Kirsten Storms<\/a> made her long-anticipated return as Maxie Jones on General Hospital<\/a><\/em> on Thursday, February 12, six months after stepping away from the soap<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last July, Storms announced that she would be temporarily leaving the show to relocate to Nashville with her 12-year-old daughter, Harper Rose, whom she shares with ex-husband Brandon Barash<\/a> (Johnny Zacchara, GH<\/em>; Stefan DiMera, Days of Our Lives<\/a>)<\/em>, who also moved there.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very excited to be making Tennessee my home!\u201d Storms enthused online. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to return to GH<\/em>, once [daughter] Harper and I are settled in our new town. I plan on documenting as much of this new journey on my social media as I can. It\u2019s always been a dream of mine to move to a place like this, it\u2019s hard to believe it\u2019s really happening.\u201d<\/p>\n A few months later, Storms revealed that there was more behind her decision. In October, the actress, who had a craniotomy in 2021 to remove noncancerous brain cysts, disclosed on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with an aneurysm<\/a> on the right side of her brain.<\/p>\n \u201cEmotional support, when going through times in life that cause worry, is crucial,\u201d Storms shared. \u201cAneurysms (obviously) can be caused by stress. Brain cysts? I believe that is possible too\u2026. and since the January scan showed a new, but very small, squatter (aka cyst) on my brain stem \u2014 it was clear I needed to change some things in my life asap. For my own personal reasons, no longer living in Los Angeles was very important to me. The biggest reason for the move was Harper, but a lot of it was for my physical and mental health. And my overall happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n By late December, Storms offered a reassuring update<\/a>. After consulting with a neurosurgeon in St. Louis, she explained that immediate surgery was not required. \u201cHe told me that I am in the \u2018gray zone\u2019 for the aneurysm procedure,\u201d she detailed. \u201cIt\u2019s not super small, but it\u2019s not at the mandatory surgery size. Basically, I can keep monitoring it \u2013 or have the coiling done, BUT he told me I wasn\u2019t in immediate\/\u2019OMG! it\u2019s going to burst tomorrow!\u2019 kind of dangerous. Obvi, great news.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, on January 21, Storms confirmed she was officially back at work<\/a>. Posting from the GH<\/em> set, she wrote, \u201cBoom. 2026 already\u2026that was fast. Back at work! Seriously missing my BugBug though. California doesn\u2019t feel right without her here.\u201d<\/p>\n ABC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Her on-screen return was nothing short of dramatic. The February 12 show opened in Maxie\u2019s hospital room, where she was still in a coma. Her mother, Felicia Jones (Kristina Wagner<\/a>), and kids, James West (Gary James Fuller<\/a>) and Georgie Spinelli (Lily Fisher<\/a>), tended to a comatose Maxie in her hospital room. The room was decorated for Valentine\u2019s Day, and James proudly presented Maxie with a handmade Valentine \u2014 a skateboard, inspired by his favorite hobby \u2014 though he grew upset when Georgie pointed out their mother couldn\u2019t see it. Felicia gently kept the peace between the siblings.<\/p>\n Elsewhere in Port Charles, Harrison Chase (Josh Swickard<\/a>) shared a sweet tea party with Bailey Lou Jones (Riley<\/a> and Miley Plonski<\/a>), Maxie\u2019s daughter with the late Peter August (Wes Ramsey<\/a>), before heading to work. Brook Lynn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton<\/a>) looked on warmly as Chase bonded with Bailey Lou, prompting him to say that he couldn\u2019t wait for them to have a child of their own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Nathan West (Ryan Paevey<\/a>) fretted over the Valentine\u2019s Day treats he was tasked to buy for James\u2019 class and sought help from Lulu Spencer (Alexa Havins<\/a>). After a trip to the store, they assembled goodie bags for James\u2019 classmates. When they were through, Nathan confessed that he was conflicted about where things stood between them. The moment ended with the two gazing into each other\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n ABC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Back at the hospital, James spent time alone talking to Maxie, filling her in on his important updates, including the fact that he\u2019d only been to the ER once since she last saw him, \u201cand it wasn\u2019t even that bad.\u201d He also revealed that a classmate named Madison asked James to be her Valentine, but he said no because Maxie was his Valentine. \u201cI love you the best,\u201d he told his mom.<\/p>\n Outside the room, Georgie opened up to her grandmother about how deeply she missed her mother. The children switched places, and Georgie begged Maxie to come back to them. Felicia went in next. She took Maxie\u2019s hand, noting that she was confident Maxie would wake up. \u201cI have seen you do impossible things your entire life,\u201d she said through tears. \u201cSo, I know you can do this, too.\u201d<\/p>\n As Felicia and her grandchildren prepared to leave, James wanted to go skating, but Georgia preferred a trip to the bookstore. The siblings\u2019 debate was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice. \u201cJames Malcom West. You are not going skating without a helmet.\u201d The trio turned to see Maxie standing in the doorway, fully awake.<\/p>\n
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