GayTV Recap: General Hospital (Episodes 14525-14528)
Episode 14525 began with Brad talking with Willow, who agreed to watch an ill Wiley while Brad & Lucas attended their party. He made a quick exit upon the arrival of her boyfriend Chase, noting that he had to pick up Lucas who was being released from his care facility. The two arrived at Lucas' sister Carly's house where the party was beginning. Everyone was in good spirits, providing advice to the couple on their move and reminding them that they would still have family support no matter where they lived. Things were going well until Carly was informed by her property's security that there was an unexpected guest in the form of Nelle.
Carly was furious to see Nelle's arrival, given their tumultuous history and Nelle's attempts to destroy Carly and her family. Nelle claimed she heard about the party and wanted to say farewell to her good friend Brad. With her voice raised, Brad and the gathered guests heard that and Brad rushed to temper the situation and get Nelle to leave. He convinced Carly to give them a moment alone, without the guard. Brad then urged Nelle to leave before she ruined everything. Nelle demanded to say goodbye to Wiley, secretly planning to leave town with the child herself. Brad told her that Wiley was sick and not there, which was the only thing that got Nelle to go, leaving Brad to breathe a sigh of relief.
Brad rejoined the group, assuring them that Nelle was gone. Carly questioned the motives behind Nelle coming there, knowing she was trying to get under her skin. With the group beginning to talk more about Nelle, Lucas began to have some flashes of memory from the night of the car accident. He began to remember his time in the car with Brad and their argument about Brad keeping secrets.
The flash of memory clearly upset Lucas and this didn't go unnoticed by his family in the room with him. Brad went to his side, wondering what was bothering him. Lucas couldn't find the words and Michael began to worry as well, thinking that all of the excitement might be a bit too much for Lucas. Locking eyes with Michael led to more of Lucas' memory coming back to him. Lucas told the group that he was beginning to remember the night of the crash, which left Brad extremely troubled.
As Nelle lurked outside secretly watching the group, a frustrated Lucas was desperate to remember what seemed so close in his mind. Lucas' father Julian stepped in, encouraging Lucas to calm down and not try to push himself to remember, knowing the secret himself given his previous attempts to help Brad hide the truth about Wiley. He suggested they go pick up Wiley together, but Michael offered to go get the boy for them instead. This caused even more of Lucas' memory to be jogged. With everyone trying to calm him down, and Michael heading out to get Wiley, Lucas remembered Brad's confession that Wiley wasn't the child they adopted from Willow. Lucas called out to Michael, stopping him from leaving. He blurted out that Wiley was Michael's son, shocking everyone.
Episode 14526 picked up right where things left off. Michael was confused, wondering what Lucas was talking about. Lucas said again that Wiley was Michael's son. Brad attempted to get Lucas to leave with him so they could figure out why he was confused, but Lucas jerked his arm away from Brad, demanding that his husband not touch him. Lucas grew more emotional, causing his family to rally to calm him, figuring he was just discombobulated because of his injuries, but Nelle heard the revelation and knew the truth was out, leading her to rush off to Willow's apartment to get her baby back before Michael could.
Carly stepped in, wondering why Lucas would think that Wiley was Michael's son. He told her that it's because he remembered Brad telling him just before the car crash. Everyone remained shocked. Carly turned her attention to Brad, wondering if what Lucas was saying was true. In the face of an angry Lucas, Brad gave up his charade. He confirmed that it was true, stunning everyone in the room.
With everyone wondering how this could be possible, Carly demanded that Brad start at the beginning and explain exactly how he could be raising her son Michael's child. Brad explained to them all what happened the night that he brought home the baby that they adopted from Willow. He told them about how he put the boy down for a nap and how the child wasn't breathing when he came back to check on him. Lucas' emotions rose, as he realized what Brad was saying. Carly began to put the pieces together of what happened, recalling that Michael's child was born the same day as Wiley. Brad told them about putting the child in the car and heading for the hospital before pulling over because he was overcome with emotion. That's when Nelle appeared. Michael remembered how Nelle had left him trapped in his car that night, as it was leaking gas.
A furious Carly pressed Brad about whose idea it was to switch the babies. Brad told them all that Nelle was desperate to keep her baby away from Michael and his family. He told them that he wasn't in his right mind and he was trying not to crush Lucas. His husband snapped at him, demanding he not use him as an excuse for what he did. No one there could fathom why Brad would go along with Nelle's plan, effectively deceiving Lucas and keeping Wiley away from his father for over a year.
With Michael's emotions beginning to overwhelm him, Carly brought up Nelle's hatred for her and her family and how she would do anything to hurt them, but she didn't understand why Brad would do this. She demanded answers. Brad said he was devastated over losing his baby, knowing that his and Lucas' lives would be ruined by that loss. Carly reminded him that he forced Michael to go through the exact same thing, believing his son was dead for all this time.
Carly went to Michael, telling him that his son was alive. As they realized it was true, Michael lashed out at Brad, wondering why he was so determined to keep his child's identity a secret from him. He accused Brad of devastating Michael's whole family, including Lucas with this horrible thing he's done. He said that Brad could have easily told them the truth the next day after the switch, or at any point since then. Brad told them that he tried so many times, but that wasn't good enough for Michael, who told him that he didn't care if this was Nelle's idea. Brad was still the one who kept his child from him.
The drama continued with Episode 14527, as the confrontation with Brad continued and the group was joined by Michael's friend, police detective Chase. Michael continued to lay into Brad about his efforts to keep Wiley away from his father. Michael said that Brad didn't seem to understand the far-reaching consequences of what he'd done. He brought up his friend Willow who has been strung along as well, believing that Wiley was her birth son that she gave up for adoption. This caused Brad to remember his talk with Nelle and telling her that Wiley was with Willow, fearing Nelle's next move. Michael & Chase rushed off to Chase & Willow's apartment.
None of them knew that Nelle was already at Willow's apartment, leading to a physical fight between the women that left Willow unconscious, as Nelle was determined to flee the country with Wiley. Brad pleaded with Lucas to listen to him, but Lucas recoiled once again when Brad touched him. Julian stepped between them, urging Brad to keep his distance. Lucas said he knew Brad was being haunted by something all this time, but now it all made sense. Brad said that he did this all for Lucas, which upset Lucas even more.
Lucas urged Brad to explain to him exactly how it came to this. Brad told him that he was trying to be the strong one in their relationship for once. He reminded Lucas of the talk they had before the adoption went through and how he promised Lucas that it would all work out. He was desperate to make sure that they got the family that Lucas wanted so badly. Lucas told Brad that he robbed him of the chance to mourn their child and now he's lost everything. Brad told him that wasn't true, but Lucas disagreed.
Brad heard Carly on the phone with the police. He wondered if that was for him. Carly said of course it was. Brad was going to be arrested for sure for kidnapping and fraud because he kept her grandson away from Michael. Brad accepted that, but he begged Lucas to understand that he was only trying to keep their family together, and protect Wiley given the tragedies that seem to befall Carly's family. Lucas' mother Bobbie disputed that, saying it was just an excuse for Brad's own selfishness. He wasn't thinking about anyone but himself. Brad was soon in handcuffs, as Lucas refused to look at him. He said again that he was sorry and he begged Lucas to look at him, if there was even a small part of him that understood Brad and how much he loves him. Lucas didn't look at him as he was taken away.
Lucas was comforted by Bobbie, Carly, and his sister Sam. When Julian brought up the fact that Brad was trying to protect his family, Bobbie dismissed him for rationalizing Brad's behavior. Julian said he wasn't condoning what Brad did but they all know what it's like to make mistakes when trying to protect the ones you love. Carly reminded Lucas that his entire family was there for him, but he said that wasn't true because his husband now felt like a stranger and his son was gone. At that moment, Michael arrived with Wiley, having stopped Nelle from fleeing with the boy.
Episode 14528 picked up right where things left off. It was a tense moment as Lucas & Michael's family all realized the reality of the truth being exposed and emotions continued to run high. Lucas walked over to Michael as he held Wiley. Lucas didn't seem to have any words, but Michael told him that they were going to figure this out as a family. Michael said that in the end, they all wanted what was best for Wiley.
Carly said that it had been a long night. They didn't have to rush anything. Wiley needed to be the most important person right now. She suggested he get a snack before bedtime and Michael asked Lucas if he wanted to take Wiley to get something to eat. An emotional Lucas said he would like that. Michael handed off the child as Lucas told Michael how sorry he was for all of this. Carly & Bobbie told Lucas that he had done nothing wrong. They went with him and Wiley to the kitchen, leaving Michael to talk with his father Sonny.
While Lucas' family tried to come to terms with their lives being quickly turned upside down, Brad found himself behind bars. He was soon joined by Nelle. Brad yelled at her, demanding she tell him that Wiley was okay. Nelle instead chose to play the victim, claiming that Brad destroyed her life with his deception. Brad was left confused as Nelle was thrown into the cell across from him, claiming that Brad found her the night of her child's birth and switched the babies while she was falling in and out of consciousness. Brad was floored by Nelle's lying, as a police officer listened in, providing an audience for Nelle, as she happily threw Brad under the bus.
Back at the Corinthos house, Carly & Bobbie provided some support for Lucas as he sat with Wiley in the kitchen, unsure of what he could do, now that his life was blown up. They reminded him of what a good person he is and how much of a wonderful parent he's been to Wiley. Meanwhile, Michael confided in Sonny and his girlfriend Sasha that he was contemplating letting Lucas keep Wiley to prevent the boy's life from being upended. Sonny urged him to claim his son and let Wiley live the true life he deserves, which he knew Lucas would understand. Back in the kitchen, Lucas mentioned that it would be story time for Wiley after his snack. For a moment he got lost in his parenting routine, as Carly & Bobbie comforted him.
Lucas brought Wiley out of the kitchen, where Michael was waiting. Things got emotional once again between Lucas & Michael. Lucas told Wiley that they both know how much Michael loves him. He always has. Lucas then told the toddler that he was going to be spending the night with his godfather tonight. With tears in his eyes, he gave Wiley a kiss and passed him to Michael. He told Michael that it was time for him to take care of his son.
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