Oh, no, not another Will ressurection fanfic! Eh, well, it's been almost a year since I've posted a new one anyway. lol This takes place in May 2017, in light of the rumors that an Emmy Nominee is to return to Days (a lot of people think/hope it's Chandler Massey, but I won't hold my breath). And I figure Will returning from the dead would be sweeps-worthy.

I do not own Days of Our Lives (or this fanfic would be a reality). It belongs to NBC.

"Wake me up when it's all over

When I'm wiser and I'm older

All this time I was finding myself and I

I didn't know I was lost"

-Avlici

March 26, 2016

Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, CA

Curtis Dunn drove along the winding, scenic highway. He had just broken up with his boyfriend, who had been having an affair for a year. He was crying, and he just needed to clear his head. How could he have been so blind? He looked around and caught sight of an overturned car.

"What the hell?" He pulled over behind the car and got out to look around. He didn't see anyone inside the car. The passenger door was open and Curtis went into the woods to investigate. A few feet from the car, he saw a young man in his early 20s about 6' tall and average build. Dark blond hair framed his heart-shaped face. "Oh my God!" Curtis rushed to the man and checked for a pulse. "Still alive." He pulled out his cell phone to call an ambulence. "I'd like to report an accident. ... A car was turned over near mile-marker 25 on Mullholland, about five miles northwest of Los Angeles. ... Yes, he's still alive, he's breathing, but he's unconscious."

The man had no wedding ring and no wallet or ID on him. Forensics searched the car, but it was clean. The car had been registered to someone who had died a day before the man was found in a tragic train crash. The police investigated the mystery man, but came up empty. The mystery man landed in a coma, and since then, no one's come looking for him.

April 27, 2017

St. Josephine Memorial Hospital

Los Angeles, CA

"Hey, Curt, how's that coma patient you've fallen in love with?" A nurse's aide asked, teasingly, as she passed.

Curtis rolled his eyes. "Doing good." He headed into John Doe's room. This particular John Doe was the same man Curtis found at the side of the road. He took an interest in the man in a coma. At the end of his shift, he would always check in on the John Doe to see if he's woken up. He talks to him and reads to him, and watches movies and TV in hopes that something would trigger him to wake up. So far, nothing seems to be working. "How is he, Doc?"

Dr. Leah Hart sighed and turned to her nurse. "He's fading."

"What? How?" Curt asked, slightly panicky.

"He's losing weight, his heartbeat's slowing down..." Dr. Hart shook her head and sighed. "I'm no psychologist, but, I would say that he's losing his will to live. When you brought him here, he fought hard to stay alive. But...no one came to visit except for you...he's given up hope."

Curtis huffed. "This can't be the end."

Leah squeezed his arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry. I know how attached you've become to this man, but...you can't save everyone. I learned that the hard way."

Curtis waited until the doctor left and sighed. Under any normal circumstances, he would have just let it go. But, this was different. He couldn't quite place it, but something about this guy made him want to wake him up and reunite him with his family...that is, if he has any. "I'm not giving up on you. When I found you...you were apparently driving somewhere. Wherever you came from, someone must be missing you. They just don't know where you are. And on that depressing note. let's see what's on TV, shall we?" He turned on the TV. The end of a movie was playing. "Oh. Homecoming. You know, even though this movie is a little over 20 years old, I consider this a classic." The end credits started playing.

"S-sonny..." Curtis turned around at the sound. Did the man just talk? Curtis leaned in. "Sonny...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have left...Salem..."

Curtis exhaled slowly. "Oh my God." He called Leah back, who came quickly.

"What did he say?" Leah asked.

"Something like 'Sonny, I'm sorry I left Salem.'" Curtis replied. "I turned on the TV...the movie Homecoming was playing. Maybe that triggered something."

"Probably." Leah replied. "This is good news. Now we have a clue as to who he is."

"Yeah." Curtis sighed, smiling. "I am going to call my sister. Maybe she can do some digging."

"All right. Good luck."

XX

Detective Ashley Dunn of the Los Angeles Police Department sat at her desk and deleted the folder from the case she just wrapped up. She smiled in satisfaction and checked to see if there was another case. There wasn't. Her phone rang.

"Hey, baby brother." Ashley greeted, cheerfully.

"Hi, Ash. Hey, um, are you working on a case right now?" Curtis asked.

"Nope. Actually, I just wrapped up a case." Ashley replied. "What can I do for you?"

"Remember that coma patient I've been taking care of?"

"Yeah."

"He spoke." Curtis announced.

"Wait, what? You mean he woke up?" Ashley asked, astonished.

"No, he spoke like in his sleep." Curtis replied. "And he gave a little hint as to who he is."

"What'd he say?"

"'Sonny, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left Salem.'" Curtis replied. "I turned on the TV...the Ann Bancroft movie Homecoming was playing. The credits started rolling, and that's when he spoke."

"Well, that narrows it down." Ashley cleared her throat. "I'll cross-reference the name Sonny with all of the Salem cities' databases. There's quite a few towns named Salem, so this may take a while. Hmm. Was he wearing a wedding ring when you found him?"

"No. He had no ring, no wallet, no ID." Curtis shook his head.

"Well, this is gonna be quite the mystery." Ashley said. "I wonder...when your coma patient left Salem, he obviously left someone behind: this Sonny person. You found him last year. Why didn't Sonny ever come looking for him?"

"Maybe Sonny died?" Curtis guessed. "Or he- or she- is so mad at the guy that they don't care."

"Only one way to find out." Ashley replied. "I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks!"

XX

Ashley went right to work. There are 45 cities called Salem, but most of them were in the US. She assumed "Sonny" was a woman, so she searched for women named Sunny. There were a few, but they were either lesbians or they were happily married for years before the coma patient was admitted. Then she searched for men named Sonny. Some were either too young or too old to be referred to by the coma patient, but one name came up in the town of Salem, Illinois. Sonny Kiriakis. She called her brother.

"So he is gay. I was right!" Curtis exclaimed.

"Don't get your hopes up, baby brother. Sonny could be the guy's boyfriend." Ashley pointed out.

Curtis sighed. "I know. Have you contacted him, yet?"

"No. I figured this would be better to do in person, so I'm getting on the next flight." Ashley replied.

"Okay. Good luck." Curtis replied. "And thank you for doing this. I appreciate it."

"Of course. I love a good mystery." Ashley grinned. "Later, bro."

XXX

"...Of course, Ms. Fox, I dug through every nook and cranny of the guy's past. He's clean. ... Well, no, his family isn't, but that doesn't mean he isn't either. ... Okay, you're welcome. Bye." Paul hung up.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you." Paul looked up to see a blonde woman in her early thirties approaching him. "But are you Paul Narita?"

Paul smiled. "Yes, I am."

"Oh, well, hi. It's such an honor to meet you." Ashley extended her hand. "Detective Ashley Dunn from the LAPD."

"Nice to meet you." Paul shook her hand. Ashley sat down. "So, what's a detective from clear across the country doing in Small Town, USA?"

"Trying to solve a mystery." Ashley replied. "I'm guessing you're a Private Investigator, now?"

"Yes, how did you- oh, you heard me talking on the phone." Paul replied.

"Sorry." Ashley said sincerely.

"Ah, it's okay." Paul waved it off.

"Actually, I was hoping you can help me solve this mystery." Ashley said.

Paul nodded. "Well, I'll do my best."

"So, my brother is a nurse at St. Josephine Hospital in LA." Ashley began. "Last year, he stumbled upon a car accident. The driver was found unconscious with no wallet, no ID, and no wedding ring. He's been in a coma ever since."

"Yikes."

"Yeah. And here's where it gets interesting: the coma patient spoke in his sleep- he hasn't woken up yet." Ashley went on. "He said something like 'Sonny, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left Salem'." Paul grew puzzled. She couldn't mean... "So, I crossed-referenced the name Sonny with every town called Salem, and came upon the name Sonny Kiriakis. Do you know him?"

It took a minute for Paul to get over his shock. "Uh, yeah. He's my boyfriend."

"Oh...great! Maybe you know the coma patient as well." Ashley said hopefully.

"Uh...what does he look like?" Paul asked. This was getting more mysterious by the minute.

"I actually have a picture of him. Hold on." Ashley pulled out her phone and found the patient's picture and showed it to Paul. Paul's eyes widened in shock. "Paul? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost. Do you recognize this guy?"

"Yeah..." Paul said. "That's my boyfriend's husband. He died a year and a half ago."

Oooh! Intrigue! Will Paul tell Sonny? Read to find out!