ESPRIT LIBRE // Press Archive

Jessica's Health Crisis (Soap Opera Digest 5/15/07)

Just when it seemed like Jessica and Nash were finally getting their happy ending, their whole world gets turned upside down once again. "It's a big story that will sort of springboard Jessica and Nash and Antonio off into a whole new version of their triangle and will play off into the summer," previews Head Writer Dena Higley.

Jessica has already made several attempts to tell Antonio the truth about her and Nash. The first time, Antonio was so angry that he walked out on her, but the second time something cataclysmic hapened: Jamie's accident. Turns out the third time's not the charm, either. "Jessica is under extreme emotional stress at this point," sets up portrayer Bree Williamson. "Nash is waiting for her to tell Antonio the truth. Jessica is ready to tell Antonio, they are face-to-face and she collapses."

As the doctors work to figure out what's causing her mysterious condition, Jessica has some distubring memories from her past as Tess, and they're not from her childhood. "The [first] memory is one of Tess's most wild and recless encounters that did not include Nash," says Williamson. "That experience definitely had an impact on her current situation."

Meanwhile, she was to contend with sparring lovers Nash and Antonio, and her family won't allow Nash near her hospital room. "The hardest part about this situation is that Jessica has love for these two men," laments Williamson. "They are three good people trying to be honest with their feelings, but unfortunately, someone is going to get hurt."

When Nash and Jessica finally do come face-to-face, they conclude that Antonio should be a part of Bree's life if anything happens to Jessica. Meanwhile, Antonio admits to Cristian that his wife became a different person after the Tess/Jess integration. "Everything moved so quickly for Jessica after the integration that she really didn't get the chance to live and breathe as this new person before she married Antonio," explains Williamson.

What happens next will "bind [Jessica and Nash] to Antonio in a way that they can't extract themselves from Antonio's life," teases Higley. The doctors learn what caused Jessica's situation and her health is rapidly deteriorating. As a result, "Nash and Jessica have a big decision to make," says Higley. "Do they continue to live with Antonio in their lives with him not knowing or do they end up deciding that honesty is the best policy?"