Tuesday, July 17, 2007, Episode #5104

Storm gives Brooke some advice.

Brooke waits at her house for her brother Storm to stop by before the hearing. When Storm gets there, Brooke urges him not to let them take her kids away. Storm says he'll do everything in his power to help her, but he needs her to do a few things for her in court. He needs her to stay focused and calm, so he doesn't want her making any outbursts. He needs her to speak only when asked a question, answering in short, simple answers. And most importantly, he needs her to avoid any mention of Stephanie's involvement. Brooke reminds her big brother that she needs to defend herself so that Stephanie won't railroad her. Storm tells her to leave that to him; he's sure he can convince the judge if they stay away from any finger pointing and focus on what a good mother she is.

Rick and Bridget stand by their mom.

Storm is about to leave when Rick and Bridget drop by. Brooke's older kids tell their mom how sorry they are that about the situation. Rick tells his mom that Ridge let her down again, while Bridget can't believe that Ridge wouldn't even let Brooke see the kids last night. Brooke suggests that Ridge is only being manipulated by Stephanie as the latest bid by La Forrester to come between them. Rick thinks he and Bridget should be at the hearing to speak on their mom's behalf, but Brooke thinks it's more important that they stay with Hope and R.J. instead. The kids agree to do it Brooke's way and remind her that they're in her corner. Brooke tells them that Nick and hopefully Taylor are also on her side. Rick and Bridget bid their mom goodbye as she prepares to leave for the hearing and wish her luck. Once she's out the door, Rick turns to Bridget and adds, "She's gonna need it."

Taylor and Nick give their perspectives to Brooke.

Taylor is in her office, on the phone with Stephanie. Stephanie again asks Taylor to be at the hearing for the kids' sake, but Taylor stands by her earlier refusal. After Taylor ends the call, Nick arrives and urges his wife to join him at the hearing, He fears that Stephanie will manipulate things, just like she did when he she recently had him thrown in jail for Shane's murder, so someone has to speak on Brooke's behalf. Taylor thinks he can handle that, but Nick asks her to consider her recent chat with Brooke, and to think about how she would feel if someone tried to take their baby from her. Taylor agrees that Brooke's been through a lot, but she also knows Brooke is a good mother. "Tell that to Stephanie," Brooke says as she enters the office, thanking both Nick and Taylor for their support. When Nick tells her about Taylor's hesitancy, Brooke pleads with Taylor to be there, even though Taylor thinks Brooke's chances of losing her kids are slim. Brooke thinks she has to explore any avenue that will allow her to get her kids back, and she asks Taylor if her hesitancy has anything to do with Brooke's feelings for Nick. Taylor says no, but Brooke assures Taylor anyway that she's not a threat to Taylor's marriage. But Brooke then sees that Taylor is starting to show in her pregnancy and concedes that Taylor has bigger things to worry about now than the hearing. Nick and Brooke turn to leave for the hearing; on his way out, Nick tells Taylor that it would mean a lot to him if she'd change her mind and join them. But Taylor remains and soon after gets a visit from a man who hands her an envelope. "You've been served," the man tells the Doc, revealing that the envelope contains a subpoena.

Eric and Stephanie arrive to go to the hearing with Ridge.

As Ridge gives Hope and R.J. breakfast, he notices that Hope seems kind of quiet. Hope has questions about their stay here and about her mommy. Ridge tells her that Mommy won't be here, but Rick and Bridget are playing hooky from work so they can come over to play today. The kids are glad that their older siblings are coming over. Eric and Stephanie arrive to go to the hearing with Ridge; when Hope asks Eric if he'll be playing hooky, too, Ridge sends them off to brush the truth. Eric and Stephanie hope Ridge isn't one of those playing hooky, since he's needed at this hearing. Ridge assures them that he'll be there. Stephanie's glad to hear that, since he needs to ask for full custody of the kids while Brooke is in her emotional tailspin. Ridge tells his mom that he'd give the kids back to Brooke now if it was up to him, but it's in the judge's hands now. Eric questions how easy that will be, given how the judge will hear from both Brooke's friends and her enemies. Stephanie hopes the judge makes his decision based on facts, since the facts show that Brooke's a bad mother. She reminds her husband and her son that she's always questioned Brooke's parenting abilities, so she's glad that a judge will finally get to make that determination.

Phoebe tells Rick not to worry about the singing competition.

Rick and Bridget arrive to spend time with Hope and R.J. While Bridget plays Go Fish with them, Rick calls Phoebe to assure her that he'll still be at Insomnia for the duet competition with Constantine. He just doesn't know how long the hearing will take and is worried about his mother. Phoebe suggests they reschedule the contest, but Rick has no intention of forfeiting to Constantine that way. After Rick hangs up, Bridget sees how distracted her big brother is and assures him that she can take care of the kids while he goes to Insomnia, but he wants to try to be there when their mom returns. Bridget senses his fear that their mom will lose custody. Rick admits he's worried, which is why he still thinks they should be at that hearing. Bridget thinks it might be better if they weren't there, since they might be forced to defend their complicated family tree under oath, although she agrees that Stephanie might call that into question anyway with her own spin on things. Rick (not knowing of Taylor's decision not to be in court) hopes Taylor can counter anything Stephanie says.

Ridge, Eric and Stephanie arrive in the courtroom.

In the courtroom, Child Protective Services agent Dorothy Bascomb learns that she won't have a lawyer available to assist her in the hearing. She's worried but intends to still move forward. Storm comes over to Dorothy while she examines some notes and asks if he should be getting a look at that. She reminds him that this isn't a trial, but he counters that due process still applies. She assures him that his client will have her turn in court. Storm just hopes she hasn't made up her mind about his sister already, since he knows Stephanie has been whispering in her ear. Storm steps away as Ridge, Eric and Stephanie arrive. Stephanie sees Storm stepping away and warns Dorothy not to underestimate the shrewd lawyer. When Nick and Brooke arrive, Ridge fumes that Nick is here, "I'm supporting Brooke the way you should be," Nick counters. Ridge blames Nick and his lighter for this mess, while Stephanie chimes in with accusations that Brooke is a bad mother. Eric tries to smooth things over by saying this is hard for everyone, but Nick doesn't think it's hard for Ridge after last night. Ridge and Nick trade barbs, but the bailiff calls the courtroom to order.

Dorothy answers the judge's question.

Judge Friedman starts out by asking anyone who's not prepared to testify to leave; he's surprised when no one gets up and takes that to mean that they're all willing to be called. The judge then questions Dorothy about her visits to the Logan home. When Dorothy tries to duck questions about how it was Brooke's sister Donna that left the kids alone prior to her first visit, Storm steps in with the explanation of how Donna thought Brooke had arrived because of the rain and the car in the driveway. When Dorothy tells the judge about how Brooke smelled of alcohol and about the napkin found in Brooke's purse with a man's phone number, Storm raises objections that cast doubt on both assertions. The judge points out that Dorothy left the kids in Brooke's care after the first visit and asks what changed her mind about Brooke's ability to care for the children; Dorothy tells her about the second visit to the home after the fire, asserting that the second incident in 24 hours convinced her that the kids were in danger.