Kish: The Aftermath

Today's Kish scenes on One Life to Live started with a phone call between Fish, who was at his apartment getting ready for work, and Kyle, who was still at the hospital with Nick. Oliver shared the news that 'Layla and Cris are going at it again!' and Kyle was glad that somebody was getting lucky at least! He apologized to Oliver for cutting things short the night before.

Fish told him not to apologize and that they'd both been where they needed to be: Oliver catching the bad guys and Kyle being there for Nick. They both wished they could have been in two places at once, though.

Kyle told Fish that Nick was still hurting but in stable condition and Fish promised his boyfriend that the guys who did it would pay, and that he'd call with an update once he was at the station.

Layla and Cristian, meanwhile, were trying to sneak past Fish on their way to the bathroom, clad only in bedsheets. Fish spotted them, of course, and once Cristian had awkwardly excused himself to clean up for work, Fish offered Layla a variety of hearty breakfast choices, commenting that she must be starving.

Layla was embarrassed and asked if Oliver had heard her and Cristian, and he told her that the walls had shook. Layla apologized, but Fish told her that he was glad that she was getting 'her socks knocked off by someone who deserves them'. When Layla didn't respond right away Fish thought he'd put his foot in his mouth, but she quickly assured him that it was the most perfect thing he could have said in that moment.

Fish told her that he was really happy for the two of them and knew they'd waited a long time to be together. Layla asked how his date with Kyle had gone and Fish broke the news about the gay bashing, which struck a nerve with Layla beyond just the average person's horror at such a crime, since her sister Evangeline has been in a coma for the last few years as the result of a racist attack.

Layla made Fish promise that they'd throw the book at the animals who'd attacked Nick just for being who he'd been born to be.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Kyle woke Nick up from a nightmare and assured him that things were okay and that he was there for him. There were soon joined by Marty, who wanted to talk with Nick in her capacity as a psychiatrist, just to make sure he was dealing with what had happened.

Nick assured her that he was okay and ready to put the bashing behind him and move on. He started talking about the big door to door canvassing he had to work on for the LGLA (Llanview Gay & Lesbian Alliance) next month. Marty interrupted to tell him that he'd been through a very traumatic experience and that they needed to make sure that he could get a handle on things before they got the better of him.

Nick: What's going to help me get a handle on things is just getting back to work.

Marty: Okay, but sometimes getting back to work means hiding in your work.

Nick: My work is about being out. There's no hiding for me.

Marty: Let me ask you something. Do you feel comfortable with being out in public? (Nick looks suddenly terrified) Because it seems to me that what you do not only takes a lot of courage, but it also takes a lot of faith in your fellow man.

Nick became upset at that point and when Kyle asked him what was going on, Nick lashed out at him, telling him to stop. Kyle started to leave, but Nick took his hand and asked him to stay.

Nick recounted the story of what had happened to him once again, apparently at Marty's request since she was taking notes. When he was done, he said that he'd brought all of it on himself.

Kyle: What?!

Marty: No, it's all right. Let him talk. We're just talking here. Why would... what makes you feel that way?

Nick: If this would have happened even a week ago, I would have chosen my words more carefully. I would have never walked into that alley by myself at night, you know? But Llanview elects Dorian Lord Mayor and I'm acting like it's gay pride, morning, noon and night.

Marty: Well, Dorian's stand on gay rights is something to be proud of.

Nick: When I shot my mouth off, I put everyone in that bar in danger!

Kyle: You did not put anyone in-

Nick: A waitress got pushed trying to help me! And a bartender, he got punched standing up for me. I don't even know their names! And what if it was Amelia? What if it was her that got jumped? What then?

Marty: Nick, would you feel it was Kyle's fault if the same thing happened to him?

Nick: No.

Marty: It's okay to wish it didn't happen, but the fault for what happened lays one hundred percent with the people who attacked you. Everyone, everyone has the basic right to live free from attack.

Marty urged Nick to focus on that and save his strength for what was coming next: making sure the guys who bashed him were held accountable for what they did.

I have to say, this scene was very well done and Nicholas Rodriguez did a really great job playing Nick's guilt and self blame. Brett Claywell was also fantastic with Kyle's mostly non verbal reaction to Nick's dialogue. Of course Susan Haskell was also great as Marty, but that pretty much goes without saying!

It seemed very realistic that Nick would blame himself, as many victims of such crimes do. I thought it was especially poignant that in his mind, he'd 'shot his mouth off', when in point of fact, he'd been the one trying to just get away from the guys while it was Amelia who'd stood her ground and done all the talking.

Marty recommended that Nick see a therapist, at least for the first few weeks of his recovery, and that he not be afraid to lean on his loved ones for support. Nick told her that his family lived on the other side of the country and Marty, looking at Kyle, said that he obviously had friends he could count on.

Nick said that there was Amelia but that she wasn't there. Kyle explained that he hadn't been able to reach her, that her phone was turned off. Nick assured them he'd be fine, but Kyle told him that he was there for him, too, and not to forget that.

Fish arrived just at that moment, with some mug shots for Nick to look at. They needed him to identify his attackers and Fish told him that a positive ID would keep the guys locked up until their trial.

Nick sifted through the mug shots, visibly upset each time he came across one of his attackers, but he identified all three. Fish assured Nick that the three of them would be going away for a long time, but then looked nonplussed when Nick laid his head against Kyle's hand, which was resting on his shoulder, and Kyle responded by placing his other hand on top of Nick's head.

That was all for today. Strong scenes, once again, though I'm still swooning over yesterday's love scenes and probably will be for awhile!