The next morning Johnny, Sydney and Marlena were in Sami's hospital room waiting for her to wake up. Johnny and Sydney at one side of the bed and Marlena on the other. "So how was your flight, Sydney?" Marlena asked her granddaughter. She couldn't believe that Sydney was all grown up. A beautiful girl with her father's dark wavy hair and complexion and her mothers piercing blue eyes.
"The flight itself was fine." Sydney answered and Johnny sighed, not particularly wanting to relive what happened a little while ago.
"Okay…what happened?" Marlena asked both Johnny and Sydney, sensing that something was going on.
Sydney shot her brother an annoyed look but didn't say anything. "Dad and I went to pick Sydney up like we discussed yesterday." Johnny started.
"Right." Marlena nodded.
"But Sydney refused to get in the car with our father, making a whole scene at the airport. Yelling and everything." Johnny explained further. He had felt pretty embarrassed even though he was used to some family drama.
Sydney shrugged her shoulders, not feeling like she had done anything wrong. "You know that our father and I are not on speaking terms right now."
"Yes and he wants to fix that, that's why he came to the airport." Johnny told her.
"I don't care. I'm only here to see mom." Sydney replied simply, focussing her attention on her mother who was still sound asleep.
"Ooph, it's like I'm hearing your mother speaking." Marlena realized out loud, thinking back to when Sami was Sydney's age and refused to have anything to do with her while adoring her father at the same time.
"I'm proud to be like my mom." Sydney told her grandmother sharply. Knowing her siblings hated it when people said they were like their mom.
Marlena nodded. Unlike her siblings Sydney had spent most her life being with just her mother so her loyalty to her wasn't that surprising. "And why are you angry with your father?" She wondered.
"Why?" Sydney asked, a little annoyed that she even had to explain this. "Because he married the woman who stole me away from my mother right after I was born and he didn't even give me a second thought."
"So you feel like he chose Nicole over you?" Marlena guessed.
"Well obviously he did." Sydney stated and Marlena noticed Sydney even had the same mannerisms that Sami had when she was being stubborn.
Speaking of the devil Sami started to stir and Marlena quickly moved her attention towards her daughter. "Hi there, Honey." She said, softly coaching her to wake up, wanting her to slowly adjust to her environment.
Her granddaughter had a different plan though.
"Mom!" Sydney exclaimed, throwing herself at her mother as soon as she opened her eyes. "I'm so glad you're awake."
"Syd?" Sami asked, confused, but immediately hugging her daughter back. "You're here? In Salem?"
"Of course I am, mom. I'm worried about you." Sydney replied, while letting go of her mother so she could look her in the eyes.
"Are you okay, mom?" Johnny asked, grabbing his mothers hand and looking at his her just as worried as his sister did.
Sami looked at them sitting together at the side of her bed and she realized that they must have been really scared. "I'm okay, guys. I promise." She said with a smile, trying to reassure them. "I'm sorry I scared you."
"Sami, can you look at me for a second?" Marlena asked her daughter, wanting to check her awareness. Sami turned to look at her mother, giving her a small smile. She remembered waking up a few times during the night and her mother had been there with her. "How is your headache?" Marlena asked, feeling Sami's forehead to check if she was feeling warm.
"It's as good as gone." Sami answered honestly. She still felt a heavy tiredness but nothing like the headache she experienced earlier.
"Do you remember waking up before?" Marlena asked.
Sami nodded. "Yeah, vaguely."
"Well, you were pretty out of it." Marlena told her with a worried look.
"Mom, I feel okay. I promise." Sami replied. She felt tired as hell but she didn't want to worry her family.
"Do you know what happened?" Marlena wondered.
Sami nodded. "I passed out at the Pub."
"Do you know why?" Marlena asked.
"I- I just forgot to eat I think." Sami answered, downplaying the situation.
"It's a bit more complicated than that, I believe." Marlena started. "But we can talk about it later." She added, looking at her grandchildren, knowing Sami wouldn't want to worry them any further.
Sami shot her mother a grateful smile. "Thank you. So when can I leave?"
"I'll go see if I can find your aunt Kayla or another doctor who can discharge you." Marlena offered, standing up.
Sami pulled a face at the thought of seeing Kayla again. The last time she was in town seeing her aunt hadn't exactly been fun. "Another doctor, please." She told her mother.
"Why?" Marlena asked, confused as to why Sami wouldn't want to see Kayla.
"Never mind." Sami answered, realizing her mother did not know about their disagreement. "It doesn't matter. As long as I'm discharged."
"Alright, I'll do my best." Marlena said, giving her daughter a smile before leaving the room.
"Are you guys, okay?" Sami asked, turning to look at her children, who were still looking quite worried.
"Mom, you're the one in the hospital bed." Sydney answered.
"Yeah, what's going with you, mom?" Johnny asked, softly.
"Nothing, Honey. I guess it was just easier to take care of myself when I was also taking care of you guys." She answered, not wanting to lie to her children but also not wanting to worry them.
"So what have you been doing then, since I moved out?" Sydney wondered. She had left their family home a few months ago when her mother insisted that she should go live her own life. So she had been traveling a bit before deciding on a university.
"Nothing special." Sami answered. She definitely was not going to tell her children she had been hanging out at different bars almost every night. "Our house was just getting too big for me by myself so I've been staying at hotels and stuff."
"Hotels and stuff?" Johnny asked, shocked, not like the idea of his mother being in hotels by herself. "What does that even mean?"
"It's not that bad, Johnny." Sami tried to reassure him. "I'm just looking around, deciding where I will end up, you know what town or place I would like to settle down in."
"In Italy?" Johnny stated more than he asked and Sami nodded. "Why there though?" He wondered.
"I like it there. You know why. It's quiet and peaceful and the people don't judge me for my past." Sami explained, even though her children knew all this.
"But if you are planning to move, why not move back here where all your family is? Or go see Will and Allie for a while?" Johnny tried, trying to come up with better options than his mom staying in hotels in random places.
"Because I don't want to live in Salem and I'm pretty sure Will and Allie don't want me to come stay with them." Sami answered him.
"Okay then I'll find a university in Italy." Sydney offered. "Then I can move back home again, at least part time."
Sami sighed and closed her eyes. "Guys. stop it. please." She said before opening them again. "You have to live your own life. Johnny you just got married, focus on your wife and then maybe on starting a family. And Sydney you are at an age where you should be traveling the world and enjoying yourself before deciding what you want to do with the rest of your life."
"But mom, how can we enjoy all that if you're not happy?" Sydney asked, tears starting to form in her eyes when she said out loud for the first time that her mother wasn't happy.
Sami felt tears starting to form in her eyes as well at the sight of Sydney crying. "You guys being happy makes me happy, okay? That's all that matters to me."
Their talk was interrupted by Kayla and Marlena entering the room. "Hi there, Sami, how are you feeling?" Kayla asked her niece politely.
Sami quickly wiped her tears away, hoping her mom and aunt didn't see them. "I feel ready to go home." She answered confidently, sitting up a bit more.
Kayla checked Sami's vitals once more. "Go home where?" She asked.
"Italy of course." Sami said matter a-factly.
"I'm sorry Sami but I don't think that's a good idea." Kayla started. "Your body has given you a very clear message to take it easy for a while. That means no 10 hour flights and definitely not staying by yourself. You are lucky John was there to catch you when you fainted. You might not be that lucky the next time."
Sami groaned and threw her head back on the pillow. "Did my mother put you up to this?" She asked her aunt, knowing her mother wanted her to stay in Salem.
Kayla shared a look with Marlena before answering Sami. "Your mother and I discussed your case and both as doctors and your family we agreed that it will be better for your physical and mental health to stay with family. At least for a while."
Sami let out a sarcastic laugh and shook her head. "Mental health? You're kidding me, right?"
"Sami, your body literally gave out on you because you haven't been eating, drinking and sleeping enough." Marlena said sternly. "Your aunt Kayla has agreed to discharge you but you will be staying with John and I for at least two weeks. And we will make sure that you eat healthy, drink enough water and get lots of rest." She added and Sami looked at her suprised, a bit shocked by her mothers forcefulness.
"Please listen to grandma, mom." Sydney pleaded.
"Please, mom." Johnny added. "Will and Allie are on their way too. We can all spend some time together here in Salem."
Sami sighed but condeiced. "Fine but let the record show that I think your grandmother is overreacting."
"John is fixing up your room as we speak." Marlena said, ignoring her daughter's comment. "Sydney, we would love for you to come stay with us as well." She added, looking at her granddaughter.
"I would love to, if you have space." Sydney replied. She was definitely not going to stay with her father and his new wife.
"Yes, Brady and Tate are there as well but Rachel stays with Kristen most of the time so I'm sure she wouldn't mind you using her room for a few weeks." Marlena told her with a smile.
"When are Will and Allie getting here?" Sami asked, suddenly feeling the need to get out of the bed. She couldn't get further than swinging her legs over the side though because of the IV and other wires pulling her back. "Maybe I should arrange somewhere for them to stay too. I'm sure they'll be tired after their-,
"Sami, John is taking care of all of that." Marlena told her calmly. "You don't have worry about anything."
"Okay but I really need to shower and get dressed. Where's my stuff? And can you remove all these things?" Sami asked her mother, looking at the wires on her chest and the IV going into her arm.
"I'll go arrange your discharge papers and ask a nurse to help you with all that." Kayla offered.
"Thank you, Kayla." Marlena told her and Kayla nodded before leaving the room.
"Mom, I don't want to wait for a nurse to help me." Sami said, knowing how long that could take so she moved her hand towards her chest to remove the wires herself.
Marlena grabbed a hold of her daughter's hand to stop her. "Sami, stop. If you pull those off without turning off the machine first a whole squad of doctors will start running in here." She warned. "I will help you but please stay on the bed and don't touch anything." She added before moving to turn off the machine. Sami just groaned impatiently.
"Mom, do you need me to get you anything?" Johnny asked, realizing his mother was only wearing a hospital gown.
"Yeah... I had a purse and a small suitcase with me." Sami answered, looking around the room to see if someone brought them there.
"Both right here." John said, walking into the room. Suitcase in one hand and her Valentino purse in the other.
"John, thank you." Sami said, giving him a smile. She wouldn't say it out loud but John did always show up when she needed him.
"Of course, Sweetheart." John told her, giving her the purse and putting the suitcase down next to her. "It's good to see you sitting up but you really scared us. How are you feeling?"
"A lot better." Sami promised. "Ready to get out of here." She added, looking back at her mom who was still turning off the machine. "Mom, what's taking so long? Just pull the plug." She said impatiently.
Marlena and John shared a semi amused look. "I see our girl is back to being herself." John said.
Marlena rolled her eyes. "She sure is." She agreed, before standing in front of Sami to disconnect the wires from her chest. "I'm going to remove your IV now, okay?" She warned before removing the tube from Sami's arm. Sami couldn't prevent the flash back to death row from showing up in her mind as her mother was doing this so she closed her eyes tightly. "All done." Marlena said softly when the tube was out. "Now please take it-,"
"Easy. I know." Sami said but she had already let herself slide off the bed. She felt dizzy for a few seconds but she managed to steady herself.
Marlena sighed. "Alright, I'll help our girl get showered and dressed. We'll meet you guys in the townhouse later on." She told John, Johnny and Sydney.
