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None The Wiser: Sloan (Jessica Serfaty) works to cover her tracks with Eric (Greg Vaughan).
Eric and EJ must work together to dissuade Nicole of the notion that Eric’s son is her child that “died”, unaware that the distraught mother is spot-on with her suspicions.
“There’s a situation that occurs at the square,” explains Greg Vaughan (Eric), noting that Nicole has become “fixated on the child that Eric and Sloan have been granted in their lives through adoption. Nicole’s state of mind after the accident [is off]. She’s gone through such a tragedy and is going through the post-traumatic experience of losing a child after carrying it. Her hormones are all over the map, and she’s in a depression mode.”
Both Eric and EJ “are trying to be sensitive to what’s happened to her,” continues Vaughan. “Eric is very compassionate and empathetic to Nicole and the situation, and EJ’s trying to comfort her at the same time. But Eric doesn’t want to cross a line. He’s trying to respect their marriage and their relationship. He’s trying to let EJ be the man, if you will, and handle the situation.”
After Nicole hands the baby back to Eric, EJ brings her home, assuring her that the trauma and grief of the last few days caused her mind to play tricks on her. Nicole, however, remains convinced that Eric’s baby is hers. Meanwhile, Eric returns home with his son and briefs Sloan on his strange encounter with Nicole. Sloan plays it cool, not letting on that their baby boy actually is Nicole and Eric’s biological child.
“She is so good. She covers her tracks well,” says Vaughan, whose character doesn’t suspect a thing. “And she’s always got an answer for anything and everything. And there’s this excitement and joy of being new parents. They’ve got this adopted baby. Eric’s on a cloud. He’s not catching on. He’s so elated that he’s a new father. He’s taken in by this child and his family and is so happy.”
Later, Nicole confides in Holly that she believes her baby is alive. Worried about her mother, Holly tells EJ she thinks she can help. Holly then goes to see Eric and asks if he will do a DNA test on his son to settle the matter once and for all. “This is a real moment between Holly and Eric,” states Vaughan. “Eric is understanding. He’s like, ‘Look, if this is what it’s going to take to make this go away….’ Of course he’s going to do it. He just wants to get it done with. He wants the truth, and he feels the only way Nicole is going to get peace of mind is to hear the truth. He thinks [getting the test done] is doing everybody a service.”
Eric then informs Holly that he set up an appointment with Kayla to have a DNA test done on his baby, noting that he has to run it by Sloan. But when he tries to do, she’s rushing out, so he doesn’t get the chance to discuss the matter with her. “Eric’s just trying to take the bull by the horns,” says the actor. “It’s like, ‘I’ve got to make an executive decision. This is going to be the best for all parties involved.’ He needs to move forward. Nicole needs to move forward. Let’s get the facts. And Eric believes this baby is not Nicole’s child, that it’s his and Sloan’s adopted child.”
