At the Brady Pub, Nicole fed Sydney and promised her daughter that Sydney would not be without E.J. for much longer. Chloe asked Nicole how it had gone with E.J. the night before. Nicole said that E.J. might never forgive Nicole, but she was certain that he wouldn't turn his back on Sydney. Nicole thought E.J. was afraid that the adoption wouldn't be legal and that someone would keep his child from him the way that Sami had done with Grace.
Chloe asked Nicole who Sydney's real parents were. Nicole said she knew -- it was her and E.J. Chloe pressed Nicole to find out who the baby's biological parents were, but Nicole said that it was a closed adoption. Chloe advised Nicole to walk away from E.J. because of his nefarious business dealings, but Nicole defended E.J. Nicole said that E.J. wouldn't blame Sydney for what Nicole had done because Nicole wouldn't let him. Chloe asked what Nicole would do if E.J. wanted Sydney back but not Nicole. Nicole said that would never happen because they were a package deal.
Chloe offered to let Nicole stay with her and Daniel, but Nicole didn't think Daniel would feel comfortable with them staying at his "bachelor pad." Besides, Nicole said, she and Sydney were going back home.
At the DiMera mansion, E.J. stared at Sydney's book as Kate watched. Kate walked into the living room and apologized for intruding. E.J. said that she wasn't sorry. Kate said she understood how E.J. might have felt when she married Stefano, but Kate and E.J.'s bickering wasn't what Stefano had had in mind when he'd thrown "that lovely dinner." E.J. didn't remember the dinner being that lovely. Kate said that was Nicole's doing, not Kate's.
Kate said that while she understood that it was painful for E.J., she felt that in the long run, E.J. would be better off not having "that lying bitch" Nicole in his life. Kate started to tell E.J. some of the things that Nicole had done in her past, but E.J. demanded that Kate not speak badly of Nicole in his presence. He said whatever Nicole did, she loved Sydney very much, and E.J. didn't need Kate's approval.
Marie took Nicole's things downstairs and set Nicole's suitcases by the front door at Kate's request. Marie told E.J. what was going on when he noticed what she was doing. E.J. picked up one of Sydney's stuffed animals that he found in the hallway.
Nicole returned to the DiMera mansion, and E.J. was expecting her. He said that Howard would remove her belongings as quickly as possible, but Nicole said that wouldn't be necessary because she wasn't leaving. E.J. reminded Nicole that she wasn't welcome in the mansion anymore. Nicole thought that E.J. would change his mind the next day once he had time to miss Sydney.
Nicole told him that Sydney wouldn't drink her bottle in the morning, and Nicole wondered if it made E.J. feel lousy to hear about it. E.J. admitted that it did. Nicole recalled how E.J. had bonded with Sydney. He told her to stop making him feel guilty, but she refused. She urged him not to punish himself or Sydney because Sydney loved him and needed him. E.J. kissed Sydney on the forehead.
Nicole tried to hand Sydney to E.J., but he stepped back, saying that Nicole mistook who he was. He said that just because he'd raised Sydney and shared in her milestones didn't mean that he would take Nicole and Sydney back. Those milestones were just memories to E.J. He regretted that Sydney would grow up without a father, but he refused to live a lie anymore, so he threw Nicole and Sydney out.
At the pub, Lucas called Chloe to make sure that she had received the annulment papers. Lucas decided not to congratulate her on her engagement. Chloe asked if there was anything she could do for Lucas.
Lucas was working on the ninth step of his twelve-step program -- making amends. He said he would try to forgive her. Chloe didn't expect him to forgive her, but he said he needed to in order to move on. He said he had signed the annulment papers for himself, not for Chloe. Lucas knew that Chloe planned to have lunch with Allie to explain why Chloe wasn't in her life anymore, but Lucas wanted to handle it. He also didn't want Chloe seeing Allie anymore.
Though Lucas did his best to forgive Chloe, he vowed to never forgive her for what she had done to Allie because his daughter was having a hard time getting over their breakup. Chloe tried to explain that she wished she knew what to do, but Lucas cut her off and hung up on her. Kate walked in and overheard their conversation. She asked why Chloe couldn't leave Lucas alone.
Kate said she wished that Chloe could slip back into a coma and die. She said no one would miss Chloe -- not even Daniel, once he got past the fact that Chloe was "willing to have sex 24/7." Kate couldn't believe that Chloe had the nerve to force herself into Lucas' life. Kate accused Chloe of trying to speed up the annulment so she could get another ring on her "greedy little finger."
Chloe clarified that Lucas was the one who had sent her the annulment papers and who had called her. Kate asked why, and Chloe said it was between Chloe and Lucas. Chloe asked Kate how revenge felt, since both of Kate's sons weren't talking to her. Chloe asked what could be worse than Kate pimping herself out to Stefano. "Oh, I know, having to watch me and Daniel have our happy ending," Chloe said. Kate said that she would see about that. Chloe said that payback was "a bitch." Kate didn't think that Chloe would have a happy ending if Victor had anything to do with it.
Victor called Bo to the Kiriakis mansion to ask him why Kate was still free after she'd poisoned Chloe and framed Daniel for it. Bo encouraged Victor to provide proof of Kate's crimes. Victor also said that Kate was responsible for Stefano's heart attack. Bo said the tests didn't show Stefano had been poisoned, but Stefano did lead an unhealthy lifestyle. Bo accused Victor of being jealous of Stefano.
Victor showed Bo a newspaper article about Lawrence Alamain's murder. Meanwhile, Carly relaxed on Omar's boat; she looked at the same newspaper and remembered stabbing her husband. Bo wondered if Victor had called him to the mansion to inform him about Lawrence's death. Bo said he'd thought that Lawrence would never die. Bo read that the authorities would only say that they were conducting an internal investigation.
Bo and Victor thought it strange that the authorities hadn't commented further on Lawrence's death, given Lawrence's influence overseas. Bo hoped that Carly was okay. Victor wondered why Bo cared. Bo said it was because Carly was a big part of Bo's life and because her husband had died. Victor reminded him that Carly had left Bo for Lawrence, a man who'd tried to kill Bo.
While there was no love lost for Lawrence, Bo worried about how Carly was doing. Victor didn't share Bo's feelings. Bo reminded Victor that Victor had once been married to Carly, but Victor wanted to forget about his time with Carly, and he advised Bo to let his relationship with Carly stay in the past where it belonged. Bo didn't understand why they were talking about Carly. Victor pointed out that Bo's marriage was in trouble, and Bo was trying to fix it. Victor said that the last name that Hope wanted to hear was Carly's.
Bo insisted that if Hope heard about Lawrence's death and wanted to talk about Carly, they would, but there was nothing Bo could do about it. Victor thought that Bo might use the situation to push Hope away and hurt her for taking Ciara away. Bo said that was the last thing that he wanted to do. He wondered how Victor thought he could hurt Hope because he hadn't talked to Carly in years.
Victor said Bo was the only one of Victor's children or grandchildren that Victor felt had chosen the right mate, and he warned Bo not to mess it up. Victor asked Bo what he was doing to compel Hope and Ciara to return home. Bo said that he was giving Hope the time and space that she had asked for.
Victor thought that Bo was being foolish, so he volunteered to go get Hope and return her to Bo. Bo told Victor that it wouldn't do any good to force Hope home before she was ready. Victor assumed that Hope wanted Bo to prove how much he wanted her back. Bo said that if Hope didn't know that by then, their marriage was in worse shape than Bo thought.
Carly remembered her time on board Bo's boat when they had been seeing each other. Carly thanked Omar for picking her up from the airport and not asking questions. She said he had saved her life, but Omar reminded her that she had saved his when she'd operated on him. Carly told Omar about Lawrence's death. He asked her if she was running from the people who had murdered her husband. She admitted to killing Lawrence. She said it hadn't been premeditated, but it also hadn't been an accident. Omar didn't understand.
Carly said that if given the choice, she would "do the same thing in a heartbeat." She apologized for not telling Omar the truth right away. Omar assumed that Lawrence had done something horrible to drive Carly to murder. Carly agreed with him. Omar refused to abandon Carly because he felt indebted to her. He asked if she felt comfortable discussing what had happened between her and Lawrence. She didn't want to talk about it, so Omar gave her some space.
Carly recalled the conversation that she'd had with Lawrence before she'd killed him. She had accused Lawrence of taking her life from her by convincing her that she'd needed to be punished. She had said she'd been in the house for a month and had not left the grounds for a year. Lawrence had asked how Carly planned to explain to their son that she was leaving. She'd said that Nicky was old enough to know what kind of man his father was, and from what she'd discovered, she couldn't stand to look at Lawrence.
In her memory, Lawrence had grabbed her and refused to let her leave, saying that he owned her. He had thrown her on the bed. She'd demanded to know why he wanted to keep her around when he didn't love her. Lawrence had said that she knew why she would never leave their house again.
Omar returned with some food for Carly. She had hoped that she could have flown into Salem "under the radar" the night before and could hide out, except that her plane had made an unexpected landing. Omar was certain that she would think of something. Carly asked to use Omar's phone to call the only other person she knew who could help her.
Carly thought about how she and Lawrence had argued. He'd told her that she could be happy at their home -- she just needed to try. Carly had said she had tried, and she'd changed everything for Lawrence, but it wasn't good enough. Carly had accused Lawrence of taking away everything that she was and wanted to be. He had said he thought that she had left Salem because she'd wanted him.
Carly remembered that Lawrence had said he should have known that it wouldn't be good enough for Carly. She'd said that she hadn't realized then that she had married "such a total monster." He'd said he had married "such a total bitch." Then, he had slapped her. He'd said that the day they'd gotten married, she'd promised to love, honor, and obey "until death do us part."
In the memory, Carly had said that she had taken another vow -- the Hippocratic Oath -- to protect life above all else -- the most sacred vow that she had ever taken. She'd said she couldn't let him do what he was planning to do. He'd asked how she planned to stop him.
Omar returned with the phone and told Carly that he couldn't find a secure phone line, because any outgoing call she made could and would be monitored, based on the "chatter" that Omar had heard. Carly asked if she could relay a message through Omar, but he advised her to wait until landfall to make contact because any communication would give away their location.
Hope asked Justin to meet her. He asked why she wasn't staying at Doug and Julie's loft. She said it was because they were having renovations done. Hope said her time away from Bo had been healing for her and Ciara, and Justin asked if that meant that she and Ciara would be going back home soon. Hope said that before she did anything, she needed Justin to be her lawyer.
Justin looked over the papers that Hope had filled out to put Ciara in private school, and Justin said that she didn't need a lawyer. Hope insisted that she needed a lawyer to explain it to Bo because Bo was convinced that only spoiled brats went to fancy private schools. Justin felt that Bo would listen to reason if the psychologist thought it was best for Ciara. Hope said that Bo didn't trust anything that the psychologist said, and he hated her recommendation to change Ciara's environment.
Justin agreed to help, but he didn't think it would go over well with Bo to have Justin explain it. Hope thought that Bo would hate it more if Hope delivered the news. Justin urged her to call Bo, because Bo was going crazy and would do anything to save their marriage. Justin asked if Hope felt the same way. She said that ending her marriage was the last thing she wanted. Justin encouraged her to tell Bo, but she said that she didn't need to because he knew how much she loved him.
Justin said that people who were married for a long time made a lot of assumptions -- they thought they knew what the other person thought or felt. Justin had discovered that the more time they spent apart, the more they misread each other. Hope felt sorry that Justin was going through something similar. Justin again asked Hope to call Bo.
Hope said she couldn't talk to Bo, but she asked Justin to tell Bo that she would call him soon. Justin agreed to take the papers to Bo, but he warned her that it might push Bo further away. Hope said that Bo knew in his heart why she was doing it, and if he really wanted to fight for their marriage, he would understand. Justin asked what Hope would do if Bo refused to give his permission to enroll Ciara in private school. Hope said that Justin needed to convince Bo. After Justin left, Ciara told Hope that she missed Bo, and she asked when they were going home.
At the hotel, Hope announced to Ciara that it was time to go home. A thrilled Ciara threw her arms around Hope's neck, and then declared that she was going to draw a picture for her daddy. Hope found the finished drawing later, smiling sadly at its title: "Our Happy Family."
Bo was at the Brady Pub, reading an article in the morning paper about Lawrence Alamain's murder, when Justin joined him. Justin said that he'd just returned from visiting Hope. Bo was irked because Hope hadn't contacted him since she and Ciara had left, so Justin quickly explained that Hope had asked for his help with a legal matter. He then presented Bo with some documents from Hope, which Bo was very relieved to find weren't divorce papers but instead an application to transfer Ciara to a private school.
Justin gave Hope's reasons. Ciara was very fragile since the kidnapping and needed the resources a private school could offer, plus private schools were safer. Bo willingly signed the papers, agreeing that it made sense -- and besides, he didn't want anything else to get between him and his wife and daughter.
Justin then noticed the article about Lawrence, and wondered why there was no mention of Carly. Bo guessed that she was in seclusion after losing the love of her life. Justin indicated that he'd thought Bo was the love of Carly's life. Bo confided that after he'd thought Hope had died, even though he and Carly had been close, his heart had always belonged to Hope.
Justin urged Bo to try to call his wife again, which Bo did as soon as Justin left. He was relieved when Hope answered right away. After some awkward small talk, Bo informed his wife that he'd signed the papers for private school then asked when she was returning home. Hope replied that the two of them would return soon because it was the right thing for Ciara.
E.J. was trying to work at home, but there were reminders of Sydney everywhere. E.J. leafed through her baby book sadly, but when his gaze fell on the family photo from Sydney's christening, it was too much. "I can't stay here," he muttered as he strode out of the house in frustration.
Melanie was walking along the waterfront when she ran into Brady brooding on a park bench. Noting his mood, she guessed that his plan to save Nicole's marriage hadn't worked out. Brady grimly replied that Nicole's house of cards had collapsed -- because of him. Although Melanie was sure that whatever Brady had done, it had been out of love, she urged him to tell her what had happened.
Brady explained that Arianna had figured out that he was keeping a secret for Nicole, and thanks to a bad phone connection, he'd accidentally blabbed it to E.J. Melanie wanted to know what the secret was. Conceding that it was out anyway, Brady told her the whole story about Nicole's miscarriage and ensuing fake pregnancy, confessing that he'd gone along with the lie and helped her pass off another woman's baby as her own.
Melanie asserted that Brady shouldn't blame himself because Nicole would have found a way to do it even without his help. Brady admitted that he hadn't wanted to add to Nicole's pain after the miscarriage because he'd known that E.J. would leave her if he'd found out, and Nicole would have been left with nothing. Melanie tried to reassure him that his heart had been in the right place, but Brady seemed set on beating himself up about it. He announced that he was going for a jog and to score some coke. Melanie firmly ordered him not to joke around about that, and Brady promised that he wasn't really going to do it.
Later, Brady witnessed two guys doing a drug deal in the park. He lectured himself to call his sponsor or go to a meeting if he had to, but he had to accept responsibility for what he'd done. "Good idea," E.J.'s voice announced from behind him, "your timing really couldn't be better because, as it happens, I'm looking for somebody to blame. And I'm not just talking about Nicole -- I'm talking about anybody who had a hand in destroying my life."
At the townhouse, Sami had just left a message for Nicole, offering her help if Nicole wanted it, when Roman arrived. Arianna showed up right behind him, causing an anxious Sami to assume that they were there because there was bad news about Rafe. Roman said that there was actually no news about Rafe -- but he'd learned from various sources that Meredith Hudson had seemingly vanished into thin air.
Roman continued that the day after Sami had gotten Rafe's email, Meredith hadn't shown up for an appointment to show her parents' house to some potential tenants. Arianna was convinced that Meredith had done something to Rafe because she blamed him for Emily's death. Sami agreed that Meredith was bitter and angry -- and the timing was very suspicious.
Roman reassured Sami and Arianna that Rafe was a tough guy who could take care of himself. After Arianna left for work, Sami fretfully pointed out that it wasn't like Rafe not to be in contact with his sister. "Dad, the more time that goes by, the more I think that something really has happened to Rafe."
At the cemetery later, Sami placed some flowers on Grace's headstone then sat cross-legged on the grass. Looking skyward, she confided that she was really worried about Rafe and asked Grace to look after him. "Just make sure he's okay...that he's safe and happy," she whispered with a wistful smile.
After arriving for her shift at the Brady Pub, Arianna made a clandestine phone call to order six kilos of product. As soon as Arianna hung up, an angry Melanie confronted her, proclaiming that Arianna had turned Brady into a complete wreck.
Arianna had no idea what Melanie was talking about, so Melanie clarified, "When you opened up your big mouth when you overheard Brady and Nicole talking about the baby and the miscarriage -- and now all hell has broken loose." Arianna insisted she felt terrible, but wondered how it was any of Melanie's business. Melanie declared that Brady was her friend, and Arianna had ruined his life by betraying his confidence.
Outside the Brady Pub, Chad left a message for Mia, wanting to know if they could hang out together after his cross-country meet. When Will jogged past, Chad complimented him, trying to initiate a conversation. Will didn't buy Chad's friendly overtures, irritably pointing out that Mia had gotten back together with Chad mere minutes after she'd broken up with Will. Chad calmly contended that Will should have expected it because Chad and Mia had a special connection. After Chad left, Will shook his head with disbelief, saying, "There's no way Mia is still into that guy. Something else is going on; I know it."
Mia was just about to leave the Horton house when Nicole knocked on the kitchen door. Nicole breathlessly asked for a favor -- one that Sydney's future depended on. Sensing Nicole's anxiety, Mia worriedly asked what was going on. "It's out," Nicole finally blurted, "the truth about Sydney." She explained that E.J. had found out everything and had thrown her and Sydney out of the house. She quickly reassured Mia that she would soon convince E.J. to take them both back -- but Mia had to remain quiet.
Mia angrily pointed out that the only reason she'd given her baby to Nicole was so that she would be raised in a secure, loving home -- which was no longer the case if E.J. had thrown Nicole and Sydney out. Nicole promised that she would be able to work things out with E.J. because he loved Sydney. Mia became even more upset, since she had broken up with Will so that Chad would stop trying to find out what had happened to his baby -- and it looked like the truth was going to get out anyway.
Nicole was sympathetic but pleaded with Mia not to screw things up for Sydney. Her voice rising in anger, Mia argued that she wasn't just some dumb kid Nicole could push around -- plus, she had to think about Chad. "How do you think he would feel if he found out my rehab counselor adopted a baby?" Just then, the back door slammed. They were both dismayed to see Chad, who had clearly overheard.
Aboard Omar's yacht, Omar took a tray of coffee to Carly. Carly admitted she hadn't slept well because she knew Lawrence's men wouldn't rest until they found his killer. After Omar left to make the two of them some breakfast, Carly sat down with a heavy sigh. "I just hope I can make it to Bo in time -- and that he's willing to help me."
Omar returned and informed Carly that the captain had spotted a man in the water but didn't know whether he was alive or dead. "Well, bring him on board," Carly urged him. Omar was worried for her safety, but Carly reminded him that she'd taken an oath. "Please, if we can save this poor soul's life," she began, as Omar hurried out. "Will it absolve me of taking another?" she finished quietly.
Soon, Carly was performing CPR on a very pale Rafe Hernandez. Finally, he began to cough up water but didn't respond to Carly's questions. Omar informed her that they'd found no identification on the man. As she began to remove the man's wet clothing, she ordered Omar to get her some warm compresses to ward off hypothermia.
Later, Carly determined that the man likely had a concussion, so they needed to take him to the nearest hospital -- despite the potential risk to her safety. Omar rushed out to place the call. As Rafe shivered and coughed under the blankets, Carly tried to warm him further. "You've hung in there this long; you just keep fighting," she urged, tucking the blankets around him more tightly, saying, "I want you to be strong...whoever you are."
When Rafe's pulse weakened, Carly threw back the blankets and began chest compressions again. "I didn't fish you out of the water so you could die. You gotta fight!" she shouted, insisting, "Be strong! Come on! I'm not going to lose you!"
After interrupting Nicole and Mia's argument, Chad demanded to know what baby they were talking about. Nicole tried to get rid of him, and even Mia asked him to leave, but Chad could tell he was onto something. He remembered that Nicole had pretended to be Mia's rehab counselor, and wondered why she would want to keep it a secret that she had adopted a baby. He reminded Mia of their deal, and she confirmed to Nicole that she'd gotten back together with him to keep him from asking questions about the baby.
Chad suspected that Nicole had convinced Mia to give away his daughter. Mia and Nicole both denied it, reminding Chad that Mia had been alone and scared -- and he had disappeared. When Nicole tried to prevent Mia from saying more, slowly the pieces fell into place for Chad. "My God, Mia. Did you give this woman our baby?" Mia finally, reluctantly, admitted it was true.
Chad demanded to see his daughter immediately, but Nicole gently replied that Sydney was not his and Mia's child. Mia agreed, since Nicole and her husband had adopted Sydney. She added that they had money and could give Sydney a wonderful life -- and Sydney was very happy in their home.
Chad argued that he was Sydney's father, and he had rights. Nicole angrily maintained that he was only an irresponsible teenager who had abandoned Mia after getting her pregnant, and he couldn't possibly provide for a child. Chad insisted that he would have done the right thing if he'd known, but Mia believed that she had already done the right thing. Nicole urged Chad to let it go and enjoy his youth. "I'm not moving on without my daughter!" Chad declared before storming out.
On the pier, E.J. confronted Brady, demanding to know why Brady had helped Nicole lie. Brady declared that he would do it again in a heartbeat if Nicole asked. Furious, E.J. accused Brady of causing him to lose his entire family. Brady contended that it was E.J.'s fault, because Nicole knew that E.J. had only been with her because she had been pregnant. E.J. calmed himself to ask again why Brady had lied for Nicole, when doing so meant that E.J. would stay with her. "It doesn't make any sense -- everybody knows that you love her, Brady," E.J. said.
Brady adamantly maintained that Nicole was his friend, and he had done everything to help her hold on to E.J. He added that if he'd wanted Nicole for himself, he would have told E.J. the whole story long before then, so he could pick up the pieces when E.J. threw her out. E.J. had a hard time believing that Brady would do something so noble for someone as morally corrupt as Nicole.
Brady couldn't believe that E.J., the "paragon of virtue," would punish an innocent baby by throwing her onto the street along with her mother. E.J. indignantly declared that he didn't owe Brady an explanation. Brady retorted that E.J. did owe Sydney, and if he couldn't see that, then Brady was glad for the way things had turned out. "Because you don't deserve Sydney as a daughter. You don't deserve to have a happy family!" Brady shouted.
E.J. returned to the mansion and began to pour himself a drink but stopped when a picture of Sydney caught his eye. As he contemplated it, he remembered telling her a story in which he was a white knight who saved her from ogres, while Sydney had sat contentedly in his lap.
E.J. began dialing his cell phone just as the doorbell rang. When Harold didn't answer it, E.J. slammed down the phone and irritably flung the front door open. Chad was on the doorstep. "Where's Sydney?" Chad asked. "Who are you?" demanded E.J. Chad replied, "I'm her father."
When Daniel returned home to his apartment, he was thrilled to find Chloe waiting for him. She greeted him with a kiss, which he eagerly returned -- until the sounds of a baby interrupted them. Chloe left the room and returned with Sydney, explaining that she was watching the baby for Nicole. Pleased to have Sydney spend some time with them, Daniel grinned happily at the child but noted that she seemed a little unhappy. Chloe agreed, admitting that she hadn't been able to figure out what was wrong.
Soon, Daniel had impressed both Chloe and Sydney with his diaper-changing skills, and Sydney was cooing contentedly in her playpen. A beaming Chloe declared that Daniel was going to be a great dad. After Chloe informed him that there was no food in the fridge, Daniel suggested that they go out to eat and take Sydney along. Chloe agreed that it would be great practice for when the two of them had kids of their own.
Daniel looked uncomfortable, causing Chloe to ask if he didn't want to have children. Daniel hedged, arguing that Chloe hadn't been out of the hospital that long, and they weren't even married yet. Chloe was skeptical, but Daniel insisted he just wanted to take things slowly. He promised that they would talk about starting a family when the time was right.
As they began to get Sydney ready to go out, there was an insistent knocking at the door. When Daniel opened it, an anxious Nicole rushed in. "Where's my baby? I need my daughter right now!"
Sitting cross-legged on Grace's grave, Sami confided that visiting her little girl always helped her find some peace, and she hoped that Rafe could find some, as well. "I just want him to be happy, Grace," she said. She asked Grace again to look after Rafe for her then she left.
Later, Sami jogged through the park along the waterfront, where she ran into Brady. They discussed Nicole's situation, and although Sami sympathized, she wasn't surprised that E.J. had thrown Nicole out. Brady argued that E.J. should have tried to understand why Nicole had felt she'd had to lie about the miscarriage. Sami did understand but admitted she'd been shocked to learn that Brady had been involved.
On Omar's boat, Carly continued performing CPR on Rafe, whose identity was still unknown to her and the crew. Once she had restarted his heart, Carly fretted to Omar that they had to get the hypothermic stranger to a hospital before it was too late. She sent Omar to fill some bottles with warm water, and urged Rafe to hold on. In his semi-conscious state, Rafe remembered when Sami had tended to him in the safe house, trying to get his fever down after he had been stabbed.
A crew member carried in some hot-water bottles and other containers filled with warm water. Carly placed them around Rafe's body. Suddenly, Lawrence's ghost appeared. "What are you doing, Carly?" he demanded, "Trying to save a life to atone for murdering me?" Carly retorted that she hoped he was burning in hell, adding that she didn't feel even the slightest bit guilty for what she'd done. Lawrence argued that her guilt was the reason he was there. She maintained that he'd deserved to die because otherwise he would have killed her -- or someone she loved. Lawrence wondered why she had run if she had no regrets, assuring her that his people would find her and punish her.
As Lawrence's apparition vanished, Carly returned to ministering to Rafe, whose memories of Sami continued. He opened his eyes and saw Sami's face uttering Carly's reassurances. He murmured Sami's name, which Carly heard as "Sam." "Who's Sam?" Carly asked, as Rafe's eyes slowly closed again. "Is that you? Are you Sam?" she asked.
When Omar returned, Carly reported that the man's pulse was stronger, but he had a fever. She was worried that the man would soon be in danger because of her, especially if any of the crew found out she was on the run. She suggested that Omar have the captain pull into a port with a good hospital, and she would get off the boat with the ill man. Omar tried to reassure her that no one knew who she was, but she insisted that the most important thing was getting help for her patient.
Later, the crew member returned. Carly assumed that he wanted to help, but instead, he pulled a gun on her.
Bo was looking at his and Hope's wedding album and reminiscing on their good times when Ciara walked in the door, followed by Hope. Bo told Ciara that he missed her, and when Hope walked in, Bo told Hope, "Welcome home." Bo told Ciara that he was glad she was home. Ciara told Bo that Hope said she and Hope could visit a lot. Bo wondered what Ciara was talking about. When Ciara left the room, Hope apologized for not explaining her plans on the phone.
Hope realized that she needed to return to Salem in order to deal with their marriage, but she didn't want to live in their house. She explained that she wasn't ready to live in the same house with Bo yet. Bo said that it would be bad for their family to have Hope and Ciara live elsewhere. He explained that he was looking at old photos of them, and it reminded him of the good times they'd had, while it seemed that Hope only wanted to dwell on how he'd defied her.
Hope said she didn't need photos to remember the good times because she remembered them as well as the bad times and the issues that they hadn't dealt with when they'd happened, because the issues still haunted them. Bo mocked Hope. He asked her what resentments they needed to resolve. She mentioned Patrick and asked if he'd forgiven her for it. Bo said there was nothing to forgive, because Patrick had manipulated her.
Hope mentioned Chelsea and said that the way that Bo had handled Ciara's kidnapping had opened up old wounds about Chelsea and Zack. Hope felt that they had buried a lot of important issues, but Bo didn't see it that way. He thought they'd pulled themselves together and moved on. Bo thought that they'd decided to focus on the love they had for each other instead of dwelling on the things that they couldn't change. Bo told her that she had his heart and that Hope made him complete and challenged him to be a better person.
Hope told Bo that she loved him, and she wanted their marriage to work, but they couldn't ignore their problems. Bo felt like she hadn't heard anything that he'd said. Hope pointed out that she could relate to how he was feeling. She said that Bo couldn't accept that she saw things differently than he did, and he never could. Hope encouraged Bo to spend time with Ciara, and they could talk about visitation later.
One of the crew members, Brian, held Carly at gunpoint and told her that "the tides have turned." Brian told Carly that he had recognized her, so he'd discovered through a friend, who was a high-ranking official in Lawrence's country, that they were looking for her. He said that he would get $100,000 for exacting justice in Lawrence's murder. Carly begged Brian not to shoot her. Suddenly, Rafe reached up and grabbed the gun while Carly kicked Brian in the groin. Carly took the gun and held it on Brian. She asked Rafe where he had gotten the energy to intervene, but Rafe passed out again.
Omar had Brian tied up, so Carly focused on helping Rafe. Because Rafe had saved Carly's life, Carly was determined to save his. Rafe asked who Carly was, and she promised to tell him who she was if he told her who Sam was. Carly noticed that Rafe's fever hadn't improved, and they needed to get him to a hospital. Rafe started rambling. "Tell her about the baby," he said.
Sami was surprised to hear that Brady had helped Nicole pass Sydney off as Nicole's biological daughter. Brady explained how he'd had to tell Nicole about her miscarriage and how Nicole had been so hurt by it that she had become desperate. Sami wanted to know why Brady had helped Nicole do something that he knew was wrong. She surmised that Brady had done it because he was still in love with Nicole.
Sami said that she knew how it felt to be in love with someone when that person didn't return those feelings. Sami empathized with Nicole, because Nicole had helped Sami when E.J. had tried to take Johnny from Sami. Sami wanted to find a way to repay Nicole for her kindness.
Nicole showed up at Daniel and Chloe's apartment, demanding to see her daughter. Chloe asked what had happened. Nicole was anxious that her plan had backfired. Nicole was desperate to skip town, but Chloe refused to let her leave without an explanation. Nicole started ranting about someone wanting to ruin her life. Daniel gave Nicole and Chloe some space so they could talk in private. Nicole told Chloe that E.J. wasn't the source of her problem.
Chad went to the DiMera mansion, telling E.J. that Chad was Sydney's father and demanding to let Chad see his daughter. E.J. asked Chad why he thought he was Sydney's father. Chad explained that he and Mia were Sydney's biological parents. E.J. insisted that E.J. and Nicole were Sydney's legal parents, but Chad said he had never been informed about the adoption, which meant the adoption wasn't legal.
E.J. invited Chad inside. Chad warned E.J. that he couldn't convince Chad not to reclaim Sydney, because Chad's parents were lawyers, and Chad knew his rights. E.J. told Chad that he was a lawyer, also. Chad said that would mean that E.J. knew the adoption wasn't legal. Then, Chad realized that E.J. might not have been a part of the adoption. E.J. asked Chad to tell him everything that Chad knew, but Chad wanted to see his daughter first.
At Daniel's apartment, Nicole said the situation was complicated. Chloe thought that Nicole felt that Chloe was too stupid to understand. Nicole apologized for insinuating that Chloe was dumb, but Nicole was eager to leave. E.J. called Nicole and asked her to return home with Sydney.
Chloe told Daniel that he was good with Sydney. Daniel took her compliment as an attempt to raise the subject of children again, and he reminded her that they had agreed to take things slowly. He pointed out that they weren't married yet, and they hadn't had sex since she had been released from the hospital. Chloe grabbed Daniel and kissed him. Daniel tried to slow things down, but Chloe was determined to make love with him. An insistent knock at the door interrupted their make-out session.
Chloe answered the door, thinking it was Nicole, but it was Victor, who insulted Chloe's disheveled appearance, saying he wasn't surprised to see her looking as she always did. Chloe apologized for the way she'd answered the door, because she had thought it was Nicole. Victor informed her that her bra was showing. Daniel started to chide Victor, but Victor said he was only trying to help. Victor said he was trying to reach Daniel so he could apologize to Chloe, because she had overheard him refer to her as a "whore."
Victor said that he needed to work on his bad habit of saying what was on his mind even when those words might hurt someone. Chloe was gracious toward Victor, saying he'd "more than made up for it" when he'd agreed to see the best in her. Victor showed Daniel the pocket watch that Daniel's father had given to Victor when Daniel had been christened. Victor gave the watch to Daniel and asked him to consider it symbolic of Victor's effort to be supportive of Daniel, and part of that effort would go toward Chloe. Victor said that he would embrace Daniel's devotion toward Chloe.
Daniel told Victor that Chloe had moved in, and they planned to live together for the rest of their lives. Victor remarked on how "convenient" their living arrangement was. After Daniel got a phone call and left the room, Chloe asked why Victor objected to her and Daniel living together when Victor knew that she and Daniel were getting married. Victor clarified that he'd promised to keep an open mind and that he didn't object to them cohabitating -- he just hadn't reacted to the news well.
Victor accused Chloe of being "fickle, insubstantial, disloyal by nature," and said she ate men up and "spit them out." However, Victor agreed to be a devoted godfather to Daniel and was determined to give Chloe a chance for Daniel's sake. Victor hoped that Chloe could prove him wrong about how Victor viewed her. After Victor left, Chloe realized that Victor might change his mind about her, but Victor was just waiting for Chloe to self-destruct so he could have "a front-row seat."
When Nicole got home with Sydney, she walked into the living room and found Chad standing next to E.J. Nicole demanded to know what Chad was doing at the mansion. E.J. said Nicole knew what Chad was doing there. Nicole started to leave with Sydney, but Chad ordered her to stop. Nicole warned him not to touch her baby. E.J. told Nicole to put Sydney down so that they could discuss their situation, so she complied. E.J. said that Chad had every right to see Sydney.
Chad looked at Sydney in her playpen and remarked on how perfectly beautiful she was. E.J. asked Chad to wait outside so that he could talk to Nicole. Chad wanted to take Sydney with him, but E.J. denied his request. Chad said he was moved after seeing Sydney for the first time. E.J. said he could relate. Nicole was upset with E.J. for tricking her. She'd thought they were going to talk about their relationship. E.J. said that he'd wanted Nicole to return with Sydney so that Nicole would tell him the whole truth.
E.J. confronted Nicole for her lie that Sydney's adoption had been legal. Nicole admitted that she didn't have the paperwork, but she said that Mia had wanted her to have Mia's baby. E.J. said that it wasn't about Mia -- Chad had a say in his daughter's life. Nicole begged E.J. not to let her lose Sydney. E.J. invited Chad back into the room and told him to say goodbye to Sydney and leave. Chad couldn't believe that E.J. was throwing him out and Sydney was staying with E.J. and Nicole.
E.J. empathized with Chad's plight, and he agreed to let Chad see Sydney, but that wasn't good enough for Chad, who told E.J. that he had the right to take Sydney with him. E.J. said Chad couldn't legally leave with Sydney based only on his story. Chad vowed that it wasn't over. After Chad left, Nicole thanked E.J. and asked if he was going to help her and Sydney. E.J. told Nicole that he wouldn't help her.
Sami arrived at the DiMera mansion, and she walked right in after finding the front door ajar. She heard E.J. and Nicole arguing. After seeing Sami in the doorway, E.J. told Nicole to keep her voice down. Nicole promised E.J. that she would die before she let "that jerk" take her baby. Sami asked Nicole if someone was planning to take her baby.
Will went to Maggie's house to tell Mia that he missed her. Mia hugged him and told him that she missed him, too -- to Will's surprise. Will asked what Chad had done to her. Mia downplayed the situation at first, but then she admitted that she felt bad for lying to Chad and Will about her daughter. Mia said she actually knew where her daughter was. Mia explained that Nicole had helped deliver her baby.
Will was shocked that Sydney was Mia's baby, but it made sense, looking back at how many questions Mia had asked about Nicole. Mia felt that Nicole would be the best parent for Mia's child -- even better than Chad. Mia told Will about the deal she had with Chad -- that he would stop looking for their baby if she broke up with Will.
Mia explained that she'd pretended to be angry with Will and had used Will's decision to tell Sami about Mia's pregnancy as an excuse to break up with him. She explained that it was Chad's idea that they had broken up. Mia admitted that her relationship with Chad wasn't real, and she said she only wanted to be with Will. Chad returned to Maggie's house and found Mia and Will together. He demanded to know what Will was doing there. Mia was more interested in knowing what Chad had done.
Brady met with Victor on the pier, and Victor confided in Brady that he felt Daniel was dumb for letting Chloe "sink her claws into him." Victor was determined not to let Chloe ruin Daniel's life the way she had almost done to Brady, Philip, and Lucas.
Brady answered the door at the Kiriakis mansion and was surprised to find Arianna there. "I came to ask your forgiveness," she stated. She explained that Melanie had told her about Nicole's husband kicking her out after learning about her miscarriage, and Arianna felt terrible about it. Brady was skeptical, since Arianna and Nicole were hardly friends, but declared cynically that he absolved Arianna of her guilt. Arianna maintained that she was worried about him, and he assumed she was afraid he was going to start using drugs again.
Brady admitted that he was a mess, but it didn't mean that he was going to start using again after he'd worked so hard to get sober. Arianna wondered what was going on between Brady and Nicole, since her secret had gotten out. Brady wanted to know why Arianna always mentioned Nicole. Arianna insisted that she simply felt bad for hurting him, because he was such an amazing guy. Brady kissed her.
Chloe was struggling with several bags of groceries as she let herself into Daniel's apartment. Daniel startled her when he emerged from the bedroom, clad only in a towel, and she dropped the entire load on the living room floor. When Daniel bent down to help her pick everything up, his towel fell off. Chloe handed it to back him, trying to avert her eyes as she insisted she didn't need any help. But their eyes met, and soon they were kissing passionately. Chloe at last pushed Daniel away, reminding him breathlessly that they couldn't have sex yet. Father Matt called Chloe just then, so Daniel left to shower while she talked to the priest.
When Daniel returned, Chloe informed him sadly that her annulment had gone through. She admitted that although she loved Daniel and wanted to marry him, she wished it didn't have to be at Lucas' expense. Daniel understood her mixed emotions completely, and Chloe was grateful for his patience and understanding. They made love.
At Maggie's, Chad informed Mia and Will that he'd been to see Sydney at the DiMera mansion -- and E.J. had learned that Chad was the girl's biological father. Mia was horrified and furious, especially when Chad announced that he was determined to get his daughter back. Chad was equally angry that Mia had lied to him, believing that she'd played him by pretending to break up with Will. Chad declared that giving herself to him to get what she wanted made her a whore.
Will lost it, lunging at Chad, but Mia jumped between them before things could get violent. She admitted that Chad had a point -- but it proved that she loved her baby so much that she would do absolutely anything for her. Mia asked Will if she could to speak to Chad alone, so Will reluctantly agreed to wait outside.
Mia then apologized to Chad, earnestly adding that she'd never meant to hurt him. She assured him that she still cared about him, just not in the same way he cared about her. Chad sarcastically retorted that at least she was finally being honest, but he no longer cared about her; he hated her. "Fine. You don't care about me -- whatever," Mia conceded, "but please, please, Chad, think about Sydney." Chad firmly replied, "I am. I'm going to get custody of my daughter, and nobody's going to stop me."
As soon as Chad stormed out, Will went back inside. He wordlessly took Mia in his arms, just holding her comfortingly before asking her what had happened. Mia replied that it didn't matter, adding, "As long as I have you, I'll be okay." Will reassured her that he wasn't going anywhere, and the two of them would find a way to get through it together. "He can't take Sydney," Mia said imploringly, "there has to be some way to stop him, or somebody who can help us."
At the DiMera mansion, Sami urged Nicole not to let anyone take Sydney from her, no matter what. E.J. asserted that it was between him and Nicole, firmly grabbing Sami by the arm and shoving her out the door. Once outside, Sami remarked to herself that Nicole had looked terrified. "I have to do something. I have to help her."
Sami went to Grace's grave and was startled when she heard Maggie's voice behind her. Maggie said she'd seen Sami there as she had been driving by and had just wanted to give her a hug. Sami gratefully accepted. Maggie knew that Sami was probably having a difficult time, since her mother was out of the country, and Sami admitted that she missed her mom a lot. She confided that someone was threatening to take away a friend's baby, and it was breaking her heart because she knew how unbearable the pain of losing a child was. Sami was determined to prevent it if she could, and Maggie understood -- but cautioned Sami to take care of herself, as well.
E.J. angrily admitted to Nicole that until Chad had shown up claiming paternity, he'd been rethinking everything because he loved Sydney with all his heart. Nicole was relieved and thrilled until E.J. clarified coldly that he only wanted Sydney back in his life -- not Nicole. Nicole started to plead with him, but he interrupted, declaring that he would not keep Sydney's father from her. Nicole argued that Chad was a teenager who wasn't equipped to be a father. E.J. crossly reminded her that he had been in Chad's position, plus they had no legal right to Sydney.
Nicole implored him to fight with her for Sydney -- and for their marriage. "Why in God's name would you think that I want to do that?" E.J. demanded. "Because you still love me," Nicole replied tearfully yet determinedly, "I know you do -- as much as you love Sydney, as much as I love you. We are stronger; we can do anything. Don't throw that away. It's too precious! It's too powerful!" Unmoved, E.J. ordered her to leave and take Sydney with her. Sobbing, Nicole lifted Sydney out of her playpen, gathered her purse and diaper bag, and slowly walked out.
Outside, Nicole was surprised to run into Sami, who gently offered her help. Nicole couldn't even make eye contact. "There's nothing you can do, Sami. There's nothing anyone can do," she cried miserably, hurrying away.
Sami marched into the house and confronted E.J. "You bastard!" She excoriated him for cruelly throwing Nicole and Sydney out again, for taking his anger out on an innocent baby. E.J. informed her bitterly that he'd just met Chad Peterson Woods, Sydney's father, and Chad wanted his daughter back. Sami was utterly floored, realizing that meant that Mia was Sydney's mother. E.J. confirmed that Nicole had admitted it was true but pointed out that Sami had essentially done the same thing to him.
Sami acknowledged that she had done the same thing with Grace -- but resolutely declared that she would do it again. She vowed that she would do everything in her power to protect her children from him and the violence and hatred that surrounded him. "You're stating the bloody obvious," E.J. snapped, "most parents would do anything for their children, so don't think you're special." Sami knew that E.J. would, too, and that he loved Sydney with his heart and soul. "Which means that you will do anything for her, and that means keeping her with the only mother she has ever known!" Sami contended, "E.J., you love her, so help Nicole keep her baby."
Nicole sat at an unconscious Stefano's bedside, Sydney in her lap, pouring her heart out to her father-in-law. She told him about how Chad had shown up, threatening to sue for custody of Sydney, and she was worried that if he ordered a DNA test, it would only raise more questions. She knew if that happened, everyone would eventually learn the whole truth. "They'll take her away from me, Stefano," Nicole cried, "then I'll go to prison, and I'll never see my baby girl again." Nicole needed Stefano to take care of things, the way he had been, but he no longer could. "Oh, God, it's over," she whispered, weeping, "it's finally over for me!"
Nicole then resolved that she couldn't give Sydney up, even if she had to think like Stefano. "He'd probably make the kid disappear," she noted, but quickly rejected that idea. She wondered if she could find something she could use to blackmail Chad and then formulated a plan. She called Chad, who immediately tried to hang up on her. Nicole begged him not to, adding, "It's about your daughter." She asked him to meet her, "Look, Chad, we both want what's best for Sydney. I'm sure we could work something out."
