John & Natalie #16 October 30, 2006 - February 7, 2007: 8 hour original edit

Dvd #16A 10/30 Evangeline becomes startled when "Hugh" says "it's me" to her. She leaves the room as the nurse examines him and runs into Vincent outside of Hugh's room. When she asks him what he is doing there, Vincent reminds her that he and Hugh are old friends and that he is there to visit him.

Vincent confesses that Natalie read him the riot act for setting up Cris and Evangeline is pleased. Hugh once again tries to communicate leading Evangeline to leave again to try to find the nurse. While alone with Hugh, Vincent tells him that he is not after Natalie who is still distraught from losing John. He does confess that Natalie kissed him which causes Hugh to get riled up yet again.

Natalie finds Cris and tells him that Vincent confessed to setting him up in the boxing ring. Cris can't believe that Vincent confided in Natalie and inquires as to how his confession came about. Natalie shares with Cris how Vincent followed her up to John's rooftop out of concern for her. Cris wonders if Natalie is becoming involved with Vincent which Natalie denies. Cris is determined to go the police station as soon as possible so that Natalie can give a statement.

Natalie promises to go in the morning but Cris does not want to wait. When he observes Natalie stalling, Cris wonders why Natalie wants to give Vincent a break and not help him. Natalie reminds Cris that she was a bad seed when she came to Llanview and it was because Cris gave her a second chance that she was able to get her life together. Cris isn' buying her explanation and tells her that he knows how she reacted to his "death" by getting involved with Paul Cramer. Natalie tries to assure Cris that Vincent is not Paul and she has no intentions of getting involved with him.

10/31 Natalie pays Hugh a visit and runs into Vincent who is still visiting his friend. When Vincent wonders why she is visiting Hugh, Natalie confesses because he is alive and John is dead. Natalie feels that seeing Hugh in pain reminds her that she is not the only one suffering from the tragic aftermath of the accident that claimed John's life. She thanks Vincent for helping her realize that she needs to move on now that John is gone but Natalie also makes it very clear that she will not be moving on with him because John's memory deserves better than that.

When Vincent is unapologetic for kissing Natalie, "Hugh" becomes agitated. Natalie tells Vincent that she told Cris about his confession and now Cris wants her to make a statement to the police. Vincent warns her that it will be her word against his which makes Natalie realize that Vincent will never change. While Natalie says her goodbyes to Hugh, she gets a strange feeling that he is trying to tell her something.

11/1 Nat and Cris visit Antonio with the intent of sharing their news about Vincent. Just as they begin to speak, Vincent himself walks into the office and confesses his guilt! He agrees to record or sign whatever is needed. He admits that he tried to stop the whole thing from happening but was too late. He's willing to be punished because of things that Natalie said to him. She's been very brave while he's been a coward.

Vincent offers to give the money he won to a charity of Cris' choice though aware that it still doesn't make him a good guy like John McBain. He's only sorry he's disappointed Natalie. He does feel like he has a sense of responsibility now, like John. He's cuffed and read his rights. After Vincent is led out, Cris, Nat and Layla express dismay over the charge. It is definitely too harsh, especially if Evangeline prosecutes as the new assistant district attorney.

11/2 Vincent was brought in for his arraignment and Cris, Natalie and Layla were in the courtroom. Natalie warned Vincent she hoped he knew how lucky he was for his plea deal to be accepted!

11/3 Jessica and Natalie go to Capricorn looking for Antonio and bump into Claudia who tells Natalie how truly sorry she is to hear that John is dead even if they didn't see eye to eye. An unimpressed Natalie and Jessica find a seat and end up meeting up with Viki and Clint.

11/6 Jessica, Viki, and Natalie are at Capricorn going over last minute details with Jessica's wedding when it occurs to Jessica how painful it might be for Natalie to hear her discussing her wedding. Natalie assures her that all she wants is for Jessica to be happy and she knows that John would want that as well.

David visits his injured nephew and promises to take him to get a Cannoli when he recovers. Thinking of Cannoli's makes David remember how he single handedly cracked the case of Thomas McBain's murder and was rewarded with the baked treat. When he mentions how John was in the same wreck as Hugh but did not survive, John becomes agitated and tries to tell David that he is not Hugh.

11/7 Natalie gave Jessica a pearl hair clip that she said John gave to her as the something borrowed. Jessica put on her dress, but then removed the veil and the lace covering her cleavage. "That looks better," she said. Although the difference was extremely subtle, Natalie responded, "You look exactly like Tess." Jessica objected to the comparison, but Natalie pointed out that if she and Adriana saw the similarity, Nash would also see it. Jessica slapped some bright red lipstick on and instructed Natalie to go ahead to the church so she could have a minute for herself. A nurse read an article about the wedding to "Hugh". When she got to the bridesmaids' names, the patient got worked up at the mention of Natalie's name. "Natalie... Natalie," he grunted.

Later, Vincent came by to talk to "Hugh." He explained how he confessed to setting up Cristian because Natalie got under his skin. "Eventually, she's got to move on," he said. "Hugh" got riled again. "No!" he grunted. The nurse came in to check on "Hugh." Vincent was surprised when she mentioned the patient's "nice blue eyes."

11/8 Vincent was upset that the doctor wouldn't believe him about Hugh having brown eyes, not blue like the nurse said. He began yelling about how he went to college with the guy and knew darn well the color of his eyes. The doctor told him to calm down or leave, but Vincent would not be denied. "You trying to tell me that a car accident is changing the color of a man's eyes?" Vincent asked. The doctor seemed uninterested in Vincent's point and said they need to let "Hugh" rest. Vincent went to the church and asked Evangeline if she remembered how "Hugh" was acting strange. She said yes, but that she chalked it up to heavy medication. Before he could explain any more, Jaime walked down the aisle with the flowers and the ceremony started.

11/9 Antonio & Jessica’s Wedding

11/10 Natalie stays behind at the church and imagines what it would be like on her and John's wedding day. She imagines that John is there and is trying to tell her something but he doesn't know how. Vincent arrives to find answers to his predicament regarding Hugh's "blue" eyes and runs into a defensive Natalie. Vincent assures her that he wasn't following her and that he needed to find answers and thought the church would be the best place to go since he would find answers in his mother's church when he was younger.

Vincent tries to tell her about how Hugh is getting better and about what the nurse said about his eyes but Natalie doesn't wan to be reminded that Hugh is getting better while John is dead. Vincent is disappointed in Natalie's lack of faith in miracles but Natalie doesn't have any proof that miracles can happen. Vincent leaves saying that he thinks he has found the answers he was looking for while Natalie finds her way to the reception much to the relief of Viki and Jessica who have been worried about the day's effects on her.

Vincent returns to the hospital just as the nurse has given John something to calm him down. Vincent goes to the bedside and tells the bandaged man that although he seems to not like him, Vincent is his only hope of getting the word out about who he truly is since Vincent is now convinced that Hugh did not survive the crash. When Vincent wonders who is really lying in that hospital bed, John answers "I'm John."

11/13 Natalie looked sad at Jessica & Antonio’s reception. John again identified himself as John to Vincent, who almost fell over. "You're John McBain," he said. Paige and Vincent hovered by John's bedside. Of course, Vincent is the only one who is aware of the bandaged man's identity. Paige went on and began thanking Vincent for being such a good friend to her son. "That you for caring so much," she said. Vincent didn't know what to say. Vincent arrived at the wedding reception and told Natalie he needed to speak to her.

11/14 Vincent tries to tell Natalie that John is alive but he is unable to because Natalie becomes hysterical. She pleads with him to leave John's memory alone as she is having a hard time coping with the fact that he is gone. As Vincent tries to calm her down, Cris walks up and misinterprets the scene. He grabs Vincent and threatens him with physical harm if he doesn't leave Natalie alone. Natalie begs Cris to stop and tells him that he misinterpreted what was going on between her and Vincent.

11/15 Nat is totally disbelieving when she finally allows Vincent to continue, when she hears him say that John is alive. He's actually in Hugh's bed, he answers to her question. It's not Hugh who is there. He tells her about the different eye colors, how the patient said, "My name is John," and how he grabbed his arm when he mentioned kissing Nat.

Sure, it could be another John, he responds to her further questioning. She describes how John was identified; by tattoo (but Hugh also had one) and the St. Jude's medal in his hand (which Vincent can't explain). Also, his badge was lying nearby. She needs to see him for herself and they take off for the hospital.

Once there, Vincent tries to stop Nat from charging in, but she does, and the bed is empty. Bo and Paige are there and wonder why she's so upset? They mention that Hugh has been taken to surgery for a risky skin graft operation. She asks to speak to Bo alone, outside of the hospital, but he's hesitant to leave Paige alone. The surgery is dangerous and if something happens, they need to be there. Nat is ready to charge into the operating room, to demand a DNA test or to tell them that she has a warrant. She's frantic, but Vincent tries to make her see how none of that would be possible. What if he dies on the operating table? Vincent states what may be the obvious; that Hugh is buried in John's grave. Suddenly, Natalie asks to be driven to her car. He leaves her and she heads for the cemetery, where she begins to dig up the gravesite!

11/16 Vincent tried to stop Natalie from digging out the coffin. Vincent reminded her that if John was alive, that meant Hugh was dead and he wondered how would that affect Paige. Natalie began beating herself up about not knowing if the man in the bandages was John. Natalie wondered why she didn't have that connection with him anymore. "I wasn't there for him," she said. Vincent tried to make her feel better. "I need to know now," she cried. Vincent promised her she'd know the truth about John soon enough. Vincent wished he had waited for some more information before telling Natalie about his theory regarding John.

11/17 Natalie rushed into Bo's office but couldn't find him. Vincent was right behind her. Vincent reminded her that dumping this stuff on him wasn't helping the situation. Natalie promised she wouldn't dig up any more graves. Spencer's trial began. Evangeline faced the jury and told them that Spencer Truman murdered police officer John McBain in cold blood. Natalie got a note to her uncle. After the defense made their statements, the judge adjourned for an hour. Bo told Natalie that he had heard from the Atlantic City police that someone had tried to dig up John's grave. Natalie admitted she was that someone, and it was because John was alive.

11/20 Bo asks if John isn’t in the grave then who is? Vincent approaches and says that it is his friend Hugh, who had brown eyes. Vincent tells him that the man who is lying in his hospital bed has blue eyes and they now believe that John is the man who survived the fiery crash. Bo has a hard time processing what they are saying and when Paige overhears them discussing John surviving the accident, he pulls her away. Bo explains that Natalie is having a hard time dealing with the loss of John and that she shouldn't worry about what Natalie said.

Paige tells him that she believes that Vincent is a good man and that Bo shouldn't worry about their friendship since she has seen a side of him after observing him by Hugh's bedside day after day. John tells Natalie that he didn't have the heart to tell Paige that she may have lost her son after just finding him. He assures Natalie that once he has all the facts he will tell Paige the truth. Natalie vows to find out the truth for herself and heads straight to the hospital.

Soapnet John McBain Promo on John’s Return from the Dead

11/21 Natalie runs into Viki at the hospital and shares with her the news that it is John who is lying in the hospital bed and not Hugh. Viki is stunned and worried not only about Natalie but about Paige who just found her son and about Spencer who could become capable of anything should he find out his son is dead.

11/27 Natalie dreamt of seeing John leaning on his grave. He reminded her that grave robbing is an offense in this state. Natalie told John (in her dream) that she knows it's him in the ER, not Hugh. John asked her if she still "had it."

Vicky fills Clint in on Natalie’s hope that John is alive. She tells Clint that Bo is running a DNA test. Paige woke Natalie up. "Is it John? Is he still alive?" Natalie asked. Natalie and Paige have an awkward conversation, and Paige left. Natalie insisted to John/Hugh's doctor that it was John in that bed. Natalie begged the doctor to consider what she was saying as Paige walked back in.

"What's this about?" Paige asked. The doctor just said that the patient was resting comfortably. When Paige left, the doctor told Natalie to be more discreet until all the facts were in. "Please keep this to yourself," the doctor urged her. Michael rushed to Natalie's side. "John didn't die in that car crash," she said to a stunned Michael. Michael couldn't believe her words. Michael suggested Natalie get some counseling. Natalie forced Michael to look through the window at John. "That is your brother," she promised him.

11/28 Michael tries to keep Natalie calm as they wait for the skin graft surgery to be completed so they can find out if John or Hugh survived the crash. When the attending nurse walks by, Natalie shows her a picture of Hugh and of John and asks her to show her which of the two men came out of the surgery. The nurse tells Natalie that she has no idea since she has not seen the man without bandages. Natalie gets upset and Michael has to calm her down while explaining to the nurse that the man in the bed could be his brother and Natalie's fiancé. The nurse decides that she will let Michael and Natalie in while the bandages are changed so they can see for themselves. After scrubbing up, Michael and Natalie wait with bated breath as the bandages are removed revealing John's face.

11/29 Bo receives the DNA analysis just prior to Paige arriving at his office with breakfast. She's in a great mood and excited to see her picture back on his desk. He breaks the news, gently, that John is the survivor in the hospital. It slowly dawns on her what he's saying. She breaks down. Nat and the McBains keep a watchful eye on John through the window, not believing that this miracle has happened. Michael tries to explain that John may not be the same person, that he may be resentful and bitter, that he will need considerable care, and John may not want Nat to be with him. Natalie has pretty strong feelings of her own; she will be with John every minute for however long it takes. She will not let him push her away. As she sits by his side, he awakens. "Hey Natalie," are his first words to her.

11/30 John and Natalie reconnected by his bedside. She immediately apologized for not realizing it was him all the time. Michael and Natalie filled John in on the past few months. Michael asked John what he remembered about the accident. He remembered crashing the car, talking to his father. John said that his life really did pass before him. Michael said he thought that Evangeline was destroying Spencer on the stand. John had some special words for Natalie, but Natalie didn't want him to stress too much. Instead, she wept tears of joy.

Bo paid Spencer a visit with news that John McBain is alive. Bo explained that John had been misidentified. Spencer shut up when he realized what Bo was telling him. Bo confirmed that the man who is buried in John's grave is Hugh. Spencer accused Bo of lying to him. Bo said he wouldn't lie about a thing like this. He'd lost a son too. "It's the darkest place," Bo admitted. Bo suggested he talk to someone about this, "otherwise it can eat you alive," Bo warned. Spencer sat on the floor and looked rather sad. Natalie called Cris and broke the news that John was alive to a stunned Evangeline. Evangeline wanted to see John, "but not today." Evangeline didn't want to intrude on Natalie and his family's happy time.

12/1 Everyone regrouped in the courtroom. They rejoiced about John being alive and noted the death of poor Hugh. They wondered how Spencer was taking the death of his son. Spencer was called to the stand. His defense attorney asked him why he killed Thomas McBain. Spencer looked perplexed. Spencer denied killing Thomas McBain. The defense attorney called Spencer's mother a lying whore. Spencer jumped up and attacked his attorney. Then Spencer looked at Blair and said, "It's all your fault. why did you lie to me, Ma?" The courtroom looked concerned. Spencer began ranting and raving in court. Marty takes the stand to evaluate Spencer's mental condition. Marty tells the judge that she believes that Spencer is delusional and in need of psychiatric help.

Vincent and Natalie talked about their kiss. Natalie brought up the bit about her kissing Vincent to John. John remembered hearing that. Natalie began to explain what happened and he seemed to understand. Natalie ran into Vincent by the docks. Natalie shared with Vincent that John had said "I love you" to her but wondered if he remembered about the ring. Michael visited his brother and gave him the update on Spencer's rant in the courtroom. Michael brought up the fact that John had planned to propose to Natalie. "Do you still want to marry her?" he asked.

12/4 Natalie runs back to John's side after the trial even though John and Michael have insisted that Natalie go home and get some rest. When Natalie decides that she wants to get a bite to eat, she asks John what he wants and he tells her that he would like a newspaper so that he can find out what's been going on while he was under. John asks Natalie to tell him how the trial is going and Natalie tells him a filtered version until John confesses that Michael already told him about Spencer's "nervous breakdown." Natalie confirms the story and tells him that Evangeline did a good job during her cross examination but she fears that Spencer's lawyer may get him off with an insanity plea.

12/5 Natalie and John discuss his recovery and how she is the reason he was determined to survive. Natalie shows him the engagement ring and explains how Eve gave her the ring because she knew that John was on his way to propose to Natalie before the accident. John tells Natalie to take a good look at him and realize that things have changed since that night. Natalie tearfully agrees that they should remain focused on his recovery. John apologizes for the situation but Natalie tells him that she has no regrets.

12/6 John awakens from a dream of his father being killed; Natalie is still sitting there, with the ring on the table, calling out to her, though she denies it. The doctor shows up to take some tests and check John over. Cris and an overwhelmed Evangeline visit. The guys enjoy teasing over saving each other's lives.

Later, the doctor mentions that John has come through the exam and the surgery with flying colors. Nat goes off to seek a remote even though John has been forbidden to watch TV or become stressed. The doctor returns and announces that the O.R. is being prepped for surgery. Not now, both Nat and John stress. He's waiting for news and no; he will not wait until after he's in recovery to hear anything. The doctor is extremely annoyed, having re-arranged his schedule.

12/7 The judge ruled Spencer mentally unable to defend himself. "I have no choice but to declare a mistrial," he said, sentencing Spencer to a mental health facility until he is deemed competent to stand trial. After court was adjourned, Nora pointed out to Evangeline and Cristian that Spencer didn't beat the case, just postponed it. She also said the facility will be no picnic for him and guessed that Spencer would beg the judge to let him out within a week.

John told the plastic surgeon he would not go under for surgery until he hears the verdict at Spencer's trial. The doctor said he'd try to reschedule. Natalie flipped on the news and the two watched the update about he judge's ruling Spencer unfit to stand trial. Later, Bo caught Natalie alone outside of John's room and the two both worried about what the judge's decision would to do John.

12/8 Natalie kept vigil by a bandaged John's hospital bed as he awakened from surgery. They joked about how much she liked seeing him in bandages. The light mood was ruined when Vincent stopped by and Nat told him in private that their friendship needs to be "on hold." Vincent replied that he understands, then told John he's there if John needs anything. "We need to talk about Natalie," John stated, making it clear that he's back in the picture. "Sorry, John, but I can't make any promises," Vincent said to himself.

12/12 John listens as Natalie and Cris explain how Spencer is on his way to Wingdale instead of being sentenced to prison time. John is furious but does a good job of not letting Natalie see how upset he is. John asks Cris to let Evangeline know that she did a good job and it's not her fault that Spencer is getting a light sentence.

John sends Natalie on an errand to find him something to drink and she thanks Cris for being such a good friend to John. Cris reminds her that he is also her friend and that she shouldn't be going through this alone. While Natalie is in the hall with Cris, John calls Michael and tells him that he must get his surgeries pushed through as quickly as possible so that he can bring Spencer to justice himself. A seething Natalie walks in and informs John that he is not going after Spencer.

12/13 Feeling an urgency to leave the hospital, John upsets Natalie with his demands. He asks Michael to check with the doctors so that he can leave once his grafts are quickly completed. Michael agrees with Nat as she promises to stop John from hurting himself, though they realize that he will not listen to reason.

When Bo arrives at the hospital to share the news of Spencer being taken by a masked assailant, most likely Todd, John's rush to leave is magnified even more. He has to finish what he started, he insists. When they learn that his blood pressure is elevated because of too much stress, Nat and Michael are convinced more than ever that John has to stay calm. Finally, Michael is worn down and resigned to speak to the doctors on John's behalf. Nat reluctantly gives in too. He'd better not leave her again though, she warns him.

12/20 John awakens to find Natalie sitting at his bedside. He admits he's in great pain but it'll be worth it to be able to get out of the hospital. No way, she replies. The skin grafts have to take first. This is the beginning of an argument, not only with Nat, but also with the nurse who comes by with medication. Natalie reads him the riot act and John finally relents, taking his pills.

Vincent stops by, with the premise that he was looking for someone to talk to, that someone being Hugh in the past. He tells John about the fire and McBain realizes that his help is wanted. Vincent wants him to persuade Antonio to take him seriously and if the police don't do their work, he'll find out what happened by himself. In fact, he may get help from a certain redheaded forensics tech, he states, watching for a reaction from John. The detective actually has no problem with Vincent's asking Natalie for help because she knows how to read people, including him.

They talk about their dads briefly and Vincent mentions how he had a father figure who used to take him around on his jobs across Llanview. John suggests the fire could have had to do with those activities. They agree they have something in common; they don't divulge much. Nat returns to the room and Vincent quickly leaves. He and John have more in common than he thinks, Vincent mutters. John learns that not only did Spencer make it through surgery, but Michael was the one to save him. He is livid as Natalie tries to tell him that his brother took an oath. He is even more anxious to get out now.

12/22 At the hospital, Natalie, Marcie, Michael and Tommy gave John a Christmas party in his room. Marcie put her foot in her mouth when she asked to see the engagement ring that John had given Natalie...when he hadn't actually done so. Nat covered nicely by stating that her present was seeing John get well. The brothers wished their mom could be with them, but she was on another cruise.

Michael admitted that he'd been one of the doctors to save Spencer's life. John understood that his brother was just doing his job. Michael confessed that he'd been tempted to "slip up." John said he's planning to "put an end" to Spencer by going back to work and doing what he can to put Truman back in prison. Marcie worried that if Spencer gets the death penalty, Todd will never learn where his son is.

Natalie joined her family at Llanfair. She then returned to the hospital and stopped by to see Spencer. He wondered if Nat was planning to kill him. She wasn't; she just wanted to taunt him a little. She and John then exchanged gifts. He gave her a date book with "dinner at the Palace" marked off. He hinted that would be when he proposes.

12/27 Michael is extremely angry with John; after all the strings he pulled to have John transferred, his brother is not being very co-operative. He's not taking his pain meds, which are very important, and is not behaving. He could get an infection or worse and Michael's name is on the line. Plus, he can't lose him again. John insists that he can't take his medicine until Spencer is "down for the count." He learns that Blair lost her baby thanks to Spencer, as he pulled her off the roof. John is ready to go after Spencer.

Marty visits John, her new patient, but he catches on and knows immediately that she's a shrink. He plays word games with her and basically refuses to answer her questions. He just wants his discharge papers. He wants to go home and solve the case. Marty can tell that John has seen a therapist before and with the difficult time he's giving her, she can't believe that people actually find him charming. Shortly after, John learns that he'll never leave the hospital if he doesn't pass the test with the psych.

12/28 John kept refusing to take his medication. Natalie played the tough nurse and reminded him to follow the doctors orders. John told her that he had already taken some pain killers. Natalie reminded him that he's not all that tough. John admitted he wanted to hurt Spencer. Marty overheard this as she was eavesdropping by his door. Natalie and John began arguing. John sent Natalie off to make plans for new years as he'd probably be out cold. Natalie left and saw Marty in the lobby, near John's room.

"Dr. Saybrooke, what are you doing here?" Natalie told her off a bit and went off with the nurse. Marty returned to John's room. Marty explained she wasn't the staff shrink. John said his mood was "generally pissed off." Marty then asked him about Spencer Truman. John wondered what Truman was to her. Marty apologized for asking him and left. Marty said she was not working for Truman and then left. She returned to find John's bed empty. "Oh John," she said, "What have you done."

12/29 Spencer woke up to see John at his door. Marty asked the nurse if she knew where John was. Spencer said John wasn't on his guest list, and yelled for the guard. John began strangling Spencer with the belt from his robe. Marty broke it up. John headed up the stairs vowing to get Spencer, no matter what. Marty told him she was Marty Saybrooke. John grabbed her, saying, "You let Truman walk. Why didn't you tell me who you were? You are a quack." John collapsed on the stairs. Marty got John back to his room.

Natalie arrived at John's room all dressed up with champagne and two flutes. When the clock struck midnight, they kissed.

1/2 Natalie visits Spencer prepared to give him a piece of her mind but is quickly stopped in her tracks when Spencer reveals that John tried to kill him the night before. Natalie stands firm as Spencer tries to fill her head with doubts about John's love for her. Natalie goes back to John's room and interrupts a heated discussion between John and Michael regarding John's recovery. Natalie tells everyone about the discussion she had with Spencer and the details of his visit from John.

Michael is furious and threatens to have John's doctors post a guard outside his door to prevent him from being able to leave. Marcie intervenes and tells both Natalie and Michael that John should be allowed to continue his treatments at home since they all know that there is no way that they will be able to keep John down any longer.

After discussing it with John's doctors, John is released with strict orders. A teary Natalie tells John that she does not agree with his early release and tells him that she could not bear it if she lost him again. John tells her that she will never lose him again.

1/4 As Nat disinfects John's apartment prior to his homecoming, Roxy shows up in a HAZMAT suit. She's curious to know how close her daughter is actually going to get to John when he gets home. Nat doesn't want to take a chance and cause any infection so she has no plans at all to be near to him. Roxy orders her to take that chance, saying she needs it!! She's really happy that John is back for her. Nat warns John to stay out of trouble until he leaves the hospital but he's already in a deep discussion with Marty.

The doc claims to have nothing against John when he asks, as she would have reported his previous night's actions if she had. He does blame her for what has happened to the Mannings while she's sorry he doesn't agree with her diagnosis of Spencer. They have a heart to heart and Marty relates that she understands how it is to lose someone in a heartbeat. He cuts the conversation short however, when she asks what his father would think of him endangering his life or possibly heading to prison due to his actions.

Nat stops at the hospital to get John. She will take care of him even though he doesn't want her to. He feels badly; she didn't ask for all of this, he tells her. She wants to do it, she wants it all, she replies. He does too, is his response.

1/5 Natalie excitedly brought John home to his new, sterile digs, but he wasn't as enthused. "This isn't gonna work," he brooded. Natalie freaked out, fearing that he'd die if he doesn't take care of himself. "Shut up and listen, you're exasperating," John snapped. He explained that he just doesn't want to be cooped up, but isn't planning to die anytime soon, either.

Nat pleaded with him to follow the doctor's orders for just a little while longer. John promised he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his recovery, but complained when she gave him his medication. After Nat left, John spit out the pills.

1/8 Vincent is convinced that Cris is behind the burning of his warehouse and the murder of Ted. Natalie overhears him discussing his theory and quickly comes to the defense of her ex husband. Natalie tells Vincent that Cris is not the type of man to plot revenge. If he truly felt any lingering resentment toward Vincent then he would confront it head on.

Vincent reminds Natalie that they are talking about the same man who beat Ted mercilessly while trying to extract information about who framed him for taking a dive. Natalie knows that Cris has a temper but he would not take it to the extreme of burning down a building. Vincent suggests that maybe Natalie no longer knows Cris as well as she thinks she does. Vincent is assured by the police that they will look at all suspects regardless of their personal ties to anyone who may be on the list.

Bo pays John a visit as the two friends discuss his accident and recovery. Bo shares with John how he felt when he thought that the detective was dead. Bo also warns John against making another attempt on Spencer's life.

Natalie arrives back to the apartment with lunch for John. She inadvertently tells him that she sent Bo over to check on him and John becomes angry telling her that he doesn't need a babysitter. When Natalie discovers that John is still not taking his medicine, she spikes his soup and then gleefully watches as John becomes drowsy as the medicine begins to take affect.

1/11 Awakening after several hours of sleep, John groggily realizes that Natalie tricked him by putting his medicine into his soup. The pair begin to argue but are interrupted by Viki and Clint who both decided separately, to drop by with provisions. It's obvious to the older couple that they've interrupted something and everyone is pretty ill at ease. Begging off to visit Blair gets Viki and Clint off the hook and they decide to meet up at the hospital for their own conversation.

Natalie and John pick up where they left off, with Natalie finally getting up in a huff to leave. John just wants to still do his own thing alone, she complains, while she thought they were in it together. She only hears what she wants to hear and doesn't hear his thoughts on the pain medicine, he responds. They screw with his head and he'd rather deal with the pain. They don't want to lose each other; John asks that she stay as she reaches the door.

1/12 Natalie said she couldn't watch John risk his life. John said he didn't know how he would recover without her. He wanted her to be a part of his recovery, but added he also wants to be in charge of his life. Natalie told John that Spencer was going to be transferred to Wingdale. Natalie said when John was "dead" she was most upset that he wouldn't have been able to move on with his life.

Natalie pointed out that though John was now there physically, she was sick of waiting for him. She threw his pills in the air and didn't understand why John was so eager to be dead again. "You are the second person to tell me this week that I have a death wish," he said. Natalie urged John to go back to bed. Natalie blamed Marty for all of this. The phone rang. It was Michael telling them about the hostage situation at the hospital. John put on his coat and unlocked his gun with plans to go to the hospital. "You're going?" Natalie asked.

1/15 Natalie has a hard time keeping a restless John at bay while waiting on word regarding Spencer's fate. Natalie wants John to take his medicine but John continues to balk at taking the medicine because of the way it makes him feel. Natalie tells him that Michael said he could take a lower dose but John doesn't want to have any parts of the medicine.

When he tries to leave to go to the hospital, Natalie puts her foot down and stops him from going. John promises to take his medicine when he finds out whether or not Spencer survived surgery. Natalie calls Bo and has him speak to John. Bo promises to keep John informed of the situation as long as John agrees to stay put. When Natalie turns on the TV to find out the latest, they both learn that Spencer made it out of surgery alive. A frustrated John holds up his end of the bargain and takes his medicine in front of a pleased Natalie.

1/16 Vincent asks Natalie as a friend to find out who is responsible for the burning down of his warehouse. Natalie tells Vincent that she will not help him find evidence on Cris since he is not the arsonist. Vincent tells Natalie that he hopes that Cris didn't set the fire because Vincent has already caused Cris enough grief but he needs to find out who the real arsonist is. Their conversation is interrupted by Vincent's discovery that another one of his warehouses has been torched. He confirms the news with Shawn and then leaves Natalie to go and find out what happened. After Vincent leaves, Natalie stays behind to see if she can find out any additional information about the fire from the officer who took the call.

1/17 Vincent and Aaron hosted a press conference in Angel Square, where they blasted the police force and said that Cristian was guilty of burning down his buildings. Natalie was furious.

Marty stopped by John's and told him that now she's sure that Spencer wasn't fit to be on trial. John argued that Truman knew exactly what he's doing; she stated that Spence is insane. Marty admitted that she was basically saying, "I told you so." John noted that Marty was more stressed about having been taken hostage by Spencer than she was letting on.

"I'm holding it together just fine," she snapped, but John thought she was about to lose it. Marty freaked out when he said she's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Natalie later returned and reamed out Marty about her role in Spencer being free. Marty left. John scolded Nat for her behavior.

1/18 Nat and Jess stop at the hospital to visit Blair. Nat mentions what a terrible patient John is but she still loves him. Natalie is astonished to learn that Nash is now the manager of Capricorn and figures it's merely just so he can get on Jess' nerves. She also is bitter to learn that Jess is taking advice from Marty and mentions that even John has forgiven Marty for her deeds involving Spencer. Marty is a friend of hers, Jess announces, and has been through a lot.

1/22 Marcie, Tommy, and Michael pay John a visit. After Marcie leaves for her "Mommy and Me" class with Tommy, Michael stays behind for a few moments to talk to John about his recovery. John shares with Michael his frustration with his slow recovery and the damage that it is causing to his relationship with Natalie. Michael reminds John how much Natalie has giving up to help nurse him back to health but John feels that he doesn't need a nanny.

Michael wonders if John's moodiness has more to do with Spencer getting off lightly for their father's murder. John does admit that he wished he had killed Spencer when he had the chance. Michael also recalls how easily it would have been to kill Spencer on the operating table when he fell of the roof but reminds John that Spencer is still alive because neither of them are cold blooded killers.

1/23 Natalie helped John get ready for his physical therapy. When the therapist arrived, Natalie left and headed to Marty's. She wanted to find out what John owes Marty. Natalie told Marty that John needs time to heal and he doesn't need a shrink. "Stay away from him," she barked, while blaming Marty for the problems in her relationship. "Stay away from Spencer and stay away from John," Natalie concluded as Marty slammed the door behind her. Natalie returned to John's apartment. John exploded at her for visiting Marty.

1/24 Marty headed to John's apartment to warn him about Spencer. John blamed Marty for Blair's accident and Spencer's holding her hostage. During their conversation, Natalie showed up at the front door and began listening in. John said he was grateful that Marty had kept him from killing Spencer. Then he added that he wasn't sure he could trust Natalie "with things like this." Natalie heard loud and clear.

After Marty left, tension continued between John and Natalie when he suggested that one of them move out. Natalie wondered who would take care of John. She started to cry and said she wanted things to be the way they were before. Natalie left and ran sobbing into Viki's arms. Nat wondered what she could have done differently in taking care of John. Viki reminded Natalie that John is proud and that John can't be told what to do. She added that Natalie wasn't John's mother. Viki suggested that Natalie let John make his own decisions and that she remember that John loves her.

1/25 As Nat approaches the door to John's apartment, she overhears voices. It's Marty and John talking and she's not liking what she's hearing. She learns that Marty was involved when John tried to kill Spencer at the hospital. He thanks her again for protecting him but hasn't told Natalie anything because he doesn't trust her. Marty convinces John to confide in her which he agrees to do providing that she won't do the opposite of what he wants like Natalie does. He admits that Nat drugged him which surprises Marty though she understands why she did it.

Natalie wants him to change too much and he's made it clear that he can't and won't. "Because you're so perfect?" Marty inquires. He needs trust from everyone and though he's not blaming Nat for their problems, he can't be the man she wants. He can't be happy until Spencer is dead. Natalie softly and quietly leaves.

1/26 Natalie and Rex had a drink at Rodi's and talked about how Spencer had ruined her relationship with John. Natalie called John's physical therapist and learned that John has been keeping the details of his successful recovery from her. Natalie said she and John would be fine once this Spencer thing was taken care of. She told Vincent she had to make things right with John before it was too late. Natalie rushed off.

Marty suggested that John learn to live his life without his vendetta against Spencer. She began to panic when she heard that Cole hadn't showed up at the youth center. Marty left. John thanked her for the advice and added, "don't be offended if I ignore it." John made a cryptic call to someone. It turned out he had called his physical therapist, who was very impressed by his recovery. John had his session. When we next saw John's apartment, the phone was ringing and the machine picked up. John apparently wasn't there.

Someone came up from behind and stabbed Spencer with scissors. He turned and looked at his assailant and said, "You." That last moment of the episode showed Spencer looking pretty dead on the floor and left Blair laying in her hospital bed spattered with blood.

1/29 Michael finds John collapsed in a hospital waiting room. He asks John what he is doing there fearing that John may be having a relapse and seeking medical attention. John tells him that he couldn't wait and had to take care of Spencer. Michael tells John that they no longer have to worry about the good doctor any longer. He tries to move John but realizes that John has no energy to help him. Michael finally succeeds in getting John off the floor but their exit is thwarted by Natalie.

1/30 Natalie tells John and Michael that Spencer is dead and although she is suspicious of the two brothers, she helps them to get out of the hospital undetected. After John and Michael leave, Natalie walks over to the crime scene and asks the forensics expert in charge if she can observe them while they go over the scene. The detective agrees but asks Natalie not to touch anything as Natalie has taken time off from her studies to take care of John. She tells Natalie to keep her mouth closed and her eyes open.

As Natalie is standing over Spencer's body, she spies a piece of fiber that closely matches the scarf that John was wearing. While no one is looking, she takes the fiber off of Spencer's body and hides it in a handkerchief.

Michael gets John back to the boarding house but they are almost caught by Roxy who is taking another potty break. John manages to get upstairs before Roxy exits the restroom. Roxy tells Michael that his wife was looking for him and the next time he decides to leave, he should leave Marcie a note. Michael goes upstairs to John's room to make sure that he is all right. They both share how even though Spencer is dead, it doesn't make them feel as good as they thought it would. However, the both agree that things will be so much better now that Spencer is gone.

1/31 Natalie and John tried to get to sleep, but couldn't. Nat admitted that she couldn't stop thinking about Spencer's death. They made some small talk as he asked Natalie to bring him a couple of items. She then demanded to know what he'd been doing at the hospital. He replied that he went to see Michael, but she didn't buy it. Nat then started going on about how he trusts Marty, but not him. He was furious when he realized she'd eavesdropped on his and Marty's conversation. John snapped that he has plenty of reasons to not trust Nat. "There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect you," Natalie said ominously.

2/1 Evangeline pays a visit to John who admits that he's been thinking about her very often lately. He asks if she thinks he's the killer but the description of the actual murder doesn't sound like him, Evangeline discloses. Besides, he couldn't have even gotten to the hospital so the idea is a bit farfetched, she continues. He still has no peace, John divulges. Death was too easy for Spencer and he didn't pay enough for his actions. He and Nat are still going through a lot of difficulty, he confesses, but he doesn't want to talk about it. Evangeline is happy to see the same old John. They talk briefly about Cris and wonder who might be setting him up. She gets a call from Nora, asking to meet her at the diner.

Upstairs, Nat waits to see Bo who is questioning Todd, and begins to ask Talia questions. The police officer is highly suspect, though Nat quickly assures her that she's interested in the forensics and the case due to the fact that so many of her family and friends were involved in Spencer's life. Talia finally tells her that there is no lead, which Nat is quick to phone into John.

When Nat finally gets to see Bo, she learns of Rex being held and dashes off to see him. Michael is still there but the questions she asks of him are quickly answered by Rex. She shares that John couldn't be the killer because he was home. She scolds Rex for being so stupid to pick up the murder weapon.

Nat storms upstairs again to Bo's office. He admits that he thinks Rex is protecting someone. Suddenly, John shows up. He wants to come back to work and he wants the Truman case. Michael bumps into Marcie; she catches him in a lie as he told her he was going to work. He was there at the last minute, he claims. He wanted to tell Rex that they believe in him.

2/2 John was anxious to return to work, but Natalie didn't think he was ready. John told Bo that he wants to work on the investigation surrounding Spencer's murder. Bo argued that he's too close to it, but John insisted. Nat tried to stop him, but the guys asked her to leave. Alone, Bo asked John if he knows someone he cares about is the killer. John replied that he takes his job seriously and would never cover for someone. Bo still didn't want him taking the case. Natalie returned and said that John had been with her when Spencer was murdered. John quickly amended that she's lying.

2/5 As John prepares to answer Bo's question about whether John killed Spencer, Natalie tries to jump in with an alibi for John. John comes clean with Bo and tells him that he was at the hospital the night Spencer was killed but he swears to him that he did not kill Spencer. A disbelieving Natalie storms out of Bo's office when it appears that Bo is going to allow John on the investigative team.

Bo wonders why Natalie is so convinced that John killed Spencer and John tells him that it's her problem. Bo decides to allow John on the case as part of the team and not the lead since Bo has decided to take the lead for now. Bo advised John to get plenty of rest since they are going to be putting in long hours. He also advises John to go home and try to resolve things with Natalie.

2/6 John wants to know why Natalie thinks that he wants to break up with her and Natalie reveals that he has been pushing her away for weeks now. She also reveals that she believes that he killed Spencer. John can't believe it but tells Natalie that she has to trust that he didn't do it. Natalie counters that neither one of them trusts the other which leaves them at an impasse. Natalie wonders if John even loves her anymore. John pulls her into a kiss which leads to them making up in bed.