The phone call came at the last possible second, after the drugs had already entered her veins. Samantha Brady, convicted of murder and sentenced to die, was given a lethal injection and then, by a stroke of grace from the governor, pulled back from the edge of death. The news broke over Salem like a storm. Roberto Barelli, the reputed mobster, had confessed on his deathbed that he, not Sami, killed Franco Kelly.
The District Attorney confirmed it to a swarm of reporters outside University Hospital’s trauma center, where Sami had been rushed for treatment. Nancy Wesley stood in the hospital corridor, pale and trembling. She had been the foreperson on that jury. “Craig, I voted to convict her.
They’d already given her the juice. Her blood could have been on my hands. ”
Craig tried to steady her. “It’s over now.
Justice won out. ”
Ali chimed in with a bitter edge. “But Mike saved the day. ”
Craig turned on her.
“Ali, snap out of it. Our chief of staff may be a hero tonight, but by the time you’re through with him, he’ll be lucky to get a job as an orderly. ”
In the exam room, Sami sat on the edge of a gurney, still wrapped in the fog of what had almost happened. She looked at Mike Horton, her doctor, with pleading eyes.
“So, is it okay for me to go home? I really want to see Will. ”
Mike checked his chart. “Yes, but I have to examine you first, make sure you’re okay.
”
Austin Reed stepped toward the door. “Okay. I’ll get out of here. ”
“No, Austin, don’t leave yet.
”
“I’ll be right outside, promise. ”
Carrie watched him go, a strange heaviness in her chest. “I will never forget this night. ”
Austin didn’t look back.
“Sami’s the one that almost died, Carrie. ”
“She’s really been amazing. You’re right. She has changed.
”
“It’s just sad she had to be on an execution table for you to realize that. ”
Carrie swallowed the sting. “I’m just glad she’s going to be okay, and that she’ll be able to be with Will. ”
Austin’s jaw tightened.
“What makes you think that? Lucas has custody of Will. ”
Elsewhere in the hospital, Eric Brady cornered Lucas, anger simmering just below the surface. “The man you married confessed to murder tonight.
Does that not bother you? ” Nicole stood beside Lucas, caught between them. Lucas kept his voice even. “Sami is the mother of my son, Eric.
I didn’t want her to die. Why is that so hard for you to believe? ”
“I don’t know. Do you believe him, or do you believe he really killed Franco?
Because I do. ”
Nicole shifted uncomfortably. “Will is very important to Lucas. ”
“No, Lucas is very important to Lucas.
I know you don’t want to be his wife, Nicole, so why don’t you just tell him it’s over? ”
Kate Roberts found Victor Kiriakis in a quiet corner, glowing with triumph. “I’ll tell you, it was absolutely incredible. The D.
A. bought the whole story that Roberto shot Franco and framed Sami. God, Victor, I was so proud of Lucas. Abe and Roman were practically shining lights in his eyes to get him to crack, but he gave an award-winning performance.
The only problem is that damn Roman Brady. Sometimes it seems like he can see right through me. ”
Roman Brady was, in fact, already moving. He pulled Mickey Horton aside.
“I’m telling you, I can read Kate Roberts. She knew Roberto was going to die any minute. She figures, perfect. She gets him to confess, he does, she and Lucas get away with murder.
”
Mickey frowned. “Roberto’s statement saved Sami’s life. ”
“Who in the hell was responsible for Sami being in the death chamber in the first place? I’m going to make sure Lucas pays for his crime.
”
Marlena Evans tried to hold onto the relief flooding through her. She and John had left for the cabin that morning believing Sami had hours to live. Now everything had changed. “Sami’s got her life and her son and her whole future ahead of her.
It’s over, John. No more worries, no more problems. ”
John pulled her close but couldn’t fully share the calm. “Not quite, Doc.
Not as long as DiMera’s still in our lives. ”
Marlena stiffened. “Can we just focus on Sami’s freedom now? Let’s live in the one bright beacon of light in this whole horrible dark night.
”
John relented. “All right. From here on out, nothing but bright beacons of light. ”
Bo Brady stood in the living room of the house he shared with Hope, but something was wrong.
He had been feeling it for months, a quiet dread he kept pushing away. When Gina leaned in to kiss him, he pulled back. “You’ve never kissed me like that before. You’re not Hope.
”
Gina’s face twisted. “If you think that’s funny, saying that I’m not Hope after the hell I’ve been through—”
“I know Hope intimately, and the way you just kissed me… it definitely wasn’t Hope. ”
“You know, I really think there’s something wrong with you, Bo. ”
“When I think how much you’ve changed, I keep remembering that night of the accident in the snowstorm.
That’s when it started. Something’s happened to you. You have a different personality. ”
“For God’s sake, Bo, I’m the same person I have always been.
Look at me. ” She leaned in again, desperate. “Now do you believe me? ”
Bo didn’t answer.
At the hospital, Lucas found himself cornered by Eric again. “You know what, Brady? I don’t know what you’re trying to prove, and I don’t care. Sami’s free, and that’s all I wanted.
”
Eric’s voice rose. “All you wanted? Lucas, you’re the reason she got put on death row in the first place, and you would have let her rot there if her execution date hadn’t been moved up! Don’t you see this, Nicole?
Don’t you see how awful these people are? Get away from Kate and Lucas before you end up just like them. ”
Roman intercepted Kate in the hallway, his voice low and lethal. “I don’t see it that way, Kate.
The way I see it, you were helping Lucas and yourself get out of major jail time. But you don’t have to worry about that anymore, do you? Thanks to Roberto. How does it feel to get away with murder?
”
Kate tried to smile. “Recent events have put a severe strain on you. ”
“I know you’re counting on me letting this go out of relief that my daughter’s still alive. But I know exactly how I’ll feel in the morning—like throwing every bit of my heart and soul into proving Franco was killed by Lucas and you framed Sami for murder.
”
Sami’s family gathered around her bed. Caroline and Shawn arrived with news that Will was safe at the pub, and they hoped she would stay with them. Sami threw off the blanket. “Let me out of this bed.
”
Mike urged caution. “Take it easy. ”
Austin stepped forward to help. Mike promised to expedite the paperwork so she could leave.
Carrie offered to come with him. Sami turned to Austin. “Why don’t you go with Carrie? ”
“No, I’m not leaving you tonight.
”
Outside the hospital, reporters swarmed. Cameras flashed. Cydney, a reporter, pushed through. “How do you feel about District Attorney Palmer trying to railroad your execution?
”
Sami faced the lenses. “I hope he can sleep at night. ”
Austin tried to move her along, but Sami spotted someone in the crowd. Tracey, the woman who had led the candlelight vigil outside the prison.
Sami walked toward her, eyes filling with tears. “You and Austin never lost faith in me. ”
Tracey took her hands. “Take care of her.
Take care of each other. Be a family, Sami—you and Austin and Will. You belong together. ”
Back in the hospital, Nancy was still wrestling with guilt.
“Carrie, I still get the shakes when I think about what almost happened to Sami tonight. Voting to convict was probably the biggest mistake of my life. I wouldn’t blame you if you never forgave me. ”
Carrie softened.
“I found it hard to believe in Sami’s innocence too, and she is my sister. You were just doing your civic duty. Please don’t blame yourself. It’s over, and Sami’s free and alive, thanks to Mike.
”
Craig nodded. “Sometimes we have to be extra patient while justice takes her sweet time. The innocent are set free, and the guilty are punished. ”
Nearby, Ali had her own agenda.
When Mike asked to speak with her alone, Carrie’s suspicion rose. Nancy and Craig exchanged a look. Mike led Ali aside and cut straight to the point. “The lawsuit?
Sexual harassment? You know there are no grounds for a charge like that. I want you to call your lawyer and have it dropped. ”
Ali folded her arms but said nothing.
Austin and Sami finally made it to the pub where Will was sleeping. Sami stood over his bed, unable to keep her hands off his curls. Austin watched her. “You know, it may take some time for you to believe it, but this nightmare is really over.
”
“We have been praying so hard for this day to come. ”
“God heard you. He heard everyone. ”
Will stirred.
“Mommy? ”
Sami gathered him into her arms. “Mommy is home. I’m home forever this time.
”
“Forever? ”
“Yes. I promise you, I am never going to leave you again. ”
Lucas and Nicole’s marriage was unraveling in the hospital corridor.
Nicole faced him, her voice shaking. “You lied to me, Lucas. I know a lie when I hear one. I have told enough of them.
”
“I didn’t lie to you. ”
“You killed Franco. ”
“Nicole, you know me. I didn’t murder anybody.
”
“You’re the one that’s been telling me for months how much you hate Sami. Why would you try to help her? ”
“Because she was actually going to die. ”
“What do you mean?
You knew she was on death row, and it didn’t seem to bother you at all. ”
“Well, maybe it didn’t bother me so much. But it would have bothered Will. It was for Will.
”
“No, Lucas, for you. Eric was right. You killed Franco, and you used me to cover it up. ”
“No.
”
“That night Eric’s dad was questioning you, you were that close to confessing until I slipped down the stairs. Do you remember that? I thought you were innocent. ”
“I am.
I am innocent. ”
“I don’t believe you, Lucas. I can’t believe I married you. ”
“Wait.
Nicole, I love you. Yesterday at the Green Mountain Lodge we got closer, and you loved it. ”
“I was trying to make our marriage work. ”
“I bought you that necklace.
Doesn’t that prove how much I care about you? ”
“You buy hookers, Lucas. You don’t buy your wife. ”
He tried to pull her back, but she yanked away.
Eric appeared behind her. Nicole looked at him, then back at Lucas. “Eric, let me go! ” she cried, running.
Kate appeared, furious. “Where the hell do you think you’re going? ”
Nicole stood her ground. “I need some time to think.
”
“Why aren’t you with Lucas? I purchased your services as a wife for my son. That is not a temp job. Do the words ‘till death do us part’ ring a bell?
”
“You don’t own me, Kate. ”
“Five million bucks says I do. Which means I give the orders, you obey. Got it?
”
John found Marlena in the living room, a new energy in his step. She watched him curiously. “What are you doing? ”
“I am going to make you comfortable, because we got a little bit of work to do.
”
“Are you calling that work? ”
“You bet. I have got a wedding to plan, because I’m going to marry you as soon as I can. We’ve been through some rough times to get where we are right now, and that fact alone entitles us to the most beautiful, memorable, romantic wedding that Salem has ever seen.
”
Marlena laughed. “You already have, just by loving me. ”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet. ”
Bo was still circling the truth with Gina.
“John is my friend,” she insisted. “What about Princess Gina? Did she want to sleep with him? ”
“If I could remember being Gina, then I could tell you.
Our problems have nothing to do with Gina. It’s what you did with Billie in this lifetime. With a real woman who was my friend. You broke my heart, Bo.
You broke it. ”
“I thought you were dead, Hope. ”
“That doesn’t mean that I’m over it. ”
“Okay, all right.
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up and upset you. Can I make it up to you? How about coming to a party with me?
”
“A party? ”
“Vivian’s having a party. Kind of a farewell bash. I’d like you to come with me.
”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why? What are you up to? ”
“It’s a party, that’s all.
”
Bo left her there. Once alone, his face hardened. “DiMera, you’ve done your best to destroy Hope, but tonight is going to be payback. ”
Gina sat down, trembling.
“You are getting too close, Brady. I cannot let you discover what I did for Stefano. Oh, God, John, I need you now more than ever. I’ve got to find a way to get you back.
”
At the pub, the family raised their glasses. Mickey called for a toast. “To Sami! ”
Sami beamed.
“Thank you so much for loving me. I know maybe I don’t deserve it, but I am very grateful. ”
Roman spoke for everyone. “We all wish you a long life with all the love and happiness that you deserve.
”
Sami looked around the room, at Austin, at her father, at her son asleep upstairs. “I’m finally home. ”
Carrie lingered at the edge of the celebration, watching Austin move toward Sami. He barely looked at her anymore.
When she approached, the distance between them was plain. “Austin barely talks to me,” she confessed to Mike. “He won’t even look at me. It’s like we never even meant anything to each other.
”
Mike reached for her. “Can I help? ”
“No. I better get a paper and start looking for a new place.
”
“I’ll go with you. ”
“No. I think you should stay here. ”
“Well, I really think I should be there.
I’m not going to need a lot of space, but I got to have a spot for my desk and my computer, and closets—lots of closets. My suits take up a lot of room. Carrie, I’m asking you to live with me. ”
“Mike, we can’t move in together.
”
“I know we said we’d be discreet, but things have changed. You and Austin are separated now. ”
“There’s nothing on paper. ”
“You’re not planning on moving back in with him, are you?
”
“That wasn’t my point, Mike. We agreed to keep this quiet. ”
“I know we did, but I don’t think I can anymore. I love you.
I love you so much, I want to take out an ad in the paper and tell the whole world. ”
“I have to think of my family. The last thing they need is another scandal. ”
“Think about waking up together every morning and going to bed together every night.
And if you want to get real romantic, we could do the dishes—you know, I’ll wash, you dry. Carrie, we’d be so happy. ”
“We can’t, Mike. You are the chief of staff.
We have your reputation to think of. ”
Roman, meanwhile, had pulled Eric aside. “Use your head. Lucas killed Franco, Kate covered it up, they framed Sami, and Nicole helped them get away with it.
”
“No, Dad. Nicole was not in on it. There’s no way she could have been. ”
“I don’t think there’s anything that girl wouldn’t do.
You’re just too hooked on her to see it. ”
Kate found Lucas in the hospital hallway, looking defeated. “We have a real problem,” she said. “Sami.
Roman has made it his personal mission to see us in hell. ”
“Can you handle Roman? ”
“Actually, I do have a plan. You, my darling son, are going to go on playing the hero all the way.
”
Nicole slipped away and made a phone call. “Hi. It’s me. I need your help right away.
”
Back at the pub, Sami tiptoed upstairs with Austin to watch Will sleep. She leaned into him, peaceful. “I have missed that so much. ”
Austin wrapped an arm around her.
“He’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine. ”
She looked up at him, a question in her eyes. “And what about us?
”
Austin didn’t hesitate. “We’re going to get Will back. I gave my word. ”
Sami looked down at her sleeping son.
“I promise you, Will. I am never going to leave you again. ”
