Chapter twelve!

Rick tried to avoid his mother at first.

"It's nothing, Mom! I told you everything and how the accident took place."

"Then why are you acting so weird?" she continued. This time, she wouldn't back off so easily.

"Why won't you sign the protocol?! There's something wrong with you, Rick! I know you! Something is bothering you and there's something you haven't told us yet! You can talk with me, I'm your mother!"

Finally, Rick buckled.

"Alright, if you really want to know! It wasn't exactly like I told Lt. Baker. The fight between Phoebe and me didn't just start in the car. Phoebe came into my office already in a very agitated and hysterical mood and started calling me vicious names and attacked me even then. I think she only came to my office at all to give me a piece of her mind. She was so outraged that I suggested she should come with me. I noticed right away that she was in no condition to drive by herself."

Brooke slowly realized what Rick was getting at and the implications of his statement. Indeed, this version put the whole incident in a different perspective.

"That means you saw how upset and confused Phoebe was and you still got in that car with her and drove off?!"

Rick nodded mutely, and then he stammered meekly.

"But I couldn't have known she'd suddenly go off on me! I tried to talk to her during the drive and calm her down!" Rick tried to justify himself.

"Come on, Rick! You just admitted yourself she was completely hysterical. How could you even get in that car and drive off with her?! You should have realized that it would be too dangerous! You should have calmed her down first!"

"That's what I tried to do! But it wasn't possible to reason with her. Phoebe was furious, she yelled at me and blamed me for all my mistakes in the past! No matter what I said, she didn't listen."

"All the more reason not to drive away with her. That was irresponsible of you! I mean, it's no wonder you couldn't concentrate on the traffic then. Why didn't you at least pull over?"

Rick avoided his mother's gaze. Hesitantly, he muttered.

"I don't know either, Mom! It all happened so fast. I didn't have time to think at all. I know it was a mistake! Phoebe was still yelling the whole time for me to stop and pull over. But I just wanted to drive so we would finally get there and I just wanted her to be quiet and then she freaked out and then the crash happened."

Brooke needed a moment to let this information sink in. Even though she secretly already knew his answer, she still asked him.

"Why didn't you tell Lt Baker the truth?"

"I couldn't! You've seen him, he was convinced right from the beginning that the accident was entirely my fault, and when he probed me even further, I panicked. I thought if I told him that Phoebe and I had argued before the ride, he would blame me and he wouldn't be the only one. Imagine if Ridge and Taylor found out about this?! They've been thinking the whole time it's my fault anyway."

Brooke swayed her head back and forth.

"Well, you could certainly look at it that way. Phoebe's behavior definitely caused the accident, but you could have prevented it if you hadn't gotten in that car with her in the first place."

"I know, Mom! I know it was a stupid mistake. But what am I supposed to do now? I don't want to go to jail because of this! But Taylor and especially Ridge certainly won't rest for a minute when they find out the truth. They'll do anything to make sure I'm punished!"

Brooke thought hard. She was well aware that Rick was absolutely right with his concerns. There was no talking sense to Ridge at the moment, and it was indeed to be feared that he would do everything possible to put Rick behind bars. There was no way she was going to let that happen! Feverishly, she searched for a solution. Finally, she reached for the transcript.

"You know what, Rick! You sign this now and then we'll never say another word about this!"

Rick stared at her with wide eyes.

"Are you serious! But this protocol is a false statement!"

"Yes, it is, but only you and I know what really happened and there exists no evidence against you! Basically, it doesn't matter when the argument started. What matters is how the accident happened in the first place and on that point. After all, you were telling the truth! Phoebe lunged at you and grabbed your steering wheel!"

Rick continued to hesitate.

"And what if Phoebe wakes up and tells her parents like it really was! Then everyone will know I lied!"

Brooke tried to reassure him.

"Now listen to me, Rick! Phoebe has been in a coma for quite a while. After all, it's quite possible that she doesn't even remember the night and how the accident happened. Even if she does, we can still claim that she's just so confused that she's getting some things mixed up. After all, a coma can affect one's memory a great deal and in the main points, your statements would be in agreement. Also, I can't imagine that Lt Baker is going to question her on all these details. After all, Phoebe will still be very weak and fragile after the surgery, even in the best case scenario."

Rick looked deeply into his mother's eyes.

"And you have no qualms or guilty conscience? I mean, you have to lie to Ridge, too! Aren't you afraid that one day he'll learn the truth? You're risking your relationship with this lie?!"

Indeed, Brooke did feel a little uncomfortable at this question.

"Okay, to be honest, I'm extremely reluctant to betray Ridge and I don't even want to imagine what would happen if he finds out the truth. Especially since he's not in my good graces at the moment anyway. But let this be my concern. In this case, there is no other way. Ridge and the others must never know the truth or our whole family will be destroyed. I won't let that happen. Ridge is not capable of handling the truth right now and he would completely overreact. I will not tolerate you being held accountable for something that is only partially your fault. I know you didn't want this accident to happen, and that you certainly didn't mean what happened to Phoebe. I don't want you to be punished for that!"

Brooke took her son in her arms. A satisfied, triumphant grin spread across his face. Finally, Rick signed the protocol.