He later assists Jason in investigating Sam's presumed dead baby. While doing so, he enlists the help of lab tech Ellie Trout. The two form a connection and start dating. Maxie declares she still loves Spinelli, but he chooses to stay with Ellie. Ellie learns the extent of Maxie and Spinelli's past and chooses to break up with him because she did not want to be his second choice. Spinelli reassured her that she wasn't, and asked her to meet him on the roof of General Hospital during New Year's Eve if they were meant to be together. On her way to meet Spinelli, Ellie gets hit by a car and Spinelli gets drunk, wrongly believing that he had been stood up. Maxie finds him on the roof and takes him home. The two have a one-night stand, but when Spinelli learns of Ellie's injuries, he rushes to her side and they get back together.