Chapter 56: Hello – Saturday, January 14th, 2012
"Mia?" Will stated horrified by the fact that Chad and Mia were kissing outside of the bathrooms of Chez Rouge. Pushing Ignazio to the side, Will threw his mask off before separating Chad and Mia. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded to know.
Chad didn't know how to respond because he was surprised himself. "Will, I…"
"How could you do this to me, Chad?" Will interjected as he pushed Chad back. "I thought you wanted to be with me!"
Chad glared at Mia as he exclaimed, "Mia kissed me! I didn't kiss her. She followed me back here, and she kissed me. I did nothing wrong."
Will gave Chad a look of disbelief. "Do you really believe you have done nothing wrong here? Do you think I am that stupid? You've been hiding Mia from me for weeks, and you expect me to forgive you and pretend this never happened! I'm not some robot you can control. You can't make me turn off my brain or my heart. This hurts too much."
Will began to turn around to leave, but Chad grabbed his arm to stop. "Will, we can talk this out. Please don't walk away. Something bad will happen to you if you do. Don't turn this into something it's not. I'm sorry that she kissed me, but I can't be as sorry as you think I should. I need you here with me. I love you more than anyone ever could!"
Will yanked his arm from Chad's grasp. "Don't touch me, Chad. You lost me, and you'll never get me back!"
"Will, please!" Chad tried to grab Will's arm again, but Will punched him in the face making him fall to the ground. He was knocked out cold, and everything went black.
Chad stood by the nurse's station. The hospital was utterly empty – full of bright lights and white walls. Slightly shielding his eyes from the intense illumination with his hands, Chad looked around for someone to tell him about Will's condition. He needed to find Will. He needed to make sure he was okay. Lowering his hands to his side, Chad squinted his eyes from the brightness and headed down the hall stopping outside of Will's room. He walked into the room, but the room was empty. Only silence filled the room as Chad couldn't even hear himself breathe or feel his own heart beating.
Chad's ears perked when he heard a female voice in the distance. As the voice spoke it became clearer and louder. "This is all your fault, Chad! You did this to Will!" Chad recognized the voice as Sami's, but when he turned around no one was there. Something was different about the room though. There was now a poster on the door. Chad walked closer to the door to look the poster over. He didn't understand it, but it had a picture of Will on it with the word "MISSING" on the bottom. He remembered it from his dream – the one where he found Will a different person in the basement of the DiMera mansion.
The lights in the room began to intensify once again causing Chad to shield his eyes once more. Chad shook his head and closed his eyes, but when he opened them, all the penetrating lights went out.
"Hello?" Chad said nervously into the dark. "Is someone there?" As soon as he asked his last question, the lights came back up, but Chad was no longer in the hospital. He was now in his apartment standing in the kitchen looking into the living room. He saw Sonny and Kai trying to comfort Will, who seemed inconsolable, on the couch. Chad remembered this dream well and thought back to when he fought with Will because he wasn't ready to have sex. Chad was about to say something, but a sudden light irradiated around Kai. Chad watched Kai intently as he transformed into Dario. When the transformation was completed, the light exploded into Chad's face causing him to shake his head for a moment. The explosion caused Chad to feel somewhat disoriented.
"You guys found Will," Chad let out as he rubbed his eyes. Removing his hands from his face, he set his gaze back onto the couch in the living room. Will, Dario, and Sonny turned around and faced Chad as he tried to move forward. Chad looked into their eyes and noted the terror in them. Reflecting on the last time he had this dream, he remembered thinking they were afraid of him, but they were really scared of someone who stood behind him. Chad turned around and spotted André, but André didn't have a sword in his hand and didn't threaten to kill anyone. Instead, André stood in the middle of the kitchen with his back facing everyone. Chad cautiously got closer to his cousin as he guardedly whispered his name.
André turned around and faced Chad as Will and the others faded from the living room. He began to pace around Chad in silence looking Chad up and down. Chad questioned what his cousin was doing, but his thoughts were interrupted when André finally spoke, "I believe death is upon us to claim its victim."
"Have you seen Will?" Chad asked as André stopped moving. "I can't let anything happen to him."
André began to walk towards the front door away from Chad but stopped when he touched the door knob. Turning his head, he suggested, "Let me guide you to him. I know the path very well."
Chad made his way over next to André as he opened the door. They walked through and were now somehow standing inside the Brady Pub. Chad glanced over the pub for Will but saw no one. "Is Will here?"
André remained silent as Lucas and Sami made their way from the back. Ignoring André, they went for Chad and began to yell at him. "The man of the hour," Lucas called out to Chad with his hands in the air facing towards him. Lowering his left hand and pointing with his right hand, Lucas continued, "You have got to be the worst boyfriend ever – and that means a lot coming from me. I hate you for what you did to my son. Where were you? Did you have more important things to do? Did you have more significant people to spend your time with? As far as I'm concerned Will should have been the most important person in your life!"
Chad stepped back unsure of what to say. He could feel the heat of anger coming from Sami and Lucas's bodies. "Where's Will now? Have you two seen him? I'm here now!"
Sami stepped in front of Lucas and began to push Chad back. "You were supposed to protect my son! I trusted you because I thought you loved him! I was so blind! You don't even love yourself! How can you love someone else if you can't love yourself? What were you thinking when you cheated on him with Mia? How could you do this after everything she did to you and Will?"
Chad looked down at himself disappointed and hurt. He couldn't look at Sami or Lucas because it only made things worse. "I'm sorry," he finally let out. "I don't know what I was thinking… I… I wasn't thinking!" Chad finally looked up, but Sami and Lucas were now gone.
André moved so he stood in front of Chad. "Your problem isn't that you weren't thinking – it's that you were thinking too much."
Chad didn't know what to think of André's comment. He shook his head trying to remain on the task at hand. With a firm voice, he claimed, "We have to find Will. He's not here."
"Let's move along then," André said as he turned around to lead Chad out of the pub.
Once they were outside, they ran into Abe and Lexie. Chad smiled as he could see how happy they were to be together. "Lexie! You found Abe!"
Lexie turned and gave her brother a warm smile. Holding Abe's hand, she shared, "Yes. I was very lucky to find Abe when I worked for the police department. He was such a good man and a good example. His love will always stay with me. Unfortunately, forever is never promised on earth." Lexie continued to smile even with the turn in the conversation.
Abe nodded his head. "We all leave at some point. Some sooner than expected." He turned his head and gave Lexie a kiss on her cheek. "I love you so much, sweetheart. One day I'll see you in heaven."
Tears began to form in Chad's eyes as Lexie turned towards Abe to say her goodbyes to her love. "I will never forget you – for as long as I live. Not even death can make us part. Until we meet again." Abe slowly faded while Lexie gave him one last kiss. After he was gone, Lexie turned towards her brother as she, too, began to fade. "Cherish what you have before it's gone to you. Don't waste another moment on something you can't change."
Chad didn't want his sister to disappear because he wanted to comfort her. "Lexie, I am so sorry about Abe. I think I wasn't thinking clearly, and now I can't find Will."
Lexie faded completely before André moved to stand where she once stood. "Your problem wasn't necessarily that you weren't thinking clearly – there's more to thinking things through. Shall we continue?"
Chad nodded his head and followed André to the Horton Town Square wondering why his cousin seemed to be talking to him in riddles. Chad's eyes wandered onto the tree in the middle of the square as they walked around it. It wasn't the same tree that was normally there, but it still looked very familiar. Chad then noticed that the tree had fruit on it, but the fruit seemed to be rotting. Spotting a brown snake on the tree, Chad watched as it climbed to the top and then dangled from the highest branch to turn into a noose. Chad remembered when André and his lover tied the noose around Will's neck in a previous dream, but then his thoughts went to another dream as a silhouette of Will actually appeared hanging on the noose. The silhouette of Will looked Chad dead into his eyes and said, "This is all your fault." Chad immediately looked away, shook his head, and when he looked back up, the noose and Will were gone.
Chad looked around the town square in search of Will. Instead, he saw missing posters of Will all over. Chad stopped André from going any further. Frustrated, he said, "Do you even know where we're going? Will isn't here or anywhere else you've taken me."
André didn't face Chad when he responded. "Patience will get you into trouble, whether there is a lack of it or if there is too much of it. Be careful what you wish for because the truth is not always something to smile about."
Before he could call out André for talking in riddles, Chad suddenly heard voices coming towards him from behind. Turning his attention to where they were coming from, he saw T and Sonny coming his way. "Guys, have you seen Will?"
T looked over to Sonny as he commented, "Look at this guy. Can you believe him? He's asking if we've seen Will. What a crock of shit!"
Sonny shook his head in disapproval as he and T stopped in front of Chad. "You may have been Will's boyfriend, but we were his best friends. Now he's gone, and it's all your fault!"
Chad couldn't believe the reactions he was getting from Sonny and T. He put his hands up in surrender as he spoke, "I know I messed up, but Will is going to be fine. We just need to find him. If we do this together, we can find him and bring him home."
T gave Chad a look that suggested he wasn't convinced. "Okay. We'll bring Will home," he stated in a mocking tone. Turning serious, he went on, "My best friend is gone. I shouldn't have allowed you to take Will away from me. You're going to be sorry for what you did! He was mine first."
"And mine, too." Sonny said crossing his arms over his chest. "When I came to town, Will was afraid of you, but you devoured his life. You took him in and made him trust you. I'm thinking his first instinct was right. He should have stayed with T and me and forgotten all about you! We would have made better boyfriends."
Tired of the yelling and guilt, Chad turned to André and screamed, "Get me out of here! What is this torture? I need to find Will, so I can convince everyone he's fine. I know he's okay! I know he's safe! He can't be gone! Take me to him now!"
After Chad yelled, Sonny and T were nowhere to be seen. André nodded his head to Chad saying, "Your brain seems to be telling you one thing, but what does your heart feel?"
Chad's focus remained on his cousin with a questioning expression on his face. "What are you trying to tell me? I'm not getting it."
"You will soon, my cousin. Death has a way of bringing change and growth."
André turned his body again causing Chad to realize they were now standing on the pier. Chad grabbed his chest as he began to feel his heart beat very slowly. It gradually increased in speed as Chad turned André around and looked into his eyes. "What is going on here?"
Before giving a slight bow, André returned a question to Chad, "Are you finally listening to your heart?" After his bow, André slowly faded.
Chad turned around, looked down, and saw Will's lifeless body lying on the pier. He threw himself on the ground so he could hold Will. "Will? Are you okay? Wake up! I found you!" Will didn't respond in any way. His heart was not beating. Chad could feel his own heart hurting with every beat that seemed to pound right through his chest. He felt tears coming down his face and saw them falling on Will's hair. His emotions were strong, and they came flooding as Will continued to show no signs of waking or even breathing. "This can't be happening! I can't lose you now! This is all my fault!"
Chad lowered his head on Will's and continued to cry as he kissed the top of his boyfriend's face. He got so lost in what he was feeling, he didn't realize that Will was no longer in his arms, and he now stood inside the hospital again. Chad opened his eyes and walked back into Will's hospital room. It was still empty. Will wasn't there. Chad began to hear his name, but he didn't see anyone around him.
–(–)–
"Chad... Chad..." Chad heard as he woke up seated in the chapel at the hospital. Someone had their hands on him and was shaking him slightly to get him to open his eyes. "Chad... Now is your chance."
Chad finally opened up his eyes wide enough to see who was talking hazily to him. "EJ?" he said feeling a bit confused as to what was happening. He looked around and realized where he was. Reflecting on the nightmare he just had, he fearfully questioned if Will was gone to him for good. "I must have fallen asleep in here. Is Will?"
"He's still in there. No response yet," EJ shared. "I'm taking Samantha home to have lunch with the kids. We're going to tell them about Will being in the hospital, and I am not sure how they'll do with the news about their older brother."
Chad sat up more as his mind continued to awaken. "Is Sami still mad at me?"
"Yes," EJ started not wanting to sugar coat the truth, but he added, "She's just concerned about Will and what happened last night. Will is her main priority – as it should be." EJ helped Chad stand up from the pew. "You can go see Will now."
Chad felt the heaviness of the tragic situation sink in as he stood on his feet. "I don't know if I can do this," he said as water formed over his eyes. As much as he tried to fight it, he couldn't help the tears.
To stop his brother, EJ placed his hands on the sides of Chad's shoulders. "Chad, you can't be like this. I don't understand what has happened to you because you used to be a stronger and more individualistic person before you became comfortable with being a DiMera. You must be strong for Will. He's in there doing what he can to stay alive, but he needs all of us to fight for him, too. You have to encourage him to stay with us. He needs to hear your voice – full of strength and love." EJ gave his little brother a softened look trying not to think about the times he warned Chad to stay away and not get caught up in Mia.
"You're right," Chad said wiping his face. "I need to go in there and fight. I can't turn back now."
EJ pulled Chad into a hug and promised, "I guarantee nothing like this will ever happen again. As mayor – you, Will, and any of your friends will not have to look over your shoulders anymore."
Chad thanked EJ as he walked out of the chapel with his brother. EJ headed out, and Chad made his way to Will's hospital room. He thought about how in his dream he always found the room empty. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside.
Will laid on the hospital bed connected to quite a few machines. Chad stood by the door for a moment as he tried to contain his emotions on seeing Will like this. He remembered everything that went down the night before after Will called him.
Friday, January 13th, 2012
Sonny worked fervently on his phone as EJ sent Marco and some other men out to check the perimeter. Sami was pacing as she tried repeatedly to get in touch with Will by calling his phone. Chad stood there as Mia and Ignazio tried to talk to him, but he wasn't listening to them. Sonny exclaimed, "I think I know where he is. He's on the pier."
At that moment, Chad's phone began to ring. It was Dario. Chad hesitantly answered but was glad he did when Dario informed him that he was with Will at the pier. Dario told him that they needed to get to the pier soon because he wasn't getting a pulse from Will. After Dario told Chad he was going to call 911 and start CPR, Chad got off the phone as Lexie rushed out to see what was happening. Chad told them what Dario said, and they were off to the pier.
Once they arrived, Chad hurried to Will's side to check his pulse, but he couldn't feel anything. Lexie rushed over and began to check Will's vitals as Chad and Sami began to ask her questions. Lexie shared that she couldn't feel a pulse, but that there was something weird going on because Will's body felt really warm. Lexie ripped Will's vest and shirt to look for the wound because something seemed off. Finding the knife wound, she began to put pressure on it. When the ambulance arrived, Lexie shared, "There should be more blood here because it appears Will has been stabbed. Another thing that is odd is that his blood should be dropping due to gravity. That doesn't seem to be the case. He's still bleeding slowly, but there's something else going on here. I think Will is still alive."
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
Chad stopped thinking back to the night before and focused on Will where he was at the moment. Will's pulse was now somewhat noticeable, but the doctors claimed he was in some sort of comatose state. Chad moved closer and pulled up a chair, so he could sit next to Will. He looked him over deciding not to touch him just yet. Grabbing his necklace from the island of Maddalena, he remembered the promise he made to Will about always being there for him. He promised to protect him and failed miserably.
Chad wished Will hadn't run off after Will found him kissing Mia. He believed if Will had remained there this never would have happened. Chad shook his head because he believed he was now putting the blame on Will, but he knew this was his own fault. He betrayed Will in the most shocking way, and Will couldn't handle it. Will had no other choice but to run away from him.
Grabbing Will's hand, he kissed it before saying, "Will, I can't apologize enough for what I did to you. Please come back to us. I want to make this better. I want to show you that there's no one else but you that is important." Chad continued to kiss Will's hand as he remembered Celeste telling him that Will not being in his life completely was the missing puzzle piece. He couldn't lose that now.
Caroline walked out from the back of the kitchen as quickly as she could holding a small tray of food for a table. Handing it off to Gabi, she frantically made her way over to Chelsea, Bo, and Maggie. "I wasn't really paying attention, but I think I just heard on the radio that something has happened to Will. Am I only hearing things?" Caroline didn't even need an answer to her question because the looks on the others' faces said it all. "Is that why you two are here at the moment?" she asked looking at Bo and Maggie.
"Ma, we didn't want to worry you," Bo started feeling a bit nervous as he thought he had put her radio on a station that wouldn't have said anything about what happened to Will. "What exactly did you hear?"
Before answering her son's question, Caroline wanted to set one thing straight. "I am not some fragile woman who wants to be kept in the dark about anything going on with our family. I have been getting stronger by the day and have fought to be where I am now." Wiping her hands together, she went on, "As I said before, I didn't hear much. What exactly happened to Will? Is he okay? Was it a mugger or is this connected to what happened to Abe?"
Bo was relieved to hear his mother's questions because it seemed she didn't know about Will's attack happening because of his homosexuality. Maggie stepped in to answer Caroline's question, "Will is at the hospital and is being watched closely. Lexie believes he will be just fine but hasn't really shared what exactly she thinks happened."
Bo placed his hand on Caroline's upper back as he suggested, "Maybe you should stay calm and relax upstairs. You could visit Will later after a nap." Bo wanted to make sure Caroline stayed away from all forms of media.
"Who is going to run the pub?" Caroline questioned feeling overwhelmed by the news of Will.
Chelsea stepped forward, "I'm here grandma. Gabi and I can run the pub. We have before."
"If that's not enough for you, I can stay, too," Bo volunteered. "I'll let Roman and Hope know I will be here if they need to contact me about anything work related."
After Caroline nodded her head, Maggie volunteered to take her upstairs. After they were gone, Bo took Chelsea aside to talk to her about Caroline and Will. "Your grandma can't know the reason Will was attacked last night. I want to make sure it stays on the D.L. because we can't afford to have her stressed out and possibly ending up in the hospital again."
Chelsea nodded her head as she remembered how stressed Will was about it before. "I'll make sure I do whatever I need to help," she responded as she reflected on how she discovered what happened to Will. Dario had disappeared, and she called him to find out where he was. He told her he was on the pier and that the ambulance had just taken Will to the hospital. Dario sounded so distraught.
Bo could see that Chelsea was in deep thought. "Everything okay?"
Chelsea snapped out of her thoughts as she declared, "I want to visit Will. What was he doing out there anyway? I can't imagine the fear he must have felt when he was attacked."
Bo placed his hands in his pockets and looked around the room before asking, "Do you know who Mia McCormick is?" Chelsea shook her head. "She is the ex-girlfriend of both Chad and Will and there is speculation she is involved somehow. I can't really say more than that at the moment."
Chelsea returned to her thoughts to Dario and shook her head. Noticing Gabi working hard, she wondered if maybe she should put visiting Will on hold since word was he was still unconscious. "I'll be right back. I need to check in with Gabi."
Bo went behind the bar as Chelsea walked over to Gabi, who had just finished taking an order from a table. Gabi stopped when Chelsea stood in her way. "Hey Chelsea, what's up?" She didn't want to admit to it, but she was avoiding Chelsea somewhat after the way Dario disappeared on her the night before.
"I just realized that you're working when you should be at the hospital with your mom or visiting Will," Chelsea mentioned.
Gabi tried not to make a big deal of it as she claimed, "I need to work. Ari will call me if something comes up."
Chelsea didn't let up. "I can cover things here. I think my dad and Maggie are going to help out anyway," she offered.
Gabi shook her head and replied, "Thanks, but no thanks. I need to keep my mind off of things. I heard that Will got hurt last night, but I didn't hear the details. I tried to talk to Dario about it at home, but he wouldn't say anything to me. What exactly happened?"
Chelsea looked around to make sure no one else could hear. "Well, Will was attacked last night on the pier. I'm not exactly sure why he was there in the first place, but it seems he was a victim of gay bashing. There was graffiti everywhere on the scene from what I heard."
Gabi couldn't believe it as guilt began to hit her because she had distanced herself so much from Will. A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "We can't let Mrs. Brady find out. Last time she found out about Will, she kind of lost herself," she shared with concern. Gabi blamed herself for what happened. She also realized why Dario was so silent with her about what happened the night before.
Maggie walked down the stairs and over to the bar. "Caroline is trying to take a nap. When we got up there she said she really wanted to see Will now, but I convinced her to rest first, so she had more energy when she does see Will."
"Thanks Maggie," Bo said before taking a deep breath. He motioned Chelsea over because he had a request. Once Chelsea joined them, he asked, "You said you wanted to visit Will. Can you wait awhile and take Ma up to the hospital to see Will after she wakes up?"
Chelsea nodded her head. "Yeah, I can take her. I'll be sure to keep an eye on her and avoid any media at all costs."
Maggie let out a sigh of despair as she reflected on what happened to Will. "Poor Will. I was at the hospital when Sami called Lucas. He's trying to get here as soon as possible."
Bo scratched his neck with his index finger as he shared, "Yeah, Roman is beside himself as well. He called Marlena and told her to stand by for updates. Have you talked to your mom, Chelsea?"
"Nope," Chelsea quickly answered. She didn't want to have anything to do with Billie – even on a surface level. Wanting to focus on something else, Chelsea suggested, "Maybe we should get to work so that Grandma Caroline doesn't come down and try to overwork herself." Bo agreed and the three dispersed.
After lunch and talking to the kids about Will, Sami and EJ returned to the hospital. Roman spotted them together and began to question them hoping he could get more details about the night before. Sami wasn't amused. "I don't want to waste time here. I want to go see my son and talk to him so he'll come back to us. If it wasn't for EJ and you guys talking to me when I was in a coma, I never would have woken up."
Roman tried his best to keep calm. "Sami, I know we are not in a good place, but we have to work together to find out who did this to Will."
Sami turned to EJ to ignore her father. EJ knew if he remained, she and Roman would never work things out. "I'll let you two have a moment of privacy. I'll see if I can find out any new information on Will's current condition. Will could use all the support he can get."
Sami sighed after EJ walked off. She couldn't believe he left her alone with Roman even though she knew her husband was right. Looking down, she awkwardly started a superficial conversation with her father. "Lucas and Allie are on their way back to Salem. Lucas finally got cleared to fly out here. I believe Kate is picking him up at the airport when he arrives."
"What did Lucas say when you told him?" Roman asked wondering if he and Sami could patch things up.
Sami blew her hair out of her face as she began to vent about Lucas. "Of course he's upset, but then he started going off on me about how I didn't tell him about what happened to Abe even though he was here the weekend Abe was attacked. I reminded him of that fact and then reminded him that he was around when we talked about it. He then gave me this lame excuse about how he must have zoned out because EJ was around. I don't even know what that…" Sami stopped talking once she realized this was the most she had said to her father since she married EJ. Looking down, she removed her hair from her face as she returned to a more disconnected tone in her voice. "Have you talked to anyone about Will?"
Roman awkwardly adjusted his coat as he commented, "I already talked with your mother, John, Carrie, and Eric. There are still a few calls that need to be made, but I am trying to focus all my energy on what is going on with Will and find whoever did this to him."
Sami wiped her eyes as she continued to look down. She didn't want to be with her dad because of how he treated her for getting back together with EJ. "Yeah, I talked to Eric earlier. He mentioned you had already called. He wants to take time off to come see Will, but I don't know if he'll be able to make it."
"Sami, I'm sorry," Roman finally let out causing Sami to look up. "I know that things have been tense with us since I didn't go to your wedding with EJ, but I couldn't handle it. I've done a poor job at being involved with the family, and I can see that needs to change. I know EJ makes you happy even though I don't understand it."
Sami didn't know what to say at first because she didn't expect to hear an apology from Roman. She decided to leave it be and let the focus remain on Will. "EJ was right earlier. Will is going to need everyone by his side. I'm sure he'd love to hear your voice."
Sami began to head towards Will's room, but Roman stopped her. "I put myself in the dark and never talked to Will about him being gay. I feel bad for staying away from him like that. Can you tell me more about it?"
Sami let a small smile form on her face as she nodded her head. "Yeah. What exactly do you want to know?"
While Sami and Roman continued to talk, EJ ran into Jennifer and Daniel. "Afternoon. Do we have any updates on Will's condition?"
Daniel turned his whole body to EJ as he shared, "Your sister, Lexie, is currently looking into some things at home. She claimed she might know what is happening to Will."
EJ placed his hand on his chin as he wondered, "I'm curious about the state we found Will on the pier. Dario and Chad believed he was dead because they couldn't read a pulse."
"Honestly, I am just as curious and confused," Dr. Jonas admitted. "I don't know how that works, and I am not sure how Lexie knew to look at Will's wound next to make sure he was alive. We're lucky she noticed there was something off about his body temperature."
Thinking aloud, EJ shared, "The press wants answers about William's attack. They want to connect it to Abe's attack even though Will didn't disappear and that homophobic graffiti was sprayed everywhere."
"It's possible Dario scared off whoever did this to Will though," Jennifer countered feeling horrible for what her nephew must have gone through. She then shared, "I am doing my best to keep the media out of the hospital."
Jack arrived and headed over. "Just the woman I wanted to see."
Jennifer crossed her arms to let Jack know she wanted to keep her distance from him. "Jack, I cannot believe you managed to sneak in here for a story."
Jack sensed Jennifer wasn't pleased to see him, and even though she was right about him wanting information about the story, he played it off as if he wasn't there on business. "I'm not here for work. I came to talk to you. I got a new cell phone finally."
EJ didn't buy Jack's lie and commented, "You need to stay away from William and bugger off."
Jack didn't skip a beat as he questioned, "Is that an official statement from our new mayor?"
EJ scowled at Jack and replied, "It is not. Don't mess around about this because you will ruin things just as you did with my sister and her husband."
Jack didn't back down. "You should be thanking me for your new prestigious position." Thinking of Tony, he then added under his breath, "Your brother is definitely the nicer DiMera."
EJ gave Jack a stern look as he requested, "Can you repeat what you just said?"
Luckily, Jack was able to cover. "I said your brother is definitely the nicer DiMera. I was referring to Chad."
Jen's body shifted as she began to worry. "Did you confront Chad about what happened on the pier?"
"No," Jack answered honestly, but he now knew who he needed to talk to. "I know that I am in the way, so I'll be in the cafeteria grabbing a snack if you want to talk, Jennifer. If not, I suppose I can just head to the town square where I hope I'll be able to spend time with JJ and Abby. Have you had any luck with convincing Abby to bring her brother down to come visit with me?"
Jennifer was ready for Jack to leave. "I'm still working on it. They will be there."
Jack smiled and then mockingly winked to Daniel. "If you'll excuse me..."
Back in Will's room, Chad continued to hold Will's hand as he started to talk to him again. "I will make this all right. I made a lot of mistakes in the past, but the biggest one was taking you for granted." Chad thought about the words spray-painted on the pier and closed his eyes in shame. "What those guys did to you would have never happened if I had been there – if I had fully committed to you. I am going to make this up to you, Will, and prove that I am a good boyfriend who wants to be with you no matter what."
Chad was so focused on Will, he didn't hear Sami walk in. "How do you plan to do that?" she asked filled with skepticism.
Chad immediately stood up becoming nervous because he remembered how Sami chewed him out earlier. "I'm not sure," he let out somewhat meekly, but then added with more confidence, "I'm not going to keep Will and me a secret anymore."
EJ walked in and asked, "How is that a good idea?"
As EJ placed his hand on Sami's back, Sami agreed with EJ. "Your brother is right. Will was gay bashed, and putting yourself in the same predicament will not help things. At one time I believed you and Will were having problems because your relationship was a secret, but now I think it's something deeper. You putting your relationship with my son on blast will not help things."
Chad could feel the fear in Sami coming out. "I know this is all so scary, but I have allowed Will to feel insecure repeatedly! I need to make sure Will knows I am committed to him."
Sami gave Chad a stern and serious look. "I think you're very aware of the fact that I am not happy with you Chad. You may think you're helping Will out here, but I know desperation when I see it!" Sami softened somewhat as she repeated, "I know you're sorry, but you should think things through before making any rash decisions!"
"I love Will," Chad said firmly.
EJ tried to reason with Chad because he wasn't listening to Sami. "Look, I think it's great you want to be public about your relationship with Will, but maybe you should take a step back and look at everything. Do you sincerely want to do it like this – while Will is laying there in a coma? Are you truthfully prepared to be out when Will is unable to speak and share his take on everything that happened? That seems like a lot of pressure for you to take on without thinking things completely through. Why go into battle when everything is not working together?"
Chad thought back to his dream with EJ as the charioteer. Before he could say anything, Sonny walked into the room since the door was open. Quickly noting that things seemed tense, he apologized. "I'm sorry if I interrupted something."
"I should go so that everyone else can spend some time with Will," Chad said as he walked out.
Sonny looked up to EJ and Sami deciding to follow Chad out. "I'll come by later to talk to Will. I'll go talk to Chad now."
After Sonny walked out, EJ closed the door and joined Sami at Will's bedside. Kissing the top of her head, EJ wrapped his arms around her as she spoke to her son, "Come back to us, Will. We all need you to come back to us."
Sonny caught up with Chad at the end of the hall. "Chad, I know you have to be going through hell right now."
Feeling guilt and disappointment, Chad struggled with keeping his emotions in check. Fighting a few tears, he shared, "I did this to Will. I let him down in the worst way possible, and everyone else is giving me the feeling that this can't be fixed."
Sonny got in Chad's face and reminded him, "What happened to Will out there isn't your fault. Some sick people chose to do that to Will. You had no part in that."
"I should have been there with him," Chad countered. "I should have been the one who was beaten and stabbed because I am the weak one. Will has always been the strong one, and now I have to step up and be the strong one. I don't know if I can."
Sonny placed his hands on Chad's shoulders to encourage him. "I know that this has been a struggle for you. Will knows that, too, but you need to forget all of that and do what you have to do now." Noting Chad was still in his tux from last night, Sonny changed gears somewhat and asked, "Have you left the hospital at all since last night?"
Chad shook his head. "No, I can't leave Will here by himself."
Sonny let go of Chad's shoulders and placed his hands on his hips. "Will won't be alone if you just go home and shower. His family is here. Go put on some fresh clothes, and you'll feel so much better. I promise."
"I can't leave. I just can't."
Sonny knew he couldn't convince Chad to change his mind, so he had to come up with another plan. "They have showers here. I am sure Maxine would let you use one. I'll go back to the apartment and get you some clothes. Are you okay with that idea?"
Chad nodded his head. "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks for doing this for me, Sonny. I wish I could be more like you sometimes. You really are a good friend."
"So are you, Chad," Sonny said pulling him into a hug. After releasing him, he announced, "You stay here. I'll go to the apartment and find you something. If I have any questions, I'll text you."
Chad stopped Sonny from leaving deciding to ask him one last question. "Why are you being so nice to me? You should be yelling at me for what I did to your friend."
Sonny grimaced as he admitted, "Everyone makes mistakes Chad. I think I can relate to you in your situation because I have allowed myself to get lost in old feelings. We're all human."
Chad nodded his head, and Sonny walked off. Chad stood there for a moment as he thought about what he needed to do. He wanted to do whatever he could to show Will that he wanted to be with him, but Sami and EJ seemed to doubt his resolve. He questioned if Sami didn't want him in her son's life anymore after this happened. He wondered if he was bad news all around for Will. Reflecting on his Chariot dream, Chad remembered what EJ instructed him to do. He needed to armor himself first and then focus on his goal. He wondered what that would look like in this situation.
Finding Chad alone, Jack approached him and asked, "What's going on with Will Horton? I heard about the attack."
Chad turned around and quickly recognized Jack from the masquerade party from the night before. He immediately remembered that Jack was a reporter and questioned if he should be talking to him. "Yeah. It was terrible, but I don't really know much," he lied.
Jack caught on that Chad was unsure about talking to him. He needed Chad to open up, so he could find out the truth on Will's attack. "A lot of people are worried about Will, including my daughter, Abby. I think you know her. I am here as someone who is connected to the family, and I want to get the real story out, so rumors don't run rampant."
Chad still felt skeptical and remembered what Sami and EJ said to him about not doing anything desperate and irrational. "I'm sorry. I can't give you anything."
Deciding to back off for now, Jack pulled out a card and handed it to Chad. "If you change your mind, and you want to stop hiding, call me. That's my new cell number, so you won't have to talk to anyone else but me." Jack walked off leaving Chad to look over Jack's business card.
Kate sat in a limo outside of the airport on the phone waiting for Lucas and Allie to arrive. "It's horrible, Billie. I got to see Will for a few moments, and he's just there. They beat him pretty bad and stabbed him as well."
"How is Chelsea handling all of this?" Billie asked.
Kate rolled her eyes and answered, "She is okay."
Billie only had more questions. "Has she said anything about me? Do you think she'll ever call me?"
Kate decided to take the opportunity to chew her daughter out. "I cannot believe what you did to Chelsea. You acted selfishly and are continuing it! How can you think about yourself at a time like this?"
"But mom..."
"I don't want to hear it," Kate interrupted Billie. Spotting Lucas and Allie coming down an escalator to exit the airport, Kate decided to end the conversation. "Your brother and niece are here. I have to go." Kate hung up the phone.
Lucas and Allie made their way to the limo and entered when the driver opened the door and took their luggage to put in the trunk. Allie gave her grandma Kate a hug first, while Kate traded a solemn look with Lucas. "Has there been any updates?" Lucas asked.
"It's looking better, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions," Kate replied vaguely. She and Lucas were trying to communicate without saying too much since Allie was there.
Lucas glanced at his daughter, who was now distracted with her hand-held game. He felt it was safe to share his frustration. "I am so upset with Chad. I should have vetted the guy before allowing him to date Will. The DiMera men are all the same – they cause pain and misery."
Kate was not pleased with Lucas for taking the opportunity to talk down about her husband, EJ, and Chad, but she knew he was on edge because of what happened to Will. Changing the subject, she asked, "What's going on with Sophie?"
"Sophie is staying in Hong Kong for now to make sure everything remains in order," Lucas explained. "I think we should head out because I need to see my son." Kate nodded her head and let the driver know where they were headed first.
T opened the front door at Chad, Will, and Sonny's apartment since he was the only one there. He was surprised to see Kai standing on the other side. "Kai, what's up?"
"I came over to talk to you about Will," Kai informed T. "Is Sonny around?"
T shook his head and wasn't sure why Kai came over to talk to him about Will. "Sonny went to visit Will, so I'm the only one here at the moment."
Kai walked into the apartment and immediately went into stress mode. "I can't believe what happened to Will last night. I saw pictures of the graffiti on the walls. It's disgusting."
T agreed as his blood pressure began to rise. "I'm shocked, too. I never expected something like that to happen."
Kai felt extremely uneasy about the whole thing. He admitted, "I feel like everything seems so different. The fears I had about being openly gay have returned to the max."
"I can imagine," T responded. "Are you thinking about going back into the closet?"
Kai shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I mean, I'm not dating anyone anymore, so I could just go back into hiding unless I get involved with someone else."
T noted the way Kai bit his lip after he spoke. Feeling alarmed, he asked straight out, "Are you attracted to me?"
Kai's eyes widened and played off his sudden attraction to T by asking T his own question, "Do you take pride in knowing that guys find you attractive?"
T wasn't sure how to respond but said, "It's a compliment, I guess, in some ways, but I don't enjoy being gay bait." Kai remained speechless as he thought about the kiss he and T shared outside of Java Café. T reiterated, "I'm straight."
Things became awkward quickly, but things got worse when Sonny and Abigail walked into the apartment talking about Will and Chad. Shocked to see Kai and T together, Sonny asked, "What are you guys doing?" Sonny wanted to say more, but he didn't want to make a big deal out of seeing them together.
T put his hands in his pockets not wanting to stir up drama with Sonny. "We were just talking about Will. Did you already visit with him?"
"No, I told Chad I would get him a change of clothes," Sonny informed T.
Clueless to the tension between the three guys, Abigail turned to T and asked, "Have you seen Josh? I didn't see him last night."
T scratched his arm thinking about what Josh would want him to share with Abigail. "Yeah, I ran into him at the square last night. There was even a little entertainment. This guy and this lady were arguing. They sounded foreign..." T stopped talking realizing he was talking nonsense to buy himself some time to think of what to say to Abigail. Returning to Abigail's question, he said, "Josh has just been really busy with work. He was all set to come to the masquerade, but at the last minute, he claimed that something came up that he needed to take care of."
"Oh," Abigail said. She wondered if she was the real reason he decided not to show up.
Wanting to avoid Sonny and the awkwardness present in the room all around, Kai turned to T and stated, "I should go. Please give Will my best." Kai quickly made his way out of the apartment.
With Kai gone, Sonny could finally ask the questions he wanted. "What's your relationship with Kai?" he asked causing Abigail to give him a confused look. She thought the question came out of nowhere.
T kept his hands in his pockets and responded, "Kai and I are just friends. That kiss the other day was a stupid idea to get payback."
Abigail's eyes widened as she realized that T and Kai kissed. She immediately went for the attack as she blasted T. "You kissed Kai? What the hell were you thinking? Why did you want payback on Sonny? What did he ever do to you or Kai?" Sonny and T tried to explain what happened, but Abigail was not ready to let up. "I'm going after Kai. He needs to be yelled at, too!"
Sonny stood in the way of the door and Abigail. "Abigail, wait! You don't know everything that's happened. I'm not exactly innocent." Abigail became even more confused, but Sonny didn't want to talk about it right then in front of T. "Can we please just get clothes for Chad and talk about my life on the way to the hospital?" Abigail agreed and headed to Chad's room with Sonny.
T received a text from Kai about their friendship. T responded to Kai typing: "I will try my best not to be awkward with you, but the truth is we barely knew each other before we kissed."
Kai responded soon after with: "I promise it won't happen again. I'm sure I'll find someone else to be friends with benefits."
T slightly smiled as he returned one last text. "Friends with benefits isn't all it's cracked up to be. It may not be true in your case, but the last girl I tried that with ended up pregnant and shady as hell."
Sonny and Abigail walked into the room with a bag with Chad's clothes and stuff he probably needed after he showered at the hospital. To show there was no animosity between them, Sonny asked T, "Are you going to visit Will?"
"I'll be there later," T shot back trying to play off his fear in visiting Will in the hospital.
Sonny and Abigail made their way back to his car. After getting in, Abigail turned to her cousin saying, "So what did I miss? What's going on with you and Kai, and why did Kai kiss T?"
Sonny sighed as he put his car into drive. "It's all complicated I guess, but it pretty much began on my birthday when I cheated on Kai with Dario," Sonny admitted.
Abigail tried to keep her mouth shut and not show the surprise in her face, so Sonny could continue to tell her what happened but failed. "Wait… You did what?"
"You probably noticed how awkward I was at the Kiriakis cabin," Sonny continued. "Dario and I kept our affair a secret while avoiding each other for the most part. Dario was so supportive in whatever I decided, but I know I hurt him bad. I finally told Kai the day after we got back, and he broke things off. I tried to fight for him while I continued to push Dario and my feelings for him away. I was so dumb because I pushed for something I know now was a waste of time. Kai hates me, and he proved it to me when he kissed T to hurt me."
Abigail put her hand on Sonny's shoulder. "That really sucks, Sonny. I'm sorry I had no idea. I've been so caught up in my own drama with my dad, but that's no excuse."
"Yeah, it is," Sonny quickly opposed. "I know things have always been complicated with you and Uncle Jack."
"I don't really want to talk about it right now. I'm supposed to meet with him later, but... yeah." Abigail decided to stop talking about her dad. "So if you and Dario slept together, what was he doing with Chelsea at the masquerade last night? Is he trying to stay in the closet?"
Sonny felt bad for Dario. He had really turned his back on someone who truly was a supportive friend. "Actually, he's trying to forget me by going out with Chelsea I think. I don't blame him though. I treated him horribly because I was angry at myself. He's going through a rough time right now because he actually came out to his mom. She's currently in the hospital, and I think he now blames himself for possibly putting her there for good."
"That's really sad," Abigail replied. Even though she felt sorry for Dario, she was wary of the fact that Dario was using Chelsea to get over Sonny. She wondered if she should talk to Chelsea, but then questioned if it was her place.
Azzura met with Maddalena in the entry way to discuss Colin's latest report on the happenings at the hospital. "Colin said he's heard some rumors about Will Horton's condition and needs to check on a few more things before he can provide a full report on what's going on."
Maddalena's nerves were in hyper drive. "I fear what that could mean," she disclosed wondering if the reports were true about Will being a victim of a hate crime.
Trying to help with Maddalena's nerves, Azzura reported, "Besides the fact that Lucas Horton is returning to Salem, I have other good news to report. We may have the opportunity to finish the construction project at your brother's mansion since it has been close to empty all day thanks to Will's attack last night."
"I would like to look at the progress made so far to make sure we have the time we need to complete it," Maddalena ordered. As she and Azzura headed for the basement, she mentioned, "It is amazing how it seems that things have suddenly worked out for our benefit. It must be a sign that what we are doing is just and right."
Ignazio caught their attention when he entered the room with a big smile on his face. "Are you pleased with life and how things have turned out?" Maddalena and Azzura traded questioning glances as Ignazio continued, "I have separated Chad and Will, and Will's attack has most likely scared Chad. It will not be long until Chad is gone for good."
"I can see you are pleased with yourself, nipote," Maddalena started on her grandson, but then questioned, "I am not sure what that has to do with our business." She wondered what part luck played in Ignazio's plan working out the way it did.
Ignazio chose to keep his grandmother and Azzura in the dark for now. He didn't want them to know that he was the reason their plans got the movement they needed. He thought about his initiation once again and even though he felt Stefano, EJ, and Chad were welcoming him into the business, a part of him felt that they had taken advantage of him and saw him as someone who was weak. Returning to his grandmother's thought, he stated, "I only wanted to share my excitement with yours since things are going in all of our favors."
The doorbell rang. Azzura gave Ignazio a skeptical look as she answered the door. Stefano made his way in. "Maddalena, we need to talk."
Maddalena clasped her hands together. Of course," she stated. Turning to Azzura, she spoke in code, "Please set up an appointment with my doctor. I am still feeling under the weather, and I think a home visit is required." Azzura understood her signora wanted her to set up a meeting with Colin.
Stefano eyed Ignazio as he stood in place. With Azzura gone, Stefano got to the point, "If I find out you had anything to do with William's attack, things will not be easy for you."
Ignazio quickly became nervous as Maddalena remained confident and unaffected by her brother's threat. "I swear to you, fratello, I had nothing to do with the attack last night. What would papà say to the way you spoke to me just now?"
Stefano ignored his sister's passive-aggressive question. "I know you're aware of Chad and Will's sexuality thanks to Ignazio," he shared turning his gaze back onto his great-nephew. Ignazio remained speechless wondering if Stefano regretted his initiation. "I am keeping my eye on you as well."
The doorbell rang once again. Ignazio took the opportunity to escape Stefano's gaze by answering the door. Hope stood on the other side of the door this time. Holding her badge out, she smiled, "I'm here to talk with your grandmother. Is she in?" Hope let out a sigh as she thought about how the police force had a lot on their plate at the moment – including finding out how Abe's file was leaked to the press.
Ignazio planned on lying to Hope but Maddalena stepped in. "Come in. Come in."
Ignazio moved out of the way so Hope could enter. After she walked in, he closed the door behind her. "She is busy with her brother at the moment."
Stefano turned to Hope and questioned, "Do the police force believe my sister is guilty or something?"
Hope continued to smile as she responded, "No. I just want to ask Maddalena some questions. She's not under suspicion or anything."
Maddalena returned Hope's smile as she claimed, "I am open to talk as I have nothing to hide." Turning to her brother, she sarcastically told him, "We can trade conspiracy theories at another time. I think you have said your piece for now." Stefano didn't argue with his sister and left. Maddalena returned to Hope deciding to formally introduce her grandson. "This is Ignazio, my… grandson."
"Yes, I remember him. He was at the scene when Will was transported to the hospital," Hope brought up.
Ignazio wanted to leave so he excused himself. "I need to check on something, so I will leave you two to talk."
As Ignazio headed to the dining room, Maddalena led Hope to a room on the opposite side that contained a fireplace. Hope remembered when she met Maddalena the first time at Lexie's house and found her familiar. The feeling was still there. "Before you moved in this house, had you ever visited Salem?"
"No, my brother made sure I stayed away," Maddalena denied it. She felt the familiarity of Hope as well.
Hope continued with her questioning. "As you are aware, we are trying to find out what happened to Mayor Carver. I'm here to see if you noticed anything suspicious around the time he was attacked and abducted since you are related to his wife."
Maddalena took a moment to think about Abe. She didn't want to answer Hope's queries too fast so she didn't seem suspicious. "I only met with Alexandra's husband a couple of times before the incident. He seemed like a really intelligent and ambitious man, but I did hear from others in the family that my brother and Abraham did not get along very well."
Hope took Maddalena's bait as she followed up, "What is your relationship like with your brother, Stefano?"
Hope's question confirmed for Maddalena that the cops believed Stefano was a suspect in Abe's attack and kidnapping. "I would say Stefano and I have a normal sibling relationship. He can be protective of me at times since I am the youngest, but he also has his moments where he will keep me at a distance because he has many secrets."
"Secrets?" Hope asked for clarification as she raised her eyebrow.
Maddalena nodded her head. "I am not sure what he is hiding, but he was always against me moving to Salem because he wanted to keep me at a distance as I said. Since I moved here, he appears to be on edge quite a bit. You saw him when you arrived just now."
Hope tapped her finger on her chin for a moment before asking, "Why did you move to Salem?"
Somewhat annoyed that Hope returned the focus onto her, Maddalena adjusted in her chair. "I am older now as is my brother. I want to be close to family, and my brother seems to love this town. I wanted to reconnect with Stefano and his family here."
While Hope and Maddalena continued their conversation, Ignazio walked towards the doorway that connected the entry way and the dining room because he heard the front door. He smiled when he saw that it was Ric. "You arrived quickly. Have you destroyed all the evidence?"
Hope walked out with Maddalena and was surprised to see Ric there. Ignazio quickly dismissed Ric before he could answer his question so he could find out why Hope was there. Clueless that Hope was in the room, Ric left the room through the dining room. Hope took note of Ric's presence but didn't say anything. Turning to Maddalena, she smiled, "Thanks for your time. I'll let you know if I have any more questions."
As Maddalena returned pleasantries with Hope, Ignazio made his way over and asked, "Have you two finished talking?"
Hope nodded her head. "Yes, do you have a moment to talk about my nephew, Will? I was told you two became friends when you moved here."
Ignazio's body shifted as he thought about Will's being in the hospital. That wasn't supposed to happen. "Yeah, is he going to be okay?"
"We're not certain," Hope answered. She didn't really have many questions for Ignazio because she didn't suspect him of anything, so she asked him one last question. "Do you know if Will received any threats or did anything happen recently that told you that he may be in danger?"
Ignazio shook his head as he remained calm. "No, Detective Brady. Everything was going well until Will and I discovered Chad cheating on Will with some girl. I guess she was his ex-lover or something."
Hope nodded her head and gave Ignazio a warm look as she thought about Mia and her connection to Chad. "Thanks. You have been helpful. If I have anything more, I'll be sure to call you."
"Anytime," Ignazio responded. Hope thanked Maddalena again and headed out.
Maddalena looked her grandson over questioning once again what exactly his plan to get rid of Chad was. "When Hope Brady and I walked in, what were you and Ric discussing?"
"It is not important," Ignazio said remaining mum on his plan with Ric, Mia, and Will. He was not ready to come clean just yet. He wanted to make sure everything played out perfectly first.
After showering and changing at the hospital, Chad walked out of the locker room thinking about what Jack said to him earlier. He pulled his wallet out from his tux pants and looked at the card that Jack gave him for a moment. He put the card back into his wallet and then placed his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. He made his way out of the hall running into Sonny. "Thanks for helping me out. You were right. I feel a bit better with the shower and change of clothes. Where's Abigail?"
"She went to something she promised her mom she would do with JJ," Sonny responded as he and Chad headed for Will's room. "What did you do while you waited?"
"Well, since Sami wanted to be alone with Will, I hung out where you left me – well until I was approached by Jack Deveraux. I think he was trying to get information out of me on what happened to Will."
Sonny rolled his eyes. "That sounds like my uncle. I'd be careful with him. He always finds a way to uncover the truth, and I know your family and the police department want to keep what happened a secret."
Chad understandingly nodded his head as they arrived at Will's hospital room door. "I hope Sami doesn't try to give me a lecture again."
EJ was already in the room sitting there silently. He stood up as he informed them, "Samantha had to step out. I'll give you guys time to spend with Will."
"Thanks," Chad said with relief and patted his brother on the back as he walked out of the room. Chad motioned for Sonny to go ahead.
Sonny made his way over to Will and took a seat next to the hospital bed. Looking him over and thinking about the darkness that surrounded his friend, he took a deep breath before starting, "Hey Will. It's Sonny." He paused for a moment hoping that Will would somehow respond to him, but Will remained completely still and unfazed by his surroundings. Trying not to be casual about this, he poured out his heart, "I really miss talking and laughing with you. You're the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for. I seriously don't know what I would do without you, Will. Please come..." Sonny stopped as his voice went out. It was really hard to see Will like this, and he tried his best not to break down. "I don't understand the hate that must have gone through your attackers' minds. Why do they hate so much?"
Chad placed his hand on Sonny's shoulder to help calm him down. "We will find whoever did this. I will make sure of it!"
Sonny wiped his face and stood up, so Chad could sit next to Will. "Maybe he'll respond if you talk to him again."
Chad wasn't so sure, but Sonny seemed to hope differently. He grabbed Will's right hand with both of his hands and moved in closer. "Will..."
Colin coming into the room interrupted Chad from continuing. He had seen EJ walk out and figured now was his opportunity to learn more about Will's condition. "I'm sorry to barge in here like this, but I need to run some tests on Will to see how he's doing. You two will have to leave the room. I'll make sure I send a nurse to come get you guys when I am done."
Sonny and Chad looked at each other a bit confused by Colin's abrupt entrance and kicking them out. "Okay," Sonny released putting his hand on Chad's back to lead him out.
Elsewhere in the hospital, Dario met up with his sister to talk about their mother. "So things are still looking bad?"
Arianna gave her brother a sad look because she knew her answer would only add on to Dario's guilt. She didn't want him to blame himself for what was happening. "No. I talked to Nathan in Mama's room, and the tests aren't looking so great. I'm still working on her to convince her to let you come see her. She's been asking about Manny a lot this morning."
"Well, maybe she will get to see Manny soon," EJ said as he walked up. "I am hoping for a release tomorrow or Monday, but Brooktree is making it difficult."
Arianna adjusted her body, so she could face her brother and EJ. "Why are they being difficult? They seemed understanding when they let him out after Christmas. Do they not believe my mother is really dying?"
"They believe that your mother is sick," EJ responded. "The issue is that I am trying to get Manny out for good. He's done well with his treatment and seems to be making great strides with his therapy sessions, but the state wants him to finish his time requirement."
Dario wondered what kind of therapy sessions Manny had to do. "I hope that they can let him out either way."
Arianna nodded her head knowing Isobel needed all of her children there. "Thanks EJ. If there's anything that you need from us to help with on getting Manny out let us know. It really means a lot that you're still looking out for us when you have your hands full with your own family problems."
EJ gave Arianna a sad but understanding smile. "Hopefully, things will work in all of our favors. I need to go find my wife, so I will be sure to keep you updated." Turning to Dario and placing his hand on his shoulder, he shared, "Be careful out there."
After EJ was gone, Dario placed his hands on his stomach as he rhetorically asked, "Does everyone know about me and Sonny now?"
Arianna hated seeing her brother in this situation. "So are you still set on trying to forget about Sonny? I don't like how you're going about this because in the end, you will only hurt yourself?"
Dario couldn't believe what Ari was saying to him. "Have you been talking to Manny? I have to do this for Mama. This is what she needs, and I want to do this for her."
"What do you need though?"
Dario couldn't look at Arianna because her question frustrated him. "I need the same thing," he stated adamantly.
Arianna wasn't convinced. She wondered if Dario was even more adamant about this after finding Will on the pier. "Stop lying to yourself! What you're doing with Chelsea is wrong!"
Dario spotted Chelsea coming from the elevator with Caroline. He quickly put his hands up to stop Ari from saying anything else. "Stop talking. She's here."
Arianna stopped as she spotted Chelsea, too. Caroline told Chelsea she had to go to the restroom, so Chelsea walked up to Dario and Arianna alone. "Hey Chelsea," Arianna said somewhat awkwardly. "I'm going to go talk to Mama," she told her brother to give Dario and Chelsea a moment alone.
Chelsea looked at Dario as she realized this was the first time she had seen him since last night. "So you were the one to find Will. I'm really happy you were there."
Dario grabbed the back of his head as he simply said, "Yeah."
"What were you doing out there?"
Dario recalled what happened with Sonny outside of Chez Rouge, but he decided not to share that with Chelsea. Instead, he shared, "I was upset about my mother and needed some air. I'm sorry I completely ditched you on our date. It was definitely very uncool of me."
Chelsea decided to let it go. "If the night hadn't ended the way it did, I wouldn't be talking to you right now – truthfully. You found my cousin, so I guess in a way it worked out. You're a hero in my eyes."
Dario smiled nervously as he reflected on what he saw at the pier. It bothered him that Will was attacked by homophobes, left for dead, and was now in a coma. "I really hope Will pulls through. No one deserves to go through that – gay or whatever."
"Yeah," Chelsea agreed with a slight nod. "It's sad that things are still this bad for gay people. You'd think people would know better than to hate."
Dario looked down as he thought about the things he was taught by his mother as well as the things he heard about gay people growing up. "People will believe what they want to believe, and you can't change their minds. It's probably best if gay people just stay in the closet and pretend they're not gay to stop the hate."
Chelsea looked Dario over to make sure he actually believed what he was saying. "I guess that might keep gays and lesbians safe from danger, but that's a huge step backwards in my opinion. People shouldn't have to live in fear either way because that's what they'll be doing if they pretend to be something they're not."
"I don't know. Maybe it's better if people recognize that being gay is a choice and that it goes against everything nature represents," Dario stated matter-of-factly.
Chelsea stepped back, but then forward to grab Dario's attention. "What have you been reading because that's not true at all?" Chelsea placed her hands on Dario's chest so he would look at her. "Dario, homosexuality is not a choice."
"It can be for some," Dario quickly quipped looking at Chelsea.
Chelsea removed her hand and gave Dario a frustrated look. "I guess there are some people that experiment, but what about the people who didn't chose to be gay and have always been attracted to guys? Are they supposed to conform to what everyone believes to be 'normal'?" Crossing her arms at Dario, she decided to ask him a question that hit closer to home. "So are Chad, Will, and Sonny supposed to turn off who they are to make the world happy?"
Dario didn't have to think through Chelsea's questions because his emotions already had a response. "It would keep them safe! It would keep them from ridicule and judgment. It would keep them from having to live a life of shame and disappointment!"
Chelsea didn't respond right away because she realized that finding Will on the pier really affected him more than he probably would like to admit. "Dario," she said softly hoping to help him through the fear that he felt. "I'm sorry that you had to…"
"I'm sorry," Dario interrupted shaking his head. "I shouldn't have talked to you in that way. I don't know what got into me."
Chelsea gave Dario an empathic look as she rubbed his arm. "You got to see the ugly side of the world when you found Will on that pier, but life is so much more than that. We can't let evil or hate win. We cannot allow this incident to get in the way of people trying to be who they are or might be."
Dario's fear increased as it felt like Chelsea could see right through him. He wondered how she could know the truth about him. Unhinged, Dario quickly came up with an excuse to leave and ran off.
In Isobel's room, Arianna crossed her arms as she informed her mother, "Dario is waiting with Chelsea by the nurse's station. He really wants to come see you."
"Have you heard anything about Manny? Will he be here soon?" Isobel asked ignoring her daughter.
Arianna was clearly annoyed. "Mama, did you not hear me? I just said that Dario is out there waiting for you. He hasn't seen you in almost two days! This is not healthy for anyone!"
Isobel was surprised with how Arianna was talking to her. She knew she couldn't avoid Dario anymore, but a part of her feared having to talk to him about everything. "Is it true he went on a date with Chelsea Brady?"
"Yes," Arianna reluctantly confirmed before adding, "but I think Dario is trying to do whatever to make you happy so you'll fight this illness again. You were actually improving but now you're digressing fast! What else is he supposed to think?"
As Isobel remembered her lie, she put her hand up and turned her face away from Arianna. "I don't want to hear that. My son will not be gay!"
Arianna put her hand on her forehead feeling frustrated. "What about Manuel? You turned your head when he was fooling around when he was younger."
"Yes, the family is cursed. I knew Manuel messed around with other men, but it was nothing he ever publicly shared. I discovered years back Rafael did the same things after I sent him away to the Convent of the Holy Cross Orphanage."
"So Dario's fault is that he admitted to it to you?" Arianna called out her mother.
Isobel shook her head and began to cough. "He shared it with the world. He has been blinded by the world and has forgotten how I raised him. Yes, I was disappointed in my other two sons, but Dario has always been special to me. He can't be like his older brothers."
Arianna noted that her mother was coughing quite a bit now, but she couldn't stand back and say nothing about how her mother was treating Dario. "If Dario is so special to you, then why are you keeping him away? Does this one part of him ruin everything for him? Are you going to allow his last memory of seeing you be that moment he honestly told you everything at that store?"
Isobel only coughed. She didn't say anything in response to let her daughter know she was finished with this conversation.
Arianna placed her hands on her hips and reminded her mother, "Do you remember what you said the other day? You said you wanted us to be happy with anyone. You just want us to be happy before you're gone. Dario was happy with Sonny."
Isobel threw her hands up once again. "No, Arianna. I will never accept that Dario is gay, and I will make sure he rejects any notion of the kind. You are right in that I need to talk to him. Dario will be straight because I will help him through this. Please help me get dressed. I feel like walking around."
Arianna headed for her mother's bag fearing what Isobel planned on saying to Dario. She knew she couldn't worry about that now though because she had accomplished the feat of convincing her mother to at least talk to Dario again. She hoped Isobel would come around for all their sake.
Abigail and JJ arrived at the town square to meet with their dad. JJ couldn't believe that Abigail brought him to visit their dad and smiled widely when he spotted Jack sitting at a table. Abigail knew she needed to do this for her brother, but at the same time she wanted to protect him, too. She believed this way she could keep an eye out.
Jack stood up when he saw Abigail and JJ making their way to him. He thought about his story at the hospital but knew he'd rather spend time with his kids. "Hey guys. Thanks for meeting me here. I know this is your last weekend before school starts, so I am excited to spend some time with you two before things get hectic."
Giving his father a hug first, JJ asked, "I heard you work here now. What exactly do you do?"
Letting go of his son, Jack explained, "Well, I am an investigative reporter for one of the news stations. They give me time for breaking news and developments around the town. I get to tell the truth and bring down the bad guys."
When Jack turned to Abigail, she gave him a slight hug for JJ's sake. She wanted to call him out for implying that the police force were the bad guys for his first big story, but she refrained for the same reason. "What story are you trying to break this time?"
Jack began to mess with his collar figuring the complete truth probably wouldn't make her so happy. "Well, everyone is trying to find out if Will's attack is connected to Abe's attack, but I don't really want to talk about that now. I want to focus on what's going on in your lives." Jack motioned to the table, and all three took a seat.
Abigail remained aloof because she couldn't let go of the lie Jack told her about why he was gone for so long. Knowing she couldn't trust him, she questioned how long it would be before he walked away from them again. "So is this job temporary?" she asked, causing JJ to give her a look. She decided to word her question better, "Are you trying to get another job through this one?"
Jack didn't know what to do because Abigail seemed set on talking about his job. "I'm not sure what's going to happen with the job, but what matters to me is that I am with you two." Changing the subject somewhat, he asked, "Have you two gone to see Will yet?"
As Mia walked by overhearing their conversation, Abigail answered, "Well, I saw him for a little before I picked up JJ to head here to meet with you."
"I don't really know Will," JJ answered honestly. "Have you seen him, dad?"
Jack leaned in as he placed his hands on the table. "I was at the hospital to talk to your mom, but I didn't get the chance to see how he was." Turning to Abigail, he asked a follow-up question, "How did he seem to you?"
Abigail didn't really think much about Jack's question at first and answered, "It's actually really bad. He's in this weird coma and there's no movement at all from him."
Jack felt bad for Will, but he wanted to know more. "Did anyone say anything to you about what exactly happened to Will last night – like if they have suspects or how precisely he was hurt?"
Abigail's ears perked up as she recognized what her dad was doing. "Oh my gosh. I can't believe you're trying to get information for your story from your own children! Just when I think I couldn't be more disappointed in you, you do this!"
As Jack realized he unconsciously tried to get his story through his kids, JJ turned to his sister and with a slightly raised voice told her, "You need to stop this! Why are you always thinking the worst of dad?"
Abigail became cautiously defensive. "I'm sorry JJ, but I don't trust dad. He's lied too many times!"
As JJ and Abigail continued to go back and forth, Mia decided she needed to talk to Chad. She pulled out her phone and sent him a text message asking him to check in with her. She hoped Will's lack of a response was good news for her.
JJ and Abigail's arguing was interrupted by Jack's phone when he received a text message. Jack quickly read it and looked up realizing they wondered who he got a text from. Deciding not to tell them the truth, he shared, "It's work. There's an emergency meeting, and they want me there. They can wait though because I am spending time with you, and I want to fix this."
Abigail stood from the table feeling wrong about having anything to do with Jack. "I think you should go. You don't want to be fired after you were just hired. I think JJ and I should be heading out anyway."
"No!" JJ shot back. "I want to spend time with dad. He wants to spend time with us."
Jack received another text and after reading it, he gave JJ a look of regret. "I really do have to go into this meeting. I will call you later, and maybe we can go grab a hot cocoa or something."
JJ agreed, and Jack left. Turning to his sister, he shared annoyingly, "I can't believe you sometimes, sis! You ruin everything!"
"I ruin everything? You can't believe me?" she threw back at her brother. "Our dad just majorly dissed you! He chose to work over spending time with you."
JJ became defensive of Jack. "Only because you told him to! He said we would hang out later anyway."
Abigail let out a quiet groan before laying it out for her brother. "You have no idea how this works. Yeah, he'll be around and make you feel safe again, but when you do, he's going to disappear and break you apart! I'm trying to protect you here!"
"I don't want your protection!" JJ yelled before running off.
Abigail followed suit, but both stopped by the stairs when they ran into Josh. Josh looked at both asking, "Is everything okay?"
JJ was clearly upset as he shared, "No. It's not okay. You should break up with Abby because she's a bitch! You should already know that though because she said no when you proposed to her." JJ ran off again.
Seeing Josh caused Abigail to remember Chad's advice to her the night before. She realized that she had really messed up with her brother and had not pushed herself in the right direction with her father. Feeling embarrassed by what her little brother called her and for bringing up Josh's rejected proposal, she said, "I should catch up with him. Can we talk later?"
"Sure." Josh said unemotionally trying not to get pulled in.
Abigail didn't know what to think of the tone of Josh's voice but didn't have time to figure where he stood in their relationship. "Okay. I'll call or text you," she replied before heading off to find her brother. Josh remained still and took a deep breath.
Hope walked past Josh and headed for Mandalay Café because Maggie had told her that Mia was headed that way. Spotting her, she rushed over and stopped her from leaving. "Mia McCormick. I need a moment of your time."
Mia wasn't pleased that a cop decided to waste her time. "Why? I don't know anything about Will's attack."
Hope raised her eyebrow because she sensed Mia's urgency to get out of any type of conversation with her. "We can get to Will's attack later. I want to talk to you about when you were attacked on Thursday. I heard that Chad DiMera brought you in to the hospital after it happened."
Mia quickly got nervous as she thought about the staged attack on her life to get Chad's attention. She remembered Ignazio swearing her to secrecy about their plan and Ric threatening her life if she should talk about it to anyone. Adjusting her purse over her shoulder, she stated, "I have nothing to say about that."
Hope stopped Mia as she tried to walk off. "So you do know something that could help us!" she gathered with Mia's response and body language. "You can help us out here because you may be the first and only person to survive an attack from whoever is doing all of this. Do you know who attacked you?"
Mia kept her distance as she pondered her options in this situation. She felt they were limited, so she stood firm with her response before. "Like I said, I can't help you."
Hope gave Mia a look of concern. "Has someone approached you and/or threatened you?"
"You mean besides the attack on Thursday?" Mia threw back rhetorically.
"This is very serious, Mia," Hope countered hoping to talk some sense into her. "There is someone out there attacking people at random. The mayor has disappeared, and Will is now in a coma." Changing her approach, she asked, "Do you care about Chad at all?"
Mia gave Hope a questioning look. "Why is that important? I do care about Chad."
Giving her an endearing look, Hope replied, "Chad is beside himself and is really hurting. You could help us by telling us what you know. He would appreciate you more if you helped us."
Mia thought about what Hope had to say. She thought about the fact that Ignazio's plan didn't work as he had promised her, so maybe she didn't have to keep her end of the deal. Figuring that she couldn't take the chance just yet, she decided to point to someone else. "I told Chad this, so I'll tell you the same. I think Victor Kiriakis is behind this. He made Kinsey disappear, and I think he was trying to make me do the same."
Hope crossed her arms wondering if Mia was trying to pull her leg. "Yes, Victor was suspected of being involved with Kinsey's disappearance, but that was all cleared up. Victor did nothing wrong, and Kinsey is safe and sound."
Mia rolled her eyes as she countered, "That's what you want us to believe. I think it's kind of odd that I haven't heard back from Kinsey and that Victor's name was cleared even though Kinsey never opened his email in the first place. It all just sounds so suspicious, and I am almost positive it was Victor who set up my attack."
Hope continued to be skeptical of Mia's blaming her father-in-law. "What makes you think Victor would want you out of Salem?"
Mia shook her head not wanting to say another word. "I've said too much already. I am sorry I can't be more help. If you see Chad, tell him I am sorry about what happened to Will." Mia quickly turned around and left. Hope wondered what Mia wasn't telling her.
Back in the halls of Salem University Hospital, Chelsea wandered around after her talk with Dario in search of her grandmother. She was a bit worried because Caroline hadn't returned from the bathroom. Fortunately, she found Caroline talking to Lucas, Sami, and EJ. "Grandma, there you are."
Caroline turned to Chelsea and apologized. "Sorry, Lucas just arrived, and I wanted to talk to him and Sami about Will's situation."
Sami gave Chelsea a look to let her know that they were limited in what they could say because they didn't want Caroline to know everything about Will's predicament. Turning to Lucas, Sami asked, "So did Kate take Allie to the mansion to see Johnny and Sydney?"
Lucas nodded his head feeling uneasy about his daughter being at the DiMera mansion even if his mother promised to keep her safe. "Yeah, against my better judgment. Is there any new updates on Will's condition?"
"I just talked to Daniel and all they can do is run tests and observe him at this point," Sami answered indifferently.
Caroline sensed things weren't looking good for Will. Grabbing Chelsea's arm for support, she asked, "Are we able to visit with Will?"
Sami nodded her head. "We are, but I want to talk to Lucas about a few things before we do," she informed her grandmother. She gave Chelsea a knowing look for help.
Chelsea helped support her grandmother and suggested, "We can see Will, but let's go grab a bottle of water from the cafeteria. I don't want you to get dehydrated."
Caroline knew Sami was trying to get rid of her, but she decided not to question her on it. "That's fine. Let's go." Caroline followed Chelsea to the elevator to head to the cafeteria, so Sami could talk to Lucas about what exactly happened with Will.
Elsewhere in the hospital, Isobel took a hold of Dario's arm, so he could help her walk around. Feeling his mother's grip and seeing her for the first time since his confession, Dario wondered if she forgave him for what he did to her. He began to speak, "Thank you for walking with me out here. I want to..."
Isobel stopped Dario from speaking by placing her hand over his mouth. She looked into Dario's eyes as she remembered the sadness she sensed from Dario when he called her from Colorado. She needed to mend some fences if she was going to help him through this. "Mijo, I need to say something first. I am sorry for shutting you out the way I did. I am your mother, and I should have been there for you."
Dario wondered what Arianna said to Isobel for her to apologize. It didn't matter because he wanted to finish what he was trying to say before. "I am sorry for what I said to you at that dress shop."
Isobel remembered Dario's confession clearly. Even though his confession disappointed her there was one word that stuck out more than the word gay. She looked down for a moment because she had a question for Dario even though she didn't really want to hear the answer. "You told me that you 'think' you are gay. I want to know the truth about your attraction to Sonny Kiriakis."
Dario could tell how uncomfortable his mother was because she couldn't even look at him. He decided to lie. "Sonny and I became friends over the summer and we were really close. You once told me that I could still be his friend even if he was gay." Dario looked at his mother wondering if she had changed her thoughts on homosexuality because she had apologized to him before. Sensing she wanted to know about his attraction to men and the fact that he used the word think when he admitted to being gay, he realized he had an opportunity. "Sonny is the only guy I have ever found attractive." Dario felt a tad guilty for lying, but he figured since Sonny was the only guy he messed around with, it wasn't that bad of a lie.
"What about Chelsea Brady?" Isobel asked in a warm and welcoming tone.
Dario paused for a moment before replying. "I really like Chelsea because she's caring and is really smart, but first I need to fully get over Sonny before I can commit to anyone else."
Isobel's sweet tone suddenly disappeared as she stopped walking and turned around to look at her son. "Dario Hernandez! You need to grow up, be a man, and commit to a woman!"
Dario thought about the online research he had done on how to fix his attraction to guys and claimed, "It's not that easy, Mama!"
Raising her hand and pointing her finger, Isobel suggested, "There is therapy for this, so you can learn how to control it. It won't be hard since Sonny is the only guy you have found attractive. Go to church. Talk to Father Matt and repent of your sin. Prayer and guidance from the church can go a long way." Isobel began to shake her head as she mentioned, "Maybe if you grew up with your father things might have been different for you. I babied you too much!"
Dario wished he had more faith like his mother, but he still struggled. "Do you really think you turned me gay?"
Isobel became more agitated and continued to lecture her son, "No. You did this when you got involved with Sonny. I told you time and time again to stay away from homosexuals and have nothing to do with them. They corrupt people! Look at the lives your brothers lived! You need to fix this! I don't want a gay son because I know, deep down, you are not homosexual!"
"Mama, I just reminded you that you said I could still hang out with Sonny even though he's gay…" Dario started, but he realized he had lost her attention. Her face had turned pale as if she had seen a ghost. "Mama, are you okay?"
Isobel shook her head to get the blood flowing again. For a split second, she thought she had seen Andres walking down the hall. She contemplated if the guilt of her secret was getting to her. She looked up to her son and strengthened her grasp upon his arm as she requested, "Please take me back to my room. I need to lie down."
Dario nodded his head and gave Isobel a look of concern. He hated seeing her so weak and couldn't shake the thought that he was responsible.
Back in Will's room, Chad held onto Will's hand trying his best not to be discouraged by the fact that Will hadn't responded at all. Chad kissed Will's hand as he kept repeating, "Come back to us, Will. Open your eyes or squeeze my hand to let me know you can hear me."
Suddenly, Lucas busted through the door with EJ and Sami in tow. When he saw that Chad was next to Will, he went ballistic. Separating Chad from Will, he shouted, "You should not be here! I disapprove of whatever you and my son had!"
"Mr. Horton, I promise to make it up to Will," Chad claimed.
Lucas got in Chad's face and continued to shout, "You've already done enough by always leaving Will alone when you don't need him! Where were you that night, Chad? I thought you loved my son? Why was he on that damn pier all by himself?" Chad stood frozen and couldn't respond. Sami grabbed Lucas's arm to calm him down, and it helped. Lucas backed off and turned around to look at Will as he made one last comment to Chad. "You have got to be the worst boyfriend ever! Will deserves so much better!"
"What did you just say?" Caroline asked as she entered the room with Chelsea. Everyone else froze in the room as Caroline suddenly dropped her water bottle and fell over unconscious.
Fortunately, EJ managed to catch her in time. Overwhelmed, Chad rushed out of the room to be alone. Sami kept her hand over her mouth as she wondered what would happen to her grandmother now that she knew the truth about Will again.
