The Twisted Way General Hospital's Kim Nero Tried To Replace Her Son
When the character Dr. Kim Nero arrived on the "General Hospital" scene in 2017 longtime fans were thrilled to see a familiar face. Beloved actress Tamara Braun, who played Carly Corinthos on the soap from 2001 to 2005, returned to her daytime roots by taking on the role. Kim was introduced as the mother to teenager Oscar Nero (Garren Stitt) who was dating Carly's daughter Josslyn Jacks (Eden McCoy), according to Soaps in Depth. When she came to Port Charles to visit her son, she also reconnected with her old flame, Drew Cain (then Billy Miller), and informed him and Oscar that they were father and son.
After settling in town, Kim struck up a relationship with local mobster Julian Jerome (William deVry) though she found her old feelings for Drew coming up again. Later, Kim revealed that Oscar had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and only had a short time to live. Kim and Drew grew closer as they attempted to make their son's final days as special as possible, and after Oscar died in July 2019, the two parents took a trip to Mount Kilimanjaro to spread his ashes. Her son's death was understandably difficult for Kim to accept and her grief soon took a toll on her mental health — leading her to make several questionable decisions.
Kim Nero began struggling with her mental health
Kim Nero and Drew Cain traveled to Africa to spread their son's ashes on the mountain he was never able to climb, and the experience was extremely difficult for both parents. Following their trek to the summit, Kim became ill and then experienced delusions as a side effect of her medication (via Soap Central). She saw Drew and believed that he was Oscar. Drew decided to play along to protect Kim from as much pain as possible as she recovered from her sickness. She spoke to her "son" and mentioned him having a little brother or sister, which made Drew think that Kim might be pregnant.
Following their return to Port Charles, it was revealed that Kim was not pregnant, but she had become obsessed with the idea of having another baby. She approached her boyfriend, Julian Jerome, about having a baby together, but he recognized that the request was coming from a place of pain and rejected her (via Soaps in Depth). He tried to explain to the grieving mother that another baby would not be able to replace the son she had lost. Kim appeared to accept Julian's suggestion, but soon after, she contacted Drew with the same proposition.
Kim Nero was desperate to get pregnant again
When Kim Nero approached her ex, Drew Cain about having another child together, he rebuffed the idea in the same way that Julian Jerome had, recognizing that Kim was looking for another baby to take the place of Oscar and lessen some of her grief (via Soaps in Depth). However, being rejected again didn't sit well with Kim and she became even more determined. Instead of taking no for an answer, Kim procured some sedatives and concocted a plan.
At Franco Baldwin and Elizabeth Webber's wedding reception on the Haunted Star, Kim enacted her plan which was to sabotage the boat's electricity and get Drew alone to inject him, according to Soap Central. She then took him to a stateroom with the intention of sexually assaulting him and getting pregnant so she could give her late son a full-blooded sibling. Thankfully, Julian walked in on the situation and was able to prevent her from going through with her devious plan. After Drew recovered from his sedation, Kim explained what she had done to him and how Julian had convinced her to seek therapy, and he agreed not to press charges against her.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Kim Nero had another son in secret
By November 2019, Julian Jerome had broken up with Kim Nero for cheating on him with Franco Baldwin (who believed himself to be Drew Cain at the time), the real Drew Cain was presumed dead, and she was still dealing with constant reminders of Oscar Nero's death. All of these circumstances made Kim decide to leave Port Charles and start fresh elsewhere (via Michael Fairman TV). Though she hasn't been seen on "General Hospital" since, that is not the last that viewers have heard of her.
A year later, Julian was on the run from the police after placing a bomb in the Floating Rib on orders from crime lord Cyrus Renault, killing two people and leaving another in a coma (via Geeks). He fled to New York City in search of Kim, but he didn't find her. Instead, he came across her nanny and baby son named Andrew "Andy" Nero — presumably in honor of Oscar's father, Drew (via Soaps in Depth). The nanny sent Julian away but later called Kim to inform her of the visit. That conversation revealed that Julian was the father of the little boy, whom Kim had gotten pregnant with just before leaving Port Charles. Unfortunately, Julian was killed shortly after and died never knowing that he had another child.
Though it seems that Kim was ultimately successful in her plans to become a mother again, it's unclear if anyone else in Port Charles will ever know about little Andy or if mother and son will ever return to town — but in the soap world, a secret child always leaves the door open to unexpected twists and exciting revelations.