Three Men and a Baby
It's true. Sharon is preg-o! "After having thee babies [including a girl who died after a premature birth in 2002], she knows the symptoms," sighs Sharon Case. "She takes a pregnancy test and it comes out positive."
Initially, Sharon is overwhelmed. Case says that Sharon's life is such a mess right now, the last thing she needs to deal with is an issue as big as pregnancy. "It's bad timing. She's trying to decide what to do and considering all of her possible options. Even if you're somebody who doesn't personally believe in abortion, it still crosses your mind at a time like this."
As we know, Sharon has been having sex with Jack, Nicholas and Billy -- and any of those three men could be the father. Phyllis couldn't have been more right when she called Sharon a "tramp." According to Case, "This doesn't make Sharon look good. It's funny, all the things she said about Phyllis when she was pregnant and there were only two men who could have been the father!"
Later, Sharon heads to the GCAC to think about the mess she's in. As her mind races, she sees a disheveled Jack coming down the stairs and she realizes that he spent the night with another woman (the lucky lady was none other than Mary Jane). Depressed, Sharon decides to tell her mother she's got a bun in the oven. "That's bad enough, but she also says that one of three guys is responsible," groans Case. "Doris didn't know about Billy, so Sharon tells her about him. That's kind of embarrassing to tell your mom. Thank God, they're in a restaurant so there can't be an explosive scene. Sharon is trying to keep it quiet so no one else hears."
Doris is less than thrilled. "She gives that usual quiet, disapproving look," chuckles Case. "You need your mom because you can trust her, but at the same time, you know their advice is not going to be what you want to hear."
Later, Sharon turns up at Restless Style to tell Nick, but Phyllis makes it impossible. Frustrated, Sharon picks another potential daddy to confide in. "Jack is in his office when Sharon walks in looking very lost," says Peter Bergman. "Then she just blurts out that she's pregnant."
Jack's response is a happy one. "His immediate reaction is joy," grins Bergman. "This is only good news to Jack. he's thrilled that he has a connection to this woman who he absolutely loves."
Even after he comes to the realization that he might not be the father, Jack remains thrilled. "It's still great news," says Bergman. "Jack realizes that Sharon is reaching out to him. This is a chance for him to step up and fix things. Jack can finally make things right. To him, it's a wonderful situation!" Jack tells Sharon that he will help raise the baby, even if Nick is the father. "Jack is coming from a place of love for Sharon. This child and the opportunity to build a family with Sharon is everything to him. It's not Jack playing games, but he's maybe manipulating a situation a little to his advantage. He's ready to be the father. He feels it was meant to be. She asks if it will bother him that he may not see any of himself in this child, but he says he'll see her and that's good enough for him." Needless to say, Sharon is grateful. She asks for time to consider her options and Jack is more than happy to oblige.
After Sharon leaves, Billy pops in and senses that his brother is distracted by something. When he asks what's going on, Jack reveals that Sharon is pregnant. "Billy goes into this quiet panic," laughs Billy Miller. "It's like a heart attack, a sneeze and breaking wind all happening at the same time while he's trying to smile. The only thing he can really say is, 'Congratulations!' Billy is faking it, and Jack is buying it."
Completely stunned, Billy heads to confront Sharon. "He tells her, 'This is crazy! If Chloe finds out about this, she's going to kill us all because she's already a little nuts!' But Billy also says that if this baby is his, he won't lie about it. Then Jack walks in on them and Sharon covers because she's a great lady."
Finally, Sharon decides it's time to come clean with Nick and tracks him down at the park, where he's having a play date with Summer. Just as she's about to reveal the truth, Summer takes a tumble and hurts herself. Sharon and Nick rush her to the ER and Phyllis shows up. Immediately, Phyllis isn't pleased to see Sharon but she's more worried about her injured daughter.
As Sharon watches Phyllis with Nick, she is affected. "She sees them with Summer and decides she doesn't want to disrupt Nick's life," says Case. "Sharon thinks it's better not to say anything to him for now. But obviously, she's not going to be able to hide her pregnancy forever. She needs a plan."
Later, Sharon goes back to Jack and tells him that she has accepted his offer -- she wants to raise her baby with him. "She could say it's Jack's baby for now and then everybody's minds will be at ease. She wants to wait and find out who the real father is instead of stirring up trouble for everybody."
Jack is thrilled. Explains Bergman, "He wants Sharon. He will take her as he can get her. When Sharon comes back to him, he's optimistic, hopeful and ready to raise this child with her." That happiness and optimism might me short-lived, however. Explains Case, "Sharon has every intention of being truthful and doing the right thing, but now she's wondering: What is the right thing? Maybe it's not disrupting so many lives. It'll be interesting to see how long she can keep this a secret..."
The Gloves are Off!
We know it's a soap, but still... why didn't any of these guys use protection?
BERGMAN: "Jack is married to Sharon! There was nothing to consider there. I'm sure he wondered, 'What if she got pregnant?' But he would be more like, 'Yeah, what if?!'"
MORROW: "Nick and Sharon have so much emotional history that he just didn't stop to think of the ramifications. It's like, 'I love this woman and I have this chance to be with her, so I'm not going to waste time searching for a jimmy.'"
MILLER: "I'd like to think that Billy broke his condom! [laughs] I have a theory that everyone in Genoa City is wealthy and very Roman Catholic. They don't believe in condoms or heaters. So during the winter, everyone has to keep warm. That's all I can think of."