Thursday, November 02, 2006, Episode #4928

Brooke asks Donna not to stir the pot by blaming Stephanie.

Brooke and Donna arrive at Brooke's house, but Donna wants to go back to the hospital. She thinks Nick has a right to know that Stephanie pushed Jackie. Brooke warns her sister not to stir the pot without all the facts; she points out that even if Stephanie did push Jackie over the balcony, Donna was watching from outside the patio door, where she had no way of knowing if Stephanie meant to push Jackie. Donna insists that Stephanie was raging out of control, as Brooke has seen Stephanie all too many times in the past. Brooke argues that knowing Stephanie can be that angry doesn't prove she did something as drastic as shoving Jackie. Donna doesn't get why Brooke is defending Stephanie and asks if it's because of Ridge. Brooke points out that person they should all be thinking of now is Jackie, who is lying in a hospital bed, unable to move. She thinks Nick's focus should be on helping his mother get better and not on Donna's accusations. Donna asks if this concern for Nick and his mother means Brooke intends to stay married to Nick. Brooke doesn't want to talk about it. Donna thinks she has a right to know, since this affects her, too. Nick comes in at just that moment and says that Brooke's decision affects a lot of people. Sensing that Brooke needs time to talk about this with Nick, Donna leaves.

Stephanie suggests to Ridge that they get rid of Donna.

Stephanie enters the Forrester CEO's office and finds a confident Ridge sitting there. He tells her that Brooke's marriage is dead. Stephanie reminds him how crises bond people together and points out that Brooke spent the night at the hospital with Nick last night. Ridge isn't surprised, since that's the kind of person Brooke is. Even so, he can't see Brooke going back to "Captain Ahab" just because Jackie had an accident. He explains that he and Brooke had a conversation in the hospital, where Brooke said she had to be true to herself. He's sure that Brooke can never love another man they way she loves him, so he's confident that Brooke can only be true to herself by taking him back. Stephanie hopes he's right, because she wants him to be happy, even if he has to be with Brooke to do it. Ridge asks if that means she might finally see Brooke as he does. It means she can accept Brooke, she replies, although Brooke's sister is another story. Ridge reminds her how sales of "Brooke's Bedroom" have thrived with Donna as their model. No matter what their sales figures are, Stephanie argues to Ridge, Donna has a crush on him, so she thinks it's best that they buy Donna a plane ticket and pack her off to... Just then, Donna comes in, so Stephanie names Paris or London. She then quips to Donna that she has one other destination in mind, but Donna might not like the temperature.

Donna retorts that people who call other people names are just expressing their feelings about themselves. Stephanie asks if Donna learned that in college, but then claims that can't be, since Donna is the Logan sister who dropped out of high school. With a pleased look on her face, Stephanie leaves. Ridge apologizes to Donna for his mother being a bit protective. She reminds him that she graduated with honors. Ridge says he knows and tells her not to pay his mother any mind. Donna says she won't; after all, those are just words, and besides, his mother has hurt him even more than this over the years by fighting his relationship with Brooke. She guesses she should be glad his mother fought his being with Brooke, since she would never have had a chance with him otherwise. Donna then thinks about that statement and says that she never really had a chance with Ridge. Maybe in another lifetime, Ridge says. Donna agrees. Speaking of Brooke, Donna tells Ridge that she just came from Brooke's house, where Brooke was about to tell Nick something. Something that will probably change all their lives, Ridge suggests. Ridge then leaves, so Donna is alone when Stephanie returns with an employee carrying a box; she hands Donna the box, which contains all Donna's things here at Forrester. She thought she'd pack them up so Donna could exit gracefully once she learned that she's fired! Donna argues that Stephanie can't do that, since Brooke is the CEO. Stephanie responds that Brooke is busy now, so she thought she'd save Brooke the trouble. She knows enough about Donna to see that this is the right thing to do. That's the kind of thing ignorant people say until reality hits them hard, Donna warns. Stephanie tells Donna to get out; Donna vows that Stephanie will regret treating her this way.

Nick asks Brooke where their marriage stands.

At Brooke's, Nick tells her that he didn't come here to talk about their marriage. But after hearing her talk to her sister about it, he figures she can talk to him, too. Brooke asks how Jackie is. Nick tells her not to change the subject, since they're talking about their marriage. He wants to know if she wants to make it work. Brooke tells him she wanted to have Ridge here when she said this, but Nick reminds her that this is their marriage, not Ridge's. He hopes that means something to her. Brooke says it does, but the truth is that their marriage hasn't worked in many ways for a long time. Nick asks if she's ever wondered why that is; he tells her that he's willing to try to fix things if she is. Brooke says she's come to a very important realization: she can't love anybody right now. If she is to be in a meaningful relationship, she needs to learn how to be strong and stand on her own two feet, which means not being with him or Ridge. Nick responds that he still thinks they belong together, and he thinks she does, too. He guesses he should go pack some things and send for the rest later. He turns to go upstairs, but Brooke stops him. She tells him that she never had more fun, loved so honestly or felt more secure than she did with him, and he also touched her kids' lives. She then repeats the refrain from "Going Back Again": Take a look around, look at what we found, and know that we can be what we want to be. She then tells him that it may be over, but it will never end.

Brooke watches sadly as Nick goes up to pack. They both flash back to happier times in their relationship, including their wedding, as "Going Back Again" plays in the background. When Nick comes down, Brooke is still waiting. They look at each other for a moment. Holding Brooke's hand for a moment, Nick then reaches for his own hand and removes his wedding ring from his finger. He looks at the ring, puts it in his pocket and leaves.

Ridge thinks Brooke's decision means she's coming back to him.

Soon after, Ridge comes in and finds Brooke alone. He asks what happened to Nick. He's gone, Brooke replies. Ridge guesses it hurt to let Nick go, but he thinks it's for the best. Now he and Brooke have their whole lives ahead of them. Brooke tells him that she can't do it. Even though she left Nick, she can't be with him. That's what she wanted to tell him earlier. Even though Brooke is obviously torn, Ridge takes her decision to mean she wants to be with him. He thinks she just needs time, since she wants to be sensitive to Nick while Jackie is in the hospital, and that sensitivity is one of the things he admires about her. But he's sure that her decision to leave Nick means that she's coming back to him, like they're supposed to be. He then guesses that she might want to get to the hospital, so he leaves. Brooke then gets a call from Donna, who tells her that Stephanie packed up her things and fired her. Brooke says that Stephanie had no right, but Donna replies that Stephanie doesn't care. Donna has had it with Stephanie pushing her around and wants to tell Nick what happened with Jackie. Brooke reminds Donna that they agreed not to, but Donna is done listening to Brooke defend Stephanie. After all the times Stephanie has hurt their family, she thinks it's time Stephanie pays for her crimes. Brooke tells Donna to wait, but Donna hangs up.