Young and the Restless sees poor Cole Howard (J Eddie Peck) has taken a drastic turn for the worst this week with his health, and that could lead to a fast-tracked wedding for Claire Grace Newman (Hayley Erin) and Kyle Abbott (Michael Mealor) if Cole’s illness is fatal.

Kyle’s Grand Gestures and Victor’s Skepticism at Nikki’s Party

So at Nikki Newman’s (Melody Thomas Scott) party, a few things happened that are pretty important. First, Kyle  made two big gestures to get Victor Newman’s (Eric Braeden) approval. The first was the very nice toast he made to Nikki. And then the charm bracelet Kyle got her. It impressed Nikki but Victor was quite snarky about it. He seemed to think the whole thing was performative.

Second was that Kyle circled around to talk to him man to man and said he would sign a pre-nup. That is a document stating if Kyle breaks Claire’s heart, he would pay a $5 million fine to Victor and Kyle would also leave town. I mean, that seems pretty ironclad. And Victor tells Nikki about it later in the evening. And I’m sure Kyle’s going to tell Claire this week as well.

Cole’s Health Crisis: A Turn for the Worse

So, also at the party, Cole showed up and they were talking about his recovery and how things were looking better. He had been in quarantine at the GCAC, but once he got better and apparently wasn’t contagious, then Victoria Newman (Amelia Heinle) asked him to move back to her house, you know, the tack house at the ranch. But then at the party, Cole had a huge setback. He was talking with Victoria and Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) and Chelsea Lawson Newman (Melissa Claire Egan), but then all of a sudden Cole couldn’t stop coughing and then he couldn’t breathe. And then Victoria and Claire were really alarmed when Cole collapsed.

So, Claire runs off real quick to tell Kyle and Victor that her dad Cole has relapsed. Looks like he’s contagious. So Victor (Eric thinks it sounds like pneumonia and offers to send his private physician to check on Cole. But things definitely look dire for Victoria’s boyfriend this week on Young and the Restless.

Potential Causes of Cole’s Illness and the Impact on Claire and Kyle

So, it could be pneumonia or some more serious disease that Cole picked up in his travels working for Newman’s publishing division, or it could be some respiratory disorder that’s really dangerous, maybe even some cancer that was undiagnosed or some other infectious disease he’s picked up somewhere. Hopefully, Claire and Victoria get some answers soon, but Cole’s health is clearly going in the wrong direction. Claire’s dad getting worse instead of better and things not looking good for Cole means big changes ahead.

Collision Course: Claire, Kyle, and Victor’s Approval

So, we’ve got two storylines that seem to be on a collision course. First, of course, is Kyle trying to prove to Victor that he really loves Claire and is the best man for her. And of course, second is Cole’s health crisis. So, if Claire finally realizes there’s nothing she or Kyle can say or do to prove to Victor they belong together, then Claire might finally take the right attitude of, “Oh, well, you’re not going to be happy anyway, so I’m just going to do what makes me happy.”

So, Claire may just give up on seeking Victor’s approval of her and Kyle. Plus, once Claire finds out Kyle offered to pay a $5 million penalty for breaking her heart, that also could be another tipping point where she’s like, “Okay, this is the guy for me.” And another little red flag was that Pro, the party planner, mentioned that he also does weddings and he told Claire that he thinks Kyle is really cute and he does weddings. That’s just another little hint. Maybe, just maybe, Claire and Kyle are going to be saying I do. But Claire made it clear to Kyle she’s not pressing on that point. She’s not in a rush.

Nikki’s Birthday Wish and Claire’s Potential Decision on Y&R

And at the same time, Nikki asked Victor to please accept Kyle and Claire’s relationship basically as an ultimate birthday present for her. Victor just kiss Nikki but he’s not telling her that he’ll accept them. But again, Claire may be at the point where she may decide to marry Kyle with or without Victor’s acceptance.

Because if Cole has a fatal disease, this could be Claire’s only chance to have her dad walk her down the aisle as a bride. And because of her crazy great aunt Jordan Howard (Colleen Zenk), you know, Claire spent most of her life without her parents Cole and Victoria and thinking the worst of them, thinking they rejected her.

Young and the Restless: The Impact of Cole’s Potential Demise on Claire’s Choices

So, if things do take a bad turn and Kyle is really going to die, that’s going to change everything, including how Claire handles Victor’s acceptance or rejection of what she wants in life. Because if Cole gets a deadly diagnosis and only has a few weeks or a few months to live, yeah, I could see Claire wanting to say I do to Kyle before she says goodbye to her father. It will probably mean a lot to Cole also because Claire is the only child he’s got and at this point the only child he will ever have.

Victor’s Unwavering Disapproval and the Newman Family’s Support

So no matter the circumstance, you know, I can guarantee Victor will not approve of Claire marrying Kyle. Period. Not ever. In his mind, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) and Kyle and Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson) and the other male Abbotts are all garbage people. You know, he had grudging respect for Jon, but for the rest of them, he hates them.

Victor’s wrath against the Abbott men is unhinged, is unprovoked and it’s endless these days and a little exhausting. But since the rest of the Newman family will support Claire and Kyle along with the Abbotts, Claire might decide she’s going to be Mrs. Kyle Abbott very soon because Claire asked him to do it.

Claire’s Test for Victor and Kyle’s Effort on Young and Restless

Kyle went above and beyond to win Victor’s approval. Even though he knew it was always a lost cause, they just need to get Claire to see it. And by they, I mean Victoria and Cole with some help from Kyle. Once Claire sees that chasing Victor’s approval is an utter waste of time, she may just start planning that wedding.

And I’m sure Kyle would be very happy to put a ring on her finger. Basically, this party to me was Claire giving Victor one last test to show he could behave like a civilized person, and “The Mustache” failed. And it was a test for Kyle to see if he would make the effort. He did. He passed. Victor failed.

Victoria’s Bad News and a Potential Fast-Tracked Wedding

So later this week, according to official Young and the Restless spoilers, Victoria gets bad news. And it seems likely it’s about Cole and his health crisis. So if Victoria and Claire find out Kyle doesn’t Cole doesn’t have long to live, that could be a gamecher that helps Kyle get what he wants, which is a happily ever after with the woman he loves. So, I could totally see him proposing to Claire and saying, “Let’s get married while your dad can be there to celebrate with us.” Cole would probably like that. Victoria would be on board with it. Even Nikki would understand. And of course, the rest of the Newman’s are very pro-Claire and Kyle anyway.

Victor’s Accusations and the Uncertain Future of Claire and Kyle

And of course, Victor would probably accuse Kyle of being manipulative and using Cole’s illness to get what he wants, which is Claire. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen and they won’t get married. So, we’ll have to wait to see what Victoria finds out later this week about Cole and just how bad it is. And then from there, we’ll probably have a better idea of whether Claire and Kyle are going to fast track the next stage of their relationship and walk down the aisle.