BAD NEWS FOR Y&R’S NIKKI
■ Nikki is still comatose after being struck by a car, and even though her condition isn’t getting worse, her family is concerned that their matriarch isn’t waking up. Through it all, Reed is wracked with guilt, since no one knows that he is the hit-and-run driver who’s responsible for his grandmother’s state. “Reed feels terrible because he’s watching his mom and the family going to pieces,” says Executive Producer/ Head Writer Mal Young. “He’s at Nikki’s bedside, thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I did this.’ Reed wants to confess and he’s looking for the right moment, but every time he tries, he can’t bring himself to go through with it. Plus, Charlie is telling him, ‘You can’t tell anyone you were driving my car.’ We’ve really ratcheted up the pressure on Reed.”
As Victoria worries about her mother, she’s becoming close again with ex-husband Billy. “Victoria’s guilt is also huge in playing into all of this,” shares Young. “She’s holding a massive secret and she’s confused about what to do about Billy. She’s starting to see him as the old Billy, and she thinks, ‘Should I see if we might still have something?’ But she’s very hesitant. She let J.T. back into her life and look what happened there. She wants Billy but she’s scared.”
“Everyone is .... desperately praying for a miracle for Nikki.”
The one person that doesn’t like seeing Victoria and Billy experiencing that old feeling again is Phyllis. “Billy and Phyllis have unfinished business,” Young explains. “Their relationship ended in a very messy way. She has hitched her wagon to Nick because he’s drama-free and uncomplicated, so he feels like the right person for her. She’s told Billy that she doesn’t want him but she doesn’t want anyone else to have him. It’s classic Phyllis.”
On Christmas Eve, Nate suddenly informs the Newman family that Nikki is getting worse and that she may not make it through the night. “Normally by now, Victor has ridden in on his white charger to fix everything and sort it all out, so where is he?” Young poses. “Everyone is outside singing and holding a candlelight vigil at the hospital, desperately praying for a miracle for Nikki. It’s very emotional. We go in on Nikki lying there and we get the feeling that someone is there watching her. Can someone save her? Then we go into Christmas Day for a big reveal. You have to tune in to find out what’s going to happen. It’s a great twist.”