Young & Restless Tragedy: Victoria and Claire Are Set for the Ultimate Heartbreak

Young & Restless viewers got nervous when Cole returned home from an extended business trip with a debilitating cough and no energy, but it was what came next that made it all more alarming.

At Nikki’s birthday party, Victoria’s ex-husband and current lover suffered a significant coughing fit and some wooziness whilst on the dance floor with her.

Despite insisting that he was on the mend from his mystery ailment, he had also had a dizzy spell at Crimson Lights previously.

We should have known something was coming, then, when he turned up late to the birthday bash and blamed it on some complications related to this “bug” he’s been battling. Before we knew it, Cole had suffered a setback and Victoria was hollering for someone to call 9-1-1.

In typical stubborn male soap character fashion, Cole resisted a trip to see the doctor until even he was forced to admit he couldn’t go on like that a minute longer.

What followed was both concerning, yet hopeful, as Claire’s dad was admitted to a top notch hospital in Chicago. Surely, things would turn around now that he was under excellent care and being treated with antibiotics.

Except, Cole still hasn’t come home, and when Victoria and Claire met up with Nate whilst in Genoa City to collect a change of clothes, it was revealed that he’d been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease.

This, of course, is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia. The key here, however, is that it’s more successfully treated if caught early.

Given how long Cole resisted being treated, first quarantining himself in a suite at the Athletic Club, and then refusing Victoria’s multiple attempts to get him to return to the hospital to be assessed, sadly, he may have signed his own death warrant. Indeed, in the preview for next week, we see him informing Claire and Victoria that it’s time to say their goodbyes!