Ever since the news broke that Kelly Monaco was leaving General Hospital after a 21-year run Sam McCall, fans have been

bracing themselves to find out how the show would script her exit. Well, all was revealed in the Wednesday October 30

episode. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Sam Is Glowing

The episode began with Sam in her hospital bed, recovering from surgery, as she had donated part of her liver to help save an ailing Lulu Spencer. She was with her mother, Alexis, who dropped Halloween candy that she had smuggled in onto her daughter’s bed.

Sam was worried that Alexis would not have enough candy to give out to trick-or-treaters, but Alexis reported that due to a miscommunication, she was fully stocked with 60 pounds of candy. Alexis and Sam shared a laugh. Alexis sat awe of her daughter, telling her, “You just had surgery and you look so good. I mean it, you’re glowing!” Sam replied that she’d never been accused of that before, and Alexis warmly told her, “I want to know your secret!”

Alexis fussed over Sam, who insisted everything was fine as Alexis fluffed her pillow. Alexis settled down and Sam told her she heard Lulu’s surgery went well. Alexis said the prognosis was good, for the transplant at least, and Sam was relieved. Alexis voiced her own relief that Sam had come through surgery fine, and the women agreed they had reason to celebrate. Alexis added that their family was long overdue in that department. Sam said she hoped her mom meant that, then whipped out her hand from underneath the covers and flashed her new jewelry — an engagement ring from Dante.

Sam listened intently as Alexis told her how when she saw Dante, she felt he was the perfect match for her daughter, and that the longer they’d been together, she noticed that Sam smiled more, laughed more — that Sam was more herself in the relationship. Sam concurred, noting that it had been that way right from the beginning.

They each had a piece of a life — he had Rocco, she had Danny and Scout — and, Sam smiled, “When you put it together, Mom, it just works.” Alexis told her that’s because they both committed to making a life together. Sam marveled that she had never thought it could be that way. Alexis said that shes could relate, and that Sam showed her what a healthy relationship looks like.

Alexis lamented that she wished she had been able to give her girls the life they are giving their families; San insisted that she had given them plenty. Alexis beamed that as wonderful as Dante is, it was Sam who had given him and Rocco the best gift ever. “What can I say,” bubbled Sam. “I love him.” “And I love you, so much,” replied Alexis. “So much,” concurred Sam.

While Sam and Alexis were sharing these tender moments, Dante was eating a meal with Rocco, and told his son that he had some news to share. After revealing that he had asked Sam to marry him, Dante prodded his son to tell him what he was thinking. Finally, Rocco said, “What about Mom?” Dante reminded Rocco what their lives had been like before Sam came into it. Rocco agreed that she had “unstuck” them.

Meanwhile, Jason was talking with Danny and Scout in a lounge at the hospital. He told Sam’s children that their mom was one of the bravest people he knew. Jason then noticed an alarm sounding at the Nurses’ Hub. Elizabeth and Portia rushed toward Sam’s room. A frazzled Alexis entered from that direction and she and Jason locked eyes. She shook her head, indicating that whatever had happened was bad. Jason looked stunned. He sprang into action, giving money to Danny and telling him to take Scout to Bobbie’s and wait for him there. Danny sensed something was up and did as he was told. Once the kids were in the elevator, Jason rushed to Alexis and asked her what had happened. She said she had no idea.

Inside Sam’s room, her half brother, Lucas, had joined Liz and Portia in their efforts to save Sam as Portia performed compressions on the patient. Lucas ordered a crash cart as he struggled to understand what was going on — Sam’s vitals were normal, her chemistry was normal. Lucas speculated that perhaps she was suffering from internal bleeding; Portia suggested it might be an embolism. The crash cart arrived and Lucas grabbed the paddles as Portia barked at him to be quick. He announced he was shocking; nothing happened and Portia resumed compressions. Lucas used the paddles again, and once again, nothing happened to bring Sam back. An emotional Lucas begged Sam not to quit on him.

At the Nurses Hub, Jason watched as a frantic Alexis begged for information on Sam’s condition, only to be told just that the team was doing everything they could. Alexis watched her go, then told a shell-shocked Jason that Sam had been fine minutes ago — they had been laughing and talking about her engagement to Dante. “I don’t know what happened!” Alexis cried.

As the medical team continued to work on Sam, Alexis briefed Jason on what happened in Sam’s room. She explained that one minute, Sam had been excited about the future, and the next, she’d “gone completely white. Her face just went completely white and she couldn’t breathe.” She told Jason, “I’m scared.”

This Is The End

Oblivious to the crisis unfolding at the hospital, Dante and Rocco continued their conversation about Sam and the family they were creating with her, Scout and Danny. “Sam’s the one that gave us a family again,” declared Dante.

In Sam’s room, Portia’s voice was breaking as she called out the number of compressions she was performing. “Still no pulse,” Liz reported. “Dr. Jones, it’s time,” said Portia. Despondent, Lucas insisted, “She is still here! Get ready to go again.” Liz and Portia exchanged an alarmed look.

Alexis continued to update Jason. She described how alarms had started to go off and she had been pushed out of the room as the doctors charged in. “That’s my girl in there,” she said, on the verge of breaking down. Jason put his hand on her shoulder, attempting to provide some comfort.

At Bobbie’s, Scout and Danny waited for Jason and talked about how Sam was going to have a cool scar from her surgery. “Mom’s a cool hero,” pronounced Scout, and Danny agreed.

Back at the hospital, Lucas continued his increasingly futile efforts. Portia gently pointed out that Sam had been in asystole — flatline — for 30 minutes. “She’s gone,” Portia said. Lucas was shocked, gut-punched, and Liz’s eyes shined with tears. Finally, Lucas managed, “Time of death, 5:48 p.m.”

Lucas wants to continue but Portia says that she’s been in asystole for 30 minutes. “She’s gone,” she says as he looks gut-punched. “Time of death, 5:48 p.m.,” he manages. Everyone looked at each other in stunned silence, and the episode faded to black.

Was This Kelly Monaco’s Final Episode?

Soap Opera Digest has confirmed that while Sam did indeed die on today’s episode, this is not the final appearance Kelly Monaco will make in the role of Sam, which she began playing on October 1, 2003. Her last episode is slated for later this week, with some heartbreaking good-byes likely in store as news of Sam’s sudden demise sends shockwaves throughout Port Charles.

Now that we’ve gotten to the point where we’re pretty sure we’re counting Sam’s remaining time on General Hospital down to days, rather than weeks, it’s starting to hit us just how much we’re going to lose when she’s gone.

We won’t just be mourning the death of a beloved character, but also the death of so much potential and so many stories.

First off, there’s Sam’s relationship with Dante. Their love for each other has grown into one of General Hospital’s most surprising and beloved relationships. It’s healthy, it’s easy, it’s fun — and it’s not just them.

Dante just made clear to Cody that while Lulu was amazing, she was his past. Sam is his present and future. Soon, though, she, too, will be in the past, robbing us of watching their relationship — and their family — grow any further.

Of course, that could also have all ended up challenged anyway once Lulu woke up. But that’s just another story we’ll never see play out. The rivalry between Dante’s two loves would have been great — not that it needed to devolve into nastiness.

But just before Lulu fell into her coma, she’d been trying to tell Dante how much she still loved him. There’s no reason why she wouldn’t wake up feeling the same way, not realizing how much time had passed.

She and Sam would both be in love with Dante, with him understandably torn between the two and confused over what he should do. Yes, he and Sam would be together, but both women have been a huge part of his life. Who knows how things would have ended up?

As wonderful as Dante and Sam are together, and as much as we’d have liked to see them continue going, at the end of Lulu’s return, maybe Sam would have been left out in the cold. And if that had happened, we’ve got a pretty good idea of who she would have turned to: Jason.

We know, Sam’s been surprisingly steadfast in steering clear of Jason and his dangerous life. But we’d all be lying to ourselves if we thought their story is over and done forever or that there would never be a pull between them again. They shared years together, not to mention having a son,

Danny, who adores both his parents. And for a time, no matter how often they were pulled apart, Jason and Sam always found their way back to each other. Except, not any more we suppose. Because when Sam dies, we guess their story really is over.

As is Sam’s story with the man she first fell for because she thought he was Jason, Drew.

To be clear, theirs isn’t the grand love story of “JaSam.” Drew and Sam had their time, but we’re reasonably sure that’s over and done — at least from a romance perspective. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of story to tell with the two sharing a daughter.

We know how much Sam and Drew have butted heads over what school to send Scout to. Imagine how they’d react as she got older and started dating, falling in love, rebelling against her parents.

There’s no way that would go smoothly, though maybe, by the time Scout’s out of her teen years, they’d learn how to co-parent. Now, though, it’s all going to be on Drew. All those years of stories are gone, and we’ll never get to see how Sam will handle things.

And that brings us to our last story loss.