Alone again...naturally

Stitch was discovered to be the abductor of the very pregnant Mariah! (Welcome, Baby Chancellor!) Was Stitch's phony hero act a means of getting the redemption he craved from his ex-wife? Or was he trying to turn back time to erase the loss of his baby with Abby? Or had his guilt over not seeing Max's unhealthy mental state at the time of their past tragedy pushed him over the edge? Both Mariah and Jack found themselves alone once again. Read all about it in Two Scoops.

It's funny that when Mariah first arrived in town, she was the lone wolf raised in a commune where nobody had really cared about her. Mariah had no loving mother or supportive family while she was growing up, and even though she was fortunate to be surrounded by loved ones who doted on her during her pregnancy, Mariah was again feeling very much alone, which was the last thing she needed, especially once her labor pains started. Although Mariah wasn't completely deserted, since she still carried little "Bowie" in her womb to keep her company, she couldn't have been comforted that help was nowhere in sight. But Mariah had never felt so smothered to where she had felt that she needed to leave. No, someone else was behind that, and that someone was Stitch!

We've got to give Stitch a lot of credit. He sure was putting on a great act as the hero who saved the day when he announced that he had seen a guy at a convenience store, buying tons of the same maternity protein bars that Mariah ate, and then remembered that the mystery man had used the same yellow "stork carrying baby" notebook paper that Mariah carried in her purse. But this was a ruse for Stitch to cover up his own actions and to be the one that Abby could turn to in his attempt to win her back. Really, by being away, Chance had made it very convenient for Stitch to take advantage of being the one who was there for Abby as she worried over the fate of Mariah and the baby. Hopefully, the clues would quickly lead them to Mariah's location, since her contractions weren't Braxton-Hicks.

Rey suggested that they look at the convenience store security cameras to hopefully identify the old man, and Devon found it suspicious and very convenient that Stitch was at a convenience store far from the hotel where he had been staying. What a coinkydink that Stitch just happened to be at the store at the exact same time that Mariah's supposed kidnapper was there, right? Shoot, the only image they might see was of Stitch purchasing a bunch of protein bars. But Rey had better get his results fast because Mariah appeared to be in labor -- and she was all alone! Mariah pleaded with the babe to wait to be born, but you know it doesn't work that way. They come when they come, so Mariah had better start timing her pains. A desperate Mariah even cried out for her abductor's help.

Even though Devon was the sleuth who had suspected that Stitch was behind it all, you know that Rey will take the credit. Devon even had the insight to call Mariah's phone that rang in Stitch's room, which let them know that the former good-guy doctor was holding Mariah captive. Sadly, Mariah wasn't also in his room, so she was still on her own in labor. As Victor observed, all the signs pointed to Stitch being the culprit, including when Stitch had first told him that he was worried about Abby being alone without Chance around. The biggest red flag was when Stitch said that he was offered the chief of surgery job, although Nate had ended up getting it. And then Rey and Kevin only saw Stitch on the convenience store video footage and an old man without a ton of protein bars in his cart. Okay.

Victor, Devon, and Rey knew that Stitch had taken Mariah and the baby, but they still didn't know why. Using her Newman savvy, Abby offered to be Stitch's sounding board, where he could tell her anything, and she promised not to judge him. She saw that Stitch felt guilty, and she stressed that he was not at fault for what had happened with Max during the time when she had lost her first baby. It appeared that that the tragedy caused by his son had broken Stitch so much that he was even fired from his job in Iowa City. When Stitch pleaded for redemption, Abby told him that they could make things right together, first by him telling her where Mariah and the baby were. As much as it broke her heart to see her friend in such dire straits, Abby had accepted that Stitch was behind the abduction.

Growing up without any love, Mariah had learned how to be a fighter, so she prepared to give birth with no help. Although she was petrified and in pain, Mariah was determined to deliver the baby safely. Little did she know that the cavalry was coming...well, once they could figure out what room she was in. If only the love of Sharon and Tessa could comfort her and help guide them to her. But when Abby asked where Mariah and the baby were, Stitch looked genuinely confused. He truly appeared not to know where they were. I wondered then if it had been Max. Everything pointed to Stitch doing the deed out of love for Abby. But Max was the one who, in his deranged mind, still had an axe to grind against her. He had taken one child from her and maybe had chosen to take another.

Stitch saw Abby as a light in a very dark world, and Abby saw that his world had become very dark. Stitch tried to recapture the light upon his return to Genoa City and desired to have hope again. He saw that he had failed to protect Abby when they were married and that he continued to fail her when he visited. When Abby feared that his unhappiness had driven him to do desperate things, Stitch admitted that he had never meant for it to get that far, and he was going to let Mariah go. So, it was Stitch, not Max. He then took Abby to Mariah, who was in labor. In the meantime, Devon found a house rented to Ben Russell that was located by the convenience store, and Devon and Rey came to her rescue. Hopefully, they came prepared to deliver, because the baby was on its way.

So, Abby and Devon got ready to deliver "Bowie" from the "baby's fierce protector," with Nate assisting via video chat. Abby actually delivered her own baby. Hey, not everyone can say that. The little boy was perfect as he cried out, which was the sweetest sound they had ever heard. Devon was named the official "baby whisperer" of their adventure, and Abby wished a happy birthday to Baby Chancellor. Yeah, I suspect that the name Bowie may not stick, but giving the unborn child a name helped Mariah feel that she was not so alone, which helped her to keep her spirits up until help could arrive. And Mariah had succeeded in keeping the new Chancellor/Newman/Abbott baby safe until his grand entrance into the world.

It was no surprise to hear that Jack had flown with Harrison to Milan so he could drop the boy off with his brand-new parents in his brand-new life, leaving Jack alone again...naturally. (I love that 70s song by Gilbert O'Sullivan. But hopefully, Jack won't be so devastated that he will climb to a nearby tower to throw himself off. Oh, no!) With Kyle and Summer also gone, even if Traci, Ashley, or Billy dropped by every once in a while, Jack would still feel like the house was empty without the next generations of Abbotts hanging around. Surely, that would make him even more vulnerable, which was why he seemed to be hanging on every word Phyllis spoke. Jack still seemed to be totally enamored by his "Red," which was probably why he had carried such an attraction to Sally.

Yeah, Jack just beams whenever he's around Phyllis, and she proved in the park that she really did know him better than anyone else when she was able to cheer him up. Phyllis made Jack smile, which was quite an accomplishment, since they were both sad and missing their children. It was a case of misery loves company for them, yet somehow, they managed to get past the misery to laugh again. The last time Jack had smiled and laughed like that was when he was with Sally, who ran into them at the park. Being quite catty, both Sally and Phyllis had their claws out, ready to pounce. They just couldn't help themselves. But Sally also noticed the attraction between Jack and Phyllis, and she later mentioned to Nick that she had seen them in the park together. She just couldn't resist.

Young babies and kids tend not to stick around too long on soaps, so it wasn't exactly shocking that Harrison was headed to Italy, and we may only hear about him now and again until he becomes completely out of sight, out of mind. Many young'uns, such as Johnny and Katie, are only shown on-screen every once in a blue moon, while others are shipped off to a fancy boarding school overseas to return in a year or two -- much, much older, although not necessarily any wiser. Hey, Harrison had to go somewhere, so Italy, here he comes. Actually, the chances (no pun intended) that the new Chancellor/Newman/Abbott bundle of joy will eventually be sent to a foreign country for the finest education are quite good. Even Billy might like those odds.

Instead of being his normally unscrupulous self, Adam truly seemed to be trying and even offered Sally some very wise advice about not letting Phyllis get the better of her. Sally's another one who was alone again...naturally, since she had been left with no job, no friends, and no potential love life due to her foolish decisions and bad acts done in the name of survival. However, Sally was lucky to have instantly found a friend in Chloe, and she would be smart to heed Adam's words about turning all her negative energy into positive acts to become a huge success in Genoa City. Really, the best way for Sally to get Phyllis back would be to take the fashion world by storm and to become a successful dynamo in the public eye. Take that, Phyllis! Sally would be wise to take Adam's advice.

However, Sally was either reaching or was totally delusional in thinking that she would ever be able to design Victoria's wedding dress. As Chloe pointed out, Victoria was Summer's aunt, and, of course, she would have Summer and Angelina Marchetti design the dress for her big day. Sally seemed to be setting herself up to fail. While Chloe admired Sally's ambition, spirit, initiative, and determination, she knew that the redhead was being unrealistic about fulfilling that particular dream. Later, Chloe feared that, with their past criminal records, she and Chelsea might not be the proper role models to steer the misguided redhead onto the right path, but Kevin soothed her by saying that they were perfect for Sally, since they had both been in her situation at one time, which was so true.

While Sharon worried about Mariah, at least she could feel that Faith would be safe from the bullies at school, since Moses would be there to protect her. They're a sweet young couple, but Faith went way overboard in having such high expectations that Moses should remember the exact date of every single momentous occasion in their new romance. Yeah, all three of them. Still, that's a terrible burden to place on anyone, especially men who are notorious for not knowing an important date of...well, just about anything concerning their love life. My husband married me on my birthday to help him remember the date. It didn't help. Now, he forgets the date of my birthday and our anniversary. Faith's biggest concern should be in how Moses treats her, not if he can ace a pop quiz.

In the meantime, Moses was looking forward to his new career in the entertainment industry as Devon and Nate reveled about how happy Neil would have been for his youngest son to have followed in his footsteps. When Devon mentioned calling Sofia with the news, Moses immediately begged him not to contact his mother. It seems that Sofia wouldn't be quite as enthusiastic about her son's new career choice, since her heart had already been set on his being a doctor, so he feared that she would force him to leave town and return to New York. Why do I have a feeling that we may be seeing Sofia on our screens in the very near future? Now that Moses is in Genoa City, there's every reason to believe that his mother will eventually follow him there. And I'm sure she will.

Although Victoria and Ashland appeared elated with their humongous wedding festivities and the merger quickly approaching, a touch of sadness seemed to haunt Victoria, possibly because reality was starting to sink in. Sure, Victoria was in love and was ready to celebrate her joyous new life with her family; however, just how long would her happiness last with Ashland's health still at risk? Victoria seemed fine with general talk about the merger, but once Ashland began talking about the details about their joint conglomerate, she grew quiet and solemn. Honestly, Ashland's sketch of the two Newman/ocke towers looked so separate and isolated from each other. It almost appeared that Victoria would have her own ivory tower, and Ashland would have his. Not very romantic, huh?

Of course, if Billy had his way, the union of this powerful couple would never happen. Under the pretense of researching the divorces of the citizens in the community, Billy was able to smoke out some details from Ashland's past, such as that he was involved with a wealthy older woman before Tara. And Nick was the strangest of bedfellows when he applauded Billy's tactics while also trying to distance himself from them due to his brotherly love. Even Victor was trying to get into the act by having a private detective check into Ashland's history. While Nikki was concerned that Victor could end up alienating Victoria, Victor did not want any unpleasant surprises popping up after the marriage to hurt his daughter. And really, Victoria should expect no less from her father.

Victor knew very well that Ashland could be ruthless, especially in business, and since the Mustache was just like the mogul in that way, he had every right to be concerned. I mean, all Victor had to do was to look at his past and reflect on all the dirty dealings that he had once done to get what he wanted. Shoot, that should have any parent shaking in his shoes. Victor warned Adam not to do anything to hurt Victoria; however, Adam stressed that his pursuit of Locke employees was a smart move to get the best in a very limited field. Oh, yes, dear old dad was proud as he also insisted that Adam not let his personal feelings play a part in his luring of any personnel...and Adam cautioned Victor about doing the same, since the proud papa appeared to be mellowing somewhat with age.

Just as Victor learned what his private detective had dug up, Ashland decided that, since everyone was already snooping into his past, he would tell Victoria his story, so he could put his own spin on it. Yes, there had been an older wealthy woman who had helped him when he had first started out, but no, he and the lady had never been lovers. She had just been his mentor, and he was able to buy her two news stations once she was gone, which became the start of his media empire. His story sounded so nice, neat, and tidy, and practically wrapped up with a bow, but we all know that it can't be that simple. There had to be more to his story; however, Nikki believed that it didn't matter what had happened back then, since Victoria was marrying the man that Ashland was today, and Nick agreed.

Phyllis seemed to be unsure of what to make of the powerful mogul who was marrying her sister-in-law and who was allowing her daughter to raise his son. Yeah, the ties between Ashland and Phyllis because of Nick, Victoria, and Summer were a little complex, and with Phyllis' "selective logic," there's no telling how she will side if push comes to shove.

For two ladies who were flip-flopping boyfriends not so long ago, Elena and Amanda have gotten quite chummy again, as Amanda saw that Elena was exhausted with her hospital schedule as the most popular surgeon in town. If she thinks she's tired now, just wait until she tacks on being ChancComm's new social media doctor on Ask MD Now, based on Nate's recommendation. Apparently, with his promotion, Nate could no longer do the gig; however, he seemed to think that Elena had plenty of time for it. I'm not so sure she'd agree.

While Traci was able to cheer Jack up with a new book that she had just written about their mother's memoirs in the Paris fashion industry, even she could see that her enlightening and entertaining read only briefly distracted him from his loneliness and from missing his son and his grandson. Oh, yeah, Jack was feeling very alone and blue.

Wow, Lauren was pretty much digging from the bottom of the barrel when she decided to let Gloria be the president of JCV. Come on, Gloria's most recent work experience in the fashion world has been as an executive assistant, so she was not really qualified to take the position. I mean, Lauren didn't even bother to hold any interviews for this most prestigious position. Sally may have made some bad personal choices, but at least she was qualified in fashion. It appears that there was a little nepotism going on with Michael's mother.

Congratulations to Chelsea's Melissa Claire Egan and her husband, Matt Katrosar, on the birth of their new baby boy, Caden Robert! I hope she enjoys her time on maternity leave with her new family addition before returning to engage us once again with more of Chelsea's story, which will include her new job working with Adam!

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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