Chapter seven!

"What are you doing here, Rick?" Taylor repeated her question. He continued to stare at her with wide eyes. "And how did you even get in here?" Rick jerked away.

"Bridget showed me the way, I just wanted to check on Phoebe. You have to believe me, I didn't want any of this!"

"I think it's better if you leave now!" declared Taylor coolly. "You can't help Phoebe anyway."

"Is it true, she needs a new kidney?" asked Rick nervously.

"Yes, unfortunately! Both of her kidneys were so badly affected by the accident that they had to be removed. Right now, though, she's not strong enough for another surgery and she's on dialysis." Rick felt queasy.

"But she'll pull through, right?" he asked hopefully.

"No one can say that yet!"

"That means...she could also-" Rick broke off. "No, she can't.., she can't..!" Rick slapped his hands together in front of his face.

"What is he doing here?" An angry voice sounded behind them. Taylor and Rick both turned around, startled. Ridge stood in front of them, his eyes glinting. Threateningly, he walked towards Rick. "Get out of here right now before I forget myself!" Rick looked at him with hostility.

"Leave me alone! I just wanted to see Phoebe for a minute, you can't forbid me to visit her!"

"You bet I can! You'll see and now get the hell out of here!" Rick was about to leave when Ridge called him back. "Oh, by the way, have you seen Lt. Baker yet for your statement?"

"No, not yet! When I will talk with Lt. Baker is none of your business at all!" declared Rick defiantly.

"You're wrong my boy, it is very much my business! And I guarantee you, I will make sure that you make your statement!"

"Oh yeah and how are you planning to do that?!"

Taylor snapped angrily at the two of them.

"Stop it right now! Your bickering isn't going to help Phoebe in any way!" Ridge raised his hands apologetically.

"Sorry Doc! You're absolutely right, but this guy just freaks me out!" Taylor gave him a supportive hug and gave Rick a bitter look.

"I think it's better if you leave now and don't come back! We don't want to see you here again!" Rick looked at her affected and then walked away.

As soon as Rick disappeared, Taylor glanced at Ridge seriously.

"You really should pull yourself together, even though I can understand you!" Ridge made a contrite face.

"I know but all he has to do is stare at me and I get aggressive and I can't stand to see him here at Phoebe's bedside!" Ridge walked over to the window and looked at his daughter. "Have you talked to the doctors? Is there any news?" Taylor shook her head sadly.

"There is nothing new, she is still in a critical condition and we are still not allowed to go inside her room!" she explained with a tearful voice. "This is so terrible, she's lying there completely helpless and I can't even hold her hand!" Ridge put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him.

"I know how you feel! I have this picture in my mind all the time. How she was lying there in the ditch!"

Together they stood there for a while, both of their minds on Phoebe.

Around noon, Ridge suggested they should go and have lunch together. Taylor agreed. Before they left the hospital, Ridge stopped by the nurses' station and instructed them not to let Rick enter the recovery ward. They promised to follow his instructions.

Just as the two were about to get into Ridge's car, Ridge pulled up in a huff.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He spotted Rick loafing behind some parked cars. He stared at them in a provocant manner and grinned.

"Well wait, he's in for a treat now!"

"Ridge, don't! Stay here!" Taylor tried to stop him, but he didn't listen to her. Outraged, he walked up to Rick and shoved him.

"I thought I made myself pretty clear! You should leave and don't dare to come back!" Rick shoved him back and retorted snippy.

"I'm not going to let you tell me where to stay!" Rick glared at Ridge belligerently. "Believe it or not, I care deeply about Phoebe and I visit her whenever I want! You won't stop me" Ridge grinned superiorly.

"Well just for your information, I just instructed the nurses not to let you inside the recovery ward. I will not allow you near my daughter again! You have truly done enough damage to her already! If you have any decency, you will leave her alone!" Rick was raging with anger.

"You can't keep me from her forever! I'll talk to her someday and one more thing it's not my fault Phoebe is lying here! I didn't want this accident to happen and I certainly didn't want Phoebe to suffer!"

"If you really feel sorry for her and want to do something for her, then go to the police and make your statement and make sure the accident is cleared up!"

"I will go to the police! You can count on it and they will also confirm that it wasn't my fault! You're in for a big surprise!" Again Rick had a big grin on his face and he winked at Ridge.

Ridge lost control and went after Rick. Rick attacked him back and a fierce fight ensued. Taylor rushed over and intervened. She managed to separate the two. She stood in front of Ridge and yelled at Rick.

"That's enough! Go away and leave us alone once and for all!" Rick glared at her, reproach.

"So you're sticking up for him?! He attacks me for no reason and accuses me without any evidence and you're actually on his side?!"

"I'm on the side of my daughter who is fighting for her life right now!" retorted Taylor. "And after all, you haven't said anything yet that invalidates your guilt! You haven't told anyone yet what actually really happened! So you can't blame us for having our own thoughts."

"You guys don't care about Phoebe at all!" blurted Rick. "All you care about is getting your revenge on me! You want to finish me off and you'll do anything for it, even harm your own daughter! But you'll see what you get out of it!" Rick stomped off.

When Ridge came home that night, Brooke was already waiting for him. Furious, she stood in front of him.

"What were you thinking, to attack my son?! I thought we agreed you were going to leave Rick alone!"

"Excuse me, but Rick ambushed us and provoked me! All I want is that he stays away from Phoebe and the recovery ward! He has no business being there!"

"My God, Ridge! He was worried and wanted to check on her. There's nothing wrong with this, after all they used to be very close! So it's only natural that her poor condition concerns him. That's no reason to get violent! I demand you apologize to Rick and pull yourself together in the future!" Ridge stared at her in disbelief.

"Excuse me? I think my hearing goes bad, I will definitely not apologize to him! Not after everything he threw at me!" Ridge crossed his arms resolutely.

"Why are you so stubborn Ridge?!"

"I'm not stubborn, I'm consistent! I'm not going to apologize to Rick! Not unless he changes his arrogant behavior towards me and stops being so secretive about the circumstances of the accident!" Brooke took a deep breath.

"Is that your final word?"

"On this matter it is!" declared Ridge firmly. Brooke gave him a resigned look.

"In that case, I ask you to leave!" Ridge's jaw dropped.

"What? Are you serious?!" You're going to kick me out because of Rick?!" Brooke sighed and nodded.

"Ridge, I don't want any of this! But you're leaving me no choice! Rick just came home completely devastated. It took me forever to calm him down and he's still worn out. And he hasn't even recovered from the accident yet. Obviously you two can't live under the same roof right now without starting a fight. And I can't send Rick away in his condition!" Ridge gave a disdainful snort.

"All right, instead you send me into exile, no matter how I feel about it or what I'm going through!"

"Ridge, I know you're going through a rough time, but your anger at Rick isn't making it any better! I don't want to see you guys busting your heads! So either you get your act together with Rick or it's better if you move out!"

"Well in that case, I'm leaving!"

Without another word, Ridge went upstairs to their bedroom, grabbed a suitcase and frantically packed up the most necessary things. Brooke's reaction was stunned. She had hoped her threat would make Ridge see her point and to be reasonable; she hadn't expected him to really go. Now when he was about to leave, she tried to reason with him once more. But Ridge was deeply disappointed in her and would not be swayed. Frustrated, Brooke looked after him as he drove away. Rick stood at the top of the stairs, smiling triumphantly.

Ridge drove around. A roller coaster of emotions raged inside him. He felt a tremendous anger at the situation with Phoebe, at Brooke and especially at Rick. He couldn't believe that this little brat had managed to get Brooke on his side again and turn her against him. He was disappointed that Brooke didn't show more compassion for his situation.

Lost in thought, he drove around LA. When he finally braked, he saw, without realizing it he had driven to the Belair mansion and was now standing in front of Taylor's house. Without further ado, he parked the car and knocked on the door. Taylor was very surprised to see him, but immediately invited him in. Thomas and Steffy, who were sitting in the living room, were very happy to see their father. Steffy fell into his arms.

"Mom and we were just about to order pizza, do you want one?" Ridge nodded and a smile flitted across his lips.

"Yeah, that might not be a bad idea!"

As they all sat together waiting for the pizza, Taylor noticed Ridge seemed visibly depressed and down. But she decided not to mention it in front of the kids. After dinner, they all sat together for a long time. Thomas and Steffy had many questions for their mother regarding the tests and the procedure of a kidney transplant. Taylor answered all of their questions as best she could. Eventually Thomas and Steffy retired to their rooms. Taylor was exhausted as well. She was a bit puzzled because even though it was pretty late, Ridge was apparently in no hurry to go home.

"Don't you have to go? Surely Brooke is waiting for you impatiently?!" Ridge screwed up his face and sighed.

"I doubt it, but I don't want to bother you any longer. I have to go anyway, finding a sleeping place for tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Taylor asked, irritated. Ridge told her about the fight and that Brook practically kicked him out. Taylor was shocked, she couldn't understand how Brooke could abandon Ridge in this situation. But she stifled any further comment.

"Well, if it's not inconvenient for you, you're welcome to spend the night in the guest room. I mean, before you start looking for a hotel now." Ridge gratefully accepted her offer.

"That's really nice of you! To be honest, I'm pretty tired!" So Ridge got his suitcase and made himself comfortable in the guest room.

The next day breakfast was canceled for all of them because they all had to go for the blood tests. Thomas and Steffy were very surprised that their father was already there. Finally, Ridge enlightened them that he had spent the night in the guest room and that Brooke and he had had a fight. The two gave him a sympathetic hug. Steffy was about to make a remark, but Taylor made clear signals to her. It wasn't the right timing to be snarky about Brooke. Together, they made their way to the hospital. After the tests, the doctor had a brief conversation with them all. He explained Phoebe's condition was still critical, but her stats had not worsened. However, she was still not in condition for another surgery, but he wanted to start with the preparations as soon as the results were evaluated, to be able to act immediately if necessary. After the conversation with the doctor they all went to see Phoebe. However, they were still not allowed in her room. Steffy almost collapsed at the sight of her sister and clutched desperately at her father. After standing at the window for a short while, they head home.

For lunch, Taylor fixed up some sandwiches, but no one was really hungry and they all chewed on them reluctantly.

In the afternoon, Taylor was alone at home. Ridge had gone to Forrester Creation to talk to Eric. Steffy and Thomas had decided to accompany him. They hoped work might distract them a bit. At home, they were just going crazy.

Taylor sat in the living room. At first she took a look at some patient records, but she couldn't concentrate on her work and soon dropped the files. She pulled out the novel she was currently reading, however, she just stared at a page for minutes without reading a single word.

The doorbell rang. Taylor backed away, startled, when she saw who was standing in front of her. It was Rick.

"Hi Taylor, may I come in for a moment? It's important!" Taylor hesitated, Rick gave her a pleading look. Finally, she relented.

"Alright, fine!" Rick followed her into the house.

"The reason I came...you wanted to know what really happened in the accident...how the accident happened...so if you really want to hear it, I'll tell you everything!"

"I'm all ears!" Taylor looked at him tensely but also with anticipation.