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Lani and Chanel come to Paulina’s room as she sleeps. Abe relays that there’s no update on a possible heart transplant. She’s running out of time. Paulina wakes up and sees the drawings Jules and Carver made for her. She asks how many grandbabies Chanel and Johnny will give her. Chuckling, Chanel points out they just got married. Give them time! Paulina weakly instructs Chanel to tell them about her if she doesn’t make it.

In the beer tank, Tripp tells Wendy that running out of oxygen isn’t their biggest issue — it’s the carbon monoxide. Wendy knows they’ll be okay. But even if they’re not, she’ll deal with it because she’s with the man she loves. “Who has never loved you more than he does right now,” Tripp says. He knows she’d be in China right now if it weren’t for him. She assures him if she had to choose between living a hundred years of not knowing him, and falling in love with him only to end up in the tomb, she’d pick the tomb every time. He wouldn’t trade anything, either.

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In a storage room, two burly men spill barrels labeled ammonia and bleach onto the floor. A green gas rises. In his cell, Clyde reads on his cot as an alarm goes off. He smirks. A guard opens Clyde’s cell for John and Steve, who wear hazmat suits. After Clyde dresses in one, they head out.

In the hospital, Lani and Chanel leave so Paulina can talk to Abe alone. Paulina says she’s feels herself slipping away. Abe insists she not talk like that. He won’t let her go. She thanks him for giving her the best years of her life and makes him promise to take care of her girls. He tearfully promises not to let her down. He weeps as Paulina falls back to sleep.

In the tank, Wendy and Tripp express regret over taking things for granted, especially their families. Wendy recounts how her parents wanted her to get married young and have kids, but no one could tell her what to do. But the truth is, she does want to be a mom and a wife. Now, she’ll never get the chance. Tripp takes her hand. “Marry me right now.”

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John and Steve bring Clyde to Ava at the airstrip. The trio demands to know where Tripp is, but Clyde isn’t ready to tell them yet. Ava pulls a gun. The men who dumped the chemicals back her up with their own weapons.

In the hospital lobby, Lani and Chanel cry together over the possibility of losing their mother. Chanel can’t believe that their wonderful mother is dying when terrible people get to live. Lani says life isn’t fair. But if they lose her, they’ll have each other. They’ll be the fierce, powerful women Paulina has shown them to be.

As Paulina sleeps in her room, Abe wishes he could remember all the times they had together, but instead, he gets to fall in love with her all over again. He understands if she’s too tired to fight and promises they’ll try to get along without her. They’ll take care of each other just like she’d want. A white light glows over Paulina as Abe grips her hand.

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At their “wedding” in the tank, Tripp tells Wendy that for the first time in his life, he feels accepted for who he is. “Just dorky, nerdy me. You are my heart, my soul. And in this Jenga game that we call life, you are the piece that I need.” Laughing, she calls it corny, but sweet. He vows as her husband to love her and cherish her with all of his being until he draws his last breath.

Wendy calls Tripp her best friend. He was her rock when Li died, and she can lean on him no matter what. They are equals and friends and lovers. “And now we’re husband and wife.” She vows to love and cherish him with all her being until her last breath. With tears falling, they deeply kiss.

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At the airfield, Ava tells John and Steve this is where they get off this ride. They think this is a big mistake, but Ava says this is the only way she can save her son. She instructs her men to take John and Steve back to Salem. After they’re gone, Ava asks Clyde where her son is. Clyde will call her with the details once he’s in the air. That won’t work for Ava, who menacingly raises her gun. She won’t kill him, but she will ensure he walks funny and can’t have any more kids. Goldman grabs her from behind and takes her gun. “I like his man parts the way they are, thank you very much.”

Elsewhere, Steve and John ambush Ava’s men. Meanwhile, Ava sits handcuffed to a signpost as Goldman and Clyde make out. Ava begs Clyde to tell her where Tripp is. Refusing, he walks to the plane. Before Goldman joins him, she taunts Ava that she made sure Tripp is good and dead. Ava screams.

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Under the white light in her hospital room, a wide-eyed Paulina points at someone standing before them. Abe turns with a look of surprise.

In the tank, Tripp holds Wendy, whose breathing is labored. Barely keeping their eyes open, they agree to marry for real should they get out of there. Their eyes close.

Next on Days of Our Lives, An angel visits Abe and Paulina and Ava, Steve and John try to find Tripp and Wendy.