Happy Early St. Patty's Day! Don't drink too much green stuff... :)

Couldn't the driver drive any faster, Brooke thought. She was trying not to panic, but she was slowly losing the battle. Ridge called her at midnight and asked her to come to St. Luke's hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. She hadn't asked any questions. She just jumped out of bed, got dressed, threw some clothes and necessities in a suitcase for the kids, woke up the visiting Katie and the Forrester's pilot, and with the three sleeping kids she was out the door. Luckily Katie was half-asleep so she hadn't asked any questions.

She couldn't handle any more losses, most especially Ridge. A world without him- - She couldn't even go there, she prayed he was okay. Finally the car pulled up to the entrance of the hospital. Telling the driver to wait, she woke up Katie and the kids, picked up Dawn and Hope and held Ricky's hand as she raced inside.

"Logan," she heard as she was asking the volunteer for help.

"Ridge," she cried and ran into his arms. "Thank God you're alright."

"I told you, I was okay and that there was no need to worry."

Stepping out of the embrace, Brooke looked him over with a critical eye.

"You said that, but a call in the dead of the night, saying come, is no way to reassure me you're okay."

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about it like that. I was scared and nervous and I wanted, need you with me."

Looking into his eyes, she saw fear, excitement and other various emotions she couldn't identify within in his eyes.

"Papa," Ricky said drowsily.

Upon hearing her father's name, Hope perked up and shrieked, "Papa."

"Hey Sport," Ridge said to Ricky, tossing his hair, while taking Hope into his arms. "Good Morning, Sunshine." He kissed Dawn on the head and motioned for Brooke and the slow moving Katie to follow him.

As they took the elevator up and followed Ridge to a waiting lounge, Brooke tried to digest all the emotions and fears that coursed through her body and mind since Ridge's call. She never wanted her phone to ring after 10PM ever again. And, as soon as Ridge told her why they were all here, maybe she could finally begin to relax.

"Mama, I'm hungry," Ricky informed her.

"Me, too," Hope added.

"The cafeteria is in the basement," Ridge stated.

"Come on brats, let's go eat," Katie announced.

Ridge handed Hope to Katie and Ricky reached out for his aunt's hand as Brooke gently placed Dawn into Katie's other arm.

Ridge slipped Katie some money and a hotel key. "That's the key to the hotel room I got for you guys and buy whatever you guys need."

"Oooo, a shopping trip. Ridge Forrester, you're just getting better and better. Therapy really agrees with you," Katie informed him happily as she walked out of the waiting room.

"Okay spill," Brooke demanded as soon as the door closed. "What was so important that I had to fly all the way across the country in the dead of the night?"

"I got scared waiting here by myself for Ridge Junior or Ridgea to be born."

Shaking her head, she stared at Ridge. Had she just heard him correctly? "What did you just say?"

"Ridge."

"No, before that. Did you say waiting for a baby to be born?"

"I didn't mention I was adopting?" he questioned with a sly smile.

"No, somehow you failed to mention that." Man, he just kept the surprises coming. She was going to have to meet this Dr. Marlena Evans, miracle worker, and thank her. "How long has she been in labor?" she asked, finally taking in finally Ridge's rumpled clothes and anxious eyes.

"Twenty hours and fifteen minutes. I don't' remember Bridget taking this long."

"Is this her first?"

He nodded.

"Bridget was my second, first babies take longer generally." She paused for a moment then asked the question she had been dying to ask. "So when did this all start?"

"A few months ago. I researched adoption, hired an adoption attorney, did my homestudy, and then I was just waiting. Out of the blue, Jeff, my attorney called me two days ago to say a birthmother chose me. I couldn't believe it. Sandra, the birthmother, and I talked and she said my letter to her or rather to the birthmother is what sold her on me."

What did that letter say, she wondered.

"Which is surprising because my attorney told me I was too honest in the letter and birthmothers and birthfathers would avoid me like the plague."

Curiosity got the best of her. "What did you say in the letter?"

"I said, I was a dad to two great kids. Then I divorced their mother and left them behind when I started my second family. I buried the guilt and imagined myself happy until my oldest children died in a freak accident. My grief consumed me, but it also drove home some truths. I realized with a lot of therapy and self-actualization that I was a boy playing at being a dad all this time. So I got myself together and now I'm a man being a real dad to my children. And I know I'm ready to be a dad to a son or a daughter from day one and hopefully their older siblings will be watching down on us from heaven. Or something like that I wrote.

With tears streaming down her face, she pulled Ridge into a fierce hug with the arms of the hospital chairs digging into their stomachs. "Oh, Ridge."

"I wanted to raise and love a child and be a good father from day one."

"You're a good father to Phoebe- -"

"No, I've been a poor father and a poor husband."

"Ridge, you were a great husband to Caroline and a good one to Taylor."

He laughed bitterly. "I noticed you didn't include yourself in that list."

"We're not talking about me."

"No, but we're talking about my marriages and all of ours are included." He stood up and paced in front of her. "When I first saw you, I wanted you, Caroline be damned. Physically, I couldn't wait to be with you. But then we went out and I talked to you; really talked to you. I had never done that before. You didn't notice the subtle flirting and you talked to me as Ridge, not Ridge Forrester, and all the money and trappings that come with it didn't mean one thing to you. At that moment, I was determined to make you a part of my life. You were so unique and so different from any other woman in my life. All my relationships have been affected by my relationship with you."

Brooke gasped at Ridge's confession.

"You were always there in the back of my mind and sometimes not always in the back. Caroline and Taylor, they weren't you and when I was with you I felt guilty that I was hurting the other important woman in my life. The weight of the Forrester legacy was on my shoulders and I was letting them down- -"

"That's bull- -" she said, pissed he would ruin his confession with this crap. The old Ridge was trying to rear his ugly "it's not my fault" head. "Your dad, Thorne, Kristen, and Felicia didn't care if you were with me. It was Stephanie. Stephanie. Stephanie. Stephanie. Your love for her was greater than your love for me. Plain and simple."

"I didn't love her more- -"

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Maybe, but your first loyalties are with her."

"I hated to let her down or disappoint her."

"I hate disappointing my parents too, but I don't let them control my life."

"I did let her control my life in my attempt to appease her, while you were rearing Ric and Bridget on your own and Taylor and Catherine raised my other kids. But no more. This baby, if he or she ever gets here," he added, "from the beginning is going to have a parent who is 100 dedicated to him or her."

"Ridge, that's admirable, but being a single parent isn't easy."

"I know, but this past year being by myself and by myself with all six of the kids, I'm learning."

"All six kids, huh? Because somehow a lot of those visits end up at my house."

"I invite you and come over so you won't be so lonely."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that I wrongly assumed you were feeling overwhelmed with all the kids."

"Apology accepted," he nodded.

She smiled and sighed. The new Ridge was alive and well, but so was the old Ridge, who was willing to let others take the blame for his actions, but at least he recognized that. In the past, she had failed him and their relationship by not calling him on it. But no more. If he was making a clean break from Stephanie, then she wouldn't allow his inappropriate behavior to slide under the radar. Maybe it wasn't fair to say there was a new and old Ridge or rather it wasn't accurate. This was the same Ridge, she knew and loved, but he was finally maturing something she had done the moment their baby died in the hospital.

Though she was so relieved to know that nothing but nerves prompted Ridge to call her. And as much as she teased him, he was actually a good dad. He was caring, loving, supportive, a good listener. He could use some help in the discipline department, and according to Hope, he was the greatest hugger in the whole wide world and Ricky agreed. But adopting a child by himself. She would have never imagined- -

"Excuse me," a petite, brunette woman said from the door.

"Martha?" Ridge said expectantly.

The woman nodded.

"How is she?"

"Good, thanks for asking," Martha answered.

Ridge picked Brooke up and swung her around. "Ridge, put me down so we can so see your baby."

He put her down, grabbed her hand and followed Martha down the hall, where she turned them over to the nurse, who led them to a private room.

"I don't remember being this nervous with Bridget," he commented in the still to the room.

"You were too busy delivering her."

"True- -"

The nurse walked into the room with the baby. She motioned for Brooke to sit on the bed.

"No, it's- -"

"Logan, have a seat."

Brooke sat on the bed. "Are you sure? You should- -"

"No, this is right," he answered.

The nurse placed the baby in Brooke's arms and a feeling of love warmed Brooke's heart.

Handing Ridge the bottle, the nurse commented, "I think what you're doing is a great thing," and quickly left the room.

He gently sat next to Brooke, never taking his eyes off this precious baby.

Together they unwrapped the blue blankets and examined the baby. They counted his café au lait colored toes and fingers and instantly both knew this was right.

"So, daddy, what is his name?"

"Logan," he announced.

"Ridge," she said in shock. "Is that fair to saddle him with such a name?"

"Logan represents family to me. I love that you can drive down to San Diego and go sailing with Storm. That you can talk to Donna for hours on end on the phone, and hang out all day by the pool with Katie. If I went over to Kristen's house for more than just picking up Zende or dropping Thomas off, she wouldn't say anything, but as soon as I left she'd call Thorne and Felicia and ask what's wrong with me. Felicia and Thorne would just ask outright what the hell was wrong with me."

Brooke nodded that would be their reactions. Stephanie had done a great job of separating her children and Ridge had done nothing to bridge the gap.

"I want my son to think Dawn and Hope are the most annoying big sisters in the world, yet want to be with them every second of the day annoying them some more. And if he was having problems with the females, which he wouldn't because he's my son, he could go to Ricky or Thomas. And if he needed anything designed or built, he could call Phoeb and Stephie."

Brooke faked a smirk, but inside her heart was just bursting. She was honored that the Logan name meant so much to Ridge as did her relationship with her siblings. "Logan what?"

"Your choice."

Brooke put her finger in the palm of Logan's hand and he grasped it tightly. "He's got a strong grip, so he needs a strong, solid name. Alexander?"

Ridge frowned.

"How could I forget Macy? Ugh! Jeremiah?"

He shook his head.

"Matthew?"

He grimaced.

"Okay, that's a no. I'm glad I'm choosing this name and not you."

Ridge grinned.

"William."

"William," he repeated. "Will, until he grows into it."

"Logan William Forrester, welcome to the world," Brooke whispered into the newborn's ear.