Chapter 54: Damage Control, Part 2 – Thursday, January 12th, 2012
Will stood up from the couch and paced around it as he continued to wait for Chad. He hoped that everything was okay and wondered what was taking Chad so long. Taking a seat on the couch for a second, he felt restless and tried to call Chad. Chad didn't answer. "He's not even answering his phone," Will commented to himself with slight frustration. He began to wonder if Chad had stood him up.
As he continued to wait, Will began to think about what exactly Chad wanted to talk to him about. First, he thought about good things. Will wondered if Chad was finally moving back in, and then thought that maybe Chad was ready to be out completely – making their relationship entirely public. Things were great between them. It had to be something good… but doubts began to plague Will's mind causing him to think the worst. What if Chad was leaving him and wanted nothing to do with him? What if Chad realized he wasn't gay after all and only pretended he was because he didn't want to hurt Will's feelings or ruin their friendship?
Fortunately, Will realized he was being ridiculous, so he brushed off the negative possibilities from his mind. Unfortunately, this led to Will experiencing a fear he wished he could trade for anything. "What if something horrible has happened to Chad?" he thought in his head. Suddenly, his phone started ringing. "Thank God!" he exclaimed believing Chad was finally calling him back.
Will looked at his phone screen to be sure, but it wasn't Chad. It was Lucas. Picking up, he asked, "Dad, why are you calling so late?"
"Hello to you, too," Lucas started before explaining, "I had a late night and wanted to check in on you. I heard about what happened to Abe Carver."
Will appreciated his father calling, but he didn't want to waste another minute on the phone. "Dad, I'm fine, so you have nothing to worry about. No one else has been attacked or abducted."
Lucas wasn't done worrying. "How are you being careful? What precautions are you taking? Is Chad with you?"
Annoyed, Will raised his voice a little. "Dad, I'm fine. I'm not doing anything different. I know how to be safe. I don't have time to talk right now because I can't find Chad, and I'm worried about him. I've got to go!" Before Lucas could respond, Will ended the phone call. Taking a deep breath, Will knew he needed to find Chad to make sure he was okay.
Chad rushed into the hospital holding Mia, who had bruises and cuts all over. "Somebody, I need help."
Maxine rushed to Chad and immediately started asking questions as she looked Mia over. "What's going on here? What happened?"
"She was attacked in the park, and I found her. She contacted me when it was happening," Chad explained. His voice was filled with confusion and concern.
Maxine checked in with Chad. "Can you continue to hold her?" Chad nodded his head. "Okay, sweetheart. Follow me." Maxine, Chad, and Mia disappeared into one of the rooms to check Mia's injuries.
Celeste, who was leaving a voicemail, walked out of the hall just missing them. "Darling, Theo's therapist wants him to stay longer than usual, so we will be here at the hospital if you need us. Feel free to call me if you need anything. I'll try calling Chad to see if he'll answer." Celeste hung up the phone hoping Lexie was okay. She reminded herself that Chad had promised to stay with her.
Chad walked out from the room distraught. He was still shocked about what happened with Mia. Seeing Celeste, he decided to walk over. "Celeste, are you and Theo still here?"
Celeste gave Chad a confused look. "Are you here with Alexandra? I just called her and left her a message about Theo's therapy session being extended."
"Lexie's not here. She's still at the mayor's office – I think," Chad admitted getting over the shock of what happened to Mia somewhat.
Celeste could see that something must have happened. "Chad, why are you here then? Has something happened?"
Chad scratched his neck feeling overwhelmed. "I had to bring a friend to the hospital."
"Is it Will?"
Chad immediately shook his head. "No. It's not Will. Why would you think that?" he asked with the thought that maybe she had some kind of premonition.
To Celeste, Chad seemed on edge especially when she said Will's name. To calm his paranoia, she clarified, "I saw great concern on your face, and when you told me you brought a friend to the hospital, I could tell you really care for this friend."
Chad stepped back scratching the back of his neck. "I wouldn't necessarily say that. The person is just a friend and nothing more."
Celeste wasn't convinced with Chad's response and wondered what he was trying to keep from her. Maxine walked out to give Chad an update on Mia. "The doctor is with Mia now. She's conscious. It looks like she'll need a few stitches but will be able to go home soon after that."
"Thanks, Maxine," Chad said turning to Celeste, who gave him a knowing look. Celeste realized Chad was still in denial about Mia's power over him.
Chad received a text message. He quickly pulled out his phone realizing he had stood up Will to look for Mia. He was confused when he didn't recognize the number, so he opened the message and read it: "Hey Chad, it's Brady Black. There's something I really need to talk to you about. Call me when you can." Chad wondered what Brady had to say to him. He questioned if he should call him now while he waited on Mia.
Abigail and JJ got out of her car and grabbed their shopping bags to head into the house. Both were surprised when they found their father waiting outside by the front door. JJ quickly rushed over to his father and gave him a hug. He knew if he didn't say something first, Abigail might step in and ruin his time with Jack. "Dad, what are you doing here?"
Noticing the bags in JJ's and Abigail's hands, he told them, "I came over to take you two school shopping, but I can see that you might not need me for that anymore."
Abigail smirked at her father as she informed him, "I have what I need, so you can go back to whatever you were doing before you came back to interrupt our already damaged lives."
"Stop it, Abby!" JJ called out to his sister. Feeling frustrated with his sister and not wanting to deal with her, JJ decided to give up. He rushed into the house after Abigail unlocked the door.
Feeling bad for frustrating her brother, Abigail tried to go after him. "JJ, wait."
"Abby, please wait," Jack requested stopping Abigail from going in. "I really want to talk to you. I am so sorry for leaving you behind the way I did, and I sincerely wish I could take back my careless decision that led to my being away from our family for so long."
Abigail rolled her eyes and countered, "I am sure you could have come back any time you wanted."
"I couldn't," Jack replied adamantly. "I couldn't because I was actually held captive."
Abigail's defenses dropped somewhat from the revelation. "Wait. What? Were you really held captive?"
Jack's eyes lit up realizing he slipped and said too much to his daughter. He immediately started backpedaling. "I shouldn't have told you that. What I meant to say is..."
"You're trying to cover something," Abigail interrupted as she realized something else. "You didn't tell mom what you just told me, did you? What's going on here, dad? What aren't you telling anyone?"
Jack could see Abigail had softened a lot towards him, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't tell her what she wanted to know. "I used the wrong word. What I meant to say is that I got injured while I was away. Because of my injuries, I was held up at a hospital in Italy being cared for until I got better. That's why I couldn't come to you guys when I wanted."
Abigail tried to read her father before asking, "Why would you use 'captive' and then use 'cared for'? Those do not mean the same thing!"
"You're an English major. They're practically synonyms," Jack contended. Sensing he was losing Abigail again, he dismissed his answer and her question. "That does not matter. The point I am trying to make is this: I wanted to come home to the family shortly after I left, but I couldn't because I was injured. I would have come if I could have."
Abigail put her walls up once more as she became frustrated with Jack again. "How the hell do you expect me to forgive you when you can't even be honest with me?" Abigail sighed before lamenting, "I can't believe my dad tried to guilt me into having a relationship with him again by claiming he was held captive when he wasn't."
"You're referring to me in third person," Jack said to lighten the mood. Abigail just rolled her eyes. Jack asked, "Can you see yourself forgiving me?"
Abigail shook her head. "It doesn't matter now because I am done talking to you. If you want to talk to my brother, I'll grab him so you two can talk. I'll try my best not to get in the way of your relationship with him since he's too young to really know you, but if you hurt my little brother, you will regret it!"
Jack watched as Abigail went inside the house to grab JJ. He couldn't believe he was in this position and hated having to lie to his family about everything. He thought about Tony making him promise and then realizing he wasn't ever fully sure of what exactly happened in Italy. It was all hopeless.
Back at the Java Cafe, Chelsea, Ciara, Dario, and Gabi were finishing up their drinks as they continued to talk. Deciding they should start cleaning so they could head out, Chelsea turned to her sister. "Dad is probably already at the pub waiting for us."
Gabi couldn't help but notice something different with Chelsea and her brother. They traded these glances and smiles from time to time that told her she missed something when she took Ciara to get more drinks. She turned to her brother, "We should probably go check on my dress and see if Mama and Ari made it to the square."
Dario stood up and took the trash from the table. Throwing the trash away, he wondered if he could really move on from Sonny and past his gay phase with Chelsea's help. He reminded himself that even though he found other guys attractive in the past, he was also attracted to women at the same time. He had been in many relationships with women and enjoyed them.
Returning to the table, Dario spotted Sonny sitting at the table alone now. He immediately flashed back to showering with Sonny in the Kiriakis cabin and his hopes of getting over Sonny were crushed. The pull was definitely still there.
Since Brett had walked out on Sonny due to his constant questions about Kai, Sonny decided to call Brady since he couldn't get in touch with Victor. He told Brady, "I've been trying to call Uncle Vic. I need to talk to him about Kai."
"I think he's in a meeting at the moment actually," Brady responded. "Maybe I can help you?" he asked nervously.
Sonny figured Brady could help and shared, "I heard Kai moved into the mansion."
"He did, but I am not sure why," Brady admitted.
Sonny wondered what his great-uncle was trying to accomplish here. "Thanks, Brady. I'll let you go."
Brady wanted to check in with Sonny before the conversation ended. "Are you okay? Do you want me to tell Victor to call you later?"
"No," Sonny answered right away. "I'll just talk to him later."
Back at the other table, Chelsea began to say goodbye to Gabi and Dario. After giving Gabi a hug, she turned to Dario and asked, "What time should I be ready tomorrow? Or do you just want to meet at Chez Rouge?"
Nervous, Dario let out, "Can I just call you later, so we can decide together then?" As Chelsea nodded her head, Gabi realized her brother and Chelsea were going to the masquerade with each other. Chelsea and Ciara left.
Wanting to avoid any kind of confrontation from his sister about going on a date with Chelsea, Dario made his way towards the door to leave. Gabi followed suit trying to bring up what just happened. "You're going to the party tomorrow night with Chelsea?"
Dario quickly stopped her from saying anything more. "I forgot my shopping bag under the table," he shared feeling happy he had an excuse not to have this conversation with his sister. Dario headed back to the table to grab his bag, but on his way to the table, he ran into Sonny.
"Did I just hear right? You and Chelsea are going to the masquerade together?" Sonny asked feeling confused about everything. He, too, could still feel the draw to Dario.
Gabi swiftly made her way over before Dario could say anything. Getting in Sonny's face, she claimed, "You no longer have the right to know or ask because you're nothing to us."
Frustrated with Gabi's constant negative comments against him, Sonny had it and shot back, "I understand that I pissed you off a lot in the past, but I'm tired of the hate you spew in my direction any time we are around each other!" Dario got in the middle of his sister and Sonny trying to break up the fight, but they continued to yell at each other.
Outside, T and Kai walked up immediately spotting Sonny and Gabi going at it. Kai turned his head and gave T a look saying, "This is the perfect opportunity for us to get our revenge."
T looked over and watched as Gabi verbally attacked Sonny. He really hated her. Turning back to Kai, he took a deep breath before telling him, "I'm ready to do this." T pulled Kai closer to him and began to kiss him. People walking near them began to stop and stare.
Gabi and Sonny stopped fighting when they looked out and saw T and Kai kissing. Dario thought he had finally stopped them himself, but when he saw the pain in their eyes, he realized something else must have happened. Looking out, he saw Kai and T kissing as well. All three ran outside as a crowd began to form. Some were recording Kai and T's kiss with their phones.
"What… what's going on here?" Sonny asked confused and hurt.
Kai and T stopped kissing but continued to hold each other as if they were a couple. They remained silent to take in Sonny and Gabi's reactions and hurt-filled looks. Disgusted Gabi asked T, "When did you go gay?"
T smirked at Gabi as he simply stated, "Your worst nightmare just came true."
Dario couldn't believe Kai did this to Sonny after Sonny said nothing but good things about him. Before he could do anything, Gabi accidentally pushed him back when she pulled T away from Kai. Pushing T in a different direction, she called him out, "If you're doing this to hurt me, then you have to try harder because I know you're not gay!"
T continued to give Gabi a cocky look as he informed her, "Every time we had sex you turned me a little gayer."
Regaining his balance, Dario walked over and punched T in the face knocking him down. "That's for hurting my sister you bastard!"
As T laid on the ground in shock, Sonny tried to talk to Kai about what just happened, but Kai wasn't having it. "I know that you supposedly chose me over Dario, but It's over Sonny. Get it through your head!" he shouted grabbing Dario's attention. Dario remembered telling Kai that in the park and reflected on how Sonny always seemed to find someone else to be with besides him.
Sonny wanted to cry but managed to keep his tears in check. "Why would you do this to me?"
"How does it feel?" he asked first before deciding, "Actually, I don't want to know because I don't want to talk to you. I just wanted to see you feel what I felt." Kai rushed off. Sonny didn't bother to check on the others and went after Kai.
T pulled himself up and asked Dario, "What the hell do you think you're doing? This is between me and your sister."
Showing his concern for Sonny, Dario shot back his own question, "What were you doing kissing Sonny's boyfriend?"
Turning it back to Dario, T asked, "What the hell were you doing when you had sex with Kai's boyfriend?"
Gabi's heart stopped. Turning to her brother, she asked with shock, "Dario, what is T talking about?"
T saw he finally brought pain to Gabi. Pleased with himself, he decided his job was done. "Maybe you should look at your own faults before calling out others, Dario." It was his turn to ignore Gabi. He turned around and walked away.
Dario stepped back in complete shock that even T knew about what he and Sonny did. He couldn't even look at his sister. Gabi got in Dario's face to grab his attention. "Dario, what the hell is going on here?" She then remembered her talk with Melanie at the guesthouse. After looking down in thought for a moment, she decided to talk specifics with her brother. "Everyone is giving me the impression that something sexual happened between you and Sonny."
Knowing he couldn't hide it anymore, Dario finally made eye contact with Gabi. He was clearly still getting over the shock of what just happened as he admitted, "Sonny and I had sex on his birthday. We were happy – so very happy – before Kai showed up to surprise Sonny at his family's cabin."
Completely floored, Gabi took a moment before demanding to know, "What the hell were you thinking?! Almost everyone knows what happened now!"
"I have to tell, Mama," Dario said softly to himself. He looked into Gabi's eyes as he inquired, "I wonder if she's at the square with Arianna by now."
Gabi began to freak out big time. "You can't do that!"
"What do you expect me to do?" Dario asked rhetorically with more determination. "It's going to get to her eventually! You just said everyone knows!" He looked around and noticed that people were capturing this moment with their camera phones, and that only strengthened his resolve.
Gabi didn't want Dario to do this. She had to stop him from making such a huge mistake. "What about Chelsea? There's potential there. You're not gay!"
Dario shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment. "I can't think about Chelsea because I need to tell Mama before she finds out from someone else! I have to step up and be honest with her about who I am, so she can know who I am before she dies!" Dario didn't waste another moment and rushed off before Gabi could try to persuade him differently.
Panicked, Gabi went after him but had to come back to grab all of their shopping bags. After grabbing them, she rushed off again hoping she would be able to stop Dario in time. She couldn't allow him to destroy his life like this.
Meanwhile, EJ and Johnny were playing chess at the DiMera mansion after Johnny woke up from his nap. As he helped Johnny decide on what move he should make next, he struggled with focusing on the game because he couldn't stop thinking about the call he received from the mayor's office. He questioned how his name got on the short list when he showed no interest in politics before. He wondered if Lexie put his name on the list.
Will arrived greeting his brother and EJ. "Have you talked to Chad recently? I thought he might be here for some reason. I drove by Lexie's house, but no one is there."
"I have not," EJ responded as he instructed Johnny which piece to move on the chess board. Turning around in his chair to face Will, EJ thought about how he had plans to see Chad later that night to initiate Ignazio.
Will looked the room over not satisfied with EJ's reply. "Chad called me, so we could meet up at the apartment, but he stood me up."
"That won't do," Kate said as she entered the room. "Chad is a fool for standing up my grandson."
Seeing the fear in his brother's eyes, Johnny pulled himself off his chair as he questioned, "Are you and Chad going to break up?"
Will kneeled to Johnny's level as he denied it. Mary came in after EJ called out to her to take Johnny. After Johnny and Mary left, Kate quickly gave EJ an apologetic look. "I'm sorry if I got Johnny worked up after everything that happened."
Knowing Johnny would be fine, EJ accepted Kate's apology. "We need to find out where Chad is. You said that he wanted to meet with you? When I talked to Marco earlier, he mentioned Chad was with Lexie at the mayor's office. I wonder if Chad got tied up with something there or if something happened to Lexie. Let me call Marco." EJ pulled out his phone and dialed Marco's number. Unfortunately, it went straight to voicemail.
Downstairs in the basement, Marco and Azzura wandered around. Azzura gave Marco a flirtatious smile as she reminded him, "You bringing me back down here where I first offered myself to you turns me on."
"It's the most private place I know. No one will distract us," Marco played along. He brought her back to the basement to find out why she was down there in the first place. He still didn't buy into her excuse of getting lost trying to find the bathroom.
Azzura pulled Marco closer to her as she ran her hands down his arms. Grabbing him in the back, she brought her lips next to his. Before allowing her lips to touch his, she moved away clearly trying to work him up. "I think we have some time for a tour in that case before we get busy with other things." Azzura created distance between them as she began to look the place over. Although she found Marco attractive, she wasn't necessarily there to have sex. She wanted to check the place out to make sure her previous calculations were correct.
Marco decided to allow the tour. "Sure, I'll show you around a little, but I want to make sure we don't forget why we're both down here." Seeing the way Azzura looked back at him made him think about Arianna's smile. He quickly distracted himself, so he could do what he needed to do. He needed to keep focus to see what exactly Azzura was looking for.
Azzura took Marco's hand, so he could show her where everything was. "So are there any dungeons or secret prisons down here?" she asked with a playful tone even though her question was a serious one.
Marco continued to play dumb and horny. After going a ways, he had enough of her stalling. He pulled her in close to him as he leaned his back on the wall. "Are we going to do this or are you just down here to be a tease?" He was hoping for the latter.
Azzura had seen enough and the fact that Marco didn't answer her question made her realize her suspicions were correct. She gave Marco a smile deciding she could use a good lay. She ran her hands through Marco's hair and began to bite his lip. Running her hands down his face and onto his chest, she commented, "You are in very good shape."
Marco couldn't believe this was really happening. He knew he couldn't back out either. He began to kiss her as he wrapped his arms around her body. He jerked when Azzura grabbed him from behind. Suddenly he felt a vibration on his thigh and it took him a moment to realize his phone was ringing. Pulling Azzura off of him, he quickly pulled it out of his pocket to see that EJ was calling him. "It's the boss. Looks like we'll have to put this on hold once again." Azzura adjusted her clothes and hair as Marco answered his phone.
Maddalena sat at the dining room table of her mansion looking over paperwork. She wasn't feeling well and struggled with a coughing spell that had started the night before. She hated having to work from home and wished she could have made another appearance at the mayor's office since Lexie was meeting with them today. She hoped Lexie didn't get in the way of her plan especially after all the work she did to set up the rumors about Lexie possibly leaving her post for the mayor's office.
Hearing the front door open, Maddalena stood up and made her way into the entry room. When she saw Ignazio and Ric, she immediately commented on their closeness. "You two are together again like nothing has happened." Ignazio cringed inside as she moved on, "Ignazio, where have you been?"
Ignazio traded a glance with Ric answering, "We have been working on my plan to get rid of Chad." Knowing his grandmother would want details, he quickly reminded her, "I would give you more information, but I want to surprise you. Just relax. I have everything under control."
Maddalena enjoyed her grandson taking charge, but she did have her concerns. "What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"
"Ric and I have a few things to set in order before I head to Prozio Stefano's home to meet with EJ tonight," he answered before asking, "Is Colin in the basement?"
Maddalena pondered why Ignazio would need Colin. "I believe he is in the basement, but please do not disturb him as his time is limited." After coughing a few times, she shared, "Excuse me, I need to go check on his progress."
After his grandmother headed downstairs, Ignazio let his frustration show in his face. "My nonna continues to keep me in the dark and is now telling me where I'm not allowed in the mansion. I do not understand this sudden need to keep me on a leash. I am not a child!"
Ric got in Ignazio's face. "Nazio, keep calm. You do not want your nonna to see you in this way."
"I don't care," Ignazio shot back. "I will prove to Maddalena that I'm not a disappointment like my father apparently was."
Trying to understand his friend's position better, Ric asked, "Where is all of this coming from? What does this have to do with the father you never really knew?"
Ignazio felt frustrated because Ric couldn't keep up. "She thinks we are a romantically involved," he explained with resentment. "I will find out what she and Colin plan to do concerning Abe."
Maddalena made her way to Colin to discuss his progress. "I hope you have good news for me."
Colin put down his notes and shared, "My latest tests indicate that there may be a complication in the slow solution. I will have to check again tomorrow to see if it's going to be a real problem. I..." Before Colin could continue, Maddalena began to cough heavily. Colin quickly grabbed a seat for Maddalena to take a seat. "Maddalena, sit so I can look you over and check your vitals."
As Colin got Maddalena situated so that he could check her out, Ignazio quietly made his way to the basement close enough to spy on his grandmother and the doctor without being seen. Maddalena looked up to Colin as he checked her heart beat. "You mentioned a possible complication with the slow solution. What about the fast one?"
Colin moved on to checking her breathing. "The quick solution is less risky, but I want to remain cautious by testing it on someone else before we use it on you. Don't worry, madre, we will cure your illness in time."
Maddalena pushed Colin off of her, so he would give her a break. "Colin, I am not worried about myself. My main worry is the family legacy."
Colin pulled out a vial with the fast solution so Maddalena could see it for herself. "My main concern is to cure you. If your brother, Stefano, can cheat death so many times with the solution, so can you. We will cure you if the test subject survives."
Ignazio couldn't believe his grandmother was sick. He had no idea and the way she and Colin talked about it made it sound fatal. He wondered why she decided to keep so much from him. He felt like an outcast in his own family. Ignazio knew he needed to stake his claim in the family legacy. He wanted to prove to everyone he could be a true DiMera.
Back at the hospital, Chad put his phone in his pocket after talking to Brady and walked into Mia's hospital room. She had been cleared to go home, and Chad had a few questions. Noting she had a few stitches on her head, Chad decided to ask her what happened to her first. "What were you doing in the park? What did those guys want?"
Mia played up the fear by adding a shake in her voice. "I don't know. All I know is that the two guys who jumped me knew my name. A part of me still wonders if Victor Kiriakis is out to get me."
Chad remembered the fear Mia had about Victor previously. He wondered if Victor would do this as well, but his conversation with Brady made him question the possibility. On the other hand, his father had told him before about how Victor used to be a ruthless man. Trying to calm her, he assured her, "I promise I'm not going to let anything else happen to you. I also won't talk to anyone about you – not even Will." Chad figured Mia would be gone in a few days and Will knowing would put his life in danger and as well as hers.
Mia smiled inside, but she pulled Chad close to her for an embrace. "Thank you Chad. I think I may need to find a new place to stay. I can't let anyone know where I am."
Chad pulled himself from Mia's hold. He couldn't believe he was back to square one with keeping her secret. He decided he needed answers before committing completely. "Before I came in here I talked to Brady. He told me about Kinsey being safe. Victor did nothing to her, and you already knew about it. Why didn't you tell me?"
Mia began to freak out inside because she feared Chad finding out about Kinsey would ruin everything. "Chad, I... I guess I was afraid you wouldn't believe me if I told you. I really do think Victor is out to get me. Why else would this happen? They didn't steal anything from me. He's the only logical explanation for this."
Chad scratched the back of his head as he took in the reality of Mia's cuts and bruises. "Why would he go after you though? He's been cleared of doing anything to Kinsey. You didn't do anything wrong. Brady said his grandfather wouldn't have done anything to her."
Mia gave a convincing look of fear. "I guess you didn't hear about the threat Victor made to Kinsey before she disappeared," she lied. "Why would you trust Brady? He's Victor's grandson, and he hates the DiMeras. He hates you guys so much, he pretends he's not one. Kinsey managed to escape Victor's wrath, and he's looking for someone to punish for what she did to Sonny. I'm guilty by association!"
Chad stepped back because he could sense the fear Mia still felt from her attack. He decided not to argue with her and suggested, "For now, we can keep you at Maggie's. I doubt Victor will hurt you there if you just stay put."
Outside by the nurses' station, Sami, Jennifer, Daniel, Maggie, and Victor were discussing the board meeting. Maggie took a deep breath as she said, "Well, I am glad we got some things settled. I think you did well in there, Daniel."
Sami agreed. "I am glad you joined us in the meeting."
Since she couldn't attend the meeting due to another meeting, Jennifer looked at the others and asked, "What was decided?"
Daniel, who was still feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything, explained, "The board agreed to keep me longer as Chief-of-Staff, but they also agreed to wait on making any final decisions on Lexie's future with the hospital until she comes forward with her plans."
"So crisis averted!" Sami summed up the meeting. "Thanks again Daniel. I should go. I need to check in with the kiddos."
Daniel decided he should go, too, as Sami entered the elevator. "I need to get back to my patients, so I can catch up with my schedule."
Victor could see the stress of the post was getting to his godson. "Have you eaten anything? Maybe you should take a short break to regain some energy."
Jennifer placed her hand on Daniel's arm. "I agree with your godfather, Daniel. I'll go with you to the cafeteria, so we can at least get a snack." Daniel didn't want to waste any time by arguing, so he agreed to go. After telling Maggie and Victor goodbye, they headed for the elevator to head up to the cafeteria.
Maggie wrapped her arm around Victor's as she reflected on his concern for Daniel. "Do you think Daniel is handling the pressure of all this?"
Victor held onto Maggie as he responded, "I'm not sure."
Chad and Mia walked out of her hospital room surprising Maggie and Victor. Chad and Mia stopped in their tracks as Maggie rushed over to Mia asking, "Mia, sweetie, what happened?"
Mia knew she needed to play up her fear of Victor and decided not to answer Maggie's question. It helped that she actually found Victor quite intimidating. Seeing the fear in her eyes, Chad stepped in and covered, "She tripped down the stairs. Doctor said she's fine and didn't have a concussion. Just needed a few stitches." Chad made sure to keep his eyes on Victor to see if he would show his hand. Mia knew she had Chad right where she wanted him.
Victor stepped forward and offered, "I can take you home with Maggie. Two birds – one stone."
"That won't be necessary," Chad quickly cut in to protect Mia. "Mia wants to walk around before she heads back."
As Victor shrugged off his rejected offer, Maggie gave Mia a hug. "I'm glad you're okay. I'll see you back at my place."
While Victor led Maggie to the elevator, he commented to her quiet enough for only her to hear, "They sure are acting bizarre. Are they back together?"
After the elevator doors closed with Victor and Maggie inside, Mia sighed as she hugged Chad. "Thanks for helping me and for agreeing to take me home. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't step in like that."
Chad sensed Mia was ready to get out of there. "I'll take you back to Maggie's. Wait here, and I'll grab my car and pick you out by the ER exit. Are you going to be okay alone for a minute?"
Mia nodded her head.
Chad headed to the elevator to get to the parking garage. After getting off the elevator, he decided to call Will. He knew he needed to tell him something for standing him up. When Will answered, Chad instantly went into apologetic mode. "Will, I am so sorry. I know I texted you to meet with me privately at our apartment, but something came up with Lexie and Theo. His therapy appointment went longer than usual. I wish I could come see you now, but I have some stuff I need to do before I head to the mansion tonight. We'll just have to talk tomorrow."
Will remained silent to make sure Chad had finished talking. "Oh… I was really worried that something happened to you. I even had EJ looking for you. He said you were at the hospital, but I guess you must be with Theo or something. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah... everything is fine," Chad answered. "I'm so sorry I stood you up, Will. I feel horrible. I hope I can make it up to you tomorrow at the masquerade."
"You're fine. I'm glad that nothing bad happened to you, so I'm fine, too," Will replied. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you, Chad."
"I love you, too." Chad said. He felt bad for avoiding the truth with Will, but he knew he had to control this situation. He couldn't wait until Mia was out of town again.
After talking to Chad, Brady headed down the stairs at the Kiriakis mansion when the front door swung open. Seeing Kai rush in, he asked him, "Kai? What's going on?" Kai didn't have to give Brady an answer because Sonny rushed in after Kai. Brady realized right away that something must have happened.
"We are going to talk about this – about everything!" Sonny informed Kai. He was tired of the waiting and the hurt that they both felt.
Kai turned around and pushed Sonny away from him. "Why can't you get it? Leave me the fuck alone! I don't have anything to say to you!"
Sonny got in Kai's face another time causing Kai to push him again. Brady swiftly made his way to the middle of the two guys to keep them apart. "Come on guys. Please don't fight in my grandfather's house!"
Ignoring Brady, Sonny continued to push his body against Brady's to get to Kai. "Did you really just kiss T to make me feel like crap? Did you want to see me cry? Did you want to hurt me? I thought you loved me!"
Kai started laughing in anger. "Who the hell are you to talk about love? You slept with Mister Latino Suave Sexy Mother Fucker, and then you get onto me about kissing a straight guy? By the way, he's a way better kisser than you!"
Sonny's pain turned into a slight rage as he yelled back, "I do love you, Kai!"
Kai let out a sigh of frustration. "We are not happening! Get it through your thick Kiriakis skull!"
Brady had enough of the back and forth and Kai's demeaning words towards Sonny. "That's enough. The only way we are going to continue this conversation is in a civil manner! Can we agree to that?"
"It doesn't matter!" Sonny informed Brady before sharing, "Yes, I may love you, Kai, but I know now that our relationship is officially dead. You hate me. I didn't deliberately go out to hurt you. What I did…" Sonny broke as he didn't want to dare say it was an accident anymore. "You kissed T because you wanted to see me cry. I never wanted to see you cry." Ashamed of the tears that were now falling down his face, Sonny walked out of the room and then out of the mansion.
Brady placed his hands on his hips as he turned to Kai. Kai couldn't take it anymore and headed up to his room to be alone. Brady took a deep breath appreciating the fact that he was free from drama in the relationship department.
At the Horton Town Square, Melanie and Nathan ran into Arianna. Nathan decided to check in with Ari about Isobel. "How is your mother doing?"
Arianna gave Nathan a look of appreciation for asking. "She's doing okay. She's actually in the shop right now looking at dresses for tomorrow night's event. She told me I couldn't go in there with her, so I am trying to give her some space and freedom." Moving on, she asked Nathan and Melanie, "How are all the plans for the wedding coming?"
Melanie shared a smile with Nathan as she replied, "Things are going well! We've been a bit busy at the hospital, but we have time thankfully. Have you found a date yet to the wedding because I am sure Brady will be free?"
Arianna noted the look on Melanie's face. She knew she had to shut down the idea that she and Brady would ever pair up again. "Melanie, Brady and I barely talk anymore as it is. We've moved on." Even though Marco entered her mind, she added, "I'm not in a place where I feel comfortable dating anyway. I have a lot on my plate right now."
Before Melanie could respond, Dario ran up and stopped next to Arianna. "Ari, where is Mama? I need to talk to her now!"
Arianna looked her brother over and noted he was out of breath. "Dario, she's in the dress shop. Is everything okay?"
Dario didn't want to waste time catching Arianna on the current events. "I just need to talk to her. Sorry." Dario rushed off into Enchanted.
As soon as Dario disappeared, Gabi arrived dropping the shopping bags on the floor. Nathan and Melanie stepped back as Gabi caught her breath to ask her sister, "Did Dario pass through this way?"
Feeling more concerned, Arianna needed to know what was going on. "Yeah. He just showed up out of nowhere asking for Mama. I told him where he could find her. Will you please tell me what is going on? Did something bad happen?"
Gabi looked directly into Arianna's eyes as she claimed, "That's not what I wanted to hear! We have to stop Dario before he makes a horrible mistake!"
Inside Enchanted, Dario looked through the crowd and stands of clothes. Once he finally found Isobel, who was resting on a stool, he announced, "Mama, I need to tell you something now!" He felt rushed because he knew Gabi had to be close to stop him.
Isobel was startled by her son, but she was able to pull herself together to find out what was wrong. Standing up, she said, "Dario, mijo, calm down and tell me what's wrong."
Tears began to form in Dario's eyes as he tried to gather all the strength he could to tell his mother his secret. Once he started, he had no problem pouring his heart out to her. "Mama, I slept with someone and everyone is finding out. I had sex with Sonny Kiriakis, and I think I'm gay!"
Isobel looked away from Dario in disbelief. "No, no... that can't be," she said trying to deny Dario's confession. "You're supposed to carry on the family name and have a lot of children," she said more to herself than actually to Dario. Dario tried to go to his mother to make sure she kept calm, but Isobel began to slap his hands off of her. "Don't touch me!" she shouted clearly disgusted.
Dario continued to try to help his mother stand up because it seemed she began to struggle with her footing. "Mama?" he asked to make sure he heard right. He couldn't believe she told him not to touch her. "It's still me – your son – Dario."
Isobel finally stopped flailing when Arianna, Gabi, Nathan, and Melanie found them. Looking up into her son's eyes, she softly said in a daze, "I need to fix this." Soon after, Isobel fainted and fell into Dario's arms. Dario looked at his mother with concern and then up to his sisters. He couldn't believe what just happened.
Arianna looked over to Nathan with fear still unsure as to what just happened. "Please help her."
Melanie called 911, while Nathan rushed over and helped Dario place Isobel on the floor. Nathan called out to her as he wondered why she fainted. "Dario, what happened?"
Dario separated himself from his mother as he remained seated on the floor in shock. "I told her about me and Sonny," he let out without thinking. His eyes were now glued to his mother's limp body.
Nathan could see the fear in Dario's eyes and encouraged, "Everything is going to be fine. She's still breathing." Nathan looked back down at Isobel realizing why Sonny seemed all over the place recently.
Still on her phone, Melanie rushed over next to Nathan and Isobel. Arianna and Gabi crowded around them, shutting Dario out because he had clearly caused Isobel to fall due to the stress of what he shared. Filled with shame, Dario covered his face and didn't dare look at his sisters or anyone else in the store.
Later that evening, Chad arrived at his father's mansion to meet with his brother and Ignazio. He walked into the foyer thinking about Will and the secrets he was keeping. He still felt guilty for keeping Will in the dark, but he needed to protect Will from any possible danger. Mia was a potential danger for his boyfriend. He knew if he told Will about her, Will would want to confront her about everything, and then possibly run off somewhere. He needed to protect Will, and since Mia would be gone in a few days it was better this way.
Walking into the living room, he found his brother and father waiting for him. He didn't really care that Stefano was there because all he could think about was getting through the weekend. EJ picked up on the fact that Chad's focus was elsewhere. "Are you up to this tonight?"
"The family really needs you tonight," Stefano declared.
Chad refocused on why he was there. "Yeah, sorry. I am here to help the family." Chad eyed his father for a moment thinking about what he wanted to prove to him. He hoped to show Stefano that he could be useful. Thinking about his father helped him turn off the guilty feelings about Will.
"Good. I will see you all later tonight then," Stefano informed his sons. "I want to make sure I am not in the room when Ignazio arrives."
After Stefano walked off, EJ stood in front of Chad to look him over. "Did you get everything ready that you needed to?" Chad nodded his head but didn't give his brother a verbal answer. "Are you sure you're okay? Did Will ever find you earlier?"
Chad looked away as the guilt returned. "Yeah. I called him and apologized. I got caught up in something else."
EJ didn't know what to think about Chad. He wondered if he got caught up in Mia. "I think we should talk about this later. Right now, I need you focused on your part in initiating our cousin."
Chad took a deep breath as he attempted to reroute his focus.
Ignazio arrived right on time. He was very surprised to see Chad there but decided not to question it. "It's good to see you two this evening. EJ, what do you have for me tonight?"
EJ walked over and pulled a small package from one of the lower drawers of the desk. As he returned with it, he explained the job he had for Ignazio. "I want you to deliver this package with Chad."
The job really confused Ignazio while also making him curious. "Why do you need the both of us to deliver the package, and what exactly is in it?"
"That does not matter," EJ quickly informed Ignazio before adding, "Do not open the package. The man you're delivering it to will not appreciate that."
Wanting to prove himself, Ignazio replied, "You can trust me." He secretly wished that Chad wasn't going so he could find out what was in the package. He believed the only reason Chad was tagging along was due to them not trusting him. He was tired of no one trusting him.
Chad turned to Ignazio and placed his hand on his back. Seeing EJ give Ignazio the speech helped him focus more. He could barely contain the excitement of initiating Ignazio. "Shall we go?" Ignazio nodded his head, and the two were off.
In the car, Chad struggled with containing his smile and played it off, so Ignazio wouldn't catch on. "I think it's cool we get to do this together. Since I started school in the fall, I haven't really worked for the family. Are you nervous at all?"
Ignazio kept his attention on the road even though he wasn't driving. "I have no reason to be," he answered without any inflection in his voice. "Are you nervous?"
"No. I've done this a lot, and it's never gotten out of hand," Chad shared hoping to relax Ignazio some. He wondered why Ignazio seemed so serious. It made him think that Ignazio was nervous about this and didn't want Chad to catch on. "I think it's crazy that you've only been in Salem for a month, but I feel like I've known you longer. I guess it must be that family connection."
Even though he and Chad had been friendly before, Ignazio felt uncomfortable with how friendly Chad seemed. It caused him to lose focus somewhat because he knew Chad was genuine in what he was saying. "I've heard a DiMera always knows when he's among family," Ignazio commented. He turned his head and looked out the window deciding to remain quiet for the rest of the ride. Chad noted Ignazio's need for silence and decided to leave him alone so he didn't make Ignazio more nervous.
Ignazio and Chad arrived at the pier and stood in place to deliver the package. Ignazio looked over to Chad and commented, "It sure is quiet out here."
"Hopefully, the guy will show up soon," Chad said. He wrapped his arms across his chest because it was cold. Turning his head, he spotted a guy in the distance. He nodded his head to the guy to let him know they were ready.
Once the guy got his cue from Chad, he rushed over and took the package from Ignazio after pushing him down. Chad went after the guy, but the guy turned around and shot Chad in the stomach. Chad fell to the ground puncturing the fake bag of blood strapped to his stomach as the guy with the package ran. Ignazio began to run after the guy, but Chad yelled out for help.
Ignazio really wanted to go after the guy to find out what was in the package, but he knew he couldn't leave Chad there either. Looking Chad over, he saw blood coming from his shirt. He couldn't believe Chad got shot. "Chad, are you okay?"
"I don't know," Chad answered with a believable shake in his voice. "Call my brother or something. We need some help out here."
Ignazio pulled out his phone but didn't call EJ. He realized this was an opportunity for him. He could forget about his plan with Mia and Will and get rid of Chad once and for all this way. It wasn't his fault Chad got shot.
"What are you waiting for?" Chad let out as he gave Ignazio a look of sincerity. Chad knew he wasn't really injured, but he questioned why Ignazio froze up. He wondered if Ignazio would do the right thing.
