In the General Hospital episode airing on October 22, Ric (Rick Hearst) drops the bombshell news that a judge has vacated Heather’s (Alley Mills) prison sentence, and she’ll soon be a free woman. Of course, this news won't be welcomed by a majority of Port Charles residents, as she’s spent decades tormenting the town. However, it appears she’ll have plenty of time to attempt to convince everyone that she’s a changed woman.
As Heather goes on a quest to retool her image, we can imagine she’ll also want to embrace family. While her son Steven Webber (Scott Reeves) is on his way to Port Charles, we think she may also make a play to connect with another family member… baby Ace.
Up until now, she hasn’t had a real opportunity to bond with her grandson. And with Esme (Avery Kristen Pohl) allegedly dead, Heather may see it incredibly important to bond with the child as he’s her only living connection to her daughter. There’s just one stumbling block in Heather’s way and her name is Laura (Genie Francis).
With Esme being proclaimed dead and Nikolas (Adam Huss) in prison, Laura and Kevin (Jon Lindstrom) have been raising Ace as their own. They’ve done so with no interference as they’re really the only relatives in town in a position to care for the child (Lulu is in a coma and Lucky [Jonathan Jackson] just got back and isn’t settled). But that could all change if a freed Heather makes a play for shared custody.
Now before you rule out the possibility, allow us to point out that with a judge vacating her latest prison sentence, agreeing that the cobalt from her hip replacement is largely to blame for her homicidal behavior, Heather’s slate has been cleaned to a degree. So no court may be willing to reject any legal play she makes to attain rights to the child.
If you’re still doubting Heather’s viability as a parent because, unlike Laura who is the mayor of Port Charles and Kevin who is a psychiatrist, Heather doesn’t have a job to support Ace, then we have to gently remind you of the potential windfall she may come into.
Heather may soon be a wealthy woman thanks to Ric who is suing the company responsible for making the faulty hips. While a multi-million-dollar lawsuit usually takes a long time to run its course, this is daytime TV. It’s possible the case goes by lightning fast or the company quickly settles, making her a millionaire, more than capable of taking care of Ace.
It’s not hard to imagine Laura strongly objecting to any pleas from Heather for shared custody. Laura has known Heather for a long time so it’s hard to shake off her dangerous history. Yes, Laura didn’t want Heather in prison unjustly if the cobalt in her system was to blame for her crimes. However, when children are involved, people tend to air on the side of caution, so Laura may not want to take the risk that Heather isn’t so reformed and places Ace in harm's way.
While a Heather custody play is just a theory at the moment, it’s one we have to consider unfolding on General Hospital soon.
New episodes of General Hospital air on weekdays on ABC. If you miss an episode, you can catch up on Hulu.
