A new project!

Ridge and Taylor heard no more from Brooke and were both very relieved. It allowed them to focus on their own life again. Taylor noticed, Ridge was drawing a lot recently. Nearly all the time he was working on new designs. In the last few months his creative work wasn't his top priority, getting the store on the run took a lot of his time and energy and he still had his responsibilities as CEO. Although Eric was running the daily business in LA, there were still a lot of duties Ridge had to manage. But since the store was doing exceptionally well, Ridge devoted his time to his true passion. Often he was working at home now. Back when he had moved in permanently with Taylor, they had rearranged the furniture in the large living area and Ridge had set up his own workspace right in front of the large window and he loved it. It was wonderful to look out of the window from time to time and to enjoy the view above the city. The best part about his workspace though was, he had a perfect view of Taylor's desk. There was nothing more inspiring to him than peeking over at her while she was engrossed in her work. They worked both at home at the same time, as often as they could. They used this time to talk about everything that was on their mind or when they were too busy they just enjoyed glancing at each other now and then and feeling each other's presence.

That afternoon, they were both captured by their work. Taylor was preparing herself for her next day sessions with her patients. She was studying her files, one bow of her glasses in her mouth as usual. Ridge was working on a sketch and kept squinting over at his sweetheart. Finally, Taylor put her glasses down, rubbed her eyes and stretched. She was about to stand up when Ridge spoke to her with force.

"Hey, stop! Sit down!" Startled, she didn't dare to move.

"What is going on Ridge?"

"Don't move, stay like this.'' He continued to draw on his sketch. Taylor already knew this game. She was getting impatient.

"Ridge please! I have to go to the bathroom and besides, I'm hungry!"

"Yeah in a minute, just a minute!" He continued drawing and then obviously he was very pleased. He gave her permission to stand up.

"Thank you, how gracious of you!"

"Bring me something to eat too!" She gave him a penetrating look.

"Please!"

"Much better!" After a while she returned, with a sliced apple for herself and for him a peanut butter sandwich. As she put it, in front of him, he threw a kiss to her. Taylor tried to catch a glimpse of his design, but Ridge quickly pressed it to his chest.

"Hey! No peeking here."

"Oh come on Ridge, since when are you so picky about your designs? Let me see it, please."

"No, I'm nowhere near ready. This isn't meant for your eyes yet." Taylor stared at him shaking her head, lately Ridge was making a big secret about his designs, she wasn't used to that at all.

"Since when do you treat your sketches like a secret?" Ridge became tentative.

"It's just, I'm on a big new project right now, but it's not ready to talk about yet. You know you don't count your chickens before they hatch." Taylor relented. Ridge was an artist and all artists tended toward superstition.

"Okay, but if there's anything to say, I want to know everything, every detail."

"I promise you, when this thing gets concrete, you'll be the first to know about it," he promised.

A few days later, the time had come. They made themselves comfortable after dinner, when Ridge pulled out his portfolio.

"Ah, are you finally ready to reveal the big secret?"

"I know I've been a little obnoxious the last few days, but you know me."

"Indeed I do, but now tell me! What's about this project?" Taylor was getting more curious.

"Does the name 'Marson' ring any bells for you?" Taylor pondered for a while.

"Of course, it's the owner of 'ONIQUE-Style'. The number one in the world for business fashion especially for women. I've been buying my outfits there for years."

"Exactly, and as you may or may not know, he doesn't have his own designer team, he always collaborates with other fashion houses and acclaimed designers. Some time ago there was a rumor spread around that he has some major conflicts with his current designer. Apparently there were irreconcilable differences."

"Oh really, that's too bad. I actually quite like the current style."

"Well, anyway. When I heard about it, I didn't take it seriously, but recently it was officially confirmed that his designer and Mr. Marson split up professionally and that's when I suddenly had an idea for a whole new style of business fashion. A whole new concept and then my pencil didn't seem to stand still."

"And what is this new concept?"

"Well first I have the idea to work with mainly bright, friendly colors, away from those usual dull colors like dark blue or gray. But the real twist to my idea is, the outfits are supposed to be variable, so a woman can change her business outfit into a casual or going-out outfit in a snap, without having to change completely." Taylor looked at him a little confused, she couldn't quite picture it yet. Ridge pulled out his designs and showed them to her.

There were dresses with subtle tasteful patterns, combined with jackets. If you took off the jacket and combined the dress with other accessories, you had an evening gown. Taylor liked one design in particular. The top and skirt were connected by a belt. Strip away the skirt and you had a fancy mini dress. Taylor was thrilled with the idea, she could very well imagine many women would buy this fashion. All of the outfits were colorful, but they didn't immediately catch your eye or be obnoxiously garish, and they could easily be worn for casual as well.

"Wow fascinating, how did you come up with that?"

"Honestly thanks to you!" She gave him an astonished look.

"Every time I pick you up for dinner or something else, you have to change first. That's when I spontaneously had the idea, there has to be another way to handle it. Not every woman in the business world has the opportunity to take half of her closet with her. Or many women, especially in the beginning, don't have the financial capacity to buy an expensive business wardrobe in addition to their normal clothes. So with my idea they could save a lot of money."

"I guess that's true. Anyway, that's really impressive and what are your plans now?"

"I contacted Mr. Marson some time ago and met with him. I presented my new idea to him and he showed great interest. I plan to invite him to a business dinner soon to explain my designs to him in more detail and if this all goes the way I envision, there will be a partnership between 'Forrester Creation' and 'Onique-Style'."

"Wow, that would be a really big deal!" Ridge looked at her slyly.

"And that's where I need you!"

"Me? How so?"

"It's common knowledge in the industry that even if he owns the company, Mr. Marson never makes any business decisions without his wife."

"A very intelligent man! You could take a leaf out of his book!" She winked at him.

"Anyway, they've been married for decades and he's obviously totally devoted to her; it's said that he doesn't make a business deal without his wife's blessing. That's why I ask you to accompany me to this dinner. I'm sure it will make a good impression, and you could charm his wife while I talk to him about business."

"So that means we're supposed to represent the perfect Forrester couple and I'm supposed to butter up his wife so she will convince her husband you're the best business partner and designer in the world?!" He nodded.

"Well that's easy!"

Ridge contacted Mr. Marson the very next day and arranged a dinner in two weeks. As time went on, he became very nervous and anxious. Taylor had to grin secretly. Ridge had been in the fashion business for decades, had several major successes as a designer and was recognized worldwide and yet, every time he was about to present his work, he acted like a little kid reciting a poem for the first time. She did her best to cheer him up and encourage him. She was completely sold on his idea, and if Mr. Marson wasn't enthusiastic about the concept, he was out of his mind. The night before the dinner, Ridge was very restless. Taylor held him tightly and talked soothingly to him until he finally fell asleep, snuggled up to her. The next day, Ridge was a nervous wreck. At breakfast, he spilled coffee on his tie and he forgot first his phone and then his wallet. Taylor was just waiting for this dinner to be over. After that, Ridge would surely behave more reasonably again. They had agreed to meet at the restaurant. She wanted to stop by at the orphanage in the afternoon. At work, Rosa, Ted as well as all the other employees avoided him. They realized that was the best way to deal with Ridge today. The dinner was scheduled for six-thirty. At five pm his phone rang. It was Taylor.

"Hey Doc! What's up?"

"Hi Ridge, I'm terribly sorry... I didn't mean this to happen...but I'm afraid I will not make it to the dinner." Taylor sounded very upset and distraught. Ridge could hear, she was crying, he was suddenly very concerned.

"What's the matter, you sound so weird?"

"It's...nothing bad happened, but I had a little accident and... well my colleagues insisted on taking me to the hospital." Ridge got a terrible fright.

"Oh my god! What happened?"

"Like I said ...nothing bad. It was actually very stupid, I fell off the ladder and... well my foot hurts a little. But I'm sure it's nothing serious... just a little sprained. I'm just so sorry about tonight. I know how much you were counting on me...this is all my fault...Please don't be mad at me!" Ridge sighed, could this woman care about herself and stop worrying about others only once?!

"Now forget about this business dinner, take care of yourself. Nothing else matters at all! Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, like I said, it's just the foot. You don't have to worry about me." The more Taylor reassured him there was nothing wrong, the more concerned Ridge became. Taylor swore to him, she was fine. A colleague would drive her home later and she would be waiting for him there. She wished him good luck for his business dinner and hoped he wouldn't have any problems because she wouldn't be there. She kept apologizing and promised him in her thoughts she would be with him. When they hung up, Ridge was more than nervous. Taylor had tried to sound cheerful, but he could hear her whimper in pain several times, even though she had tried very hard to suppress it. He knew what he had to do.

"Rosa, will you please come into my office?" Rosa appeared immediately.

"Please call Mr. Marson, use all your charm, and let him know, we'll have to postpone the dinner."

"Excuse me? I thought this meeting is so extremely important, you've been bugging us all about it for days."

"Yes, it is very important. But there's no other way!" Rosa realized something was wrong.

"What's going on Ridge?"

"Taylor's in the hospital ..."

"Oh my God, what happened?"

"She fell off the ladder at the orphanage and...something with her foot. She just called to tell me she couldn't accompany me to the business dinner. She assured me, everything was not as bad..."

"But you don't believe her?"

"Let's put it this way, I know Taylor. Even if she was about to have a vital surgery, she'd tell me she's fine, so I wouldn't worry. But I want to see with my own eyes that she is okay." Rosa agreed with him.

"Of course, I understand completely. I'll talk to Mr. Marson and see what I can do. You take care of Taylor." Ridge hugged her.

"Thank you!" Ridge was almost out the door.

"Taylor can be very lucky to have you!"

"The feeling is mutual!"

Ridge was in an awful hurry to get to the hospital. He ran two traffic lights that were more yellow than green. As he struggled through traffic, he wondered why everyone wasn't allowed to have a siren in the car in case of an emergency. It really should be allowed, if you have to get to your loved ones urgently, to use a siren. Finally, he made it. He searched for the room that he had been told at the reception desk. In the hallway, he recognized a colleague of Taylor's from the orphanage.

"Hi, I'm Ridge Forrester, I'm looking for Taylor."

"Oh good, you're here!" She's in there, they just brought her back from X-ray."

"How is she?"

"Well, considering the circumstances, pretty good so far. But it's not clear yet if the foot is just sprained or broken." Ridge was shocked, he knew it was nowhere near as innocuous as Taylor had said.

"What exactly happened?"

"Taylor was decorating the room for a birthday party with some kids and was hanging up a garland. Then somehow she must have slipped off the ladder. In any case, the foot swelled up quite a bit and looked pretty bad and she was in a lot of pain."

"Thank you for driving her to the hospital right away!"

"It took a fair bit of convincing."

"I can only imagine, I'm going to see her now."

"Well, if you don't need me anymore, I could go back to the orphanage."

"Yes, that's all right. I'll take care of her now. Thanks again" They said their goodbyes and Ridge stormed into the room. Taylor was sitting alone on a bed, she was more than surprised to see him.

"Ridge, what are you doing here?"

"Let me guess?...See how you're doing!" He took her in his arms. She fell around his neck. She was so happy to see him. "But your business dinner? He covered her mouth and sparkled at her.

''If you say that word one more time! It's not important right now! How are you?"

"Like I said, it's just the foot." Ridge took a closer look, it was very swollen and bruised in all sorts of colors.

"Ouch, that looks really bad!"

"It's nothing, just a little sprained.'' Very gently Ridge ran his hand over the foot, Taylor almost cried out in pain.

"Mmm, I see it, not bad at all." He gave her a mocking face.

"Okay, I admit it! It hurts like hell!" Comfortingly, he hugged her. Shortly after, the doctor returned. The foot wasn't broken. But it was a nasty sprain and a bruise. The doctor prescribed Taylor an ointment and cold compresses and instructed her to put as little weight on her foot as possible for the next few days. Ridge found a wheelchair and walked Taylor to his car. Once at home, he called Susan and asked her to come to the garage to help him to bring Taylor into their apartment. Susan was there in seconds. She was very concerned when she learned of Taylor's accident, but Taylor brushed it off. She was uncomfortable with all the fuss about her. Finally, Taylor sat on the couch and Ridge put a cool pack on her injury. Susan volunteered to go to the pharmacy. Ridge disappeared into the kitchen and brought her something to drink and a snack.

"Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm fine! Really! Calm down Ridge!" She pointed to the seat next to her. He lowered himself to her on the couch and put his arm around her.

"You gave me a good scare! Promise me you'll take better care of yourself. I need you!" She stroked his hair.

"I promise! I still can't believe you canceled your dinner because of me. The whole thing is so horribly embarrassing to me.

"Hey now stop it! It wasn't your fault, these things happen! And I'm sure..." His phone rang, Rosa was on it. Taylor waited impatiently for Ridge to finish the call. He beamed at her.

"Rosa said it was no problem at all. Mr. Marson was very compassionate when Rosa told him about your accident. He immediately agreed to reschedule the meeting. By the way, Rosa wanted to know how you're holding up and wishes you a speedy recovery." Taylor was immensely relieved that her mishap had no consequences for Ridge. He wrapped his arms around her again. "You see, no need to worry! The only thing that matters now is that your foot heals. Taylor couldn't find words for all her feelings. All her love, gratitude and appreciation was released in a passionate kiss.

For the next few days, Taylor was either confined to the couch or the bed. Ridge also stayed at home to take care of her. He was very strict about making sure she took it easy on her foot. As soon as she dared to stand up, he shooed her back to her seat. Soon the swelling diminished noticeably and the bruise also became smaller. Ridge now watched in amusement as she hopped around the apartment on one foot. By Monday, everything was fine so far. Only the treading still hurted. Ridge drove her to work. As he parked the car in the underground garage, he told her to wait a moment. Taylor wondered what was taking him so long. Finally, he returned and she started laughing terribly. He had her office chair with him.

"Madame, your cab to your workplace!"

"You're not serious Ridge, you're not seriously asking me to go along with this?"

"Of course!"

Finally she gave in, Ridge realized, now with one person in it, the chair was not so easy to steer. The chair kept wanting to go in a different direction. He kept crashing into the walls.

"Hey, I thought you were going to get me to my office safe and sound!" At the elevator, Ridge had to maneuver the chair over the threshold with a lot of momentum, Taylor was almost thrown out of the chair. Finally they were in her department and headed down the hall to her office. All her colleagues laughed and asked if they could book this service permanently. Finally, Taylor was sitting behind her desk. She promised to take it easy and not walk around too much that day. When Ridge picked her up, she was busy at her bookshelf. The door was just ajar and she heard him talking to her assistant. As quickly as she could, she hopped back in her seat and greeted him with an innocent smile. Ridge told her he had spoken to Mr. Marson. Rosa had indeed done an excellent job. He hadn't been a bit disappointed, but rather impressed that Ridge had canceled the meeting out of concern for Taylor.

"Looks like you've scored some bonus points with that, so you've pretty much got the deal in the bag!" Also Ridge was now more convinced than ever that nothing could really go wrong with this deal.