Sami chased Johnny into the living room and then, in an effort to get him to go to sleep, suggested they read stories. She suggested that he take off his FBI jacket, but he didn't want to. Sami knew that Johnny missed Rafe, and Johnny asked why Rafe wouldn't return home. Sami had wondered the same thing. Once the kids were in bed, Sami tried to explain to E.J. that Johnny missed Rafe and needed to work through that. "I know. It's not like I'm jealous," E.J. said. He said he just didn't want Johnny to have to deal with Rafe not returning as part of an extended family.
Sami said that Rafe cared about Johnny and would always be there for him as his friend. "Okay, you have to have friends," E.J. said. Sami pointed out that Arianna was lucky to have E.J. as a friend and that E.J. was defending her. He asked if that bothered Sami. "It would bother me a lot if she's guilty," Sami said.
However, Sami didn't think that Arianna was guilty. She felt that Arianna was lucky to have E.J. on her side even though she was Rafe's sister. Sami said E.J. looked like a good guy for defending Arianna. Johnny screamed out, and Sami and E.J. jumped up to check on him. Johnny had fallen down the stairs and possibly had a concussion.
Rafe called for the guards, but no one answered. He asked Shane how long it had been since the guard had been past their cell. Shane estimated it had been three hours, and once the guard returned, he and Rafe would be ready for him. Shane and Rafe bonded over their incarceration. Shane asked how Rafe ended up in prison, but then he realized that since Rafe had been involved with Sami, Rafe should have expected to end up in jail.
Shane didn't know Sami well, but he had heard what happened to the men in Sami's life. "Not all of them," Rafe said. Shane asked if there was another man in Sami's life. "Appears that way. We'll see for how long," Rafe said. Rafe mentioned that Shane had called "Kimberly" all night long. Shane admitted that it was hard not to call her and make sure she was okay. Rafe wondered why Shane was agonizing over Kim even though they weren't together anymore. "She is the mother of my children," Shane said. Rafe asked if that was all.
Shane asked if Rafe would ever get over Sami, and Rafe admitted that he wouldn't. "That's the trouble with Brady women. Get under your skin," Shane said. Rafe hated to admit it, but Shane was right. Rafe told Shane that he thought the DiMeras were behind Sydney's kidnapping. Shane remembered what it was like knowing that the DiMeras were responsible for something and not being able to "nail them for it." First, Rafe needed to break out of jail, find Anna, get her to tell the truth and then return to Salem.
Nicole told Brady that if she gave Arianna an alibi for at least one of the muggings, it would mean Arianna was innocent and would be released. Nicole said she would testify about Arianna giving Nicole the check that Brady wrote to get rid of Nicole. Nicole said Brady should be glad that she didn't leave town with Brady's money, or Nicole wouldn't be able to get Arianna out of jail. Nicole told Brady to testify that he wrote the check, but he had to prove that he wrote the check that night. She said that she and Brady needed to have exactly the same story.
Nicole said she had ripped up the check and threw it out, so Brady needed to tell the police that he wrote the check the night that Justin was attacked. She said she didn't remember the exact date, so she asked if he knew it. Brady was "pretty sure" that it was the same night. Nicole thought that wasn't good enough. Brady thought it would introduce doubt into the case and the police would have to open up the evidence again.
Nicole saw D.A. Woods walk in and expressed doubt that their evidence would be good enough. Brady asked what Nicole wanted him to do, and just as Woods was sitting down at the bar, Nicole said, "We can lie to the police." Nicole made sure that Woods heard her and Brady talking about fabricating evidence to get Arianna released, by asking Brady to write another check and then backdate it. Brady refused, and the district attorney walked up to them and told Nicole that instead of helping Arianna, Nicole just made things much worse.
Nicole told the D.A. that he couldn't listen in on private conversations. He said that the next time that she wanted to collude to commit perjury, Nicole should stay at home and whisper. Brady explained that they didn't collude, because he had planned to tell the truth. Woods didn't care, because it meant that Arianna didn't have an alibi at all. Woods left, and Nicole apologized to Brady, but he didn't want to hear it.
E.J. apologized to Arianna for not being able to get her arraigned that night. Arianna said it was okay and at least she was in a single cell. She felt like she would be okay as long as Nicole followed through with her alibi. E.J. called Arianna "resilient," but she said it wasn't difficult to be resilient when there were no other options. Arianna sensed E.J.'s doubt, and he explained that he was wary when it came to Nicole.
Arianna understood how E.J. felt, but she thought that Nicole wouldn't send Arianna to prison for something that Arianna didn't do, because it wouldn't get her anything. E.J. agreed that Nicole didn't do anything that didn't benefit her. Arianna felt that Brady was predictable that way, but E.J. disagreed. Arianna said that in this situation, Nicole was predictable, because Nicole could play the hero and be the subject of her own news story. Arianna asked E.J. what Nicole would get out of Arianna going to prison.
"She'd get you out of the way," E.J. said. Arianna felt that Nicole would see through that. E.J. thought that Nicole wanted Arianna out of the way, because she was competition for Nicole's job. E.J. asked how Arianna and Brady were doing, and Arianna asked E.J. for a favor.
Gabi went to see Arianna after E.J. told her to. Arianna asked Gabi to tell Brady that Arianna was sorry. Gabi told Arianna that she would make sure Brady really felt sorry for Arianna, but Arianna just wanted him to know that she was sorry. She wanted to be able to work things out with Brady. Arianna didn't want Gabi to make Brady feel sorry for her -- she wanted to be able to work things out honestly.
The district attorney stopped by to see Arianna in her cell and told her that he had heard about her alibi. He told her that her alibi was invalid and for her to ask her boyfriend why.
Outside the Kiriakis mansion, Nicole apologized to Brady. She got upset for messing things up, so he consoled her just as Gabi walked up.
E.J. got home and saw that Sami was still up with the kids. Johnny was drawing a picture, and Sami told Johnny to add Will and Allie to the family picture Johnny was drawing. "And Rafe," Johnny said. Sami looked at E.J. sadly.
Carly agonized over telling Daniel about Chloe cheating on him. Lexie overheard Carly talking to herself and asked if something was wrong. Lexie volunteered to stay when she sensed that Carly needed to talk to someone in person regarding a personal problem. Carly wondered whether she should just "let the chips fall where they may" with Daniel and Chloe. Carly decided against doing anything about Chloe and Daniel that night. She felt it could wait until the next day. Lexie said goodnight to Carly.
Chloe called the number that Vivian had given her to signal the hit man to rig the elevator at the hospital to fall and kill Carly. He assured Chloe that everything was in place and all she had to do was be at the hospital at 11:00. He said he would send Chloe a text message indicating that she needed to get Carly on the elevator. Chloe was uncertain about following through on the murder plot. The hit man said as soon as the elevator doors closed, "It's game over."
Chloe was still undecided, but the hit man told her there was "no refund or cancellation" and she had until 11:00 to think it over. Chloe agonized over her decision to let Carly get killed. Chloe decided against the plan to kill Carly. She tried to reach the hit man and then Vivian, to no avail. Chloe rushed out the door to stop Carly, but Daniel was standing there about to enter their apartment. He asked what was wrong.
Chloe claimed that she had to leave because she had a surprise for the wedding. Daniel said his surprise trumped her surprise, so she wasn't going anywhere. He gave her an antique necklace that he wanted her to wear on their wedding day. He told her that Maggie gave them her blessing. Chloe told Daniel that she needed to go pick up his wedding gift. Meanwhile, Carly had left Daniel a message to call her.
Chloe went to the hospital to speak with Carly. Carly explained that she was not trying to ruin Chloe's life -- she was just worried about Chloe. Chloe felt like Carly was threatening her. Chloe thought that Carly had called her crazy. Carly tried to reason with Chloe to tell Daniel the truth, but Chloe wouldn't hear of it. Carly thought that Chloe was threatening her, so she ended the conversation. As Carly was headed toward the elevator, Chloe stopped her. Carly told Chloe that she needed help. Chloe thought that Carly would do whatever she wanted to get what she wanted. Chloe received a text message alerting her that the sabotaged elevator was ready to go. Carly got on the elevator.
Daniel called the hospital to reach Carly, but she was unavailable, so he left to find her.
Nathan asked Stephanie what she was doing with the morning-after pill, and she explained that she had stopped taking her birth control pills. Nathan got upset, so Stephanie lied and said she lost her birth control pills and after hearing how Nathan felt about being a father only when he was ready, she wanted to make sure she wasn't pregnant, just in case. Nathan asked if Stephanie thought she was pregnant.
Stephanie said she might be pregnant. Nathan was upset with her for skipping her birth control pills. Stephanie said that if she wasn't pregnant, she would find out, and if she was, the pill wouldn't do anything to harm the baby. Stephanie apologized, but then Nathan apologized. He said that she took him by surprise. Stephanie said that if she was pregnant, it was all on her -- he was the responsible one, unlike her. Nathan told her that they would just wait and see what happened.
In the DiMera living room, E.J. studied Johnny's drawing and joked about raising a "struggling artist." When Sami gave a tepid response, E.J. asked her what was wrong. Sami explained that she checked on Johnny and that he was fine, but that she was worried he would not wake up when she checked on him. "I knew in that moment that I would not survive losing another child," Sami said. Sami admitted that she was not sleeping well at night because she was afraid that her children would get sick like Grace. "No mother should have to go through what you went through this last year," E.J. said. E.J. assured Sami that the family was safe, and he asked her to trust him.
Sami thanked E.J. for comforting her but argued that she was the kind of mother who would perpetually worry about her children. "Oh, my God! I'm turning into Kate. What if I become arrogant and overbearing and a busybody? I'm gonna end up poisoning my child's fiancée!" Sami exclaimed. E.J. patted Sami's arm and said that he would convince her that the worst was behind them. "I'm gonna make it so you don't worry so much," E.J. said with a grin. E.J. instructed Sami to close her eyes and asked her to clear her mind.
"Think of a time when you were with all of your children," E.J. said softly. With her eyes closed, Sami smiled and shared that the memory she was thinking of was when she got Sydney back. E.J. urged Sami to think about how that moment felt and to store that feeling away for whenever she felt worried or hurt. "So you can draw strength from it," E.J. said. "It worked," Sami said quietly. "That memory, you're a big part of it. You brought me Sydney back," Sami said. "Quite a change from all the misery I've caused you," E.J. responded.
E.J. admitted that he was ashamed of all the instances that he had hurt Sami, and she countered that she was not innocent herself. "We are not normal, are we?" Sami said with a laugh. "I can't imagine my life without you now," Sami said. Sami thanked E.J. for all of his help with the children, including Will, and she confessed that she enjoyed seeing the softer side of E.J. "I want you and the children to be happy, and I'm going to do everything to make that happen," E.J. responded.
Sami noted that E.J. had made her experience at the mansion "kind of nice." "Your company makes it bearable," Sami said quietly. "The only thing that bothers me is when I hear you worrying about your children," E.J. responded. As Sami leaned closer to E.J., she thanked him for helping her find the strength to worry less. E.J. leaned closer to Sami and responded, "Your children are important to me."
As Sami's face hovered near E.J.'s, she whispered, "it's nice to be with the man that I danced with to that old timey music. The man that I..." "The man that what?" E.J. asked. Unsure of what to say, Sami kissed E.J. passionately. As the kiss became more heated, Sami whimpered and pulled away from E.J. Shaken, Sami ran out, leaving a bewildered E.J. in the living room.
In the foreign prison, Rafe and Shane faked a fight, causing the prison guard to enter the cell to break up the struggle. When Rafe took a swing at Shane, Shane ducked. Rafe punched the guard in the nose, which knocked him out. With a smile on his face, Shane grabbed the keys from the hand of the unconscious guard and Rafe positioned the guard under a blanket on his bed. Checking the hallway, Shane opened the cell but another guard who was holding a gun surprised him.
As the guard with the gun guided Shane and Rafe back into the cell, he roused the other guard from his unconscious state. Rafe and Shane explained that the guard fell and hit his head, but neither of the guards was buying the story. With a scowl on his face, the guard with the gun guided Shane and Rafe down the hallway.
After an interrogation, the guard returned Rafe to the cell. When the other guard returned a bloody Shane back to the cell, Rafe protested that he did not want to share the cell with Shane, since Shane was crazy. "Good. Maybe this time you two kill each other," the guard joked. Once they were alone, Rafe asked Shane whether he got the information they needed. "Yeah. The plan worked perfectly," Shane said with a grin. Shane informed Rafe that he was able to see where the guard towers and exits were in the prison. "Next time we make a break for it, it's gonna be for good," Rafe agreed.
On the front porch of the Kiriakis mansion, Brady hugged Nicole and encouraged her not to worry about what happened with the District Attorney at the pub. "Are you sure about that? Because once my sister finds out about this, she's going to kill you," Gabi said as she approached Brady. Brady assured Gabi that he was not betraying Arianna. Nicole jumped in and noted that the hug was her fault, not Brady's. Nicole said that she felt bad that she could not help Arianna. Incensed, Gabi argued that Nicole did not care about Arianna. Gabi explained that she stopped by to inform Brady that Arianna wanted to see him to apologize for doubting "his love." "You don't love her at all," Gabi huffed.
Brady told Gabi to tell Arianna whatever she wanted, but he added that Gabi would only be hurting her sister because he was just comforting a friend. "You don't love Ari, do you?" Gabi asked Brady. "The only person that deserves the answer to that question is your sister," Brady said. Gabi threatened to hurt Brady if he broke Arianna's heart. With a smirk, Brady promised that he would not hurt Arianna, and that he was going to visit her.
Nicole walked down to the pier in search of Dr. Dick Baker. Dick informed Nicole that his partner agreed not to continue with the muggings. "She's a pretty cool chick," Dick admitted. Nicole thanked Dick for his help and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to go after Brady. Pleased, Nicole wondered aloud whether Brady was telling Arianna about their intimate moment that Gabi interrupted. "It won't be long before Brady and I are together. I can feel it," Nicole said. Dick asked Nicole whether she was sure that Brady loved her. "Because if not, you're sending his girlfriend to prison for no reason," Dick advised Nicole.
At the hospital, Carly warned Chloe that she would not be happy with all these "secrets and lies." Shaking her head, Chloe said that she did not think Carly would change her mind. While Carly reviewed a patient's chart, Chloe looked down at her cell phone and read a text stating, "Go." "I have to go," Carly said as she crossed to the elevator. "Yes you do," Chloe muttered absently under her breath. After Carly entered the elevator, Chloe rushed in after her, and pleaded with Carly to wait.
Panicked, Chloe tugged on Carly's arm, and begged her to get out of the elevator. When Carly pulled her arm away from Chloe, Carly fell out of the elevator into the hallway, while Chloe fell backward into the elevator. As Chloe looked up, she realized the elevator doors were closing and reached out to stop them. When the doors slammed shut, Chloe let out a blood-curdling scream. On another floor, Daniel heard Chloe scream and began to bang on the elevator doors as the elevator plummeted down the shaft and crashed. Daniel rushed down the stairs to the basement and forced open the doors. To his shock, Daniel found Chloe unconscious in the rubble of the elevator.
As Daniel attempted to wake Chloe, Carly arrived at the crash site. Daniel ordered Carly to fetch some first aid supplies, then he turned back to Chloe and begged her not to give up. With Chloe in respiratory arrest, Daniel placed Chloe on a gurney and rushed her upstairs. Lexie arrived at the hospital to assist Carly in the surgery on Chloe and she ordered Daniel to stay out of the operating room. As Lexie headed up to the operating room, Daniel paced the waiting room and begged out loud for Chloe not to leave him.
In their bedroom at Maggie's house, Philip held Melanie in his arms after making love. Looking softly up at Philip's face, Melanie asked, "How the hell could you have cheated on me with Chloe?" Startled awake from his nightmare, Philip sat up in bed as Melanie slept soundly beside him. Unnerved, Philip went down to the kitchen and ran into Maggie. Maggie informed Philip that she was up late worrying about Alice, who was running a fever.
Philip admitted that he was awake because of a nightmare. When Maggie inquired about the dream, Philip explained that the nightmare was about something he "was not proud of." Maggie asked Philip what he had done, and Philip admitted that his secret could ruin lives. Maggie suggested that Philip should tell the truth because "sometimes the consequences are not as bad as you think."
When Philip worried aloud that he would lose everything, Maggie told Philip that no matter what, he would still have Melanie. With a sigh, Philip admitted that he might not have Melanie. "Now you're worrying me," Maggie said with alarm. "She's going to stand by you no matter what," Maggie said. Maggie counseled Philip to tell the truth so that he could have peace of mind. "Sometimes when you think you are protecting someone, you're really only hurting them," Maggie said as Melanie entered the kitchen.
Melanie offered to warm some milk for the "insomniacs." Maggie went upstairs to sleep, and Melanie asked Philip if he wanted to talk. Philip agreed that they needed to discuss something, when Melanie's phone rang. Daniel called to inform Melanie about Chloe's accident. After hanging up the phone, Melanie informed Philip about the accident, and the two decided to head over to the hospital.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Vivian and Victor went upstairs to their bedroom, and Vivian noted bitterly that she had no messages on her phone. "You were terrible company tonight, Vivian. Kept looking at your watch every few minutes, fidgeting like mad," Victor grumbled. Suspicious, Victor asked Vivian what she was hiding. When Vivian avoided Victor's questions, Victor ordered Vivian to come clean with him or else he would force the truth out of her. "If anything happens to Carly Manning, this marriage is over and I will make what little time is left in your life a living hell!" Victor bellowed.
Vivian countered that Victor was the one that was distracted, and she believed he was thinking about Maggie. Rankled, Victor barked that he was going to a bar for the rest of the night. Once alone, Vivian grabbed her phone and, posing as a doctor, called the hospital. Vivian probed the nurse for details and learned that Chloe was the victim in the elevator crash. With a confidential tone to her whisper, the nurse told Vivian that she did not believe that Chloe would survive her injuries.
When Melanie and Philip arrived at the hospital, they found Carly and asked her about Chloe. Carly briefed them on the surgery and explained that she did not know whether Chloe would survive. In shock, Philip asked how the accident happened. "I was the one that was supposed to be in that elevator. Chloe saved my life," Carly said. Melanie asked Carly what she meant. Carly told Melanie and Philip about the events prior to the accident, and confused, Melanie asked Carly what the argument with Chloe was about.
Down the hallway, Lexie checked on Chloe and informed Daniel that there was no spinal injury. "It's too soon to tell," Lexie said softly. Daniel sat at Chloe's bedside and pleaded with her to wake up so they could get married. "Daniel, I'm sorry," Chloe muttered as she remained unconscious.
Worried about the announcement from D.A. Woods about her alibi, Arianna frantically called and left a voicemail for E.J. and begged him to call her back. After pulling a few strings, Brady was able to visit Arianna in her jail cell. Arianna asked Brady why D.A. Woods told her Brady knew about the problems with her alibi. Brady told Arianna that Nicole had thrown out the check and that while they were in the pub, Nicole had suggested they lie and say they were "sure" they saw Arianna that night. Brady explained that D.A. Woods had overheard their conversation and no longer considered them to be credible witnesses.
Arianna thanked Brady for "trying to help" and told him that she was sorry for doubting his belief in her. Worried that Gabi would tell her sister about finding him comforting Nicole, Brady confessed to Arianna. "Gabi's convinced that she walked in on something. She didn't," Brady said. As Brady explained that he was comforting Nicole when she was crying, Arianna began to back away. Shaking her head, Arianna asked Brady not to talk anymore. "You don't believe me, do you? Arianna, I can't keep defending myself. There's got to come a point when you believe me," Brady pleaded. "There is nothing left to say," Arianna said as she fought back tears.
At the DiMera mansion, Kate was relieved when Stefano walked in the front door, since it appeared he hadn't even been to bed the night before. Stefano admitted he hadn't been able to sleep, and Kate instantly knew it had been because of Madeline Peterson-Woods. Stefano ranted about how much Madeline irked him, and how she had threatened to release the tape if he didn't do what she wanted. "You don't threaten me and get away with it," Stefano asserted.
Kate pointed out that if Madeline were to make the tape public, it would destroy Madeline more than anyone else. Kate believed Madeline's willingness to take that risk was about more than just her son Chad's friendship with Will. Stefano agreed that they should find out what was bothering Madeline -- but only after they found the tape and destroyed it. Kate thought it was a waste of time to look for the tape, because Madeline was too smart to leave it where anyone could find it, but Stefano was determined to retaliate.
Stefano then revealed that he'd gotten Madeline's bank records, and learned that she had a safe-deposit box that she hadn't opened in years. An impressed Kate wanted to know how Stefano planned to get into the box, since Madeline was the only one who had legal access to it. After some cryptic hints, Kate realized that he wanted her to pose as Madeline at the bank.
Madeline and Chad were at the Cheatin' Heart, which Madeline had rented out for Chad's graduation party later that night. She warned him that the kids weren't allowed to have drugs or alcohol at the party. She was dismayed when Will arrived and announced that he would be attending, but Chad reassured her that the juniors were only going to be at the party to wait on the seniors. After Will left, Madeline stated that she was still worried about the DiMeras' influence over him. "You know what -- I really don't care," Chad declared with a shrug. "It's a party. Just relax."
While Will and his friend "T" shot a game of pool, T noticed Chad's mom on the phone and declared that she was hot. Will was appalled. When Chad returned, Will told him what T had said, and an embarrassed T backpedaled. Will then told T about the picture he'd found of his grandmother and Chad's mom. T found that very amusing. Chad and Will divulged that both women were vague about how they knew each other. Chad pointed out that if Kate and Madeline had ever been friends, they certainly weren't anymore.
After Madeline finished going over the plans for the party with the caterers, she left for work. Chad confided to Will that although his mom knew everything about his life, he knew almost nothing about hers. With a sly smile, Will proposed that the two of them try to find out what that picture of Madeline and Kate really meant. Chad grinned. "Yeah, why not."
Carly called Bo from the hospital to update him about Chloe, who still hadn't regained consciousness. As Carly hung up, Melanie arrived and asked what Carly and Chloe had been arguing about when Chloe had been injured. Philip showed up, but hung back and waited to hear Carly's answer. Carly admitted that the fight had been about Daniel, but since Chloe had nearly died, Carly asserted that they should all stay out of Chloe and Daniel's problems.
After Carly left for rounds, Philip greeted his wife, and asked what had just been going on between her and Carly. Melanie explained that Carly refused to tell her why Chloe and Carly had been fighting. Melanie then began searching for Chloe's chart to try to find out more, but Philip pointed out that the chart's contents were none of her business.
Later, Philip caught up with Carly, and asked, "Melanie thinks that you know something about Chloe that you're not telling her. Should I know what that is?" Carly replied that Melanie should just back off.
Daniel sat at Chloe's bedside, and admitted to Nurse Lesley that he'd spent the night in the chair. He also informed Lesley that although Chloe's vital signs were strong, she still wasn't responsive -- but he was glad that she'd made it through the night. After Lesley left, Daniel wondered aloud why Chloe had been at the hospital the night before. Just then, Chloe's eyes slowly began to open, and she murmured Daniel's name over and over.
Daniel was grateful that she was awake, but Chloe said quietly, "I ruined everything." Daniel assumed that she was upset about their wedding, and encouraged her to let it go. "I can't; too many people know," Chloe mumbled. Daniel figured that she was simply confused from the bump on her head, and reassured her that everything would be fine. He noticed that her blood pressure was slightly elevated, and asked how the accident had happened.
Chloe was alarmed when Daniel added that if he hadn't gotten a message from Carly, he wouldn't even have been at the hospital. Chloe asked what the message was about. Carly arrived and overheard Daniel say that he didn't know, but he guessed that Carly probably thought he and Chloe were rushing things by getting married so quickly. "He's right, Chloe," Carly concurred. "That's what it was."
After Daniel left to talk to Melanie and Philip, Chloe demanded, "You were going to tell Daniel, weren't you? That's why you called last night?" Carly agreed not to tell Daniel, but reiterated that Chloe couldn't contain the truth for much longer. "Let him hear this from you, please!" Carly implored.
Daniel reported to Melanie and Philip that it looked like Chloe would make a full recovery. Daniel declared that it was a miracle, adding, "I lost the love of my life once. I don't think I can take it if I have to go through it again." Melanie apologized for interfering with Daniel and Chloe. She then left to pick up some food for her dad, who admitted he hadn't eaten in a long while.
Philip went in to see Chloe, and when he realized how down she was, he tried to make her see that she was lucky to have survived such a terrible fall. Chloe informed him that Nathan wasn't the only one who knew that she had cheated on Daniel -- Carly did, too. Philip flipped out that his mother-in-law had found out.
"She says I have to tell Daniel before we get married, and I just can't!" Chloe wailed quietly. "You're damn right, you can't," Philip declared. Chloe reassured him that Carly didn't know whom Chloe had slept with. Philip knew that if Daniel found out, he'd never let it go, and cautioned Chloe to keep quiet. Just then, Daniel returned, and asked, "Keep what quiet?"
Abe and Theo arrived at Bo's to pick up Ciara for school. After Bo sent Theo and Ciara into the kitchen to look for her lunchbox, he searched the living room for the little girl's homework, which he found under his divorce papers. Abe wondered if Hope knew that Bo had the papers already. Bo pointed out that it was Hope who had wanted the divorce in the first place.
Later, Ciara confided to Theo that she'd seen her mom hugging a man the night before who wasn't her daddy. "He took the treasures from my backpack, and I don't have it anymore," Ciara complained. Theo showed that he understood by parroting back what Ciara told him. "I can't tell my dad," Ciara continued. "He doesn't believe me -- he doesn't believe me about anything."
Just then, Abe and Bo returned. "What are you guys talking about?" Bo asked. Ciara explained that she'd just been telling her best friend, Theo, how her treasures got stolen. Bo sent the kids outside to wait for the grownups to take them to school, and Abe remarked that Bo seemed worried about Ciara. Bo acknowledged that he was, especially since she kept talking about things like her secret treasure.
Abe pointed out that kids sometimes changed when their parents split up. He informed Bo that Lexie had confided in him about how angry Hope had seemed recently. Bo confessed that it had caught him off-guard when Hope asked for the divorce, but the longer she stayed away, the more he had begun to realize that the marriage really was over. "I can see that you believe that," Abe acknowledged, but added, "I'm not sure I do."
Nathan awakened to find that Stephanie was not in bed next to him. When she returned from the bathroom and happily informed him that she was not pregnant, he was giddy with relief.
Julie returned to Maggie's after checking on Alice, and sadly informed Maggie that there had been no change in Alice's condition. Julie didn't think Alice had even recognized her. "Oh, poor Alice," an upset Maggie exclaimed, just as Hope arrived.
"What's wrong with Gran?" Hope wanted to know. Maggie gently reminded her that Alice hadn't been the same since Mickey died. Hope had expected Alice to get better in time, but Maggie no longer believed that would happen. As she wrapped her arms around Hope, Julie admitted sorrowfully, "My darling, our sweet grandmother is slipping away."
As Maggie and Julie discussed calling relatives to let them know about Alice's failing health, Maggie began to sob, because it was so soon after Mickey's death. Maggie made a pot of tea, since that was what Alice had always done, and the three women compared notes about how Alice had always been the one to whom they had gone when they had problems.
"And she did not solve your problems for you," Julie summed up wistfully. "But she would say something that would help you solve them yourself." Maggie recalled how when her marriage to Mickey had been in trouble, Alice had encouraged her to have faith in their love. "Tolstoy said happy families are all the same," Maggie said. "But I think we're the exception." Hope concluded, "Because we have her." Maggie put an arm around Julie and Hope and pulled them close.
Maggie called to tell Nathan about Alice, and asked him to visit his great-grandmother. "She's so crazy about you," Maggie noted. "And I just have a feeling that if she doesn't respond to you or to Hope that...well, then we'll know." Nathan was more than willing, and as he hung up, his gaze fell on the medical bag that had belonged to his great-grandfather.
Maggie returned to the kitchen, where Julie and Hope were trying to imagine their lives without Alice. As Hope left to visit her grandmother, she became even more upset as she stated, "Whether it's good news or bad news, still my first thought is, 'I gotta tell Bo.'" After Hope had gone, Julie and Maggie concurred that Bo and Hope still belonged together.
While Julie and Maggie continued making phone calls, Julie reminisced about how Alice had raised her. "I never really thought of her as my grandmother," Julie asserted. "There were so many years that she was the only mother I had." Julie recalled thanking Alice for putting up with her, even though she hadn't always done the right thing. Alice had assured her that everyone made mistakes, and pointed out, "It's what we do after we make the mistake that's important. How we begin again, when we're given a chance, that counts." Julie believed that if she had "turned out pretty well," it was because Alice had raised her. Maggie softly stated, "I think she raised all of us."
Nathan arrived at Maggie's, and reported that he'd sat by Alice's bedside and held her hand for a while. Maggie asked if Alice had known who Nathan was. Nathan replied that the one time Alice had opened her eyes and looked at him, she'd said, "Oh, Tom, you're here." Maggie began to weep, but smiled through her tears. "If she thinks she's with him, then that's where she wants to be." Nathan's eyes filled with tears, and he embraced Maggie while they both cried.
After she left Nathan's, Stephanie ran into her grandmother at the hospital. Caroline took a break from her volunteer duties so they could chat, and asked how things were going with Stephanie and Nathan. Stephanie confided that she knew Nathan was "the one." She explained, "I almost did this really stupid thing, to get Nathan to commit a little more." Caroline immediately knew what Stephanie meant.
Stephanie continued that she wasn't proud that she'd tried to get pregnant, but when she'd told Nathan, he'd been great about it. "And I'm not pregnant, by the way," she added to reassure Caroline, who was relieved. Just then, Doug called Caroline to tell her about Alice. When Caroline hung up, she cautioned Stephanie that she had bad news.
Melanie found Nathan sitting alone and looking miserable at the Brady Pub. When she saw how obviously upset he was, she asked if he were okay.
As Bo looked over the divorce documents, he recalled a conversation he'd had with Alice after he and Hope had reunited. Alice had never doubted that Hope and Bo would get back together. Bo had happily declared to Alice that he planned to spend the rest of his life with Hope and "Shawn-D."
Just then, Hope let herself in. Before she could even begin telling Bo why she was there, Hope began to cry. She moved tentatively closer, but Bo put his arms around her as she sobbed. Finally she managed, "It's Gran. Oh my God, Bo -- she's dying!" Although the news obviously upset him as well, Bo held Hope more tightly as she sobbed, which Carly arrived just in time to witness.
Jennifer arrived at Maggie's house and said she felt guilty that she wasn't there. Jennifer returned home to be with Alice, whose life was slipping away. Maggie told Jennifer that Alice had received all of Jennifer's letters. Jennifer said that Alice taught her what family really meant.
At the Brady Pub, Melanie noticed that Nathan was upset and asked what was wrong. He told her that Alice didn't have much time left. Melanie expressed her sympathy. Nathan told Melanie how much Alice meant to him. Melanie said she had heard people say how wise Alice was. Nathan said Alice taught him never to waste time on misunderstandings and mistakes. Nathan asked what Melanie was thinking.
Melanie told Nathan that there was something he should know about the life that he wanted. Nathan thought at first that she was referring to them, and he said he wasn't dwelling on the mistakes or the regrets anymore. He was grateful for Melanie's friendship. She said she had something to tell him about Stephanie.
Melanie told Nathan that Stephanie wasn't taking her birth control pills. Nathan got upset and told Melanie to back off. Stephanie arrived and asked what was going on. Nathan told her that nothing was going on, and Melanie needed to live her life and let Nathan live his. Then Nathan stormed out. "Guess he told you," Stephanie said and left right behind Nathan.
Carly returned to Bo's house to find Hope crying in Bo's arms. Carly interrupted them and asked if something had happened. Hope excused herself and planned to leave, but Bo told her not to go. Bo explained to Carly that Alice wasn't well. Carly said she was sorry and decided to go back to the hospital. Bo thanked Hope for staying. "I needed to. There's no one else I..." Hope said, her voice trailing off. She told Bo that she was glad he was there for her. Bo assured her that he was there for whatever she needed.
Hope asked what Bo said he needed to talk to Hope about when he had called earlier. Bo looked over in the direction of the divorce papers. Bo said all that mattered was what was going on with Alice. They talked about what Alice meant to them. Bo said he wanted to go see Alice to say goodbye. Hope talked about how people took each other for granted when everything was okay, but that when you were about to lose someone you really loved, you realized how precious they were to you.
Carly ran into Jennifer down at the pier. Carly told her how sorry she was about Alice. Jennifer told Carly that she missed Carly. Carly regretted not visiting Jennifer more often, but Jennifer told her not to explain, because life was complicated enough and so much had happened. Jennifer told Carly that she had heard what happened to Lawrence. Carly said it was a painful time in her life. Carly told Jennifer about Melanie.
Carly said she planned to make sure that Melanie didn't make the same mistakes as Carly had.
Bo went to the Brady Pub and talked to Caroline about Alice. Bo said that Alice was like a grandmother to him. He reminisced on his memories of her. "She always came through for me, even today," Bo said. He said that before Hope stopped by, he had planned to talk to Hope about the divorce papers, but thankfully, he didn't. Then Bo remembered that he had left the divorce papers out on the table at his house.
Jennifer stopped by Bo's house to see Hope. Hope went upstairs to find a photo, and she wanted to talk elsewhere, because the memories of being at the house upset her. Jack called Jennifer, and Jennifer looked for a pen to write down a phone number that Jack had given her. That's when Jennifer noticed the divorce papers. Jennifer tried to hide the papers from Hope at first, but when Hope got back downstairs and asked what Jennifer had in her hands, Jennifer showed the papers to Hope.
Nicole fantasized about Brady kissing her after he enjoyed a dip in the pool. Brady woke Nicole out of her reverie to ask what she was doing at the Kiriakis mansion. She said she was planning to go to Arianna's arraignment since Brady couldn't be there. He said he was going to the arraignment. Nicole said she wanted to go with him, and she felt that Arianna might not want anything to do with Brady, so Nicole wanted to lend her support.
Nicole asked if it meant that Arianna was guilty if no one cleared Arianna. Brady insisted on Arianna's innocence and vowed to destroy those responsible for framing her.
Arianna spoke to E.J. before her hearing and found out that he planned to strategize before the hearing. She wanted to know what her chances were of making bail. After they got off the phone, E.J. thought about Nicole.
Nicole went to visit Arianna to ask her not to blame Brady. Arianna told Nicole that she was onto her. E.J. showed up and told Arianna that the hearing was delayed for another hour, so Arianna had to go back to her cell. First, Arianna told Nicole that it wasn't over between them. Nicole tried to leave, but E.J. stopped her. E.J. told Nicole that she only cared about getting Brady back. Nicole told E.J. off and tried to leave, but E.J. shut the door in her face so she couldn't leave.
E.J. confronted Nicole about her machinations, and Nicole told him to talk to Brady about Arianna's alibi not working out. E.J. stopped her again from trying to leave and accused her of framing Arianna and being behind the muggings. Nicole told E.J. that he sounded crazy, and she said that she would never do anything to hurt Brady, but E.J. tried to force Nicole to admit that something was going on. He said when he found out the truth, he would make sure that Nicole ended up in prison for a long time.
Daniel asked Philip what secret he was telling Chloe that no one could ever know. Philip lied and said that Chloe had confided in Philip that she was still in pain. Chloe backed up Philip's story, but explained that her pain wasn't physical -- it was her heart that hurt. She asked Philip to step out of the room, and she explained that Philip knew something that she was afraid to tell Daniel, because Daniel might not love her anymore.
Daniel said that it wasn't possible for him not to love Chloe anymore, and he wondered how she didn't know that after all that they had been through. Daniel was paged and had to leave, but he insisted that they would talk later. He told Chloe that she was the love of his life and always would be. Chloe broke down into tears after he left the room. Philip saw Chloe crying and asked what had happened.
Chloe told Philip that she lied and didn't tell Daniel about her and Philip sleeping together. Philip assured her that she had made the right decision, but Chloe didn't think so. She said she couldn't tell Daniel about her cheating with Philip, because it would hurt Philip and Melanie. Philip said that he was grateful. Chloe said her future was really in Carly's hands, and there was no telling what Carly would tell Daniel and when.
Chloe asked Philip to go to her apartment to get Daniel's wedding gift to help cover her lie that the reason he left the apartment was to pick up his wedding gift. Philip pointed out that Chloe still needed to cover her real problem -- why she was at the hospital. Chloe expressed frustration that Carly was about to ruin her life. Chloe said even if Carly succeeded in ruining Chloe's life, Chloe still wanted Daniel to have the gift, because it might be her last chance to show Daniel how much Chloe loved him.
Philip went to the apartment to get Chloe's gift for Daniel. He looked at the sofa as he passed by it, and remembered the time he and Chloe slept together. He opened the door, only to find Adrienne there. He tried to explain that Chloe had sent him there to pick something up. Adrienne said she was happy that Chloe would make a full recovery. She said she was glad that Chloe had recovered from her fall down the elevator.
Chloe gave Daniel his wedding gift, an inscribed watch. He loved his gift, but he didn't want her to think that she had to get it for him. Daniel got in the bed with Chloe. Then he had an idea -- they should get married at the hospital that day. Chloe was excited. Daniel spoke to the priest, and asked him to marry Daniel and Chloe at the hospital. Carly lurked in the background and overheard him.
Philip went home to Maggie's house and found Melanie there. Daniel called Melanie, and asked her to go to the hospital, because Daniel and Chloe were getting married. Meanwhile, Carly paid Chloe a visit to remind her to tell Daniel the truth before they got married.
At Bo's, Jennifer apologetically reassured Hope that she had found Bo and Hope's divorce papers by accident, not because she'd been snooping. As Hope glumly looked over the papers, Jennifer stated with concern that she hadn't known that the two of them were divorcing, and she was furious with Bo for pursuing it while Hope's grandmother was dying.
Hope explained that she'd asked Bo for a divorce months before, and when they'd stopped discussing it, she'd assumed he'd forgotten about it. Jennifer surmised that Hope no longer wanted the divorce. Hope asked her cousin not to discuss it with anyone, because the only thing that mattered right then was their family, and their grandmother. Jennifer assured Hope that she wouldn't say anything. They embraced, and then Jennifer left because Hope wanted to head over and spend some time alone with Alice.
At the Brady Pub, Maggie overheard Bo leaving a message for Hope. After he hung up, Maggie urged him to be gentle with Hope. Bo irritably replied that was what he was trying to do: to protect Hope and put her first.
When Marie arrived at Maggie's, Jennifer and Maggie were elated to see her, although admittedly all were sad that she had returned because her mother was dying. The three of them sat at the kitchen table and drank tea and caught up. Maggie told Marie that even though Alice slept a lot, she recognized the people who visited her, and was happy to see them.
Marie was relieved, because nothing was more important to Alice than family-and giving advice. Marie recalled how Alice had been concerned because Marie had stopped attending church. Marie had confided to her mom that she had lost her faith in God after her miscarriage, until her dad had offered her some insight. "Oh, Maggie," Marie exclaimed. "How am I ever going to be able to say goodbye?"
Jennifer didn't know whether Jack and their kids would be able to visit, but she hoped they could. Maggie confessed that one of Mickey's favorite things was to have a house filled with people, especially children, and that memory made her miss him even more. The three women laughed about how Mickey had played touch football with the kids every Thanksgiving-because he was just a big kid himself. They agreed that a world without Alice or Mickey just wasn't right, but they would always have wonderful memories. As they packed up some food to take to Alice's, Marie declared to Maggie, "The smartest thing my brother ever did was marry you."
Hope entered Alice's house, and the familiar surroundings evoked fond memories of the no-nonsense advice "Gran" had given Hope about marrying Bo. "You're stubborn, Hope," Alice had asserted. "Did it ever occur to you that you could be wrong?"
Bo was relieved when he arrived at Alice's and found Hope there. "I've been calling all around, looking for you," he said. Bo was clearly uncomfortable as he apologized, explaining that he hadn't meant for her to find the divorce papers, especially while she was going through such a difficult time. Hope tried to reassure him that it was okay. "None of this is okay," he replied.
Hope wanted to be strong for Alice, so Alice didn't worry about her. Hope pulled a tissue out of her purse, and her sleeping pills rolled out. Bo asked about them, and Hope told him that she'd been taking them to help her sleep, but she didn't need them anymore. "My dad and I and Julie are going to rotate shifts, day and night," she explained. "I want to be the best that I can in the time that she has left." Bo offered to help, as well, whenever the family needed him. Hope was grateful that he was there.
When Hope returned from upstairs and reported that Alice was awake, Bo wanted to see her. Hope encouraged him to visit Alice by himself, because the two of them had always had a special friendship-and Hope knew that if anyone could get Alice to smile, it would be Bo. As Bo headed for the stairs, Hope noticed a picture on a side table of her, Bo, and Alice. She picked it up and hugged it tightly to her chest.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady was angrily ordering someone on the phone to keep digging until they could prove that Arianna hadn't mugged anyone. Victor walked in, and Brady assumed that his grandfather wanted to gloat because Arianna was in jail, but Victor insisted he only wanted to help. He presented Brady with a new money clip, a replacement for the one the mugger had stolen, and explained that it was meant to remind Brady that the Kiriakis family would always be behind him.
When Victor urged his grandson to face the truth about Arianna, Brady became enraged and slammed the money clip down, but Victor stopped him before he could storm off. Victor admitted that he often screwed up by yelling and screaming when it was the opposite of what he was actually feeling, but it never meant that he didn't love Brady-and he would be there for Brady no matter what happened with Arianna. Brady softened a little, then embraced his grandfather and left.
Dr. Dick Baker was in the basement room, waiting for the others to arrive for the poker game, when his friend arrived. Dick handed over a wad of cash to his friend and declared, "Hey, I'm staked." The other man joked that he and his wife could take a cruise with the money he would likely win from Dick.
Nicole was hurrying toward the stairs on the pier and nearly ran smack into E.J., who caught her arm and held it tightly. He wondered with suspicious amusement why she had left so abruptly after he'd accused her of being behind the muggings. Nicole freed herself and tried to leave, but E.J. continued needling her and accusing her of setting Arianna up. E.J. was determined to prove Nicole was the real perpetrator and send her back to prison.
Feigning indifference, Nicole maintained that E.J. had no evidence, and that he was only trying to smear her as payback. E.J. quietly countered that everyone already hated Nicole for what she had done. Nicole fought back tears as she expressed her disbelief that she could ever have loved E.J. as much as she did. E.J. argued that their entire life together had been a lie.
Nicole believed that the real reason E.J. hated her so much was that he still loved her, and because, "Deep down in your soul, you were never as happy as when it was you, me, and Sydney." E.J. angrily countered that it was because she had been lying to him. Nicole pointed out that he had been happy then, but he no longer seemed to be-even though no one was lying to him anymore. "I am happy!" he shouted. "Correction," Nicole noted quietly. "No one's lying except for you."
E.J. remarked that Nicole must be truly desperate to have resorted to perjury in order to get Brady. Nicole irritably retorted that she wasn't lying. When E.J. continued to taunt her nastily about Brady, she tried to slap him, but he caught her wrist before she could land the blow. "The once-great Nicole Walker, reduced to this?" E.J. continued smugly. "Putting her rival in jail, because you can't even win over a wimp like Brady?" He put one hand on either side of her face and acted as if he were going to plant a goodbye kiss on her, but Nicole didn't fall for it. Shoving his hands away, she accused him of being jealous.
E.J. asserted that he knew Nicole was behind the muggings, and once he remembered the identity of the man he'd seen before the mugger hit him on the head, she was "toast." He reminded her that it had taken her a long time to remember that Anna was the one who had taken Sydney-but she had remembered. Nicole tried to pretend that she wasn't worried, but as E.J. walked away, he rattled her a little by asking, "You wouldn't happen to know the number for a hypnotist, would you?"
After leaving the docks, Nicole quickly found Dick in the basement, and fretted that E.J. wouldn't stop until he discovered that the two of them had framed Arianna. "What do we do?" she demanded. "I just hate it when you say 'we,'" Dick declared. Nicole reminded him that if she went down, so did he, which meant they had to figure out how to stop E.J. together.
Melanie visited Arianna at the jail. Melanie confidently expressed her belief in Arianna's innocence, but Arianna admitted she was scared, especially when the district attorney-a mugging victim herself-kept postponing her arraignment. Melanie managed to get a laugh out of Arianna by joking about how the two of them could spend the money Arianna won when she sued for wrongful imprisonment.
Arianna was still pessimistic, but Melanie was certain that Brady would use the Kiriakis power and money to prove Arianna's innocence. Arianna reluctantly confessed, "Brady and I are done." Melanie refused to believe it, and demanded to know what had happened. Arianna explained that after she'd overreacted when she thought Brady hadn't believed in her, she'd asked Gabi to help her apologize to Brady-but Gabi had found Brady and Nicole hugging.
Melanie encouraged Arianna to give Brady the benefit of the doubt. Arianna pointed out that Nicole was always hovering around Brady, who really should have been able to see through her manipulations. After Nicole had screwed up Arianna's alibi, Arianna had finally realized that Nicole would do anything to get Brady. Melanie asserted that it was only a matter of time before Nicole did something shady, and they would catch her at it-and make Brady see Nicole for what she really was.
After Melanie left, Arianna anxiously asked the guard if she could make a call. "Your lawyer?" he asked. "No. It's more important than that," she replied. Before the guard could let Arianna out of her cell, E.J. arrived. "Something came up that I need to talk to you about," he stated. "Since Nicole has an alibi for the night that I was mugged, I'm pretty sure she's working with that guy." He added with certainty that he would remember who the man was, so they could send Nicole back to prison.
When Brady ran into Melanie outside the Brady Pub, she punched him in the shoulder and chewed him out for hugging Nicole. Melanie demanded to know whether Brady still loved Arianna, and if he believed that Arianna was still in love with him despite her efforts to dump him. Once Brady confirmed that both things were true, Melanie continued, "So here's my second question: You do know what Nicole is doing, right?"
Later, as Brady was paying for a cup of coffee inside the pub, Dick's friend from the poker game walked by and spotted Brady's money clip. "That clip-I've seen it before," the man remarked. When Brady asked where he had seen it, the man became evasive. "Gee, it just kind of slipped my mind."