Family ties of secrets

Did you ugly cry when Oscar said the word "cancer"? Did you shake in ew-ness when Ryan reached out and touched Felicia's hand? Did you wanna chug down a few martinis as you thought about your kid having sex with the love of your life? If you did, this week's GH Two Scoops column is for you. If you didn't, it's time to find out what you've been missing!

There's so much to unpack this week that I barely know where to begin, so I'll start with the biggest development: Oscar learned that he is terminally ill.

I'm fairly certain that Dr. Terry dangled a miracle cure for Oscar when she told Kim and Drew about the clinical trial, but that hardly mattered when Oscar barged into his mother's office and demanded to know if he had cancer. I was riveted. The fear in Oscar's eyes, the way he quivered with barely contained emotion as he waited for his parents to answer -- it broke my heart because I already knew what the answer was. Even if I hadn't, it was written all over Kim and Drew's agonized expressions.

I couldn't help but think what it would be like -- at the tender age of fifteen -- to learn that you are going to die. Soon. It's crushing enough to hear that news as an adult when you've at least had a chance to have a life.

My mother in-law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just a short time after she retired and moved back home to be close to her children and grandchildren. She was looking forward to a wonderful, long retirement, surrounded by loved ones and taking all the vacations that she had dreamed of as she'd toiled away in various General Motors plants across the country, raising four children as a single mother and saving for their futures.

Pancreatic cancer is a particularly ruthless killer that took Bevy from us far too soon, but she died having lived a full and rich life with lots of friends, family, and memories. She was loved by many and happy far more than she was ever sad.

Oscar, on the other hand, is just fifteen. Little more than a baby. A boy who has plans to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro with his father, a boy who only recently met his first girlfriend and had his first kiss. He's not even old enough to drive yet.

Not surprisingly, Oscar is devastated by the fact that his parents had kept the secret -- his mother for two years, his father for just a few weeks. That's on top of learning that he's terminally ill with little hope for a cure. Feeling betrayed, forlorn, and overwhelmed by the speed with which his life changed, Oscar made his way to the piers, where he had an encounter with his Uncle Jason.

It broke my heart, hearing Oscar's voice crack as he confessed that he had cancer. Garren Stitt is doing an outstanding job. I just want to reach through the screen, hug him, and reassure him that everything is going to be okay. Instead, I grab a tissue and blindly reach for the closest of my precious mutts, Max and Hazel.

Did I mention that I'm one of those ugly criers? I am. It's one of the reasons that my daughter absolutely refuses to watch tearjerker movies with me. Twice this week, I was left with a stuffy nose, puffy eyes, and a headache because of the show, so now I'm going to have to keep a bottle of aspirin close when Oscar is on.

For me, the most tragic moment was when Oscar asked if Jason had seen a white light.

A part of me thought Jason was an ass for telling Oscar no, because what would it hurt to allow Oscar to believe that our journey continued when our life on earth ended? It was clear that Oscar desperately wanted to believe that he would live on in afterlife, so it seemed cruel to deny him that comfort. However, I also realized in that moment that it was more important for Oscar to hear the truth because he needed an adult whom he could trust more than he needed a fantasy. I suspect that was why Jason opted for the cold, hard truth rather than a warm, fuzzy lie.

Not that I don't believe there's an afterlife. I do. But Jason, despite his religious convictions, clearly does not. Therefore, it makes sense for him not to tell Oscar something that he doesn't believe.

It was a touching moment, and I was pleased that Jason persuaded Oscar to call Kim and Drew because, as upset as Oscar was, the kid needs his parents -- and treatment. Oscar doesn't really have the luxury of licking his wounds because, sadly, time is not on his side. Part of learning about his illness is going to be taking control of his treatment because it will help him deal with his illness.

The truth is, we are all dying, just some of us faster than others. I could walk out to check the mail tomorrow morning and be hit by a beer truck (something my Oma used to say) or trip over one of my dogs and break my neck (something I'm certain will happen one of these days), so there are no guarantees to live to a ripe old age.

Luckily, Oscar is a soap character, so his odds of beating this cancer are far higher than if he lived in the real world.

Meanwhile, Carly took time out from picking up Josslyn to give Franco a piece of her mind about Cameron's wicked ways. I realize that Carly is a protective mama bear about her cubs, especially when it comes to her mini-me, Josslyn. However, who is Carly to psychoanalyze Cam or any other child, for that matter? She married a mobster six times, and another mobster once, and she put kids through countless dangerous and life-threatening situations over the years.

And why exactly are Cam's potential daddy issues Liz's fault? What about Lucky? How much responsibility does he bear in all of this? Lucky played daddy to Cam and Jake for a hot minute then ditched the boys -- including his biological infant son -- to live the life of a vagabond while he traveled the world. I don't care how often Lucky takes the time to Skype with the boys; that kind of abandonment has got to have a profound effect on them. A parent needs to be present in their child's life. Anything less is detrimental.

Liz went eons without being in a relationship as she raised her boys. It's not like there's been a parade of men since Lucky left. There was a brief fling with Ric (her ex-husband), there was Ewen Keenan, and she was engaged to A.J., Drew/Jason (also an ex), and now Franco.

With that said, I'm of a mind that Cam's rebellion stems more from being a teenage boy who is too smart for his own good. Sure, he's not happy with Franco, but that's kind of to be expected, since Franco is an ex-serial killer and all. However, Franco has turned his life around, and he's shown a true desire to be more than a male presence in Cam, Jake, and Aiden's lives, so I'm sure things will turn around.

That's more than I can say for Jason, who seems to have vanished completely from Jake's life. I was disappointed when Jason suggested to Sam that they take Danny and Scout to spend time with Monica, but he made no mention of Jake, who is as much Monica's grandchild as Danny, Scout, and Oscar are. I would think that Jason would keep trying to build a relationship with his eldest son, but he appears to focus on the easy relationships. Okay, so part of the appeal of spending time with Danny is that it gives Jason an opportunity to spend time with Sam, even though I have no idea why he needs an excuse.

Didn't Sam end her marriage to Drew because she was still in love with Jason? Why are Jason and Sam acting like two bashful teenagers who are working up the nerve to ask their first crush out on a date? It's silly. They share a child and were married once. More importantly, they've both admitted that they are still in love with each other. It's time to give Jasam their story or let them move on.

That's something that Julian might consider doing with Kim. Not only have Julian and Kim not been spending much time together, but she clearly hasn't felt comfortable confiding her troubles to him. That does not bode well for a healthy relationship, especially when Julian showed up at the hospital, and Kim couldn't even take the time to tell him that something was going on with Oscar but she couldn't discuss it yet.

Instead, Kim let Drew do all the talking. I appreciate that Kim was upset, but Julian is her lover. They agreed to explore a real relationship together, so he's more than a casual friend or a friend with benefits.

I think that Kim leaned on Drew because she still has feelings for him, despite her relationship with Julian. I'm not surprised, and I doubt that Julian would be, either, if she told him that things had changed, because she had always been honest and up-front with him about her feelings for Drew. I have no doubt that the crisis with Oscar stirred everything up again. I suspect the real reason that Kim remained silent when Julian asked her what was going on was because she was afraid that she would say something that she wasn't ready to deal with, especially while her son was missing.

Sadly, Nina's daughter also remained missing because there was no news about the maternity test that Curtis had ordered on the young woman he believes is Nina's daughter. Is Sasha Gilmore (Sofia Mattsson) Nina's child? Probably. She was way too confident that she wasn't adopted, and she has a love for horses -- like Nina. That's more accurate than anything that comes out of GH's labs.

However, there has been an equally credible argument made by some readers that Nina's daughter might be Kiki. It would certainly be a huge twist that would have major ripple effects across the canvas, especially now that Ava has decided to make Kiki pay for hooking up with Griffin. I guess shagging Morgan, her daughter's lover, is fine as long as Ava is the one doing the betraying.

Ava's return to the dark side doesn't surprise or upset me, even though I'm a big fan. Frankly, I like her there. We need some bad girls -- and boys -- to stir up trouble and keep things interesting. If everyone was good, we'd be bored to tears.

I have to admit that I don't feel a whole lot of sympathy for Kiki. Kiki knows her mother better than anyone, so she has to realize that she's poking a bear every time she challenges Ava, who is still hurting.

I'm not an animal expert, but even I know it's not wise to taunt a wounded animal -- especially one that could kill you.

Back to Nina, though. Did anyone else catch Charlotte's comment to Nina when she expressed a desire for Nina and Valentin to have had a child because Charlotte always wanted a brother or sister to play with? Um, did Charlotte forget about her brother, Rocco?

I appreciate that Charlotte loves Nina, but sometimes it feels like the writers try a little too hard to show how close they are. I understand the point was to drive another dagger through Nina's broken heart, but I do recall Nina once explaining to Charlotte that she couldn't have children, so it seemed a little cruel for Charlotte to say that.

Like Papa, like daughter, I guess, because Valentin is also being cruel by keeping another secret from Nina. He's a fool not to take Curtis' advice instead of dragging things out until he has the test results in hand. Nina isn't going to be grateful. She's going to be furious that Valentin once again kept things from her and enlisted Curtis to do the same. His countless secrets are exactly why Nina can't trust him.

Valentin is hoping that uniting Nina with her daughter will win him forgiveness, but that's not how it works. He needs to earn forgiveness by building trust. The only way for him to do that is to stop keeping secrets and start doing the work of being open and honest.

That brings me to Brad, who continues to live in fear that Wiley will be ripped out of his and Lucas' arms. He has good reason to be worried because he's living on borrowed time.

It didn't escape my notice that both Michael and Jason had odd expressions on their faces when Carly told them that Wiley had the same heart defect that Michael and A.J. had had. A rather rare heart defect that affects one in 200,000 newborns. Michael knew this because he had done some research while Nelle had been pregnant with Jonah.

Tick-tock, Brad. Tick-tock.

Julian is going to be pissed when he finds out that Brad lied to him about Wiley's birth parents. Julian still believes a homeless woman gave Brad the baby, so he's going to be furious when he realizes that Wiley is actually Sonny's grandson.

I loathe Brad. I have absolutely no sympathy for his plight. I kept hoping that someone would overhear Brad pleading with Julian to fix things or for Alexis to announce that Wiley's "birth father" wanted him back. Anything that would end this farce. I know Lucas will be hurt, but he'll survive.

What Brad is doing is heartless and vile. Michael has every right to raise his son, so I hope that when Brad's deception is exposed, Michael charges him with kidnapping.

Lucas will be okay because, when the dust settles, he will still get to have a relationship with his great-nephew. It won't be the same, and I'm sure it will hurt for a long time, but at least Jonah will still be a part of Lucas' life. I doubt the same will be said for Brad.

Finally, Jordan (now played by Briana Nicole Henry) met with Stella for drinks, and things did not go well, mainly because Stella absolutely refuses to try. Stella remains firmly entrenched in her anger that Thomas is dead because of Jordan, so she's decided to skip the wedding. Why Curtis keeps trying to persuade his aunt to attend is beyond me. Stella is a grown woman, and if she wants to cut off her nose to spite her face because her anger and resentment are more important than her two nephews, then that's her choice.

I wouldn't want someone who wished me or my husband ill at my wedding, and I certainly wouldn't want to see a sourpuss glowering in the corner while my other guests tried to enjoy themselves.

Both T.J. and Curtis have forgiven Jordan -- and Thomas. I think that is what the real issue is. In order for Stella to forgive Jordan, she will have to admit that Thomas wasn't without sin. His own choices, not Jordan's, led to his death. I doubt Stella is anywhere near ready to face that hard truth, so she will continue to push her family away until she either realizes that the only person she's hurting is herself or it's too late.

I'm not a legal expert, but should Jordan and Margaux be sharing details of a murder investigation with the prime suspect's son? More importantly, should Margaux even be working on this case, since it involves her father?

If I ever have a secret, I'm never telling Sam. I know she was hoping to rally a support system around Drew, but it's for Drew to decide who he wants to lean on, not Sam. Hinting to Jason then Curtis that Drew is dealing with something big is not exactly keeping the secret.

Exactly how long does Mike have to wear that Band-Aid over his eyebrow? It seems like it's been there forever.

Robert is just SO cool! I love how he's so focused on the task at hand, which is tracking down Cassandra, and whoever is responsible for breaking her out. In contrast, Finn was having problems tracking down a missing sock. -- Scrimmage

Hate to see one of the few non-snarky teenagers die, especially after killing off Wylie without his bio mom knowing he died and possibly carrying some DNA aberration that may cause a similar situation in the event she [became] pregnant again. -- Dreyne Smythe

Did anyone else laugh when Maxie said that she could never imagine being separated from her son? Why is it so much easier to be separated from her daughter? Poor Georgie! --Kelly Ann

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

Take care and happy viewing,Liz Masters

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