Thursday, March 29, 2007, Episode #5027

Taylor asks Nick to wait to get married.

Nick tells Taylor that it may seem old-fashioned, but he wants to do things in the right order. He knows Taylor wants to conceive tonight, so he has a preacher on speed-dial, ready to marry them in this church tonight, unless Taylor has her heart set on a big wedding. Taylor says it's not that. It's just that she wants her children to be part of her wedding, so she hopes Nick won't mind waiting. Nick says he's fine, as long as she's willing to skip the "I do's" and go straight to the honeymoon. Taylor says she's good with that and kisses him. They then head for the bedroom at the Marone mansion.

Nick prepares to make love to Taylor.

As Nick makes a fire, Taylor goes to undress. When Taylor returns to the bedroom in a black teddy, Nick says she looks beautiful and asks if she's ready for this. Taylor says that she is, because she knows how much he wants a child. The thought of raising a child with him brings joy to her heart and makes her feel so blessed and lucky to do this with him. They climb between the sheets and get down to some serious lovemaking. After his first try, Nick is sure he hit a "home run." Taylor laughs that her doctor advised her to try a bit harder than she did when she was 20, but she thinks she's up to the challenge - and so apparently is he, she quips, looking at him. As they continue, Nick jokes that he might need vitamins to keep up with Taylor, who agrees that he'll need his stamina. Nick tells her not to worry, since his "swimmers" have a good sense of direction, and he's a born navigator as a sailor. So he has no doubt that nine months from tonight, they'll be bringing their newborn son home. Taylor points out that it could be a girl, but Nick is sure it will be a baby boy who shares his beautiful mom's stamina and sense of humor. Taylor tells him to shut up and do what he's good at; Nick's more than happy to oblige.

Rick lies unconscious.

In the honeymoon suite of the Stamford Plaza hotel, Phoebe and Brooke call out to an unconscious Rick while Ridge looks on. When Rick doesn't respond, Phoebe asks her dad how he could do this. Brooke tells Phoebe to get the hotel manager to send a doctor, but Rick starts to respond and mutters that he doesn't need a doctor. While Phoebe goes to get some ice, Rick tries to get up. Brooke tells him to stay down and wait for them to get him medical attention. Ridge offers to help Rick up, but Brooke orders her fiancee to stay the hell away from her son! She fumes that he promised never to lay a hand on her son, but he did just that. Ridge counters that this would never have happened if Rick hadn't disobeyed his orders to stay away from Phoebe. Instead, Rick lured Phoebe here to ply her with champagne and get her into bed. "Wrong again, Ridge!" Rick responds, but Ridge doesn't believe him. Phoebe tells her dad that Rick didn't lure her here. She explains that she and Rick were just in the hot tub and drops her robe to reveal her swimsuit is still on. Ridge rails that Rick is still a divorced man who took advantage of a vulnerable teenager, so despite Brooke and Phoebe's protests to stop, he's declaring this relationship to be over! Phoebe tells her dad not to do this, but Ridge says he can do this and he will, if that's what it takes. Fed up, Phoebe grabs Rick's shirt from the couch and bolts from the room. Despite Brooke trying to keep him down, Rick gets up and runs after Phoebe.

A furious Brooke asks Ridge how he could do this.

A furious Brooke asks Ridge how he could do this. Pointing out her son's blood on her hand, she seethes that the man she thought she loved could be so filled with hate that he could assault her son. Ridge argues that he doesn't hate Rick, but he does hate what Rick has done to Phoebe. But that doesn't justify his hitting her son, Brooke asserts, especially since she warned him never to do this. She fears that she can't forgive him for this, so she can't marry him now. Ridge argues that he didn't expect to walk in and see what he did. Brooke is aghast that he's blaming Rick; Ridge points out that he found his teenage daughter in bed, in a honeymoon suite with a guy 10 years older than her who's been married and divorced. But no matter how he objected, Rick wouldn't back down, so that makes him frustrated as hell at Rick -- and at Brooke, since she knew that Rick was seeing Phoebe and didn't tell him about it.

Ridge begs Brooke to believe that he loves her.

A tearful Brooke can't believe that Ridge is laying blame on her now. She reminds him that she always thought he was the answer to her dreams. But now, with all the anger inside him, she doesn't even know if he's the same man anymore. She thinks of all the times their love has been tested, but now he tells her he loves her in one breath and strikes her son in the next. She doesn't think she can be his wife after that. Ridge tells her not to talk that way; he begs her to believe that he loves her, and he reminds her that they have a young son, R.J., who needs them. Brooke says that she just can't do it. She'll always treasure the love they shared and the joy that it brought her. But that joy is all dried up, she states, showing Rick's dried up blood on her hand. She removes her engagement ring and hands it to Ridge before turning to the door. Ridge calls out for her to wait, but Brooke leaves the room and collapses in tears in the hallway. Ridge remains in the honeymoon suite alone, holding the ring as he considers what just happened.