Thursday, April 10, 2008, Episode #5287

Storm gives Brooke some advice.

In Ridge's office, Storm tells Brooke that Ridge fired him. Brooke assumes that he must have misunderstood, but Storm tells her that Ridge was quite clear. Ridge thought he was dangerous, especially after learning of his lunch date with Ashley, and warned him to stay away from Ashley and even from Hope or R.J. Brooke promises Storm that she'll straighten this out, but right now she needs his help to protect Jack from Taylor. "I'm frightened for my baby son," she laments. Storm offers to help if he can, although he points out that it might be tough since she signed her parental rights away. Still, since she couldn't have imagined how unstable Taylor would become when she signed those papers, so she might have a shot in court. Brooke regrets signing those papers, but Storm assures her that no piece of paper can ever change the fact that Jack will always be a part of her. Brooke urges Storm to make this happen, since she needs to know what to do to play a role in her son's life. For starters, Storm tells her to leave him out of this, at least as her lawyer. While he'll represent her if needed, he thinks a better first step would be to stay out of court and talk to the one person who might understand how important Jack is to her -- Nick.

Brooke thanks her brother for his help.

Brooke tells her brother that she already talked with Nick, who agrees with her involvement. Storm thinks that's good, although he fears that Nick might feel like he's caught in the middle of the latest Taylor-vs-Brooke skirmish, and they can't let this be about Brooke and Taylor's history. This can only be about Jack and the love that three people have for him. While Brooke may have signed her rights away on a legal level, she is still bound to Jack on a human level, so she needs to go to Nick and convince him that it's best for Jack that the two of them and Taylor figure out a plan where they all play roles in raising Jack. Brooke says she never imagined anyone but Taylor and Nick raising Jack until Taylor started becoming irrational over the last few months. Once that happened, she had to protect Jack. Storm reminds her that Nick will be concerned about Taylor's feelings. Brooke scoffs that everyone has been concerned about Taylor's feelings for months, but what about her own feelings? She worries what might happen to Jack if Taylor loses control again. Storm assures her that everything will be fine once she speaks to Nick. Brooke gives Storm a hug and thanks him for his help.

Taylor tells Rick about Brooke's threat.

Taylor calls Rick over to the Marone mansion. When he arrives, he finds her clutching a stuffed animal and crying. When Rick asks what's wrong, Taylor sobs that Brooke is doing exactly what she feared would happen the moment she found out that Brooke was the egg donor for Jack's conception. Rick asks what she means, so she tells him about Brooke's threat to take her to court. She fears that Brooke wants to prove that she's unstable to get custody of Jack. Rick can't believe that his mother would do this and blames himself. He fears this is his mom's way of retaliating over his relationship with Taylor and refuses to let what he and Taylor share keep her from being with her son. Taylor tells him not to think that way, since that's just what Brooke wants. She's sure Brooke wants to push them apart, so they can't let that happen.

Rick reassures Taylor.

Rick asks what she wants him to do. Taylor tells him she's not sure. She honestly can't imagine Brooke getting custody, since Brooke only donated the eggs. Still, she fears Brooke will try to prove in court that Jack needs protecting from his own mother. Rick tells her that she's the one who needs protecting from Brooke, but Taylor warns him that Brooke will go into court to make their relationship seem like something evil and ugly. Her voice cracking, she weeps that she's tired of letting Brooke ruin things for her after losing so much to Brooke over the years. "I'm done with it!" she declares, lamenting that Rick is stuck in the middle of all this. Rick tells her that he's not in the middle. He loves his mother, but he thinks what she's doing to Taylor is wrong. Taylor admits that she's afraid Brooke might get custody of Jack on some technicality. Rick tells her not to think that way, since she is Jack's mother, and she should always remember that. Taylor thanks him and gives him a hug.

Nick tells Bridget that they have to slow down.

At the Marone mansion, Katie stands outside the door and eavesdrops as Bridget asks Nick if there's another woman involved. She bets there is, and she thinks that it's none other than her own mother! Fearing that Brooke has stabbed her in the back again, she asks Nick to be honest with her and admit that he's still in love with her mom. Nick assures her that this has nothing to with Brooke. That door closed when Brooke chose Ridge, and all Bridget has to know is that her mom loves her. Katie closes the door and leaves as a relieved, but confused Bridget asks Nick what's wrong if her mother isn't involved. Nick tells her that he loves her, but he's not sure if he can give her what she needs. Bridget suggests that he's overthinking this, but Nick reminds her that he's going through a difficult divorce which will keep him from being completely available to her. He thinks she deserves a man who will be there for her 100%. Bridget tells him to shut up, since that's the biggest cop-out she ever heard. It sounds like he's telling her that he doesn't want her in his life, but it didn't seem like he felt that way when they were in the bedroom. Nick sighs that things are moving too fast. Bridget doesn't understand why, since they've been taking things slowly. She asks if he's scared. Nick tells her that it's a lot of things, but Bridget thinks it comes down to her being there for him and Jack. She asks if he still wants that from her. Nick says he does, so she suggests they just keep taking things slowly like they planned. Nick agrees, so she gives him a kiss and says she has to go.

Katie struggles to answer Bridget's questions.

Bridget goes to Forrester to talk to Katie, who is sitting at Pam's desk watching over Pam's pastry delights while Pam is away. Bridget confides that something is wrong with Nick, since he started backing away from her. She feared her mother was involved, but Nick denied it and told her that he just couldn't give her the love she deserves. She wants to believe him, but it just doesn't seem right. Katie tells Bridget she's sorry, since she's the one who encouraged Bridget to pursue Nick. Bridget admits that she might have taken a hard stand with Nick, who is probably just scared and confused with everything going on. Still, she can't shake the hunch that her mom is involved. Katie advises her to believe Nick. Bridget asks Katie if she thinks there's another woman involved. She tells Katie to be honest with her, especially if the other woman is Brooke. Katie hesitates for a moment before assuring Bridget that Nick isn't seeing Brooke anymore. Bridget asks how she can be sure. Katie explains that Nick has told her that many times, just as he told that to Bridget earlier. If he said it to both of them, it must be true. Bridget agrees and thanks Katie for reassuring her. Katie asks Bridget what she's going to do. Bridget explains that she can't just abandon Nick, since it wouldn't feel right. She knows Nick still loves her and can't turn her back on him. She then gives Katie a big hug and thanks her for listening. Bridget then leaves, leaving Katie sitting alone in the hall, wracked with guilt.