Jackie beamed after spending time with Jack, who was two years old. Nick said Jack was a heartbreaker. Jackie mentioned that Jack had to miss Katie, as she had been babysitting him every day prior to her surgery. She noted that Nick had to miss Katie, too. Nick glared at his mother and admitted nothing.
Jackie continued to stir the pot and reminded Nick that Katie had feelings for him. He brushed the notion off. He said that Katie was grateful to Bridget for her part in saving Katie's life. Jackie asked him to admit that Katie had affected him, too. He said that she should drop it and reminded his mom that he was married to Bridget, who was one of the most loyal and committed women in the world. Jackie replied that Katie would also fit that description.
Back at the hospital, Bridget asked Dr. Patrick how Katie's tests had turned out. Katie jumped in and took the lead. She said her tests showed no signs of infection, and she gave her doctor the stink eye to make it clear she did not want him to tell Bridget about her pregnancy. Bridget was happy that Katie's tests had turned out so well, but she was still suspicious as to why Katie had seemed to tense when Bridget had first walked in.
Katie explained that the doctor had just given her the good news and she had merely been in shock. Katie apologized and said she was sorry if she had frightened Bridget. Bridget asked to speak to Dr. Patrick alone, but Katie stopped him before he left the room and made him promise he would not reveal her pregnancy to Bridget.
Dr. Patrick agreed to keep her secret on the condition that she promised to make an appointment with an obstetrician immediately. He warned her that it was not a typical pregnancy. As Dr. Patrick left the room, Katie got lost in her mind and remembered the night she and Nick had spent on Catalina together. Apparently, they had made love in the sand that night near a roaring fire.
Bridget walked back into the examination room and found Katie crying. Bridget pleaded with Katie to confide in her about what was wrong. Katie was lost in a kaleidoscope of images of her and Nick and barely heard Bridget's voice. Bridget attempted to psychoanalyze Katie and explained that many transplant patients considered their hospital checkups stressful as they waited for the other shoe to drop and were afraid of impending bad news.
Katie was apparently oblivious to Bridget and mumbled to herself that no one had expected her to live, "That day on the Marlin, my life was over," she said. Bridget implored Katie to unburden herself by sharing whatever news she had gotten from the doctor. Bridget said that Katie could tell her anything. "Not this!" Katie exclaimed.
Bridget suspected that Katie was merely worried about how to proceed with her future, as she had not been expected to live. Katie replied that Bridget believed her survival was a gift from God, but Katie said it was not -- it was a cruel joke, and God was probably laughing at her. She decided her unexpected circumstance was God's way of punishing her.
Bridget said that was crazy and wondered what God would possibly want to punish Katie for. Katie said she didn't know, and she wasn't even sure there was a God. She asked Bridget very sternly to just go. Bridget said that there were people in life a person could count on and that Katie had her family and Nick and Bridget -- and nothing would ever change that. Katie again asked Bridget to leave and stated she didn't want to say anything else.
Dr. Patrick went back in to see Katie with another doctor to consult on her pregnancy. Katie asked if they were certain and wondered if any of her medications might cause a false positive result. They assured her they were certain that she was pregnant.
Katie explained it had been unplanned. She and Nick had only slept together once, and it had occurred after her first failed round of antirejection drugs after her heart transplant. The doctors said that Katie's pregnancy would be considered high-risk and that she needed to have herself and her baby monitored frequently. They said she needed to control her stress, and they assured her it was possible for her to carry a full-term, healthy baby in spite of her health status.
The doctors reminded Katie that she had already defied medical possibilities once and that they anticipated she would do it again with her baby. After the doctors departed, Katie called Nick and asked him to meet her at the Marlin right away. Nick arrived, and Katie was lost in her memories about their whirlwind romance. Nick asked Katie to tell him what was going on; he assumed she had gotten bad news from the doctor.
Katie said it was nothing like that; instead she had gotten news that was quite unexpected. Nick said that whatever it was, she could trust him with it. She said nothing, and Nick moved in close to her and said intensely, "What's going on?" She didn't answer.
Donna arrived at the hospital and found Eric was hooked up to a respirator. She asked a nurse what had happened, and the nurse said Donna needed to speak directly to Eric's doctor.
Bridget went to Eric's room and found Donna by his side. She apologized to Donna for not calling to warn her about Eric's turn for the worse. She said he was not breathing well on his own, so they'd had put him on a respirator. Bridget said she understood Donna's concern and that they both wanted good news about Eric.
Bridget assured Donna she had done everything she could and had consulted with many other specialists. She said all they could do was pray for a miracle. Donna asked if a miracle was the only thing that would bring Eric back. She floated an idea past Bridget about possibly taking Eric home to recuperate.
Bridget convinced Donna that it would be a terrible idea to move Eric and would jeopardize his recovery. Donna asked Bridget in a trembling voice if Eric would ever recover. Bridget admitted that she simply didn't know. Donna predicted that no matter what the doctors had said, she firmly believed that Eric would return to her.
When Brooke visited her daughter's home, Bridget broke the news to her mother that the doctors had placed Eric on a ventilator. Brooke asked Bridget to predict if Eric would recover, and Bridget hesitated to make a prediction about it. Bridget informed her mother that doctors who dealt with patients in comas never made predictions about their recovery because each situation was unique.
Bridget then asked if Brooke had seen Katie at home. Bridget said that she had observed Katie in a distraught state as if she were disgusted with life and believed that God was laughing at her. Bridget questioned the meaning of religion and God. Brooke tried to explain that God listened to everyone's prayers. Bridget questioned why bad things happened to good people.
Bridget commented that Nick would know what was wrong with Katie, since Katie had confided in Nick before. Brooke casually remarked that Bridget should be a little concerned that Nick has been so emotionally close to Katie. Bridget retorted that Brooke had been closer to Nick than Katie was. Bridget explained that she did not worry about other women because what would happen was not preventable, and worrying could not stop it.
Meanwhile, Katie and Nick met at the Shady Marlin. Katie discussed the night that she and Nick had spent at Catalina Island. She reminded Nick that they had both thought she had only days or hours to live. Katie explained that she had planned to keep the fact that they had made love that night a secret. She wanted to fantasize about it.
Nick commented that he had felt love towards Katie that night, and he had felt happy they had made love. Katie became very emotional and blurted out that she was pregnant. Nick was shocked and told Katie that they did not need justification for their actions. Katie screamed out that she had hurt Bridget by her pregnancy.
Katie felt that she had betrayed Bridget's trust by sleeping with Nick. Nick explained that he and Bridget had not had a commitment at that time. Katie felt her values were all broken because she had betrayed Bridget when she'd slept with Nick. Nick pleaded to Katie that she not taint their night together, and he felt pleased that it had happened.
Bridget called Nick on his cell phone and asked him to check on Katie. Bridget explained that Katie had not seemed right. Outside on the Marlin, Katie sat alone, lost in her thoughts, and hallucinated that Storm was in the water and had spoken to her.
Bridget talked to Nick on the phone and explained why she was worried about Katie. Nick fidgeted as Bridget rambled on, because he was anxious to get off the phone and complete the conversation he was having with Katie about their baby. Bridget continued and asked Nick if he and Taylor might consider choosing Katie to be Jack's godmother. Nick didn't respond favorably and Bridget said they could discuss it when he got home.
Brooke arrived downstairs from seeing baby Jack and asked Bridget how Nick had reacted to the godmother idea. Bridget confessed that Nick had not been very receptive. Bridget said it wasn't really her place to get involved -- she was merely trying to be nice to Katie, as she was worried about her.
Bridget said that she had noticed a certain coldness in Katie, which she had recognized, because she had felt the same angst after she'd lost baby Nicole. She mentioned that she had purchased a book during her season of grief called Dark Night of the Soul. Bridget read a passage to Brooke about darkness, light, and the space between, and how the two needed one another to know the other existed.
Brooke said she wanted to remember the passage always and that it prompted her to remind Nick and Taylor that they needed to have a christening for Jack. Brooke believed a christening would renew everyone's faith and draw them closer together as they joined to dedicate a precious life to God. She said that after all the heartache their families had endured, they needed something positive to focus on.
Brooke asked Bridget if anyone had talked to Donna about possibly having to make a decision on Eric's life. Bridget said that she didn't think Donna could handle that reality yet, on top of what she had already endured. Brooke suggested that Bridget should talk to Ridge about the possibility, to see if he and Donna could work together should the situation arise.
Beth had a professional session with Taylor and talked about her reluctance to return to Los Angeles. Taylor asked why Beth had resisted returning home for so long. Beth admitted she had felt paralyzed and felt she had nothing to give. Beth said she felt as if the old her was a suit of clothes she had taken off, and she just couldn't remember where she had put them. She said the old her, pre-stroke, had been active and had wanted to do everything, and the new post-stroke version of herself only wanted to sleep and didn't want to do anything.
Taylor asked Beth to consider the possibility that some of her symptoms might have stemmed from depression rather than dementia. Beth said she had suffered strokes and memory loss, and when her doctor had mentioned that her memory loss might not be a side effect of her stroke, she had assumed it was something much worse. She admitted to Taylor that she had given up and decided her life was over. Beth said she had never even considered the possibility that those feelings of hopelessness were symptoms of depression. Taylor assured Beth that anyone who had endured the health issues that Beth had would be depressed.
Beth said she was fearful of losing her connection to her family and friends, and that fear was what had kept her isolated in Paris. Beth explained to Taylor that it had seemed less painful to stay in Paris and simply lock herself in her own world without being concerned about her loved ones' reactions. Beth said that helplessness was a foreign concept to her; she had always been strong and self-reliant and couldn't bear the thought of being dependent on anyone.
Taylor informed Beth that there were many drug therapies available to treat dementia and depression. Beth said she had let fear get the better of her, but she was getting better. Having her family around for support had actually given her a few moments of joy.
Taylor told Beth that one in ten people suffered from depression, and it was caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, which could be triggered by excessive grief or other stress factors. She said depression, left untreated, was a very sad thing, as it caused people to do things they would never do otherwise. Beth said she never felt sick, but she certainly felt spiritually empty. Taylor told Beth a person could sometimes experience a grief so deep it seeped into every cell in the body.
Katie was transfixed, stunned to see Storm in the murky water below her. She moved closer to the edge of the Shady Marlin as she tried to focus on him.
Storm looked up sadly and said to Katie, "Don't you know me? You're in my heart; you are never very far away." He said that he was there to save her and cautioned her that Nick would never raise a child with her. He taunted her and said that no one would even look at her once they found out what she had done. He asked her if she really wanted to live that way and invited her to go for a swim.
Katie said she couldn't do that, but climbed up on the edge of the boat as though she intended to jump. Storm said the water was fine, and Katie said, "I can't. I shouldn't." But suddenly, Katie plunged into the icy water below.
Storm urged Katie onward; he swam ahead and asked her to follow. He said that life was just a series of struggles and ugliness, and he was glad he could no longer see it. As Katie swam deeper and deeper, chasing after him, his image changed, and he appeared to transform into a monstrous creature.
Katie turned and frantically swam the other direction. She kicked and pushed herself up to the surface and cried for help as the beast swam after her. He tried to grab her ankle to pull her back under. She screamed for help again, and suddenly Nick was behind her, and she was safely on the deck of the Shady Marlin again. The whole thing had been a vision.
Katie fell into Nick's arms, crying, and said that life was a miracle and that the baby she carried inside of her was a miracle. She audibly thanked God for the blessings and miracles that had poured down upon her life. She promised Nick that she would love and nurture their child. Nick held her and promised that the two of them would get through it together.
At Brooke's house, Bridget explained to Ridge and Brooke that Eric's condition was deteriorating. Bridget continued with bad news as she said that she and the doctors had hoped that Eric would be showing signs of recovery rather than requiring a ventilator. Ridge was shaken and asked when they could expect to see improvement. Bridget cried that Eric might never improve. She worried that his brain showed very little activity, and that was not a good sign.
Bridget said that if Eric survived, he might have brain damage. Brooke was in disbelief that Eric might not get well. She said that no one in the family could accept that. Ridge was crushed and stated that his dad's guidance was the only thing that kept Forrester and Ridge himself going. They all hugged and promised to remain positive and strong, and they hoped that Eric would recover. Bridget also said the reality was that they had to be prepared for the fact that Eric might never recover -- or, if he did, he would not be the same person they all knew.
Ridge insisted there had to be someone somewhere who could help Eric, but Bridget said the hospital was doing everything medically necessary. She told Brooke and Ridge that Donna had suggested the same thing. Donna had even wanted to take Eric home to his own surroundings, where he might be more comfortable, but Bridget recommended that he stay in the hospital. There was nothing anyone could do for him in a home setting.
Brooke said it had to have been really hard on Donna because she loved Eric so much. Bridget regretted that she hadn't gotten to Donna in time to warn her that Eric had been placed on the ventilator. Bridget had wanted to prepare Donna for what she would see when she visited Eric, but she acknowledged no one could be prepared for seeing a loved one kept alive by machines.
Bridget added that in the event a decision had to be made about Eric's future, Eric had left that decision up to Donna in legal documents. Ridge said he couldn't believe that Eric wouldn't leave that decision with members of the family, but Brooke quietly pointed out that Donna was family. Ridge agreed and acknowledged that Eric loved Donna very much and that Donna clearly loved Eric. However, he said that if any decision needed to be made regarding Eric's life, the entire family would make it together, not just Donna.
On the Shady Marlin, Nick and Katie talked about the fact that everything happened for a reason. Nick said he was convinced there was a reason for the turn of events, and that it would all work out for the best. He promised that somehow they would get through the entire process together. Katie worried about telling Bridget about the baby.
Katie also warned Nick that with all the drugs and antirejection medication Katie was on, no one knew what would happen to the baby. She added that she might not be able to carry the baby to term, and the baby could have many problems if it survived. Also, if the baby survived, there was no guarantee of how long the child could live.
Katie continued to tell Nick that she didn't regret their time on Catalina, but they would have to determine what to tell Bridget when the time was right. The two agreed not to tell Bridget anything until they knew more about what would happen to Katie and to the baby. They held hands then hugged, but they looked very uncomfortable.
Ridge and Brooke visited Eric at the hospital. Ridge asked the doctor if they might actually lose Eric. The doctor informed them that the odds of Eric making a full recovery were very slim and that even if he emerged from the coma, he would probably not be the same man they remembered. He continued that the doctors were discouraged because they should have seen some improvement in Eric's condition already.
Ridge inquired about what would happen if they unplugged the respirator. The doctor said Eric would not get enough oxygen to his brain. He said they could possibly perform a tracheotomy if the family wanted to try to improve Eric's oxygen intake without machinery. He noted that the bottom line was that the odds of recovery for a coma patient diminished after the first few weeks in the coma. Ridge thanked the doctor for being honest with him because he finally understood the reality of what his family faced.
Brooke sat with Eric, kissed his forehead, and then left the room. Ridge remained with Eric. Ridge said he could not bear to see Eric that way. He said Eric was the one who had always encouraged him and given him hope and that he was in desperate need of some hope. He pleaded with Eric to give him a sign. As soon as Ridge spoke those words, Eric's voice audibly said, "Let me go." But when Ridge spun around, he realized Eric was still hooked up to the ventilator and could not possibly have spoken.
The voice rang out again, "Let me go." Ridge argued with Eric and insisted that he hold on. Eric said, "I'm tired, son." Ridge continued the debate and begged Eric to fight to stay with them. Ridge said he was not strong enough to do what Eric suggested he do. Eric's voice spoke into Ridge's heart, "Yes, you are. Let me go." Ridge seriously contemplated pulling the plug on the ventilator.
Brooke returned to the room, and Ridge explained what he had just experienced. He said Eric's spirit had spoken to him. Brooke was not convinced. She said Ridge was just tired and probably had nodded off and dreamed the whole incident. Ridge assured her it was not a dream; he had been wide awake. He confided in Brooke that Eric wanted Ridge to help him die. Ridge said he felt Eric's presence and sensed his spirit.
Brooke left the room again, and Ridge went back to his father's side. He said he knew Eric was depending on him to help, but he didn't think he could. Again, he heard Eric's plea, "Let me go."
Ridge looked at Eric in his hospital bed, hooked up to tubes and wires, and determined it was not what Eric would have wanted. His dad was being kept alive by machinery, dependent and helpless. Ridge wept uncontrollably as the reality of Eric's predicament sank in. He expressed his deep love for Eric, and his mind filled up with a symphony of voices, which had given him discouraging words about Eric's condition.
Ridge heard Brooke and Bridget and the doctor's voices, which all confirmed the impossible odds of Eric ever recovering. He looked down at his lifeless father and had flashbacks of joyful and triumphant times the two of them had shared. As Ridge continued to sob, he moved away from Eric's side and headed toward the ventilator. He dropped his head heavily into his hands and turned the switch to off.
Bridget asked Nick if he wanted to discuss her idea about asking Katie to be Jack's godmother. Nick said no; he was still not interested in discussing that topic. Bridget asked why, and he sidestepped the truth and explained that Bridget should focus on her father at the moment and stop trying to solve everyone else's problems.
Bridget argued with Nick and said she really wanted to do something to cheer Katie up. Nick said he didn't know if Katie even wanted to be Jack's godmother. Bridget said that was ridiculous; Katie loved Jack, and she couldn't imagine any reason why Katie would decline. She asked Nick if he knew of a reason Katie wouldn't want to be Jack's godmother, and he failed to answer.
Nick massaged Bridget's shoulders and tried to get her to relax. He reminded her that she was in the midst of dealing with several stressful situations and that she should focus on taking care of herself. She asked Nick what was going on with him and pointed out that he had not slept well; she had noticed that he had tossed and turned all night. Nick covered and said it was only because Bridget had not been home when he had gone to bed, and he was accustomed to having her beside him.
Nick said he worried about Bridget and all the things she had done for other people. He expressed his devotion and said he loved her and was there for her, no matter what events might unfold. He said that was what marriage was all about. Bridget appeared comforted by his comments.
Back at the office, Katie got lost in memories and flashbacks of the day she and Nick had spent on Catalina. She daydreamed about the words they had spoken, and she smiled. She put her hand on her tummy and caressed the spot where their baby was growing inside of her.
