Wednesday, September 17, 2008, Episode #5399

Brooke tells Nick about Taylor's problem with Jack.

Brooke and Ridge are at home looking at wedding dress designs. Brooke tells him that she likes the designs, but she'd be happy marrying him in a gunny sack. "Good thing for you I don't want to wear a gunny sack," quips Ridge before kissing her goodbye and leaving to see Eric. Brooke then gets a call from Nick, who got her message that she wanted to talk about Jack. Brooke tells him she'll be right there and rushes over to the Marone mansion, where Nick tells her that he hasn't seen Jack in days since he's been away on the Marlin. He asks if she's worried that his problems with Bridget will affect Jack. Brooke agrees that Bridget being gone will leave a void in Jack's life, and that will only make things worse once Jack starts spending more time with Taylor. Nick asks what she means, so Brooke explains how she learned from Rick that Taylor and Jack aren't bonding. Nick asks if she thinks Taylor and Rick are trying to hide this from him. Brooke thinks it's understandable that Taylor would not want to tell him about this. Nick asks how bad things are. That's what they have to find out, Brooke says, so they can help Jack by getting Taylor the help she needs. Brooke reminds Nick that he's now having a child with Katie while his marriage is over. Nick muses that things would have been different had they stayed together. Brooke agrees that things probably would have been different, but that's not how things happened. Nick asks if she's still marrying Ridge. Brooke confirms that she is.

Steffy tries to reassure her mom.

As Taylor sits in her living room with Jack on her lap, she flashes back to all the events around Jack's conception and birth. Steffy comes in and observes that Jack is having a good day. Taylor tells her daughter that Jack wore himself out last night. Steffy thinks it's natural for babies to get fussy, recalling all the times when she and her siblings acted up when they were tots. Taylor tells Steffy that she loves all her kids, including Jack, but she feels like something is different this time. Steffy reminds her mom that she and Phoebe were both different, even though they're twins. She urges Taylor not to get down herself, especially since she has overcome so many challenges with Jack. She asks Taylor if she's still bothered that Jack was conceived from Brooke's egg. Taylor says that it hasn't affected how much she loves Jack. Steffy tells Taylor never to question that she's a good mom, but Taylor thinks Brooke might disagree. "Brooke's in no position to judge," Steffy states. Taylor tells Steffy that Brooke knows about her problems bonding with Jack, and she fears that Brooke might use that against her. Having almost lost her parental rights once thanks to Brooke, Taylor refuses to go through that again, so she thinks she better talk to Nick about her problems before Brooke does.

Nick tells Taylor that he's not judging her.

But when Taylor arrives at Nick's, she finds she's too late, as Brooke is urging Nick to remember Taylor's past history with Jack. Standing in the doorway, Taylor listens as Brooke asks Nick to do something about Taylor's problems, not just for Jack's sake but also for Taylor's. Bursting into the room, Taylor exclaims, "I knew you'd run over here and make trouble for me!" Brooke says that she's just concerned, and Nick says that he is, too. He asks Taylor if she's having problems bonding with Jack. Taylor defensively replies that she's doing the best she can and is trying to connect with Jack, but Nick suspects that things aren't getting better. Looking at both Nick and Brooke, Taylor accuses, "I can see it in your eyes. You think I'm failing Jack." Nick tells her that no one is questioning her love for Jack. Suggesting that Nick and Taylor needs some time alone to talk about this, Brooke offers to leave, but Taylor accuses her of running off now that the damage is done. Brooke tells Taylor that she should have told Nick about these problems herself. Nick tells Taylor that they need to work on this together as Jack's parents, but Taylor explains that she didn't want to be judged. Nick tells her that he's not judging her, but Taylor feels like she's being judged by both him and Brooke, and that's causing her undue stress that she doesn't need.

Taylor is tired of defending herself.

Brooke suggests that Jack is picking up on Taylor's anxiety. An emotional Taylor tries to explain how hard it is to go through each day feeling like someone is going to take Jack away from her. Losing custody of Jack the first time was the worst thing that ever happened to her, she notes, since she had already lost so much to Brooke. She lost her marriage to Ridge, her self-esteem and her self-confidence, so it crushed her to learn that Brooke had a claim on Jack, too. "Are you saying you can't bond with Jack because of me?" Brooke asks. Taylor denies it, insisting that she loves her son, but Nick and Brooke urge her to be honest with them and admit what's going on. Nick tells her not to be afraid to talk to him, but Taylor says that she IS afraid. While driving over, she explains, she kept thinking about what was being said about her, and she got here and found that her suspicions were correct. "I'm not a threat to you," Brooke assures, trying to imagine how difficult this is for Taylor. Taylor tells Brooke and Nick that she's tired of having to defend herself to them. Nick tells her that she doesn't have to defend herself, as they are all on the same page. "Are we?" Taylor asks. Brooke answers that they are, since they all want what's best for Jack. She urges Taylor not to be afraid to ask for help, since they all want to support her. "Let me help you," Brooke pleads.

Beth thanks Stephanie for letting her visit Eric.

At the Forrester mansion, Beth comes down after visiting Eric. She thanks Stephanie for letting her visit and assures that she kept her word not to mention Donna to Eric. She really wanted to see Eric since she feared she might not get another chance with her medical condition, and she was pleased to see he's recovering nicely. Stephanie agrees that it's a miracle and wants to talk more about Donna, but Beth doesn't think they should discuss her daughter. Stephanie just wants Beth to know that she's not being spiteful toward Donna. Beth says she knows Stephanie is only doing what she thinks is best for Eric, and she understands better than most what it's like to lose something precious to you. That's why she's trying to live every moment to the fullest while she can, although she thinks seeing Eric helped. Stephanie agrees that just seeing Eric reminds her how fortunate she is to have him back. Thanking Stephanie again and asking her to tell Eric that he's in her prayers, Beth leaves.

Ridge pays his mother a compliment.

Soon after, Ridge arrives and chats with his mother about how well Eric is doing. He tells her that she's to thank for Eric's progress. Stephanie agrees that they're lucky to have Eric back, especially since she feared that she'd never get the chance to set things right with him. She's glad she'll have the chance to spend the rest of her life with Eric and prays that they never have to go through this again. Ridge tells her that he admires her commitment to Eric and hopes he and Brooke can share a similar bond, especially since he and Brooke have had their share of rough patches.