Chapter eight!

Ridge was in his office with Pam and instructed her to cancel all of his appointments for the next few days or to delegate the urgent ones to Eric. He was sorting out some papers for Eric when Brooke came into his office.

"Hey Ridge, there you are! I've been trying to reach you several times throughout the day."

"I was at the hospital earlier with Taylor and the kids, I had my phone on silent."

"Oh, I see! How is Phoebe?"

"Her condition hasn't changed much. Her vitals are still critical but stable for the moment. Taylor, the kids and I were all at the testing this morning to see who is most suitable for the kidney donation!"

"Yes, of course!" Brooke squinted at him, uncertain. "About our argument yesterday...what I like to say..."

There was a knock on the door, Thomas and Steffy poked their heads in.

"Hey Dad, are you ready? I thought, we are going to get some Chinese food before we drive home!"

"I need another minute here!" Ridge turned to the two. "You guys go ahead to the car, I'll be right there!"

When they disappeared again, Brooke stared at him indignantly.

"What are you talking about? Chinese food and driving home together? Did I miss something?!" Ridge fumbled at first, then hesitantly, he spilled the beans.

"If you have to know, I stayed with Taylor and the kids last night and currently, I'm sleeping in the guest room." Brooke's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?! Out of all places you could have gone, you went to Taylor?! Why? Are there no hotels in Los Angeles anymore or any other options for you to stay?! I'm telling you, Ridge, I won't tolerate it! You are not staying there one more night!" Now resistance stirred in Ridge. Determined, he replied.

"What do you mean you won't tolerate it?! First, you kicked me out the door because of Rick, instead of being on my side and now you want to tell me where to stay?!" Brooke turned pale, trying to placate.

"Ridge, please understand me! Rick is my son! Nevertheless, of course I want you to come home! But only on the condition that you pull yourself together towards Rick and that you don't attack him any further!"

"I see! I may graciously come home but by your rules! You know what, Logan, I really don't have the energy to deal with this right now. I have enough other things to worry about!" Ridge grabbed his papers and left. Brooke looked after him, deeply upset.

Thomas and Steffy noticed that their father was in a very bad mood. They didn't dare to address him about it. So it was a very silent ride.

At home, they couldn't find Taylor anywhere and she didn't respond to their calling either. Steffy went upstairs to check the bedroom. Shortly, she came back downstairs, distraught.

"Dad, you have to check on Mom right now, please! I don't know what's wrong with her. She locked herself in her bedroom and is crying. She didn't answer me when I was at the door." Ridge immediately rushed upstairs. Steffy hadn't exaggerated; already in the hallway, he could hear Taylor's sobbing and crying. He knocked on the door and pushed the handle down. But it was locked.

"Taylor?! It's Ridge, we're back and we brought Chinese food!" There was no response. Ridge was knocking on the door more vigorously now.

"Doc, open the door, at least talk to me!" But Taylor still made no move to open the door. Adamant Ridge continued to knock on the door.

"Now open up! Be reasonable, or do you want me to break in!"

Finally, he heard tentative footsteps and soon the key was turned around. Relieved, Ridge stepped into the room. Taylor had already crawled back into bed and was hugging a picture to her chest. It showed both of their girls. Ridge was honestly concerned about her. Slowly, he stepped closer. He tried to reach for her hand, but she jerked it away.

"Just go and leave me alone!"

"Certainly not! Not until I know what's going on with you!" Taylor took a deep breath. It was hard for her to talk about her troubles. She barely dared to look at Ridge. But then it burst out of her.

"It's all my fault! It's my fault that Phoebe is in the hospital, fighting for her life...and if she dies...I'll be solely responsible!"

Ridge stared at her dumbfounded. He grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Stop saying things like that! What makes you think it's your fault? Listen to me, it's not your fault!"

"Yes, it is! Because of me, this damn accident happened! Rick was just here and he told me what happened in the car. Phoebe and him had a terrible fight and it was mostly about my involvement with Rick. Do you understand?! Phoebe never got over the fact that Rick and I were together. That night, they got into a huge fight inside the car and Phoebe blamed him terribly and went off on him and that's what caused this stupid accident!"

First Ridge didn't know what to say, he felt an eerie anger towards Rick. It resembled Rick perfectly, making himself to be the victim and put the blame on others. He tried to reassure Taylor.

"Don't listen to that creep! I'm sure Phoebe wasn't just mad at him because of you. After all, he also hurt her before, with Ashley and who knows what else she found out about him!"

Taylor jumped up and ran around the room.

"But nothing hurt her as much as the fact that I betrayed her with Rick. Even though she said she was okay with our relationship. She left because she couldn't stand to see us together! She told me that herself the night before the accident and also that she was relieved Rick and I broke up! What the hell was I thinking to get involved with Rick back then! You all warned me! You kept telling me I couldn't do that to Phoebe and I knew myself that it was wrong. Why didn't I listen to you? If only I had never started anything with Rick! Then Phoebe wouldn't be in the hospital right now. If she dies, I'll have her on my conscience!"

"No! Stop telling yourself that! It's not true! All right, the thing with Rick wasn't your best choice, but Phoebe has forgiven you already. She told me herself you guys made up. If she had a fight with Rick, it was because of his behavior! Rick just tries to make you feel responsible so he doesn't have to blame himself. It's just the way he operates!"

Ridge took her in his arms and talked to her gently. It took quite a while for Taylor to calm down. Ridge tried to persuade her to go downstairs with him. Thomas and Steffy were surely about to starve. But Taylor just shook her head.

"I can't possibly face them right now! I just want to be alone!"

"Are you sure? I don't think it's a good idea!"

"Please, Ridge just leave me alone! I need some time by myself. "

"Alright, fine! But I'll bring you something to eat!"

Ridge went downstairs. Thomas and Steffy, meanwhile, had set up everything for dinner and were waiting impatiently.

"What's wrong with Mom?" asked Steffy immediately.

"It's nothing! The situation is just too much for her. Besides, she has a terrible headache. She just needs some rest!"

He grabbed the food that was meant for Taylor and brought it upstairs to her. Then he ate dinner with Steffy and Thomas. Everyone was silent and the mood was somber.

The next morning, Taylor had recovered so far. Ridge and she agreed not to talk to anyone about Rick and the accident for the time being. Together with Thomas and Steffy, they went to the hospital. There, the doctor was already waiting for them with the first results. As expected, the tests had shown Steffy was the most suitable donor. Steffy immediately agreed to donate a kidney to Phoebe and asked the doctor what would happen next. The doctor explained to her the further procedure and which examinations still had to be done. The examinations should take place immediately so that if necessary, they could perform the surgery right away. Taylor, as well as Ridge, felt quite queasy. They would have preferred it if one of them could have donated a kidney and spared Steffy the surgery. The idea of both of their girls facing a major operation stressed them. At the same time, they knew it was Phoebe's only chance.

A nurse took Steffy with her. Thomas said goodbye to his parents. He was going to Forrester Creation. Taylor and Ridge went to check on Phoebe. Ridge noticed Taylor's tense face.

"Hey, what's on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing!" He gave her a distinct look. "It's just...I know we should consider ourselves lucky that Steffy is eligible to be a donor and with twins, the chances that the body will accept the foreign organ are even better...but I can't help it...I'm terrified! What if something happens to Steffy? I couldn't bear it if one or both..." Ridge comforted her and took her in his arms.

"I know what you wanna say! I keep thinking the same! I wish I could be in Steffy's place. But it's the only option that we have, unfortunately! We can only pray that everything turns out fine!"

Brooke came to them. She was eager to talk to Ridge and had already guessed he would be at the hospital. She gave them a disapproving stare.

"Ridge, can I talk to you, please? Alone?!" Taylor realized the venomous looks Brooke was sending in her direction.

Ridge followed Brooke outside. He was very curious about what she wanted to talk to him about.

"So, what's up?"

"Rick told me everything about the accident and the fight he had with Phoebe and her attack on him and that she grabbed the steering wheel! Ridge, I don't want to say anything negative about your daughter because she's still in a very bad condition, but it looks like Phoebe is responsible for the accident!"

"We don't know that yet for certain!" declared Ridge firmly. "To investigate the exact circumstances of the accident is the job of the authorities!"

"What are you implying? Are you saying Rick is lying?!" she asked him belligerently.

"Well, let's just say he wouldn't be the first one to twist the facts a bit to exonerate himself!" Brooke was shocked. She couldn't believe what Ridge had just said.

"You don't seriously believe that! You accuse Rick of putting the blame on others so he won't be held accountable?"

"Yes, I do!" declared Ridge with a frown. "For example, I think it's very strange that he waited so long to tell his story. If he is innocent, why didn't he tell us what happened much sooner?"

"Simply because he wanted to protect Phoebe and also Taylor. Because he wanted to prevent the true circumstances from going public!" Ridge laughed derisively.

"That's absurd!"

"You know what's absurd?" yelled Brooke angrily at him. "That you don't want to see the truth! You don't want to admit that Phoebe is responsible for her misfortune and that Taylor plays a crucial role in it!"

"Leave Taylor alone! She has nothing to do with it!"

"Of course she does! They were fighting because of her! I always knew that this relationship would be a disaster for all of us, but even I didn't expect these drastic consequences! Anyway, I persuaded Rick it is useless to show false consideration. He will make his statement today and I will accompany him. That should put this vexed affair to rest once and for all."

"When he makes his statement, Rick should think very carefully about what he says and whether it is really the truth! I will only believe him when the police confirm his statement and when Phoebe, at some point, tells me herself that this is what happened!"

"We'll see who's right in the end!" said Brooke defiantly.