Lani and Eli are back home in Salem! It’s been a long time coming, despite that Days of Our Lives return over the summer when they had to rescue Abe from the clutches of Nurse Whitley. It was, we knew, just a temporary reprieve, though fans were hoping to see the happy, hopefully fully reunited couple by the holidays.

That didn’t quite work out, though. Lani’s release from prison kept getting pushed back and delayed — which just made this return so much more tragic!

When Lamon Archey spoke with Soap Opera Digest, he acknowledged how bad things are for Paulina right now. In fact, he says, that’s why “Elani” rushed back to Salem so quickly after Lani finished serving her sentence.

“They knew it was serious,” he shared, “but I think it was a shock for both of them to find out how serious things were and how quickly things needed to be acted upon.”

After everything the family’s been through — that Lani and Paulina have been through— this was supposed to be a moment of triumph, joy and reunion. But now they’re faced with another crisis, and it’s one that could take Paulina away from them all.

“They’re faced with this news, that Paulina could pass. It’s definitely a heavy hit,” Archey acknowledged. “Anything Eli can do to help Lani through this process, of course he’s going to do without a doubt.”

It sounds like things are going to be taking a turn for Paulina and fast. Kayla’s hope just earlier in the week that rehab and recovery could help may be going out the window. Paulina may need a heart sooner, rather than later.

And that’s especially dire if there’s not one available in time. We’ve got our own theory as to where it might come from… but that’s far from a guarantee. Archey acknowledged to Digest that “There’s always hope. But at the same time they can’t help but worry, because things can happen.”

As if this family wasn’t hit by enough, from Lani’s imprisonment to Abe’s memory loss, now they have to deal with the possibility of losing Paulina. We guess the question now is: Did Lani and Eli make it back to Salem in time to reconnect with their family, or to say goodbye to a beloved member?