At Kelly's, Alexis wondered if Kristina had heard from any of the girls at school. Kristina's silence spoke volumes; Alexis realized that Kristina's friends had been gossiping about Kristina. Alexis assured Kristina that the girls would eventually lose interest and then the vicious gossip would stop. Alexis encouraged Kristina to rise above it. Carly entered the diner moments later.

Alexis and Kristina were surprised to learn that Sonny had left town. Carly saw the hurt on Kristina's face, so she assured Kristina that Sonny loved his daughter. Kristina pointed out that Sonny would have said goodbye if he had cared. Carly explained that the police would have questioned Kristina, if they had known that Sonny had spoken to her, so Sonny had tried to protect his daughter. After Carly left, Kristina wondered how Alexis felt about Sonny's decision to leave. "Sad," Alexis answered honestly. However, a part of Alexis was also a bit relieved.

Kristina suspected that Sonny's decision to leave Port Charles meant that he had been guilty of trying to murder Johnny. Alexis argued that it might mean that Sonny hadn't wanted to go through another trial. Kristina pointed out that Alexis always seemed to make excuses for Sonny. Alexis didn't deny it, but she believed that Sonny would return one day.

At the loft, Jax stopped by at Michael's request. Michael explained that school would start after Labor Day, but Michael didn't want to return to Madison. Michael felt that too much had happened to him in prison, so school wasn't the right place for him. Michael reminded Jax that the kids had teased Michael mercilessly the previous year because of Michael's brain damage, so Michael imagined that they wouldn't be any kinder after learning that Michael had spent time in jail.

Jax wanted Michael to give school a try, but Michael didn't trust himself if the kids pushed him too far. Michael was also certain that no one would want to teach or hang out with a guy who had bludgeoned his stepmother to death. Michael insisted that he didn't belong in high school. Jax argued that it was important for Michael to get his high school diploma, so Jax wanted Michael to consider being tutored.

Moments later, Carly arrived. Carly wanted to let Michael know about Sonny's decision to leave town. After Jax left, Michael admitted that he had urged Sonny to jump bail. Carly was stunned; she reminded Michael how dangerous it had been to risk seeing Sonny when the judge had forbidden any contact with Sonny. Michael argued that Sonny was his father. He assured Carly that Dante had been nearby, so there hadn't been anything to worry about.

Carly was curious what Michael had said to Sonny. Michael explained that he had warned his father that there were too many enemies waiting to kill Sonny in prison. Michael had also been worried about Sonny enduring another trial. He suggested that Carly be mad at him, not Sonny. Carly promised her son that she wasn't angry; she understood that Michael had only wanted to save his father.

Michael revealed that Sonny had asked him to assure Kristina and Morgan that Sonny loved them. Carly advised Michael not to say anything about his talk with Sonny. Carly feared that the authorities might get wind of Michael's knowledge about Sonny's plans to jump bail. Carly warned Michael not to trust Dante, either, because Dante was a cop. Michael promised to keep quiet about his visit with Sonny, but he confessed that he missed his father. Carly hugged her son and then left.

Kristina paid her brother a visit a short time later. Kristina was upset and angry about Sonny's decision to leave, but she couldn't stop wanting Sonny to love her. Michael assured Kristina that Sonny did love her, but Kristina didn't really believe her brother, so she began to talk about school. Kristina confided that the girls at school had been posting some cruel things about her online. Kristina realized that most of the kids at Madison blamed her for Kiefer's death. She conceded that some of the boys had been nice to her, but she couldn't stand for anyone to touch her. Kristina was grateful that Michael would be going to Madison with her because she didn't think that she would be able to handle school without her brother by her side.

Jax met Alexis at Kelly's. Alexis explained that Kristina was devastated that Sonny had left. Jax seemed surprised; he had been under the impression that Kristina despised Sonny. Alexis assured Jax that Kristina loved Sonny. However, Alexis couldn't forget that Jax had always warned her that Sonny was a toxic influence.

Steve spotted Nikolas as Nikolas approached the nurses' station. Steve had spoken to Elizabeth, so he wanted Nikolas to know that she and they boys were having a blast at Sarah's. Steve also revealed that Sarah had told him that Nikolas had arranged for Elizabeth to visit her sister. Nikolas confided that Elizabeth had seemed unhappy at Wyndemere, so he had thought that a visit with Sarah would provide Elizabeth with a graceful way to leave. Steve appreciated Nikolas' sensitivity.

Later, Nikolas saw Robin working at the nurses' station. Robin confessed that she regretted being so nonjudgmental when Nikolas and Elizabeth had an affair because karma had repaid her. Nikolas was surprised when Robin revealed that Patrick had slept with Lisa while Robin had been out of town. Nikolas was sorry to hear about Robin's marital woes. Robin explained that Patrick had only told her about the affair because he had been forced to. Nikolas tried to offer Robin comfort by letting her know that just because someone cheated, it didn't mean that they don't love the person that they had betrayed.

At Crimson, Maxie noticed that Lulu had immersed herself in work, which usually only happened when something was troubling Lulu. Lulu admitted that Brook had been exposed as a "lying, manipulating slut" and that Brook was out of their lives for good. Lulu then revealed the details of Carly's plans for Brook to seduce Dante. Maxie wasn't surprised that Brook had agreed to go along with Carly's plans; however, Maxie was impressed with Carly.

According to Maxie, Carly had proved that Dante wasn't like Sonny, so it had been a brilliant plan. Lulu referred to Brook as a "skank" as she told Maxie how Brook had tried to deny being interested in Dante. Maxie confessed that she had seen through Brook from the beginning because, "it takes one to know one." Lulu objected to Maxie putting herself in the same category as Brook. Maxie reminded Lulu that Maxie had once faked a pregnancy and then a miscarriage.

Lulu insisted that the difference had been that Maxie had gone after Lucky because it had been a choice, not because someone had paid Maxie. Lulu also argued that Maxie had taken full responsibility for her actions instead of trying to blame someone else, as Brook had done.

At the Quartermaine mansion, Maya entered the parlor to find Edward playing chess by himself, Monica checking the morning mail, and Tracy complaining about Alice. Edward was delighted to see his great-granddaughter, so he invited her to join him at the table. Edward explained that he was eager to discuss Maya's future. Maya explained that she had plans, so she couldn't stay. Tracy snidely suggested that Edward let Maya leave because Maya was nothing more than another suck-up who would say whatever she thought Edward would want to hear.

Edward advised Maya to ignore Tracy; he accused Tracy of being pissed because Luke was still gone. Monica thought that it would be a good idea for Maya to leave, which surprised Edward. Monica explained that she liked Maya, so she didn't think that Maya should subject herself to Tracy's verbal abuse. Edward suggested that Tracy should be the one to leave instead of Maya. Everyone's attention was diverted to the patio doors when Brook suddenly entered.

Brook explained that she needed a place to stay. Maya wondered why Brook would choose to live in the mansion. Brook revealed that she had made a mistake, but didn't elaborate. Maya wished her cousin luck and then left. Edward insisted that family was always welcome; however, Tracy was less receptive to the idea of her granddaughter moving in. Tracy demanded to know what was going on.

Edward didn't appreciate Tracy's tone. Tracy felt justified, since Brook had dropped out of college and then run wild. Monica blamed Ned and Lois for how their daughter had turned out; she suggested that if they had spent less time focusing on their careers then Brook wouldn't have felt the need to run around. Tracy argued that Brook needed more accountability.

Brook claimed that she had tried to make it on her own, but things hadn't worked out. Tracy demanded answers, so Brook confessed that she had a falling-out with Carly. Brook admitted that Carly had hired her to seduce Dante to break up Lulu and Dante, but that Brook hadn't been able to go through with it.

Edward was happy to have Brook move in. Tracy relented, but she insisted that Brook return to college full-time. Brook readily agreed; she explained that she had realized that leaving school had been a mistake. Brook was ready to make something of her life. Monica was curious about Brook's music career. Brook assured Monica that she intended to continue with it, but Brook wanted to major in business, so that she could open her own music company one day.

Edward beamed with pride, but Tracy remained skeptical. Tracy was certain that Brook was trying to scam and manipulate them. Brook was hurt that her own "granny" continued to think the worst of her. Brook accused Tracy of hating her because Brook's mother was Lois. Edward believed that Tracy was just bitter because Luke had left her. Edward, Monica, and Tracy proceeded to argue about Luke for a few minutes until Monica and Tracy stormed out of the parlor.

Edward decided to see if Brook's room was ready. Brook spotted his cell phone on the coffee table, so she quickly picked it up to arrange a money transfer into her account. Brook groaned with frustration when Tracy busted her. Tracy snatched the phone out of Brook's hand and then quickly determined that Brook had tried to steal fifty thousand dollars from Edward's account. Edward and Monica, who had returned to the parlor, were disappointed.

Edward insisted that Brook could have the money if she agreed to go to college, but Brook declined. After Brook left, she found herself stranded in the rain outside of Kelly's. Nikolas wondered what Brook was doing in the rain, so she explained that she had been hoping to rent a room. Nikolas had a better idea. Brook was surprised when he asked her to follow him.

Jason and Sam arrived at the hospital. As Epiphany went to fetch a wheelchair for Sam, Claire approached Jason to demand to know where Sonny was. Jason was stunned when Claire revealed that Sonny had skipped town after claiming that the shooting had been self-defense and then posting bail. Jason assured Claire that he had no idea where Sonny had gone, but Claire didn't believe him. Claire was certain that Sonny had called Jason to let Jason know about his plans.

Epiphany returned with the wheelchair for Sam. Steve walked up moments later to find out what had happened to Sam. Sam explained that she had twisted her ankle, but Jason clarified that Sam had torn up her ankle. Steve decided to examine Sam's ankle in a nearby examination bay, but Claire stopped Jason from following Sam. Claire insisted that she had some questions for Jason.

Jason and Claire stepped into the conference room to speak privately. Claire reminded Jason that she had arranged for his release from Pentonville, so he owed her. Jason suggested that Claire speak to Lucky because Lucky was his alibi. A short time later, Lucky confirmed that Jason and Sam had encountered Santos Lopez's men in the woods. After Claire ended the call with Lucky, she argued that Sonny could have called Jason.

Jason didn't deny it, but he explained that he had left his phone in the car. Claire was certain that Sonny had shot Johnny, but Jason doubted that Sonny would shoot an unarmed man. He was curious if Claire seriously thought that Sonny was stupid enough to open fire on someone on a public street. Claire ignored the question as she instructed Jason to call her when Sonny contacted him. Jason was noncommittal, but he doubted that Sonny would risk it.

Moments later, Steve and Sam approached Jason. Steve explained that Sam had a "soft tissue" injury, so she needed to rest her ankle for a few days. Jason promised that it wouldn't be a problem and then took Sam home. When Jason and Sam arrived at the penthouse, she made it clear that she didn't want Jason to fuss over her; however, Jason was determined to take care of Sam. Sam confessed that she desperately wanted a shower, so Jason picked up Sam and then carried her to the bathroom.

A short time later, Diane arrived to talk to Jason. Diane explained that Sonny was headed to Rome, but she couldn't figure out why Sonny would fly to Italy. Jason revealed that Brenda lived in Rome. Diane had never met Brenda, but she recognized her name and her face from various fashion magazines. Diane grumbled that Sonny should probably avoid being around such a high-profile person while he was on the run. Their talk abruptly ended when someone knocked on the door. It was Carly. Carly wanted to know where Sonny was.

At the hospital, Olivia sat at Johnny's bedside as she tearfully begged him, "Please come back to me, John." Olivia was overjoyed when Johnny slowly opened his eyes and then looked at her. Olivia quickly explained where Johnny was and what had happened to him. Johnny quietly confessed that Olivia was cute when she was scared. Later, Robin checked Johnny's vitals and determined that he was doing well.

Olivia reminded Johnny that it was important for him to rest, so that he could recover properly. Robin agreed. After Robin left, Johnny wondered how long Olivia had been at his side. She admitted that she had lost track of the time, so she didn't know. Johnny was curious how long he had been out. "A little over a week," Olivia tearfully admitted.

Johnny admitted that he had thought that Olivia was done with him. Olivia mustered up a smile as she informed him, "Well, you thought wrong." Johnny and Olivia discussed Johnny's lifesaving surgery before Olivia started to question Johnny about the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Johnny insisted that Sonny had shot him, but when Olivia probed further, Johnny became agitated.

Maya entered the room in time to calm Johnny down. Maya explained that Johnny was recovering, so it wasn't a good idea to upset him. After Maya left, Olivia decided to run home to freshen up. She promised to return as soon as she could. In the meantime, she instructed Johnny to focus on happy thoughts. After Olivia left, Maya returned to check on Johnny. Maya warned Johnny to conserve his strength because there were quite a few people who wanted to know what had happened.

Johnny questioned Maya about what the police knew. Maya explained that Sonny had claimed self-defense, but the police had not found a gun on Johnny. Moments later, Claire entered the room. Claire explained that she wanted to question Johnny about the shooting, but Maya cautioned Claire to go easy on Johnny. According to Maya, Johnny remained in critical condition.

Later, Olivia returned to the hospital to learn that Claire was questioning Johnny about the shooting. As Olivia approached Johnny's room, she heard Johnny's version of events. According to Johnny, Sonny had pulled out a gun and then shot Johnny in cold blood.