Low Rent Wonderland

Max and Morgan sit in the pub having dinner on their hot date. Max impresses Morgan the snoot, "Mom's chili fries will be the best chili fries you ever had. You do like chili fries, right?"

Morgan eyes the exit, "Oh, yeah."

"You've never had chili fries before have you," asks Max. He demos how to eat them, and then feeds her a forkful.

Morgan is impressed, "This alone is worth the $500... Not that you're not worth every penny." Max says he wanted to do something different for their date. Morgan says it was her first time on a racetrack, it's her first time to have nachos for dinner, and she loved every second of it. Max is sorry about getting her shoes scuffed up.

Morgan says most guys think they have to go out of their way to impress her. "Like my first date. He picked me up in a limo, took me to an expensive restaurant and insulted the busboy. Heck, it was probably Max.

Max says, "With me, what you see is what you get."

Myopic Morgan says, "And I like what I see."

Outside, Sneaky Stephanie watches.

Belle calls Hope and tells her about John's situation. It looks bleak for Black. She goes inside where Marlena tries to get through to John. Dr. Berman tells them John will be out for a while, "I upped his morphine."

John opens an eye, "I hope there's more where that came from."

Belle gets upset. She thinks they're not trying hard enough to save John's life. Marlena says, "Sometimes the only thing we can do is say goodbye."

Sami tells EJ he got what he wanted, "I didn't have much of a choice. John is fighting for his life to drive the point home." EJ insists he had nothing to do with John's accident. He reminds her Lucas still has to sign the annulment document. "He will," says Sami.

Lucas walks in, "What're you talking about?"

Stephanie spies, "I'm gonna be sick."

Chelsea startles her, "Don't tell me you actually followed them!"

"I wanted to make sure she got her money's worth," says Stephanie, "OK, so I'm a pathetic stalker. I just can't believe Morgan wasn't turned off by Max' low rent wonderland." Stephanie wonders what Morgan is up to. Chelsea says Stephanie is freaking her out. Stephanie whines, "We have to save him from her."

Chelsea asks, "Did you ever think maybe he doesn't want to be saved?"

Max is trying to be a gentleman. Morgan says, "There are situations where the last thing a girl wants is a gentleman. Like when your friend Stephanie is spying on us. She's been following us all night."

Back to the deathwatch. Dr. Berman leaves. Belle wonders how they can just give up on him. Marlena says there is nothing more that can be done. Belle argues. She refuses to say goodbye. Marlena lectures and says they have to be strong.

Sami tells Lucas she taped up the annulment document. Belle interrupts with the bad news about John. Lucas says Shawn will be there in a few minutes. Belle says they don't think John will make it. Supportive Lucas decides this would be a good time to wait outside. He and EJ leave.

Belle fills Sami in on the gory details. Sami promises John will be OK. Tears and hugs.

Max looks over his shoulder as Stephanie darts away. He wonders if that really was Stephanie. Morgan assures him it was. Max thinks it's weird. Morgan thinks Stephanie still has feelings for him.

Stephanie worries that Max might have seen her. She asks Chelsea for a compact and checks herself out in the mirror.

"Just don't tell me you're going to go in there and do something stupid," says Chelsea.

"No," says Stephanie, "I'm going to keep being stupid out here."

Chelsea thinks she's being extreme. Stephanie insists Morgan will use Max and then dump him. Chelsea asks, "But aren't you the one who dumped Max."

"I didn't think he'd rebound that quick," says Stephanie.

Chelsea baffles her with BS, "It's a fact that 89% of all first dates don't lead to a second date."

"Who said that," asks Stephanie.

"Miss Nevada."

Stephanie gives her a blank stare. "I'm kidding," insists Chelsea.

"What if he's falling for her," asks Stephanie.

Marlena tells John they have to say their final goodbyes. She thinks she can't do that, "You are such a part of me." She squints. "We've always been together, even when we weren't together."

Statements that stupid will wake anyone up. John twitches. He huffs, "Hey, Doc – I heard every word you just said."

"How do you feel," asks Marlena.

"Never better."

Belle watches, "How can this happen again."

"Uncreative writers," says Sami.

"Just the other day he was with me and we were planning the wedding," says Belle, "He told me, 'Tink, whatever you do, don't play that YMCA song at the reception.'"

Belle bawls. Sami supports. Prevuze zaps.

Shawn runs in. Hugs.

Lucas rants at EJ, "You did this to John." EJ reminds him he was with him when it happened. Lucas accuses him of paying someone to do it.

"My father maybe," says EJ, "But not me."

"Then prove it."

Morgan asks how Stephanie ended things. Max says she blew him off for another guy. He decides to let Stephanie fill in the details. Morgan thinks that's noble. Max insists he doesn't have feelings for Stephanie any more. Morgan says she's having a good time. Max, too.

Chelsea encourages Stephanie to talk to Max if she still has a thing for him. Stephanie claims she's just trying to protect Max from big bad Morgan.

"Max can handle a girl like Morgan with his eyes closed," says Chelsea, "Of course, maybe that's what you are worried about."

John wonders where the strong, unafraid Doc went, "It doesn't look good, does it?"

Marlena plays it straight, "It's very serious. I know you can make it."

John smirks, "You never were any good at lying. I'm glad you're with me."

Marlena breaks down, "I don't know if I can do this."

"Yes you can," says John, "I'm counting on you."

Marlena wails, "I just got you back."

John tells her not to cry, "I want to take that beautiful face with me the way it looked on our wedding day."

"Which one?"

John says they had a good run and there are no regrets. She thinks the fool's parade needs to come in and say goodbye. He asks her to lie with him. Marlena scoots up onto the bed. "I love you," says John.

"I love you."

John does some huffin' and puffin just to let us know things aren't good.

Lucas says he isn't going to argue with EJ. Sami needs him now. He tells EJ to stay away while the family mourns. He also reminds EJ his signature isn't on the papers.

Sami comes out and snorts at EJ, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm concerned about you," says EJ.

She sends him off. Lucas says he is there for her. So are the tears.

Caroline serves apple pie to the lovely couple. Morgan compliments the chili fries. Max tells her about one of his bad dates. It seems he once brought a tattooed girl home who had a mouth like a trucker. Caroline wasn't happy when she met her.

"I'll bet Stephanie was a breath of fresh air after her," says Morgan.

"It was Stephanie.," says Max.

Max tells Morgan about him and Stephanie dating and the feelings that resurfaced. He says nothing came of it. He asks about her ex's. She claims to be 1000% single. Max was hoping she would say that.

Chelsea asks, "Do you think Max would sleep with her?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter," says Stephanie, "He wouldn't do that."

Chelsea gives her a look. "He's changed," says Stephanie, who doesn't even convince herself.

Chelsea thinks Stephanie should tell Max how she feels. Stephanie thinks she blew her chance.

"You're never out of chances to make things right," says Chelsea.

Sami bawls, "I have a feeling in my gut I am responsible for what happened to John."

"Follow your heart, not your gut," says Lucas.

"When you're ten months pregnant, all you can do is follow your gut," says Sami. Lucas doesn't think John would want her to marry EJ. Sami insists she is the only one who can end this. He thinks they should get a bodyguard until Stefano dies.

"When did a bodyguard ever stop Stefano," asks Sami.

Lucas says, "Let them handle this, for God's sake."

Sami screams, "They obviously can't handle the DiMeras." Sami says if she had another way out she would take it, "But I don't have a choice."

Lucas huffs. Sami apologizes. Prevuze zaps.

Marlena comes out and tells Belle she can see John now. Belle is delighted, "He's awake? That's good."

Marlena brings the little space cadet back to planet Earth, "No, Belle, he's not doing better. Say whatever is in your heart. That will be a longer conversation than if you tell him what's on your mind."

Belle goes in. Shawn goes to call grandma and grandpa, who are babysitting Claire between chili cheese fries servings.

Belle walks into John's death chamber. John says, "Give your daddy a hug." Belle hugs.

John asks about Claire. Belle says, "Her grandparents are bringing her later."

"Tonight," asks John.

"Yes."

"Tonight would be good," says John. He asks Belle to turn Claire into a Cub fan, "I'd give anything to see her take in her first game at Wrigley field."

"Don't you want me to take her to some ballpark where they actually play baseball," asks Belle.

Caroline hangs up as Morgan walks by on her way to the restroom. The chili fries have morphed into Montezuma's Revenge. Max asks what's going on. She tells him about John. They are going to take Claire to watch the spectacle of granddad fading away at the hospital. Max says he will drop Morgan off and give them a ride. Morgan comes up. Max tells her about John. Morgan says she will call a cab. Max says he will make it up to her. Morgan says, "If you need to talk later, call me."

"You're pretty terrific," says Max.

Stephanie says she won't crawl back to Max, "I'd look pathetic."

"As opposed to what you look like now," asks Chelsea, "...spying on him?"

Stephanie says if she goes to Max he will get weirded out, "Max won't put himself in a position to get hurt again." Chelsea is annoyed. She's worried about Stephanie. They start to leave as Max and Morgan come out and we all share an uncomfortable moment. The girls claim they were craving chili fries, so they came to the pub. Max tells them about John. He asks Stephanie to take Morgan back to the IFT house.

Belle cries. John comforts. Prevuze zaps.

Lucas asks what will happen to them if she marries EJ, "We can get together from time to time, but you will go home to EJ every night and he will get closer to you." Marlena interrupts. She says it's time. Sami goes in. EJ watches, holds the annulment papers and smiles.

Morgan tells Stephanie not to feel obligated to take her back to the sorority house. Chelsea says she has to go tell Billie about John, and leaves. Max and Morgan share a goodbye smooch. Stephanie hurls. Max leaves. Morgan takes Stephanie's arm, "What a great way for us to get to know each other better."

Stephanie's enthusiasm is boundless, "Yeah, great."

Originally they thought John was going to die from his injuries. Now it seems he is going to suffocate because half of Salem is taking up the air in his room. Caroline and OMB bring Claire in. John asks for chowder. He's afraid he may be dying too slowly. They hand Claire over to him, "Easy on the kidney, kid. I'm gonna miss you so much." The feeling is not mutual. Claire is ready for the scene to be over.

"Thank you," says John. He brushes Claire's hair and sinks backward.


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.