Monday, December 18, 2006, Episode 4958

Felicia and Ridge discuss their grandmother's visit.

At the Forrester mansion, Felicia tells Ridge, Thorne and Taylor about Grandma Ann and Aunt Pam's unexpected visit. She explains that Stephanie slammed the door in Ann and Pam's faces, so she had to let her relatives in. She doesn't regret doing it, since her grandmother finally said what Stephanie had waited years to hear and seemed sincere when she poured her heart out to Stephanie. Stephanie and Eric come in. Stephanie interjects that it doesn't matter, since the visit only made her more protective of her family. She's grateful for all their support, but right now, she wants to focus on getting Forrester back in their hands. Taylor tells her friend that she might not have to worry about that and explains about her plan to get Nick into therapy as a means to get the company back. Felicia and especial Stephanie are dubious at the idea of Nick in therapy and ask Taylor if she really thinks she can convince Nick into giving back the company. Eric and Ridge add their reservations about the idea. Taylor thanks them for their well-founded concerns, but she assures them that this can work. She explains that Nick knows exactly what her intent is, since it would be unethical for her not to tell him, and she thinks that helping Nick with his issues can show him that their company will never make him happy. Taylor sees it's getting late and turns to get to her session with Nick; Stephanie grabs her arm and tells Taylor that this isn't a good idea. She knows Taylor means well, but she doesn't trust that "son of a bitch" Nick and fears he's just using Taylor.

Thorne assures his mother that Taylor's interest in Nick is purely professional.

After Taylor leaves, Eric, Ridge and Felicia query Thorne about the sessions. Thorne reminds them that Taylor's sessions with Nick are confidential, so he doesn't know any details. Obviously Taylor thinks she's doing some good, Ridge suggests, or she wouldn't see Popeye. Thorne scolds Ridge for making it sound like Taylor is dating Nick, since this is strictly professional. Of course it is, Stephanie asserts. However, after everything Nick did to her, she still doesn't trust Nick. She knows this therapy was Taylor's idea, but she fears Nick might take advantage if Taylor underestimates him the way Ridge did. She doesn't want Thorne to go through what his brother did with Nick. Ridge and Eric agree. Thorne tells them to stop this crazy talk right now. While he doesn't like the idea of Taylor being involved with Nick, he sees that Taylor thinks she can really help Nick. If they get their company back in the process, it's a win for all of them, so he doesn't see Nick as a threat to his relationship with Taylor. Stephanie hopes he's right, since she can see Nick working some angle Taylor doesn't see. She hopes she's wrong, but she suggests that Thorne set the date for his wedding to Taylor as soon as possible, just to be safe.

As her driver takes her to Forrester, a distracted Taylor goes over her previous sessions with Nick in her head. She thinks about how Nick got tense about something the last time and ended things, like he was struggling to hide from something ugly that he didn't want to face. She vows to find out what Nick's hiding from today.

Jackie worries about her son's therapy with Taylor.

In the Forrester CEO's office, Nick and Jackie fret over Clarke's designs. Clarke's just not cutting it, Nick fumes. He has talent, Jackie says, but he's no Eric Forrester. Nick asks Jackie to work with Clarke; when she pauses before she replies, Nick fears that Jackie's headaches are acting up again. Jackie assures him that her meds have the headaches under control and asks to change the subject. She'd like to know why he hasn't asked the good Dr. Hayes out to dinner yet. Nick tells her that Taylor is too interested in his idyllic childhood to even talk about anything else. Jackie is surprised he called his childhood idyllic. "Why shouldn't i?" Nick asks, reminding her how much he loved to hang out by the docks after Frank Payne died. Jackie reminds him that things were tough after his father died; he reminds her that Frank Payne was NOT his father. A fact she hid from him, Jackie reminds him, pointing out that he could have hated her for that. Nick thinks that Frank is the one he hared, but he sees no reason to even talk about that loser. Jackie asks if he talks about Frank in therapy. Nick reminds her that she was the one who wanted him to see Taylor. Jackie replies that she had something more romantic in mind. Nick tells her that he trusts Taylor more than he does most people, so he can open up to her. Jackie reminds him how close to the Forresters Taylor is, so she fears Taylor might exploit that to benefit the Forrester family. Nick assures her that Taylor has been up front with her intentions, and besides, he has no intention of returning the company.

Taylor grows uncomfortable when Nick asks her some questions.

Just then, Jackie has a sharp flash of pain from one of her headaches and asks Nick to get her pills from her purse. Nick gets them and tells her to go home, but she says she has a few things to do here, first. Taylor arrives and asks if she's interrupting; Jackie says she was just leaving and turns to go, but Nick quips that she should stay. Maybe Taylor can help dig into the deep, dark secrets of her past, too, Nick jokes to his mom. Jackie tells him not to even joke about that and excuses herself. She stops outside the door and tries to listen in, but she can't hear anything, Inside, Taylor tells Nick that Jackie didn't seem to appreciate his joke. He reminds her how hard things were for him and Jackie after Frank Payne died and left them penniless. And that's a good place to pick up, Taylor states, reminding him how powerless he and his mother felt when Frank left them penniless. He obviously doesn't feel powerless anymore, she suggests, since he has money and influence, but she suspects that he still isn't happy. She guesses that the reason he's so unhappy is that he was hurt when Brooke left him. "Like you were when Forrester left you for Brooke?" Nick asks. Taylor reminds him that HE'S the one in therapy, but Nick thinks he hit a nerve. Taylor scolds him for bending the rules, since her failed marriage isn't at issue, although she will admit that there are some in their situations. Now they're getting somewhere, Nick says, smiling. He thinks she was hurt by Ridge leaving her, but she's moved on - with Ridge's brother. He asks if she's marrying Thorne for love, or is she just using Thorne as a substitute and marrying him over guilt that she took Darla from him and Ally?

Nick flashes back to simpler times.

Taylor tells him that she loves Thorne, but she thinks she needs to draw a boundary about her personal life here and set it as off limits. She's the shrink, Nick quips, while he's just the shrinkee. Getting back to work, Taylor points out how abruptly Nick ended their last two sessions. She recalls that the last time, he was talking about Capt. Jerry Kramer, a sailor he befriended who brought him some pearl earrings that he gave to Jackie as a Christmas gift. Nick tells her that Kramer was his buddy. He recalls that Kramer was captain of the biggest ship in the harbor. The Pacific Star. Everybody looked up to Kramer, especially him. He flashes back to a time shortly after he gave his mother those earrings; Jackie had just come home, tired from looking for work, and he had brought his mother her slippers. But when he heard the horn from the Pacific Star by the docks, he raced to the window and eagerly watched for Capt. Kramer to approach their home, his arms loaded with presents. His face lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. But then, one day, something changed. All of a sudden, he'd feel worried and torn every time he heard the Pacific Star's horn, and he prayed that Capt. Kramer wouldn't show.