Chaper fifteen
Thomas and Steffy strolled around Brooke's office. They were waiting for an opportunity when no one could see them. Steffy knocked on the door. No response.
"She isn't there!"
"Very good!" Thomas described his plan. "I'll go inside and check if she left her phone there. Then I'll try to erase everything. I need you to keep a lookout in case Brooke comes back unexpectedly. If so, you need to warn me immediately and try to distract Brooke for as long as possible. Engage her in conversation. In any case, buy me enough time!"
Steffy nodded.
"Good luck!"
Thomas slipped into Brooke's office and immediately went to her desk. Hastily, he rummaged around everywhere, but at first he could not find her phone anywhere. Then he spotted her purse and searched it as well. Finally, he found the phone in a pocket. Quickly, Thomas began deleting all the messages Brooke had sent his father yesterday. He was about to delete all the phone calls when there was a knock at the door.
Steffy had been pacing unobtrusively in front of the door. Then, all at once, she heard Brooke's voice coming closer. She knocked three times and then ran right up to her.
"Hello Brooke, good to see you!" she chirped in an ironic, exaggerated voice. The latter stormed straight to her.
"Oh great, finally I see someone from your family again. Can you please explain to me where your father is?"
"He's at the hospital with Mom. They wanted to visit Phoebe and talk to the doctors again about the surgery!"
"I see, and where were you yesterday?!"
"Didn't Dad tell you?! We were all at the beach together. We thought it would be a good idea to take a break. We had a really beautiful day together."
Brooke had to pull herself together very hard not to show her anger. Steffy confirmed exactly what she had secretly feared.
"I guess that was Thomas and your brilliant idea, am I right?!"
"Well I have to admit, the suggestion was ours. But Mom and Dad jumped in immediately and loved the idea too and we all enjoyed the day as a family. Dad was very comfortable and relaxed!"
"Now listen to me, you little toad! I know exactly what you and your dear brother are up to and frankly, I think it's way out of line for you to take advantage of your sister's accident to get your parents back together. And a little advice from me, it's not going to work!"
"Oh, really?! Right now Dad rather prefers to spend his time with us than with you!"
All the while Steffy listened to Brooke's rant, she kept her eyes firmly on the door. She tried her best to keep Brooke away from it. In panic, she wondered what was keeping Thomas so long. That's when she spotted him carefully opening the door. But at that very moment, Brooke turned away from Steffy.
"I'm not talking to you anymore! It's not going anywhere!"
When Thomas noticed that Brooke was heading straight for her office, he immediately backed away and hid behind a clothes rack. There he squatted, watching Brooke make herself comfortable behind her desk. He hardly dared to breathe. Brooke was going through some papers when the phone rang.
"Hello, who is it?...yes I understand...but it would actually be better if you ask Ridge...right, he's not here yet...fine I'll come and check...yes. I will be there in a minute."
Brooke hung up and left the office. Thomas waited another moment to make sure she wouldn't come back. Then he crept to the door again and cautiously stuck his head out at first. No one was there. He slipped out of the office and hurried up to get away. He ran straight to Steffy. She was already waiting impatiently.
"There you are, thank God! Did my plan work?"
"What plan? Was that you on the phone?"
"Yes, I called Brooke in a disguised voice and had her come to the Department store."
"Thanks, that really was a last minute rescue!"
"And did you make it?" Thomas held up his thumb.
"All taken care of. All messages and calls are gone. Now we can just hope the story doesn't get out somehow!"
Taylor sat with Phoebe and tried to encourage her daughter.
"Hey, sweetie! The doctors said you've made a great recovery by now. They want to operate on you soon. Steffy is going to donate a kidney to you. You have been incredibly brave and strong so far, you just need to hang in there a little longer and fight once more! Then the ordeal will be over! I love you soo much!"
She stroked her curls. Bridget came into the room to check on Phoebe. She already knew about the surgery. She nodded encouragingly to Taylor.
"You'll see, everything will be fine! Phoebe is being operated on by the most experienced doctors and I'm sure she and Steffy will come through this. They are both young and strong!"
"I hope so, Bridget! I really hope things finally start to look up!"
"You deserve it, all of you! Wasn't Ridge here a minute ago?"
"Yes, but he went to work!"
"Oh, well I have to get back then, if you need anything let me know!"
"Thanks Bridget!"
When Taylor was alone with Phoebe, she reached for her hand and hummed the lullaby she used to sing to Steffy and Phoebe.
Brooke came back from the Department store. She was irritated because no one there knew anything about a phone call. She was about to go back to her office when Ridge ran into her.
"Hey Ridge, there you are at last! Say, what do you think you're doing?! Do you think it's particularly funny to play hide and seek with me? I think it's impossible the way you're treating me, as if you couldn't care less about me!" Ridge reacted a bit taken aback to Brooke's verbal attack.
"Hello Logan, I'm glad to see you too. What did I do to you?"
"You have the nerves to ask me that?! Honestly Ridge, you're such a jerk!"
"Now calm down Brooke! I suggest we continue this conversation somewhere else. It's not like the whole company has to hear us arguing again." Brooke and Ridge walked into her office together. That's when Brooke lashed out all her anger.
"It's not funny that I can't reach you all day and you don't even contact me, let alone return my calls or messages! I was terribly worried all day, wondering where you were, and then I had to find out from Steffy that you had a happy family day with Taylor, Thomas and her. Apparently they are more important to you than your own fiancée. We have a family and a son too Ridge! You could think about him for a change and not just about Thomas and Steffy who are just trying to break us up..."
"Now stop it Brooke! Take a deep breath. I don't understand half of what you're saying. Yes, it's true. I went to the beach house yesterday with Taylor and the kids. We just needed a day to ourselves to calm down. After all, we are all in a very difficult situation right now and of course I want to be there for Taylor and the kids. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you. Just right now, I don't know how to deal with you. Every time we see each other, all we do is argue and I don't have the energy for that right now!"
"Ridge, I don't wanna fight with you and I want to be there for you. But you're making it really hard for me. Why didn't you at least get back to me yesterday and respond to my messages?" Ridge looked at her without a clue.
"What are you talking about? I didn't get back to you? You didn't call me in the first place."
"Are you kidding me?? I've called at least 30 times all day and left just as many messages!" Ridge took out his phone.
"I haven't received a single call from you, and I haven't gotten any message." Brooke stared at him, stunned.
"That can't be!" She now reached for her phone as well to prove Ridge wrong. She couldn't believe her eyes. Brooke kept going over her chat history with Ridge, but she found nothing.
She thought hard. She remembered Steffy's strange appearance and that ominous phone call.
"Oh my God! Those two really have no scruples!" she exclaimed aloud.
"What are you talking about?" asked Ridge, irritated.
"I'm talking about your kids! Thomas and Steffy, they must have put your phone on mute yesterday and then they deleted all the messages from both you and me! Face it Ridge, those two are doing everything they can to keep us apart!"
"Now you're really letting your fantasies run away with you! This is ridiculous! Besides, I had my phone with me the whole time. They didn't have the opportunity to manipulate anything."
"Are you really sure?"
"Now come on Brooke! Just because you can't stand my kids, that doesn't give you the right to accuse them of such machinations. That won't solve our problems either!"
Ridge didn't feel like listening to any more accusations and stormed out. For the rest of the day, he avoided Brooke.
At night, as he helped Taylor prepare dinner, he told her about Brooke's suspicions. Taylor listened intently.
"Brooke claims she tried to reach you all day but there were no calls or messages in her phone or yours?"
"Exactly!"
"Mhm... " She thought hard. "...and what if she's right?" Ridge looked at her, aghast.
"You mean Thomas and Steffy…...but why would they do such a stupid thing?"
"Well, they really wanted to go on this trip with us, and maybe they were afraid that if you talked to Brooke, you'd change your mind."
"You think they were on another secret mission?"
"Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, I'm afraid this time Brooke is right!" Ridge couldn't help but grin.
"Pretty sneaky, those two!"
"Indeed and I specifically told them, I don't want any 'Parent Trap' actions!" Taylor shook her head, Ridge agreed with her.
"I think that's a pretty strong play on their part! So what do we do now?"
"I don't think we should be so hard on them, Ridge! They really don't have it easy these days! Of course, that in no way justifies their behavior. But I believe it's best to let the whole story rest for now. At least until after the surgery. Then we can still give them a piece of our mind!" Ridge nodded.
"Yeah, you're probably right. We should really focus on Phoebe right now and everything else can wait. Besides...I would have gone to the beach with you guys no matter what and I don't regret the day, on the contrary! I enjoyed every minute!" Taylor beamed at his comment. Ridge continued. "But I think a little punishment is in order."
"What are you up to?"
"Just wait and find out!"
As Ridge and Taylor had dinner with Thomas and Steffy, Ridge suddenly turned to his son.
"Thomas, you're a crack with technology. Can you maybe take a look at my phone?" Thomas nearly dropped his fork and Steffy choked on her lemonade.
"Of course Dad! What's wrong with it?" Thomas asked as casually as possible.
"Oh, it seems to have some kind of a quirk. Brooke told me today, she called me a couple of times yesterday, but my phone didn't ring at all. Maybe something is broken or set wrong. It would be really sweet of you to check it?!"
"No problem Dad, I'll see if I can find anything."
Thomas tried hard to remain calm on the outside. However, his heart was pounding. His sister was not any better. Both wondered if their father had seen through them. Apparently, he knew about Brooke's calls and probably about the deleted messages.
"That's nice of you, son." Ridge talked on. "I really don't want to send my phone in. The cell phone companies always take your last dime!"
Taylor found it very hard not to laugh out loud. She understood what Ridge was up to and she had to admit, his plan was brilliant. It was obvious how Thomas and Steffy were suffering in silent agony, yet trying hard not to show it. She decided to step into the charade.
"While we're on this subject, I wanted to ask you something too Thomas. Is there actually a way to retrieve deleted messages?" Thomas almost fell off his chair this time and Steffy got big googly eyes.
"Aehm...well...that's not so easy Mom. It's relatively complicated and to be honest I'm a bit stumped. Why do you come up with that?"
"I accidentally deleted some messages recently that I really didn't mean to. I just remembered it now!" She winked surreptitiously at Ridge. Steffy and Thomas exchanged rather worried and overwhelmed looks. They felt like they were in a thriller. Was it really possible that their parents came up with this topic purely by accident, or did the two of them know exactly what was going on and were in cahoots. Steffy knew her mother liked to play up her superiority. But the fact that her father was now also working with psychological tricks was new to her. Thomas had the same thoughts running through his head. He felt his parents' stares and had the feeling they could see right into him.
"Don't you like your food, Thomas?" his mother asked, concerned. "You're not eating anything?!"
"Of course I do, it tastes great as always!"
"And what about you Steffy?" her father wondered. "You should eat. You need to keep your strength up before the surgery!"
"Sure Dad! You're absolutely right!" Steffy took an oversized bite. Ridge.changed the subject and brought up the next fashion show. While he and Taylor continued to enjoy their dinner, Thomas and Steffi felt like they were on the hot seat. After dinner, Taylor cleared the table and Steffy wanted to help her. "Let it go!" rebuffed Ridge. "I'll help your mom! But please sit in the living room for a moment. We have something very important and serious to discuss with you!" He stared piercingly at his children.
Thomas and Steffy, deeply rattled , went back into the living room and sat down.
"Do you think they suspect something or what was that just now?" Thomas stared at his sister, perplexed.
"I don't know. It almost looks like they've exposed us. I mean, all those weird innuendos. But maybe Dad really thinks it was just a technical glitch!"
"I don't think so! Maybe we'd better admit it?!"
Thomas and Steffy didn't get to discuss further, their parents already joined them with four large milkshakes.
"So what do you guys want to talk to us abou?" asked Steffy nervously.
"Oh yeah, what we wanted to tell you..." Ridge made a dramatic pause, unbearably for his kids. "...You know your mother and I went to the hospital this morning and we talked to the doctors again. It was decided that the surgery will take place in three days. That means Steffy, you have to be at the hospital the night before already."
Both Thomas and Steffy exhaled in relief. While their father continued to talk, they cast uncertain glances at each other. Were they really going to get away with it?
"And that was all you wanted to talk to us about?" echoed Thomas.
"Of course! I mean these are important news. What do you think we want to talk about?"
"Oh, nothing!" Steffy jumped in. "You're right, these are really important news. I'm glad the surgery is finally settled. I just want to get it over with!"
"I can understand that!" her mother agreed with her. "I guess we all feel this way."
"I just hope..." thought Steffy aloud. "...that the surgery will actually help Phoebe and that her body will accept my kidney."
"The chances are relatively good!" her mother reassured her. "With twins, the prognosis is usually even better than with normal siblings. There is very little risk that Phoebe's body will reject the kidney. We should be optimistic!"
"That means this nightmare is finally over?!"
"Let's hope so!"
The next few days went terribly slowly for everyone. But finally, the morning of the surgery was there. Both Ridge and Taylor were both a wreck. On the one hand, they had longed for this day for so long, yet they were terrified for both of their daughters. Thomas noticed his parents' nervous mood. Both were barely able to take a bite. When his mother tried to clear the breakfast dishes and almost broke all the cups, he quickly intervened and took care of the dishes instead. While they waited for Thomas, Ridge paced nervously around the room, tapping his foot constantly.
"Please Ridge stop, you're driving me crazy!"
"Sorry!" he muttered and sat down. Then he started tapping his fingers nervously. Taylor was about to join him when his phone rang.
"Hi Brooke! Glad you're calling!"
"Hey Ridge! I wanted to check in. How are you doing?"
"It's okay! Thomas, Taylor and I are about to head to the hospital. I'll see you there!"
"Fine! Rick and I, we'll be on our way right away too."
Ridge thought he had misheard.
"Rick?! You want to take Rick to the hospital with you??"
"Of course! He's terribly worried about Steffy and Phoebe and I think on this day the whole family should be together!" Ridge exploded, screaming into the receiver.
"Now you listen to me! I don't want this guy anywhere near me and certainly not today! Today is not about Rick, it's about Phoebe and Steffy. I'm warning you Logan, if you dare show up together with this bastard, I'll have you both thrown out on your asses!"
"Ridge, let's be reasonable..."
"I'm not discussing it and if you can't see my point, then you better don't show up either!" Ridge hung up angrily and flung his phone around.
"Hey, calm down!" Taylor came up to him and gave him a hug. But Ridge was still shaking all over.
"Did you hear that?! She seriously thinks it's a good idea to show up at the hospital with Rick after everything that happened!"
"I heard it, and I'm just as horrified as you are! I can only hope she'll take your warning seriously and come without Rick. But you can't let all this get to you. You still need your energy!" Ridge took a deep breath and looked at Taylor gratefully.
Taylor and Ridge arrived at the hospital with Thomas. They went to see Phoebe once more and popped in on Steffy to give her a hug and wish her good luck. Afterwards, Bridget led them to a private waiting room. Slowly, the rest of the family trickled in. Ridge raised his head when he saw Brooke. Fortunately, she had indeed appeared alone, but she was still angry with Ridge. Without giving him a glance, she sat down with Eric. Everyone in the room noticed the tension between them.
They all spent the next few hours waiting. Everyone tried to distract themselves with something, but no one really succeeded. Everyone sat or walked around silently and kept staring at the big clock hanging over the door. Stephanie occasionally tried to strike up a conversation. She asked about RJ and Hope, but no one really felt like talking. Most of the time, everyone was silent.
After a few hours, Taylor finally stretched.
"I need to get some fresh air! I'm going for a walk in the backyard!" To everyone's surprise, Brooke rose as well.
"I could use some fresh air too, I'll join you!"
Everyone looked after the two very skeptically.
When the two women reached the garden, Brooke hooked Taylor up.
"Now we can have a serious talk!"
"I knew you wouldn't just want to go for a walk!"
"No, definitely not! I want to make something clear! Ridge is my man and no matter what you or your brats do, Ridge and I belong together and there's nothing you can do about that!"
"Now.listen to me Brooke, I don't feel like listening to your crap at all. Especially not today! In case you forgot, both of my girls are having surgery right now. Can you possibly imagine that I'm not interested in your sensitivities right now!"
"Didn't Ridge tell you about what Steffy and Thomas cooked up?"
"Yes, he did, and even if it's all true, I don't really care! I have other things on my mind and besides, I want to tell you something too! You always act like we are manipulating Ridge and almost coercing him to stay with us. The truth is, Ridge likes being with us and he is comfortable with us. He told me himself it didn't matter what Steffy and Thomas did. He would have gone to the beach with us no matter what because he wanted to and that day meant as much to him as it did to us. He didn't have to go at all. I offered to him to go with them by myself, and Ridge declined. Face it Brooke! Whether Ridge and you are engaged, married or divorced, Thomas Steffy and Phoebe are his children and always will be. We'll always be Ridge's family!"
After this speech, Taylor left Brooke and returned to the others. A short time later, Brooke also came back into the waiting room. The family looked from one to the other in turn. Everyone would have liked to know what had happened between them, but this was not the time.
After another hour of endless waiting, the doctors finally came in.
"Well, how is it?" asked Taylor and Ridge out of one mouth. The doctors looked quite exhausted, but their expressions brightened.
"Both surgeries were very successful and everything went well!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Ridge and Taylor fell into each other's arms. "Phoebe's vitals were a bit unstable during the surgery, but everything was still within normal range. The only thing is that we'll be lowering the sedation a little more slowly on her. Steffy, on the other hand, should wake up soon."
"Can we see our girls?" asked Taylor, and everyone rose expectantly.
"Due to the risk of infection, only you (he pointed to Ridge and Taylor) are allowed to see them right now. I would like to ask everyone else to be patient for a little while!"
All the doctors, except Bridget left the room. Everyone was happy that things had turned out so well. Bridget volunteered to take Taylor and Ridge to the ICU. She nodded to the rest.
"It's best if you guys go home! There's nothing more you can do here. You all can't see Steffy until tomorrow, and with Phoebe, we'll have to wait.
So while Ridge and Taylor hurried to get to their daughters, the rest headed home. Stephanie volunteered to drive Thomas home, while Eric joined Brooke. Brooke had noted angrily since she had been back in the room, Ridge hadn't taken any notice of her. His attention had been solely on Taylor. But she hoped now that the surgery was over, things would return to normal.
Taylor and Ridge sat by Steffy's bedside and held her hand. When Steffy opened her eyes, they were both smiling. Steffy was still very weak and could barely speak. The first word she whispered hoarsely was 'Phoebe.' Taylor explained to her that Phoebe's surgery had gone very well and the doctors were optimistic. A smile flitted across Steffy's lips. After she fell back asleep, Taylor and Ridge continued on to Phoebe's room. They sat down at her bedside. They spent the night there. Taylor held her daughter's hand and they both waited for a sign.
The next morning, Taylor had dozed off on Ridge's shoulder, she felt a twitch around her hand. Taylor was instantly wide awake. She nudged Ridge and they looked at their daughter. Taylor addressed Phoebe; there was no response. However, she tried one more time.
"Phoebe, sweetheart, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand!" They both held their breath. It seemed like an eternity to them. But then...Phoebe's hand twitched and slowly it closed around her mother's hand. Taylor and Ridge could hardly believe their luck.
"Phoebe, my darling! Don't be scared. It's me Mom and your Dad is here. If you understand me, open your eyes. Come on, you can do it!"
It took a while, but finally Phoebe carefully opened her eyes. Her parents were beaming all over. The doctor came and examined her. He made a very pleased face.
"This all looks very promising. I think she's out of the woods for now!"
Shortly after, Phoebe fell asleep, exhausted after all the exertion.
Ridge and Taylor went to the garden together. Ridge was still completely excited.
"I still can't believe it. She's awake and she was looking at us! She actually looked at us!" Taylor walked up to him.
"I know, I can't believe it either! Our daughter is alive and she's going to be fine!" The two fell into each other's arms overjoyed. They looked deep into each other's eyes and suddenly their lips met and they kissed.
