Bo told Carly that he was going out of town for a while because of a case he was working on, but Carly knew that Bo would never leave Ciara during Christmas unless it had something to do with Hope. Carly asked what was really going on, but Bo wouldn't tell her. Carly asked if Ciara knew that Bo was leaving, and he said he'd told the girl. Ciara would be staying with Doug and Julie. Bo said he would do whatever he needed to do to save Hope. Carly found Bo's "hero thing" very attractive.

Bo told Carly that he didn't want to leave, and Carly told him that she would always love him. Bo apologized, and Carly told him that when she showed up in town, she'd thought her life was over but he had protected her. Carly told Bo not look back once he left and not to have any regrets. Carly told Hope that she had bought Christmas presents for people at the police station on Bo's behalf. Bo said he hoped that things could be different. After Bo left, Carly cried.

The warden told Hope that Bo had received the letter that Hope had written and believed that Hope had gone crazy again. The warden taunted Hope with the idea that Carly had helped Bo to believe Hope was crazy. The warden said that Hope had been trouble since she'd arrived in prison. Hope was glad. The warden said that nosy girls like Hope needed to be punished. Hope asked what the warden was going to do to her, but the warden wouldn't say. Lee entered Hope's cell with a box of oranges.

Lee and the warden joked about what would have happened if Hope had tried to escape again. Hope called them insane. "And honey, if anybody's qualified to make that call, it's a wing nut like you," said Lee, referring to Hope's mental state. Hope called Lee and the warden monsters, and the warden left Lee alone with Hope. Lee told Hope to put oranges in the Christmas stockings. She told Hope that cops would beat suspects with a towel filled with oranges, so it would injure but wouldn't show bruises.

Hope said that no cops that she knew had ever beaten anyone with a towel full of oranges. Lee made jokes about Hope landing in the infirmary, and Hope threw the box of oranges at Lee. The guard restrained Hope and handcuffed her to the bed. Lee grabbed the stocking full of oranges and beat Hope with it.

Gabi and Will tried to study, but he was too distracted. Will asked if she knew that it was possible to sing all of Emily Dickinson's songs to "The Yellow Rose of Texas." She didn't know what the song was, and he explained that it was an old western song, and he started to sing it for her. Gabi could tell he was having trouble focusing because of his worry about Johnny, and Will said it was also because he was distracted by her beauty. They kissed. Will credited Gabi with being instrumental in them finding out about Johnny's medical issue. Gabi tried to reassure Will that Johnny would be okay.

Dr. Kim told Sami and E.J. that Johnny had eye cancer. Lexie overheard Dr. Kim's diagnosis. Sami thought Dr. Kim was wrong, because Johnny had never complained about having trouble seeing the chalkboard or that his eye hurt. Lexie said she suspected the same thing. Dr. Kim said that they needed to perform surgery and remove the whole eye. Sami refused to have the procedure done, and E.J. wanted to get a second opinion. Dr. Kim told them that they needed to make a decision right away, because the cancer could quickly spread and be life-threatening.

Nicole returned to the DiMera mansion with Sydney. She was on the phone with Brady and needed to get off the phone, because she was worried that people were watching her. Brady told Nicole that he missed her. Nicole assured Brady that faking their breakup was for a good cause -- so she could spend time with Sydney. She promised to call Brady once Sydney was in bed. After she got off the phone, she was surprised to find that no one was there.

Mary told Nicole that Stefano had gone out of town and E.J. had taken Johnny to the hospital. Nicole knew that nothing would have stopped E.J. from making sure that Nicole got Sydney home on time. Nicole worried that something was seriously wrong. Nicole called E.J. at the hospital and asked if everything was okay. E.J. didn't want to talk, but he asked Nicole to tell Mary to watch Sydney. Nicole wanted to stay with Sydney, but E.J. insisted that Mary take care of his daughter. Nicole called Brady to tell him that they could meet after all. She called him to the mansion.

Nicole and Brady made out on the couch in the living room. They made love and gloated about how fun it was to "put one over on E.J." Someone lurked outside the living room and watched through the window as Nicole and Brady had sex.

Sami asked Ben whether E.J. had made a decision about Johnny's surgery yet, but E.J. hadn't. Sami asked if there was another alternative to removing Johnny's eye, and Ben said that if there were another way, Dr. Kim would have advised that. Ben said that removing the eye was the treatment for an eye tumor, and they would give Johnny a prosthetic eye that would look exactly like his other eye, except it wouldn't move.

Rafe tried to convince Sami that it wasn't her fault that Johnny had eye cancer. She felt that she had been so focused on E.J. that she couldn't see that Johnny had cancer. She was thankful that Gabi had taken the photo and showed it to Rafe, or Sami still wouldn't know about the cancer. She felt guilty that she was Johnny's mother and should have known what was going on with his health. Rafe said that bad parenting wasn't the reason that Johnny had cancer. Sami felt like Johnny's whole life had been "a crap shoot," including how he had been conceived. Rafe was angered just thinking about how E.J. had coerced Sami into having sex back then.

Dr. Kim said that Dr. Mills had consulted on Johnny's case and agreed with Dr. Kim's diagnosis and recommended treatment. Sami asked Rafe to call Will and tell him about Johnny and ask Will to visit Johnny. E.J. told Sami that no matter what Sami had done to him, he was sorry for accusing Sami of deliberately hurting Johnny. Sami wanted E.J. to apologize for saying afterwards that Sami couldn't see Johnny anymore. E.J. said he had been upset about Sami and Johnny having secret hand signals.

E.J. asked for a temporary ceasefire with Sami, and she agreed to set aside their anger towards each other and focus on Johnny. Sami pointed out that Johnny's family had saved his life -- the family that E.J. didn't want him to be around. Sami said that she would be in her son's life to see him through his treatment and would never, ever let him go afterwards.

Rafe called Will and told him about Johnny's diagnosis. Rafe asked Will to meet them at the hospital. Will told Gabi about Johnny's diagnosis. Will and Gabi visited Johnny in his hospital room. When Johnny woke up, he saw Will and asked for Sami. Rafe told Johnny that Sami would be there soon. Johnny asked for his penguin, and Rafe said it was at the DiMera mansion. Johnny wanted to know when he could go home. Rafe didn't know, and Johnny said he wanted to go to "Mommy's house."

Ben told Sami that Johnny wouldn't feel a lot of pain, and they could be with Johnny until the procedure. After the surgery, Johnny would look like a pirate with a patch over one eye. Johnny would be fitted with a prosthetic eye, and the doctors would have to run more tests to make sure the cancer didn't spread. Will told Sami that Johnny was asking for her. Sami reminded E.J. that they would make it clear that Johnny would be okay.

Rafe told Will that hopefully people would realize that Johnny was a little boy who needed his whole family around him and they would stop treating him like a tug-of-war rope. Sami and E.J. told Johnny that he wouldn't be going home yet. Johnny asked why not and what was wrong with him.

Hope struggled to sleep in her isolated prison cell, but the pain from her injuries kept her awake. When a prison guard entered Hope's cell, bearing food, Hope slowly opened her eyes and was shocked to find that the prison guard was Bo. Bo squatted next to Hope's cot and assured her that she was going to be okay. When Bo started to help Hope up, she cried out in pain. "What have they done to you?" Bo asked.

Hope told Bo that Lee had injured her as a warning. "She's the one behind it all," Hope said quietly. With effort, Bo helped Hope to sit up. Grimacing with pain, Hope told Bo all that she had learned about the murdered prisoners. Bo assured Hope that he believed her story but that in the interest of safety, they needed to break out of prison. Overwhelmed with pain, Hope was too weak to stand up. Worried about her husband, Hope urged Bo to think about Ciara and abandon his plan to help her escape. Bo stubbornly refused to leave Hope to die in prison, and he convinced her to go with him by saying he was protecting Ciara.

As Hope struggled to her feet, Lee walked past the cell and notice Bo holding Hope upright. Bo acted as if Hope was hanging on to him against his will. Bo pushed Hope onto the cot and told Lee that he was dropping off dinner to the prisoner. Lee was suspicious and noted that she was going to talk to the head guard. As Lee started to walk away, Bo grabbed her and stopped her from fetching reinforcements.

"You just made a really big mistake," Lee growled. Fighting pain, Hope grabbed her tray of food and hit Lee over the head, knocking her to the ground. "No. You did," Hope grunted. With a faint smile, Hope added, "I enjoyed that. I really did." Bo put Lee in Hope's cot to fool the next patrol, then he helped Hope out of the cell and down the hallway.

In the DiMera living room, Nicole and Brady made love on the floor. "Talk about making the most out of a room," Brady joked. Nicole giggled as she kissed Brady and said, "Not a DiMera in sight and nobody knows we're celebrating." As Brady and Nicole kissed passionately, they were unaware of a man in the garden, taking photos of them through the window.

After making love, Brady and Nicole were getting dressed when they heard Mary walking down the stairs. With a grin, Brady rushed out the back door into the garden. Mary was surprised to find Nicole was still in the living room. Nicole asked Mary to tell Sydney that she loved her, then she headed out the door when she received a text message from Victor asking her to meet him.

Victor paced his living room as he talked to an employee about the hostile takeover of Titan by a Swiss company. Maggie arrived as Victor was hanging up the phone. When Victor joked about the package in Maggie's hands, she coldly commented that the box was filled with items that belonged to Melanie. Maggie added that she did not want to be in the same room with Victor, but when Victor perused the contents of the box, he wondered aloud whether she "doth protest too much." "Stuff it," Maggie said tersely.

With a smirk, Victor asked Maggie where her Christmas spirit was. "I guess I have to get used to the fact that you're too good for me and that I've lost my very best friend," Victor said with a mocking sigh. Angry, Maggie reminded Victor about what he had done to Vivian. Victor countered that because Maggie had abandoned him, he'd lost his moral compass and if she had been around, he might not have buried Vivian alive.

Kate listened to Victor and Maggie from the hallway, and when the moment was right, she entered the living room and kissed Victor on the cheek. While Kate blathered on about her vacation plans with Victor, Maggie awkwardly watched Kate, then excused herself from the room. After Maggie had left, Victor joked that Kate was laying her act on a little thick. "You're never going to make Maggie jealous if you keep looking at her like a puppy that's been naughty," Kate purred.

Kate explained that she was playing the part of a gold digger out to use Victor so that Maggie would attempt to rescue him from Kate's clutches. Philip entered the living room and asked about Victor's text message. Confused, Victor admitted that he had not sent Philip a text. When Kate received a text from Victor, he raised his eyebrow. Brady and Nicole arrived at the mansion next, and Victor announced that he was feeling déj? vu. Brady pretended to be annoyed by Nicole's appearance, but Victor was too busy wondering what Vivian was doing to notice Brady's faux annoyance.

Frantic, Philip called Melanie's cell phone and left her a message telling her not to return home to the Kiriakis mansion. Victor attempted to calm Philip by saying that Melanie was safe from Vivian, but that he, Philip, Brady, Nicole, and Kate were in trouble and should leave the mansion. It was too late for that, Vivian announced as she marched into the living room. "So nice to spend the holiday with family and friends," Vivian said with a smile. Vivian informed the group that she had taken over Titan and had become the majority stockholder in the company. "I say jump, and you say how high, and you have no choice or I leave you all with nothing," Vivian said.

Chloe was folding her clothes in her living room while Daniel talked about how angry he was with Philip when he'd learned that Philip had cheated on Melanie. Daniel was admitting that he should not tell Melanie about the affair when Lexie called Daniel's cell phone to ask him to head down to the hospital. Lexie informed Daniel that she needed help with a retinal blastoma patient, and that she wanted to make sure that the patient was in good hands. "You know the patient," Daniel correctly deduced. Holding back tears, Lexie admitted that the patient was her nephew Johnny.

Concerned, Daniel assured Lexie that he would head over to the hospital. After hanging up the phone, Daniel told Chloe about Johnny's illness. Empathetic, Chloe and Daniel stared at their sleeping son and hugged each other sadly. Over at the hospital, Lexie informed Rafe that Daniel was heading there to work to perform the surgery on Johnny. Frustrated, Rafe wondered aloud how much pain Sami would have to go through. "I was with her when Grace died, you know. Now this," Rafe said as his voice cracked. "How the hell is she going to tell that sweet little boy what is going to happen to him?" Rafe asked Lexie with concern.

Chloe was still cleaning in her living room when Maggie stopped by to visit. Maggie asked Chloe if she had interrupted something earlier when she found Chloe and Philip talking. Chloe denied there was anything wrong, but Maggie informed Chloe that Daniel had admitted that he had fought with Philip. Maggie pushed Chloe for information about the fight, but Chloe avoided the question. Chloe told Maggie about Johnny's cancer, and Chloe wondered aloud, "How much more Sami can take?" Maggie assured Chloe that Sami was strong enough to deal with Johnny's illness, but that she was worried about how E.J. would react to his son's cancer.

At the hospital, Sami and E.J. talked to Johnny about his surgery. Sami delicately attempted to explain to Johnny that the doctor needed to remove his eye. As Sami wavered while choosing her words, E.J. encouraged Johnny to hold his mother's hand while E.J. told the boy some scary news. Johnny gripped Sami's hand, and E.J. told Johnny that the doctors were going to take Johnny's eye. "Oh, okay," Johnny said calmly. As Sami and E.J. looked at one another in surprise, Johnny then asked when he would get his eye back.

Sami took a deep breath and told Johnny that the doctors could not give Johnny his eye back because it was "sick." Upon learning that he would never get his eye back, Johnny called out his mother's name and hugged her tightly. E.J. and Sami did their best to calm Johnny, but he remained upset. E.J. asked Sami to talk to him quietly in the corner. Once they were out of earshot, E.J. suggested to Sami that she go outside and get some air. When Sami resisted, E.J. asked for time alone with Johnny.

Sami wondered aloud whether E.J. was going to intimidate Johnny into having the surgery and as she raised her voice, Johnny cried out, "Stop fighting!" Sami walked back to her son and apologized for fighting. "We were just fighting cause we were scared," Sami said sweetly. "We hate that something bad has happened to you," E.J. added. When Johnny asked his parents whether he would have a hole in his face, E.J. and Sami joked about his pirate-like eye patch and how he would eventually get a fake eye.

When Johnny looked quietly at his parents, Sami worked to calm her son by telling him that his good eye would be extra strong and that Johnny would still be able to play sports. E.J. made a joke, prompting Johnny to giggle and relax a little. Johnny admitted he was scared, and Sami assured him that fear was a normal reaction. "The secret to being brave is love," Sami whispered. "Love is stronger than fear, and it's stronger than worry, and it's stronger than whatever is happening to your eye right now. Love is the strongest thing in the whole world, and it is going to help you feel better," Sami said soothingly.

Daniel prepped Johnny for surgery and informed him that he would feel better after the operation. Sami and E.J. gave Johnny a pep talk as he grew sleepier from the medication. Johnny drifted off to sleep, and Daniel assured Sami and E.J. that he would take care of Johnny. As the orderlies wheeled Johnny's gurney down the hall, Rafe hugged Sami as she wept. Rafe encouraged Sami to remember that Johnny was a "special" kid. Sami nodded and then began to nervously chatter about whether E.J. would let her be a part of Johnny's life.

Attempting to head off Sami's impending emotional breakdown, Rafe urged Sami not to think about the future and to think only about the surgery. "You're the strongest person that I know. Let's not forget we went through a lot of stuff, and we can get though this. Together," Rafe whispered to Sami as E.J. eavesdropped from nearby. "I couldn't do this without you," Sami said to Rafe. Sami admitted that losing Grace was the most difficult thing she had been through and that she was worried she could not go through that pain again.

"Don't talk like that," E.J. said firmly as he approached Sami and Rafe. "We're not going to lose Johnny," E.J. assured Sami. When Rafe rolled his eyes at E.J., E.J. bristled with jealousy and attempted to pick a fight with Rafe. Wanting to avoid a fight in the hospital, Sami tugged on Rafe's arm and called E.J. a jerk. "I've tried to do what is best for my son. I let you spend time with him, but after this, we go back to the status quo. You don't get to see Johnny," E.J. said calmly.

Furious, Sami told E.J. to go to hell. Lexie stepped in between her brother and Sami and ordered them to stop fighting. Lexie warned Sami and E.J. to behave like adults, or she would have them thrown out of the hospital. E.J. retreated to the corner and paced back and forth while Sami called Roman on her cell phone. Sami asked Roman not to go to the hospital because she was worried it would anger E.J. When Roman asked about E.J., Sami admitted that she was vacillating between wanting to strangle him and feeling terrible that he was "all alone."

Lexie cautiously approached E.J. and suggested that E.J. reach out to Stefano for support. "He knows what you're going through," Lexie said quietly. Stealing a glance over at Sami and Rafe, E.J. whispered, "I don't think anyone knows what I'm going through." Lexie went to check on Johnny's progress, and E.J. and Sami wondered aloud why the surgery was taking so much time to complete. "I have this sense that something is wrong," Sami said nervously. When Rafe told Sami that everything was fine, she shook her head vigorously.

"I want my son to be all right. I just want him to get through this, and I want to see him smile, and I want to hear him laugh, and I want to hold him in my arms, and I want to know that everything is going to be all right. And I want this nightmare to be over. I can accept that he has to lose his eye, but I want him to be cancer-free and I want to know that he is going to be all right," Sami said. Rafe gently took Sami in his arms as E.J. watched them from across the room.

In the operating room, one of the other doctors sighed in frustration. Worried, Daniel asked the doctor whether the cancer had spread.

At University Hospital, E.J., Sami, and Rafe paced anxiously while they waited for Johnny to get out of surgery. E.J. fretted that it was taking too long, so Lexie left to get a status update. Rafe tried to reassure Sami that everything was going to be all right, but she was worried almost to the point of inconsolability. After some vague hemming and hawing, E.J. announced to Sami that they needed to set some ground rules where their son was concerned. Will arrived just then and overheard, and blew up at E.J.

Dr. Kim and Daniel had just finished performing Johnny's surgery when Lexie entered the operating room. Daniel asked Dr. Kim if the cancer had spread, but Dr. Kim asked Lexie if she would take a look at something first.

While Sami was trying to calm Will down, Dr. Kim arrived from the operating room, followed by Daniel and Lexie. Dr. Kim informed E.J. and Sami that the surgery had gone very well -- and there were no signs that the cancer had metastasized. Sami broke down in tears of utter relief, and hugged Will and Rafe. Daniel cautioned everyone that they still had to wait for the test results before they could be absolutely certain that they'd gotten all the cancer, but he was optimistic.

E.J. asked if he could see Johnny, but Daniel said that he had some things they needed to discuss first. E.J. coldly told Sami to make herself scarce, but Daniel firmly stated that the whole family needed to hear what he had to say. Afterwards, Dr. Kim announced that Johnny was out from under the anesthesia, so Sami and E.J. could see their son.

E.J. and Sami tiptoed into Johnny's room, where the boy was still sleeping, a black patch covering his right eye. The parents sat on opposite sides of the bed, and spoke soft words of encouragement to their son. Sami announced her intentions to spend the night in Johnny's room. E.J. quietly pointed out that since the crisis was over, it was time to "return to life as normal" -- one in which Sami was not a part of Johnny's life.

Whispering so as not to wake Johnny, Sami declared that she was not walking away from her son. E.J. said that he would allow Sami to stay, since he had promised Johnny that his mommy would be there when he woke up. E.J. threatened that if she didn't say goodbye after Johnny woke up, he would turn over Sami's confession and the gun with which she'd shot him to the police. Sami was incredulous that E.J. had called a truce with her for the sake of their son, but it had all been lies.

"I said what needed to be said at the time," E.J. replied. "And if you gleaned anything more from that, then you're a fool." Just then, Johnny woke up. After Sami and E.J. reminded him that he had an eye patch, just like a pirate, Sami offered to read her son a story. E.J. suggested that he would read the book, while Sami went home to let Johnny's family know that he was doing just fine. Sami gave Johnny a goodbye hug and kiss, and despite E.J.'s subtle protests, she promised to return soon.

Since some cancers were genetic, Daniel told Rafe that Johnny's twin sister, Allie, should be checked out to be safe. Rafe expressed his concerns that because E.J. had custody of Johnny and Sydney, E.J. might withhold vital information from Sami. Daniel promised that he would watch out for Johnny, and make sure that Sydney got proper medical care, should it be necessary.

A heartbroken Sami fought back tears as she closed the door to Johnny's room behind her. As soon as Rafe saw her -- and the devastated expression on her face -- he rushed over to embrace his wife.

Sami and Rafe then returned to the loft. Sami expressed her disbelief that E.J. would make her leave on the worst day of their son's life. Rafe promised that they would figure things out, but an exhausted Sami just wanted the war with E.J. to end.

Vivian gleefully proclaimed to the group assembled at the Kiriakis mansion that she had just become Titan's majority stockholder, and that meant that they all had to answer to her. "I just can't wait to boss you all around and rub salt in your wounds!" Vivian said. "I am not letting you get away with this!" Victor declared.

When Melanie arrived, she was stunned to see Vivian there -- especially when Vivian announced, "There's been a coup d'état here, darling. Meet the new CEO of Titan Industries." Kate and Nicole tried to leave, since they didn't work for Titan, but Vivian cheerfully informed the group that she owned the house. She explained that since Victor hated to part with his tax dollars, he and his accountant had declared the house Titan's headquarters. Disgusted, Victor left the room.

Nicole again tried to leave, but Vivian declared that Nicole couldn't go until she'd heard about Vivian's special revenge plans for Nicole -- and Kate. Kate pointed out that Vivian's plans never worked. Victor returned and informed Vivian that his lawyers were going to contest every one of her stock transactions. Melanie and Philip wanted to leave, but Victor asked that everyone keep living there -- otherwise it would look like Vivian's claim to the property was legitimate.

Melanie concurred, noting that Vivian believed that all of them would hate living there with her. "But have you thought about how you're going to feel, living with us?" Melanie asked Vivian. "I don't think you've thought this one through. Do you know what it's going to be like living with a bunch of people who love each other, and, I don't know, have friends and regular lives? Isn't that just going to make you feel even more like a dried-up, over-the-hill, useless old crow?" Impressed, Victor told Philip, "She's got a permanent place in my heart."

Vivian called for Henderson, and ordered him to get some eggnog for everyone. Victor indicated that Henderson should obey, so a scowling Henderson left for the kitchen. Vivian tried to get her new minions to sing Christmas carols, but their unenthusiastic response disappointed her.

When Henderson returned and offered some eggnog to Melanie, she ran from the room, nauseated, and Philip followed. In the foyer, Philip apologized to Melanie for having to put up with Vivian. Melanie offered, "Vivian's had her big moment; now it's our turn. Let's torture her together." An amazed Philip then led his wife up the stairs.

Nicole had finally had enough, so she left without running it by Vivian first. Vivian casually followed Nicole out to the front stoop. Nicole tried to continue the ruse that she and Brady loathed even being in the same room, but Vivian wasn't buying it. "You and Brady love being in the same room -- especially when you think you're alone," Vivian asserted, as she showed Nicole some pictures of Nicole and Brady naked in the parlor of the DiMera mansion.

Bo helped a badly injured Hope escape from the prison. She could barely walk, so she urged him to go on without her. Refusing, Bo picked Hope up to carry her out, and she fell unconscious in his arms.

Meanwhile, Warden Jane Smith was giving a tour of the prison to a disguised Jennifer, using the alias "Ms. Spencer." As they reached the infirmary, Jennifer divulged that she had experience in both journalism and health care. Jane offered Jennifer a job as an administrative assistant, since Jennifer knew how to deal with the press. Jennifer agreed, but as they were leaving for the warden's office, alarms began to sound. Rattled, Jane told Jennifer to stay in the infirmary: they were in lockdown because of a security breach. The warden hurried out.

Jane arrived at Hope's cell just as Lee awakened in Hope's bunk. A sore Lee explained that Hope had attacked her with a tray while Lee was talking to a new guard -- who Lee realized was likely Hope's husband.

Jane and Lee continued discussing what had happened as they returned to the infirmary. Jane introduced Jennifer to Lee, who wasn't exactly thrilled to meet the new hire. Jane asked Jennifer to write a press release to give to the media right away, and gave Jennifer a picture of Hope to include with the story. "This prisoner is a violent offender," Jane stressed. "She should be considered armed and dangerous."

After Jennifer left for the warden's office, Jane asked Lee to describe the new guard. "Dark hair; beard; good-looking -- cheekbones like k.d. lang," Lee said. Jane surprised Lee by grinning and declaring, "That's him. Good. In a way, having the commissioner bust Hope out of here was the best thing that could have happened."

Suddenly, Jennifer rushed back in, and breathlessly informed Jane that the phones and computers in the warden's office were down. Jane and Lee ran out, and Jennifer smiled to herself. "I hope I just bought you some time, Bo," Jennifer said under her breath.

Bo carried an unconscious Hope into a rustic, one-room cabin, and placed her gently on the bed. When Hope awakened later, Bo was heating up some broth on a hot plate. He helped her sit up, and held a mug of the warm liquid to her lips. Bo explained that after she had passed out, he had taken her to an old fishing cabin to which his dad had taken him years before, where they would be safe. Hope couldn't believe that Bo had carried her as far as he had -- or that he had believed in her enough to risk his life to break her out of prison. Bo declared that getting her out of prison was only the first part of his plan.

Hope wanted to know where Ciara was, if Bo was with Hope. Bo reassured her that Ciara was with Doug and Julie. Hope asserted that the warden would soon have search parties looking for them, and fretted, "That means both of Ciara's parents are in mortal danger. You can't do this." Despite her pleas, Bo refused to leave Hope until they got the charges against her dropped -- and then both of them would go home to their little girl. Bo pulled on his hat, gloves, and coat to go outside and have a look around. Hope cautioned him to be careful, but as soon as he was out the door, she picked up his cell phone.

When Lee and Jane returned to the infirmary, Jane apologized to Jennifer for the "baptism by fire," but asserted that it had never happened before on her watch. A guard arrived with surveillance footage of "the phony guard," and showed it to the warden. The footage confirmed Jane's suspicions that it had been Police Commissioner Bo Brady, who had broken his wife out of prison. Jane ordered the guard, "Add Bo Brady's name to the APB, and alert the manhunt that he's also a suspect, armed and dangerous." Jane vowed that both Bo's career and his life were over.

Bo caught Hope trying to use his cell phone and chastised her. She said she wasn't planning to call the station to turn herself in, even though she felt she should do that. Hope tried to convince Bo to save himself, but Bo said they were in it together. He reminded her that they needed to lay low until they could prove what was going on in the prison. He asked why she had been trying to use his phone, and she said she was trying to call Ciara to hear her voice.

Hope promised it wouldn't happen again. Bo understood -- he just wanted her to understand what they were up against. Hope asked whether Bo understood what he had done to his life by helping her. Hope apologized to Bo for the mistakes she had made in their marriage. Bo said they both had made mistakes, and they would work that out some other time. He wanted them to focus on getting out of the situation they were in.

Hope said that what kept her going in prison was the knowledge that the people that Bo needed and loved were beside him. She said that by helping her, he would lose those people. Bo said that they needed to focus on exposing what was going on in the prison and letting people know that he had needed to get Hope out of jail before the warden killed her like the other women. Bo said they needed to focus on getting the job done so that she could get home to Ciara, and he asked if Hope could trust him and believe in him. She said she could.

Bo predicted that the warden would go straight to the state police. He said they shouldn't contact Roman and put him in any situation where he could be compromised. While they were talking, Hope heard someone outside.

Roman told Rafe how sorry he felt for Johnny's condition, and while they were discussing how Sami was doing, the prison warden, Jane, walked in and asked Roman whether he was helping Bo and Hope. Roman said that not only was he not helping Bo and Hope -- he had put an APB out on them. Rafe tried to calm the warden and Roman, saying there must have been a mistake. Jane insulted Rafe, calling him either stupid or dumb. Roman told her to shut up or he would personally kick her butt out the door.

Roman introduced Jane to Rafe, and she showed them security footage of Bo breaking Hope out of jail. Jane said that Bo had done that before and had broken Roman out of prison once. Roman said that was a long time before. Jane said that she had already called the governor, and the governor had ordered the state police to handle the manhunt. Jane vowed she would get Hope back one way or another.

Jane explained that the state police didn't want Roman to be involved in the case, because they didn't want him passing messages to Bo. After Jane left, Rafe assumed that Roman had called him into work because of Bo and Hope, but Roman said he had something else to talk to Rafe about. Roman made Rafe the acting police commander, because the state police wouldn't keep them in the loop if Roman was in charge. Rafe didn't think that the state police would cooperate with him, either, because he was married to Sami. Roman said they needed to talk to Carly.

Rafe accepted Roman's job offer, but he said that Sami would be Rafe's first priority. Roman said she was his first priority, too, but he needed to help Bo. Roman had a feeling that they needed to find Bo and Hope before anyone else did, judging by the way the warden was acting.

At the prison, Lee worried that Hope could accuse Jane and Lee of killing prisoners. Jane said no one would believe Hope, because she had gone on record for hallucinating and acting paranoid. Lee worried that people would check into Hope's allegations. Jane said the best thing would be for Hope not to talk again ever. Jane was happy that the state police were in charge, and Jane had friends on the force. Jane was confident that if one of the state police officers found Bo and Hope, they would be killed.

Nicole asked Vivian how she had gotten pictures of Nicole and Brady having sex, and Vivian said Nicole should be more concerned about her future and less concerned about how Vivian got the pictures. Nicole explained that she and Brady had an on and off relationship and that no one cared, but Vivian knew otherwise. Her sources had told her that Nicole had an arrangement with E.J. to stay away from Brady, or Nicole wouldn't be able to see Sydney.

Nicole tried to pretend that Vivian was wrong, but Vivian threatened to tell the DiMeras. Nicole grabbed the envelope with the photos and walked away. Gus told Vivian that he had found out where E.J. was. Meanwhile, Nicole went to the DiMera mansion to see E.J., and Mary told her that something terrible had happened.

Brady called and left a message for Nicole, suggesting that they have sex on Victor's boat. Maggie overheard him and asked why he was, calling Nicole since they had broken up. Brady said that he and Nicole still didn't want to have anything to do with each other -- they were just worried about Vivian. He filled Maggie in on Vivian's latest scheme to take over Titan and the mansion. Brady said they planned to fight back. Maggie expressed her concern that Vivian might try to target Melanie again. She said that no one was safe in the mansion -- not Brady or Victor.

Brady said that Maggie still cared about Victor, and she said her concern had nothing to do with that. She was concerned because Vivian was a psychopath. Brady said that Vivian was not out to kill anyone, because she wanted them to suffer.

Stefano stopped by Johnny's room to check on Johnny, because Lexie had called Stefano against E.J.'s wishes. E.J. filled Stefano in on Johnny's cancer. Stefano asked how it could have happened so suddenly, and E.J. said, "How do you think? Samantha." E.J. said that every man had run away from Sami and every child had been destroyed by her. E.J. said that Sami had given Johnny cancer. Stefano asked if E.J. believed that Johnny's cancer was caused by some kind of witchcraft.

E.J. clarified that everything that Sami touched went wrong. Stefano agreed with that statement, but he couldn't believe that Sami was responsible for Johnny's cancer. E.J. told Stefano how Sami had sneaked into the mansion and set up secret hand signals telling Johnny that she still loved him and later Johnny had said that he didn't want anything to do with E.J. E.J. claimed that Sami confused Johnny, and the stress had contributed to Johnny's cancer. Stefano told E.J. that Johnny was strong, and E.J. needed to be strong too. Stefano encouraged E.J. to take a walk with him.

Nicole went to the hospital to see E.J. She called and left a message for Brady to tell him that she was at the hospital. She saw E.J., and hung up. She expressed her sympathy for him and said she would do anything she could. Vivian interrupted them and introduced herself to E.J. She said she wanted to talk to him about Nicole. She said that Nicole had broken the agreement he had with Nicole. E.J. told Vivian that his son had cancer and was recovering from surgery. E.J. said he didn't care what Vivian had to say -- the only thing he cared about was his son.

Vivian said they would talk later. E.J. told Nicole to keep her drama with Vivian away from E.J.'s family. Nicole asked how Johnny was, and E.J. told Nicole to go away. Nicole reminded him that she cared about Johnny and that she was the only mother Johnny had when Sami had been in witness protection. She begged E.J. to let her help him. She asked how Johnny was doing, and E.J. said Johnny was sleeping and that the doctors had given him medication for the pain and had taken out all of the cancer. E.J. looked at Johnny through the window and remarked about how helpless and little he looked. E.J. felt helpless that there was nothing he could do to make Johnny whole again.

Vivian returned to the Kiriakis mansion, and Gus asked what had happened with her revenge against Nicole. Vivian said E.J. had a lot on his mind, and her timing had been off. Gus said that it was a shame about E.J.'s son. Vivian seemed unconcerned. She delighted in knowing that she could torture everyone.

Brady listened to Nicole's message and wondered what she was doing at the hospital. He stopped by the hospital and saw Nicole with her arm around E.J., and wondered to himself what was going on.

Stefano sat by Johnny's bedside and questioned why Johnny had to lose his eye to cancer and why it couldn't have been Stefano.

At the Brady Pub, Chloe looked at the gift she had gotten for Daniel on Parker's behalf and was pleased with herself.

Adrienne babysat Parker and wondered whether Stephanie was right to let Daniel and Chloe think that Parker was their baby.

At the hospital, Daniel filled Carly in on Johnny's surgery, and Daniel could tell that something was wrong with Carly. Daniel returned home with Carly, and Adrienne told him that Parker was a perfect angel. Adrienne said she had left the music on, because he seemed to enjoy it. Daniel said he and Carly needed to confer on a case. Carly said that Parker was probably going to be musical like Chloe. Daniel encouraged Carly to talk to him about Bo, but she didn't want to talk about it. A bulletin aired over the radio about how Bo had broken Hope out of prison. Daniel noticed that Carly wasn't surprised to hear the news.

Carly said she knew that Bo had made a commitment to Hope, because he needed to help her. She said she had turned off her phone and gone to the hospital. Daniel told Carly to stay at his place. He said that Bo was smart and knew exactly how to get himself out of trouble. He said that once Bo fixed the situation, Bo would return home to Carly. Carly didn't believe that Bo would return to her, even though she loved him and believed she always would. She said she realized that what she and Bo had might not have been right.

Daniel asked if Carly felt that way because Bo hadn't told her what he had been planning to do, and she said that was part of it -- Bo kept secrets. She said she had kept secrets from Bo too. Daniel asked what those secrets were.

Adrienne stopped by the Brady Pub and told Chloe how Daniel had returned home early and had been eager to hold Parker. Chloe gushed about how proud Daniel was of Parker. Adrienne seemed upset, and Chloe asked what was wrong. Adrienne said nothing was wrong. A waitress interrupted them and told them that Bo had broken Hope out of prison.

Carly said her secrets didn't matter, and she chastised herself for trying to fix people's problems. Carly broke down into tears, and Daniel comforted her just as Chloe returned home. Chloe expressed her concern to Carly for what Bo had done. Carly told Chloe not to be mad at Bo. Carly tried to leave, but Chloe told her not to go. Chloe insisted that Carly spend the night at their apartment. When Daniel returned from putting Parker to bed, Chloe told Daniel that Carly was spending the night. Chloe said they were family, not just friends.

When Brady saw Nicole comforting E.J. at the hospital, he demanded to know what was going on. E.J. maintained that it was none of Brady's business, since Nicole and Brady were no longer together. Brady and Nicole put on a good show of bickering in front of E.J., who interrupted to tell Brady to leave. "My son lost his eye to cancer today," E.J. stated. A stunned Brady expressed his sympathy.

After E.J. went into Johnny's room, Nicole asked Brady to wait for her in the lounge, because there was something she needed to tell him. Brady agreed, and Nicole joined E.J. at Johnny's bedside. While Johnny slept, Nicole apologized for what had happened with Brady, but E.J. didn't think she was sincere. Nicole reminded him that she had chosen Sydney, not Brady -- and she didn't regret it.

Looking down at Johnny, Nicole's voice broke a bit as she said, "Poor little guy. It just breaks my heart to see my little buddy like this." Stefano entered just then, and declared that he didn't believe a word that Nicole said. After a heated exchange between Nicole and Stefano, E.J. told Nicole that he wanted to speak with his father privately. Nicole was glad for the chance to get away from Stefano.

As soon as Nicole was gone, Stefano proclaimed that she was the enemy. E.J. countered that Nicole was the solution, because the children loved her -- and with Nicole in the picture, no one needed Samantha.

Nicole found Brady in the lounge, and told him about the pictures that Vivian had taken of them "going at it." Nicole added that Vivian had tried to show the pictures to E.J., although he hadn't been interested -- but Nicole knew that when Vivian succeeded, Nicole would never be allowed to see Sydney again. Brady promised to take care of the problem. Nicole then kissed Brady goodbye, because she had to return to Johnny's room.

Johnny woke up while E.J. and Stefano were arguing about Nicole. "Is Nicole here?" the boy asked softly, just as Nicole returned. She gave Johnny a hug, and then he asked her to do a magic trick. Nicole obligingly pulled a coin from behind Johnny's ear, and when he demanded another trick, she asked Stefano for a fifty-dollar bill. Stefano produced the money grudgingly, and Nicole promptly made it disappear into her purse. Johnny found that hilarious, and Stefano rolled his eyes with annoyed amusement.

At Alice's, Jennifer gazed lovingly at the family photos on the mantel. She addressed her late grandmother's chair as if Alice were sitting in it, and sadly said that her kids were grounded at Heathrow Airport, and Jack wasn't there, either. "It certainly is not going to be a normal Horton Christmas," Jennifer concluded. "Since when is a Horton Christmas normal?" boomed Julie's voice from behind Jennifer, who turned to see a grinning Doug and Julie arriving with Ciara.

Julie and Jennifer began hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree. When Julie heard that Jennifer's kids weren't going to be there, she suggested that they all visit via video conference. Jennifer apologized for being a "downer," but reminded Julie of how they had lost Mickey and Gram that year. Julie remembered how Gram had insisted on having Christmas at Bo and Hope's the year before, in an effort to reunite Hope and Bo.

Julie wondered what would happen, since Bo and Hope were on the run together. "Who knows; maybe Bo and Hope will surprise us," Julie hoped. Just then, Doug and Ciara entered with another box of ornaments, and Ciara declared, "They're going to surprise us by coming home for Christmas!" The grownups tried to caution Ciara that her parents probably wouldn't make it home in time for Christmas, but she could hang her family's ornaments on the tree.

Jennifer wanted to know what Ciara had asked Santa for. "I didn't want any presents this year," Ciara replied. "I just want my mommy and daddy to come home." Doug turned on the television to distract the tot, and news of Bo and Hope's prison break immediately blared from the speakers. "Santa heard my wish!" Ciara exclaimed, and then declared that Santa could do anything -- just like her daddy.

When an optimistic Ciara ran into the kitchen for a cookie, Jennifer wondered what they could do to dissuade the child from believing that her parents would be home for Christmas. Doug reminded Julie and Jennifer, "A certain wise woman once said, 'Never underestimate the magic of Christmas.'" They all looked hopefully to Alice's picture.

At the fishing shack, Hope heard a noise outside, and worried that someone had followed Bo there. After making Hope promise to stay put, Bo went outside to investigate. Pistol drawn, he crept outside, and soon took aim in the direction of the sounds he heard.

Hope heard a crash outside, and grabbed a fireplace poker to defend herself -- and nearly bashed Bo over the head with it when he returned. Bo somewhat sheepishly explained that he'd slipped on some ice. He wasn't sure what had made the noise, but guessed it might have been a bear, which his fall had then likely scared away. Hope was just relieved that Bo was all right.

Noting that Hope was obviously cold, Bo suggested that she look for some additional clothes in the next room. While she was gone, he found a shortwave radio, and began cranking it to charge it up. Hope returned wearing a huge football jersey, which caused them both to remember the time, many years earlier, when they had kissed on the field at the Orange Bowl.

Hope still worried that even if they could prove that the warden was killing inmates, Hope would have to return to prison. Bo urged her not to worry about what might happen. He showed her the radio, which he said could pick up the police band and alert them to any activity in the area. As he helped Hope get into bed, Bo promised to keep watch while she rested and recovered. After she fell asleep, he promised her softly, "I'm gonna get you home so you can see your daughter, Fancy Face."

Rafe called to find out if Daniel knew where Carly was, because she had been out of touch since Bo had broken Hope out of prison, and the police needed a statement from her. Daniel explained that Carly was staying with him and Chloe, and then handed the phone to Carly so she could talk to Rafe. "I need to find Bo and Hope before the state troops do," Rafe said. "I think you know why."

When Chloe entered with Rafe a little later, Daniel was telling Carly how hard he found it to believe that Bo would have staged a prison break -- especially at Christmastime. Rafe stressed that Bo could end up hurting Hope instead of helping her. Carly agreed to tell Rafe what she knew, as long as he swore to do everything he could to help Bo.

Carly and Rafe went to the pier to talk. In response to Rafe's questions, Carly admitted that she'd known Bo had been planning something, but he had kept the details from her to protect her. She explained that Hope had told Bo that women were dying in the prison for no good reason, and when Hope had tried to report it, the warden had put her in solitary confinement.

Carly added that Hope had deliberately misspelled Ciara's name in a letter to Bo, and that had spurred him to take action. Rafe acknowledged that the situation had to be hard on Carly, but he guessed that Bo had a plan to get back home. "He's not coming home to me," Carly asserted. She explained that Bo would do anything for Hope, because she had been Bo's first love.

Philip and Melanie were holed up in their bedroom at the Kiriakis mansion, in order to hide from Vivian. Philip apologized that they had to do that, especially at Christmas, but he produced a sprig of mistletoe to make their forced confinement more enjoyable. They kissed, and discussed how much better their life would be once Vivian was out of it.

After they made love, Melanie and Philip agreed that they could happily spend all of Christmas in bed together. Looking for some holiday music, Philip turned the radio on. He and Melanie were alarmed to hear the news of Bo and Hope's prison break.

When Nathan joined Stephanie at the Brady Pub, he dropped a pile of literature about Baltimore on the table. Nathan was excited about exploring their new city, but Stephanie sadly told him that they couldn't go to Baltimore then -- or ever. She related the story of how Bo had broken Hope out of prison. Stephanie admitted that she couldn't even think about moving, because she knew her grandmother would be a wreck when she found out what had happened. Nathan said that he would turn down the position at Johns Hopkins.

Philip went to the pub to see how Caroline was holding up, and found a depressed and worried Stephanie sitting at the table alone. Stephanie informed Philip that Caroline hadn't heard the news about Bo and Hope yet. Philip wanted to know why Stephanie hadn't returned his messages, but then he spotted the brochures on the table before she could finish barking an answer.

"What is this -- are you and Nathan leaving town?" Philip asked. Stephanie told him about Nathan's fellowship offer at Johns Hopkins, and Philip was thrilled for the two of them. Nathan returned just then, so Philip offered congratulations, and then left.

Nathan told Stephanie that he hadn't been able to reach his contact at Johns Hopkins, but Stephanie had changed her mind. "If my Uncle Bo and Aunt Hope were here," she maintained, "they'd say, 'Go for it. Focus on your new life, and stop worrying about what's happening in Salem.'"

Nathan and Stephanie enthusiastically agreed to stick to their plan to move. Nathan then produced a small box, which Stephanie opened to find a pin made of sparkly blue crystals, shaped like a Chesapeake blue crab. Touched, Stephanie sat in Nathan's lap to kiss him in thanks.

A concerned Melanie went to Daniel and Chloe's when she couldn't reach Carly by phone. Chloe explained that Carly had been staying there, since Bo's house was crawling with reporters and cops. When Daniel had to take a phone call from the hospital, Melanie thanked Chloe for letting Carly stay with them. "I was wrong about you before," Melanie admitted. "You're a really good person deep down. I'm sorry I was so hard on you."

When Carly entered, Chloe was warmly declaring to Melanie, "I'm just so in love with my new family -- and that includes Carly." Carly was touched. Daniel returned from the bedroom with a bag of garbage, which Chloe cheerfully offered to take out. Melanie asked her mom how the talk with Rafe had gone.

Carly confessed that she hadn't been able to offer much useful information, and then broke down a little when she talked about Bo. Daniel tried to reassure Carly that everything would be all right. Carly apologized for falling apart, but Melanie and Daniel insisted that she didn't have to apologize. They reminded Carly that she still had her family, no matter what.

Philip arrived at Chloe and Daniel's to look for Carly, and ran into Chloe in the hallway. They briefly discussed the bizarre situation with Bo and Hope. Philip then divulged that Stephanie and Nathan were moving to Baltimore -- and taking Chloe and Philip's secrets with them. Chloe proclaimed that the news was the best Christmas gift ever.

At the prison infirmary, Warden Jane Smith informed Lee that the state police were closing in on Bo and Hope. She added that they would have to put their "little side business" on hold for a while. Lee was worried about what would happen if Hope were caught and started talking. Jane declared that once Hope was behind bars again, they would stage her suicide.

Rafe called the warden to ask for her help with the manhunt. He explained that while he knew the state police were handling the search, the Salem Police Department was conducting its own internal investigation. "I'll be glad to help, but not until after the holidays. Give me a call in a couple of weeks. Happy New Year," Jane replied cheerfully before hanging up on Rafe. "Carly was right; that woman is hiding something," Rafe concluded.