paid by Loretta Ragan, delivered their baby, told them it was a boy but that he’d died, but it was actually a girl and she lived and he happened to drop her off at my workplace? That’s the definition of unreasonable.”

“Still,” Travis says, “a DNA test would resolve this whole thing quickly.”

Rosie grits her teeth. “Your aunt has been wanting this forever. Remember what she said at our wedding? At our wedding. Right in front of us. She said we were unfit parents–“

“She just meant that we’re young–“

“Are you taking her side now?” Rosie hops up from the sofa. “Call them back and tell them no.”

“They’ll just take us to court!”

“Then I’ll call Brent and tell him no, and if he wants to take us to court, he can take us to court.”

“Rosie,” he says, standing up as well, “all I want to do is get this cleared up–“

“And what if the results say she’s theirs?” she exclaims. “What then?”

Travis sets his jaw. The thought has been circling around in his head ever since Molly, Brent, and Elly showed up this morning, but he refuses to let it take root. It can’t. 

“We’re so close to officially adopting her,” he says.

“Yeah,” Rosie says coldly. “I’m going to see if our daughter is up from her nap. Okay?”

“Okay.”

She storms toward the bedroom. Travis remains in the living room, wondering how this could possibly turn out all right.

END OF EPISODE 1136

Will Rosie allow the DNA test to happen?
Should Tim and Claire get involved in the dispute over Gabrielle?
Does Alex have a point about Trevor and Finn?
Discuss all this and more in the comments below!

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