Steve and Kayla – “Patch” and “Sweetness,” the Beast and his Beauty. This Days of our Lives coupling proved that love does indeed have the power to transform.
How Did Steve and Kayla Meet?
Kayla knew exactly who “Patch” was the moment he burst through the Emergency Center’s doors bearing her severely injured brother Bo. He was the crude, unkempt laborer who had developed a penchant for calling her Sweetness ever since they’d made each other’s acquaintance at Shenanigans.
But unbeknownst to the fair-haired clinician, Steve had been well aware of her long before they exchanged pleasant hellos. In fact, he had been the harasser and burglar whose antics had so frightened her that she fled Cleveland, Ohio, and sought refuge with her family back in Salem.
And now, despite her still obvious unease around the ruffian, Kayla couldn’t help but be impressed by his selfless act. And Steve, in turn, was affected by the tender way in which she treated the concussion he sustained in the same accident that had injured Bo.
It was because of Kayla’s bedside manner that Steve informed his employer, Victor Kiriakis, that he would no longer be following her and reporting her movements. Displeased at Steve’s apparent disloyalty, Victor ordered the man’s fellow underlings to relay a violent message.
Kayla chanced upon the grievously wounded Steve and after acquiescing to his plea that the police not be involved, she helped him stagger back to his apartment. There, Kayla cleaned the more pressing lacerations first.
Then, she made a move towards his eyepatch. “NO! You don’t touch that!” Steve insisted as he quickly covered the accessory with his hand. But Kayla gently pressed. “Steve, I need to take it off to do my work.”
“Please… please don’t take it off,” he begged. Kayla asked him to trust her. Slowly but surely, he allowed her to extricate his hand and then remove the patch. As she washed his face, Kayla chatted, hoping to put Steve at ease. When she exited the room, ostensibly to retrieve some antibiotic cream, Steve was sure she would never return – his deformity had scared her away.
However, he was heartened when she did indeed return, medicine in hand, and he commended her for not flinching during her duties. Soon after, following Kayla’s assault by a violent junkie, the role of patient and caregiver was reversed. “I’m not hurting you, am I Sweetness?” Steve wondered aloud.
But his concern was for naught. Not only was Kayla grateful for his assistance, but after their latest encounter, she began to fantasize about her savior.
Early Trials and Tribulations
In time, the pair found themselves swept up in an adventure that took them to Stockholm – alongside Bo, Hope, and “Roman” – and involved a scavenger hunt for treasury bonds, priceless emeralds, and a kidnapped Marlena.
When Steve and Kayla returned to Salem, the danger followed. The latter was kidnapped and briefly held hostage by career-criminal, Orpheus, and then after rescuing her, the former was forced to go on the lam – lest he be falsely imprisoned for the murder of Britta Englund.
Further complications arose when they involved themselves in the plight of homeless children Max and Frankie, and Steve embroiled himself in the trouble surrounding his biological family.
Then Steve found himself framed for the attempted assassination of Senator Harper Deveraux. Kayla sheltered him on the roof her building – which would serve as the location of their first intimate rendezvous.
Third-Party Interference
Their future seemed so bright, so assured. But heartache lay just over the horizon. First, Steve pushed Kayla towards her former lover, Jack Deveraux, who was battling Hodgkin’s Disease and in need of an incentive to continue living.
And the revelation that Jack was actually his younger brother only compounded Steve’s desire to unite him and Kayla. The eventual Deveraux marriage, however, proved volatile, dangerous (Harper Deveraux poisoned Kayla), and ultimately ended in sexual assault.
Steve helped comfort Kayla and emboldened her to press charges against Jack. Their reunion and plan to unite in holy matrimony was stymied by Kayla’s assault at the hands of the Riverfront Knifer and her resulting hearing loss and muteness.
Both senses were eventually restored and Kayla and Steve went on to best additional impediments to their Happily Ever After, which included Steve’s frequent absences (owing to his undercover work for the ISA) and the machinations of his first wife, Marina Toscano (whom Kayla stood accused of murdering).
Steve and Kayla: Through The Years
They even withstood Steve’s presumed death, the passage of nearly two decades, his battle with amnesia and brainwashing, a contentious divorce, and a cautious reconciliation. And all the while their family expanded (first with daughter Stephanie Kay and then with a son, Joseph).
But, finally, amidst mounting pressures from several outside sources, Steve and Kayla separated. And though the possibility of a reunion seems remote (he’s recovering from yet more mind manipulation; she’s moved on with Justin Kiriakis), anything can happen. Days of our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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