Episode 1240

 

Need the Sympathy
Written by: Dallas Walsh | Originally Released: November 26, 2025

Episode Theme song: "Sympathy is a knife" Charli XCX

Previously on One Day at a Time
- Natasha and Cory were shocked to learn that Sophie was pregnant. They told their daughter that she miscarried
- Cheresa told Simona that Tara brainwashed Dawn, which is why she snapped
- Robbie was horrified when Madeline told him he belonged with Kim and she needed to leave
- Cassie told Stephanie that she knows her secret: she is a transgendered woman!
- Abby told Ethan she won't be forced to choose between her family's
- Donovan and Jarrod met
- Leah was shocked when the fashion show started but Leah and Victoria were kissing!

The River Rock Casino; The Spa

At the entrance of the spa, Bryce and Paige stand next to one another as they arrived to support the family with the launch of the RELax bath line. The nights dim down, the music starts, and some models start to walk down the runway, to the appreciation of the crowd.

Suddenly, the two screens on either side of the runway turn on, and everyone can see Jeff and Victoria sharing a passionate kiss backstage! Bryce and Paige look at one another in shock, as Leah gasps in her seat. Quickly, the screens shift to the models, which is what they were supposed to be on.

"What the hell was that?" Leah asks Bryce and Paige as she rushes up to them. "Please tell me that Jeff was not kissing Victoria?"

"Hey, was I seeing things?" Tyler asks his family as he approaches. "I think I might be losing my mind."

"No, we all saw it," Bryce shakes his head back to everyone in shock. "My soon-to-be-ex-wife was kissing my father."

"I…I don't believe this," Paige admits to everyone. "What the hell is he thinking?"

"I have no idea, but I intend to find out," Leah tells her family, feeling her heart racing a million miles per second.

***

Outside the spa, Donovan looks inside and is thrilled by what he sees. He had to take a business call, which is why he is outside the spa. Now, he will watch from the doorway so he doesn't interrupt the show.

"What is going on here?" a voice calls out from behind him.

Donovan turns around and sees Jarrod approaching him. Donovan, immediately, recalls meeting the handsome man the previous day, and gets a grin on his face. "Jarrod, hey," Donovan tells him. "I work for Robertson Enterprises; we are launching a new luxurious spa line today."

"Oh, very cool," Jarrod says back to him. "I keep going to venues that are closed for private functions," he chuckles to him.

"You had an appointment at the spa?"

"I didn't, but I could use a massage," Jarrod admits to him. "I've been tense since being in town."

"This is a good place to come then," Donovan says back to him.

"That was my thinking," Jarrod chuckles. "Can I watch the show with you? I haven't seen a fashion show in person before."

"Sure, I'd like that," Donovan tells him. "And I can tell you some of the insider secrets while we watch."

Twin Peaks Police Station

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Abby asks Cheresa as they sit together in Simona's office at the police station. Once Abby heard about Cheresa's ordeal with Dawn, she raced over to see her sister at the police station.

"I'm positive," Cheresa smiles back to her. "I'm about to see Dawn today, which is good."

"Is that a good idea?" Abby asks her quickly. "She tried to kill you last night?"

"Like I told you, I think she's been brainwashed, but don't worry, she is behind bars, so she can't do anything to me. But I need to see her."

"Okay, keep me posted?" Abby pulls Cheresa into a hug and gets tears in her eyes. "And please be careful; I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."

"I'll be fine, and I will call you later. Love you Abs."

"Love you too."

Just then, a police detective opens the door and looks at Cheresa. "Ms. Lawson, you can see the inmate now."

Cheresa waves to Abby before she leaves with the police officer. They move down a long corridor until they get to the holding cell area. Cheresa moves up to one of the cells, where Dawn is sitting on the edge of the cot.

"You have 10 minutes," the office tells Cheresa.

"Dawn," Cheresa moves closer to the bars of the cell. "How are you? How are you feeling?"

Dawn doesn't move from the cot. She doesn't look up or even acknowledge Cheresa. Cheresa feels her eyes swell with water. "I will make sure that you get help," she whispers to Dawn. "I won't lose you forever. I promise you that."

Twin Peaks General Hospital

Jacob steps off the elevator at the hospital and makes a beeline towards the Sophie's hospital room. He is desperate to check in on his sister since she was brought in for hypothermia. As he makes his way to her room, he happens to see Stephanie at the nurses station.

"Steph, hi, how are you?" Jacob moves up to his friend to see how she is doing.

Stephanie looks back at Jacob and gulps. Immediately, she recalls how Cassie visited her the previous night and threatened to expose her as a transgendered woman to Jacob, the hospital, and her patients, if she didn't stay away from Jacob. Stephanie put up a good fight with Cassie, but the more that she has thought about it, she realizes that she can't jeopardize her career. She believes the hospital would be fine with her transition, but she is worried about her patients.

"I'm fine," she coldly replies to him. "I'm really busy though, I won't have time to chat."

"That's cool," Jacob says back to her. "I am here to see my sister anyways, but maybe we can catch up later?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Stephanie says. "I think our friendship needs to end, Jacob. So, please, respect my decision and just stay the hell away from me."

Jacob watches Stephanie storm away, leaving him confused by what just unfolded and why Stephanie has, seemingly, had a change of heart in terms of their friendship.

The Calimo Mansion

Robbie paces back and forth in Bobby's nursery in the Calimo mansion. His mind is racing about how he rushed into Madeline's bedroom because she screamed out, clearly having a nightmare. When she came too, Madeline told him that he belonged with Kim and that she needed to leave the mansion.

"What the hell is going on with you?" he asks himself as he hears the door open to the nursey. Madeline appears and looks at Robbie. "Maddie, how are you feeling after your shower?"

"I feel better, I guess," she tells him. "I'm…I'm sorry about earlier. I had this horrible nightmare, and I was just caught up in my feelings, I guess."

"It's fine," Robbie moves closer to her. "I'm just wanting you to be okay, Maddie. This behaviour, it's alarming, and I know that you said you had postpartum, but you're not alone in this. I'm here, I'm right here."

Madeline feels her eyes swell with water as she knows that the guilt of taking of Kim's baby is haunting her, and it is impacting her ability to connect with Bobby, who is supposed to be her son. But if she wants to be with Robbie, she has to make sure that she is a mother to that baby boy.

"Thank you for not leaving me," she says as she hugs him. "I will be okay, one day, I know that. It just … it just takes time."

The Lawson Estate; Cheresa, Dawn, Abby, Ethan, & Georgina's Home

Abby opens the front door to the Lawson estate and moves inside quickly. She is glad to be home and out of the cold, but she is also relieved that Cheresa is okay. She has no idea what she would do if something had happened to Cheresa, especially since Greg has left town, and Brad and Brooke are dead.

"How is Cheresa?" Ethan asks her as she moves into the living room. "You left the coffeehouse so quickly, I didn't even get a chance to ask you what happened."

"It is a very long story," Abby sighs back to him as she moves up to him and kisses him on the lips. "I am glad to be home with you and our daughter."

"I'm glad you're back too," Ethan replies to her. "But yes, you can fill me in on your sister today. I am free as a bird. Are you?"

"Uh, I am supposed to head over to see Max and Olly later, but we have some time together."

Ethan sighs heavily back to her. "I thought we talked about this earlier?" Abby asks him, knowing that she told him that she won't choose between him and Georgina and Max and Olly. "I won't choose between my children, Ethan."

"I know," Ethan snaps back at her. "I'm just trying to not feel like a second fiddle in your life. And if I'm feeling this way, our daughter certainly is too. And I don't like it."

"I have to see my son," Abby tells him. "So, where do we go from here? If you're going to be upset with me for seeing him, how do we get past that?"

"I get that you have to see him, but not at the expense of me and Georgina, Abby. You have to make sure you're making time for all of us, because I won't feel this way, being a second fiddle; I can't feel that way forever, so we have to figure this out, or we won't make it, I know that for sure."

Twin Peaks General Hospital

Meggan is in her hospital room collecting her personal belongings as she was discharged from the hospital following her being trapped in the blizzard the day before. She was never in jeopardy but she had taken her jacket off to keep Sophie warm, so the doctors wanted to ensure she was not suffering from hypothermia.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Simona announces as she moves into the hospital room. "But I heard you were being discharged and I needed to see you. I also don't have a lot of time because I'm supposed to be at a corporate event."

"Detective, what brings you by?" Meggan says as she puts some of her clothing into her duffle bag.

"A young woman almost died," Simona reminds her. "It is my job to investigate what happened."

"She must have tripped outside when she was walking; I found her, but couldn't help her, so my son arrived on the snow mobile, thank God," Meggan replies to her quickly. "I'm not sure what there is to investigate?"

"I was able to get a court order to review your medical reports," Simona tells her. "The last time you were in the hospital, you were involved in a car accident and your license was revoked."

"You don't have to remind me."

"Well, accordingly to your test results, the alcohol level in your blood was well over the limit when you got here."

"What are you saying?" Meggan looks back at her in surprise.

"I need to know what really happened, Ms. Richardson. Did your drinking have anything to do with Sophie's accident? And was it an accident at all?" Simona asks her quickly.

***

Meanwhile, Natasha sits next to Sophie in her hospital room. Natasha is holding her daughter's hand, while she lays in her hospital bed, trying to comfort her daughter, who is still numb from the news that she lost her baby.

"I am sorry, Mom," Sophie looks up at Natasha with red eyes.

"Baby, you have nothing to be sorry about, nothing at all."

"No, I do," Sophie tells her. "I should have told you and Dad about the baby as soon as I found out. I…I wanted to tell Logan first."

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Natasha tells her daughter. "I understand why you did what you did. I am just sorry that this happened to you. Is there anything I can get you, anything at all?"

"Just being here is helping," Sophie admits to her. "I…I love you so much."

Natasha leans in and hugs her daughter. "Oh my baby girl, I love you too."

The door to the hospital room opens and Logan appears. He had been waiting for the green light to see his friend. "I hope I'm not interrupting," he says as Natasha and Sophie look back at Logan.

"Not at all," Natasha stands up from the bed and moves to Logan. "We owe you so much, Logan."

She hugs him, which Logan embraces. "I just did what anyone would have done."

"You saved Sophie's life, I will never forget that," Natasha tells him.

"Thanks Logan," Sophie says to him. "I owe you so much."

Logan feels his cheeks flush. "You're welcome, but seriously, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I will be fine," Sophie replies to him. "But…there is something you should know."

"Okay? What is it?" Logan asks her as he moves closer to her and Natasha covers her mouth.

"There's no easy way to say this," Sophie tells him. "But…remember that day we got drunk together and had sex?"

"Uh, yea, sorry Mrs. Calimo," Logan uneasily replies to her.

"Well, I ended up pregnant," Sophie reveals to him as his eyes open wider in surprise. "I…I tried to tell you a few times but you were always drinking and I couldn't do it…I couldn't…"

"I'm sorry that you couldn't tell me, but you just did. We…we are going to be parents?"

Sophie's eyes fill with more water. "No," she gasps for air. "I…I lost the baby. I had a miscarriage."

"Oh God," Logan gasps as Sophie starts to cry, and he hugs her.

"I'm so sorry Logan. This is all my fault," she cries to him as he holds her.

"No, it's not," he tells her quickly. "This is my mother's fault; her drinking killed our baby," he tells her as they exit their embrace and Natasha looks on in surprise by his admission.

The River Rock Casino; The Spa

The fashion show has ended and many of the guests are leaving, but most of them are using a pre-order form to get the products that they are interested in.

Tyler, Leah, Paige, and Bryce are all huddled in a corner, still reeling from the fact that they all saw Jeff and Victoria kissing. Just then, the two come out from backstage and look at the order forms.

"Oh wow, look at all these orders," Victoria giggles to Jeff as they approach the family. "This was a huge success! We…we should celebrate!"

"Celebrate?" Leah asks her in a hushed whisper so no guests can hear her. "I think you did enough of that before the show, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Victoria asks her back.

"You were kissing Jeff!" Leah hisses back at her as Jeff and Victoria look at one another in horror. "That's right, we all saw you two, everyone in the room saw the two of you kissing on the big screens! So can one of you start explaining what the hell is going on here?"

Next on One Day at a Time
- Logan lashes out at Meggan
- Max learns a truth
- Victoria and Jeff try to do damage control

 
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