Caitlin worries about the tension between her parents.

Thomas drops by Insomnia and finds Caitlin studying calculus; he's surprised to see her doing heavy math since he thought she was set on fashion design. She is set on fashion, she explains, but she likes math, too: it relaxes her, since it always has a concrete solution, unlike art. Or life, Thomas says. Caitlin agrees that it would be nice if life were that simple, with equations to find a perfect life partner. Thomas gives her a look, so she says she's not talking about her parents, not then. She tells him how tense things have gotten between her parents to the point where they postponed the wedding. Thomas agrees that it's hard to make a relationship work. She asks if his dad has come home yet; when he says Ridge hasn't even called, they agree that the grown-ups are a bunch of losers. Thomas is sure his dad and Brooke will work things out after they make a production out of it.

Thomas tries to reassure Caitlin.

Caitlin wishes things were that simple with her parents. She's worried because she went to her mom's office while her mom wasn't there and caught a look at Samantha's cell phone bill. There were a lot of calls on the bill to New York, where Sam used to live and where Sam's mom still does. That's the mother who ruined Sam's life, Thomas recalls. But apparently, Caitlin says, they're talking again, and she fears that Sam might be thinking about moving back there. Thomas doesn't think that will happen, but Caitlin isn't is sure. All she knows is she'll miss her mom and doesn't want to lose her.

Thorne puts Darla's fears to rest.

At Thorne's beach house, Darla pins up a “Welcome, Grandma" banner on the terrace doors as a shirtless Thorne enters the room. He talks about how good it will be to have 24 hours to themselves at the bed and breakfast down the coast. He can't wait to get there and take a relaxing swim. Darla thinks they'll have better things to do with their time; Thorne agrees that the first thing he'll do is make mad, passionate love to his lovely wife and kisses her. They'll have lots of worry free time alone, and Alexandria will get to spend time with her grandmother. Darla's grateful that they have Stephanie to care for their daughter, but she worries that they've never left Alexandria before. Stephanie will be here, Thorne assures her, and they'll only be an hour and a half away if anything happens. Darla still has the jitters, even though this was her idea. Thorne says she's just worried that his mom will spoil Alexandria rotten - but in the meantime, he'll be spoiling his wife. They kiss again, but Darla wonders where Stephanie is. Thorne is sure his mom just got caught in traffic and will be there soon.

At the site of the car crash, Helen wakes up and tries to rouse Stephanie, to no avail. She weakly calls out for help. A jogger comes by and sees the accident scene and calls 911 on his cell phone as Helen keeps trying to wake Stephanie. Before long, the firemen and paramedics arrive; Hector rushes up to the car and sees Stephanie unconscious in the driver's seat. Helen pleads with Hector to help Stephanie; the fireman tells Stephanie not to move and to hold on until they can get her out.

Bridget and Nick try to help Brooke deal with Ridge's absence.

At Ridge's house, Brooke asks Nick how she can explain Ridge's missing the recital to Hope. Bridget, who's been watching, speaks up and asks where Ridge is. Brooke explains that Ridge missed the recital, even though she left him a ton of messages. She even got through to him once, but he hung up on her, and she doesn't know what to think. Bridget says she's here for her mom and assures her that Ridge will come home. They try to retrace the last time Ridge was seen. Brooke recalls how Ridge spent the night at his parents' guest house, where they saw him the next morning. And then the bartender at Cafe Russe saw him there, looking drunk, Nick adds. Bridget is still confused and asks Brooke what Ridge said when she spoke to him. Brooke recalls that she did all the talking, asking Ridge to come home; he said he was tired and hung up. Bridget says that doesn't sound like Ridge. Nick reminds her that Ridge hasn't been himself for a while, like his trying to kick Eric out of Forrester and his walking out when that failed. Bridget points out that Ridge took his leave of absence to spend time with his family. But he wasn't there for Hope today, Nick says. Exactly, Bridget says: the Ridge she knows would never do that, so she urges Brooke to keep believing in Ridge's love for her and their family. Brooke just misses their life and wants Ridge back home.

Hector calls Brooke about the accident.

Brooke says she wants to believe in Ridge, but she doesn't know what to tell Hope. Nick says he and Bridget will keep Hope busy so she doesn't think about Ridge's absence until he gets home. Just then, the phone rings; it's Hector, looking for Eric. Brooke says that Eric's out of the country on business. Hector then breaks the news that Stephanie has been in a car accident and has been taken to University Hospital. Brooke says she'll be right there. She then calls Thorne and tells him about the accident; Thorne says he'll meet her there. Brooke then goes to call Catherine, who took Hope out for ice cream; Nick and Bridget say they'll take care of that and stay with the kids, so Brooke gets on her way. Bridget silently prays for Stephanie to be OK.

Dr. Mark tells Brooke about Stephanie's injuries.

At the hospital, Dr. Mark Maclaine tells Stephanie that the pain in her shoulder should be subsiding, but he needs to wait for the x-rays to know the extent of the damage. He tells her that her family is on their way. She asks about Helen; she was stable at the scene and is being examined, Mark says. Hector offers to go check on her while Mark checks on the x-rays. Brooke arrives; the nurse tells her that Stephanie has a dislocated shoulder and needs to rest that arm for a while. Stephanie assures Brooke that she's fine and warns Brooke not to break out that sexy nurse's outfit Brooke wore at Big Bear. Mark returns and is pleased to report that Stephanie only has one fractured rib, so she should be fine after a few days rest. Stephanie is glad to hear that.

Back at Ridge's, Bridget asks Nick what they'll do without Stephanie, the rock of their family. Nick reminds her how tough Stephanie is and is sure she'll pull through. He knows she's worried about Stephanie and Ridge, but he's confident they can weather this storm. Sure enough, Brooke calls with the news that Stephanie will be fine in a few days; Nick tells a relieved Bridget that he told her so. He knows Stephanie expects a lot from everybody, but she also gives just as much in return. Bridget asks if he learned that over a few beers; as a matter of fact, he says, he did, since he and Stephanie are drinking buddies and compadres. Bridget tells Nick that she was talking with his compadre earlier and she gave them her blessing. Nick says he and Stephanie talked about it, too, and warned him to be good to her or else. But truthfully, he says, they don't need anyone's blessing, since he knows how he feels about her and is ready to hold onto her through any storm.