1991 (#13) - Hopes with Brad, tensions with Ashley and Traci's pregnancy

Following Cassandra's death, Brad finds himself alone again, but with a considerable fortune in his pocket, including Ra-Tech. From an emotional point of view, then, a rapprochement with Traci seems almost natural; the two of them, after all, are now linked by an invisible but indestructible thread and it's natural for them to find themselves united again in spite of all the events that have happened. In particular, it's Traci who can't seem to get away from the man, which leads her to forgive all her mistakes, including her marriage to Cassandra. Things in the Abbott family, after all, get much better for Brad, as he can boast about his ownership of Ra-Tech, and suddenly the chill he's had with John, Jill and Ashley melts away, making him welcome in the Abbott household once again, despite the fact that he's not as trustworthy as he once was. Soon, Traci discovers that she is expecting a child from Brad and, experiencing mixed feelings, informs her father of the situation. At his daughter's request, John promises Traci to keep the secret of her pregnancy since she, unsure of Brad's feelings towards her, does not want the news of her pregnancy to influence the man's decisions. Traci, in fact, would like Brad to marry her; but having been hurt too many times by the man, she wants to be sure that Brad wants to be with her because he really loves her and not out of duty to the unborn child. Traci's fears, after all, are not unfounded, since it seems to her that she is reliving the same situation as a few years earlier, since Brad is also beginning to reconnect with Ashley, who turns to him for every little misunderstanding with her husband Victor. Traci is increasingly annoyed by the complicity of Brad and Ashley, the only woman capable of truly turning Brad's head. And when Brad, convinced by the hopes he is beginning to have for Ashley, plans to set the record straight with Traci, telling her that he doesn't see a future between them, a desperate Traci, who has now understood everything, won't let the man speak, insisting that she must speak first. Traci, thus, confesses that she is expecting a child from him, leaving Brad completely shocked. The woman makes it clear that she hasn't told him anything just to see if Brad wants to be with her, since the last thing she wants in the world is a husband who doesn't love her; she then urges Brad to come clean about his real feelings, as she has no problem letting him go. Just as Brad is about to open his mouth, however, Traci begins to experience abdominal pains. Scared for the health of the baby, Traci despairs and Paul, in a panic, immediately takes the woman to the hospital. There, Dr. Reese Walker reassures Traci about the baby's health, but advises her to avoid any kind of stress. Brad, struck by the episode, then realizes that his life is to be next to Traci, the future mother of his child, and runs to his friend Josef Bohrman, a jeweler, to buy the ring he gives to Traci that very evening, asking her to become his wife.