Tuesday, April 29, 2008, Episode #5300

The Bakers give Donna their opinion of their brother.

Brooke and Nick watch from a hospital observation deck as the surgeons work on Storm. When Bridget comes in, Brooke asks if they can keep Katie going until... Bridget tells her that they have what they need. Brooke points out that Storm is still in surgery, but Bridget says he won't be for much longer. Out in the hallway, the Baker boys hover as Donna anxiously waits for word. Donna asks the detectives why they're here. Lt. Baker says they need to wait for word of Storm's condition, but Donna points out that there's little chance of their taking Storm to jail. Charlie remarks that Storm took the coward's way out, but Donna retorts that he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Storm's license shows he was an organ donor.

Brooke, Bridget and Nick approach Donna. While Bridget checks in at the nurses' station, a woman named Theresa comes over. Bridget introduces Theresa to her family and Nick, explaining that Theresa wants to talk about organ donation. As Brooke takes Storm's wallet out of his jacket pocket, Dr. Brauer joins them and reports that Storm is brain dead. There's no chance of recovery, she fears. Brooke thanks the doctor and hands Theresa Storm's driver's license, which lists him as an organ donor. Theresa offers to notify the organ registry, but Bridget says there's no time. Brooke and Donna tell Theresa that their sister Katie needs a heart. There's no advance directive, but they knows Storm wanted Katie to have his heart. Theresa states that there are still procedures. Nick asks if the family of the donor ever has a say in the donation process. Theresa says it's sometimes possible, but even then, there's no guarantee Storm's heart will be a match. Bridget reveals that they already know it's a match, and Storm knew, too. She shows Theresa the papers confirming the match-up. Bridget states that they have no time to waste and the surgeon is on the way, so they need to do this. They can't save Storm, but there's still time to save Katie.

Ridge is stunned by Brooke's news.

Nick takes Brooke aside to talk about how she'll remember her brother. Brooke, however, is more worried about how Storm will remember her given how harsh her last words to him were. Ridge and Ashley arrive. Ridge embraces Broke and asks how Katie is. Brooke tells him that a lot has happened. Ridge assumes she's talking about the police arresting Storm and says it had to be done. Brooke informs him that it doesn't matter now, since Katie needs a heart - and Storm gave her his! Ridge and Ashley are stunned as Brooke tearfully explains how Storm died.

Ashley tells Brooke and Donna what happened at her house.

In the operating room, Bridget assists the surgeon as he prepares for the transplant. He offers a short, moving prayer asking for divine guidance in their endeavor and then gets to work on the complex procedure. In the waiting area, Dr. Brauer comes over to Brooke and Donna to thank them for the second chances half a dozen patients will get thanks to Storm. Donna asks if they can see Storm before he's taken away. The doctor nods and goes to arrange that. Ashley comes over and tells Brooke and Donna everything that happened in her house, including why Storm brought the gun over. She's just sorry that Katie saw the gun, jumped to the wrong conclusion and rushed in. If Storm gave his own life for Katie's, Ashley suggests, it wasn't atonement, since he had nothing to atone for. Rather, his giving Katie his heart was a gift. Ridge comes over with coffee and asks Brooke how she's doing. She sobs that she feels terrible about how she treated Storm when she saw him last. She should have told Storm how much they needed him, but she lashed out from fear and anger to the point that he probably thought they only cared about Katie.

Donna says goodbye to Storm.

Donna enters the room where Storm's organ-less body lies on a table, covered with a sheet. She calls out to her brother, since she knows he's still here. "Nothing they took from you was you," she cries, believing that Storm will stay behind for a while longer for Katie. "I hope you're not scared," she weeps, telling him that God will understand. She then kneels down by table, holding the sheet covering Storm's body, and prays for God not to to punish her brother or turn him away. "It's only because of him I know what your love is like," she sobs.

Nick tries to help Donna.

Donna comes out into the hall and lets Brooke go in to see Storm. Nick comes over to Donna and asks if he can call her dad for her. Donna whispers that she'll call Stephen when she knows what to tell him. Nick then asks if he can call Eric. Donna doesn't think Eric can do anything, but Nick reminds her that Eric can help her get through this. Tears still in her eyes, Donna agrees.

Brooke prays for Storm to forgive her.

Brooke goes in to see Storm's body. She places his jacket over the sheet covering him and lays her head down on it as she cries. This shouldn't have happened, she sighs. She sobs that she was more scared than she was angry with him earlier, which is why she said those harsh things. She hopes he can forgive her. "Did you die hating us, thinking that we hated you?" she asks, refusing to believe that he did. She's sure he only left them for Katie's sake, but she needs to know for sure. With tears in her eyes, she picks up his jacket and holds it close, hoping he can tell her. She sobs that she's so sorry, because she loved him so much and knew that he loved her. "Do you feel me loving you back?" she tearfully asks.

Bridget updates the family.

As the surgeon wraps up in the operating room, Bridget goes out to update the family. Ridge sees Brooke come out of the room with Storm's body and rushes to comfort her with an embrace. Everyone gathers around as Bridget comes out of the operating room and announces that the surgery is almost done. The transplant is complete, but the doctor needs to give it a mild electric shock to get it started - or so they hope. It WILL start, Brooke assures. Theresa comes over to Bridget and gives her an envelope the nurses found in the room where Storm was (it's the envelope with Katie's name on it that Storm addressed just before he ended his life). Bridget takes the envelope and leads her family and friends to the observation deck overlooking the operating room to watch the surgeon shock the heart. Brooke, Donna, Bridget, Ridge and Nick anxiously watch as the surgeons begin. They shock once, but the heart doesn't respond. As Donna frets that it's not working, Brooke whispers, "Be with her." The doctors shock again, but there's still no response. "Please, forgive us," whispers Brooke. On the third shock, the heart starts beating. The nurses praise the surgeon, who insists he had help. Up in the gallery, everyone sighs in relief. Brooke goes over to Donna and places Storm's jacket on Donna's shoulders as they embrace. Tears streaming down her cheeks, Brooke looks over Donna's shoulder heavenward and smiles as she hugs her sister.

Note from Scott: This was another tight, to-the-point update, like yesterday's, so I again have room to add a few comments on the episode. While not quite packing the impact of yesterday's ending, this was a fitting follow-up to Storm's sacrifice for his sister. Sure, it took the usual soap liberties - like the rapid fire heart surgery, the Logan sisters being in the room with their brother's organ-less corpse, Bridget assisting on her aunt's surgery and plenty of tears from the assembled Logan family and their friends. But soaps are supposed to about drama, and despite all the genre-related shortcuts, this episode delivered. The story even echoed the thoughts that I'm sure are on many fans' minds: did Storm die a hero, as Brooke, Donna and Ashley made him out to be? Or did he, as Charlie Baker stated, take the coward's way out? We'll never really know for sure, but Storm will find out when he meets his maker in the next life. I also liked that there wasn't a shred of any of the rivalries between characters like Ridge and Nick or Brooke and Ashley. It was all about Katie, and about her sisters' love for both Katie and Storm. And that's how it should be. And Brooke wasn't the whiny, indecisive woman she's been of late, trying to worm her way into a place in Jack's life that she willingly gave up. She was there for her family, believing with everything she had that her brother's sacrifice would save her baby sister. And those prayers were answered.