The way you love me!

Steffy and Thomas hadn't noticed yet that their parents weren't at home. Her father had sent Steffy a message yesterday that Taylor and he would go out for dinner and that they shouldn't wait. So when their parents didn't show up for breakfast, they didn't worry about it. They guessed they had been out late and wanted to sleep in and might not be going to work until later. So they were all the more surprised when their mother suddenly appeared at the front door, tired and exhausted.

"Mom, where do you come from and where is Dad?"

"Did you guys pull an all-nighter?" asked Thomas, mockingly. Taylor just shook her head wearily.

"Not exactly, come join me in the living room for a moment please." Immediately Thomas and Steffy had an uneasy feeling. "Well, the thing is...your father was in a car accident last night!" The two stared at their mother, shocked. "But you don't have to worry, he's doing quite fine so far. He was very lucky, he only has a few bruises and a concussion. He'll probably be allowed to leave the hospital tomorrow!" The two breathed a sigh of relief for the time being.

"That means nothing bad happened and he's not in any more danger?" asked Steffy anxiously.

"No! The doctors are going to check him again today, but it looks like he got away with it!" Thomas and Steffy were visibly rattled by the news. Steffy sat frozen on the couch. Taylor walked over to her daughter and took her in her arms, beckoning Thomas to sit with them. "Trust me, in a few days your dad will be back to his old self." The two snuggled up to their mother.

"Were you at the hospital with Dad all night?"

"Yes, I didn't want to leave him alone. I only came home to tell you and for a quick shower and change. Then I'll go right back to him."

"We'll come with you!" said both spontaneously out of one mouth. So they all made their way to the hospital together. Ridge was lying in bed impatiently waiting for his wife, when there was a knock on the door and Taylor stuck her head in.

"Yoo-hoo, here I am and I brought you a surprise!" Ridge's eyes lit up as not only Taylor walked into the hospital room, but his kids as well. They both fell into their father's arms as they saw with their own eyes that he was okay.

"Oh Dad, we're so glad you're alright!" Steffy snuggled up to her father. Thomas nodded at him.

"Indeed Dad, don't do anything like this again, we need you!" Ridge smiled emotionally and took his children in his arms. This accident had been a real shock for him, but it also proved to him how much his family loved and needed him and this was a wonderful feeling.

Soon Steffy and Thomas left the hospital to go to work. Taylor stayed with Ridge. When he got picked up for his checkups, she promised to wait for him. It was quite a while before a nurse brought Ridge back to his room. Ridge was pretty beaten.

"That tube in the CT scan is horrible, you get the horrendous conditions in there!" Taylor caressed him to calm him down.

"I know, it's not exactly pleasant, but these exams are necessary! You survived it." She tried to cheer him up. After the ordeal, Ridge desperately needed some fresh air. Taylor organized a wheelchair to take him for a walk in the park. Ridge grumbled.

"You're not serious, I shall take place inside this vehicle?! That makes me feel like a frail old man all the more!"

"Don't be like that, it's either that or nothing!" Ridge snorted, but then finally relented. Taylor put his sunglasses on him so the bright light outside wouldn't hurt his head. Outside in the park, she always made sure to stay in the shade with him. They sat down on a park bench. Ridge let his gaze wander around the park and sighed.

"It's actually a shame that people never make time for moments like this in their everyday lives. Everyone should take more time to sit in the park and enjoy nature and unwind." Taylor leaned into him.

"Yeah you're right about that, we should actually do something like this more often!" She understood what was going on inside him. It often happens that people perceive the world in a different way after an accident and suddenly start to enjoy even the smallest things again.

At night, Ridge insisted Taylor should go home so she could get a good night's sleep. In fact, Taylor was so exhausted she didn't protest. But still the parting was very difficult for both of them and lasted much longer than expected. At home, Taylor had dinner with Thomas and Steffy. She told them the doctor had fortunately found that everything was fine and that their father would be released the next day. After dinner Taylor retired immediately to her bedroom. She was so tired she could barely stand. As she got ready for bed, her eyes fell on 'Richie'. Since Ridge was back, the teddy bear had his permanent place on the dresser. She took him in her arms and pressed her face into the fur. Without further ado, she took him to bed with her and with 'Richie' in her arms, she finally fell asleep.

The next morning Taylor hurried to pick Ridge up. He was already dressed and waited impatiently for her. He couldn't leave this hospital fast enough. Once home, Taylor demanded he had to lie down immediately. Ridge grumbled, because he felt quite well again, but she brooked no argument. She knew a concussion was not to be trifled with.

"Ridge, you still need to slow down and most importantly, don't overexert yourself. For the next few days, any kind of sensory overload is strictly forbidden, which means no TV, no loud music and you shouldn't read either. All this strains your head too much." Ridge made a shocking face.

"You can't be serious Doc, you can't do that to me!"

"You bet I'm serious! But don't worry, I'll be happy to keep you company and take care of you. I've canceled all my appointments for the coming week." This pleased Ridge only to some point. He wasn't used to being relegated to total rest; he needed to feel energized. Taylor, however, showed no mercy.

"You're welcome to go back to the hospital if you don't like my rules!"

"That's blackmail!"

"I call it marriage!" She threw him a kiss on the hand. "I'll make you your breakfast now." Ridge mumbled some more, but when he saw the breakfast tray she brought him, all grumbling was forgotten. Taylor had prepared his favorite cereal and made him a fruit salad just the way he liked it. In addition, she had bought his favorite kind of donuts. He gave her a grateful look.

"You're the best!"

"I'm flattered!"

Later, she got all the fashion magazines; since Ridge wasn't able to read them himself, she read to him all the articles he was interested in. Ridge glanced at her all dreamy.

"Hey, where are you with your thoughts right now?"

"I was just thinking…this reminds me of when you were sick and I read to you aloud." Taylor got a gushy expression.

"Oh yeah, I could have listened to you for hours!" Ridge reached for her hand.

"And whenever you were asleep, I secretly held you in my arms and imagined how it would be to hold you for the rest of my life. Everytime it was hard for me to let you go when you woke up."

"I could tell!" squealed Taylor, admitting meekly.

"To be honest, I often just pretended to be asleep, it was so cozy in your arms." Ridge grinned mischievously.

"Oh, yeah?!" Taylor was puzzled that Ridge wasn't surprised at all. His grin grew even wider.

"I noticed very well you weren't always asleep. But who am I to say anything then!" They both laughed at the idea, how they had fooled each other just to be close. Taylor shook his head.

"Oh god, we've really made it hard on ourselves. We could have had it so easy, instead we went the tricky way!" Ridge looked her deep in the eye.

"Yeah, but I think the trick way had its appeal too!"

"You're right!" They shared a sweet kiss.

The first day, Taylor brushed off all the visitors, explaining to them Ridge still needed his rest and was too weak for any excitement. But on the second day, the rest of the family showed up one by one. Ridge was happy about so much attention, but it also was a bit too much for him. His mother, in particular, couldn't contain herself at all. She lamented non stop about what a shock Ridge had given her and how scared she had been for him when she found out about his accident.

"You really need to take better care of yourself in the future, I don't want to worry about you like this again!" Taylor jumped to her husband's support.

"But Ridge wasn't responsible for the accident and because of his fast reaction nothing worse happened." Stephanie continued to whine.

"Yeah, the traffic in LA is just insane, we all shouldn't expose ourselves to it anymore! It's a miracle we're all still alive." Finally, Ridge got fed up. He pretended to be extremely tired and exhausted. Taylor suspected Ridge was just faking it, yet she immediately jumped into his act.

"Sorry Stephanie, but Ridge has to lie down, he still needs a lot of rest and should not overexert himself!" She spoke with her 'Doctor voice' and she actually managed to convince her mother-in-law to leave.

Ridge meanwhile retreated to the bedroom, Taylor followed him and joined him on the bed.

"She's gone!" Ridge took a deep breath.

"Thank God, I know she means well, but sometimes her nature can be a little exhausting." Taylor nodded. "At least you were able to calm her down, sometimes having a doctor in the family comes in handy!"

"Funny you just noticed that now!" She grinned at him.

"Why? I've been saying that all along!" He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately, but she broke away from him and looked at him slyly.

"Stop, don't be so hasty!" she teased him mischievously. "Have you already forgotten you're my patient, I'm your doctor and you know what they say about the patient/doctor relationship, a professional distance should always be afforded." She giggled, Ridge whistled through his teeth. He didn't like it when she was playing her games with him and he definitely wasn't going to defeat so easily. With a feigned seriousness, he replied.

"Of course, I would never dare to make you violate that code of honor. But I'm sure there's an exception if the doctor and the patient are married to each other!" He pulled her to him again and began to kiss her on the back of her neck and behind her ear, he knew exactly her weak spot that he could use to make her compliant at any time. In fact Taylor felt her melting but she didn't want to show it so obviously. She smiled mischievously.

"Oh yeah that's right, we are married! I almost forgot!" She gave him a seductive look.

"Then I'd better remind you right away!"

Later, they lay cuddled together, Ridge sighing deeply.

"It's wonderful to have you all to myself. As much as I enjoy our life here in LA, sometimes I long for the relaxing time in San Francisco." Taylor snuggled even closer to him.

"Yeah, I feel the same, when we were there our life was nowhere near as stressful."

"Do you ever regret leaving San Francisco?" Taylor shook her head decisively.

"No, I'm happy with our life here despite everything. I think it's wonderful to live in our house again and to be back with our kids. Plus, we both have jobs that fulfill us. Of course, sometimes I think back; it was a wonderful time!"

"Yes, it was!"

"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot." Taylor reached for her cell phone. "Susan sent me a video for you!" Susan had heard about the accident from Taylor and she had immediately rounded up all their friends. In the video, they all sent him 'get well' wishes. Ridge was touched by their friends' gesture. Spontaneously he came up with an idea.

"You know what, as soon as I get better, we'll go and visit them all."

"That's a great idea, Ridge! It's been so long since we've been there." The last time had been for Marc's opening of his new gallery. "It will be fun to see everyone again!"

The first week, Ridge was still dealing with some discomfort. He felt nauseous sometimes and he also suffered from dizziness and headaches. Taylor nursed him sacrificially. She made cold compresses for his head, dressed his wounds and made sure to prepare a light diet. She expertly massaged his strokes and Ridge enjoyed her treatment every time. She even put up with his moods with all her patience and humor. She knew patients were often grumpy and should not be taken so seriously. Ridge was immensely grateful for her effort. He knew he was not an easy patient. He firmly resolved when he would be on his feet again, he would take her out for a real fancy dinner to show her his appreciation.

One day, Brooke came whirling in. Ridge was lying on the couch when she rang the doorbell loudly. Taylor opened the door and was immediately pushed aside rudely. Brooke rushed toward Ridge.

"My God, Ridge, that's terrible what happened to you. I was terrified when I heard about your accident, I'm so glad nothing worse happened!" Dramatically, she threw herself into his arms, sniffling. Alienated, he broke away from her.

"There's no need to be upset, as you can see I'm feeling much better already."

"Yeah, but still, when I imagine what could have happened! By the way, I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, but I've had the last few days off and only found out about your accident today." She cast a gloomy look over at Taylor.

"Why didn't you call me as soon as Ridge was taken to the hospital? I would have come right away!" Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Sorry!" she said sarcastically "But as you might imagine, I was in a tizzy myself. Calling you was really the last thing on my mind at that moment!" Ridge jumped to her defense.

"Besides, that would have been totally uncalled for, it really isn't as bad as it sounds like. I was very lucky, just a few bruises and a concussion. Brooke stared at him, startled.

"Only? I think that's bad enough! Anyway, you still look very pale, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Taylor is taking care of me perfectly." He reached for her hand, she smiled gratefully at him. Brooke didn't like this obvious affection at all. She reached for the empty pitcher on the table.

"I'm terribly thirsty! Taylor, would you be so kind as to get me something to drink?" The latter forced herself to smile.

"Of course!" She grabbed the pitcher and headed for the kitchen. Brooke turned to Ridge.

"Finally we have a moment alone, I'm really worried about you! You don't look good at all, maybe you should have stayed in the hospital!"

"You really don't have to worry, Brooke! It takes a few days for a concussion to go away completely. And as I said, Taylor is taking excellent care of me, she knows exactly what to do."

"Yes, certainly!" gave Brooke wryly. She was more than pissed off, she didn't like the way Ridge praised Taylor. Just then, Taylor returned with the pitcher of lemonade. Brooke actually wasn't thirsty, but she couldn't very well tell anyone. She drained her glass in one go. Ridge, meanwhile, was thinking about how to get rid of Brooke. He yawned several times.

"I'm tired again. Probably I've been up too long. I should get some sleep! Brooke, please close the door quietly when you leave!" She looked at him with concern. "My God, are you getting worse again? Do you need me to help you?"

"No, I don't need anything from you, besides..." Ridge decided to be more explicit. "...that was a hint!" Brooke was confused.

"Ridge wants you to leave!" Taylor pointed with a finger to the door, but Brooke just laughed.

"Nonsense, I just got here. I took the entire afternoon off. I thought you'd be happy to have me keep you company!" Brooke smiled sweetly at Ridge. "Taylor, surely you have some errands to run, I could take care of Ridge as long as you are busy!" Taylor and Ridge exchanged definite glances. Taylor reached for the pitcher again

"Would you like another drink, Brooke?"

"Yes, thanks!" As she poured, Taylor slipped the pitcher and the lemonade dripped onto Brooke. The latter immediately jumped up, furious.

"Hey, watch it! What are you doing? My new dress!" Taylor made a very startled face.

"Oh, I'm really sorry! I'm so clumsy sometimes, come on I'll help you!" But Brooke just gave her a hateful stare and stormed out the door. The couch luckily hadn't taken a hit and Taylor settled down on it with a satisfied grin. Ridge couldn't stifle his laughter any longer. He had seen exactly that it had been purely intentional. But he couldn't be mad at Taylor.

"Dooc, really!"

"I know what you're going to say,it was very bad, unreasonable, childish, and I'm acting like a silly teenager!"

"Exactly, but somehow it turns me on!" They sank into a deep kiss.

By the second week, Ridge was doing much better. His external injuries were healing well, and he was slowly recovering from his concussion. Still, Taylor continued to pay attention; he took it easy and didn't jump right back into work. Ridge promised her not to push it. The only thing he did was, he had regular conference calls with Thorne, Steffy and Thomas so they could fill him in on what was important and he could give them his input. In addition, he used his free time to design, but that wasn't work for him, but the best way to relax. On this point, Taylor relented. Now that he was feeling better, Ridge insisted they get back to normal. That also meant Taylor went back to her practice for some appointments. Ridge also demanded she should go to her volunteer work at the hospital. Taylor actually wanted to cancel it because it would keep her busy all afternoon, but Ridge practically forced her to go.

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" she asked, slightly miffed.

"Nonsense, but you always say yourself how important any support is for them. Your big patient can handle himself for a couple of hours. Taylor finally let him convince her. Before she left, she made sure Ridge had everything he needed. She set a snack for him.

"Well I'm off then, and don't you go overboard! I'd better not come home and see you with any work."

"Don't worry, I already know how to keep myself busy." In fact, Ridge had found a much better way to pass the time. Since his car had been badly damaged in the accident, he decided to buy a new one. He had asked Thomas to get him some brochures, which he was now excitedly leafing through.

The next day, Taylor and Ridge sat on the couch together. Taylor was reading a book for her research, that's when Ridge spotted his dream. A brand new red sports car, the latest model with features that would make any heart skip a beat. Taylor noticed Ridge's eyes suddenly light up and he stared at one side, completely spellbound.

"Hey, what are you looking at so fascinated? Any reason for me to get jealous?" Ridge just grinned and finally showed her his discovery.

"Look at this car, isn't it marvelous?" Taylor looked at the pictures.

"Yeah, it looks pretty nice."

"Pretty nice?! It's perfect! The most incredible thing I've seen in a long time!"

"Oh yeah?!" She gave him a rather painful pinch.

"Ouch, what was that for?" He saw Taylor glaring at him. That's when he realized his faux pas. "Excluding you, of course!" He gave her a heartfelt kiss to soften her up. "But seriously, this car is exactly what I had in mind. He read all the technical details to her, but she was unimpressed. To her, they were just numbers. But Ridge had made up his mind. "As soon as I'm fully recovered, I'm going to contact some dealers to get some offers and I will definitely set up a test drive." Taylor just shrugged; she couldn't really share his passion for cars. She was happy with any car as long as it drove and didn't make a fuss. But Ridge was convinced once Taylor sat a foot in this car and experienced this feeling for herself, she wouldn't want to get out.

Over time, Ridge recovered totally, his injuries completely subsided and the aftermaths of his concussion were gone. After two weeks of recovery and another week in the home office, Taylor allowed him to go back to work. Now that he no longer had a car, he rode with either Steffy or Thomas. In the evenings, Taylor would usually pick him up or he asked someone to drive him home. A week after Ridge started going to work regularly, Taylor showed up at his office very euphoric.

"Hey sweetheart, here comes your ride!"

"Hey Doc, hold on a minute. I have to go through this order and send it out." But Taylor didn't want to wait, determined, she walked over to his desk and tried to pull him along with her.

"No, you have to come with me immediately, I have a huge surprise for you!" She continued tugging at him to get him up from his chair. He didn't understand her impatience.

"Don't be mad at me, but the order really should go out today!"

"I swear, once you see my surprise, you'll forget all the orders in the world!" Ridge gave up, turning off his computer and resigning himself to his fate.

"Okay, let's see your surprise then! I hope it's really great!"

"Wanna bet?" In the elevator, Taylor pulled a scarf out of her bag. Ridge didn't approve of her trying to blindfold him at all.

"Do you really have to do that, you know I don't like games like this!"

"Oh come on Ridge please, don't be like that!" Ridge sighed and reluctantly let her blindfold him.

"This must really be a super big surprise!" He let her lead him out of the building. He walked with very careful uncertain steps, he was never comfortable with not being able to see. Taylor smirked as she noticed his unsteady gait.

"Don't you trust me?" she asked him mischievously.

"I hope that was a rhetorical question!" retorted Ridge dryly. Taylor stopped suddenly.

"There, now you may remove the blindfold!" For a moment, Ridge was blinded by the sun and could not see. Taylor stood with his arms outstretched. "Tadaaa!" Ridge couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was completely speechless. There stood his dream! The very red sports car he wanted so badly. He hardly dared to step closer and touch it, afraid it might be just a mirage. But the car was real. Dumbfounded, he stared over at Taylor.

"Did you borrow the car for a test drive?"

"No!" she replied, beaming and waving with the keys. "I bought it, for you!" Ridge didn't want to believe it at first, this was really going to be his car? This was just too good to be true.

"You really bought it?"

"Yes!"

"But I thought you were against the car?!"

"Well, let's put it this way. I still don't understand what's so great and special about this car, but if it's absolutely your heart's desire, then it's yours!" Ridge started cheering, looking at his new gem from all angles. Then he stormed up to Taylor and twirled her around.

"You are the sweetest and best wife in the world! Come let's go for a ride!" He went to reach for the keys, but Taylor held him back.

"Not so fast! Where's my thank you?"

"Here, at the parking lot?" Taylor chuckled, Ridge gave her a long deep kiss. "A little taste, you will get much more later!" Then he grabbed the key. Devoutly, Ridge put the key in the ignition and let the engine rev. "Oh, isn't that music to the ears!" Taylor just gave him a very skeptical look. They took a long detour on their way home. Ridge wanted to savor the feeling for as long as possible. As they drove, Taylor watched her husband with a smile. In that regard, he was like most men. Indeed, Ridge felt like he was the king of the world. Finally, they arrived home.

"I still can't believe you actually got me this car?!"

"I can explain that to you in one sentence: I love you and because of this, I want you to be happy. And if I have a chance to make you happy, I will! You see, it's that simple!" Ridge took her in his arms, kissing her tenderly with all his love.

"Do you actually know that you are the best, the dearest and the most amazing and wonderful woman in the world! Not only because of this car, but because of the way you love me!"

"I think I've heard that before."

"I just never get tired of saying it!"

"And I never get tired of hearing it!" The two sank again into a long intimate deep kiss. They had just gotten out of the car when Thomas and Steffy arrived home. Thomas got all wide eyed.

"Is that your new car Dad?" His father nodded proudly. Just like Ridge earlier, Thomas walked around the car in awe, looking at it from all sides. Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Like father, like son!" Steffy was also impressed. "Wow Dad, how did you come up with the idea to buy such an expensive sled?"

"I didn't buy it, your wonderful mother gave it to me!" He hugged his wife and pressed a kiss on her cheek. Thomas looked at his mother surprised.

" Really Mom? What possessed you to give Dad such a generous gift, just like that?"

"I just wanted to satisfy your father's burning desire. When you love each other, you're happy when the other one is happy! That goes for gifts too!"

"I hope this principle also applies for the love between mother and son!" Thomas winked at her and everyone started laughing.