Dealing with the past!

Ridge was fully recovered and completely restored. The follow-up examination with Dr. Sander was extremely satisfactory. Ridge had not suffered any long term damage from the accident. The only thing left behind was a small, fine scar on his chest. Taylor loved to caress and kiss this scar. It reminded her every time of the great fortune Ridge and all of them had. Ridge put all the resolutions he had made after his accident into action. First, he invited Taylor to a nice and fancy dinner. At their date night, Ridge pulled all the strings, first he surprised her with a new dress he had designed for her. As he presented it to her, she joked that if he continued to shower her with new dresses all the time, they would soon need to build another house on their property just for her clothes. She admired herself in the mirror and was entranced. No one knew her tastes better than Ridge. They left their own car at home; Ridge had booked a limousine for them. They drove to the beach. Ridge had hired a catering service and organized a dinner under the stars, with music and everything. Taylor was thrilled and they had an unforgettable night together. The highlight was when Ridge shocked her with a diamond bracelet. Taylor was speechless.

"Ridge, you're crazy!"

"I know!" He put the bracelet on her.

"It's adorable! Thank you!" She gave him a kiss. "I suppose you're planning to win an Oscar for 'world's best husband'?" He embraced her by her waist.

"Maybe, what are my chances?" She smiled him in the eye.

"I'd even present you with a platinum Oscar!" They fell into each other's arms and sank into each other.

Another resolution Taylor and Ridge put into action was on their next weekend off they flew to San Francisco to visit their friends. Everyone was happy to see them and that they were all together again..They also stopped by the Forrester Boutique. Ridge was very pleased to see Rosa and Ted were perfectly capable of running the store successfully.

A few days after they returned home, Taylor noticed Ridge was sleeping very poorly and he was restless. He often tossed and turned in bed at night and woke up several times. She approached him about it, but he just waved her off, saying it was just stress, as the next fashion show at Forrester Creation was coming up soon. Taylor didn't quite buy his explanation, but decided not to press the issue at this time. But one night Ridge woke up screaming loudly. Taylor also startled up, she stared at him with great concern. He was in a mess. He was shaking all over, drenched in sweat and showed no response. Taylor held him in her arms and talked to him soothingly, he was clinging to her tightly. Slowly Ridge calmed down, his breathing and pulse became regular again. Taylor smoothed his face gently.

"Are you okay?" Ridge collected himself.

"Yeah, it's all better again! I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"That is irrelevant Ridge! What is wrong with you? What did you dream?" He didn't want to talk about it.

"It was nothing wild, everything is alright! I'm fine!" He was about to turn off the light. "Come on, let's go back to sleep!" But this time Taylor didn't give in.

"Ridge, you just woke up screaming loudly and you were a mess, so don't tell me you're fine. Talk to me, I'm just trying to help you!"

"I didn't ask for a therapy session, Doctor!" he snapped at her in an aggressive tone. He immediately regretted his words when he saw the hurt expression on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to attack you. It's just, I don't want to talk about it. The whole thing isn't a big deal."

"Please. Ridge, I'm seriously concerned about you and not as a therapist but as your wife! Do you think I didn't notice that you've been sleeping poorly and restless for days! Please tell me what is bothering you, you will see you will feel much better, if you share your troubles with me. If you don't open up and talk about it, you don't have to be surprised if your soul processes it in your dreams." Ridge gave her an annoyed look. "Okay, I'll stop with my shrink babbling, but Ridge I only care about your well-being! It's a burden for me to watch you struggling and it hurts me when you shut me out. Ridge, I love you and we vowed to each other to share everything including our sorrows." Ridge sighed, realizing she was right. It was just hard for him to share his anxiety with her. Since he had been a little boy, he had learned to be strong and not to show any weakness. But finally he came clean

"It's the accident, I just can't get rid of those pictures! That car coming straight at me and then darkness!" During the day I'm pretty good at distracting myself and blocking out these images but at night they keep coming back over and over again and lately there's this nightmare that just won't let me go."

"What kind of nightmare?"

"I can't remember everything and it's very blurry: The entire family is in a room not just the kids and us but my parents, Felicia, Thorne, even Kristen and quite a few others..suddenly there is this danger...I never see what it is...but I feel it very strong….I want to scream and alarm you all... but I can't...no sounds come over my lips and I can't move. ..then one by one I see you all disappear and I can't do anything...just watch and then...then all of a sudden you're all gone and there's just this feeling of fear, panic and being alone."

"Mhm I understand, these are all common feelings many people go through who have found themselves in a helpless situation. The moment the accident happened you had no control over what was happening and that probably gave you that fear. That's completely normal, including the fact that it doesn't just let you go."

"But I don't understand why this keeps haunting me. I mean, I was still able to react, I got through the accident unscathed, I'm fine again, and nothing else really happened!"

"See, as long as you keep telling yourself that nothing happened, these nightmares will keep coming back. You have to face what happened. You were in a horrifying accident and if things had gone just a little bit differently, the whole thing could have ended very badly. In the worst case exactly the same way as in your dream. You wouldn't have been with us any longer. The reality is, something terrible happened to you and thank God you were lucky enough to survive and now you have to move on and find ways to deal with this experience. Repression doesn't work in the long run!"

"I have realized that now and what should I do? What is your advice?"

"Come to terms with your situation and admit your fear and your feelings. If it is difficult for you to talk to others about it, then write down your thoughts and your fears, this may also help and as they say, paper doesn't blush! Above all, don't underpress your feelings, I know you always want to be the strong man for everybody, and I don't expect you to open up to everyone, but at least you shouldn't hide from me. I guarantee you, if you follow all these steps, these nightmares will disappear with some time. And I'll always be there for you when you need me!" Ridge kissed her full of love.

"You're amazing!"

"We will get through this!" She yawned. "I think we should try to get some more sleep now." She turned off the light. She still could see Ridge getting restless again.

"Come to me!" She spread her arms. Gratefully, Ridge curled up in her arms. Tightly embraced, they fell asleep.

Ridge took Taylor's advice seriously, he started a diary, writing down all his thoughts, worries and concerns. Soon he realized it freed him to get everything off his chest. In addition, he actively dealt with the accident; he had the police send him the file. He read through the report again in detail and also took a look at the pictures. Once, when there was little traffic, he drove to the accident site again all by himself. Of course, there were no more traces of the accident anymore, but it was important for Ridge to visit this place again purposely. Furthermore, Taylor and he often went for a walk together and talked about their troubles and feelings. As time went on, his nightmares did indeed become less and the pictures of the accident no longer appeared constantly. Sometimes, when he woke up at night and felt that panic inside him, he would snuggle up close to Taylor every time. When he was in her arms, preferably so he could feel her heartbeat, it always calmed him down, he slept without nightmares until the next morning.

Taylor met with Thomas and Steffy for lunch at IL Giardino. Originally, they had planned a family lunch, but Ridge unfortunately was still in a meeting and couldn't accompany them. Over lunch, they chatted about their day. Steffy told her mother, annoyed, Eric's idea regarding the designs for the musical was turning into a disaster.

"I know Grandpa is totally sold on his peace mission, but the idea of a collaboration with Rick under the motto 'The next Forrester Generation' would bring us all closer together again is nothing more than an illusion. But if this goes on soon we will have blood and thunder!" Thomas could only agree with his sister.

"Indeed. I mean we understand that Grandpa still wants us to be one big happy family. But what he's asking of us is sheer horror. Rick can't help but play the boss all the time, working with that jerk is a nightmare!" Taylor showed a lot of compassion for her children, but she asked them to pull themselves together for the sake of the family. She tried to distract them from the vexed topic.

"Is there any other news?"

"No, otherwise it's business as usual, Oh well and Brooke of course being Brooke again. Really Mom, it's so embarrassing how she's all over dad all the time. I tried so hard to be patient and I thought at some point she'll stop playing her games and give it a rest, but it's getting more and more grotesque. I swear to you, if she doesn't stop this soon, I will lose it! I will beat her ass up!" Taylor glared at her daughter, astonished. She knew Steffy well enough to know she would go through with her threat.

"No Steffy, you won't! You're not going to do anything, you're going to stay out of this, you got me?! The same goes for you, Thomas!"

"But Mom, Steffy is right! Brooke's behavior is shameless and repulsive. She has no respect for you or our family whatsoever."

"I know Thomas, but I don't want you to get involved. No matter what Brooke does, ignore her and don't worry, Brooke is no longer a threat!"

"Says the woman who gave Brooke a lemonade shower." Steffy chuckled, still finding the idea too funny, she wished she had been there. Taylor groaned, she could curse Ridge for telling this story to the kids.

"That was something completely different, it was the only way to get Brooke to leave. That was self-defense!" Thomas and Steffy gave her an incredulous stare. "Either way, no matter what Brooke put her mind to, she isn't going to succeed with it!"

"Why are you suddenly so chilled when it comes to Brooke? Isn't it bothering you?"

"Of course Steffy, I'd rather love to see Brooke would stop her bluntly flirting and would respect our marriage, but her reactions are not important to me. The main thing that matters to me is your father. He is faithful and stands by me and he is committed to our marriage. He is no longer receptive to Brooke's advances. He doesn't love her anymore and he's not interested in her. I mean, you have to be honest, he didn't give me or us any reason to mistrust him, right?" The two nodded. "Well you see your father and I love each other and we are happy. He would never jeopardize that. Nothing can break us apart! Brooke will never have an impact on our family again." Thomas and Steffy noticed, their mother spoke with great conviction and determination. They fervently hoped she was right.

A short time later, it was time for Thomas and Steffy to leave. Taylor received a text message and they watched her smile grow wider. She looked up.

"Are you guys ready to go?"

"Yes it's not like we want to go, but we have to!"

"Yeah, back to hell! Are you staying Mom?"

"Um yeah, I have a date."

"Hey, don't let dad hear you are dating other men!"

"Very funny Thomas! If you must know, I have a date with your father. He just texted me, his meeting is about to end and he wants to meet me here!"

"Aha, well nothings wrong with that of course. Bye Mom" Steffy was about to leave when she remembered something.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Steffy pulled the latest 'Vogue' out of her bag. "The article about Forrester Creation finally came out, Dad asked me to give you the magazine."

"Oh thanks, I can't wait to read it!" Thomas and Steffy left, Taylor flipped through the magazine until she found the article. It was an interview with Eric and Ridge about Forrester Creation's vision and future. Taylor first looked at the pictures, Ridge looked good in the photos. She remembered she had helped him get ready for the photo shoot. He had been extremely nervous. She was also in two of the pictures. The first showed Eric and Ridge, along with their wives Stephanie and herself. The other was a family portrait, Ridge and Taylor with Thomas and Steffy. Taylor had to admit the photos were very well done, they seemed candid and honest and not posed. Her eyes wandered to a box with a short profile of Ridge. Under family status it said *married to Dr. Taylor Forrester* her heart did a backflip as she skimmed this line. It always gave her a pleasant feeling to realize she belonged to him forever. She started reading the interview.

She was so engrossed in the article she didn't even notice someone approached her table and spoke to her.

"Taylor?! Is that you?" She looked up and stared into a face she was now not expecting at all.

"Whip?! Wow, what a surprise!" Taylor was stunned. First she didn't know how to react but when he smiled at her, she stood up and hugged him joyfully.

"My God, Taylor! How good to see you!"

"Likewise, I'm glad too!" She directed him to sit with her. As she did so, she unobtrusively dropped the magazine into her bag. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you here. I heard you moved away? What are you doing here? How are you?"

"I'm good, actually very good. I'm living in Florida now. I said goodbye to the fashion world and PR for good and I am now a real estate agent. Business is very promising, which is why I'm in LA right now. I have a few days of business in the city. How are you? I thought you had left LA as well?"

"I had. I lived in San Francisco for over a year, but I've been back for a few weeks. L.A. is my hometown after all and there were many good reasons for coming back." Whip scrutinized her. She looked good and seemed very happy.

"Aha, in any case, you seem to be doing great, you're positively glowing. Compared to that, even the Cheshire cat is a weeping willow."

"Well, I am indeed very happy and content with my life." she smiled sheepishly, a delicate blush rising to her face. Whip's gaze wandered to her hand and he spotted her engagement and wedding ring.

"It's obvious, you look fantastic and I guess there is a reason for this." He pointed to her hand. Taylor blushed even more.

"Yes, I'm married again!" Whip was surprised, he hadn't been in contact with anyone since he moved to Florida, so he didn't know how everyone was doing. Honestly, he didn't expect Taylor to be ready for another commitment.

"Oha, okay! I'm happy for you! Who's the guy who gets to fight Ridge for your heart now?" Taylor swallowed hard, a little embarrassed she hesitated with her answer.

"Well...to be honest...it's like...Ridge and I are married again!" Whip now glanced at her in complete shock, he had expected anything, but not this. He had caught the news that Brooke and Ridge had broken up, but he thought they would have reconciled long ago.

"What? You're kidding? How did that happen?"

"It's a long story: I went to San Francisco because I wanted to put the past behind me. Ridge and I had no contact at all for a long time. After the breakup with Brooke, Ridge also wanted to get away from L.A. for a while and happened to end up in San Francisco as well. We met there and over time we got along better and better. We spent a lot of time together and talked very honestly about everything... In the process, we sort of fell in love with each other all over again. Then just before we came back, we got married."

Whip didn't really know what to say.

"Frankly I'm pretty amazed, I wouldn't have thought in my lifetime Ridge and you would get back together. I mean after what happened at your wedding last year and all that. I mean I know Brooke and Ridge broke up, but I didn't take it seriously and since I've been living in Florida, I haven't caught anything that's been going on here in LA. I've been so busy lately I barely even manage to read the newspaper, except for the real estate section." This explained to Taylor why Whip was so surprised by her announcement. Apparently he hadn't seen the article a few months ago. Whip hesitated for a moment before continuing to speak.

"I don't want to put you on the spot, but are you really sure you made the right decision? You two share a turbulent past."

"I know what you're thinking, and God knows you're not the first one who says that to me. First, barely no one believed we would have another chance together. Almost everyone reacted the same way as you. But Ridge and I have a very different relationship now than we had in the past. We both know what went wrong and we both have changed and developed. Well Ridge still has his quirks and certain habits I can't get out of him. But I have no reason to doubt my decision! Ridge is loving, caring, attentive, he showers me with affection and gifts and he does everything to make me feel good and content. We have reached a point where we can just enjoy our life. We take a lot of time for each other and we have so much fun together. It's wonderful with him and also with the kids, we are truly a happy family. I don't think I've ever been so happy and in love and in my life..." Taylor kept talking herself into a groove until she suddenly stopped abruptly. Embarrassed, she turned away.

"Sorry, I'm an insensitive klutz! Let's talk about something else." Whip was confusef.

"Where did you get that idea?"

"Well, it's not very sensitive that I'm raving to you about my life with Ridge. After all, he was one of the reasons you and I broke up."

"Oh, that's what you mean. That's not a problem for me at all."

"Still, that was pretty tactless of me, sorry! Tell me something about yourself? What else do you do when you're not flogging houses to your clients?"

Taylor and Whip were captured in their conversation, they didn't see Ridge who just came into the restaurant. Ridge was very puzzled because Taylor was not sitting alone at the table. His expression darkened when he recognized the man. Whip Jones, Ridge was more than astonished. What was he doing here, and with Taylor? It began to boil inside him, but he remained calm on the outside. Taylor finally spotted him and waved him over.

"Hey Ridge, there you are finally!" She stood up and fell around his neck.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late but Dad was still holding me up!"

"No problem, look who's in town!"

"Whip Jones, what a surprise!"

"Hey Forrester!" Both men scowled at each other as they shook hands. "Oh and by the way Congratulations, Taylor told me the good news about your wedding. I hope you appreciate the good fortune!"

"Don't worry, I know very well what I have in Taylor!" He pulled her even closer to him. Taylor was uncomfortable, getting quite nervous. The tension in the air was palpable, yet she made an effort to make small talk.

"Whip's in town for business, guess what, he's living in Florida now."

"Aha, nice place!"

"It's quite fine to live there." Whip also felt uncomfortable, he packed up his stuff.

"Well, I don't want to bother you any longer. I have to go anyway, I've got a lot of appointments today. He gave Taylor a quick hug.

"It was good to see you again!"

"Yeah!" Whip and Ridge gave each other another quick goodbye handshake, squeezing as tightly as if each secretly intended to break the other's hand.

Taylor and Ridge took seats at their table.

"Would you like to eat something, the daily menu is delicious." But Ridge was interested in anything but the menu at the moment. Taylor noticed his grim expression. "Now before you get upset, Whip and I met purely by chance and we were just talking like old friends. So you have no reason for this grouchy face." She kissed him softly and pulled his hair affectionately. "I love you!" Finally a smile flitted across Ridge's lips.

"And I love you! Sorry, I know sometimes I'm an obnoxious macho! I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, I was just a little surprised to see you two together. How is he doing?"

"Quite well I guess, actually he didn't talk about himself that much. I did most of the talking."

"Uh-huh, interesting about what?"

"Whip wanted to know how we started our relationship and then I told him the whole story."

"I can already imagine how he reacted."

"Well, he was a bit taken aback and skeptical at first, but I told him straight up how happy we are, especially how happy I am!" Ridge was now completely satisfied.

"I'm glad to hear that! He reached for her hand and whispered softly. "After all, I don't complain when you call my name in our bedroom!"

"Ridge!" Taylor blushed. "Do you have to remind me of this incident?" Ridge smirked and touched her cheeks.

"Oh come on, there are worse things you could have done. I think it's a sweet story." Taylor groaned.

"Yeah, incredibly sweet!" She buried her face in her hands.

"Okay, I wouldn't have been thrilled either if I were in Whip's shoes, but basically the story is quite amusing."

"I guess you're alone with your opinion, I still wonder why I even told you this back then!"

"You've just never been able to resist my charms Doc!" They kissed repeatedly. Neither of them noticed Whip watching them from a distance.