1987 (#6) - Ashley's research in New York, John's deal with John and Steve's treatment

Ashley, after the violent quarrel with Victor who had not accepted the woman's decision to have an abortion without warning the man, had decided as we know she would disappear. She took the first plane leaving for Genoa City, casually destined for New York, and soon found herself wandering around the city, without a specific goal or purpose. Days and days spent in this state deteriorate not only the woman's physical strength, but also her psychological and mental state, with recurring nightmares, hallucinations and visions of her unborn baby crying. It is the police, suspicious of the woman's condition and recalled by passers-by, who intercept her and admit her to a mental institution, where she is being treated by Dr. Steven Lassiter. Several months have now passed since the day Ashley entered the institution, but Steven still cannot give an identity to his Jane Doe, the name given to the missing persons, nor have any information about her. Nikki's obviously not the only person trying to locate Ashley. In Genoa city, in fact, John has been searching for her daughter for some time. Helping her, of course, is his partner Ellen, who contacts all the other homeless shelters in and around the city, without success. In the end, John sets in motion a sweeping search in all the cities connected by means of transport from Genoa City and only after countless calls and reports comes an answer that gives hope to the man: he comes from New York. Arrived in the Big Apple, John goes to the mental health institute and can finally embrace his daughter again, still incredulous for the joy of seeing her alive. As soon as she sees him, Ashley recognizes him and shows that she can remember much of her life, which is quite astonishing to Steven, who has rarely seen such sudden improvements. In agreement with Steven, then, John decides to take the woman to Genoa City to stay in the places she knows, protect her around the family and speed up the recovery process. John, moreover, asks Steven to follow him, promising to pay him generously in case he decides to follow the woman personally; Steven, who knows the Fairview Institute in Genoa City, willingly accepts; he also agrees with John on keeping the hospitalization secret, to give Ashley the chance to recover with all the peace, tranquility and serenity she needs.