Monday, April 28, 2008, Episode #5299

Katie lies in critical condition.

Storm watches through a window as Brooke, Donna and Nick hold vigil by Katie's bedside. Inside the room, Bridget reveals that she checked with every organ bank within a three mile a three hour radius, but there are no hearts available. She hates to say this, but they have to be realistic. There isn't going to be a transplant, so they'll soon have to turn off the pumps keeping Katie alive. Storm bursts in and insists that they need more time. "You're not turning off that machine!" he orders, asserting that Katie is going to live. Bridget leaves the room to make some more calls. Storm follows and watches as his niece frantically continues her search for a heart for Katie. Seeing Bridget come up empty yet again, Storm tells her that there has to be another way, but Bridget doesn't have any answers. Storm pleads with Bridget to find a way to save his sister.

Ridge tries to comfort a shaken Ashley.

As the C.S.I. team searches her beach house, Ashley tells Ridge how surreal Storm's visit was. She flashes back to Storm and Katie wrestling for the gun and shivers as she recalls how the events unfolded. Ridge holds Ashley to comfort her as she laments how tragic it was that Katie was shot. "I hope she makes it," Ashley prays. Lt. Baker and his son Charlie arrive. While the Bakers question Ashley, Ridge checks in with Brooke, who tells him that things look bleak for Katie. Ridge tells her that he's so sorry. After Brooke tells him that Donna and Storm are there with her, Ridge instructs her not to let her brother go, since he intends to tell Lt. Baker that Storm is responsible for this. He fears that Storm will be going to jail for a very long time. Brooke sobs that she understands.

Bridget refuses to give up.

While the others wait outside for Dr. Brauer, Storm slips into Katie's room and stands by her bedside. Tears well up in his eyes as he watches her lie in her bed. Outside, Dr. Brauer offers to let the family have some time with Katie before they turn off the heart pump. Brooke refuses to let them turn the pumps off. Dr. Brauer explains that there's nothing they can do, but Brooke holds firm and begs the doctor to do something. Meanwhile, in another room across the hall, Bridget orders a nurse to keep calling the organ banks to find a heart for her aunt. Storm overhears from the doorway and steps inside as the nurse leaves. Storm asks Bridget if they can find a heart in time. Bridget doesn't know, but she's not giving up. Bridget goes to make some more calls, leaving Storm alone in the room with his thoughts. Brooke comes in and asks Storm if he's ashamed, since he should be. She angrily reminds her brother that she and their sisters lied to keep him out of jail, and Katie even pleaded with Stephanie on his behalf. Now this happened. "What kind of a fool takes a loaded gun to a home where a woman and a child live?" she asks. His back turned to Brooke, Storm doesn't say anything, but he weeps over what he did. Brooke tearfully asks Storm how he could do this to their baby sister. She tells him that the police know what he did and are coming to take him to jail. Storm still doesn't answer. Fed up with her brother's silence, a disgusted Brooke storms out.

Nick comforts Donna.

Back in Katie's room, Donna and Nick stand by the bed. Nick tries to reassure Donna, reminding her that long-shots sometimes come in. Donna agrees, since the doctors didn't expect Katie to survive this long. Nick puts a comforting arm around Donna as she tells "Katherine" - she tearfully laughs that Katie hates being called that - to stay strong and keep fighting. Bridget comes in and watches as Donna begs Katie to open her eyes. Donna and Nick turn to see Bridget standing by the door with tears in her eyes.

Lt. and Detective Baker come looking for Storm.

Lt. Baker and Charlie arrive and ask a nurse where they can find Storm Logan. They know he came here after his sister was admitted for a gunshot wound and need to talk to him. The nurse tells the detectives that she's not sure where Storm is.

Storm considers what he has to do.

But Storm is still alone in the room across the hall. Weeping, he sits down on the bed, reaches into his pocket and takes out the gun he bought at the pawn shop. After gazing at the gun for a moment, he puts it on the nightstand and takes out his wallet. He pulls out several photos and flips through them; the first is a more recent photo of him and his sisters, and behind those are individual photos of his sisters. After looking at the older photos of Brooke and Donna (which look like photos of a younger Katherine Kelly Lang and Jennifer Gareis), he gets to one of Katie (which might be from Heather Tom's days on YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS). He weeps as he looks at Katie's photo. He then takes out some paper, writes a note and places it in an envelope with Katie's name on it. Gazing at the photos from his wallet (which he has laid out on the bed), his mind starts to wander. As a rendition of "You Are So Beautiful" plays - and a tip of the hat to Mr. Smartypants for finding out that it's by former Star Search winner Sam Harris - he remembers happier times spent with his sisters when they were much younger. Images of his sisters, both past and present, flash in his mind.

Brooke says her goodbyes.

Brooke returns to Katie's room and finds out that Bridget was unable to find a heart for Katie. Brooke breaks down in tears. Nick holds her to offer her comfort. Bridget steps over to Katie's bed and tells her that she's sorry. She looked everywhere, but she couldn't find Katie a heart. Stepping away from Brooke, Nick approaches the bed, holds Katie's hand and tells her, "Godspeed." Nick then joins Bridget as Donna approaches to tell Katie how much she loves her. "Someday, you and I-- all of us sisters-- will be together again," Donna weeps. Then it's Brooke's turn. Remembering all the times she used to take Katie's hand, Brooke sobs that it's time to let go now. She's thankful for everything Katie brought to her life and says that Donna was right that they'll all be together again someday. Bridget reaches out to her mom and suggests that they find Storm before they turn off the machines. Before Brooke can respond, they all hear a gunshot.

Brooke bolts out of the room, pushing past doctors, nurses and orderlies to get to the room where she left Storm earlier. Donna, Bridget and Nick are close behind. As she pushes the door to the room open, Brooke stares in horror as she sees Storm lying on the ground. Nick, Donna and Katie come in, and the ladies all cry out in horror at the sight of Storm lying dead on the floor. Brooke kneels down and finds the photo of Katie clutched in Storm's hand. Taking the photo, she tearfully whispers, "He gave her his heart. He gave her his heart."

Regular readers of this site know that I usually don't break into my updates with commentary. Other than the occasional parenthetical remark, I leave the comments to others better suited to that type of writing and stick just to the facts as they unfolded. But after watching this episode twice and writing this update, I just had to break my rule this once. Despite spoilers, I sensed this coming on Friday, so I wasn't thrown when I learned Storm's fate. But kudos go to Bradley Bell (B&B's head writer and executive producer) and his staff for keeping all this under wraps until last Wednesday, when the struggle for the gun was previewed on MSN. In this Internet age, it's hard to keep anything secret, but they did it this time, and my hat goes off to them for that. In addition, this episode had even me in tears, and I have to give credit where credit is due for that. First off, I must compliment the actresses playing the Logan women for their work today. Ashley Jones (Bridget) and Jennifer Gareis (Donna) both ably stepped up to the plate with their desperation over losing Katie, and Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) hit one out of the park with Brooke's rage toward Storm, her concern for Katie and her horror at Storm's fate. And of course, we can't leave out Mr. William deVry and his portrayal of Storm. I'm personally sorry that we won't be seeing more of this talented actor on the Bold and the Beautiful now that his character has passed on. I had hoped for more Storm on B&B, hoping he might find romance someday, and I had some ideas on where that might lead. But obviously, that won't happen now. Storm's journey in our fictional Los Angeles is over, and we can only hope that his exit opens doors for the rest of the cast. They say every end is a beginning, and I hope that's so here.