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Cause For Concern: Paulina’s health crisis sends Eli (Lamon Archey) and Lani (Sal Stowers) racing back to Salem.
Paulina’s deteriorating condition brings two DAYS OF OUR LIVES favorites back into the fold: Sal Stowers as Paulina’s daughter, Lani, and Lamon Archey as Lani’s husband, Eli, who head back to Salem to offer their love and support to their ailing family member after Kayla informs Abe and Chanel that Paulina may need a heart transplant. Eli and Lani waste no time getting to Salem to see Paulina. Notes Archey, “It’s her mom and something serious to do with her heart — it’s definitely a no-brainer to come back home and touch base, see what’s going on and be of any help that they can be.”
Learning about the grave plot twist made Archey eager to come back to the soap. “I knew it was for a good cause,” says the actor, adding that he’s always up for “anything that has to do with the Paulina and Abe — anything that has to do with their storyline is always good.”
When Paulina wakes up and learns her fate, she asks Abe to take care of her girls should anything happen to her. Abe insists she’s not going anywhere, while Chanel gives her mama a big reason to hold onto hope: She tells her that Lani has been released from prison and is coming home with Eli.
Behind the scenes, Archey and Stowers were thrilled for the chance to work together again and find out what the other has been up to. “So much has gone on in our lives in between [our DAYS stints],” Archey points out. “We were probably even talking in between scenes, when we shouldn’t have been [laughs]!” But when the cameras were rolling, the mood was serious, and the couple does their best to put on a brave face when they first see Paulina. “I don’t believe that they realized that [the situation] was as grave as it is,” says Archey. “They knew it was serious, because they came out pretty quickly. But I think it was a shock for both of them to find out how serious things were and how quickly things needed to be acted upon. I mean, it’s heavy, and there’s a huge story that went on prior to this that the fans already know about, Lani learning that Paulina is her mom. For so many years they weren’t able to have that relationship. When they finally were able to have that relationship, Lani had to go away to prison. Now she just got released. This is kind of the time where everything should be happy, and they should be able to rekindle things or just pick up from where they left off. But they’re faced with this news, that Paulina could pass. It’s definitely a heavy hit.” Eli is a stalwart source of support for his wife during the crisis. “Anything Eli can do to help Lani through this process, of course he’s going to do without a doubt,” the actor affirms.
Paulina’s loved ones rally around her with a sole focus and on getting her into better health, which means big family scenes between Archey, Stowers, Jackée Harry (Paulina), James Reynolds (Abe) and Raven Bowens (Chanel). “[Personally], they were extremely fun,” shares Archey. “I hadn’t seen Jim in a long time, so it was absolutely great to catch up with him. And Jackée is always fun to be around. She’s always cracking jokes. So it was definitely a good time to be around everyone, including Raven and Carson [Boatman, Johnny]. It was definitely a good time. As far as Eli, again, things are pretty heavy. But at the same time, it’s good to see the people that he hasn’t seen in a while and be around family. And, as always, Eli is the rock for his family at all times.”
As the clan faces this gut-wrenching crisis, they cling to the possibility that Paulina will pull through and survive. “There’s always hope,” concludes Archey. “But at the same time they can’t help but worry, because things can happen….”
Take a look back at the romance of Eli and Lani with our photo history here.
