Days of our Lives Recaps: The week of February 17, 1997 on DAYS

Marlena learned that John and Kristen were married minutes before the baby's birth. John and Marlena were both unaware that Susan had stood in for Kristen during both the marriage and the birth. Marlena despaired that she had lost John forever. Vivian acted as Kristen's ally during the wedding and birth. Sami was in pain when Mike Horton weaned her off of the pain medications, and demanded all of Austin's attention, ruining his plan to spend Valentine's Day with Carrie. Jack was sentenced to life in prison for Peter's murder, and spent his last night of freedom with Jenn and Abby. Bo continued to work undercover, playing a crooked cop for J.L. King, but distanced Hope, fearing for her safety if he appeared to care about her.

Monday and Tuesday, February 17 and 18, 1997

by Diane Dix

Marlena tried to tell John about Kristen, but a crisis with the baby interrupted her. The baby struggled to breathe and was diagnosed with a congenital heart disorder, which required surgery. Kristen was devastated. Dr. Robbins ran into John and Kristen and asked to examine Kristen to make sure she was healing correctly, but Kristen refused, knowing that if Dr. Robbins examined her, he would know she had not just given birth. John was baffled by her refusal, but Marlena was suspicious.

Jack's first day in prison was difficult for him, Jennifer, and Abby. At prison, Jack was befriended by an inmate named Travis, who was actually a plant of Stefano DiMera's. Jack's cellmate, Mooney, was hostile and provoked a fight by tearing down Jack's pictures of Jennifer and Abby. Travis coerced a guard into setting Mooney up for solitary by planting a knife in his footlocker, so that Travis could become Jack's new cellmate. Mooney assumed Jack had set him up and swore vengeance when he got out.

Jennifer and Abby took pictures and wrote letters for Jack, while Jennifer remembered Jack's last day of freedom. Hope stopped by to see Jennifer and sympathized with her. Jennifer was heartbroken when Abby told her how much she missed Jack already.

Bo continued to work undercover to expose J.L. King, inwardly frustrated that Abe wouldn't allow him to tell Hope why he couldn't be with her. Hope assumed that Bo was still thinking about Billie. Bo almost revealed the plot to Hope but realized he was being watched by King's men, so he was cold and hostile to Hope, knowing that if he showed he loved her, she would be vulnerable if Bo was exposed. Hope got increasingly frustrated with Bo's apathetic attitude, especially when Bo denied he was working to bust the kingpin behind the dealers at Shawn-Douglas' school. Hope declared that if Bo wasn't going to do anything, she was going to investigate the case herself.

Carrie was aghast to find Austin in Sami's bed and mortified to see him kiss her and tell her he loved her in his sleep. Kate stopped by and asked what was going on, and Carrie told her. Kate decided to verify for herself whether Sami was faking the amnesia. She sat with Sami while Carrie and Austin went out. Sami's demeanor eventually convinced Kate that the amnesia was real.

Austin told Carrie that he had been dreaming about Carrie when he had kissed Sami. Carrie and Austin managed to spend a romantic evening together while Mike ran extensive tests on Sami. However, when Sami's tests caused her pain, she refused to be consoled unless Austin was by her side, and Mike called Austin. Carrie let him go, reassured by their romantic rendezvous.

Wednesday, February 19, 1997

by Natalie Ross

Susan, acting as Kristen, was in the hospital, about to go into labor. Kristen feared that John would find out, and she attempted to try to switch her but had problems. Therefore, she acted as the attending nurse and stayed there to help Susan answer John's questions. Little did Kristen realize that John wanted to marry Kristen that night. Vivian arrived to help save Kristen, and Kristen decided to leave while John and Susan exchanged vows.

Vivian told John that Susan wanted her to stay to lend a helping hand, but John did not believe it. He figured Kristen would choose Marlena. However, she begged for Vivian, only because Kristen and Vivian had a deal, and it was Vivian's way of keeping Kristen's secret. Just as they were about to get married, Kristen left, and Marlena found out they were about to tie the knot. She hurried to interrupt the wedding so that she could reveal all of Kristen's secrets.

Meanwhile, Sami needed extra care. She was having back problems and requested Austin's support. Carrie could not take it anymore but went along with it. Sami was really glad that Carrie was there.

Vivian and Ivan had just been at a party, so they were dressed up. They saw Kristen and her double for the first time.

Jack and Jennifer were saying their last goodbyes. He was due in to jail shortly, and he was asking for Jennifer to take good care of Abby. In the meantime, he asked her to give Abby special gifts along the way from him. A policeman arrived to arrest Jack.

Thursday, February 20, 1997

by Diane Dix

At Jennifer's house, a police officer showed up to take Jack into custody. Jack and Jennifer protested that he had been given leave by the judge to spend his last night with his family. The officer pointed out that since it was after midnight, it was technically the day he was supposed to be taken in. Jack refused to go, and Jennifer stood between him and the officer, stating that Jack would be taken over her dead body. Jack was deeply touched by her loyalty.

Maggie entered and, after learning of the situation, called Mickey. Mickey arrived but was unable to dissuade the officer. Suddenly, Abby appeared, awakened by the noise, and asked why the mean man wanted to take her Daddy away. The police officer was touched by Abby's display of affection and agreed to give Jack a few more hours. Maggie asked Jennifer if she was still in love with Jack, and Jennifer said that even if she were, they couldn't be together. Jack read Abby a bedtime story, and they fell asleep together on the couch. Jennifer was touched by the sight of Jack and Abby asleep together, and she covered them with a blanket, devastated that it was their last night together.

At the hospital, Marlena waited at the elevator in a panic, realizing that if she didn't get to the delivery room soon, Kristen would marry John, and her hopes of reuniting with John would be dashed. Although she ended up running up the stairs, Marlena arrived too late.

In the delivery room, Kristen, masked and disguised as a nurse, watched in anguish as her double, Susan, stood in for her to marry an unwitting John. John was swept up by the ceremony and never doubted for a second that Susan was Kristen. Although Susan balked at first, Vivian and Kristen encouraged her to go through with the ceremony, and Susan got caught up in the romance. John kissed Susan passionately, to Kristen's dismay. Just as the priest pronounced John and Kristen husband and wife, Marlena arrived, and she sobbed quietly in anguish on the other side of the door.

Kristen and Vivian were startled and nervous to see Marlena watching at the doorway. Kristen was infuriated to see Susan enjoying John's kiss. Susan almost signed her own name on the marriage certificate, but Vivian guided her hand. When John left to file the papers, Kristen ripped off her mask and cried that it should have been her day, and she demanded to wear the wedding ring for a minute. Susan reluctantly took it off.

While Kristen was admiring the ring, John returned and demanded to know what the nurse was doing with Kristen's wedding ring. Vivian assured him she was only holding it for Kristen while determining if it was safe for Kristen to leave it on during the delivery, and Kristen gave the ring back to Susan. John was ecstatic to be married, and Susan secretly gloried in being "a married lady."

Sami's pain increased as Mike weaned her off the pain medication. She was restless and needy, and she demanded to have Austin by her side. Carrie was increasingly distressed as her romantic Valentine's evening with Austin was ruined. She felt guilty for being selfish but couldn't bear to see Austin attending to Sami's every need. She left Sami's room in tears. As she wandered the halls, she ran into a stunned Marlena and told her what had happened. Marlena revealed that John and Kristen were married. The priest walked by and confirmed that the marriage was legal. Carrie told Marlena that, regardless of the marriage, she needed to fight for John and tell him all the horrible things Kristen had done.

Carrie then took her own advice and returned to Sami's room, only to discover that Austin was in Sami's bed. While Carrie had been gone, Sami had awoken in pain and had asked Austin to hold her in bed as Marlena had done when Sami had been sick as a child. Austin, feeling guilty about Sami's accident, could only agree. Carrie knew none of that -- only that the man she loved was in bed with her sister.

As Kristen's contractions increased, John rushed out to get her some water. On the way back, he ran into Marlena and told her he was married. He was surprised at Marlena's lack of enthusiasm. Just as Marlena was about to tell John about Kristen, the nurse told him the baby was coming, and John left in a rush. Marlena vowed to tell John everything as soon as the baby was born.

Friday, February 21, 1997

by Diane Dix

J.L. King and his henchman Max discussed whether or not Bo's conversion to a bad cop was sincere. King suspected that Bo might be setting him up and that Hope, a former cop, might even be in on it, and perhaps her modeling career was just a cover. He assigned Max to find out everything he could about Hope and to watch her night and day.

Hope dreamed that she and Bo were back together and making love. Mrs. Horton woke her up, and Hope was disappointed to realize it had only been a dream. She told Alice about Bo's strange behavior the night before. Alice insisted there was a logical explanation. Hope went out to find Bo and asked him what was going on.

At the station, Bo was harassed by some beat cops who were happy to see him lose his detective position. Bo pretended to be touchy, and a fight nearly broke out before Abe arrived to stop it. Bo told Abe that he was only acting the part of a cop going bad. He also told Abe that since Hope was a cop, she could handle it if he told her about the drug operation, and she would not blow his cover. Abe said he couldn't stop Bo but advised him not to tell, for Hope's sake.

Bo went to the pier to walk his beat. Hope ran into him there, and he told her that Abe had posted a couple of cops near Shawn-D's school to watch for drug dealers. Hope asked Bo why he'd behaved so strangely the night before.

At Jennifer's house, Jennifer and Laura discussed Jack's predicament and the possibility of a reduced sentence on appeal. Jack woke up and told them that he needed them both to be strong for Abby. When Abby woke up, Jack spent as much of the morning as he could with her. Laura left without saying goodbye to Jack, telling Jennifer to tell Jack that Laura would miss him. Jennifer told Jack that she couldn't bring Abby to visit him in prison because it would be too hard on Abby, but she promised to visit often and bring pictures of Abby

Just then, Jennifer received a call from the policeman, saying he was on his way to collect Jack. Jack and Jennifer realized they couldn't hide the truth from Abby anymore. Just as the policeman entered the house, Abby walked downstairs and demanded to know why the policeman was there again. Jack told her he had to go away with the policeman to a place where people went to think. Abby asked if she could go with him, and Jack tearfully told her no. Abby asked him not to go, and Jack cried as he told Abby to take care of Jennifer and Laura. Jack sent Abby upstairs to get ready for school, and the policeman led him away in handcuffs.

Asleep on her office couch, Marlena dreamed of John and a gloating Kristen telling her she'd lost the fight because Kristen and John were married. She awakened and realized that the dream was true -- John and Kristen were married. Laura walked into her office, and Marlena asked about Jack. Laura said that she couldn't bear to say goodbye to Jack, so she'd gone to work.

Marlena told Laura about the wedding. Laura was furious and told Marlena she was no longer under any obligation to protect Kristen and had to go to John right away. Marlena said she couldn't until the baby was born. Marlena received a call telling her the baby was about to be delivered. She rushed to the delivery room to await the news.

Kristen waited in an agony of envy as John and Susan, in her Kristen disguise, prepared for the baby. At first the baby was turned sideways, and Kristen overheard Dr. Robbins telling John a Caesarian might be necessary. Kristen panicked, knowing that if Susan had a C-section and Kristen had no scar, John might guess at the deception. Kristen sought Vivian's advice, but Vivian had none to offer. Then, they learned that the birth was going to proceed naturally, and they waited outside the delivery room.

John was loving and supportive as Susan struggled to deliver the baby. The baby, a healthy boy, was born, to John and Susan's joy. Kristen cried in grief that she was unable to give John the baby he wanted while Vivian consoled her. John was very loving toward Susan and the baby. When he slipped out to phone Abe, Kristen entered Susan's room and told her it was time to make the switch. She rudely ripped Susan's blonde wig off of her head and told her to disappear.

John called Abe and told him about the baby and the last-minute wedding. As he was about to return, he ran into Marlena and asked her to see the baby. Marlena, to his surprise, refused and told John she wanted to speak to him privately.