The Forrester family was back at the hospital with Thorne. The personality change in Thorne concerned them all. They couldn´t recognize Thorne anymore. And it seemed as though Thorne didn´t recognize them either. A doctor that specialized in brain activity had been called in and was meeting them in his office.
”Please, take a seat” he told the family as he quickly went through a journal. He looked up at them, ready for the talk.
”What is wrong with my brother?” Kristen asked concerned.
”When I was called in to this case, I immediately sent Thorne down to X-ray. We had new pictures taken to see if there are any changes since the car accident. I haven’t gotten the results back yet, but they´re due any minute now. I have read the report on the older pictures, and they didn´t show any kind of swelling or bleeding or anything out of the normal. But I felt we should check again considering the symptoms you have noticed in Thorne. There may have been something we´ve missed, or something that couldn´t be detected with the old pictures. That is where we are now” the doctor explained. He was interrupted when he´s beeper alarmed.
”Excuse me” he said and looked down to the display. “The pictures are ready now. If you want, you can stay here while I go give the report on them and then we can talk some more” he said and got up from his chair.
”Thank you” Eric said and the doctor hurried off.

Jim Griffith was working late again this Wednesday. A sign of yet another argument with his wife. He wasn’t interested in coming home to another quarrel, so he had decided to get some work done. He sat in his dark office with the evidence against Stephanie Forrester before him. He looked up to the door as when he heard someone approaching.
”Hey Griffith, what are you doing here so late?” a young man asked.
”Looking over the facts from the Forrester case”.
”What about it?”
”Fact 1: Stephanie Forrester´s fingerprints were on the gun”.
”Yes”
”Fact 2: Tim Cameron was shot by that gun, which belongs to Stephanie Forrester. Fact 3: Stephanie Forrester had gunpowder residue on her hands. Fact 4: Shannon Davis and Rick Forrester heard a shot being fired, and 1 or 2 minutes later saw Stephanie Forrester looking down the pool at the body of Tim Cameron, who´s head was faced down. Fact 5: Stephanie Forrester was having an affair with Tim Cameron, which her husband was aware of at the time of the murder. It was even printed in the tabloids, so if was a public fact, or at least a known rumor.”
”Everything is pointing to Stephanie Forrester.”
”Everything except my instinct”.
“What are you thinking?”
”Something just doesn’t add up. I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I get. Fact 6: The shooter stood 8 feet from the victim, face to face, and there was no trace of blood on Stephanie Forrester.”
”There doesn’t have to be.”
”There were no other fingerprints than Stephanie Forrester’s on the gun. No one else was seen, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anyone else there. I am thinking, what if we gone by this with the wrong theory. What if this wasn’t a crime of passion? Tim Cameron was working at the Forrester residence. He was scheduled to be there.”
”He didn’t have any enemies according to his friends and mother. And no debts we know of. He had money in his bank account. No major sums have been withdrawn or inserted this last year aside from the normal salaries.”
”Let’s look at the other suspects for a minute. We have Eric Forrester, the husband. He has no alibi. But he does have motive. And he certainly got opportunity and access to the gun.”
”But would he be willing to frame his wife?”
”Wouldn’t you be? His wife’s adultery was a public embarrassment for him. She made a fool out of him. Maybe he wanted to revenge it?”
”But there is no clear evidence against him”
”Not anything we’ve found yet, it doesn’t mean there isn’t any out there”.
”Do we still have any other suspects?”
”What about this mystery person who tipped off the tabloid?”
”No fingerprints on the note, no fibres. It’s clean”.
”What about the signature?”
”Some kind of symbol, or letter. I’ve checked around. No one could tell what it is, or what it stands for.”
”A dead end”.
”Footprints at the Forrester residence?”
”Several. Doesn’t give anything solid to go on”.
”I think I should have a talk with Stephanie Forrester, tomorrow”.

Brooke was sitting watching the news on TV. She couldn’t concentrate listening to the newscaster. She couldn’t get Nick out of her mind. She flashed back to when she visited the Shady Marlin and blurted out to Nick how he made her fall in love with him knowing he was already married.
”What possessed me to tell him that?” Brooke questioned herself. She looked back to the TV and focused. Then Shannon returned to the house.
”Hi” Brooke said.
”Hi” Shannon answered.
Then if got silent.
”Good night” Shannon said and headed upstairs. Brooke looked back to the TV. But as the newscaster talked on, Brooke again started thinking about what had happened at the boat.

Christina sat down next to Nick.
”Want me to talk to her?” she asked.
”To who?”
”Brooke Logan”.
”No, I’m going to talk to her.”
”What are you going to tell her?”
”The truth. That our marriage isn’t a real marriage, that we’re not in love.”
”And you think she’ll believe you?” Christina asked.
”I’ll make her believe it”.
”I don’t think it’s such a good idea. She won’t believe you.”
”How do you know that?”
”You never told her you were married. Why would she believe you now?”
”So you mean I blew it?”
”Yeah, you did.”
”It’s not over”.
”I didn’t say that”.
”What are you suggesting?”
”I am suggesting that I’ll talk to her”.
”You?”
”Yeah, me. If the ‘betrayed wife’ tells her our marriage was never real, then the chance is she believes it, wouldn’t you say?”
”I guess you have a point there”.
”Then I’ll see you later” Christina said and got up.
”Hey, Tina. Thanks!”
”Let’s call it pay-back” Christina smiled.

”Sorry for the delay” the doctor said as he returned to his office. He went over to his desk and sat down. He had a big envelope with him, which he held in his hands before him.
”What is the result?” Ridge asked.
”I’ll show you”, he answered and lit the lights to a screen behind him. He opened the envelope and took up 4 x-ray pictures. He placed them on the screen and took a pencil from his desk.
”These are the older pictures, these two” he said and pointed to the two pictures on the top. “Everything looks normal. And then compare them to these two” he said and pointed to the two pictures at the bottom. “You see this area?” he asked and pointed out a spot on one of the new pictures. “That is fluid that shouldn’t be there. Same with the second one. You can see that the fluid is centered and not spread out. I am imagining there is pressure there, which very well could explain the change in Thorne’s persona. It’s centered in a place where you can say the personality center would be located at.”
”If this bleeding began during the accident, then why can´t you detect a bleeding in the pictures taken after the accident?” Stephanie asked.
”You can. Now that I know exactly where the fluid is centered, I can look back at the old pictures and see signs of it. Right here” he said and pointed out something the Forresters could not see.
”If you don´t know what you are looking for, then this would be almost impossible to detect. It is very small, and hadn´t been filled up yet. Now, weeks after the accident, the fluid has begun to swell up in this area, which is causing a pressure. If the old pictures have been taken with a slightly different angle, then it would have been possible to detect it then and there.”
”What are you going to do now?” Felicia asked.
”There is only one option if you want your son to survive, I´m afraid. A small procedure.”
”An operation…” Ridge sighed.
”It´s the only way. But I can assure you that it is a small procedure. The risks are minimal. But we need to do this as fast as we can. Tonight.”
”Tonight?”
”I don’t want to wait. Each day makes a difference.”
”Of course. Can we see him before you sedate him?” Eric asked.
”Yes. I think you should do that right now. The visiting hours will be over when we’re done, so I advice you to go home, get some sleep and come back tomorrow morning. He won’t wake up until tomorrow anyhow. I can give you a call when we’re done, and give you the report.”
”I’d appreciate that” Stephanie said.
”I realize this is coming as a shock, but I think you should be thankful it’s nothing more serious. Considering what he’s been through and the changed you’ve noticed in him, this was the best outcome I could think of. It will be taken care of, and hopefully Thorne will recover quite quickly.
”You’re sure about that?” Kristen asked.
”I’d bet on it. We will take tests on the fluid which will be sent to the lab, and we’ll know within a day if there is any complications. Just know that this is a standard procedure and I’ve performed it many times before. We are going to drill a small hole in his skull, which is harmless. And empty the sack of fluid. That is basically it. There are a few side affects you should be aware of however. Blindness, paralyses, lost of speech, lost of memory… But considering your son already is paralysed and has lost his speech, I think those are risks willing to take. Especially since the option of not performing this procedure will most likely kill him.
”We understand” Eric said.
”We’re going though with the procedure” Stephanie said.
”Then I just need you to fill out a form and sign the rights” the doctor said and handed them some papers. Eric signed the rights as Stephanie filled out the form. They both felt like they had to hurry up so they wouldn’t waste any precious time. They handed over the papers back to the doctor who looked them thorough and stood up again.
”Then I have all I need. I´ll take you to Thorne’s room and you can see him.”
”How long can we stay?”
”I have to prepare for the procedure. The nurse will be there within 15 minutes to take him to surgery. You can stay until then”.
”Thank you” Ridge said and the family followed the doctor to Thorne´s room, except for Felicia who went by Darla’s room where hers and Thorne’s newborn were staying to give her the news.

Dana was at the Lair getting ready for her date with CJ. She was wearing her red, knee-length dress with one long sleeve and one shorter. She checked her hair in the mirror, which was down for the evening. She was ready to go out.

CJ was closing down at Insomnia when Bridget returned.
”Where have you been?” CJ asked.
”Out, thinking”
”Thinking about what?” CJ said as he finally looked up at her.
”What we´re doing here. You and me.”
”You want to apologize?”
”I was hoping we both could do a little bit of that”.
”What about Deacon?”
”You don´t have much faith in me, do you? Well, I am going to swear here and now that me and Deacon, that will never happen, not ever again.”
”Then why were you defending him?”
”I wasn’t. I was defending myself. I just got mad with you because I felt as though you were trying to control me like Deacon did, and frankly it scared me. But then I realized, that isn’t who you are. You’re nothing like Deacon.”
”Well I could have told you that”.
”CJ, I don’t want to blow what we have going on just because I am scared. I don’t want to end up alone.”
”I should have realized what you were going though. When Becky died, I was so scared of loving again. Then I started relying on Amber. I thought we were going to be a family with Little Eric. But then they left me and I just stopped trusting people. I thought I was better off alone. Then no one could hurt me. But then you came along and I started to realize that when I was alone, I was hurting because I didn’t have anyone. We’ve both been burned. It’s hard trusting again.”
”Very hard. When I found out Deacon was cheating on me, I was so lost. I just wanted to be left alone. But then you were there.”
”You think we still have a chance?”
”I think that if we listen to each other, we definitely have a chance.”
”Bridget… Come here” CJ said and held up his hands to her. Bridget walked into his arms and they embraced.
”Are we okay?”
”We’re okay” CJ said and ran his hand in her hair. Bridget looked into his eyes and they melted into a kiss.

Stephanie, Eric, Felicia, Kristen and Ridge returned from the hospital. They were greeted as they stepped into the mansion by a friendly face. Stephanie dropped her jaw seeing her little sister Pamela standing before her with open arms. The sister embraced. Stephanie placed her hands on her sister´s shoulders and looked into her baby blue eyes, same color as Stephanie´s own. It was obvious they were sisters.
”What are you doing here?” Stephanie asked thrilled.
”I am paying my sister a visit, something she failed to do”.
”I’m sorry I haven’t kept in touch…”
”But you were too busy, believe me, I know all about it”.
”That’s why you’re here?” Stephanie asked as she looked towards Eric, knowing he had something to do with it.
”Well, I wanted to know what the big fuss was all about.”
”Yeah, yeah…”.
”Eric, it’s good to see you again! I swear this guy just gets better looking every year!” Pamela said and cheek-kissed with Eric.
”Don’t tell him that, or it will just go straight up to his head!” Stephanie warned teasingly.
”Too late” Eric smiled. “Great to see you too, Pam.”
”Kids…? Where are the kids?” Pam asked as she looked around the room. Ridge, Kristen and Felicia playfully waved at her.
”We’re here!” they told her.
”No…! It can’t be. You’re all grown up! When did this happen?”
”While you were out cruising the 7 seas”, Felicia announced. “How long was I gone?”
”Too long. I haven’t seen you in ages!” Ridge told her and they hugged.
”You finally grew out of those attempts to grow a moustache, I see” Pam teased him.
”Hey, that was a perfectly approved moustache!”
”Keep telling yourself that, hon. But I have the picture proof right in my wallet!”
”Oh, I need to see that!” Felicia announced.
Pam took up her wallet and showed up a picture of a 15 year old Ridge with a few black stubs of hair under his nose. Felicia and Kristen studied the picture and broke out in laughter.
”Oh my god, that’s pathetic!”
”But it’s a very nice try there, big bro” Kristen said, barely able to keep from laughing.
”Laugh all you want, the girls were crazy about it” Ridge announced proudly.
”Oh, I’m sure they were crazy” Felicia nodded.
“So, what is happening with Thorne?” Pam wondered.
”He´s going through an operation right now” Kristen told her aunt.
”An operation!?”
”They discovered some kind of fluid in his brain that was causing pressure, which they are removing right now” Stephanie told her sister.
”Is it a stroke?”
”The doctor didn´t actually say it, but basically yes, I think it is a mini stroke” Eric admitted.
”Is it really that serious?”
”Well actually, the doctor made it seem like it wasn´t very serious. But that it could have been if we hadn´t brought Thorne in when we did so they could discover the pressure” Ridge said.
”Is he going to be okay?”
”I actually have a very good feeling about it. I think he´s going to be fine. I mean, he has a very long way to go. But I can finally feel it´s looking up for him” Stephanie admitted with a relieved smile.
”I really think so too” Felicia agreed.
“You can come with us tomorrow morning, to visit him, if you like” Kristen offered.
”I think I will, thank you” Pam smiled and took Kristen and Felicia in their hands as led them away. ”Come on, I need some help in the kitchen girls…”
Stephanie smiled as she saw her sister take the command and turned to Eric when the trio was out of sight.
”Thank you”.

Dina stood out in the street outside the Lair. CJ hadn’t showed up, and she was getting really angry. It was cold outside and she rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms to keep warm.
”5 minutes more” she whispered. She walked front and back, getting more and more irritated. As she stopped, she heard someone behind her. But before she could turn around, someone grabbed her from behind and held a knife to her throat. Dina was shocked, but before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth and her head was forced back to the shoulder of her attacker. She was stuck in his grip. The sharp shining knife blade was pushed to her throat firmly.
”If you scream, I’ll cut your throat, got it?” a man’s voice told her as he slowly removed his hand from her mouth. “Give me your purse” he ordered. Dina did as he said and handed her the red purse she was still holding on to. He grabbed it and licked Dina’s neck before he slid the knife off her throat and took off. Dina collapsed to the ground. She felt a pain she had never felt before and realized she was bleeding. She was lying in a pile of her own blood. Afraid to move or swallow, she started crying.

”What are you doing here?” Brooke asked the brunette beauty before her.
”I want to talk to you” Christina told her.
”I don’t even know you…” Brooke started.
”I’m Christina Payne, Nick’s wife since 6 years. Is that enough?”
”Come in” Brooke told her and turned around to walk inside. Christina closed the door and followed Brooke into the living room.
”I imagine you’re pretty upset with Nick” Christina assumed.
”Aren’t you? You don’t look very upset for being the cheated wife” Brooke noticed.
”I’m not upset with Nick”.
”You just let him walk over you?”
”Nick? You obviously don’t know him very well. Nick isn’t the kind of man who disrespect women and cheat on them”.
”Excuse me if I doubt it”.
”Nick and I have an open marriage. We’re not any normal married couple”.
”You cheat on him, he cheats on you…?”
”I wouldn’t exactly say that. We’re more like friends who have sex”.
”Why are you married? It must have been more serious at some point”.
”Nick and I got married just because of the sake of getting married. I was with my friends on a little boat trip, Nick was the captain, and we hook up. Things happened, and we took off to Vegas one evening and got married in one of those Elvis chapels.”
”Are you with Nick often? I may just come out and ask what I really want to know… Did you ever sleep with Nick when he and I were spending time together?”
”No. I hadn’t seen Nick in 2 years before I got here a few days ago.”
”Why didn’t you divorce?”
”We said to each other we’d get divorced the day one of us wanted to marry someone else”.
”And that hasn’t happened yet…” Brooke said a little disappointed.
”Nick and I got married out of the blue, but he really is the kind of man who takes real marriages seriously. I know that if he wants to divorce me one day, it’s because he’s absolutely sure about the woman he’s fallen for, and sees a future with her… But that doesn’t mean he’s not serious about you. I’m sure he is. He wanted to come after you and explain, but I told him I’d go instead. I thought I could explain it a little better, but I guess I was wrong”.
”No. I think I got it. Thank you”.
”I should be going now. Please, if you have any feelings for Nick and are serious about him, DON’T hesitate to go after him. Just be sure of it first. I don´t want to see him hurt.”
”Thank you for stopping by” Brooke told Christina who smiled before leaving.

The Forrester family were seated around the dinner table, enjoying having Pamela there with them.
”So, fess up now, aunt Pam. How was our mother REALLY like when you were kids?” Felicia asked as she took a sip of the wine.
”You don’t know…? Stephanie Douglas, I’m NOT surprised!” Pam announced.
”Why’s that?”
”I don’t know if you know this about your mother, but she has a tendency of never admitting her own mistakes. A nasty little habit”.
”Yes, we know” Ridge teased.
”And did you know your mother was the wild child?”
”I do” Eric admitted.
”Oh, you don’t know the half of it, Eric!” Pam announced as Stephanie covered her face with her hands.
”You’re going to tell them all my secrets now, aren’t you? This is you’re revenge on me?” Stephanie asked.
”Absolutely!” Pam smiled.
”Tell us!” Felicia smiled with her eyes wide open.
”Ridge, Felicia. The two rebels, right? You have so much of your mother in you…”
”Really?!” Felicia was excited.
”Is this really necessary? You’re going to ruin my image here!” Stephanie smiled.
”That’s what I am here for. Did you know your mother once ignored the rule of no playing inside the school, and shot a ball straight at a lamp. It came crashing down to the floor and Stephanie refused to take responsibility. Before the principal came to question everyone, Stephanie faked a stomach flue so she wouldn’t had to be there. But she didn’t escape the interrogation. The principal was waiting for her the next day. So your mother did what she had to. She put the blame on poor cross-eyed Timmy Rowland, who got suspended for 2 days” Pam told the gasping group.
”For which I felt awful afterwards and gave him 10 dollars!” Stephanie added.
”Whatever… And who could forget the time when Stephanie made a total fool or herself and the entire family showing up drunk?”
”No!!! We don’t need to hear that story!” Stephanie shook her head.
”I think we do…” the others agreed and turned to Pam who gladly began telling the story.
”It was a Saturday evening and Stephanie had been out with friends. So she walks into the house, ready to sneak up to her room because of the state she was in. Only she is greeted by a dozen of our parents socialite friends who had gathered at our house to discuss some boring business idea. Our father waved Stephanie over so he could introduce her properly. So Stephanie slowly walks, well… barely walks, into the living room, trying to appear sober. She greets the guests very nicely while holding hard onto a chair so she wouldn’t sway front and back. The guests greet her back and Stephanie thinks she’s done in there and sneaks away. Then there was a loud bang from the hallway, so they all rushed out to see what had happened. And there’s Stephanie, lying in a big flower pile on the floor. She had walked into a huge plant, which had tipped over. There was dirt all over the floor, and Stephanie had twits sticking up from her hair. She looks up at the guests and asked shocked ‘who put that there?’” Pam and the others laughed, as Stephanie just looked embarrassed.
”That was the most humiliating thing. Dad was beyond angry, I was grounded for two months and didn’t get to see my friends outside school.
”I am just trying to picture this!” Kristen laughed.
”It’s hard, isn’t it?” Ridge agreed.
”Who put that there?” Felicia tried to imitate how she pictured it sounding and she burst out in laughter.
”Not that she obeyed the punishment… Mom and dad caught her climb back though her window after being gone for an hour, which added two extra weeks. She tried blaming it on a noise she had heard from outside, but they didn’t buy it.”
”No wonder why you didn’t believe me when you caught me sneaking in…..” Felicia realized.
”I want more juicy stories!” Kristen announced.
”Well, there was the time Stephanie and her friends were sneaking into the principals office. Stephanie was gonna guard outside so they wouldn’t get caught. Old grumpy Mr Howard, the history teacher, approached and wanted to enter the office. Stephanie quickly stopped him, and tried to distract him for just a few seconds. But when that didn´t work, Stephanie gives him a quick kiss – on the lips – and embrace him long enough for the others to escape. But by that time, Mr Howard was so surprised he forgot where he was headed and Stephanie quickly ran away.”
”No way!” Kristen yelled out. “You didn’t? You kissed your teacher?”
”Oh god…” Stephanie sighed…
”She sure did. The whole school talked about it for weeks!”
”Mr Howard never looked me in the eyes again until graduation” Stephanie fessed up.
”When he gave you a big hug!” Pam laughed.
”And everyone clapped…”
”Whatever possessed you to kiss your teacher?” Ridge wondered.
”It was impulse. He was about to find out what we were up to and I had to stop him…. I wasn’t really thinking.”
”I learn something new about this woman every day…” Eric said bewildered.
”You should write a book” Felicia told her aunt.
”Well, I do have plenty of material…”
”You wouldn’t dare!” Stephanie spoke up.
”Have something with dad in it?” Felicia asked curiously.
”Don’t get me involved here” Eric said with his palms up.
”There was the time when Stephanie brought Eric to Chicago to meet our parents…”
”I’ve got to hear this one!” Felicia smiled.
”Isn’t it time for you to go to bed?” Eric asked.
”Nope. Pam?”
”Eric didn’t make a very good first impression on our father and came off to a bad start, very bad. He mistook our father for the butler. And then gave him his jacket and asked for a drink so he’d be less nervous when he met the intimidating father who probably would ask him about his whole life story up until when he knocked up his baby girl”.
”Way to go, dad” Ridge smiled.
”Your mother had told me everyone was out except for the butler, and the guy was wearing a suit and looked formal”.
”My mistake” Stephanie added.
”Eric realized his mistake. Dad was ready to judge Eric out until our mother arrived. She and dad called in the butler to carry Eric’s bag to one of the guestrooms. Things played on quite well that evening. Dad tried not to interrogate Eric and sat quietly by the dinner table eyeing Eric suspiciously. Mom took over his part and interrogated Eric herself. The longest 2 hours of Eric’s life, I assume” Pam laughed.
”No doubt about that.”
”Around midnight, I heard Stephanie sneak out of her room and spied her walking into Eric´s room. The next morning, I spilled it to our parents.”
”I never really thanked you for that, did I?” Stephanie asked unpleasant.
”Oh you did. In spades!”
”You never told me…”
”I was too embarrassed to”.
”What? What did you do?” Felicia asked.
”I went to the wash hamper and placed a condom in her pants pocket” Stephanie said proudly.
”Which of course the maid found and told our mother”.
”What happened?” Stephanie asked curiously with a smirk.
”THE talk, that’s what happened!” Pam said mildly enthusiastic as Stephanie looked embarrassed for her little sister as she hardly could keep from bursting out in laughter.
”Oh god…” Stephanie laughed.
”Yeah, mom and dad had the big talk with me”.
”I am so relieved I didn’t have to go though that!” Stephanie continued laughing.
”Well, maybe you should have had to” Pam said and looked at Ridge.
”Whatever” Stephanie said.
”Those were just the stories I know about. God knows how many more there are that I don´t know about”.
”There aren’t so much more” Stephanie said.
”Good luck trying to convince me of that!” Pam laughed.
”So how did you and mom first meet? I´ve never heard that story” Kristen asked Eric.
”Neither have I” Ridge said curiously.
”In collage” Eric said and looked to Stephanie.
“We know that. But how did you meet?” Kristen asked.
”I don’t really remember” Eric said.
”I don’t buy it. Mom?” Felicia asked.
”I don’t really remember either” Stephanie said and looked to Eric who smiled at her.
”You’re both liars!” Felicia concluded.
”Fine, if you won’t tell us. Pam?” Kristen asked.
”Well, actually I don’t know how. Stephanie never told me” Pam said sincere.
”So it’s a secret…” Felicia smiled.
”I think you have learned too many of my past skeletons as it is”.
”Too many? Not at all. I find it very interesting” Felicia speculated.
”Yes, I know you do.”
”Well, I should go to bed now. I’ve been travelling all day and I am exhausted” Pam said.
”Thank God for that!” Stephanie smiled.
”I put my bags in the new guesthouse, I hope it’s okay I stay there”.
”Sure” Stephanie said.
”When did you have the new one built? I don’t remember seeing it before.”
”2 years ago, wasn’t it?” Stephanie asked.
”Yeah” Eric confirmed.
”Well, I’d better go home myself” Ridge said.
”Kiss that cute nephew and nieces of mine good-night from me” Pam told Ridge as they hugged.
”I will. Good night” Ridge told everyone before he left.
”I should be going too” Kristen said.
”Give Zende a kiss from me” Pam said as she hugged Kristen and followed her out.
Felicia, Eric and Stephanie was left.
”So now that they’re gone, you can tell me. How did you actually meet each other?” Felicia asked.
”Nice try…” Eric laughed.

And older man with white hair and his wife of 50 years were out walking and stopped when they heard a soft cry. The woman stopped her husband so she could decide where the crying was coming from. It was dark, but she could see someone dressed in red on the ground before them. They rushed over.
”Sweetheart, what are you doing laying out here in the street? It’s so cold. Come here” the old lady told a shaken Dina who protested with a desperate no. The woman reached down and got her hand in Dina’s blood.
”Are you bleeding? What happened to you?” she asked and got her husbands attention. Dina only took quick breaths in and out in panic. The older man removed his coat and placed it on Dina.
”Where is she bleeding from?” the lady asked.
”Her throat!” the man replied as he saw blood running out from the young woman’s throat. Almost pumping out blood with the rhythm of her pulse. He placed his hand over the cut to stop the bleeding. Dina moaned in pain.
”Here, take my cellular phone and call 911” the man informed his wife and gave his phone to her. As she was talking to the 911 operators, the man talked calmly to Dina, informing her that help was on the way. His hand was covered in blood, but he refused to let go.
”Try not to cry, it only makes it bleed more. I know it hurts, and you’re scared. But try to take a few calm breaths and lay still. We’re here, help is on its way.”
Dina heard him, and stopped crying. But she couldn’t stop shaking. Her body was trembling with fear and chills. After a few minutes, things seemed further and further away. Dina couldn’t feel the pain anymore. She couldn’t hear the old man and his wife talking anymore. She couldn’t see anymore.
”She’s not conscious” the man told his wife. He tried to wake Dina by stroking her cheek, telling her to wake up. But he didn’t get any reaction.
”She’s not dead, is she?” the old lady asked worried.
”No, I can still feel a pulse. But it’s getting weak. If the ambulance don’t get here soon, she’ll die”.
The lady stroke Dina’s hair lovingly. “Don’t be scared, sweetheart. You’re not alone”.

Deacon was at the Lair when he heard an ambulance approaching outside. Deacon looked up and decided to see what was happening out there.
”She’s fainted” the old man told the paramedics as they arrived.
”What happened here?” one of them asked.
”She has a cut right here on her throat”
”A stab wound. Get the bag now!”
Deacon came walking up to them.
”Dina?! Oh my God, what happened?” he asked.
”Sir, you have to step back” the paramedic told Deacon.
”She’s bleeding! Is she dead?”
”No, she’s hanging in there so far”.
”Save her, please save her” Deacon pleaded.

Next morning, Stephanie walked downstairs after a sleepless night. Helen was back in duty and was setting the breakfast table.
”I heard about Thorne. How is he?” Helen asked.
”The doctor called in the middle of the night” Stephanie said.
”And?”
”The operation went as expected and Thorne is doing fine”.
”Thank God for that!” Helen said.
There was a knock on the door and Stephanie, standing up, went to open.
”Jim Griffith, with the Forensics. This is my colleague Matt George. Is it alright if we come in, we have a few questions”.
”Sure…” Stephanie said a little confused and let them inside. They went into the living room.
”I want you to tell me everything that happened the night Tim Cameron was murdered. Everything that happened up until the actual shooting, when you say you found him dead in the pool”
”I had been at the office downtown and was driving home. I stopped at the driveway, got out of the car and heard a noise. I didn’t think much of it until I found my gun lying on the ground. I picked it up, which I obviously shouldn’t have done, and I carried it with me. The noise was coming from the poolside, so I went there and saw Tim dead in the pool.”
”This noise, what was it?”
”It sounded like a someone dropped something heavy on the ground. I thought someone was out by the pool”
”Someone?”
”I thought it might be Tim”.
”Did you notice anything out of the ordinary before you found Tim?”
”There was a car parked outside the neighbour’s fence.”
”Can you describe this car?”
”No, it was too dark”.
”When did you see this car?”
”When I passed the neighbour’s house when driving home”.
”Were you surprised to see a car standing there?”
”I’ve never seen a car parked outside their fence before”.
”Nothing else you noticed that was out of the ordinary before you found Tim?”
”Nothing I can think of”.
”What about when you found him. How was his position in the pool? Face up or down?”
”Down”.
”Was he floating?”
”Yes”.
”Was there blood?”
”A lot”.
”Back to the car. How long was it there, do you know?”
”No. But I did hear a car start somewhere in the neighbourhood when I was with Tim. I am not sure if it was that car or another. All I know is that it didn’t come from our driveway”.
”What about the gun. You said you never fired it, but you tested positive on gunpowder residue. How do you explain that?”
”I don’t know. An error in the lab?”
”Impossible. I did the test myself. Twice actually.”
”Then I don’t know”.
”You swear you never fired the gun?”
”Yes”.
”Was the gun smoking when you picked it up? Was it warm?”
”No”.
“Did you fire any other gun that day or day before?”
”No, I haven’t fired a gun in many years”.
”Where did you keep your gun?”
”At the table next to my bed”.
”Who had the knowledge of that before the shooting. Name everyone who might know”.
”The maid Helen Artigas, my children Thorne, Kristen, Ridge and Felicia. My stepchildren Rick and Bridget Forrester may know. My former maids Mary Gonzales, Connie Wilkinson, and Maggie Forrester. James Warwick, Jack Hamilton, Tim and my husband Eric Forrester” Stephanie said just as Eric walked into the living room. Jim Griffith eyed him up and down as Stephanie introduced him to them.
”Anyone else?” Matt George asked.
”Possibly Sheila Carter and Morgan DeWitt” Stephanie said in a way that made Jim Griffith to ask further about them.
”They’re both in jail”
”Do they have any resentment towards you?”
”Well, they both tried to kill me” Stephanie said.
”May I ask about that?”
”Sheila Carter saw me as a threat. She was married to Eric. She poisoned me, tried to drown me in the pool and finally shot me when I had her daughter living with the father and me. She kidnapped the child and left town for several years and then returned. She’s been in jail for a year now. Morgan resented me because of the loss of her children. She kidnapped my daughter-in-law Taylor and my granddaughter Steffy. Then she tried to drown me in the tub before she was arrested. She’s been in jail for 2 years now.”
”So both of these women tried to drown you?”
”Yes”.
”You think they might have something to do with the murder?” Eric asked.
”It’s a worth looking into.”
”Mr Forrester, may I ask where you were at the time of the murder?”
”At the office, or just leaving the office. I left just after Stephanie did.”
”Where were you headed?”
”To my son, Ridge Forrester”.
”Does he live here in Beverly Hills?”
”No, in Bel-Air. I was in my car when my son Rick called me and told me what had happened”.
“Okay, I think that is if for now. Thank you” Jim Griffith said and the two men got up to leave.
”What was that all about?” Eric asked.
”They just wanted to ask a few more questions”.
”Why did they ask me about my whereabouts?”
”I don´t know”.
”You didn´t tell them something that would incriminate me, did you?”
”Of course not. What would that be?”
”No nothing.”
”Let´s just have breakfast and head over to the hospital” Stephanie said.
”You go, I need to make a phonecall” Eric said. Stephanie left the living room and Eric walked over to the phone and dialled a number.
”Forrester Creations, Megan speaking”.
”Megan, has Lucinda come in yet?”
”Yes, she’s right here. Want to talk to her?”
”Send her into my office and connect me there”.
”Okay” Megan told Eric and instructed Lucinda who went into Eric’s office and picked up the phone.
”Eric?”
”I won’t be in until after lunch. You see the black evening gown with low cut cleavage? It’s on the desk”
”Yes, I see it”.
”Could you take care of the fitting on that while I’m gone?”
”Yes, sure”.
”Thank you. You can use my office”.
”Okay. No problem. See you after lunch then” Lucinda told Eric. After hanging up the phone, she looked closer on the designs. The elegant gown impressed Lucinda. She put it down and looked over at a picture of Eric and Stephanie. She placed it in her lap and tapped Stephanie´s face with her finger. Megan entered and Lucinda quickly hid the picture.
”Is Eric coming in today?” Megan asked.
”Not until after lunch. I will be doing the fitting, so you don´t need to cancel it.”
”Okay” Megan smiled and left. Lucinda placed the picture back to where it had been and sighed.

Deacon was sitting with his sister, who had been in surgery and was now connected to some ticking machine that Deacon found annoying. He looked up at the monitor just to check that everything looked good with the pulse and heartbeats. He looked back down at Dina and gently stroke her hair. She looked so innocent. A nurse walked inside to check on her.
”How is she?” Deacon asked.
”She´s going to be fine” the nurse told him. “She was very lucky the cut wasn´t deeper or hit any major blood vessels.”
”Will there be scaring?”
”Most likely. But with today´s technology, I don´t think they will be too ugly”.
”Thank you” Deacon said before she left. He looked back down at the sleeping Dina.
”Damn you, CJ Garrison. You will pay for this” Deacon whispered angrily.

Brooke was ready to leave for the office when the phone rang.
”Brooke Logan” she answered.
”Ms Logan, this is Lt. Baker. I am calling to let you know we have released Edmund Kelly”.
”What?! Why?”
”He has a solid alibi. He wasn’t the one who tried to kill you.”
”Are you absolutely sure?”
”Yes. He was spotted is Las Vegas during the time”.
”But what if he paid someone to mix with my car?”
”He doesn’t have the money to hire a professional.”
”So it wasn’t him?”
”No. We have to keep investigating”.
”Thank you for calling” Brooke said and hung up the phone. She covered her mouth with her hands. Her attempted murderer was still on free foot, and now Edmund was also free. Brooke quickly assumed he wasn’t very thrilled with her. What was she going to do now?