At the police station, John sat down in the interrogation room with Brady, and he begged Brady not to enter a guilty plea until Brady learned the whole story. “Like maybe someone else hit Sarah. Maybe your car malfunctioned,” John suggested. “Well, Kristen demolished the car, Dad, so we’ll never really know,” Brady said. John offered to investigate, but Brady said no. Brady argued that he did not believe that John would learn anything that made Brady less to blame.
“You need to come to terms with the fact that your son was drunk and got behind the wheel of a car and hit Sarah. And I am gonna pay for my crime,” Brady stressed. John reminded Brady that the decision would impact the rest of his life and the life of his family. “Tate needs you, Brady. His mother just got shipped off to Statesville. How do you think he’s gonna handle seeing his father follow her there?” John asked. Brady argued that it was just as bad for Tate to see his father not accept responsibility for a mistake.
“They don’t need you to be some damn martyr!” John yelled. Brady reasoned aloud that his children had a large family to take care of them and that Theresa would leave prison in six months, so he was not needed. “And Rachel has Kristen,” Brady added. “You just made my point for me. Come on, Brady! You know damn well that Theresa and Kristen are not stable, and that’s putting it mildly,” John warned. John argued that Brady did not know for certain that he was to blame. “You’re not going to change my mind about this,” Brady said. Brady argued that there was no other explanation for the accident.
In the police bullpen, E.J. talked on the phone to his staff about Brady’s case. “I want all our ducks in a row before that arraignment tomorrow. No surprises, you understand? Brady Black must pay for what he has done,” E.J. said. Behind E.J., Eric entered the precinct. “You vindictive son of a bitch,” Eric growled. E.J. frowned. “Shouldn’t you be taking my wife and son on a pauper’s trip to Paris?” E.J. said. “Correction, Nicole’s your soon-to-be ex-wife and Jude is my son,” Eric countered. E.J. asked why Eric was in Salem.
“I came here to help my brother. It looks like I got back just in time to stop you from railroading him,” Eric said. E.J. informed Eric that Brady had confessed on his own. E.J. asked Eric why he did not have compassion for the victim, Eric’s former lover. “My heart breaks for Sarah and everyone who loves her,” Eric stressed. Eric vowed to make sure that Brady was treated fairly.
“I shouldn’t be surprised at you crossing an ocean to defend your brother for going on a bender and running over an innocent person, considering you committed the exact same crime,” E.J. said. E.J. added that, unlike Brady, Eric had killed a person. When Eric fell silent, E.J. asked if Eric thought about Daniel when he was lying in bed next to Nicole. Eric glared at E.J. “I’m here to see Brady,” Eric said. E.J. directed Eric to the interrogation room, and he suggested that Eric’s prayers would not keep Brady from spending the rest of his life in prison.
“Just so you know, Nicole’s lawyer is fast-tracking her divorce. You should be receiving your final decree any day now,” Eric said. E.J. stalked off as John exited the interrogation room and greeted Eric. After some small talk, Eric asked John about Brady. “He would be doing a hell of a lot better if he weren’t hellbent on pleading guilty at his arraignment tomorrow,” John muttered. John asked Eric to talk some sense into Brady.
In the interrogation room, Brady thought about his last conversation with Fiona in the bar when he had told her that he had needed to go home. An officer admitted Eric into the room. An emotional Brady jumped to his feet and hugged his brother. “What are you doing here?” Brady asked. “Where else would I be with my brother going through this?” Eric countered. Brady warned Eric not to attempt to convince him not to plead guilty.
“If anyone understands that you need to atone for your sins, it’s me,” Eric said. Eric noted that his actions had killed Daniel and left Holly fatherless. Brady nodded yes. Eric asked Brady if he was sure that he had been the driver of the car that had hit Sarah. With a sigh, Brady said that although he did not remember the accident, he did remember drinking that night.
“I had to have done it. I know I did it,” Brady said. “And I admire you for taking responsibility for your actions. I’ll be here for you all the way,” Eric said. Brady thanked his brother. With a nod, Eric said he needed to take responsibility for his actions, too. “I need to find Holly. It’s finally time that I tell her the truth, that I was the one that caused her father’s death,” Eric said.
In the bullpen, Justin asked John about his conversation with Brady. “Pointless, unfortunately,” John said. John said he hoped that Brady would listen to Eric and not plead guilty. Justin looked over at E.J. “Maybe the mind we need to change isn’t Brady’s,” Justin said. John said that he had faith in Justin.
After John left, E.J. warned Justin not to ask for a reduced sentence for Brady. Justin reminded E.J. that he had no witnesses or evidence in the case. “But I do have a confession from your client,” E.J. said. “Anyone can walk in here and confess to a crime, but without any proof, you have reasonable doubt, which leads to an acquittal,” Justin countered. Justin asked E.J. to drop the charges. E.J. argued that Brady was guilty, but Justin reiterated that E.J. had no proof. “Do you really want to risk your somewhat shaky legal reputation by bringing it to a grand jury?” Justin asked.
In the park, Tate told Holly that his father was not a bad person. “No? Does a good person drive drunk and run someone over, and not even stop to check to see if they’re dead or alive?” Holly said. Tate argued that the situation was complicated. “Yes, he did a terrible thing, but my dad’s an addict. He’s got a disease,” Tate said. Holly countered that Brady should have dealt with addiction instead of hurting others.
“He didn’t mean to make anyone suffer, Holly,” Tate said. Frustrated, Holly yelled that Brady should have known better. Tate noted that Brady had relapsed and was remorseful. “I don’t know why you don’t have some compassion for him!” Tate yelled. “Yeah, well, I don’t. Because, as you seem to have forgotten, my own father was killed by a drunk driver,” Holly countered. Tate nodded, and he noted that Daniel’s death had also been a terrible accident.
“Look, you forgave Eric, right?” Tate said. Holly was taken aback. “Forgave Eric? What do you mean?” Holly said. Tate’s mouth gaped as he realized that Holly had not known that Eric had been the drunk driver that had killed her father. When Tate remained silent, Holly demanded to know how Eric had been connected to Daniel’s death. “I thought you knew,” Tate stammered. Tate was reluctant to tell the truth, but Holly pushed him to be honest.
“It was Eric. He was the drunk driver that killed your dad,” Tate said. “You’re making this up,” Holly whispered. Tate reminded Holly that he would never lie to her. With tears in her eyes, Holly asked Tate how he had learned the truth. Tate admitted he had overheard his mother discuss it with his grandmother when he'd been a child.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me before?” Holly asked. “I thought that you knew. You never talk about how you lost your dad. You only talk about how much you miss him and how much you wish he was here. Never about the accident,” Tate said. Overwhelmed, Holly collapsed onto the bench and wiped the tears from her eyes. Holly explained that Nicole had told her that the driver had died the same day as Daniel.
“I can’t believe she lied to me about this,” Holly said. Tate sat next to Holly, and he assured her that her mother had likely wanted to protect Holly from the truth. “Just like how she wanted to move me to Paris to protect me from E.J. and you? She didn’t think to mention that I’d be living under the same roof as the man who killed my father?” Holly said. Holly argued that Nicole always acted to protect Eric above everyone else. “Holly, you know my Uncle Eric is a really good person,” Tate said. Holly winced.
“I heard that he felt horrible for what he did. He was tormented,” Tate said. “Was tormented? Past tense? So glad he found a way to get over that he killed my dad, and now he’s ready to move on with my mother and their precious new baby,” Holly said bitterly. Tate argued that Holly knew Eric was not that callous. Frustrated, Holly yelled at Tate not to defend Eric. “Some things are indefensible. Like your uncle killing my dad, and Brady running Sarah over and leaving her crippled for life,” Holly argued. As Tate started to appeal to Holly, she asked him to leave.
“I need to be alone right now,” Holly said. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Tate countered. Holly yelled at Tate to leave, and she turned her back to him. With a nod, Tate said he would be there for her if she needed him. After Tate left, Holly broke down in tears. Holly used her phone to look up an old article about her father’s accident and Eric’s arrest. “Oh, my God. It’s true,” Holly whispered. Holly grumbled about how everyone had kept Eric’s secret from her. “Holly?” Eric called out as he approached. Holly stared daggers, and Eric’s smile disappeared.
In the Kiriakis mansion, Maggie lamented to Justin that Brady had not reached out to her when he had relapsed. “I suppose because he didn’t want to be judged,” Justin said. “He knows I’d never do that. Sponsors don’t judge. They just support you,” Maggie said. Maggie explained she had assured Brady that she would help him if needed, but he had failed to reach out. Maggie and Justin agreed that it was unlike Brady to drive drunk and leave someone at the scene of an accident.
“The Brady that I know, that Brady would have gotten out of that car and raced right over to help Sarah. He’s a good man, Justin,” Maggie said. “I agree. But Maggie, even though he doesn’t remember doing it, hitting her, he confessed to the crime,” Justin said. Maggie was taken back. “Wait. He doesn’t remember hitting Sarah?” Maggie asked. Justin said that Brady had not even remembered getting behind the wheel of his car. Confused, Maggie asked why Brady had confessed. Justin shrugged.
“I just know that he is determined to plead guilty,” Justin said. “Maybe he didn’t do it. Justin, I can’t help but wish that there was some way that Brady could turn out to be innocent in all of this,” Maggie said. In awe, Justin called Maggie gracious and forgiving. “I don’t think I could be either if I were in your shoes,” Justin said. “But you were in my shoes. Just like I’m in Brady’s shoes. Remember when we believed that I caused that accident that killed your wonderful Adrienne? And Eric and Sarah’s precious baby?” Maggie said. Maggie noted that she had been framed by Orpheus. Justin nodded yes.
“But Maggie, I wish that there was even a remote possibility that Brady was framed for this crime, but there’s just no evidence to support that,” Justin said. Maggie shook her head, and she reiterated that the Brady she knew would not have left Sarah to die.
In Sarah’s room, Fiona sat on the bed next to her daughter-in-law as Xander looked on. Fiona lamented that something so horrible had happened to Sarah, especially so soon after her wedding. “I just thank God that it wasn’t so much worse,” Fiona said. A memory flashed in Sarah’s mind. “What is it?” Xander asked Sarah. “I remember,” Sarah said. Fiona argued that Sarah should rest, but Xander pushed Sarah to tell him what she remembered.
“I remember the accident. I remember walking. And then I remember hearing the sound of the car and turning around, and seeing the driver,” Sarah said. “You saw Brady behind the wheel?” Xander asked. Sarah shook her head no. Xander asked Sarah who had been the driver.
“There was a glare. The image is blurry,” Sarah admitted. “So, you didn’t see the driver’s face?” Fiona asked. Sarah said no. Xander suggested that Sarah’s memory might improve over time, and he encouraged her to think about the accident. “Your wife needs her rest,” Fiona insisted. Fiona added that there was no point in pushing Sarah to remember the driver when Brady had been the one behind the wheel. Xander argued that a positive identification would strengthen the case against Brady.
After a moment, Sarah admitted that she could not remember anything else. “Oh, darling, you have nothing to be sorry about,” Fiona said. Fiona asked Xander to retrieve soup from the kitchen while she helped Sarah relax. “Soup sounds good,” Sarah said. With a nod, Xander left for the kitchen.
After Xander talked to the cook, he went into the living room. Maggie asked about Sarah. Xander told Maggie that Sarah had remembered the accident. “Was she able to tell you who was driving the car?” Maggie asked. “Unfortunately, not yet,” Xander said. Xander explained he had wanted to push Sarah for details, but she had been tired by the effort to remember. Maggie told Xander that although she knew that Xander was anxious to punish Brady, she agreed with Fiona that they should not push Sarah too hard. Xander said he understood.
“So, have faith that this memory of whoever was driving the car, that she did indeed see the person clearly, and that she will remember it eventually,” Maggie said. “I’m sure she will. Maggie, I just really want to say that having you here, having my mum here, it’s been so important to both Sarah and me,” Xander said. Maggie noted that she and Fiona only wanted what was best for Xander and Sarah.
Xander confessed that he had resented his mother because he had not understood how much Fiona had struggled. “Now she’s here, and I can just see the good in her,” Xander said. Maggie noted that Fiona had proven how much she loved Xander when she had decided to stay and help Sarah and Xander through a difficult time.
At the penthouse, Tate looked at an article about Brady’s arrest for the hit-and-run. John returned home. Tate asked John if there was any chance that Brady would not have to go to prison. “Justin is working on that right now,” John said. John asked if something else was bothering Tate. With a groan, Tate explained that he had told Holly information that had hurt her.
Justin entered the police interrogation room, and Brady asked him not to ask again about changing his plea. “I’m not here to talk about the arraignment, because there isn’t going to be one,” Justin announced. E.J. walked in. “Get him out of here, Justin, before I change my mind,” E.J. growled. Confused, Brady asked what had happened. Justin explained that he had convinced E.J. that E.J. did not have a case against Brady.
“And what about Sarah and her family? Don’t they deserve justice?” Brady asked. “And they will get it. The second the Salem Police Department finds the evidence I need to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you struck Sarah while driving drunk, I’m hauling your ass back in here,” E.J. said. E.J. warned Brady that the case was not over, and he stormed out of the room. “Let’s get you home to your family,” Justin said. Brady grimaced.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Sarah drifted off to sleep. Fiona sang a lullaby until she was sure that Sarah was asleep. Fiona picked up a pillow and held it up. “God forgive me for what I’m about to do,” Fiona whispered. Fiona moved the pillow toward Sarah’s sleeping face.
