Thursday, May 01, 2008, Episode #5302

Stephanie and Eric tell Stephen where Katie is.

Brooke and Donna try to calm a hysterical Katie. Bridget tells Katie to relax and breathe, but Katie only wants to see Storm. Meanwhile, outside the room, Stephen arrives and gets an update on Katie's surgery from Eric and Stephanie. Stephen wants to know where his family is, so Eric points him to the room, instructs him to get sanitized and grab a gown before going in.

Brooke and Donna give their dad some news.

Stephen enters the room and finds Brooke, Donna and Bridget trying to calm Katie down. As Bridget sedates Katie, Stephen rushes to his youngest daughter's bedside and tells her how scared he was when he got Donna's message about her. He tells Katie that he would gladly trade places with her. Katie starts crying. Stephen looks around and sees that Storm isn't there. He asks Donna where Storm is, since her message said Storm was involved somehow in what happened to Katie. Brooke and Donna break the news to their dad that Storm shot himself to save Katie! As a shocked Stephen weeps over his son's fate, Bridget explains how she tried to find a donor heart for Katie and failed. Katie would have died once they took her off the heart pump and there wasn't time to keep searching for a new heart - so Storm gave her his heart!

Bridget tells Katie to keep breathing.

Stephen is so shocked by the news that he nearly doubles over. Katie tells Stephen she's sorry, and Donna assures him that Storm just couldn't let Katie die. Stephen assures Katie that he doesn't blame her. He's just grateful to have her here and tells her that he loves her. Bridget tells Katie to keep breathing and clears the room so Katie can have some time alone to relax and regain her strength. Out in the hell, Stephen tells Brooke and Donna that he needs to see his son. Brooke offers to take him to see Storm's body in the morgue.

Eric comes over and offers Donna a comforting embrace. She tells him that she didn't want Katie to see her when she's like this. She's so happy that Katie is alive, but at the same time, she can't stop thinking about Storm or her dad. Eric asks where Stephen went, so Donna tells him that Stephen went to say his good-byes to Storm.

Stephen says goodbye to his son.

Stephen enters the morgue and approaches the gurney where Storm's body lies. After lifting the sheet for a moment, Stephen sits down on a stool and weeps about his son's fate. He cries about the brave, generous thing his son did for Katie. He knows a lot of people might not understand what Storm did, but he does, since he knows that kind of sacrifice is what Storm has made all his life. He starts to cry as he thinks about the fact that Storm would have done anything for his sisters, without hesitation. There was no sacrifice that was too great. "But it wasn't your job!" Stephen sobs. "It was mine, and I just ran away and left it to you." Stephen laments that Storm was a much better man that he was. For what it's worth, he vows to take care of the girls and be there for them, since Storm deserves his chance to rest now. Brooke comes over and embraces her dad.

Nick tries to reassure Bridget.

In the hallway outside Katie's room, Nick sees Bridget and tries to comfort her. Bridget is surprised that he's still here. Nick tells her that he knows that she's right in the middle of this, so he bets that she hasn't let any of this sneak in yet. Bridget says she's afraid to, so she has to be strong and hold it together for the family's sake. Nick assures her that she's doing great.

Stephen returns to Katie's room and sits down by her bedside. He assures her that Storm loved her very much, which is why Storm had enough faith and devotion in her for him to give up his own life to give Katie a chance to fight for hers. It was Storm's last great act of love, Stephen ruminates, because that's what kind of man Storm was. He thinks Katie of all people understood that, since she knew Storm better than any of them. Katie tells Stephen that she doubted Storm, but Stephen says that didn't matter, since the only thing that mattered was that Storm loved her. "That gift was his way of showing you just how much," Stephen assures. Just then, Katie starts to moan. As Stephen asks Katie what's wrong, nurses rush into the room and ask Stephen to stand back. As the nurses check out Katie to see if she's dizzy, one of them pages Katie's doctor to the room immediately.

Dr. Patrick explains Katie's condition.

Bridget is still with Nick in the hall when she gets the page to come to Katie's room ASAP. Bridget arrives and gets a quick update from a nurse, who tells her that Katie is feverish and short of breath, and she's complaining of chills and dizziness. Bridget asks where Dr. Patrick is. The nurse says that he's on his way. Brooke and Donna try to find out what's going on, but Brooke says that they have to wait outside while they find out what's wrong with Katie. Brooke asks what it could be. Bridget says that she's not sure, but Katie's body might be rejecting the new heart. Dr, Patrick arrives and confirms that Katie's elevated vital signs are the first symptoms of an acute rejection event. Brooke and Donna come in and ask how that can be, since all the tests showed that Storm was a perfect match. Bridget reminds her mom that Katie had foreign tissue introduced into her body that the body might accept. Dr. Patrick wants to wait for the blood tests, but he thinks the tests will confirm his suspicions. He explains that they can adjust Katie's medications, , but beyond that, it's a waiting game. On the plus side, he agrees that Storm had a strong heart, and he confirms that Storm was a near-perfect tissue match for Katie. At the same time, however, there are times when a patient's survival comes down not to medical fact, but to an object of will. Even though Katie's body is willing to accept Storm's gift, the doctor feels Katie might not be as willing.