Tues Jan 2, 2024: Today on Young and Restless, Adam and Sally spend New Year’s Eve together, Victoria gets advice from Sharon and decides to take time off work to dedicate herself to caring for Claire, and Nikki goes to an AA meeting while Adam is angry his family kept the Jordan ordeal from him.
Monday’s recap: JT Risks His Life to Save Colleen, Nick Doesn’t Trust Sharon, and Brittany and Raul’s Relationship Takes a Turn (this was a repeat episode from 2023)
(This day ahead recap episode airs in the USA on Jan 3. Expect spoilers! Recaps go live by 4:15 PM EST daily.)
Adam arrives at Neil’s jazz lounge and looks at the party horn. Sally walks up.
“You know how those work don’t you? You just put your lips together and blow.”
He laughs. They’ve both seen To Have and Have Not, which is one of Sally girl’s favorites.
Adam grins.
She blows the horn and he laughs, calling it impressive.
She says she didn’t celebrate there.
He knows she’d never do something so traditional. She admits she watched the ball drop from her room.
She couldn’t sleep so came downstairs. Adam says, “Same.”
They drink champagne and recall their first together.
They decorated that tree with all of the other holidays and watched North and Northwest.
“Because of your Cary Grant fascination,” he says.
They drank vodka and ate caviar.
They turn the clock back to midnight in their minds and since they have the place to themselves, they count back from 10 and then wish each other a happy new year. He suggests a traditional kiss but she tells him he’s pushing it so she kisses his cheek, instead.
He asks if they’re dating.
She says they’re not dating yet. He can’t help it.
He’s wrapped up in all the excitement.
Sally admits she’s got her old energy back.
He’s happy and both think 2024 will be good.
Nick arrives at Crimson Lights for coffee.
Sharon will get him one and then she and Esther are closing up.
They talk about the rush before midnight. She doesn’t know what she’d do without Esther.
Esther says she could have done it alone.
“I mean, here she is, owner of a big company, still slinging coffee and cookies on New Year’s Eve.”
She needs to delegate. Esther gets Nick’s coffee and he tells Sharon that he had a few rough days.
Sharon strongarms Esther into going home. She’s been on her feet for 12 hours.
“Happy New Year, Esther,” she says. Esther says the same and takes off, flipping the closed sign as Nick details the whole crazy Aunt Jordan and Claire story.
Sharon’s blown away and asks after Victoria.
He talks about how things are going and wishes Sharon could be Claire’s therapist but Sharon knows she’s in good hands.
She’d like to help him get through.
He tells her the knife wound is healing and emotionally he’s good.
His family though, he’s worried about.
At the GCAC, Victoria and Cole look at menus and talk about how they’ll keep their daughter safe.
Victoria’s upset that Jordan kidnapped Claire and worries she’s slipping further away.
They worry about how she’s thinking and Cole tries to comfort Victoria. It works.
She calls him a comforting force and then laughs. What a way to reconnect.
He smiles. It’s been too long since they’ve seen each other.
They never got over losing Baby Eve.
Claire sits in the mental health facility on her bed, moping.
There’s nobody to believe in or trust, she thinks to herself. Not Aunt Jordan.
Maybe this is what she deserved.
She can see fear in Victoria and Cole’s eyes and doesn’t think it’s love.
“I’m no one, and nothing and always will be,” she thinks.
She can’t stand the look they give her and needs to keep them away.
She calls them her parents and then decides no, they’re Victoria and Cole.
They wanted a sweet, perfect baby girl but she’s no one.
They can’t love her and she can’t love them.
At home, Victor finds Nikki standing at the booze cart. He comes to her with a kiss.
He removed temptation himself.
She says it makes her feel bad.
He knows she’s struggling. She doesn’t think she’ll make it this time.
Since she can’t sleep, he asks her to play chess, cards or tell stories.
She has none so he holds her and they remember the last time he tossed out all her booze.
He yelled that nothing mattered to her but the damned bottle as he poured out the liquid and smashed bottles while Nikki sobbed.
She says he was right. It was so hard but he helped when he could have left.
He says she’s the love of his life and he’ll always protect his baby.
They snuggle and remember Maggie and Deacon trying to ruin her life.
They flash back again to Victor giving her a bracelet with the Chinese symbol of courage and strength.
Nikki says he knew what she needed to hear. He says yes, and she got sober then and will to it again.
He has a lot of plans for 2024 for their family. He kisses her and cuddles her again.
It’s New Year’s Day and the snow looks freshly fallen at the ranch.
Nikki and Victor greet one another in the living room.
She finally got some sleep, thanks to drifting off in his arms.
It’s the first time she had no nightmares since this started. He asks why she’s dressed for work.
She doesn’t need to go in.
They can wander around the ranch but she asks for a rain check.
She’s heading to an AA meeting before work.
Victoria arrives to check on her mama.
Nikki says thanks to Victor, she’s doing better.
She’s headed to the meeting.
Victoria repeats Victor’s sentiments about staying home but Nikki’s ready.
She’s faced worse and intends to do it again, just like Victor says.
Victoria calls her parents an inspiration.
Sally breakfasts in Neil’s lounge and sees a party hat from last night that the cleaning crew left behind.
She calls Adam and he asks how her night was.
She went right to sleep. He grins and asks if he’s boring.
She says he’s a lot of things but boring is not one of them.
She thanks him for last night and asks him to dinner.
“As in a date?” She says yes. He jokes that he’s checking his schedule and says he can’t wait.
Victoria and Cole visit the mental health facility at the hospital and watch Claire sleep from the door.
Victoria starts in on how much they missed out on but Cole says they agreed, no looking back. Only forward.
In an AA meeting, Nikki tells her new group that she hasn’t been sleeping and says the bad thoughts get worse the longer she can’t sleep.
She knows that’s how it works that it causes them to want to drink more.
She gives them her gratitude list.
She says last night, her husband stayed up with her so she wouldn’t have to be alone for those thoughts and feelings.
She calls him her rock and smiles.
She’s grateful but knows she can’t lean on him.
He can’t keep her sober.
She knows that only she can.
It’s frustrating since it sounds simple to others who aren’t alcoholics.
There’s a lot of demons she must face if she wants to get sober and won’t white knuckle it.
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In Victor’s office at Newman, Adam has been told all about the Aunt Jordan and Claire fiasco.
He’s pissed and cannot believe the family went through all of this. “Nick, the knife wound?”
That’s what he didn’t want to share at the coffee house the other day?
Nick says he’s had a lot on his mind and wasn’t into sharing.
Adam’s pissed even more and cuts him off. “I’m your brother.”
Adam reminds Victor he’s his son.
How could he keep him in the dark about this?
Victor stops his son’s tirade and says they called you in as a family, to fill him in.
Adam’s shocked Victoria has a daughter she thought was dead and can’t imagine how she’s feeling.
Is she okay to work? Nick barks, “Don’t stop.”
Victor yells at them to stop it. They work as a family.
As one. As a unit. He’s tired of their arguing. Later, Nikki arrives and Nick hugs her.
She’s feeling much better and is optimistic.
She kisses Victor and Adam says they filled him in on what happened.
He offers to help. She looks surprised and he says they won’t get trouble from him.
The parents look pointedly at Nick.
Victoria goes to Crimson Lights for coffee and Sharon hopes she’s not stepping out of line but Nick told her about her ordeal and she offers to help.
At first, Victoria says no but then asks to talk. She doesn’t feel like she knows what to do.
It’s unfamiliar. Sharon says to start with what she does know.
She wants to connect with Claire, as does Cole but they don’t know how to start. She was raised hating her, thinking they abandoned her.
How do they undo that? Sharon says to show her who she is. It won’t happen overnight.
Victoria nods. It’s hard to be patient. Sharon says to care for her own psyche.
Victoria’s starting to realize that.
Sharon asks to consider taking time off.
She’s lost so much time with Claire already. “Don’t lose more.”
Cole watches Claire sleep in the hospital and then lets himself into her room and talks to her while she sleeps.
He knows she needs rest and must be exhausted after this but he hopes she isn’t going someplace inside where they can’t help her.
He wants to tell her a story he never got to tell her.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl and her parents couldn’t wait for her to be born.
They had hopes and dreams for her and…and what their lives would be like with her.
Maybe we can finish that when you wake up, your mom and I.
We’ll both be here for you. For all of it.
Victoria arrives at Newman and Adam tells her he heard the news.
He’s so very sorry and asks how she’s holding up. She’s okay under the circumstances and thanks him.
She says Claire’s sleeping and Cole will call when she wakes up.
She’s glad they’re there because she made a decision.
She’s taking a leave of absence to devote herself to Claire’s recovery.
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