Previously…
– The day of Jason and Natalie’s wedding arrived. Natalie convinced Helen not to spill the truth about Peter’s paternity, and Helen lied to Sabrina that the DNA results said Jason is Peter’s father.
– Diane asked Samantha for another chance at mending their relationship, and Samantha agreed to try.
– Landon brought Tori to the hospital after she fainted. The doctor came to see her with her test results and told her that she is pregnant.

In a private room inside Wandering Soul Winery, not far from the patio where the wedding guests have begun gathering, Natalie Bishop stands in front of a full-length mirror, gazing at her reflection. Her impeccably tailored wedding dress boasts a sleeveless, intricately beaded bodice and long, sheath-like skirt. It isn’t the elaborate, princess-style dress that she wore for her first wedding, but it is gorgeous and more mature, more sophisticated.

“You look beautiful,” Bree Halston comments. She stands just behind her mother, admiring the sight in the mirror, as well. “Like a movie star.”

“It’s a stunning dress,” Claudia Bishop says, nodding ever-so-slightly. She stands several feet away, one hand curled beneath her chin as she observes her daughter. “The hair and makeup people did wonderful work, too.”

Natalie lets out an annoyed breath through her nostrils, noting how her mother cannot simply tell her that she looks nice. But she is not going to allow the irritation stay with her, not today. What’s about to happen is too important.

“You’re certain you don’t want to take any photos before the ceremony?” Claudia asks. “By the time it’s over, you’ll have been out in the sun, and–”

“I don’t want to do first looks or anything,” Natalie replies. “I like the idea that the first time Jason sees me in my dress will be when I walk down the aisle.”

“That’s so romantic,” Bree says, knotting her hands together.

Natalie looks back at her own reflection. She isn’t normally that superstitious a person, but she’d be lying if she said that superstition didn’t have a role in her decision to skip first looks and pre-ceremony photos. She has managed to make it to this day, and she is only a short time away from marrying the man of her dreams and finally having it all. There is no way that she is going to tempt fate by inviting bad luck to join them — not after all she has done to ensure that she and Jason make it to the altar.

—–

Outside, Sonja Kahele holds a glass of champagne, from which she has only taken a small sip. The patio has filled with arriving guests, and an excited electricity crackles in the air as they all await the wedding.

“Lovely, isn’t it?” a voice asks from beside her.

Sonja turns to see the mother of the groom standing there.

“Mrs. Fisher. Hi,” she says with a pleasant smile. “You look beautiful.”

Paula quickly glances down at her periwinkle dress, accented by a patterned silk throw resting over her otherwise bare shoulders. “Thank you, Sonja. You, too. Though I’d be here in a burlap sack if need be. As long as I get to be here for Jason’s big day!”

“Well, you are here. And it’s such a nice day for a wedding.”

“It really is.” Paula’s joy is palpable as she stares out toward the rows of chairs and the flower-accented archway where Jason and Natalie will say their vows. “Are you enjoying yourself? Where’s Tim?”

“He went to go help Jason,” Sonja says. “I knew he’d be busy today. I told him not to worry about me — I’m just glad he can be there for his brother. You must be so proud of them.”

Paula nods. “I am. They’ve both been through so much, but they’re such good men, and they’re always there for their families.”

“That’s one of the things I admire most about Tim.”

“I’m so happy the two of you have found each other. It’s been a long time since Tim’s had someone who cared for him. He deserves it.”

“He absolutely does,” Sonja says, “and I hope you don’t think I take for granted how lucky it is that we found each other.”

“You never should. Ever. Especially now that my Bill isn’t with us–”

Before Paula can complete the somber thought, something imperceptible interrupts her. It takes Sonja a moment to realize that the older woman is feeling her cell phone vibrate inside the small clutch in her hand.

“I wonder who that could be,” Paula mutters as she takes out the phone. “I should turn it off before–” But she stops when she sees whatever is on the screen, and then she looks up at Sonja. “I’m sorry. I should take this.”

“Go ahead,” Sonja says. She doesn’t even know why, but a hot ball of nervousness suddenly roars to life in her stomach. She gulps down another sip of the champagne, hoping to tame it.

“Sarah?” Paula asks as she lifts the phone to her face. “Where are you?” Paula listens for the briefest of moments before her face flattens out in horror. “What do you mean? Is she okay?”

—–

“We should talk,” Dr. Fatehi says as she closes the door to Tori Gray’s hospital room.

In the bed, Tori feels her throat constrict with panic. “What? Why?”

“Because,” the doctor tells her, “your bloodwork shows that you are pregnant.” 

Everything else in the room seems to drop away. All that exists is that word, echoing everywhere, twisting itself around her like a rope that is going to wind and tighten until it covers her completely so that she cannot move or breathe or blink.

“Based on our chat during your exam earlier,” Dr. Fatehi says, “and the look on your face now, I gather this is kind of a surprise.”

“It–” Her mouth feels sticky and nonfunctional. “Yeah. It is.”

Her head spins. Of course the idea has occurred to her since she awoke and realized that she’d fainted, but it felt like a remote possibility that she didn’t even bothering entertaining. She hasn’t had sex since that day a few months ago when she found out the truth about Zane’s lies and walked out. That almost seems like another lifetime now.

“You’ve been missing your period, haven’t you?” the doctor asks. “If you’ve had bleeding–”

She shakes her head quickly. “I haven’t. It’s just… it’s been really weird since I came out of the coma a few years ago.”

“Weird how?”

“Irregular. Sometimes I miss a month. Sometimes it’s at different times of the month. So not having it for, I guess, two or three months…”

“Are you sure that’s how long it’s been? We can run further tests to determine how far along you are.”

She racks her mind, trying to do the math through her haze. “Yeah. Three months, I think.”

“Then you have some time,” Dr. Fatehi tells her. “Give yourself time to process this. Talk with your family, your friends, the father — even a professional if you’d like. I can refer you to someone.”

Tori nods numbly, unsure of what she is going to do or what her life is going to look like now.

—–

“Sarah, Matt, and Travis are all at the hospital with her,” Paula explains to the family members gathered around her at the winery. “They’re still waiting to go in and see her.”

“That’s really scary,” Molly Taylor says. “To just faint out of nowhere…”

“I know,” Paula agrees.

“I hope it’s not a brain tumor or something,” Caleb Taylor says.

“Caleb!” Molly scolds him instantly. “Why would you even say something like that?”

Christian Taylor smacks his twin on the arm. “Yeah. She’s probably, like, dehydrated.”

Paula lets out a loud sigh. She clutches her cell phone between her palms, as if bracing for it to ring again. “I just hope we know more soon. It sounds like they’re all going to miss the wedding as it is.”

“What really matters is that she rests and gets better,” Samantha Fisher says, using her index finger to push her glasses up her nose. “Are you going to tell Uncle Jason?”

“I don’t want to worry him before the wedding,” Paula says. “Besides, there’s nothing he can do. We just have to wait for word.”

Molly places a hand on each of her sons’ shoulders. “All we can do is send good thoughts Tori’s way. So let’s do that.”

—–

“Wow, this is incredible,” Claire Fisher says as she and Tempest Banks step out onto the patio. Claire wears a long, flowing fuchsia dress that ties around her neck, while Tempest has opted for a gray pantsuit with an abstract red-and-white blouse beneath it.

“Yeah, it looks like one of those wedding blogs,” Tempest says as they take in the setup on the lawn ahead of them. “Jason said Natalie wanted to go all-out.”

They make it only a few steps into the crowd when Samantha steps in front of them, seemingly on her way across the patio. All three of them pause uncertainly.

“Hi, Samantha,” Claire says.

“Hey,” Samantha tells them, her jangled nerves apparent.

“What’s wrong?” Tempest asks. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. But my grandma was just telling us that Tori’s in the hospital.”

Claire’s eyes widen. “What’s going on? Do you need me to call and try to find out anything?”

Samantha shakes her head. “No, but thanks. Aunt Sarah and Uncle Matt are with her. Travis and Landon, too. They said she fainted this morning. They’re waiting to find out more.”

“Man. I hope it’s nothing big,” Tempest says. “You must be freaking out a little.”

“I am,” Samantha says.

“Why don’t I give you two a minute?” Claire suggests. “I’m going to go find Brent.”

The two younger women don’t exactly agree, but Claire slips away, leaving them little choice but to deal with being face-to-face and without any third parties.

“Sorry about Tori,” Tempest says. “I really hope she’s okay.”

“Thanks.” Samantha shifts her weight onto one foot and then back to the other; the awkwardness between them is palpable. “How are you?”

“Okay. Not bad. Gearing up for work to be my whole life while Jason and Natalie go on their honeymoon.”

“Ooh, yeah. I’m sure that’s going to be busy for you.”

“How about you? You liking your job?”

“I am,” Sam says, as a grin emerges on her face. “It’s a challenge, but in a good way. And I’d heard stories about how crazy people in fashion could be, but…”

“Even worse than that?”

“Just some people. A lot of them are great. I’m getting some good writing material, though. I’ll say that much.”

“Well,” Tempest says, “you look great. Really great.”

The compliment clearly gives Samantha pause. Her mouth lingers half-open as her brain searches for the appropriate response.

“Thanks,” she says. “I guess it’s all seeping in, whether I want it to or not.”

“It’s working.” Tempest purses her lips before continuing. “I miss you a ton. I’m never gonna stop kicking myself for screwing things up between us.”

“You were dealing with a lot of difficult stuff.”

“Doesn’t make it okay. Have you and your mom…?”

“I hadn’t seen her in a while,” Samantha says, “but we talked earlier. She swears she wants to do whatever it takes to get our relationship back on track.”

“That’ll be good for you,” Tempest says, exuding a calmness that Samantha is sure she would not have had even half-a-year ago. “I’m sorry I messed things up between you guys. I know I went too far.”

“Maybe. But it was something I needed to know — and probably would’ve found out eventually.”

Tempest is quiet for a moment before saying, “It’s good you guys talked. But I’m gonna stay out of it. That’s between you and your mom.” She stops when she sees a waiter going by with a tray of champagne. Quickly she grabs two and thanks the waiter.

“How about you tell me some of those crazy work stories?” Tempest says as she hands one of the glasses to Samantha.

Samantha accepts the champagne. “That sounds good.”

Across the way, Diane is chatting with Alex, Don, and Helen when she sees her daughter and Tempest out of the corner of her vision. She continues listening to Helen’s diatribe about her mugging last night, but she watches Tempest hand Samantha the champagne flute. Their body language looks pleasant and relaxed — not at all like the last time Diane saw them in the same place.

You are not going to ruin this for me again, Tempest, she thinks as she struggles to maintain a neutral expression.

—–

Tori is still in the hospital bed, trying to gather the strength — more mental than physical — to get up and get dressed, when her parents appear at the door.

“The doctor said we could come back and see you,” Sarah says. “How do you feel?”

“I’m fine,” Tori tells them, as Sarah rushes over and hugs her.

Sarah pulls back just enough to give her daughter a long, hard once-over. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Tori forces her head up and down in a nod.

“What’d the doctor say?” Matt asks.

Tori runs both her hands through her brown hair, pushing it away from her face.

“I was dehydrated,” she says. “They gave me an IV.”

“That’s all?” Sarah asks, her voice still sharp with concern.

“Yeah. Do we still have time to make it to the wedding?”

Matt checks his watch. “Cutting it pretty close. Why don’t we get you home so you can rest up?”

“I’m fine. I swear.” All she wants is to get out of this room and get them focused on something else. “Come on. Let’s go so we can get ready. Even if we miss the ceremony, we can make it to the reception.”

“If you’re up for it,” Sarah says, “but only if.”

“I am.” Tori swings her legs over the side of the bed. “Let me get dressed, and we can go. Did Travis and Landon leave?”

“They’re still in the waiting room,” Matt answers. “They’re worried about you.”

“Well, go out there and tell them I’m fine,” Tori says. “All good. Nothing to worry about. Now let’s get going so we don’t miss the reception, too.”

—–

“Looking good,” Tim Fisher says as he straightens his younger brother’s bow tie. Tim and Jason wait in another private room at the winery, where they have gotten changed into their tuxedos.

“Thanks,” Jason says. “Now I’m ready to get this show on the road.”

“Don’t get yourself worked up. This is about you and Natalie. The rest of us are just here to celebrate with you.”

“You’re right. Thanks for being here today — for standing up for me.”

“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” Tim says. “Just think: once the ceremony is over, we can have some beers and relax and dance with our ladies.”

“Don’t forget you have to give a speech,” Jason says with a laugh.

“I’m trying to forget about it! Talk about butterflies.”

A knock on the door interrupts them.

“Jason, we’re almost ready to begin,” the wedding coordinator’s mousy voice says through the door. “We’ve started having the guests find their seats.”

“Thanks,” he calls back. “We’ll be right out.”

Tim squares Jason’s shoulders toward him. “Today is the start of the rest of your life. Everything’s going to go exactly as planned.”

“I hope so,” Jason says. “Now let’s go do this.”

END OF EPISODE 932

Will the ceremony go the way Jason and Natalie hope?
Are Tempest and Samantha headed for reconciliation?
Is Tori making a mistake concealing her pregnancy?
Talk about it all in the comments section below!

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