Editors’ Choice
DAYS OF OUR LIVES
DAYS’S latest baby switch saga reached a gut-wrenching climax when Sarah relinquished her darling “Mickey” to her biological mother, Kristen.
Desperate to avoid being parted from the little girl she’d loved as her own, Sarah spun out of control, her shot nerves and skyrocketing anxiety on full display as she rambled to Rex about why she couldn’t give up the baby she’d raised since birth, insisting that the girl was better off with her than with crazy Kristen. At the Paris train station, Sarah prepared to make a getaway with the child, cooing at sweet Mickey and presenting her with a cupcake to mark her first birthday. Then she thought back to the fateful night she gave birth on the side of the road and was rushed to the hospital, where Xander placed “her” newborn in her arms. “It was you, Kristen and Brady’s baby. My baby was dead,” muttered Sarah, jolting herself back to reality.
Sarah suddenly sensed someone behind her. It was Kristen, with one simple question: “Where the hell do you think you’re going with my baby?” Panicstricken and quivering, Sarah clutched Mickey’s stroller with a protective hand and snapped, “She’s my daughter,” recounting how she’d nursed Mickey, watched her grow, and held her during her grueling cancer treatments. Portrayer Stacy Haiduk kept the usually volatile Kristen calm and in rational control. Instead of barking back at Sarah, Kristen reasoned with her, noting how all those moments should have been hers, but had been stolen from her. Kristen acknowledged and empathized with Sarah’s pain; after all, they were both mothers who had lost their child.
And yet, the push-pull between the two women continued. Still unable to accept the inevitable, Sarah lashed out at Kristen, denouncing her character and claiming that she was incapable of being a good mother. “If you ever really loved her, you would just let us go,” pleaded Sarah.
But, of course, Kristen wouldn’t and couldn’t. Instead, she continued to pour on the kindness, thanking Sarah for caring for her baby while she spent a year grieving “her” (Sarah’s) dead child, and expressing her genuine sorrow over the cruel twist of fate that resulted in her own joy coming at the price of Sarah’s suffering. “Please, I’m asking you to give me the child that was stolen from me,” Kristen begged, her arms outstretched to offer an embrace.
As Sarah finally accepted the harsh reality of the situation, Linsey Godfrey’s sobbing intensified. She kissed Mickey one last time before handing her to Kristen, then fled. Meanwhile, Kristen held her daughter close for the first time since the day she’d given birth to her. Haiduk’s eyes glistened with tears and she beamed, snuggling her little Rachel.
Brady arrived on cue to witness the mother and child reunion, with portrayer Eric Martsolf delivering the perfect blend of strength and raw emotion. The family of three warmly embraced, but their happy reunion came to an abrupt halt when Brady mentioned returning home. Kristen reminded him that she couldn’t step foot in Salem, because she’d be sent to prison for stabbing Victor. After mulling over their options, Brady decided to let Kristen run — with Rachel. The trio’s final moments together were warm and bittersweet, as Kristen promised to give Rachel the life she deserved and to tell her all about her wonderful father. Crying and sharing one final kiss, Brady and Kristen said a poignant good-bye.
There was no storybook ending for Kristen and Brady — or Sarah, for that matter — but buoyed by bravura performances, Kristen’s miracle and Sarah’s heartbreak came to life in a powerful, poignant way.