Hamilton Finn and Hayden Barnes

Michael Easton and Rebecca Budig as Hamilton Finn and Hayden Barnes

**Hamilton Finn** and **Hayden Barnes** are fictional characters and a popular couple from the ABC daytime soap opera *General Hospital*.

## Casting

The role of Hamilton Finn has been portrayed by Michael Easton since March 21, 2016. Easton is known for his roles as Caleb Morley (aka Stephen Clay) defunct spinoff *Port Charles* (2001; 2002-03), John McBain on the now canceled ABC soap opera *One Life to Live* (2003-12) and *General Hospital* (2012-13) and Silas Clay on *General Hospital* from May 13, 2013 until the character's death in August 2015.

Daytime Emmy nominated actress and *All My Children* alumni Rebecca Budig, debuted on *General Hospital* in the role of Hayden Barnes on March 20, 2015. She portrayed the role until September 5, 2017 when her character was written off the show citing that it was not her choice to leave.

On May 8, 2019, it was announced that Rebecca Budig was returning to General Hospital as Hayden Barnes. On July 5, 2019, Soaps.com confirmed she would be back onscreen during the week of July 8. She made her return at the end of the episode on July 8.

On November 20, 2019, it was announced that Budig would once again be leaving *GH* when William deVry responded "Yep. She's awesome." to a fan who was asking if she was leaving.

## Background

Finn is the son of Gregory Chase and Jean Finn Chase and the half-brother of Port Charles Police Detective, Harrison Chase.

Hayden is the daughter of Dr. Jeff Webber and Naomi Dreyfus. She was raised by her legal father, Raymond Berlin. She is the granddaughter of one of the shows original characters, the late, Dr. Steve Hardy and a member of the Webber family.

The couple has one child together, a daughter named Violet Finn, born in 2017.

## Storylines

* 2016-18
* 2019-20

Finn and Hayden met at The Floating Rib. Hayden overheard Finn arguing with the bartender on if his "emotional support bearded dragon" Roxy should be allowed in the bar. Hayden was amused, but became concerned when she saw that Finn was drunk. She helped him back to his hotel room at the Metro Court Hotel and made sure that Roxy was back safe in her tank. The following morning, Hayden asked Finn why he had gotten drunk and he confided in her that he was dying. He explained that he had contracted a rare disease in his travels, and there was no cure for it. Hayden realized that Finn's wife had died from the same illness.

After Finn discovered that Hayden is actually Rachel Berlin, the daughter of former banker Raymond Berlin, he paid her a visit. Raymond was responsible for cheating investors which affected the research facility where Finn had been working on a cure for Blackwood's syndrome, a virus that had killed his wife. Finn revealed all of this to her and she was horrified to learn what Raymond had done and that Finn lost his wife as a result.

Feeling somewhat responsible, Hayden became a confidant for Finn and was determined to help him. They grew closer as friends over the following months. After Finn was wrongfully arrested for killing patients at General Hospital, she visits him in jail and notices that he is not doing well and needs his medication. Hayden became determined to help Finn and went to Tracy Quartermaine for help in procuring the drug. However, Tracy backed out when she discovered the medicine was in the same class as heroin and was illegal to sell in the U.S.

Hayden was still determined to help Finn regardless of the risk. A pharmaceutical friend of Finn's from overseas sent a package with the medication to the hospital. Hayden donned some scrubs and went through the mail bin at the hospital. Later, she had to administer the drug because Finn's dire condition had made it impossible for him to hold a syringe.

Hayden's mother, Naomi warns Hayden that Finn is addicted to an highly addictive opioid commonly known as "Zen Zen" that is not used to treat any illnesses. Hayden feels misled that she put herself on the line for his addiction and she confronts him about it. Finn explains that the drug was the only medication that had successfully treated the symptoms of his disease and slowed down the progression of the illness. He admits that he was an addict, but it had been a necessary evil until he could find a cure.

Finn decides to leave town after discovering another source for his drug. He told Hayden he would never forget all she had done for him and that he didn't want to cause more sorrow in her life. Hayden vowed she wouldn't let him die alone. Finn returns to town and visits Hayden at Spoon Island after learning of the presumed death of her husband, Nikolas Cassadine. Hayden leaned on Finn as she grieved for Nikolas. Finn told Hayden about his wife's illness and her death and assured Hayden that he had enough doses to last him three months, but he hoped to have a cure by then.

When Hayden was accused of pushing Elizabeth Webber down the stairs, Finn provided Hayden with an alibi and said he'd been apologizing to Hayden for an argument they'd had the previous day. Finn later told Hayden that he'd defended her because he didn't believe she had pushed Elizabeth down the stairs.

Hayden told Finn that Naomi wanted her to leave town and asked if he would miss her. Finn accused her of hoping he'd ask her to stay and told her that she didn't need justification from a man. He couldn't save her because he couldn't save himself. After Hayden left, Finn knew he'd been cruel and felt terrible about hurting her. At Perks Coffee, Finn told Hayden he didn't want her to leave town and kissed her. Commissioner Jordan Ashford arrived and arrested Hayden for the attempted murder of Elizabeth. Finn worked with Curtis Ashford to clear Hayden's name and she was later released.

After Hayden was released, Finn took her back to his suite and told her to get some rest. The next morning, Finn asked Hayden to help him inject his medication and she obliged. She expressed her gratitude to Finn for clearing her name and confessed that she wanted to use the diamonds to fund Finn's research. When Hayden saw Finn was uncomfortable with the discussion, she asked him about the kiss they shared. Finn reminded her that he was a dying man and was still in love with his wife.

Naomi only wanted Hayden to leave town to keep her from discovering a secret. However, the secret comes out anyways and Hayden learns that Naomi had been lying about her paternity. Hayden was not Raymond'd daughter, but was actually the biological daughter of Jeff Webber. After learning this secret, Hayden visits Finn for comfort. With Finn's help, Hayden secures a job at the hospital. She admits she has feelings for Finn, but it would be best if they remained professional, since Finn wasn't interested in a romantic relationship.

In November, Hayden went to visit Finn in his lab. Unbeknownst to her, there was broken glass on the ground and she stepped right into it. She went to remove the glass from her foot right as Finn returned and he was shocked with what he saw. He ordered Hayden to drop the glass, inspected her hands and dragged her to the sink to carefully rinse her hands as he explained that he'd been working with the same bacteria that had infected him. Finn was horrified when he saw that Hayden had a cut on her hand because she'd been exposed to the same virus that was killing him -- and had killed his wife. He gave Hayden an antibiotic booster and an iodine pill, but he knew they were of little help.

The following day, Finn found a weak Hayden and was upset that she left the hospital before he had an opportunity to draw blood to see if she'd been infected. Hayden agreed to go to the hospital but collapsed. Finn realized that Hayden had been infected with the disease and promised to find a cure, but she needed to go to hospital immediately. She collapsed again and Finn had to inject adrenaline straight into her heart and rush her to the hospital. Later, Tracy arranged for Hayden to be transferred to The Quartermaine Mansion for treatment because Brad Cooper and Liesl Obrecht were making trouble for Finn at the hospital by complaining about his research. Finn vowed that he wouldn't let Hayden die.

Finn became worried that he didn't have enough Zekenestrol to treat himself and Hayden. Tracy decided to put her resources to work and find a legal source for the drug. However, Finn objected, fearing Tracy would be putting ELQ International at risk if she were caught. On December 20, Finn gave Hayden an experimental serum that he believed might work. Hayden slowly improved and tests indicated that the serum worked. Finn replicated the serum for Blackwood's syndrome and treated himself.

After Hayden and Finn recovered from the virus, they had to deal with Finn's addiction. Hayden was determined to help Finn overcome his addiction because she had fallen in love with him. Finn opted for an unconventional detox and had Hayden tie him up in his hotel suite. Eventually, Finn was able to kick the addiction, and start a recovery program, but Hayden decided to end things because of the cruel things that he'd said to her during the drug withdrawal. Once Finn completed rehab, he apologized and convinced Hayden to give him a second chance. Finn and Hayden got back together and their relationship blossomed.

On May 12, 2017, Hayden and Finn were shocked to learn that they were going to be parents. They were both delighted by the news and began to make plans for their future. When Finn failed his mandatory drug test at the hospital, Hayden knew that he was clean, so she and Finn set out to prove that Brad tampered with Finn's results on Liesl's orders. Finn's name was cleared, and they found their dream home, but Hayden's happiness was shattered when Liesl tracked down Hayden's ex-husband, Jared Preston Jr.

Jared demanded $250,000 as compensation for going to jail for Hayden's drunken hit-and-run crime. Jared agreed to take the fall for the crime in exchange for money from Hayden's father, Raymond and was still waiting to be paid. Jared doubted that Finn would be happy to learn that Hayden left a young girl confined to a wheelchair for life. Desperate to get rid of Jared, Hayden embezzled the money from the hospital and transferred it to Jared's account, but the financial discrepancy was soon discovered. Hayden panicked and fled the country. On September 5, she wrote Finn a letter claiming that she miscarried their baby, but it was a lie.

On November 14, 2018, Hayden wrote Finn a letter. She asked him to come to Rome, intending to come clean and tell him the truth about their child, a daughter she named Violet after Finn's favorite flower. Finn decided not to go because he had become involved with Anna Devane and he was still heartbroken from Hayden leaving him. When he didn't show up, Hayden assumed it was because he was already involved with Anna and not wanting to complicate things in his life any further, she kept quiet about their daughter.

Hayden returned to Port Charles on July 8, 2019 to attend Franco and Elizabeth's wedding reception. It's revealed that she is also back in town to help Jasper Jacks and an alive Nikolas take Valentin Cassadine down.

On October 23, Hayden was forced to come clean with Finn when their daughter, Violet was brought to the hospital with a fever. Although Finn was furious with Hayden for lying about the miscarriage, he put that aside to take care of Violet. As Finn walks in and sees his daughter for time, he gets very emotional. When Hayden asks for a diagnosis, he refers her to another doctor as there are strict rules about parents treating their own children. Finn asks to know who Violet has been around in an attempt to figure out when and how she could have gotten sick. Hayden tells him that she rented a house in Beechers Corners where Violet had been living with her nanny.

After Violet's fever is under control, Finn confronts Hayden about the secret and she finally comes clean and tells him everything. After getting the full story, Finn wants to meet Violet as her father and not her doctor. Finn and Hayden enter the room together to see Violet. When Violet is released from the hospital, she moves in with her mom at her aunt Elizabeth's house. On November 14, Hayden and Finn tell Violet that Finn is her father. Violet takes the news very well and is excited that Roxy is her "sister."

On November 22, Valentin asks Hayden to go to Wyndemere on short notice and she reluctantly agrees. When Hayden arrives, Valentin offers her $250,000 in exchange for information on the significance of Helena Cassadine's portrait. Hayden initially deflected but Valentin threatens that he will get what he wants no matter the cost. Hayden finally agreed to his deal and was going to tell him something about the portrait when his daughter Charlotte interrupts them. Valentin tells Hayden to give him the information for the account where she wants him to wire the money.

After leaving Spoon Island, Hayden is grabbed by a goon on the pier but Nikolas shows up and saves her. Nikolas promises to help her get from under Valentin's threats and suggests that she leave Port Charles right away and go into hiding. Eventually, Nikolas convinces her that she needs to leave for Violet's sake and she makes the tough decision to say goodbye to Violet and leave her behind with Finn and Anna.

Hayden drops Violet off with Finn and he promises that he will take care of her for the night, unaware that Hayden is leaving town. She shares a tearful goodbye with Violet and leaves town again. Finn finds the note that Hayden left for him in Violet's backpack explaining the whole situation and that she will not be back to pick up Violet. Finn is shocked, but focuses on making things okay for Violet in her mother's absence. He later finds out that Nikolas is responsible for Hayden's disappearance and furiously confronts him. Nikolas tries to track Hayden down and bring her back, but he is unable to find her.