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 When
the character of Jed first appears in the show, he is merely a nearly
silent carpenter hired by Dr. Scott Clark to help renovate the house he
has just bought for himself and Dr. Heather Donnelly.
It
would take a few more weeks before Jed reappears, this time taking on a
real part in the love triangle involving Scott, Heather and Celeste.
After Heather confides in him about the close bond between her fiancé
Scott and his former sweetheart Celeste DiNapoli, Jed offers to help : he
arranges a job interview for Celeste with an acquaintance of his, hoping
to lure her away from the clinic where she works as a secretary for
Heather and Scott. Heather's plan is to keep Celeste out of Scott's
daily life, but the scheme fails. Worse yet : Scott discovers the truth
and realizes that Heather is behind the deception.
In
the meantime, Jed becomes Heather's confidant, almost a friend who knows
to listen to her and to help calm her turmoil. He even stops her from
setting fire to the house after Scott leaves her for Celeste. Jed visits
her several times afterward to comfort her, and one evening they end up
sleeping together.
Although
no feelings beyond friendship develop between them, Jed continues to
spend time with Heather. He is, in fact, the first person to whom
Heather admits that she never went through with the abortion of the baby
she is expecting from Scott.
Just
as this storyline could have deepened and gained emotional weight, Jed
suddenly disappears without explanation. It is worth noting that an
interracial relationship - Jed being African American - was relatively
rare in soap-operas, and even on American television in general in 1989.
It was a bold choice from the producers, who, despite the character's
short-lived presence, handled Jed's role without ever making any mention
of his skin color.
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