Monday, October 09, 2006, Episode #4910

Bridget warns Nick that her mother may not want to talk to him.

On the Shady Marlin, Nick tries to call Brooke to tell her that Bridget's baby isn't his, but he gets her voice mail. He leaves her a message asking her to meet him at the house to talk about this. Bridget warns him that her mother probably doesn't want to be found, so the house is probably the last place Brooke would go. Nick says he can't sit around and do nothing. Bridget recalls that Ridge was coming home tonight.

At the Forrester mansion, Eric tells Stephanie to move away from the window. What's happening in the guest house is none of their business, he states. Of course it's their business, Stephanie counters, as she wants Ridge and Brooke together.

Donna gets upset when Brooke refuses to talk to Nick.

In the guest house, Ridge asks Brooke what Nick did to her. Brooke doesn't want to talk about it, since she still can't believe she was so wrong. Donna urges Brooke to find Nick and work things out. The phone rings, so Donna answers; it's Nick, looking for Brooke. Donna tells Brooke to talk to Nick, but Brooke refuses. Donna tells Nick, who insists that Donna put Brooke on the phone. But the next voice Nick hears is Ridge's, fuming at Nick for whatever he did to wreck Brooke's life so badly. He orders Nick to stay the hell away and hangs up! Nick tells Bridget that she was right about Brooke being with Ridge, so he has to get over there. Bridget offers to go with him, but Nick says he has to do this himself.

Brooke thanks Ridge for handling Nick, as she can't bear to hear Nick's voice. Donna notes how concerned Nick sounded, but Brooke insists that she's done with Nick and his empty promises. Donna asks what Nick did, but Brooke still will not say. Donna begs Brooke to tell her, and she has a stake in this, too. She reminds Brooke how over Ridge she was, so she can't understand why Brooke would run to Ridge once she had marital problems. She then turns to Ridge and points out that the woman he's comforting is still married; she asks Ridge why he's letting Brooke drag him into this melodrama. She begs Ridge not to do this; when Ridge says he knows what he's doing, Donna calls Brooke spoiled and selfish. Ridge and Donna ask for some time alone, so Donna reluctantly leaves.

Stephanie offers Donna some advice.

Donna sits outside in the courtyard, where Stephanie finds her. Stephanie is pleased that within minutes of Ridge's return home, Brooke is in the guest house with Ridge while Donna is wallowing outside. Donna asks Stephanie to leave her alone, but Stephanie thinks the handwriting is on the wall as to which sister Ridge wants. Donna insists that Nick will not give up on his wife, but Stephanie doesn't think Nick's wishes matter given that Brooke is here with Ridge. Donna suggests that this is none of Stephanie's business; Stephanie disagrees, because she believes she has a stake in her family's happiness. Donna asks if that's how Stephanie justifies being so domineering by running her children's lives. Stephanie points out that Donna has never been a mother, so she doesn't think Donna would understand. Donna wants to go back in, but Stephanie tells her to wait and look at the facts first. She thinks it should be clear to her that Brooke wants Ridge, so Donna will never have him. Donna points out that Stephanie always hated Brooke. Stephanie admits that was true until she finally realized that Brooke makes Ridge happy. And since Stephanie wants Ridge happy, she's willing to accept Brooke. And what about Brooke's marriage? Donna asks. Stephanie doesn't see that as an issue. She tells Donna to leave now and forget about Ridge, while she can still hold on to her dignity and self-respect.

Eric is surprised by Bridget's baby news.

Bridget arrives at the main house, where Eric sees something bothering his youngest daughter and asks what's wrong. Bridget sobs that she made such a mess. Eric asks what she did, so Bridget comes out and tells him that she's pregnant! Stunned, Eric asks how a a girl who's smart enough to graduate from medical school in record time can be such a slow learner. Bridget tells him that the father of her baby is not a stranger. Then who it is. Bridget tells Eric the whole story of how she slept with Nick when he thought his marriage was over. She tried to comfort him, but they agreed to keep it between them. Then she found out she was pregnant, and she was sure Nick was the father. Eric asks if Brooke knows; Bridget tells him that Nick told Brooke. She then explains how she found out that Nick wasn't the father. Then who is the father? Eric asks. It's Dante's, Bridget responds; it turns out their attempts to have a baby while they were together were successful after all. She bets Eric is disappointed in her. Eric says he's trying not to be and asks if she told Dante, or Felicia for that matter. Bridget says that she hasn't; she fears Felicia will want to kill her when she finds out. Eric agrees, which is why he promises to try and smooth things over between his two daughters over this. He asks Bridget is there's anything else he can do. Bridget wishes there was. She thinks about how much she wanted a baby, but she didn't want it to be like this. She feels like she ruined everything. Eric gives Bridget a hug and tells her it will be all right.

Ridge asks Brooke to tell him what Nick did.

Back at the guest house, Ridge asks Brooke again what Nick did. Brooke will only say that Nick let her down. She tells Ridge that she loves him so much, but she was afraid of him hurting her again if he left her yet another time. So she chose Nick, to avoid being abandoned again, only to find out that the perfect man she was looking for doesn't exist. She sees now that she can't live your life looking for security, because that's just an illusion. That's why you have to look for passion and thrills in life. She thinks about how patient Ridge was, waiting for her to come back to him, even when she insisted that the illusion of security she had was what she wanted. But now she sees that Nick could never make her feel safe, which is why Nick doesn't even exist for her anymore.

Nick tells Brooke that he's not the father of Bridget's child.

Nick bursts in and asks Brooke to listen to him. Brooke doesn't want to see Nick, so Ridge orders his half-brother to get out! Nick insists that this is between him and Brooke and urges her to listen to what he has to say. Brooke sarcastically asks if he's going to claim that sleeping with Bridget was all a dream; Ridge is stunned to hear that Nick slept with Bridget and really wants Nick out of there now. Nick then tells Brooke that the baby isn't is; Ridge is even more stunned to realize that Nick's night with Bridget got her pregnant, and he can't believe Nick's feeble attempt to cover his tracks. Nick asks to talk to Brooke alone, but Ridge won't hear of it. Brooke asks if he's serious about the child not being his. Nick blames Ridge for everything that happened; he argues that his marriage would have been fine if Ridge would have just accepted Brooke's wishes and let her go. But instead, Ridge kept butting in until it came to this. Ridge tells Nick not to blame this on him. Brooke tells them both to stop and asks Nick about the baby. Nick tells her about the second tests Bridget had, that showed that the timing was not right for him to have fathered Bridget's child.

Brooke has a decision to make.

Ridge points out that Nick still betrayed Brooke. Nick thinks Ridge is one to talk after all the times he hurt Brooke. Ridge claims he never cheated on Brooke while they were married, but Nick recalls how Ridge climbed into Brooke's bed without permission which she was engaged to Nick. That's just one sign of the way Ridge could never let go of Brooke; he turns to Brooke and asks her to work this out between just the two of them, without any interference from Ridge. He wants Brooke to forgive him. Ridge argues that Nick doesn't deserve forgiveness. Nick tells Brooke that he regrets his mistake and will for the rest of his life, but he can't deal with her constantly running back to Ridge anymore. Brooke tells Nick that there is no excuse for his letting her down. Nick tells her that the life they dreamed of is still there, if she will only forgive him. Until next time, Ridge quips. Nick tells Ridge to butt out, but Ridge turns to Brooke and tells her that her life with him is still there, too. He thinks that's what Brooke wants. She tried to find safety with Nick, but Nick let her down. That's why he's urging her to end her marriage and come back to him. The life the two of them wanted is theirs for the taking if she will only reach out and take it.