Special Reports
Mrs. Cook & Son!
Have a Heart
It was 1993 when a pregnant Nikki Abbott fell down a flight of stairs after an argument with Victor Newman. The fall caused the death of Mrs. Abbott's baby and the Abbotts donated the baby's organs.

Mrs. Suzanne Cook was not a resident of Genoa City but somehow managed to have her son, who needed a new heart, moved to the top of the donor list and got the heart.

On January 22, 2001, Jack Abbott recalled that day he claimed was "seven" years ago and miraculously, after a dinner engagement with Nikki Newman, Mrs. Cook and her son appeared at the Newman ranch.

The very first time Jack met Mrs. Cook's son the boy was introduced as John. However, later in the week the child was being called Jack as the two names are often interchangeable.

How the Cook's happened to be in Genoa City at the exact moment Jack needed the will to move on with his life was thought to have been the result of a summons issued by Nikki. Later, Mrs. Cook explained she and her son were in Chicago visiting her parents and because "it's a short drive" to Genoa City and because her son kept asking why he has a scar on his chest, Mrs. Cook said she felt the need to drop by.

Mrs. Cook thanked Nikki and Jack for being "two Guardian Angels" who helped when her son needed it the most and later, when their guests had left, Jack told Nikki, "You're an amazing woman" as seeing his baby's heart beating in the body of another child gave Jack the comfort he needed to move on with his life.

Genoa City News readers were livid at the time because donors and recipients are almost never revealed.

Dr. Scott Grainger
It was December 1993. Dr. Scott Grainger (we called him Dr. Gruesome in those days) had been diagnosed with one of those infamous unknown medical diseases. His condition rapidly failing, Dr Gruesome's short marriage to Lauren Fenmore was also on the rocks. "I am a woman of many needs and he simply cannot satisfy my desires" Fenmore told the Genoa City News. To clear his head, the doctor planned a getaway to Catalina island where he hoped to get a chance to "frolic with the buffalo" and gobble down "some of the best buffalo burgers this side of the Mississippi."

The trip didn't turn out well for Gruesome. His condition worse than ever, the good doctor soon found himself on his death bed spitting up chunks of red blood. At his side, Lauren didn't seem to notice. She did promise never to tell anyone that nurse Shelia Carter was alive and well and wanted by the cops for murder and kidnapping little Scotty "Big Guy" Grainger. As it turned out, Carter might just as well kept the kid because when Fenmore moved to Los Angeles the kid was never seen again.

How Fenmore handled telling little Scotty his father was dead was such a joke. "Daddy has gone to sleep and will never wake again" she told the confused kid.

Fenmore turned the funeral arrangements over to Dr. Gruesome's beloved sister, the creepy Crusader Bug who at one time was in love with her own brother! The Bug had a terrible time shedding a single tear for someone so close choosing instead to have detective Paul 'Clueless' Williams make the arrangements.

Lillie bell Barber

It was late 1993 when Lillie bell Barber, AKA the mother from hell, suffering from a severe case of depression in New York, was dumped on Dr. Winter's doorstep.

Mrs. Nathan Hastings at the time, Olivia was not a very good host. She sat her mother in a wheelchair and warned her to keep her hands off baby Nate Hastings. Nathan Hastings didn't like the intrusion either, telling his mother-in-law after a few days she had over-stayed her visit and he didn't appreciate not being able to have sex with his wife.

Dr. Hastings arranged for a 24/7 nurse to care for Lillie bell which seemed to be working until Lillie bell wandered off one day. At first, Dr. Hastings and sister Dru Barber thought their mother had been killed. Clutching a photograph of Lillie bell, Dr. Hastings prayed to God, "Please bring her back."

As usual, the people in Genoa City only pray when their dysfunctional lives have run amuck. Soon, Lillie bell was found collapsed outside Dr. Hasting's door. With Spanish music blaring in the background, Dr. Hastings and Ms. Barber got their mother onto a sofa and began rubbing her feet!

When Lillie bell came around, Dr. Hastings demanded to know why she had run off. Just as Lillie bell was trying to explain, Dr. Hastings told her to be quiet and then announced, "My mother has been through the ordeal of a lifetime", and in the same breath said that Lillie bell "in no uncertain terms" could stay as long as she wants.

The news literally blew Mr. Hastings away. Nathan packed his bags and moved out. Later that year, Dr. Hastings was hospitalized with a mysterious ailment. Nathan took custody of Little Nate. Lillie Bell, snuck into Nathan's apartment and took the boy to Olivia at the hospital. After a remarkable recovery Olivia was released from the hospital, she and Nathan reconciled and Lillie Bell resumed living in New York with her husband, Walter.

Michael Baldwin Arrives!

In court for a sexual harassment suit at the beginning of 1993, Michael Baldwin shocked Chris by submitting an illicit photo of Danny with Rebecca. Michael then proceeded to suggest that Chris and Danny were experiencing marital difficulties. When Rebecca learned of Michael's dirty move, she tried to blackmail him. Instead, Michael murdered her. Eventually, Michael was found guilty of sexual harassment and censured by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

When Michael learned that his ex-girlfriend Hillary was out of town, he broke into her apartment and smashed a hole in the wall that was adjacent to Chris's apartment. Nina arrived unexpectedly and a gun-toting Michael bound and gagged her. When Chris arrived home, Michael tried to rape her. Fortunately, Chris was rescued by Paul, who shot and wounded Michael. Later, Chris visited Michael in jail and was startled to find him speaking incoherently. Chris accused Michael of feigning insanity to escape a long prison sentence.

Victor Newman agreed to drop rape charges against Ryan because he suspected that Ryan was still involved with Nina. Victor also tried to enlist Nikki's help in voiding Victoria and Ryan's marriage. Learning of Victor's plan, Victoria lashed out at him and demanded that her father stay out of her life. Victoria sought therapy for her inability to make love to Ryan. Deciding that their situation was hopeless, Victoria separated from Ryan and moved in with Nikki. Soon after, Ryan presented Victoria with divorce papers and started sharing Nina's apartment. Victoria took her mind off Ryan by turning her interest to Cole Howard, a man doing odd jobs at the Newman ranch.

Sheila Carter secretly resurfaced in Genoa City, where she hid in Lauren's closet and took incriminating photos of Lauren affair with Brad Carlton. Returning to Los Angeles, Sheila developed the photos and cut them into tiny pieces, which she sent to Lauren as a puzzle, along with a note stating that someone from Lauren's past was about to re-emerge. At first, Lauren assumed Traci was responsible for the puzzle. When a presumed-dead Sheila showed up on Lauren's doorstep, claiming that she wanted to resolve their differences, Lauren was shocked.

Lauren quickly deduced that Sheila was the secret blackmailer. In anger, she also jumped to the conclusion that Molly Carter was working on this with her daughter. Lauren accepted that her marriage to Scott Grainger was hopeless and announced that she wanted a divorce. Soon after, Scott learned that he was suffering from a terminal illness. When Sheila heard of Scott's dire condition, she went to him and said she still loved him. Not long after, Scott died while on a vacation with Lauren in Catalina.

While Victor and Nikki were engaged in a heated confrontation, Nikki accidentally fell down the steps and suffered a miscarriage. Jack was grief-stricken over the miscarriage of his baby. Realizing that Nikki was still confused about who she loved, Jack moved out, hoping that the separation would give her a chance to finally resolve things. However, Jack was livid when he discovered that an argument between Nikki and Victor had led to Nikki's fall down the stairs. Jack confronted Victor and they began fighting. Soon after, Victor was blasted by Nikki, Ashley and Victoria, who all resented the control he tried to exert in their lives. And, on another front, Victor had to warn his former secretary, Eve Howard, not to make false claims about his being the father of her son, Cole.

Anxious to take a breather from his troubles in Genoa City, Victor left town for an extended trip in the country. During his trip, he was robbed of his money and car. In Kansas, he rescued a blind woman named Hope from a rapist. Meanwhile, the thug who had stolen his car died in an automobile accident.

In Genoa City, everyone presumed that Victor had been behind the wheel when his car crashed. Now they believed him dead. A power struggle for control of Newman Enterprises quickly erupted between Jack, Brad and Ashley. Nikki, who was grieving over Victor's death, accepted consoling from Cole. To show her appreciation for Cole's friendship, Nikki introduced him to a publisher in New York, Steve Connelly, who agreed to publish Cole's first novel. Unaware of the friendship developing between Nikki and Cole, Victoria said that she was interested in making love to him. Instead, Cole pursued an affair with Nikki. When Victoria learned of their involvement, she told Cole of her love for him. Soon after, Cole wrote to his mother and said he had fallen for Victor Newman's daughter.

Nikki suspected that Cole was seeing another woman when he suddenly appeared distant. Eve Howard received Cole's letter and was immediately distraught because she believed Cole had fallen for his half-sister. She quickly arranged a trip to Genoa City, but became ill and slipped into a coma. Although Cole was worried about his mother's health, he proceeded with his plans to elope with Victoria. Eve briefly regained consciousness, but died before she had a chance to tell Cole that Victor was his father. Not long after Eve's funeral, Cole and Victoria eloped to Las Vegas.

Jack succeeded in gaining control of Newman Enterprises. When Victor heard the news, he returned to Genoa City, where he learned from his pal, Douglas, that everyone thought he was dead. After overhearing a conversation between Nikki and his children, Victor mistakenly believed that no one missed him. He asked Douglas not to reveal the truth and headed back to Hope's farm in Kansas. Victor's presence created a dilemma for Hope. She was attracted to him, but she accepted a marriage proposal from her longtime friend, Cliff. While wedding plans were underway, Victor arranged to return home. When Hope learned of Victor's plans, she told Cliff that she couldn't marry him. Disappointed, Cliff broke the news to Victor. Soon after, Hope accompanied Victor on his return to Genoa City.

Everyone was stunned to learn that Victor was still alive. Nikki was relieved because she continued to have strong feelings for Victor. However, she felt threatened by Hope's presence. Nikki suggested that Victor was helping Hope out of gratitude for the kindness that she had shown him in Kansas. Feeling out of place and worried that she was interfering in Victor's relationship with his family, Hope headed back to her farm. At Newman Enterprises, Victor fired Jack for taking control of his company. Upset by Jack's dismissal, John and Ashley resigned. Soon after, they made plans to create a rival cosmetics company. Unfortunately, their loan papers were denied. The stress caused John to suffer a heart attack. Out of love for his family, Jack promised Victor that he'd stay away from Jabot, provided Victor rehire Ashley and John.

Victoria continued to flirt with Ryan, who was still with Nina. When Ryan approached Nina about having sex, she turned him down, saying that she was interested in a longtime commitment from him. Ryan agreed to live with her, which Nina interpreted as a trial marriage.

Jill and John remarried, and Jill announced to John that she was pregnant. John insisted that Jill abort the baby. Meanwhile, John, believing that Jill had the abortion, went behind her back and had a vasectomy. Eventually, John accepted Jill's pregnancy and she gave birth to a baby boy, whom they named Will.

Paul was suspicious of the bruises on his former wife April's face. When Paul asked if he could visit their daughter, Heather, April became agitated. She insisted that she and their daughter enjoyed a happy life with her new husband, Robert. She then added that her bruises were the result of a car accident. When April returned to Robert, he accused her of sleeping with Paul and beat her. Soon after, Paul and Chris realized that April was the victim of spousal abuse. Paul persuaded her to attend a support group of battered wives. Danny temporarily left town to star in a Broadway play, which opened the door for Chris and Paul to become closer.

Olivia survived her cancer scare and gave birth to a baby boy. Soon after, Dru and Neil patched up their differences and married. Dru was heartbroken when her mother, Lillie Bell, revealed that she had not wanted to have another baby after Olivia had been born. The only reason Dru had been conceived was because her father, while drunk, had forced himself on Lillie Bell. When Lillie Bell was diagnosed with a serious bout of depression, Olivia invited her to live with her and Nathan until she recovered. Lillie Bell's presence created complications in Olivia's marriage to Nathan because it was obvious to Nathan that Lillie Bell didn't approve of him. Sensing that she was to blame for the fights between Olivia and Nathan, Lillie Bell disappeared. Olivia held Nathan responsible, which prompted him to move out. Soon after, Lillie Bell returned. Olivia and Nathan agreed to iron out the differences. When Neil suggested to Dru that Lillie Bell could live with them, she vetoed the idea.

Traci Abbott returned to Genoa City and announced to Brad Carlton that she was marrying Steve Connelly. Concerned that Steve would be viewed as Colleen's father, Brad suggested an alternative. To Traci's surprise, Brad announced that he had misgivings about divorcing her and he was now open to a reconciliation with her. Traci agreed to try this on a trial basis. When Brad stepped in and took over control of Newman Enterprises, prior to Victor's return, Traci packed her bags and returned to New York City with their daughter, Colleen.

Ashley became romantically involved with Blade. As their relationship developed, Ashley accepted Blade's wedding proposal.