Hayden Barnes



When Hayden Barnes went on a date with Ric Lansing, she received a job offer instead of a love match. Hayden admitted that a divorce had left her broke, and Ric hired her to impersonate the wife of a man with amnesia. The man used the name Jake Doe and was romantically involved with Elizabeth Webber, the woman Ric desired. With Ric's help, Hayden convinced Jake Doe that he was actually her husband, Jacob Barnes.

While acting as Jake's wife, Hayden met Nikolas Cassadine and realized that he knew Jake's identity. Hayden used the knowledge to her advantage and convinced Nikolas that neither should expose what the other knew and they became lovers. When Ric's scheme was publically uncovered, Hayden was revealed to be a liar. With nowhere else to go in Port Charles, she turned to Nikolas and demanded that he share his castle and his bed with her. Nikolas refused until Hayden announced that she had overheard a conversation in which Nikolas had informed Elizabeth that Jake was actually Jason Morgan.

Nikolas did not bend to Hayden's will as she had hoped and she decided to tell Jake the truth about his identity. Before she could tell Jake that he was Jason, she was shot in the head and required surgery. The surgery left Hayden in a coma and Shawn Butler was accused of firing the bullet which struck her. He pled guilty, unaware that Hayden had been shot as an order given by Nikolas.