oly Crap!  Jack Devereaux as I live and breathe.  I'm so glad the actors on this show are smart enough to hang around where their bread is buttered.  

Outdoor Living Room Mall:  Marlena summoned Jack.  Oh, right, she's a psychiatrist.  Why did I forget that?  She was totally trying to shrink Will yesterday.  I thought she was just being a nice grandmother.  I guess you can be both.  Marlena wants Jack to join her for a group session of some soldiers coping with PTSD.  Jack isn't up for this.

Madison gives Abigail her first internship assignment.  It doesn't involve getting coffee or filing.  I guess I shouldn't be annoyed b/c at least Abigail is doing an internship before she's named head of Titan.  Madison has many plans.

holy shit!  It's John Black.  He and Brady are still running Basic Black.  I am totally in love with the fact that Brady just said Twitter and not "Tweeter" or "Birdsong" account.  John wants to use old timey passenger pigeons and stone tablets to communicate with the ladies who like his label. Brady and his weird pink lips thinks they need to go online and at least get a damn Twitter account already.  (also, love that this show doesn't mind using the actual names of things and not call it "Tweetie" or "Youclick" or "Facespace" hate that.  But I'll never stop loving Mr. Hogestyn's bizarre faces.  Hi, Drake!

music, hourglass, sand

British guy and Abigail's BFF chat about how Abigail hates her b/c she smooched the boy Abigail likes. ( I know about this b/c of promos I've seen).  Oh, her name is Melanie.  No offense, Abigail, but ifyou are going to have a best friend this cute, you're gonna have to deal with your boyfriends falling in love with her.  

British Guy leaves Melanie and runs into Abigail and Madison, and he sends Abigail to run into Melanie.

Jack points out that soldiers purposefully put themselves in danger to defend their country, and he's a mess b/c he went their looking for a story to tell.  Well, fair enough, but you still deserve treatment for a debillitating disorder, Jack.  Luckily for him, Marlena is like a dog with a bone and always gets her man (assuming she's not possessed at the time.)

John wants to reassert who they are and look stable.  Brady thinks innovation is more important.  They butt heads a bit more, and Brady says that they can't come up with an ad campaign, or anything else, until they decide they want to work together.  John:  One arched eyebrow, one stink eye, one dubious lip twitch, and a slow step backwards.  He's peerless, I tell you.

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  Abigail walks in to find Melanie, who is totally cute about it.  

John says he wants to consider Brady's ideas later, but Brady says that's a deal breaker.

British Guy is named Quinn.  Abigail asks if Melanie knew Quinn set up their running into each other.  Mel says she's sorry Quinn did that.  Abigail says she's probably the last person Melanie wants to see.  it clearly means the world that Abigail is even speaking to her, and Melanie adorably shakes her head saying she didn't say that.  Abigail apologizes.  Mel chuckles and says she should stop apologizing.  The music is sweet about it.

Madison makes fun of Quinn's shelf with Count Wilhelmina products at his spa.  (Count W being Kate's middle aged product company).  She wants to help  him expand his small spa and make it national by using her sexy, 20something Mad World products.  (unless it's in Genoa City.  those bitches are not looking for any competition)

Marlena thinks Jack is brave to consider getting help.  She tells him that the soldiers at the meeting are getting through what they've been through by helping each other survive.  Jack wants to be there for Abigail and someone called Gigi.   Jack and Marlena enter the saddest room of four dejected looking soldiers.  

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John and Brady fight,a nd John gets personal and calls Brady a joke, and then laughs that he's being one too.  

Group meeting:  Leslie introduces herself, she has a service dog.  Mike introduces himself (firm, almost aggressive hand shake, grits through his teeth that he served 3 tours in Afghanistan), Paco gets up (dressed in fatigues, barely makes eye contact when he quickly shakes hands, clearly a sweet kid, sits down quickly), and Robert (sits in a lump, dressed in flannel, barely looks up at Jack.)  Mike asks if Marlena is going to sit.  Leslie says someone named Beth will be here soon.  (um, lemme guess, looks a little like Jennifer and falls in love with Jack?)  Jack admits he's just a journalist.  Mike says that he doesn't dig journalists b/c 9 out of 10 they got it wrong.  Mike slumps in his chair "guess you just had to be there."  Marlena gently points out that Jack was there and asks him to share his story.  Jack starts that he was in Kandehar (forgive the spelling if I forget to spell check later), working on a story on the drug trade.  He laughs at himself and stands up to leave.  Leslie asks how long he was there.  He says he was there for a year.  She asks "on one story?"  Jack says he was kidnapped.  He was in a cave.  He says what Paco said earlier rings true.  He doesn't feel like he's home.  He feels like he's still in that cave.  Mike (the tough guy), works his jaw and moves uncomfortably in his chair.  His tone is softer this time, and he reminds Jack that he doesn't like to talk to people who are standing over him.  Whoever cast Leslie did a great job b/c she seems credible as a soldier (hell, for all I know she is), but she has this welcoming glow about her, while also seeming damaged.  She asks Jack to please sit with them.

what a weird idea for a storyline: to tell the story of soldiers.  on GH they always just make soldiers out to be murderers.  

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Brady jokes that John was being stubborn, but he, Brady was being right.  They agree to crunch the numbers with both their ad campaign ideas and come up with a compromise.  

Melanie congratulates Abigail on her internship.  Quinn and Madison saunter in, and he's pleased the girls haven't killed each other.  Melanie is surprised Madison and Quinn know each other.  Madison wants Abigail and Melanie to be the faces of the new line.   Madison says Kate is using local talent, but Madison thinks boy/girl ads are so last week.  (Melanie and Abigail make awkward jokes about this.)  Quinn nudges that Ab/Mel are on the outs. Mad says she doesn't need either of them if they are.  Now see, this is getting a bit Friar Laurence to me.  Why is this woman so invested in the friendship of two virtual strangers?  (other than clearly Stefano or someone like him is pulling her strings.)

Group Meeting:  Everyone is standing, and Leslie urges them to sit.  Marlena asks Leslie to share.  She says after all these years, she still only remembers the sound of gunfire, and the warm and wonderful people of Bosnia.  Oh, I just now realized that Leslie is blind and missing a leg.  Jack murmurs that she's remarkable to still have anything nice to say.  Leslie says the people she worked with lost their homes and families, and they lost hope.  Paco says that the work people like Leslie did in Bosnia to bring peace is what inspired him to enlist.  Leslie is touched.  Marlena asks Paco to tell his story, but Paco clams up.  or rather, Mike jumps in and proudly says Paco has a purple heart and watched his best friend die b/c of a roadside bomb.  Mike tells us that Paco lost his best friend to a roadside mine.  Jack asks how Mike can want to go back.  Paco says Rob did (Rob is the withdrawn guy in flannel.)  Rob bitterly says he has a blood clot now, so he can't do his full 20 years and was medically retired.  Paco says he feels like he's letting down the guys who are still there.  Jack says it's over though, now, he's done.  paco disagrees.  He says most nights he wakes in a sweat, with the faces of his unit in his mind.  His wife wants to talk about it.  He shrugs and says they'll both have to live with it.  Jack  asks how old Paco is.  Paco answers' 20.  It sounds so short, not to have at least a one or a four after it.  just 2 syllables.  Twenty, sir.  Jack is incredulous and says his daughter is that age.  Jack says he's just a kid.  Paco politely but sternly says "I'm not a kid, sir.  Not anymore"  

Just then Pat walks in.  She's gorgeous and very non-Jen-like.  Marlena says Pat is a Marine and has three accommodations for bravery and pulled the wounded to safety.  Pat interrupts and sheepishly says "isn't that what we were supposed to do?"  Marlena asks Jack to tell his story.  Mike, puts his hands behind his head and smiles gorgeously and points out that Pat won't talk about herself, but she's great at listening.  

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Brady and John reach a compromise.

Abigail sassily wonders if she can work with Melanie.

Leslie is awesome and amazing all over the place and explains that she felt disfigured when she came home, and learned she had to mourn her leg and her vision.  It took her a long time to appreciate what she still does have.  She jokes that she is still in therapy, afterall.  She says she made a choice not to be a victim, and she was able to do that by finding joy in the little things: being able to walk in heels again even after she fell down a lot, shaving 20 seconds off her 5k, even if was nothing compared to what she did in basic training in her 20's.  (Jack laughs that her current time is way better than his).  Leslie says she still has her voice and her spirit, and she can reach out and inspire others.  Marlena says she has.  

pat says she thinks she's doing fine, but then her 3 year old asks her what's wrong.  he can see something in her eyes, and she doesn't want him to.  She says he's the one who kept her going.  She hugs herself with her smile about her little boy and calls him her everything.

Mike says they talk in here, but at home or in a bar, he can't say anything.  "It's like I'm not me.  Like I'm just walking through my life, and no one buy you guys knows what I've seen, what I'm thinking."

Paco cries that it was good for his friend's mom to know he was holding him when he died.  "That I could tell her that his last words were 'tell my mom I love her.'  He was my big brother, and he could really make me laugh.  I haven't last since that day, and sometimes I don't think I ever will again." 

geeze, show.  I forgot that soaps sometimes make me cry.  

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Madison tries to sell Abigail and Melanie on making up.  (just neither of you drink any magic potions or fake a suicide if Madison suggests it.)

Madison also makes another play to Quinn to sell her products instead of Kate's.  

Abigail is surprised that Melanie's dad left town.  Melanie sits and swings her legs and tries not to cry.  Abigail stammers and says she was going to say she wished Melanie had called, but of course Mel wouldn't b/c of the things Abigail said.  Mel says that it wasn't what Abigail said, it was that she didn't believe her when she said that Abigails' friendship meant more to her than any guy.  Abigail says she does believe that.  Abigail says that's it's clear that Melanie has feelings for Chad still, so they still have a problem.  Melanie cries and I guess that's fair, since from the promos, Melanie did kiss Chad, and let's be honest, unless Melanie is gay for Abby, she's going to still want to be with Chad.  But also, we all are going to WANT things in our lives, we may even share a smooch with that thing, but that doesn't mean we can't actually be remorseful and realize that we had what we wanted all along.  Best friends are so intense at Abby and Mel's age.  It's like a love affair in some ways.  and frankly, Abigail seems like a prissy bore and also, Abby has already moved onto Austin, so why does she care what Chad does?  Not that Melanie ever gets to date Chad and be Abigail's friend.  those are the rules.  or I mean, she needs to not date him unless she's going to marry him forever and ever.  Woody Allen did the grossest thing ever by marrying his step daughter, but he at least has had the decency to remain with this woman for the past 20 years.  All I'm saying is Melanie has to ask herself if she's really in a 20+ year commitment with Abigail.  If she is, she needs to never see Chad again.  If she's not, then date him and break up with Abigail and hope that you don't regret it in a few months when he dumps you for someone else.  because Chad?  is a dog that he would go after the best friend of the girl he was dating.   A good man respects the friendship between best friends and at least figures out a way to not make a move until Abigail was already involved with someone else.  just saying Melanie.  

group therapy:  Marlena encourages Jack to speak. He says after everything everyone has said, what can he add. Mike says it's not that small a club. He points out that there are thousands in every city 'in hospitals, on the streets' Paco says those people are going through the same things they all went through, in cities most people have never heard of. Jack takes some deep breaths, and laughs that he'll never feel sorry for himself again. Paco isn't afraid to help Jack. He asks what it was like in that cave for a year. Jack looks around the room and pleads to them with his eyes. Leslie gloriously promises that telling them what happened isn't feeling sorry for himself. She asks him what happened. Jack gulps in some breaths and said time was weird. “I knew it was important if what day it was. I scratched it in a rock. I couldn't see it. I just thought if I just could remember what day it was. It's stupid.” Mike tells him nothing that got him through it was stupid. Jack flashes back to being tortured with a car battery. Jack said he kept telling himself he'd go home. One day they killed his friend. He could hear his screams. “I didn't want to know there would be people in the world who could do that.” Pat cries, Mike twitches, Rob stares and disassociates himself from reality) Jack continues “And now those people, and that world are more real to me than any of this. It's like I said, I'm sill back in that cave.” Paco puts a hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack cringes and then cry-laughs at himself for so doing.

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Jack says when he got back, he made it, he will pick up where he left off and will go for it. He says it didn't work out that way. He says he managed to scare the hell out of his wife, his ex wife, and he kept freaking out. It wasn't the people back there, it wasn't that the world had moved on without him, it was that he couldn't. “I couldn't. Because I have a huge part of myself that's back there, back halfway around the world and it can't leave.” He sobs and says he wants to be a good dad to his kids. “I want to be a man whose wife wants to be with him. I want to be whole again.” Jack cries,a nd Marlena thanks him. She ends their time for the day She leaves with them words from a WWII. “for those that were there, no explanation is necessary. For those that weren't, no explanation will work.”

Jack stands to leave, and Paco stnads and hugs him. Mike gives him a gentler handshake and a man hug. Rob hugs Jack. Pat wraps her arms around him. Leslie whispers her thanks for sharing, and hugs him. He thanks her for having him. She whispers she'll see him again. Marlena smiles approvingly at Jack. They hug and he makes choking, audible noises. She whispers in his ear that he did good.

Ending tag:

Days of Lives would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to all who have served in the United States Military, past and present and their families, for sacrificing so much on behalf of the rest of us.