Since leaving Marlena 's office , Nick had asked to be taken back to his apartment . He really wanted to be alone , but , of course , Aunt Maggie insisted on staying . Walking to the door , he saw the package from Rich . Quickly grabbing it , he tucked it under his arm and they went inside . " Nothing , " he quietly said . The last thing he wanted to talk about was Trent Robbins . He put the package on the kitchen bar , noticing that his aunt kept her eyes on it . She looked at him , as if weighing the option to verify his claim and open it . Eventually she left it alone and went to make tea . Nick was glad she changed her mind , but realized his anger was finally subsiding , as no doubt before he would have exploded . Sitting down in a chair , Nick closed his eyes . He really didn 't want to think about anything . He wanted to just sit there and exist . With his eyes closed , he remembered what he learned of his mother , and his accusations to Hope . Wanting to keep his mind blank , he concentrated on staring across the room . Aunt Maggie began chatting in her usual chirpy way , she didn 't want Nick to zone out . She reminded him he needed to tend to bills and he hadn 't eaten anything yet . Nick mainly ignored her , just grunting when he absolutely had to . " Nick ! " came the cry , and out popped his mother . She ran over to him . Looking past her , he saw Chelsea remaining in the doorway , she must have picked her up at the airport . By now , Jessica knew something was especially wrong . Pulling back , she saw Nick was looking angry . Believing it had to do with Chelsea , his mom defended her , " I thought it very sweet of her to pick me up . " This stopped Jessica in her tracks . She hadn 't heard those names in a long time , and hearing them come from her son 's mouth was startling to say the least . " Who ? " Jessica didn 't say anything , which made Nick angrier , " Right , by accident , Mom ! Marlena thought I knew . Of course , Maggie realized the other day I didn 't know , but kept her mouth shut , and Hope has known I was ignorant this whole time I 've been in Salem … " " What 's going on ? " Chelsea asked , confused . She didn 't understand or know what they were talking about , but her worry for Nick brought her into the living room to ask . " Oh , no , you two can stay . Chelsea needs to know anyway . It will be such a relief to know the guy she dumped was apparently one trip short from crazyville . That he believed his one trait he had to offer , his mind , was actually a time bomb waiting to go off . " " No , I want you to tell us what you did . Come on Chelsea , Aunt Maggie . Sit down on the couch and let 's hear my mom explain how after taking the drug Honazine , the same one I was prescribed with , Mom had not just one personality , but two . " Nick , now on the couch , patted each side for Chelsea and Maggie to join him . Instead they got closer to the door , realizing their presence was making things worse . " What , you 're leaving ? " He asked as they reached for the knob , " You haven 't heard it all yet ! One of her personalities took grandma Marie hostage ! How about that ? Hey , Mom did you hold a knife to her throat too ? Cause if you did , that 's just eerie how much we 're alike ! " Putting her purse on the coffee table , Jessica steeled herself . " When Maggie told me that you were taking Honazine , I knew you weren 't in control of yourself . Whatever happened , the drugs were sending you over the edge , even now , this attitude is what 's left of the drugs talking and not my son . " " Yes , " she said , taking his hand . He jerked it away and got up . Looking over at the kitchen , he looked at the box holding the evidence that proved Trent was capable of anything . He had his back to her , which kept her from seeing the tears form . Jessica began talking to him about what it was like to be on the drug , something he knew very well . She began explaining the whole story , the circumstances of why she took it . His mom stood up , knowing what he was doing . " No , Nick , you wanted to hear it . You have to now . I admit it 's strange to talk about , all these years later . I didn 't tell you before because of the shame of explaining to my son the agony I brought on others , including myself . I hoped you would never have to know the time your mother lost her mind . Honazine was no longer used here in the states , I didn 't think there was any reason … " " Mom , it 's part of my medical history . I needed to know . " He said , still keeping his back to her , tears rolling down his face . " Nick , please look at me . " Slowly he turned around . " Now , you need to sit down , son . You 're going to have to hear about all of this . Not just Angelique , Angel did some things I 'm ashamed of , including dating a guy who became notorious in Salem . " As he listened , Nick felt numb . His mom was telling him extraordinary stories . It was hard to believe she was the person doing all these things , but then again , he never would have thought himself capable of his own acts this last week . He heard about how Angel dated a man by the name of Jake who apparently later became known as the Salem Strangler , killing Marlena 's twin sister . He heard that Jessica , as herself , was still dating Nick 's father , Joshua , who was clueless to all these activities . The Angelique stories came next , and the emotions that Jessica told hit too close to home , and he had to get up and tell her to stop . " Oh , Nick , " she walked over to him , hugging him . " I 'm telling you this mainly so you know that no matter what you have done , it can be fixed . We can get through this . " " Mom , you weren 't yourself during this . I was me . " He saw confusion on her face so he went on , " I never split into a new personality or lived a different life . Why didn 't that happen to me ? Why could I do things like this … " " I KILLED SOMEONE DIDN ' T I ? " he yelled . She was right , it didn 't matter what Trent had done in the past , Nick wanted to kill him all night , even before that night . It was probably hearing the true motive of why Trent murdered Melanie 's mother that drove him over the edge . There 's that word again , Nick thought . Melanie prefers to think I 'm the monster , not her father . Staring at the box , Nick realized that nobody was questioning why he really killed Trent . That it made sense the drugs were enough reason . Maybe the evidence doesn 't have to come out , maybe it shouldn 't . He grew silent as his mother held him . He heard her reassurances , but they did little to make him feel better . Chelsea walked around the people through the crowded restaurant . It was nice of her grandmother to close the pub down so that Kate 's family could gather together before the service . Pulling out her compact , Chelsea checked to make sure make up was ok ; she 'd been crying earlier but didn 't want to look like it . Kate had died just two days earlier . Because of how long the cancer lasted , she had made arrangements for everything to happen quickly ; she had joked with Chelsea she wanted people to go to the funeral immediately , before they would remember anything she might have done to them . Her granddaughter didn 't think it was funny , but Chelsea was glad to see now that Kate had a good deal of attendance so far . It wasn 't limited to family only , as she had guessed . Leaning up against a post , Chelsea folded her arms , watching everyone . Her mom was here , talking to Philip and Victor . Lucas was with Chloe who looked uncomfortable . Daniel was here too , he was speaking to Kayla and Steve , but she noticed his eyes kept heading over to where Lucas and Chloe were . Chelsea hadn 't tried to speak to her ex , the lack of any emotion in seeing him further driving the point home how she had misjudged those initial feelings for him . Her friend shook her head , " Of course . I 'm so sorry about Kate . I didn 't know her very well but I wanted to be here for you . Especially since with what happened to Nick . " Chelsea almost cried hearing Nick 's name . It had only been a couple of days since she saw him with his mom . If Kate hadn 't died that night , she would have checked on Nick herself . Now , she had too much to do and was worried if she saw Nick she would wind up spilling her problems to him . Maggie consoled Chelsea letting her know they would let Nick know where she was if he needed her . The fact no one had called meant he probably didn 't need her , something that didn 't sit too well with Chelsea . " We need to head to the church soon . I guess half an hour . Someone needs to make an announcement . " Chelsea glanced at Stephanie while her friend was nodding her head , she was watching Philip across the room . With a smile on her face , Chelsea said , " Perhaps Philip can do it . " Rolling her eyes , Stephanie returned , " Not for what you think , Miss NonSubtle . I was staring because … well , I do feel bad . Last week when you were all saying your goodbyes to Kate , I had to overhear some of his . " " Well , he told me to remain outside with his phone so if a specific call came in , he had to take it . So they did . I walked in , and he was … well , he and your grandmother were having a private moment there . He was in no condition to take the call . So I stepped out and asked if there was anything I could do . " " Well , it 's business isn 't it ? I did take down the information . It had nothing to do with Titan but their warehouse down on the docks . There was some changes to shipments but really the guy was only relaying information . He made it sound like it was set in stone . It was about a meeting down there and he expected Philip to be there . I 'm not sure why he couldn 't have just left a message , but anyway , I wrote it all down . " Philip was still in there , so I went over to speak to my mom who had come down to that floor for rounds . I left the phone in the chair , but I didn 't really leave the room , I was just at the door speaking to her . I actually was telling her how Philip was surprising me when he came out , clearly upset about his mom . I remember standing thinking how hard I have been on him , when he sees his phone , checks the log , and starts screaming at me about this missed call . " " Well , it 's amazing how angry he can make me so fast . I swear , if I hadn 't witnessed him being tender and sweet to her with my own eyes just minutes before , I 'd never have believed it , because now he was accusing me of chatting my mom up instead of doing my job . I told him what I wrote down , which made him even angrier for some reason like I wasn 't even capable of writing down a phone message . I then went off , and said some things that now I regret . " Before she could answer , Chelsea heard a cough behind her , and she turned . It was Nick ! Before she knew it , she threw her arms around him , kissing his cheek . Chelsea smiled , he actually looked really good . He still was obviously tired , but he dressed in a suit and had finally shaved . She wanted to tell him how great he looked in black , but realized she didn 't need to come on so strong . " I can 't believe you came ! " Nick pierced his lips , telling Chelsea he did not want to talk about it . So she took his hand and squeezed it , " Well , I can 't begin to say how glad I am to see you here . I wanted to see you so bad , but , well … " Oh , Nick , you have no idea what I want . She had so much to say but this wasn 't the right time . She wanted to hug him again , but realized she probably wouldn 't let go . She resigned herself to holding his hand . Nick turned white at the voice , while Chelsea flinched . Turning around , they saw Melanie . She wasn 't there for the funeral , but she was working the room giving out drinks . Since moving in with Max upstairs , Melanie had taken up waitressing . Chelsea completely forgot she was there . Melanie 's face held contempt and such hatred . Chelsea knew Nick well enough to know , the look itself was killing him and it was all she could do not to throw Melanie out the door . Luckily , Stephanie stepped in , " Come on , Melanie , let 's go into the back . " " Why should I leave ? I 'm the one who lives here , and this isn 't his family 's restaurant . I mean , was he related to this wom - " her voice dropped off as they were gone . He was still staring into the kitchen , but finally he registered that she asked him a question . " I 'm ok . I just … didn 't expect to see her and how … how much she hates me now . " The redhead rolled her eyes , " Yes , a murderer can walk in and nobody say boo to him ? Seriously ? He should be in jail ! He killed my father ! " " I UPSET HIM ? ? ? Give me a break … " Melanie started , but Max stopped her . Stephanie wished she could say more , but figured Melanie needed to just cool off . Making her goodbyes , Stephanie left the siblings alone . Max shook his head , he had argued and argued with his sister about Nick and Trent for weeks now . She was convinced that Nick was not the man she thought , and Trent was still the kind hearted father she imagined . " Melanie , I 'm not going to get sucked into another argument . I believe Nick when he said he thought Trent was going to hurt you , but if he was wrong , it 's because those pills confused him . Pills he got , I might add , after saving your butt back in France . " " Yea , I know , the whole town keeps telling me that . Nick Fallon has some kind of hold on everyone here , and I guess , I was someone he snowed as well . I don 't know why I stay here , I should leave town . " Max shook his head , " No , I 've asked you not to say that . You have me . Melanie , I couldn 't stand Trent but I am thankful he came to Salem , because it brought me with my real sister . And I am not letting the little family I have , leave . " Hearing Max 's kind words tugged at Melanie 's heart , and instinctively she hugged him . But she knew there was another reason to stay . She had no where else to go . The service had been beautiful so far . Many said so . The flowers were lovely and each of Kate 's children stood up to talk about their mother , to talk of a woman who many never knew . The happy times before the disease took her . The younger sons spoke of sweet memories of her raising them . Austin and Billie concentrated on the later years when they finally accepted Kate as their own mother , and realized she had to let them go to protect them from their own father . People shook their heads about Curtis Reed , though his name was never spoken aloud . There were whisperings . Nick struggled in the back of the church . Chelsea wanted him to sit with her , but that was for family , so he chose a seat in the back with Stephanie . It was only right , let other people who knew Kate better sit closer to the front . Now Nick felt himself sweating . His heart was racing . He felt dizzy . From the moment he saw the casket , he wanted to leave . The memory of Kate left his mind . He imagined Trent lying there , nobody being there but Melanie . He then thought of Willow , another death he was responsible for . Did she even have a funeral ? Nick couldn 't remember . Looking around , Nick knew everyone there , but he doubted they even noticed him . When the minister asked everyone to pray , Nick stood up . Ignoring Stephanie 's questioning look , he walked to the door and outside . He didn 't know where he was going , he just wanted to leave . He stood at the entrance looking out over the parking lot to the busy highway . Lots of cars were going by . People who were driving through town and didn 't know anyone here in Salem . Nick walked towards the street , wishing he could leave too . He wished he wasn 't there . He kept walking . As he approached the highway , he heard someone shouting behind him . It was Stephanie . She caught up to him . She was asking where he was going , but he didn 't answer . He didn 't even look at her . He just wished he wasn 't there . Chelsea paced up and down the hospital corridor . She wished her mom could be there , but someone had to take care of things after Kate 's funeral and Hope had to get back to work , so Kayla and Steve had gone with Chelsea to the hospital . They had called Maggie on the way there . Chelsea looked from Kayla to Steve , each giving her a look that she knew she was supposed to understand but she didn 't . " A breakdown ? He seemed to be doing better ? I mean , he came to the funeral and he was acting like himself … " " But . . if he wanted to come , if he wanted to be there for me … " Chelsea started to cry . She had been so happy at seeing Nick at the pub , she should have known he wasn 't ready for it . How could she be so blind ? Then Marlena walked out to see them . She smiled but Chelsea recognized it was one she used to break bad news . " Hi , I 'm afraid to say , Nick has finally crashed . " Marlena nodded , " It takes awhile for drugs to truly exit a person 's system . Honazine will linger longer , due to it 's nature . I know it 's been a week since Nick took the drug , but he 's still been living on it . Now that it 's finally gone , Nick has entered a depressive state . " Kayla frowned , looking at Steve and Marlena before answering her niece . " Yes , I 'm afraid it 's possible . The real thing he needs is a will to live , to break out of this , but Honazine is known for sucking out such emotions but . . this is Nick . He will make it through this , I 'm sure . " Chelsea didn 't like that , " Wait ? How can keeping him in the hospital help him come out of a depression ? Nothing is more depressing then a hospital ! " " What could he do on the highway … " Chelsea began but quickly realized . " Oh my God , he was going to jump in front of a car ? " Marlena pursed her lips . " Well , not right now . We need to monitor him overnight but I can arrange for you to come see him before my session . " Chelsea had to work in the morning but she didn 't care . Looking at Kayla , she remembered their conversation about how things could get worse for Nick , and Chelsea had to remain committed to him . " I 'm not going anywhere . He 's going to get through this , I 'll make sure of that . " " Right this way , miss , " the nurse said . Or Chelsea at least thought he was a nurse . He looked more like a guard , he was so big and commanding . He probably was hired for his size , to gain control of the more difficult patients when needed . Chelsea frowned thinking these were the types that surrounded Nick . It hardly seemed like he could come out of a depression . The man escorted Chelsea down the hallways . Chelsea was unfamiliar with the mental wing of the hospital though Steve had been left there for a time before being transferred to the asylum . At least Nick hadn 't been sent there . She was led into a good size room . It apparently was used to see visitors . In the corner was a couch that looked anything but comfortable . A TV set was next to it , tuned into a local channel . In the center sat a round table with three folding chairs around it , Nick sitting on the far side . Seeing him , Chelsea smiled , in spite of the situation . He offered no reaction to her approach and her smile faded . Chelsea turned around , getting a real good look at him . He looked red like he had been crying himself . He also looked worn out . He probably got no sleep in this place . He shook his head , " Chelsea , why are you here ? It makes no sense to see you now . We aren 't a couple anymore , and I 'm sure friends want nothing to do with me … " " Oh , Nick , how can you believe that ? We all are here for you . It 's just Marlena feels it would be best if you were given limited access to visitors … " He didn 't answer , he stared at the wall . For a few minutes , Chelsea sat in silence with him . She couldn 't believe she was with Nick and didn 't know what to say . Finally , she grew courage , " Nick , you used to tell me that even though it might be difficult , telling the truth was a person 's best choice . So I 'm going to do it now . I know in the past I 've treated you horribly , one way or another . Sometimes it was intentional , other times it was just me being selfish and inconsiderate . We 've both made mistakes but most of the time , it 's been me to screw things up or make things worse . " Chelsea paused due to tears welling up , she inwardly cursed herself for giving in and letting them fall . " Now , you 're the one who needs help . I think over the past few months and I get angry . If you had known about the Honazine , if Max and Stephanie hadn 't gone to France , if Trent wasn 't such an evil man … but in the end , I can 't deny it 's my own fault you 're in this mess . I never should have let you go . In a moment of haste and foolishness , I dropped the best guy for me . What 's really stupid is I missed you immediately and began doubting if I had made the right choice . Instead of listening to that voice , I committed to my decision of letting you go , and wound up hurting you in ways I never could imagine . All those times I insisted on trying to remain friends was my heart not wanting to let you go . By the time I finally realized the truth , it was too late and you were with Melanie . " Chelsea bit back the urge to say anything negative about her . Now wasn 't the time . He still wasn 't facing her , so she reached for his hand and went on . " Nick , I 'm not here because I feel guilty or it 's an obligation . I love you . I always will . And I 'm not going to let you go again . I remember you once told me you didn 't think you were the man of my dreams but I should give you a chance anyway . Now it 's me letting you know , you deserve better then me , but for now , I 'm going to work to get you out of here . You are going to come back , Nick , and be that sweet , smart , endearing , and AWESOME guy again . " Nick finally turned to her ; he had tears in his eyes too . " You shouldn 't be here Chelsea . That guy has been gone for awhile , even before I killed Trent . And tried to hurt Marlena , Maggie and you . " His voice cracked the last word and Chelsea knew then he didn 't want her to go . Grabbing his other hand , she held them together . " He 's still there , I can see him . He 's why you came to the funeral yesterday . Eventually he 'll break out , and all your friends and family will be with you through it all . " Nick didn 't smile like she hoped . Instead he shrugged and said , " Except Melanie . She will never forgive me . She believes I 'm a monster . She wants me in jail forever . " Chelsea pursed her lips . Regardless of whatever Nick did , Chelsea couldn 't comprehend why Melanie could believe Nick to be such a man and think Trent was such a saint . Melanie had talked the DA into opening a grand jury into Trent 's death , set for next Monday . Chelsea was not just angry with her over her inability to see Trent for who he was , but for Max not being able to control his sister . " Melanie is wrong , Nick . Trent might not have been trying to hurt Melanie that night , but nobody believes you did a terrible thing in killing him . He was a bad man , Melanie just can 't see it because he was her father . This hearing will prove that . " " It 's going to prove I killed him , and the autopsy showed he had enough alcohol in his system that it was very unlikely he could have hurt Melanie . I didn 't have to kill him to stop him . Even if that wasn 't the case , no girl should know her father like that . It 's better for her to believe I 'm the bad guy . " Nick said , staring down . " I hate to ask you to leave , Chelsea , but it is time for my session for Nick here . " Marlena smiled kindly towards him . He didn 't look up at her . " Thanks for coming with me , Uncle Steve . " Chelsea said . It was Thanksgiving Day , Nick had been on suicide watch for four days , showing no real signs of improvement , in fact , Chelsea thought he was getting worse . Today Steve insisted on going with her , and Chelsea was glad for the company , but wasn 't sure her uncle was prepared seeing Nick in such a state . " No problem , " Steve replied . They were walking down to the patient waiting room . The good news is Nick no longer needed to have hospital personnel monitoring him with visitors and the visitor list had been opened up . Most people came one time , not being able to stand seeing him in that condition . Everyone that is , except Chelsea . Chelsea agreed , " That 's fine . I was thinking maybe you should go in first anyway . Sometimes he is ok with my visits and other times he 's not . " Steve nodded , and went in . He had a plate with a piece of coconut cake in his hand . He was going to offer it to Nick , but not right now . Steve had a plan . Not arguing , Steve decided to get serious , " Nick , look , I came because I think I can help you . It wasn 't long ago I went through something very similar , and had to be locked up myself . It was amazing how I could go from being myself to being absolutely crazy next . " " No , no , not at all . But it 's not exactly the same thing . Especially since you weren 't naturally inclined to hurt anyone . " " Nick , you aren 't crazy any more then I am . Uh , well maybe that 's a bad comparison . No more than Kayla is . You have gotten this deal because of the drugs turned you into … " " The drugs only affect certain types of people . It seems I 'm not just susceptible to Honazine , there are other drugs that could have had similar effects on me . " Nick explained . Steve paused before responding , choosing his words very carefully . " Concussions can do weird things to people . But even if your actions were a result of an imbalance of some sort , may I remind you how you got the concussion . " Nick stared blankly . Since he didn 't respond , Steve went on , " Nick , you 're such a good person . In many ways you remind me of Kayla , you put others first , even complete strangers , while taking no thought the impact it can have on you . " " I might have thought that , but I 've gotten to know you too well for that . Ok , maybe we 've not hung out much , but I remember how much you wanted to protect Chelsea and Stephanie from Ford before we knew what a real jerk he was . I also remember you standing by them after his death came out . And I remember sitting with you during Chelsea and Bo 's surgery . You were besides yourself with worry . " Nick rolled his eyes . The younger man wasn 't aware , but Steve wanted to see Nick get angry , it was better then he being apathetic . " So as far as I 'm concerned , you are a special person , Nick . The drugs just buried that . " " Nick , I nearly choked Kayla to death . I had her throat in my hands and was squeezing , and I nearly did it … " Steve had to stop . He hated to have to reach inside himself to remember that memory , but he knew Nick needed to hear it . Steve 's confession left Nick speechless . He obviously never imagined that Steve had the capacity to hurt the woman he obviously loved . After what seemed like a long time , Nick said , " I 'm getting tired now . If you don 't mind , I 'd like to say goodbye . " " I told you I wasn 't hungry . " Nick said , eyeing the cake . He really didn 't look hungry , but Steve wasn 't leaving until he convinced him to have some . " Mrs . H ? Grandma Alice made it ? " Nick said , now giving the piece another look . " She 's not felt up to baking lately , when did she … " Steve nodded , " She hates you missed Thanksgiving , and wanted you to have something . She thought the least she could do is give you a piece of cake . Don 't worry , I 'll lie and tell her you weren 't interested in eating it . " Walking in the hallway , Steve saw Chelsea 's back was to the door , and she was working hard to look busy . He almost laughed , it was obviously she had been eavesdropping . " Were you listening ? " " Well , you have to do me a favor . When you go in there , if he asks you to have some of the cake , don 't take it . Make him eat it until he gets to the last bite , and then ask to have some . " Chelsea nodded , then went inside . Through the window , Steve studied them . Nick greeted her unenthusiastically but he did offer the cake . Chelsea shook her head , obviously insisting he should finish it . What Steve was to look for , was Nick 's reaction after Chelsea ate it . She clearly enjoyed it . And seeing her enjoyment pleased Nick very much . Steve smiled , Nick was getting better , even though he was fighting it hard . Melanie stood in the hallway of the courthouse , at the entrance into the courtroom , not able to bring herself in . There in the center of the room , was Nick and company . Melanie watched from afar , trying to glare at them , but failing when she saw how haggard Nick looked . Since pushing the Salem DA to press charges , Melanie had tried her best not to think about all the circumstances that led up to her father 's death . She knew what they were all saying , Nick 's pills made him do it . Melanie herself had witnessed Nick 's taking of the pills , and occasionally his behavior seemed to alter . But it was unfathomable to believe that he went from the sweet , endearing guy she grew to care for to someone who could kill in cold blood . Now , everyone was saying Nick had been placed in the hospital on suicide watch . To Melanie , that was just another stunt , possibly concocted by Nick 's lawyer uncle , to support the claim he was under mental duress and wasn 't responsible for his actions . Melanie refused to believe it . But standing here , watching them from afar , Nick 's appearance and mood matched what everyone was saying . He looked like he had just given up on life . Melanie gazed upon her ex - lover realizing that it would be so easy to believe he was in agony . But she couldn 't ignore the knife to her own throat , she clearly saw his eyes , and she honestly believed he was going to kill her right then and there . If Nick was unstable it probably went deeper then just pills . " Melanie . " She turned to see her brother . She really had had enough of Salem , after her father being stabbed and then attacked in a public restaurant with many witnesses , people were still treating her like she wanted all of this to happen . If they only knew how much she missed Nick and what he meant to her . Max was the one person who was standing by her in this . Pulling back , Max took her by the hand and led her further down the hall . " Melanie , we have to talk . This has gone far enough . " Sitting down on a bench , Melanie felt her heart sink . He wasn 't there to support her but to talk her into letting her father 's killer go . " I 'm only doing what 's right . " She pulled her hand away , angry that Max thought he still could try to talk her out of this . " Nick killed him , Max ! I don 't know why everyone insists Trent deserved to get what he got , that for some reason being drunk is enough reason to damn you in eternity around here … " Tears welled up in her eyes . She had tried to keep from crying , at least in public , but having the same conversation for the hundredth time was taking it 's toll . " Max , he was to me . Look , I 'm sorry he abandoned you , I really am . I would have liked to have grown up with an older brother , believe me , it was really lonely growing up . " Whatever you think of him , he put me in very expensive places to live and whatever I wanted he would buy . He wasn 't home all the time , he couldn 't be , he had to pay for it , but when he did , he made sure we always had fun . He told me I was his princess and that the king had to go out and take care of his kingdom so it would be good enough for his little girl . How can … how can you think I would ever believe him to be what Nick says he is ? " Again , Max shook his head , " He needs help , Melanie , not punishment . Can you walk in that courtroom , take one look at Nick and not see the personal hell he 's in ? He 's in misery and as his friend , it breaks my heart to see him like that . But to think he could also go to jail for something that he 's not responsible for … " Melanie stood up , she couldn 't listen anymore . She was still crying and she had to fix her makeup before heading into the courtroom . " I 'm sorry , Max . I know he 's your friend , I thought he was mine too . But I need to do what 's best for me and my father and it 's to make sure he 's locked up . I hope , , , I hope you can still be my brother when this is all over . It 's nice to have family . " She practically ran away from him . Inside the courtroom , she sat down in a row in the back . It wouldn 't be long before the hearing started . She tried to keep from glancing at Nick but it was difficult . Instead of focusing on his appearance , she did note that someone was missing from his usual entourage , who had just been there a few minutes ago . Chelsea unlocked the door , running inside Nick 's apartment . While they were preparing for the hearing , Mickey realized frantically his clerk forgot to bring the Honazine prescription . They had asked Nick where he kept it , but he was refusing to answer , insisting he should just plead guilty . Chelsea knew where Nick kept all his important papers and told them she could run to his apartment to look for it . Inside , she knew the first place it might be would be on his kitchen counter . There were a few new bills and one box that was from a Rich Brown in Memphis , TN . Next , she headed to the alcove he used for his office . Sitting down at the desk , Chelsea flinched seeing how messy it was , Nick was always so tidy and neat . She wondered if clues like this would have alerted her faster that something was wrong with him . Working through the paperwork , Chelsea had to just start reading whatever was in front of her . There was a lot of information on the fuel project , which sadly Nick 's arrest forced the university to rescind the grant . Pushing that into a separate pile , she found some of his insurance information , and began looking for the prescription that never was refilled . She finally saw it , it was sticking out of a folder marked " Memphis . " While retrieving it , she couldn 't help but notice the front page had a name on it that sent a shiver up her spine : Trent Robbins . Looking it over , Chelsea realized it was a police report , but the date was from the 80s . In spite of being pressed for time , she started to pore over the papers . There was a clipping to a murder at Memphis State , with the name of the victim highlighted . Chelsea didn 't recognize her , but then she found more information and realized this was Melanie 's mother . Why was Nick looking into … " Oh my God , " Chelsea said when she realized what she had . Melanie 's mother had died in suspicious circumstances and it was clear Trent was the prime suspect . Standing up , she wondered if she should take this with her ? She wanted to , but perhaps it would hurt Nick 's case , that it looked like he was obsessed with Trent . Heading to the package on Nick 's kitchen counter , Chelsea saw his name displayed . Without thinking , she opened it . It revealed a CD with " Confession " written across it . Her heart beating furiously , Chelsea ran to Nick 's laptop and fired it up , practically jumping up and down wishing it would boot up faster . She kept checking her watch , she didn 't have time for this , but if this is what it looked like … Finally , she was able to put the CD and listening to the voice , she nearly fell out . Trent 's own confession to murdering Melanie 's mother came out in crystal clear digital audio ! Immediately she grabbed everything , as well as the prescription , running out the door . Melanie forced a smile at the progress of the hearing . Things were not looking good for Nick , no doubt the judge would rule in favor of having him tried for Trent 's murder . Finally , justice could be served . Then why does this make you feel sick ? Melanie wanted to ignore the voice . She told herself she was having doubts because of stupid Max and his questions before . Her brother had joined Nick 's side of the courtroom , leaving Melanie to sit by herself . That 's ok , I 'm used to being on my own , and thanks to Nick , there isn 't anyone left to look out for me . The judge was asking if there was anything else the defense wanted to submit to support Nick 's defense the drugs made him do it . Mickey Horton , kept staring back to the back of the room , at the door . Finally , he lowered his head , apparently giving up on whomever he was waiting for . Slowly , Mickey got to his feet to answer the judge . Before he could open his mouth , however , Chelsea Brady burst through the door . She was yelling , interrupting the proceedings and running down the aisle . When she got to Mickey , she threw all her stuff at his clerk besides him . Chelsea began whispering to Mickey 's whose face went from surprise to utter shock then to a broad smile . Melanie didn 't understand what the heck was going on , but she knew this couldn 't be good for the prosecution . This got Melanie to stand up in horror . She watched as Mickey and the DA headed up to speak to the judge directly . Nick looked confused , and was turning around asking what was going on . Chelsea patted him on the arm , and whispered in his ear . His reaction wasn 't what she expected . Melanie walked over to Chelsea , who was talking very quickly to her father , Hope , Steve , Stephanie , Maggie , Marlena Evans , and Max . She only caught the tail end of what she said , " As soon as I listened to the CD , I knew now what was really going on ! Nick wasn 't as crazy as we thought ! He had ever reason to believe … " " Oh my God , " Bo said , looking ashamed . " You know , Nick came to see me a while back , Rich Brown is a friend of mine . I completely forgot I gave that to him ! " " Well , not so much , just about her case . Seriously he was in my office for five minutes . I remember him asking if I knew anyone in Memphis so I gave him Rich 's name and then completely forgot about it ! " She couldn 't take it anymore , Melanie walked in front of the group , " What is going on ? What could possibly make you all happy about Nick ? And why doesn 't he look happy ? " Everyone 's smile faded when they saw her . Remaining silent , they all looked to Max to explain . He stood up , " Melanie , listen , this is not good news for you , I 'm afraid . See , what Chelsea found at Nick 's apartment was evidence against Trent for … um , several crimes . " Everyone still looked nervous about the news , even Chelsea did . Max realized their present location wasn 't the ideal place to break the news of what Trent really was . Reaching out for Melanie , Max said , " Here , let 's go out to the hall , there are some meeting rooms I bet we can find that we can talk about this . " " I 'm not going anywhere , just tell me what … " before Melanie could finish the door opened , and out came everyone . Melanie noted that while Mickey looked happy , Nick still seemed upset . It was all perplexing . The judge hit his gavel , and everyone sat down . " The information presented to me makes it clear that Nick Fallon , though probably not in complete control thanks to the drugs , had every reason to believe Trent Robbins was capable of hurting his daughter . The hearing finds the death of Trent Robbins to be an act of defense . " He then hit the gavel again , making the ruling final . Melanie sat in shock . Nick 's family and friends stood up again , hugging as they were before at the good news , only Nick still didn 't look pleased and he was staring at Melanie with what appeared to be regret . He tore his eyes away from her , and began talking to the people in the group . Melanie made a beeline to them to try to listen to what he said . " Just don 't let her know what he really did . She doesn 't have to know the truth , just let her believe whatever she wants , that I did it and Mickey got me off . Can 't we do that ? " Melanie was still digesting the news , and she jumped away from Max . " I don 't know where you got that idea , or what Nick has , but that isn 't true . My mother died in an accidental fire . " " Melanie , " Nick said in a whisper . She turned to him . He looked so defeated . He walked closer to her . She backed away ; she still didn 't want to be near him . Accepting the distance , Nick explained . " When you told me how little you knew of Celia , I did want to find as much information as I could . So you could learn about your mother . But everything that kept coming up was that her death in that damn fire . " He paused at the look she gave him . He glanced at the evidence behind him , remembering now what he tried to forget . Turning back to her , he went on . " Trent lied to you about that fire . It didn 't happen because of lightening as he had you believe , the newspaper articles published in The Commercial Appeal clearly declared arson . They mention your father as prime suspect , but the case never was proven . " " Melanie , " Nick interrupted , " he did do it . He was in massive debt to the local mob for gambling . He formed a prostitution ring with the girls from the university that became very lucrative and was paying off the debt . Unfortunately your mom found out about it , she was especially sickened by his pimping out the young girls and was going to turn him in . So he put a hit out on her , after making sure he had an iron - clad alibi with one of the girls for himself . From there , he was indebted to them , and that 's why … " Nick had to stop for a moment , the sheer horror of it all was getting to him . " He 's been sending women to these people for years . For the more important ones , he 's been using … you . " " That 's not true , I … what a horrible thing to say … " Melanie was crying . Nick couldn 't be telling the truth . " How dare you make up such a thing … " She still didn 't want to accept it , looking at the others , their pity making her want to throw up . " No , that 's his word against my dad 's , Nick is just making that up ! I 'm telling all of you , my dad was not a … " " But he told me he loved her , and I look like her . How could my dad … " Melanie began shaking . She felt sick . She started to fall but Max was right by her side . He asked her what she wanted . Arriving at Stephanie 's desk , Chelsea smiled as her friend was finishing up a call . Sitting down , Chelsea thought about that morning . It had been a week since Nick 's hearing , and in spite of Nick coming together to explain everything to Melanie , he had reverted back to his depressive state when returning to the hospital . Marlena didn 't call it a setback , but Chelsea saw it that way . Marlena said that Nick could come out of the depression anytime , but it was up to him now . That morning Chelsea went as usual , but nothing had changed . At this point , she had run out of platitudes to say or cheery banter , now she would just talk about her classes winding down and exams were coming up . She felt like a failure , she had hoped that somehow she 'd be able to get Nick to come around and be himself , but so far it hadn 't worked . Stephanie reached down and picked up her purse . " Well , I didn 't get a chance to . Philip beat me to it on the day we got back to work . He thanked me for getting the message and for seeing he was in no shape to answer the call . He said he should never have yelled at me . " Stephanie laughed . " Well , I guess you are right that he can be sweet when he wants to . As a peace offering he took me out to lunch yesterday . " Chelsea 's face broke into one of her incorrigible grins , " I know nothing . You are single , Philip is single . Both of your good looking , are you telling me you never thought about … " " Yes , I 'm telling you I 've never thought about it . I won 't deny Philip is good looking but the attraction wears off pretty quickly when he 's yelling or rude at you all the time . It was just nice yesterday to not sit with that version while instead get to know the one you must know . He even opened up a little about losing his mom , which was touching . " Stephanie stopped and listened . The sound was coming from Philip 's own office . Because she knew he was out , she opened the door to look inside . His cell was ringing on the desk . " Oh , he must have forgotten this ! That 's so unlike him . " Stephanie said as they walked over to it . The phone already stopped going to voicemail . As the girls got out of the car , Chelsea was a bit concerned . She had never been to this side of the shipping district before and there were very few people out . The ones she did see , were eyeing them in such a way it was making her nervous . " Are you sure this is where Philip said he would be ? " Stephanie nodded , but looked very nervous as well . " Yea , I didn 't realize … well , I didn 't imagine it would be in this part of town . Why would Philip need to meet way down here ? " Chelsea shrugged , not sure either . Walking up to the warehouse , there stood a man outside the door . A very big man who didn 't seem friendly in the slightest . Seeing them , he turned and opened the door , speaking to someone inside . Not wanting to mention Philip 's name , since a rich , influential businessman was probably someone else they would target , they both tried to come up with excuses . Chelsea mentioned they were going for a walk while Stephanie said they were lost . The men were not fooled , and within a few minutes , were dragging them inside the warehouse . The man who the henchman answered to was a stranger but there was little doubt he was not someone the girls would want to spend time with . He had two more guys around him , who were holding guns out for all to see . But it was the man sitting down at a table , counting money that got their full attention . " Stephanie , Chelsea , what are you doing here ? " Philip asked , glancing at the dealers he was meeting . Annoyance that marked their faces was not a good thing . " We could ask you the same ! " Chelsea said , obviously angry . Stephanie 's look was different . There was anger and fear , but something else Philip couldn 't define . Disappointment ? " Who are these girls , Kiriakis ? " The main guy said while standing behind his henchman . He was glaring at the girls , looking most unhappy at their presence . " It 's not what you think , why don 't you come back here and we 'll finish our business and … " Philip tried to reason but George wasn 't having it . He waved for the guy by the door to come in and they began closing in on everyone . Philip realized things were falling apart , and cursed himself for the situation . He usually had his guards to stand around for protection but today he only brought the one . Looking back , he was glad to see Goodman standing by with his finger on his own gun . " My dad said you were a paranoid freak but this is ridiculous . I 'm not trying to con you , George . One of them work for me , and the other is my niece , that 's all . " Philip was getting worried . He couldn 't let anything happen to Stephanie or Chelsea . " There 's always a squad car driving by , " Philip said , frustrated . " We have to work our way in here so they won 't see us coming in . Don 't you remember ? " George was walking to the window , " Yea , but now they must have seen us escorting the girls in though cause they are pulling up . Wait , they are pulling up by another car . Dammit , those girls brought them here . " The look Philip and Stephanie gave her shut her up . It didn 't matter , George wasn 't listening as he and two of the other goons were whispering . Philip decided enough was enough and looked over to Goodman to do something . His guard complied by pulling out his gun … Nick walked into the hospital waiting room . He was told he had a visitor so Nick waited on the person to show up . Glancing at the clock , Nick guessed it was Chelsea coming for her afternoon visit . She 'd been visiting at least three times a day and stayed as long as a visit allowed . Nick could almost set his watch by her . He wondered how long it would take before Chelsea would get bored and give up . The door opened and Nick glanced up , preparing himself to see Chelsea 's smile . Instead , it was Melanie . The shock at seeing her made his jaw drop . It took a few seconds for Nick to recover and answer , for so long he had been wishing Melanie would walk through that door . When she finally did , he wasn 't prepared . " Of course , please , sit down . " Where 's Chelsea ? Nick flinched at the curious thought . He was not going to sit here and think about Chelsea with Melanie in front of him . " I 'm surprised to see you . " Melanie couldn 't look him in the eye , " Because of these last few weeks and the way I treated you . Nick , I 've come by to ask for your forgiveness . I 'm so sorry … " She smiled sweetly , that smile that used to make his heart flutter like crazy . He noticed this time , the smile had little effect . " You almost went to jail because of me . You were willing to go to jail rather then me knowing the real man my father was . I still can 't believe you would do that . " He blushed . " Well , I don 't know if I preferred going to jail , but , now that Trent is dead , I wanted to spare you finding out the real truth . If that meant I looked worse in your eyes for it , then fine . " " Hmm ? No , not really spoke . It was right after the hearing and you were taken back to the hospital . I was still in shock after hearing the news . We were outside by the steps . I asked Max why you would do that . I didn 't understand . Chelsea overheard me and answered . " Nick leaned back now , imaging Chelsea saying such a thing . Again , he blushed and quickly looked away . " Well , I hadn 't ever thought about it like that I guess . I just wanted to help you the only way I could . " " Even though I was trying to send you to jail , " Melanie said , regret coloring her face . " Nick , some of the things I said , to you , about you . I 've been wrong before but never have I wished so much that I could just take it back . " " Sure , Melanie , it 's ok . You were going through your own personal tragedy . One that I was responsible for with investigating Trent and making him become unglued like that . " " You were looking out for me , more then anyone else . " Melanie smiled , she reached out her hands to take his , squeezing them . " I miss you . " Nick looked down at her hands , waiting for the gesture to initiate something . Instead , he just felt empty . Though her hands were warm , touching them didn 't feel the way he remembered . They don 't feel like Chelsea 's hands . Seeing where he was going , Melanie jerked her hands away , then waving for him to stop . She looked like she might cry , Nick flinched , he always seemed to make girls cry . " I 'm sorry . " " No , Nick , " she replied , " I 'm sorry . I mean , I 'm really sorry . I came to really … I don 't know if I loved you . I 've never been in love before . I know I cared more for you then any other guy I 've ever dated . " He nodded , " I know . I care very much for you too . You came into my life at a time where I needed someone to look at me for me , and you did just that . Maybe if I had not taken the pills , things might have gone differently , we could have gone further . " A tear ran down her cheek . Not sure how to respond , he wasn 't used to being the heart breaker . " If you ever need anything , you just have to ask . " " Oh , well , I don 't know , I just … " Nick 's eyes darted over to the TV and he saw the news had broken into the regular programming . While the sound was off , the closed captioning was on . Apparently some kind of raid was happening down at the docks . Nick shook his head , he was watching to see if he could get a glimpse of Bo or Hope , sometimes they had the police doing interviews . What he didn 't expect was the reporter 's words , " Since shots ran out earlier , the police are taking no chances with risking any innocent lives . One of the of gunmen shouted out they had a few hostages including the acting police commissioner 's daughter . " Melanie didn 't know , and was watching helplessly as Nick was . He walked over to the TV to turn the sound back on , so they weren 't forced to read everything on the prompter . No more information was given on whoever was being held , but Nick couldn 't sit by and let this hang in the air . Walking over to the door , he looked out down the long hallway , past the male nurse to the non - secured side of the hospital . Nick took a breath , he wondered if Melanie could help him . " I need to get out of here . I have got to get down to the docks to make sure Chelsea is all right . She may need me . " He flinched at Melanie 's tone , her comment perfectly reasonable . " No , no , of course not . But , look , she 's in trouble and I have to get down there . I want to be as close as I can … do you understand ? " Nick smiled , " Well , I thought you could distract the guard that keeps checking in on us . He 's over there . I think his name is Nathan . If you can get him to leave his post … " Nick smiled as he watched Melanie walk over to the other door and lean up against it . Nathan looked up to see her waving at him to come over . He opened the door , and Melanie coughed , " I 'm sorry , could you help me find some water please . I 've gotten choked up a bit . " He was a young kid , he had told Nick he was hoping to get accepted into medical school soon , but he took a job at the hospital to get as much experience as possible . Melanie pretended to have a hard time standing , and leaned on his strong arm . Nathan glanced behind her to look at Nick who had ran back to his seat and looking bored . As soon as he walked out of sight , Nick jumped up and ran down the corridor . As the three watched on , Chelsea thought about Nick , realizing she might never see him again . Even if he wasn 't still in love with her , she knew the news she was killed would upset him , and probably make his condition worse . All she wished for now was he would come out of it . Stephanie scooted back a little , shifting her weight to her side . Philip was trying to concentrate , but Stephanie 's movements was pressing her up against him , thus distracting him . " Stephanie , please , I 'm trying to think . " " We could remain here all day waiting on you to think , " she said with confidence , taking both Philip and Chelsea surprise . At their looks , she said , " My bracelet is broken so it has a sharp edge to it . I 'm trying to use it to cut through these ropes . " She just shrugged , " Because it 's pretty . There , I 'm free . I 'm going to slide it over to you , Chelsea , so you can get free . " " I don 't know what to think of you , Philip , but clearly you weren 't the man I thought you were . " Stephanie 's icy stare remained on Philip who returned it . They didn 't realize Chelsea had worked through her ropes . She cleared her throat so she could scoot the makeshift tool to Philip . After he was free , they worked on their plan . Philip wanted the girls to run once he distracted the guards , but both girls weren 't sure about that . Stephanie wanted to push the closest guard into the stairwell , then run behind some storage containers while Philip try to take out the guard closest to them . Philip cursed , realizing his handicapped leg would prevent him from making it over there in time . Stephanie took the setback in stride and they reworked a plan that hopefully would get them all out safely . " Nick , I swear , if you don 't sit down , I 'm going to handcuff you in a squad car ! " Bo yelled . Against his better judgment , he allowed Nick to stay , instead of returning him to the hospital . " Sorry , " Nick said , a little shamefaced . " I just … I can 't believe Chelsea could die and the last thing I said to her … " Tears came to his face . A gunshot was heard , and everyone started reacting . Bo was screaming into the radio , asking who fired and could anyone see anything . The snipers said they had a clear shot and could take them out now and immediately , Bo allowed the order . Nick felt himself tense up until it hurt , the sound of additional gunfire adding onto the constant worry that Chelsea could get into the crossfire . She 's never one to remain stationary during times like this . With silence from the warehouse , everyone stood waiting to see if anything else happened . It was the longest few moments of Nick 's life . But the door opened , and out came Philip , leaning on Chelsea with Stephanie next to them . They looked tired and scared , but appeared overall fine . Upon seeing Chelsea , Nick ran out of Hope 's arms , leaping over the car to get to her . She was so shocked ( but happy ) to see him , she rushed forward , forgetting Philip who was apparently needing her for support . Stephanie rushed forward then , allowing herself to be leaned on . Stephanie smiled as she watched her friends embrace . Bo and Hope came over , asking if everyone was alright . Chelsea and Stephanie appeared ok , it was Philip who was the one limping . Bo nodded his head , trying his best to look at Chelsea who still was in Nick 's arms . Deciding his daughter was alright , he let his temper go . " Philip , what the hell is going on down here ? And how did my daughter and niece get sucked into this … " Philip didn 't really respond , he had no real excuses . He didn 't have to , out of no where , Victor appeared with his lawyer by his side . " Say nothing , Philip . Bo , I 'm sure my son was just as much of a victim as the girls were . " Philip looked upset at his father appearing to bail him out , but Bo was not having it . Immediately he and Victor began arguing . Nick and Chelsea finally let go of each other , and moved off to the side . Philip was starting to get heavy , so Stephanie steered him over to the side as well so he could lean up against the wall . Sitting on the ground , Nick took Chelsea 's hands , still happy she was ok . Chelsea smiled shyly , she wasn 't sure if Nick was really back or not . " So they let you out of the hospital ? " Both Nick and Chelsea stopped to watch the other two . Stephanie had moved away from Philip who looked shocked at her outburst . He couldn 't walk towards her , he had to use the nearby wall as support . " Stephanie , I was just trying to apologize and thank you for your help in us getting out of there … " " You know , Philip , " Chelsea could see tears in her friends eyes . " Even when you were acting like the biggest jackass around , I still defended you to my father . He said you were just a gangster . I told him you were wrong , that while you might have made some mistakes in regards to Morgan 's dad , you weren 't like your father , and were trying to take the Kiriakis name and make it completely legit . " " Let me finish , the thing is , my dad was right . And I 'm standing here wondering why I ever defended you . Or how I could even feel like there was more to you then just the business suits and charming smile . I spoke to one of those guys on the phone , not to mention me and Chelsea could have been killed . God knows how I might have contributed to this . " Before Philip could decide how to react , Bo appeared again , apparently he was done with Victor . He was furious , that was clear . The lawyer that had come with Victor now appeared , trying to help Philip leave . " Come along , sir . " " Do you ? " responded Bo . " Besides putting everyone in danger , you do realize you have placed Chelsea and Stephanie in a position now where they have to testify against you ? " " Chelsea , sweetheart , are you ok ? " Victor asked . Both Chelsea and Nick were so wrapped up in the scene before them they didn 't realize her grandfather had approached them . She shook her head , knowing that while she didn 't know where she stood with Nick , the last thing she wanted was to go to the Kiriakis house . " No , um , thanks . I 'll be ok . " " It 's just … I 've been asking you that for so long . Missing you , wanting you back . Now , with today 's events over with and everyone basically safe , I am so happy to hear you ask that . " He smiled , leaning in and kissing her cheek . Chelsea 's heart raced . She pulled back , she wanted to kiss him so much . He tilted his head and began to lean in . She could feel his breath . " So good news , Nick , " they heard Bo 's voice . Immediately they split apart . Bo stood smiling while Hope rolled her eyes . " I just got off the phone with Marlena , she 's not sure you have to go back to the hospital tonight , if you didn 't want to . " He wasn 't facing Chelsea to see her smile but Hope could . " Well , there is a catch though . She didn 't want you to be alone tonight . We need someone to volunteer to stay with you … " " Oh , I will ! " Chelsea spoke way too fast . She blushed as Nick looked back at her . Luckily , his face broke out in a grin which made her respond in kind . " Yea , that will probably work . We 'll have a squad car take you two there . " Hope said . Bo tensed up besides her , and she pinched him to keep silent .