Tuesday, October 10, 2006, Episode #4911

Phoebe reacts to Taylor's decision.

Phoebe finds Taylor in their living room, thinking. Guessing that her mom is worried about Shane, Phoebe assures Taylor that Shane won't reveal their secret. Taylor explains that she's worried not about Shane, but about herself. She can't see how she can take Darla's place in Thorne's life when she's carrying the secret inside that she killed Darla. Phoebe hugs Taylor; she just wants Taylor to be happy. She always hoped her parents would be happy together, but if it's not going to happen for her mom and dad, she thinks Thorne's a nice guy. Taylor agrees, but she also wonders how Thorne would react to finding out on his own how Darla died. Phoebe doesn't think Thorne will ever find out, but Taylor is sure he will - because she's decided to tell him. She knows Thorne might tell the police, but she can't function as a doctor or a parent while she's living this lie. She's just sorry that she got Phoebe all caught up in this. Phoebe admits that she doesn't want to see her mom in jail, but at the same time, she's never been comfortable with lying about the accident. She's proud of Taylor for wanting to tell the truth.

Taylor tells Phoebe that she hopes Thorne won't hate her.

Thorne is in his office, looking at a photo of Darla. He "tells" Darla that no one can take her place, but Taylor means a lot to him, so he hopes Darla will understand and be happy for him. Thorne then gets a call from a Mr. Weldon; he tells Weldon that he needs something special put together very quickly. After ending that call, Thorne calls Taylor's house. Phoebe answers and hands the phone to her mom, who asks Thorne what's going on. Thorne knows this is short notice, but he'd like Taylor to come up to Big Bear with him tomorrow. He thinks they can use some time alone. Taylor agrees, so Thorne tells her that he'll pick her up in the morning. After hanging up, a distraught Taylor sits down on the sofa. Phoebe brings out her sleeping bag, in case her mom and Thorne want to camp by the lake. Taylor doubts Thorne will want to go camping after he hears what she has to say. In fact, she can only hope that Thorne won't hate her when she's done.

Thorne is pleased with his purchase.

Meanwhile, Thorne anxiously waits in his office for the delivery from Mr. Weldon. When the bag arrives, Thorne reaches in and takes out a small jewelry box. He opens the box and smiles as he inspects the contents.

Stephanie returns to the Forrester mansion after her chat with Donna. Eric offers her a drink and asks how things went with Donna. Stephanie tells him that Donna left of her own volition. Eric tells her that Nick is at the guesthouse with Ridge and Brooke. "The plot thickens," Stephanie quips. Eric says she has no idea. Stephanie asks what he means, so he tells her about Bridget's visit earlier. He explains that Bridget is pregnant and thought that Nick was the father, but it turns out that Dante is the father. Stephanie sighs, wondering how Felicia will react to this news. She asks Eric when this will ever end.

Nick pleads with Brooke to forgive him.

In the guest house, Nick admits to Brooke that he made a mistake, but Bridget's child is not his. Ridge points out that Nick still slept with Brooke's daughter; he can't understand why Brooke is even listening to Nick's pleas for forgiveness. Nick tells Brooke that they've both made mistakes, which is why he's urging her not to make another one by giving up on their marriage. He feels like they've been through more in their short marriage than most people experience in a lifetime. The key word in Nick's comment, Ridge notes, is "short" - as in over! Nick asks for some time alone with his wife, but Ridge says that he has to protect Brooke from Nick. He thinks Nick's marriage to Brooke was a short detour that should never have happened in the first place. But now it's over, in part because Nick turned out to be a "pig with no morals," but mostly because Brooke now sees who she's really meant to be with. Ridge asks Brooke to tell Nick that it's over. Before Brooke can respond, Bridget arrives and begs for her mother's forgiveness. She knows she's hurt Brooke, but she wants to make it up to her. Nick suggests that Bridget let him and Brooke handle this. Ridge fumes that Nick just doesn't get it. Bridget wants to talk to her mom, to make Brooke understand what happened that night. Ridge thinks Brooke already knows, since it's pretty simple, but Brooke thinks some time alone with Bridget is a good idea and asks the men to leave.

Stephanie tells Nick to see the handwriting on the wall.

Nick follows Ridge to the main house, where Ridge advises Nick to enjoy being Brooke's husband while he can. Nick thinks Ridge is being delusional, because Ridge never made Brooke happy. Ridge argues that the woman in that guest house was hardly happy, but Nick thinks Ridge should just leave Brooke alone. Ridge is amazed that Nick is trying to blame him for what Nick did. Nick angrily asks, "Who are you to bring up morals to me, you pig?" Ridge orders Nick to leave, but Nick refuses to go without his wife. Stephanie overhears the bickering and tells both men to stop acting like children! Ridge thinks his mother is right; he doesn't see any reason wasting his energy on Nick, since Nick is Brooke's past, while he's Brooke's future. Nick decides to wait by the pool, but Stephanie asks him to wait. For his own sake, she urges Nick to see the handwriting on the wall. Nick tells her that he and Brooke are committed to each other, so he's sure they'll work through it. Stephanie asks Nick why he won't just accept reality; Nick replies that he's not interested in Stephanie's "reality" and never will be.

Bridget hopes her mother can forgive her.

In the guesthouse, Brooke asks Bridget if sleeping with her husband is some kind of revenge. Bridget wants to explain, but Brooke can't see how an explanation from someone as judgemental as Bridget will make things better. Bridget admits that she is a hypocrite, but she wants Brooke to consider Nick's actions. She points out that Brooke ran to Ridge that night, so what was Nick supposed to think when Donna told him that Brooke was kissing Ridge? Brooke can't believe that Bridget is making excuses for Nick. Bridget thinks there's plenty of blame to go around, but she thinks Brooke should be focusing on saving her marriage. "Who says I want to?" Brooke asks. As bad as what Bridget did was, Brooke thinks Nick's actions were worse. She thinks Nick took advantage of Bridget by sleeping with a step-daughter who still had feelings for him, all because Nick had a bruised ego. She sees now that Ridge was right about Nick all along. Bridget disagrees, because she thinks she is the one who tried to comfort her mother's husband, a man she loves and always will. She thinks Nick can provide the security Brooke seeks, but Brooke just isn't buying.

Bridget doesn't think Brooke realizes the effect Ridge has on her and asks Brooke to imagine how a man would feel knowing that his wife ran off with the great love of her life and was kissing... Brooke says that kissing was all it was, but Bridget asks how Nick could know that. Bridget points out that Nick was rightfully jealous and angry and was drowning his pain that night, but she was sober. And she knew Nick was acting out of pain, but she didn't put a stop to things before they went too far. So if anyone is to blame, it's her, which is why she's pleading with Brooke not to throw Nick out of her life. Brooke says they can't just erase what Nick did, although she wants to know who the father is. Bridget says the baby is Dante's, lamenting the mess she made. Realizing the hard time Bridget has ahead of her, Brooke asks, "How could I not forgive you? You're my daughter. And I love you so much." Bridget says it will be worse for her knowing Brooke left Nick because of her, but Brooke says that's a decision she has to make - and a decision that Bridget shouldn't be part of. Bridget tells Brooke that they're all to blame for that night. She looks at Brooke and says, "I love you, Mom. I don't want to hurt you." The two women stare at each other before Bridget gets up and leaves.