05/04/1999 Colby Is Born




""It's what you wanted ever since I first came to town," Raquel said as she somehow managed to force a smile. "It's my gift of love to you." Mateo looked at the divorce papers for several minutes without any discernible reaction. Mateo, however, was definitely pleased that the struggle had come to an end. "Thank you," he said softly. Signing off on their marriage didn't mean that Raquel's feelings for Mateo had suddenly vanished. "I still love you," Raquel said. "But I know there's no future for us." Raquel urged Mateo to go to the grand opening of the new club, but Mateo insisted that he wanted to escort Raquel back to the condo.

Jake walked Gillian to a less busy area of the corridor. There the princess told him that she'd reached a decision about how to handle her relationship with Ryan. The words didn't come easily. Several times Gillian stopped mid-sentence, searching for the strength to make her announcement. "I've started divorce proceedings," she said. Jake was stunned by Gillian's "extreme" approach. He wondered if she was trying to set Ryan free with the hopes that he'd return to her. "Ryan will never come back to me," Gillian replied. "I'm a disaster... the plague." Jake doubted that Ryan felt that way about her and urged Gillian to reconsider filing for divorce. Gillian caught sight of Trevor walking towards Raquel's room and moved to intercept him. Trevor put his hands up and asked Gillian not to impede his progress. Gillian blurted out that she and Ryan needed to hire an attorney. Trevor was puzzled, but agreed to speak to Gillian after he finished with Raquel. Inside the room, Mateo smiled broadly as he handed the signed divorce papers to the attorney. A few minutes later, a pair of paramedics arrived to take Raquel to an ambulance so that she could be transported to her home. A grimaced formed on Raquel's face as she was being moved, but her physical pain did not cause the frown this time. It was a result of one of the two paramedics calling her "Mrs. Santos."

In the hallway, Gillian told Trevor that she wanted to file for divorce. Trevor was just as stunned by the news as Jake. Trevor asked Gillian why she suddenly wanted out of her marriage. After all, it wasn't that long ago that Gillian had gone to jail for her husband. Gillian claimed that she wanted to give Ryan "peace of mind" and threatened to find another attorney if Trevor wouldn't help her. Trevor sighed deeply and told Gillian that he'd draw up some papers when he returned to his office. A very distracted Gillian buzzed about the hospital in a fog. Jake pulled her aside and asked her if she planned to attend the grand opening of Mateo and Hayley's new club. Gillian barely answered the question as her mind continued to wander. She nodded her head and explained that the sole reason for attending was to tell Ryan that she was giving him his freedom.

Even before the club officially opened, there were guests lined up at the doors waiting for a sneak peek. Dimitri dropped by with the hopes of being able to help out. Hayley smiled warmly and thanked him for his offer. Dimitri immediately went to work, but his labor was not physical. Ryan approached Dimitri and thanked him for giving Gillian a weekly living allowance. From there, Ryan assured Dimitri that he would pay every penny back to him just as soon as he was able. Dimitri took Ryan's interest as a sign that he and Gillian were no longer at odds. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Ryan stated that as Gillian's husband he was obligated to repay her debts. Ryan told Dimitri that being in love with Gillian hurts too much to be healthy. He claimed that his mind is haunted by images of his parents' abusive relationship and fears that he might hurt Gillian more than he already has. Dimitri was confident that that would not happen to Ryan and tried to convince Ryan to continue his fight. Ryan tried to concoct numerous reasons why he was not right for Gillian, but Dimitri countered each of his faults. For example, Ryan claimed that he was too corrupt for Gillian because he'd accepted a bribe to serve on the jury at Brooke's trial. Dimitri broke into laughter as he reminded Ryan that he'd been the one to offer the bribe. In the end, both men agreed that they hadn't always been the most honest men---but Dimitri liked to believe that he was worse than Ryan was. Dimitri told Ryan that he knows what true love looks like and Ryan and Gillian have it. "If you give up, you're stupid," he concluded.

Across the room, Dixie made a brief appearance to see if Hayley needed anything. Hayley told Dixie her double dose of good news: That Raquel had agreed to a divorce and she'd been given a clean bill of health. From there, the two women discussed Adam and Liza's wedding which was scheduled to take place in the morning. They both said that they'd be in attendance. The grand opening was just a short time away and Hayley and Dixie both scurried off to get ready for the event.

Hayley gathered around the SOS staff and gave them a pre-opening pep talk. The level of energy was slightly diminished because Mateo still hadn't shown up. Hayley knew that it would look badly if the club opened late on its opening night and reluctantly gave the green light to open the doors.

Tucked as comfortably as possible in her new bed, Raquel was relieved to be home. While she was at home, Raquel would receive round the clock care from two nurses, each pulling a twelve-hour shift. The nurse currently on duty, Nurse Van der Meer, assured Mateo that Raquel would receive the best care possible. Stella, Max's babysitter, was free to leave now that Matt and Raquel were home. Mateo stuck around for a little while longer just to make sure that everything was in order. When the time came for him to leave for the club, the nurse instructed him that he had to take Max with him. Mateo looked at the woman curiously and explained that Max was going to stay at home. The nurse was vehemently opposed to having the five year-old in the house without a parent or babysitter. She claimed that she would be unable to care for Raquel if she also had to take care of a child. While she never said it outright, the nurse's bitter tone implied that Max was an out of control, bratty little boy. Mateo assured her that his son was an angel and that he wouldn't compromise her job in any way. The nurse walked to the side of Raquel's bed and as she fluffed the patient's pillows, Raquel groaned in pain. Mateo ordered her to be more careful, but that only infuriated the woman all the more. She grabbed her belongings and announced that she was quitting. As the nurse stormed out of the house, Mateo was forced to find someone else to care for Raquel. He tried calling everyone he knew, but no one was home.

While not a skilled professional, Liza knew that an out-of-the-way cabin was not the ideal place to deliver a breach baby. David instructed Liza to continue breathing normally. He left Liza temporarily so that he could talk to Adam. David remained calm, but his composure showed signs of cracking. He whispered that he did not know how to deliver a baby in an atypical situation. Adam was likewise panicked. "You're a doctor!" He said nervously. Unfortunately, being a doctor in this case was not going to be enough. David suddenly remembered something and asked Adam to stay with Liza. He ordered Adam not to let Liza try to push the baby out. Against Adam's request, David left the cabin. Adam sat by his wife-to-be and tried to focus her mind on more pleasant things. For a few minutes, his use if imagery worked. As another contraction set in, it became increasingly difficult for Liza to fight to urge to push. David returned toting his laptop computer. In his possession he had a CD-ROM that he believed had a medical guide to assist in problematic childbirth. David asked Adam to man the computer while he tried to follow the directions. As the two men reviewed the instructions, Adam worried that things were not going to go well. The ideal solution, according to the computer, was a caesarian section. Of course, that couldn't be done in the cabin. David continued reading and learned of a method that could potentially turn the baby around while it was still in the uterus. He carefully followed the instructions, but he was unable to correction the situation because the baby was already "too far down the birth canal." This left but one solution; He'd have to attempt a normal delivery. Liza screamed in agony as another contraction set in. Still, David told her that she could not push. As Adam carefully read the on-screen instructions, David helped to gently guide the baby into the open air. After the shoulders were free, David ordered Liza to push. Beads of sweat now pouring down Liza's brow, she bore down and followed the doctor's orders to push. Adam raced to Liza's side and took her hand. "Your baby girl is here," David announced. The cabin fell eerily silent. "Why can't I hear her?" Liza asked in terror. The room remained cloaked in silence."

- Soap Central