Days of our Lives Recap, May 13, 2025: Roman confides in Kate about Johnny

Here's what happened in Salem on the Tuesday, May 13, 2025 episode of Days of our Lives when Roman shares his concerns about EJ's shooting, and Paulina questions Johnny.

What happened on Days of our Lives

Philip ran into Belle outside the pub, and she commented on his cheery mood. When Belle asked what had caused the change in Philip, he explained that he had learned about a deal, and that he hoped to secure it for Xander while he was out of town. “So you’re gonna help your brother without him even asking for it?” Belle asked. “Exactly. And with any luck, it will finally put me back in his good graces,” Philip said. Belle wished Philip luck.

EJ went to Kayla’s office at the hospital, and he asked her about Xander’s interest in the hospital. “I do understand that he is going to make a pitch before the board,” Kayla said. “Which is why I’m going to make my pitch first,” EJ countered. EJ explained that he had gone over Kayla’s head to secure the meeting and that he had attached a condition to his bid for the hospital.

Sarah stirred awake in her hospital bed, and she encouraged Xander to go to work. Xander argued that he wanted to spend his time with his wife, even if it was in the hospital. “Now that we know I’m going to be okay, we need to have a little chat,” Sarah said. Sarah told Xander that his behavior with Felicity had not been acceptable, and he agreed. “I owe her an apology, don’t I?” Xander said. “And her sister Cat,” Sarah countered.

Kayla entered the room, and she told Sarah she needed to stay the night. Disappointed, Sarah asked Xander to retrieve her tablet from her office so they could call Victoria. After Xander left, Sarah asked about Bo, and Kayla said she hoped for good news soon.

“In the meantime, I’m very excited that Xander is making an offer to buy the hospital,” Kayla said. “What now?” Sarah asked with surprise. Kayla noted that maybe Xander had not told Sarah because he had been worried that the sale would fall through because of EJ’s opposing bid. “I will do everything in my power to make sure your husband wins,” Kayla promised.

Paulina visited Johnny at his hotel room as he was packing. “I’m happy that you and my baby girl were able to work things out, but before you move back home, you and I need to have a little heart-to-heart,” Paulina said. Paulina told Johnny that she liked that he loved and respected her daughter. Paulina stressed that despite Johnny’s mistakes, she still supported him.

“[But] if you break [Chanel’s] heart one more time, that’s it. You will have burnt your very last bridge with me,” Paulina said. Johnny said he understood. “It kills me to see [Chanel] suffering because of me. But believe me when I say I have no intention of ever hurting her again,” Johnny said. Johnny told Paulina that he had made an appointment with a therapist and that he had accepted a job offer from Xander.

“But you never wanted a corporate job before,” Paulina said. Johnny explained that although he liked being a director, he was interested in a more stable work schedule. “Plus, this gives me an opportunity to see what it’s like to work at my family’s company without having to, you know, work with my actual family,” Johnny said. Paulina rolled her eyes.

“Something tells me the main reason you took that job was to just stick it to your daddy,” Paulina said. Johnny agreed that it had been some of his motivation to take the job, and that he had relished the look on EJ’s face when he had learned about it. Paulina advised Johnny not to behave like his father. Johnny thought about how he had held his father at gunpoint. “Might be a little late for that,” Johnny whispered. Johnny clarified that he had meant that he had been selfish and had hurt loved ones.

“And that’s all? Because I’m getting the feeling you had something else in mind,” Paulina said. Johnny shook his head no. Paulina noted that Chanel had been concerned that Johnny had shot EJ. “I know she’s had some questions. Actually, before you ran into us in the square earlier, she all but accused me of pulling the trigger,” Johnny said. “And?” Paulina asked. Johnny said he didn't shoot EJ.

“You know I can keep a secret, Johnny. I’m only interested in protecting my daughter, so tell me the truth,” Paulina said. “It is no secret that I hate my father. And yes, I have wished him dead more than once lately, but I did not shoot him,” Johnny stressed. Paulina sighed, and she told Johnny that she believed him. Johnny said he understood why Paulina had grilled him. As Paulina and Johnny hugged, neither one looked happy.

Above the pub, Roman and Kate talked in their room about the night of EJ’s shooting. “Why would you think that someone took your gun?” Kate asked. Roman explained that he had told Johnny that he wanted to shoot EJ, and before he could say he had not meant it, Kate had called about Rex’s accident.

“I went into the kitchen to take the call [from you]. When I came back, Johnny was gone. So was the gun,” Roman said. “Oh my god. Roman, so you think Johnny took the gun and used it to shoot his own father?” Kate asked. Roman said he had checked the lockbox because he had had a strange feeling when he saw that Johnny had left the pub. “The kid was edgy. And just leaving like that without saying goodbye, I mean, something told me he went to confront EJ,” Roman said. Roman explained that he had driven over to the DiMera mansion, and he had found his gun in a planter on the front porch.

“I got this sinking feeling that it might be too late. Before I could investigate further, I heard sirens approaching. And I figured that even if EJ was hurt, that help was on the way,” Roman said. Roman explained he had grabbed the gun in an effort to protect Johnny, and he had returned the gun to the lockbox. “Eventually, I decided that yeah, it needed to be more secure. But damn it, Kate, I wish to hell I had never mentioned that damn gun to Johnny in the first place,” Roman said. Kate asked Roman if he had talked to Johnny, and he said no.

“Then you can’t be sure that Johnny’s guilty,” Kate said. Roman agreed, but he noted that his hunches had been accurate in the past. Kate noted that Sami had had the same suspicion. “But eventually she came to the conclusion that he wasn't capable of it,” Roman said. Kate asked Roman if he had told Sami about the gun, and he said no. Roman reminded Kate that Sami had a tendency to make bad situations worse.

“Do you plan on ever talking to Johnny about it?” Kate asked. Roman said no. “EJ survived, and I’m responsible for what happened,” Roman argued. Kate disagreed that Roman shared any blame. “My grandson has suffered enough. I’m not going to let his life be ruined because of something any number of people would have done if they'd have gotten to EJ first, including me,” Roman said. “Me too,” Kate agreed. Kate promised not to tell anyone, and she thanked Roman for opening up.

“Actually, there’s something that I need to tell you,” Kate said. Kate told Roman about Philip and Vivian’s fraud and the current status of the situation. “[Xander] can’t go public. He can’t expel Philip because it possibly could nullify the DiMera takeover,” Kate said. Kate asked Roman not to tell anyone, and he agreed. Kate apologized for not having said something to Roman sooner.

“I can’t say that I approve of what Philip did or you keeping it a secret, but I don’t have a hell of a lot of room to judge since I may very well be covering up an attempted murder,” Roman said. Kate held Roman’s face in her hand, and she noted that they were both protecting their loved ones. Roman asked Kate if they could make more of an effort to be honest with one another, and she agreed.

After their chat, Roman and Kate went downstairs, and they said hello to Philip. While Roman went into the kitchen, Philip asked Kate if she could convince the board to accept Xander’s offer to buy the hospital. “Why?” Kate asked. “If I can make this deal happen, I think it would go a long way towards getting my brother to forgive me,” Philip said. Kate agreed to help. Kate informed Philip that EJ’s bid to buy the hospital was a limited-time offer that would expire if the board did not accept it on the spot.

“I don’t understand why Xander and EJ are so determined to buy [a troubled hospital],” Kate said. “I was wondering the same thing, so I did a little snooping,” Philip said. Philip explained that he had spoken to the head of DiMera Pharmaceuticals, and he had learned that Dr. Russell at the hospital had been working on a promising drug to treat sepsis. “A cure like that would be phenomenal,” Kate agreed. Philip noted that in addition to the monetary reasons, the drug would also help Bo.

“If we control the drug, we could get it to Bo even before the approval goes through [at the FDA],” Philip said. “If that was possible, I think that Kayla would have already done it,” Kate noted. With a shrug, Philip argued that the Brady family liked to follow the rules. “Most of the time,” Kate muttered. Philip noted that if he could secure the deal, he could save one brother and reconcile with another.

Kate asked Philip how he planned to pull off the deal. Philip told Kate about his high school friend Kevin Lambert. Before Philip could say more, Roman interrupted to ask Kate for help in the back. Kate wished Philip luck. As Philip reviewed his friend’s resume, he noticed that his current job was in Dr. Russell’s lab. Philip called Kevin, and he asked to meet up.

As EJ struggled to walk through the square, he dropped his phone. Cat picked it up and handed it to him. Cat asked EJ to sit with her so that she could ask him a question. EJ playfully groaned, and he joined Cat at a cafe table. “Why did you bid on me for the bachelorette auction?” Cat asked.

“Let’s call it an impulse buy. I wanted to donate to the fundraiser, and I thought this would be a fun way to do it,” EJ said. Cat asked for specifics, and EJ noted that Cat was one of the few people in town who did not hate him and was not a stranger. After EJ made a crack about Cat impersonating his dead sister-in-law, she rose to leave.

“Did I offend you?” EJ asked. “You know, I have thick skin, but I’m not trying to hang out and hear about my worst moments in life,” Cat said. EJ assured Cat that he had only been joking, and he apologized. Reluctantly, Cat sat back down. “And also, I know that I deserved it. I realize what I did was unforgivable,” Cat said. “And yet, Chad seems to have forgiven you,” EJ countered. EJ wished Cat well on her date with Chad.

“Just so you know, it’s not that kind of date,” Cat said. “The kind where you have fun?” EJ asked. Cat raised an eyebrow. EJ explained that he was happy that Chad had taken his place because he had not wanted to upset Belle. “And I’m sure Chad is looking forward to spending some time with you,” EJ added. “Did he say that to you?” Cat asked. With a shrug, EJ said he knew his brother better than Chad knew himself.

“Well, you should know, [Chad] was really upset when you were shot. It’s clear how much he loves you,” Cat said. “I appreciate you saying that,” EJ said. EJ noted that he loved his brother, and he hoped to repay him for having saved his life. Cat commented that EJ was different from the stories she had heard about him. “I do hope you’re not buying into them. You see, I am a gem of a human being. Virtuous, moral, wise, altruistic, the list goes on and on,” EJ joked. Cat noted that she did not believe that EJ was all bad.

When Cat returned to the hospital, Xander apologized to her. “I jumped to conclusions about your sister, and blamed her for something that was not her fault. And look, when you see her, can you just tell her that I was–,” Xander said. Cat interrupted to tell Xander to apologize directly to Felicity. Xander agreed. Cat started to leave, but she stopped to tell Xander that he did not understand how much he had hurt her sister.

“Her entire life, she has dealt with people making assumptions about her. And what you did just reinforced every single one of her worst insecurities. She did not deserve that,” Cat said. “You’re absolutely right. She didn’t,” Xander agreed. Xander promised to make a sincere apology to Felicity.

“Word's gotten around that you’re planning on buying this hospital. And well, if you succeed, I hope you use better judgment than you used with my sister. This place is going to need someone who is going to run it with kindness and compassion,” Cat said. “Are those the qualities you exhibited while you were running around town pretending to be the late Abigail Deveraux?” Xander snapped. After a moment, Cat admitted that she regretted what she had done, and she hoped to make amends in time. “I really hope you do the same where my sister’s concerned,” Cat said. Xander nodded yes.

When EJ returned home, Belle helped him hobble to the couch. “It’s possible I overdid it. I’ve been putting out fires all day,” EJ admitted. “What kind of fires?” Belle asked. EJ informed Belle that he was attempting to buy University Hospital. “That’s going to make a lot of people very happy,” Belle said. “Yeah, not Kayla Johnson. She turned down my initial offer,” EJ said. EJ explained that Kayla was worried about his motives. EJ stressed that although he viewed the matter as an investment, his main intention was to help the hospital and the community.

“I went over [Kayla’s] head. Secured a meeting to present my offer to the full board,” EJ said. “So you’re optimistic that Kayla will be overruled?” Belle asked. With a shrug, EJ noted that Xander was also making a bid for the hospital. “Which is why I need you to help me beat him,” EJ said. Belle mentioned that Philip had alluded to a secret deal at Titan.

“After everything Xander has done to my family, I would be more than happy to help you outmaneuver him,” Belle said. EJ asked Belle to speak to the board on his behalf. When Belle added that she still needed to talk to Johnny, EJ told Belle not to bother. Belle asked what had happened.

“More or less, he told me that he’d hate me forever and wished me dead. Not to mention that he’s now going to take a job with Xander to spite me,” EJ said. “I’m really sorry,” Belle said. EJ argued that it had given him more motivation to beat Xander’s bid for the hospital. When EJ urged Belle to argue to the board that he was the lesser of two evils, she told him that she did not think he was evil. “I do think that you’ve changed. And I think, I hope, that this new EJ, this EJ 2.0 if you will, isn’t replaced by the old one as your recovery continues,” Belle said. EJ noted that even if the old version of him returned, it would not change his feelings for Belle.

At the hospital, Xander returned to Sarah’s room with her tablet. “Do you want to tell me about your bid to buy the hospital?” Sarah asked. “I was wondering if Kayla would tell you about it,” Xander said. Sarah asked why Xander had not said anything to her. With a shrug, Xander said he had not wanted to jinx the deal. Sarah asked Xander why he had decided to make the offer.

“I know how important this hospital is to you and your family,” Xander said. “The Hortons and University Hospital have been intertwined all the way back to Grandpa Tom and Grandma Alice,” Sarah said. Sarah told Xander that she approved of the deal, but she asked if the deal made financial sense. “Trust me, it is the right move for the company,” Xander said. Sarah narrowed her eyes with suspicion, but she did not probe any further. “Sounds like you’re going to have a fight on your hands,” Sarah said. “I bested [EJ] once. I intend to do it again. At all costs,” Xander said. Sarah was concerned, but Xander promised that the deal was legal.

After Xander and Sarah video chatted with Victoria, Sarah complained that their daughter was growing up too fast. “I was thinking, before she gets too much older, maybe we should give Victoria a little brother or sister,” Xander said. “Are you being serious? You want to have another baby?” Sarah asked. Xander nodded yes. “That sounds great,” Sarah said.

In the hallway, Cat answered a phone call. “I got your messages. All ten of them. I assumed by my non-response that you would get the picture. But let me spell it out for you. I am not interested. Stop calling me,” Cat said.

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