Monday, March 09, 2009, Episode #5517

Rick glares up at Ridge after the explosion.

After Rick's car explodes, he's knocked off his feet and thrown to the ground. At the Sky Lounge, Brooke and Ridge witness the explosion and Brooke calls out to Rick. Having seen the explosion from the parking lot, Steffy races to Rick's side and helps him to his feet. As Rick gets up, he sees Ridge on the roof and glares at him.

Thorne and Pam wonder what that noise was.

In the shipping office, Marcus, Lt. Baker and Charlie hear the explosion. Lt. Baker sends Charlie to check it out and instructs Marcus to stay put. Minutes later, Lt. Baker gets a report from Charlie about the car exploding just as Donna rushes into the office. Having heard the loud noise, Donna is glad to see that Marcus is OK. Marcus tells her that someone's car exploded. Donna guesses it was Rick's car. "That guy is having a very bad week," Lt. Baker notes. Meanwhile, Thorne and Pam run into each other after hearing the explosion. They hope no one was hurt.

Brooke and Ridge check to see if Rick is OK.

Steffy brings Rick back to his office and tells him to sit down while she calls an ambulance, but Rick tells her not to call anyone because he's fine. Ridge and Brooke arrive. Brooke asks Rick if he's OK, since she heard he didn't want to call ab ambulance or the police. Rick insists that he's fine, but Brooke and Steffy worry that he's not. Rick says he wasn't close enough to get caught in the blast and tells Ridge that he missed, but Ridge thinks Rick did it himself, just like he set the fire at the house. "It was you, you son of a bitch!" Rick charges, but Ridge insists that he wouldn't need a bomb if he wanted to get Rick. Rick recalls what went down on the roof earlier and accuses, "You tried to kill me, you bastard!" Steffy and Brooke try to calm him down, but he refuses to heed their pleas of Ridge's innocence. Rick tells Ridge, "You cannot stand the fact that she and I are going to be together, so you'd rather see me dead," but Steffy insists that her father would never try to kill Rick.

The fabulous Baker Boys have questions for Rick.

Lt. Baker and Charlie come in. Ridge thinks Rick called the police, but the Bakers explain that they were already in the building questioning Marcus when they heard the explosion. Rick and Ridge each accuse the other of causing the explosion, but Brooke and Steffy insist that neither man had anything to do with the attempts on Rick's life. Brooke begs the cops to find out who wants her son dead. Ridge and Rick are both fine with that, asserting that they have nothing to hide. Charlie tells them that the investigation's already begun. Brooke asks for protection for Rick now that there have been two attempts on his life, but Rick snipes that he'll be fine if they lock Ridge up. The Bakers ask Ridge and Steffy where they were when the car exploded. Ridge says that he was in the Sky Lounge with Brooke, while Steffy says that she had just said goodbye to Rick by the loading dock before he headed toward his car. Brooke tells the detectives that they'll have the full cooperation of the company. She wants them to have access to whatever they need to find out who tried to kill her son.

Owen tells Bridget that her brother fired him.

At Cafe Russe, Bridget spots Owen at the bar drinking and approaches him. She asks if he had a bad day. He tells her that her brother fired him. When Bridget asks why, Owen explains that Rick is cleaning house so he can get rid of all the people that he doesn't like, and he's at the top of that list. Bridget doesn't think that sounds like her brother and apologizes. Owen says it's fine, since he found his niche at Forrester. Bridget says she understands, since she knows how the need to create something just gets into your blood. Owen is surprised to hear her say that since she's a doctor. She guesses it's in her genes. Owen says that he had his chance and loved every minute, sarcastically adding a thank-you to Rick.

Bridget finds out about the explosion.

Bridget presumes that her brother isn't making things easy at Forrester and admits that she's surprised her dad named Rick as president. "You and a lot of other people," Owen remarks, feeling sorry for Thorne for losing out on his shot at the presidency. Bridget loves Thorne, but she's not sure people wanted him to be president, either. Owen asks if that makes Rick a better candidate for the job. Bridget explains that her dad was in a difficult position because of his guilt about being an absentee father, but Owen thinks Rick is playing on his messed up childhood to get ahead. He admits that he'll miss working at Forrester, since it was a great place to work but for Rick. Bridget suggests that she might be able to help him find work at another fashion house. Before Owen can say anything, Bridget gets a call from Pam about the explosion and rushes out to make sure her brother is OK.

Pam offers her opinion about the explosion.

In Eric's office, Pam, Thorne, Donna and Marcus talk about the explosion. Marcus thinks he has a rock-solid alibi for the explosion since the Bakers were with him when the explosion went off, but Pam points out that the bomb could have been on a timer. Thorne asks who said it was a bomb. Donna warns Pam not to throw any accusations at Marcus, especially after all the things Pam has done.

Donna and Marcus confront the Bakers.

Donna and Marcus track down the Bakers and ask if they have any news. The detectives say that they are still working on it. Marcus bets the cops now feel foolish trying to pin the fire on him, but Lt. Baker points out that they haven't yet established that the fire and the explosion are related. Donna says that someone is obviously after Rick. Lt. Baker notes that a few somebodies have motive, but Donna doesn't think Rick deserves to be blown up. Charlie asks Marcus for his opinion. Donna tells the detective to stop questioning her son, since the real assailant is still out there, and her nephew doesn't have a lot of time.

Brooke wonders who is trying to kill her son.

Brooke and Ridge return to Ridge's office, where Brooke continues to fret about Rick. Ridge tells her about what went down between him and Rick in the Sky Lounge, including Rick stating his intent to marry Steffy. Brooke thinks her son really loves Steffy, but Ridge thinks Rick was doing damage control after finding out that Ridge knew about his sleeping with Steffy. Brooke tells Ridge that she told Rick that sex with Steffy was unacceptable. Ridge asks Brooke why she didn't tell him about the sex as soon as she knew. Brooke explains that she was afraid of what he might do and hoped that maybe she could end it somehow. Ridge gripes that it will end for sure. Brooke says Rick and Steffy are in love, but Ridge urges her not to say that. Brooke assures that she's on his side, but she thinks he has to remember that Rick and Steffy are adults. She urges Ridge to believe that Rick is not doing these things to himself. Ridge says he can believe it if she can. He doesn't want to see her son get killed, since he knows how hard it is for a parent to bury a child, and he promises that they'll figure this out together. Brooke thanks him for being her rock and wonders how this can be happening. "Who is trying to kill my son?" she sighs.