And baby makes three or four-- and sometimes five

It takes a village to raise a child, and Los Angeles dwellers even get to weigh in on its conception. Babies are on board, and courtesy of well-meaning family members, so is the baggage. In L.A., mothers get robbed of their rights to lie in peace, and busybodies refuse to let suspicions, secrets, and grudges die in peace. Find out who's hoping, and wishing, and praying, and prying, and whose prayers and nightmares come true this week on the Bold and the Beautiful.

This week, the tale of two pregnancies begins in earnest as Nicole learns that she's pregnant and Caroline takes home her first sonogram photo. The Spencers, Forresters, and Avants are full of concern and advice, but at what point do parents, cousins, sisters, and sons need to back off? Does sharing a little DNA entitle relatives to persist in sticking their noses into other relatives' private business? Or does one have the right to butt in if a relative's choices impact one's life or the family as a whole?

During Caroline's sonogram, Ridge was irate about Thomas walking in on Caroline and Ridge's private moment. Putting aside the suspicion that Thomas is the unwitting father, I wonder how many parents-to-be would say, "Hey, come right on in," to a family member creeping in the doorway of their doctor's appointment. I'm beginning to think Thomas lives in doorway crevices. To my recollection, this is his third doorway creep on Carridge. Creepy is as creepy does, I guess.

Thomas was awestruck by seeing his sibling on the screen, and Caroline was mortified and guilt-written that he doesn't know he is probably the father. Ridge insists on towing the lie and ensuring that Thomas will never know the truth. If that's the case, a little civility from Ridge would go a long way. Caroline is about to burst a baby bump under Ridge's vigilant animosity toward Thomas -- and Liam's insistence upon prying the stress right out of her.

In the other baby camp, Nicole's about to burst, too, and it might be from all the kale salad and doting Rick and Maya are plying her with. Nicole is getting it from all sides. Zende is praying that he can be supportive but hoping to score at the same time. Maya is doing voodoo pregnancy rituals over Nicole's food and warding off Zende's evil sex hormones. Rick's subconsciously picking out matching shirts for him and Nicole. Seriously, what is that about? Meanwhile, Julius is waving his silver-lined Bible, praying that his will will be done, whether it aligns with God's will or not.

Vivienne told Eric that it was all confusing. If she feels so, just imagine being God sorting through all these prayer requests! Looks like the man upstairs flipped a heavenly coin on this one, and it landed on heads -- Nicole's pregnant. God should tell these folks it's done, and the prayer line is closed until further notice.

The God impersonator hasn't weighed in on the matter yet. Spencer Publications seems more interested in Ridge and Caroline's bundle of woes than the pregnancy journey of the transgender woman who made the publishing house infamous. My question is -- who authorized Spencer to write an article on Caroline's pregnancy? For that matter, who posted on the Forrester website quotes that Ridge didn't even give?

In a meeting, Ridge made it clear to Liam that he didn't want any media attention surrounding either pregnancy. In the very next meeting, not only did we learn that Spencer wrote a story about Caroline's pregnancy, but the story was aided by quotes from a press release somebody put on Forrester's website. Ridge wasn't kidding when he told Brooke that the walls have ears around there. When he heard the quotes about him being a happy father, he said he'd made the comments, but not to any reporter!

Liam explained that Spencer got the quotes from Forrester's site, but the mystery still remains about how Forrester's PR department got the quotes or permission to post them. Ridge doesn't like people talking about him when he doesn't know it. Thomas said tough toenails because it was news, and Liam added that the whole world already knew about the pregnancy. So the whole world knows about one Forrester baby but not the other?

It's hard to believe that Rick and Caroline went through a public divorce, and thanks to Bill, the whole world knew that Rick had a transgender mistress during the divorce; however, the whole world is not interested in the facts that Rick and Caroline married their extramarital lovers and are each starting families -- or that Caroline is doing it with Rick's brother while Rick is doing it through Maya's sister, no less.

I'm sorry, but Caroline and Rick having dual pregnancies after their divorce is news! It's news that will remain stupefyingly unrelated, I guess. Thomas and Nicole had so much to talk about before, but it's amazing to me that, living in the same house, they aren't talking about her impending, now certain pregnancy or Thomas' crush on the stepmother who's about to make him a brother again.

Since the storyline currently says Thomas might have fathered Caroline's baby, Nicole and Thomas should be having some conversations about parenthood. Nicole could express her conflicting feelings to him about being unable to carry on a full-blown romance with Zende and whether she's conflicted about carrying, but not mothering, the baby. Thomas could talk about his feelings about Caroline's pregnancy. He could convey either his secret desire to have a child or his relief that, unlike Nicole, he actually can pursue a relationship with whomever he wants because he doesn't have any baby baggage.

What was the point of creating a Thomas/Nicole connection over the summer if not to use it to bridge the two pregnancy storylines? Their connection isn't the only one the writers could be utilizing. Caroline and Maya mended fences. Why isn't Maya up in Caroline's pregnancy, trying to learn all she can, so she can help Nicole? I'd much rather Maya, Caroline's nemesis, be the one questioning Caroline to no end than it be Liam, who really has no cause to relentlessly do so.

My mind is buzzing with the potential for Maya, out of concern and pregnancy excitement, to be the one that once again outs Caroline! At this point, it would even be nice if Rick and Ridge interacted over the pregnancies, and maybe Rick is the one to figure it out. After all, Rick and Maya live with Thomas. They each have the chance to interact with Caroline, Thomas, and Ridge and to put the pieces together much better than Liam. With pregnancies in common, it would seem more natural, too.

Liam's an overly concerned and nosy cousin. Yes, Caroline leaned on him during her divorce and even lived with him. That's true, but somehow, the way he pried into her pregnancy announcement and into this "are you okay" mess is unnatural. It's one thing to be concerned about your family member, but it's another thing to dig and dig and dig at a pregnant woman whom he suspects Thomas or Ridge is stressing out.

At this point, Liam's nosiness is stressing me out right along with Caroline. I forgot that he can be a human crowbar. He pried in Katie and Ridge's business at the start of their romance. He pried in Hope's business about modeling lingerie. He jumped right into Bill's spy game with Maya and Rick. While married, he took it upon himself to pry into Hope and Thomas' budding/not-so-budding relationship.

Liam is also the one, via his computer background, to help Justin bust Brooke about the wall sex with Oliver. The writers dragged Liam's tech skills out this week to help Brooke with a computer problem, and it led to Liam prying about why she was looking at vasectomy information on the net. Right then and there, Brooke should have told Liam that he was out of line to ask her a single question about her personal browsing business.

I guard my laptop, tablet, and phone vigorously, and I get nervous when someone wants to use them. It's because it's no one's business if I was looking up dog sandals, vasectomies, transgender facts, Jodi Arias, or how to make blow-up animals with condoms. Brooke should have given Liam a big ole "nunya." Instead, she goes against what Ridge twice asked her to do -- which was keep her mouth shut. She revealed something that she shouldn't need to be told was a matter Ridge didn't want Liam to know or possibly discuss with Ridge's daughter.

Liam ran over to Caroline like a gossiping high school student to discuss her husband's penis procedures. That's just...I don't even know, Liam. Come on. Are there no boundaries between cousins? I guess not, if you ask Thomas, but what will Liam want to know next? What position Caroline was in when she conceived? Liam should be glad he wasn't near a balcony like Caroline was when she threatened to expose Bill's secret about Deacon.

Brooke got whiplash karma about blabbing her mouth when she and Liam received obligatory shots of shut-up juice from Ridge, but it didn't stop titan Liam's wheels from spinning. Steffy wished it would have. Liam was so distracted with the business of other couples that he wasn't in the mood to open Steffy's Pandora's box -- or even give her a foot rub, for that matter. Yeah, Steffy, you have the most normal relationship in the family -- when Liam stops stalking your family long enough to recognize you.

Friday, Steffy kissed her lipstick off herself as she tried to get Liam's attention. Liam's lips automatically puckered, but his mind was on Caroline. Maybe Steffy set off to solve some of the problems preoccupying Liam just to get his attention back on her -- because Steffy certainly isn't a paragon of the forgiveness that she preached to Ridge this week.

I can't even count the number of times Steffy heard her own speech to Ridge come out of Wyatt's, Liam's, and Ivy's mouths. After hearing all of them and agreeing to forgive Ivy, Steffy still managed to ask Thomas why he was interested in Ivy after what Ivy had done to Steffy. Now we know where Steffy gets that grudge-holding from -- Ridge.

Liam wasn't done harassing the pregnant woman. In round two, he bugged her more about the "weird tension" between Ridge and Thomas and whether her dozen assertions that she was okay really meant that she was okay. Truthfully, Steffy's right in what she told Liam about the family tensions. On the surface and for anyone minding their own business, Ridge and Thomas' feud isn't unusual for them.

Ridge treated Thomas the same way when Thomas first arrived in town. This time, there's evidence to support why Ridge is upset at Thomas. Thomas punched Ridge in the face and had an intern playing strip poker instead of working. That same son continues to mouth off in meetings. When Caroline ordered him to just make the changes Ridge wanted, Thomas murmured that they didn't get along, but Ridge sure knew to crank out babies. What does that even mean?

Was Thomas insinuating that Ridge had turned the argumentative Caroline into a baby? Thomas is the first and biggest baby Ridge ever cranked out, and if Liam forgets this fact, he should ask Wyatt. Thomas rubs everyone the wrong way -- well, except that one time with Caroline.

Another person who rubs people the wrong way is Julius. I happen to like him, though. He keeps it real in the Forrester-Avant child-rearing village, where everyone wants to ride Mr. Rogers' make-believe train about the emotional dangers facing Maya, Nicole, Rick, and Zende. Brooke gave Eric that cute crinkled smile, and Eric gave Brooke a kiss on the cheek. You know why, don't you?

It's because, secretly, Brooke and Eric are thrilled to get a real DNA grandkid despite Maya. Remember when Brooke warned Rick that he wouldn't have one if he stayed with Maya? I guess it would be in bad taste for Brooke to celebrate it in front of the fretful Avants, huh?

The Avant-Forrester baby is on the way, but Maya should be forewarned. Nicole is already belly-rubbing. Rick seems closer to Nicole. He even said that if Nicole is carrying "my" baby, he'd wrap her in bubble wrap. The "our," as in his and Maya's, was notable absent in that statement. Watch out, Maya.

Maya might think that sisterly love can conquer all, but while she's busy buying orange maternity jumpsuits and making the cell all cozy for her gestator, a storm is on the way. Zende is unsure of how he'll respond to this pregnancy, and the verdict is still out on how Nicole will feel about living in bubble wrap. More bitterness than kale might be in store for the five-some before they all wedge themselves into the delivery room.

Is it too late for buyer's remorse? Now that Nicole is actually pregnant, will she still think it's such a loving gift and sacrifice to throw up every day? She can't return Rick's sperm to the store, so abortion would be the only way out. I wouldn't put it past Julius to slip in a prayer request about it.

Nicole has signed her rights away, but Rick and Maya said she can back out up until it's too late. When is it too late? Is it the legal time frame for an abortion? If Nicole wants to abort, can the Forresters force her to carry to term? On the other hand, what if Maya doesn't like how cozy Rick and Nicole look in their matching checkered shirts, and she's the one who wants to terminate? I wonder who, Maya or Nicole, would reach for a pot of Stephanie's abortion tea to get out of this-- or maybe Zende or Julius find a way to "accidentally" end the pregnancy.

Abortion is a serious topic, and miscarriages are sad; however, what are the odds that each of these pregnancies will have live births and happy endings? One started off full of love and Kumbaya. The other began with mistakes and cover-ups. Will each one stay its course or flip in new directions?

It's already evident, to Wyatt's chagrin, that Thomas has flipped in a new direction, headed straight Ivy's way. Will the Ivy romance cause Thomas to have his own storyline or continue to creep on the thresholds of the Carridge and Wivy couples? It's been a long time since Thomas has been the center of a storyline. It's time to move him beyond the constant approval storylines, too. How many times does Thomas have to prove himself as a designer? How many times does Thomas have to be the interloper in a romance instead of the central hero of it?

Spoilers indicate that Thomas will continue to be the angst for Wivy through sweeps, and he somehow puts his sister's romance with Liam in jeopardy. Unless Thomas has a pill-popping, drunken night with Liam, I'm not sure how Thomas can mess up what's going on in Pandora's box. Maybe Steffy hulks out when Thomas makes Liam miss a foot-massage appointment.

Rumors also hint that Bell will employ his infamous "send a lover out of town" trick to help a third wheel derail a relationship. We can also expect some characters to get stranded in a storm like Taylor and James once did. Oh, and the "design a dress to win the girl" trick is also in the works for the holiday.

I have to wonder where fatherhood for Thomas fits in with his bid for Ivy. If Caroline's baby can survive the stressful pregnancy, if Thomas actually is the father, and if Thomas succeeds with Ivy, just how is this little village going to raise a baby together?

Speaking of Thomas actually being the father, we got a hint about the baby's development. Did you pause long enough to catch the information written on the baby's first selfie? It read fourteen weeks. That's a big head start for Ridge's swimmers. The problem is -- soaps regularly SORAS pregnancies.

Ridge and Caroline would be mathematically challenged idiots for not questioning the fourteen weeks stamp on the photo. Well, in all fairness, Caroline and Ridge proved their idiocy time after time by making rash decisions and avoidable mistakes, so...yeah. I wouldn't put it past Caroline to one day look at the sonogram and say, "Duh! Fourteen weeks. It is Ridge's!"

At fourteen weeks, Ridge and Caroline can get a paternity test. Bell needs to do it already. If Ridge isn't the father, why not have them test the kid to lend credence to Thomas as the father? It's hard to believe Ridge wouldn't have a tiny need to test it and know for sure, but hey, he also didn't do a follow-up vasectomy appointment while in Paris or get a second opinion on the sterility, so what you can expect?

When we last saw Thomas, he was creeping in yet another doorway during yet another of Carridge's private moments. This time, the creeping might pay off because he might have overheard Ridge say, "Thomas will never know." If Thomas did overhear it, the jig might be up for Ridge and Caroline.

We look forwarding to hearing your thoughts about how things will unfold with the dual pregnancies and about the direction the lives of our favorite L.A. residents will take. Until next week, stay bold and beautiful, baby!

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